1H-MRSI of cortical and subcortical gray matter in cognitively unimpaired elderly: Associations with APOE4, CSF p-tau181 and MR morphometry

1H-MRSI can examine spatiotemporal characteristics of metabolic dysfunction in multiple brain regions in early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. Since both cortical and subcortical gray matter structures have shown vulnerability to AD neurodegeneration, we tested whether regional gray matter metabolic abnormalities were associated with (i) APOE4 genotype, a risk factor for amyloid burden, (ii) CSF p-tau181, an indicator of tau burden, and (iii) morphometry metrics (volume, cortical thickness) indicative of neurodegeneration, in cognitively unimpaired elderly. We found lower caudate Cho and lower posterior cingulate Glx in APOE4 carriers compared to non-carriers. There were no metabolite relationships with CSF p-tau181 or morphometry.