Early and differential diagnosis of dementia with MR-volumetry and proton MR-spectroscopy

Over the last years, MR techniques have been rapidly-developed, which enables us now to visualize the brain's anatomy with high resolution and to investigate various aspects of brain function. At present volumetric MRI and proton MR-spectroscopy (1H-MRS) have reached a technical level which allows the application in a clinical context. In the German competence network on dementia, we designed a multicenter study, to assess the role of MRI and 1H-MRS in early recognition and differential diagnosis of dementia. At the beginning of the projects, the reproducability across centers was assessed and both techniques showed sufficient stability to be applied in a multicenter approach. The number of datasets acquired so far, in particular in combination with neuropsychology, CSF biochemistry and genetics, will allow a thorough definition of the strengths and weaknesses of both techniques in early and differential diagnosis of dementia.