by Marta Koblańska, 16.07.2025, 16:30 Polish time Photo: Brain, Thanks to geralt, Pixabay
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common neurodegenerative disorder globally, is often linked to atrophy of the hippocampus. However, a new study conducted by scientists at ShanghaiTech University has revealed that this decline may also be a result of the disease’s progression. Their findings were published in *Cell Reports Medicine*.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is currently the most advanced non-invasive technique in medicine for diagnosing and differentiating diseases, particularly those affecting the nervous system and brain. There are several types of MRI machines that can be used for specific situations. The capabilities and diagnostic potential of MRI depend on the strength of the magnetic field generated by the device, as well as the parameters that can be examined during the scanning session. These parameters include blood flow in nervous tissue, water diffusion between cells and regions, the overall structure of the brain and its segments, and, in the latest version of the device—multimodal MRI—the voxel size. Why is all of this important? Because simultaneously with the technology upgrade, more and more changes in the tissue building up of the human body, including the brain, can be captured. These advancements aim to enhance our understanding of how specific elements of human tissue, including the brain, develop and change. This knowledge is crucial for identifying diseases, as accurate identification can lead to effective treatment options.
Treating Alzheimer’s disease is quite challenging. While there are some medications and interventions, such as tailored physical activities that consider a patient’s overall condition, these may only slow the progression of the disease. Unfortunately, the overall outlook is not very positive. This disorder can significantly alter a person’s behavior and lead to the loss of skills, memories, speech, and overall cognitive function.
Although people with Alzheimer’s disease experience significant cognitive impairment, this does not mean they cannot feel or cease to be human. Their decline is much more profound than the typical cognitive changes associated with aging, which usually begin in the 60s and can progress gradually or rapidly. Recently, a remarkable discovery has been made regarding the hippocampus—small structures located in the upper side of the brain, near the temples. The decline of these structures may lead to severe problems with memory, learning, cognitive performance, and emotions. The importance of the hippocampus lies in its role as a critical component of our conscious existence.
What’s astonishing is that modern science has largely dismissed the conclusions of Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, particularly his idea that unused organs can undergo a process of atrophy. This concept may frighteningly apply to the hippocampus. However, some experts argue that this is only partially true. To support Lamarck’s theories on the workings of nature, an additional point can be made. Atrophy may occur following an injury or inflammation, or when an organ is not needed during the evolutionary process. An example of this is the appendix, located in the lower right side of the abdomen, where the small intestine connects to the large intestine (colon).
For our ancestors, an appendix helped them digest tough plant matter, such as tree bark. Today, we can live without this part of our digestive system. The appendix is often removed when it becomes inflamed due to injury or when it cannot handle certain types of food. Another example is the spleen, which is frequently damaged in road accidents because of its fragile structure. The spleen can be removed without causing significant problems for the patient, and sometimes this is the only way to save a life, as bleeding from the spleen can be fatal.
Some may ask a difficult question: Is there time for evolution to get rid of the hippocampus? Alzheimer’s disease begins with the overproduction of certain proteins, which ultimately damage healthy neurons in the brain and trigger an inflammatory process.
It is already recognized that inflammation is a significant feature of the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and it is worsening the course of the disease over time. What’s new, recently, scientists from the School of Biomedical Engineering and the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Medical Materials and Devices in Shanghai, China, utilized a new multimodal MRI technique. This approach has revealed that there can be a loss of hippocampal volume even in cases of mild cognitive impairment. Alarmingly, this new technique, which involves deep and detailed analyses of the tissue’s texture, has shown that there can be up to an 86 percent decline in hippocampal volume, depending on the stage and advancement of Alzheimer’s disease, which has three identified stages.
Specifically, our approach retains 86% of the average volume difference between AD (Alzheimer’s disease) and NC (normal control) (648 versus 751 mm3) and 65% between MCI (mild cognitive impairment) and NC (270 versus 416 mm3)
claim Yulin Wang. and Dinggang Shen, of the School of Biomedical Engineering and the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Medical Materials and Devices, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
The assessment made by the new MRi can be mistaken in approximately 3-4 percent of the total volume loss. At the same time, according to scientists, ,, visually, the images generated by TUMSyn ( a text-guided universal MRI synthesis model capable of generating brain MRI specified by textual imaging metadata from routinely acquired scans) can most accurately delineate the anatomical structures of various brain regions, providing promising contrast between the hippocampus and surrounding areas” – conclude scientists.
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