Accelerated cortical atrophy in cognitively normal elderly with high β-amyloid deposition.

Given the recent and growing interest in the concepts of prodromal and presymptomatic Alzheimer disease, it is crucial to determine whether the presence of β-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain of asymptomatic elderly individuals is a pathologic condition associated with accelerated neuronal and synaptic loss. The aim of the present study was to assess whether Aβ influences the rate of atrophy in cognitively normal elderly individuals.