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Primary Grey Matter Loss

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Neuroimaging in Dementia

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Abstract

Many dementias are characterised by grey matter (GM) abnormalities; these are usually, but not exclusively, atrophy. AD is the most prevalent and the prototypic cortical GM dementia. GM atrophy reflects a loss of neurons irrespective of the underlying protein defect (amyloid, tau, alpha-synuclein); atrophy may be generalised or focal, and the pattern of atrophy may be diagnostic in itself. The current chapter focuses on disorders principally affecting GM, encompassing, besides AD, the growing class of frontotemporal lobar degeneration syndromes, including FTD and PPA, CBD and PSP, as well as PD with dementia as in DLB, Huntington’s disease and many less common diseases. A special chapter is dedicated to the prion diseases that typically affect the more basal grey matter structures as well.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology and Image Analysis Center (IAC), VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Frederik Barkhof (Professor of Neuroradiology)

  2. Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom

    Nick C. Fox (Professor of Neurology)

  3. VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Nick C. Fox (Professor of Neurology)

  4. Faculty of Medicine Department of Medical Imaging Alameda do Professor Hernâni Monteiro, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal

    António J. Bastos-Leite (Assistant Professor of Radiology and Medical Imaging)

  5. Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Center, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Philip Scheltens (Professor of Cognitive Neurology)

Authors
  1. Frederik Barkhof
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  2. Nick C. Fox
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  3. António J. Bastos-Leite
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  4. Philip Scheltens
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frederik Barkhof .

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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Barkhof, F., Fox, N.C., Bastos-Leite, A.J., Scheltens, P. (2011). Primary Grey Matter Loss. In: Neuroimaging in Dementia. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00818-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00818-4_5

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-00817-7

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