Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40933824›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in aging neuroscience2025

Longitudinal multimodal MRI analysis of lecanemab treatment in mild cognitive impairment: a pilot study of structural, perfusion, and microstructural changes.

Toshiya Takahashi, Dinh Ha Duy Thuy, Shingo Takenaka, Sayaka Ono, Maya Fukui, Yasushi Okada, Tomohiko Asada, Kan Niimi, Kaku Kimura, Akio Ikeda and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Toshiya TakahashiDepartment of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Dinh Ha Duy ThuyHuman Brain Research Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Shingo TakenakaDepartment of Radiology, Yasu City Hospital, Yasu, Japan.
Sayaka OnoDepartment of Radiology, Yasu City Hospital, Yasu, Japan.
Maya FukuiDepartment of Radiology, Yasu City Hospital, Yasu, Japan.
Yasushi OkadaDepartment of Rehabilitation, Yasu City Hospital, Yasu, Japan.
Tomohiko AsadaDepartment of Neurology, Shiga Psychiatric Medical Center, Kusatsu, Japan.
Kan NiimiDepartment of Neurology, Yasu City Hospital, Yasu, Japan.
Kaku KimuraDepartment of Neurology, Yasu City Hospital, Yasu, Japan.
Akio IkedaDepartment of Epilepsy, Movement Disorders and Physiology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Ryosuke TakahashiDepartment of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Riki MatsumotoDepartment of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Hidenao FukuyamaHuman Brain Research Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Lecanemab, a monoclonal antibody targeting soluble amyloid-β protofibrils, has demonstrated efficacy in reducing amyloid burden in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, its effects on brain structure, cerebral perfusion, gray matter microstructure and white matter microstructure remain unclear. Methods: This exploratory longitudinal study aimed to evaluate changes in brain volume, cerebral blood flow (CBF), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures over a 12-month treatment period in 8 patients with MCI receiving biweekly lecanemab infusions. MRI scans were acquired at baseline and at 6, 9, and 12 months using three-dimensional T1-weighted, pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL), and DTI sequences. Changes in whole-brain and regional indices were assessed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Compared to baseline, brain volume showed significant reductions at all follow-up points across all examined regions, including the whole brain, hippocampus, posterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus. CBF remained stable throughout the observation period in both global and regional analyses. Both fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) showed significant deterioration at the whole-brain level. However, in the hippocampus, left precuneus and cingulum (cingulate gyrus), MD increased significantly at several timepoints, whereas FA remained relatively preserved, suggesting localized preservation of microstructural integrity. Neuropsychological test scores remained stable over time, with no significant deterioration observed across MMSE-J, MoCA-J, CDR-SB, or ADAS-J Cog scores. In parallel, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers showed significant improvements in Aβ42, Aβ42/40 ratio, and p-tau181 at 6 and 12 months. Conclusion: These findings suggest that lecanemab may help maintain cerebral perfusion and partially preserve gray matter microstructure and white matter integrity during the early course of treatment in patients with MCI, despite concurrent volumetric and microstructural changes. Multimodal MRI may contribute to monitoring treatment response in patients with MCI receiving lecanemab.

Indexed as

cerebral blood flow (CBF)hippocampuslecanemablongitudinal MRImicrostructuremild cognitive impairment (MCI)posterior cingulate cortexprecuneus

Identifiers

PMID40933824
PMCPMC12417435

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.