Cortical Thickness in Control and FTD variants – Change over 12 Months
Surface projections of the mean change in cortical thickness between baseline and month 12 for Control, bvFTD, nfvPPA, and svPPA populations. Regional loss of gray matter contributing to the thinning of the cortex is highlighted in blue and purple.
Gray Matter Density in Control and FTD variants – Change over 24 Months
The gray matter density t-statistic maps overlaid on an anatomical MRI template illustrate the statistically significant (FDR= 0.05) gray matter density change over time. Illustrated in this figure are the Control, bvFTD, nfvPPA, and svPPA populations comparing 6, 12, 18, and 24-month changes from baseline.
Vertex-wise cortical thickness changes over a 12 month period highlight the rapid changes apparent in the frontal and temporal cortex, where the blue and purple colors indicate gray matter loss and cortical thinning, compared to the control population, where the green color indicates no change over the 12 month period.
The voxel-wise gray matter density maps show a single axial plane at the level of the hippocampus, illustrating statistically significant differences in cortical gray matter density between baseline and each follow-up timepoint. These differences are indicated by deep blue and purple colors, which denote reduced gray matter density. The comparisons highlight the spatial (left to right) and temporal (top to bottom) variations in gray matter density changes throughout the frontal and temporal cortex, as well as within subcortical gray matter, such as in the hippocampus, in the three variants of FTD.
Both exploratory analysis methods highlight the dramatic changes within the frontal and temporal regions of the FTD variants.