# NEUROIMAGING IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

> **NIH NIH R01** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 1992 · $161,483

## Abstract

The studies proposed in this research application will apply in vivo31P
nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P MRS) to the study of brain
dysfunction and neuronal death in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
The overall goals are to develop a non-invasive diagnostic test for AD, and
to validate data from 31P MRS as a biologic measure of dementia severity
that can be used to monitor the clinical course of AD.  Patients with AD
and control subjects will be recruited from the Memory Disorders Unit (MDU)
of the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and undergo an
identical series of neurological and neuropsychological examinations as
well as a 31P MRS study.  All participants will also undergo 1H MR brain
imaging with computerized morphometric analysis.  Correlations among
clinical, 31P MRS and 1H MR morphometric studies will test the hypothesis
that distinctive functional impairments in AD precede structural changes
and are superior as indices of neuronal degeneration and disease
progression.  We hypothesize that the high energy phosphates decrease
significantly early in the course of AD and that the 31P MR spectra may
contribute to the early diagnosis of AD by revealing increases in
phosphodiesters that are characteristic markers of neuronal membrane
degeneration in AD.  We expect that phosphorus metabolite abnormalities
will occur in the early stages of dementia before gross anatomic changes,
based upon morphometric assessment of 1H MR brain images, can be observed.
We will relate the extent of abnormalities in 31P MRS spectroscopy and 1H
MR morphology to clinical estimates of different states of disease
severity.  This project is multidisciplinary and involves investigators
with special skills in clinical neurology and neuroimaging.  The project
builds upon existing Clinical Core, Neuropathology Core and Administrative
Core units in the Massachusetts ADRC.  The proposed research will provide
basic information regarding brain energy metabolism, neuronal membrane
composition and brain morphology in cognitive intact elderly subjects, and
will determine whether distinctive changes in these measures occur in AD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3122623
- **Project number:** 5R01AG010679-02
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **SAM.gov UEI:** FLJ7DQKLL226
- **Principal Investigator:** RAMON GILBERTO GONZALEZ
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1992
- **Award amount:** $161,483
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1991-09-29 → 1994-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3122623

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3122623, NEUROIMAGING IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (5R01AG010679-02). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3122623. Licensed CC0.

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