Abstract：Objective: To explore T2* values and R2* values in several cerebral regions in patients with Alzheimer’s disease(AD), and to evaluate the correlation between T2* and R2* values in AD patients and clinical mental scale scores. Methods: Twenty-six AD patients and 20 healthy control subjects were performed using a multi-echo fast field echo sequence at a 3.0T MRI scanner. The T2* values were read from region of interest(ROI) drawn at several cerebral regions on the T2* maps. And the R2* values were calculated. The difference of T2* and R2* values in cerebral structures between AD patients and control subjects was compared. And the correlation between T2* and R2* values in AD patients and mini-mental state examination(MMSE) score was tested. Results: Compared with control subjects, the T2* values of the hippocampus, globus pallidus and temporal cortex in patients with AD were lower, the R2* values in these regions in AD patients were significantly increased. The T2* values of the hippocampus, temporal cortex and globus pallidus in patients with AD correlated positively with the MMSE score(r=0.48, 0.56, 0.44 respectively, all P<0.05). The correlation coefficients between the R2* values of these structures in AD patients and MMSE score were negative(r=-0.49, -0.58, -0.43 respectively, all P<0.05). Conclusions: The T2* and R2* values of cerebral regions in AD were significantly abnormal and were correlated with clinical mental scale scores, which suggested the measurements of T2* and R2* might be helpful in the diagnosis and longitudinal monitoring for AD.
2008, Vol. 19 
