Jack CR, Slomkowski M, Gracon S, Hoover TM, Felmlee JP, Stewart K, Xu Y, Shiung M, O'Brien PC, Cha R, Knopman D, Petersen RC. MRI as a biomarker of disease progression in a therapeutic trial of milameline for AD.
Neurology 2003;
60:253-60. [PMID:
12552040 PMCID:
PMC2745302 DOI:
10.1212/01.wnl.0000042480.86872.03]
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To assess the feasibility of using MRI measurements as a surrogate endpoint for disease progression in a therapeutic trial for AD.
METHODS
A total of 362 patients with probable AD from 38 different centers participated in the MRI portion of a 52-week randomized placebo-controlled trial of milameline, a muscarinic receptor agonist. The therapeutic trial itself was not completed due to projected lack of efficacy on interim analysis; however, the MRI arm of the study was continued. Of the 362 subjects who underwent a baseline MRI study, 192 subjects underwent a second MRI 1 year later. Hippocampal volume and temporal horn volume were measured from the MRI scans.
RESULTS
The annualized percent changes in hippocampal volume (-4.9%) and temporal horn volume (16.1%) in the study patients were consistent with data from prior single-site studies. Correlations between the rate of MRI volumetric change and change in behavioral/cognitive measures were greater for the temporal horn than for the hippocampus. Decline over time was more consistently seen with imaging measures, 99% of the time for the hippocampus, than behavioral/cognitive measures (p < 0.001). Greater consistency in MRI than behavioral/clinical measures resulted in markedly lower estimated sample size requirements for clinical trials. The estimated number of subjects per arm required to detect a 50% reduction in the rate of decline over 1 year are: AD Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale 320; Mini-Mental Status Examination 241; hippocampal volume 21; temporal horn volume 54.
CONCLUSION
The consistency of MRI measurements obtained across sites, and the consistency between the multisite milameline data and that obtained in prior single-site studies, demonstrate the technical feasibility of using structural MRI measures as a surrogate endpoint of disease progression in therapeutic trials. However, validation of imaging as a biomarker of therapeutic efficacy in AD awaits a positive trial.
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