BACKGROUND: Apathy is the most common noncognitive symptom in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The structural correlates of apathy in AD have not yet been described. METHODS: We analyzed magnetic resonance imaging data of 35 AD patients with and without apathy. RESULTS: There was a significant linear association between apathy severity and cortical gray matter atrophy in the bilateral anterior cingulate [Brodmann area (BA) 24; r = 0.39-0.42, p = 0.01] and left medial frontal cortex (BA 8 and 9; r = 0.4, p < 0.02). Left mean cingulate cortical thinning predicted the presence/absence of apathy at the trend level of significance. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates a strong association between apathy and the integrity of medial frontal regions in AD.
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Apostolova et al. (2007) studied this question.