Abstract
The goal of this PhD is to investigate imaging markers of pre-clinical and clinical Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and vascular dementia with a particular focus on the integration of electronic health records. Currently, many of these imaging markers and diagnostic techniques have been validated in research cohorts but not clinical cohorts. This thesis examines the applicability of these tools in a clinical cohort, and aims to validate their accuracy in such a cohort.To accomplish this I performed four different studies:
Study 1. The integration of electronic health records and automated MRI analysis techniques to determine the relationship between mini mental state exam scores (MMSE) and hippocampal volume, this will also involve the linkage of electronic health records with imaging data which has not been done previously.
Study 2. The application of multivariate image analysis techniques to MRI of dementia patients in clinical practice, to see if current research techniques are applicable to a wider population based cohort.
Study 3. Examining the rate of underdiagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in mixed dementia patients who are clinically diagnosed with vascular dementia, using white matter hyperintensity analysis techniques to ensure those who are diagnosed with vascular dementia are not excluded from helpful treatments currently aimed at Alzheimer's Disease patients only.
Study 4. The creation of a randomised clinical trial of the application of automated hippocampal volumetry measures for dementia patients in clinical practice, with a goal to increase clinical radiologist's confidence when making a diagnosis.
| Date of Award | 2018 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Steven Williams (Supervisor) & Andy Simmons (Supervisor) |