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Convex Third Ventricle: A Possible Sign for Dementia Using MRI

Departments of Neurology (Dr Powell) and Radiology (Drs Mezrich and Keller), UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the COPSA Institute for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (Dr Coyne), UMDNJ-Community Mental Health Center at Piscataway and Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, UMDNJ-RWJMS, New Brunswick, NJ, and the Department of Radiology (Dr Loesberg), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

Reuben S. Mezrich, MD, PhD

Departments of Neurology (Dr Powell) and Radiology (Drs Mezrich and Keller), UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the COPSA Institute for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (Dr Coyne), UMDNJ-Community Mental Health Center at Piscataway and Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, UMDNJ-RWJMS, New Brunswick, NJ, and the Department of Radiology (Dr Loesberg), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

Andrew C. Coyne, PhD

Departments of Neurology (Dr Powell) and Radiology (Drs Mezrich and Keller), UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the COPSA Institute for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (Dr Coyne), UMDNJ-Community Mental Health Center at Piscataway and Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, UMDNJ-RWJMS, New Brunswick, NJ, and the Department of Radiology (Dr Loesberg), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

Andrew Loesberg, MD

Departments of Neurology (Dr Powell) and Radiology (Drs Mezrich and Keller), UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the COPSA Institute for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (Dr Coyne), UMDNJ-Community Mental Health Center at Piscataway and Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, UMDNJ-RWJMS, New Brunswick, NJ, and the Department of Radiology (Dr Loesberg), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

Irwin Keller, MD

Departments of Neurology (Dr Powell) and Radiology (Drs Mezrich and Keller), UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the COPSA Institute for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (Dr Coyne), UMDNJ-Community Mental Health Center at Piscataway and Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, UMDNJ-RWJMS, New Brunswick, NJ, and the Department of Radiology (Dr Loesberg), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

The shape and thickness of the third ventricles were studied with magnetic resonance imaging in 46 patients under evaluation for memory impairment. We compared this population with 23 subjects imaged for other reasons. The study group consisted of patients with diagnoses of probable dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT; 35.6%), multi-infarct dementia (MID; 22.2%), depression (8.9%), alcoholic dementia (6.7%), other dementias (OD; 13.2%) and no dementia (6.7%). Within the study group, there were no significant differences across diagnostic categories for duration of symptoms or level of education. Patients with DAT were, however, more impaired than others (Mini-Mental State Examination scores: DAT 14.6 [±8.2] versus MID 17.4 [±6.2] versus OD 21.2 [±6.4]). Demented subjects were more likely than nondemented individuals to have a convex third ventricle and greater wall separation. The results suggest that the shape of the third ventricle may correlate with dementia. Possibly, the dorsal medial nucleus of the thalamus is involved in the dementia.

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, Vol. 6, No. 4, 217-221 (1993)
DOI: 10.1177/089198879300600407


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