{
  "abstract": "Noradrenergic and dopaminergic nuclei modulate cognition, and post-mortem data indicate they are affected early in the neurodegenerative cascade of Alzheimers disease. We derived in-vivo locus coeruleus (LC) and substantia nigra-ventral tegmental area (SN-VTA) MRI integrity measures from 739 ADNI participants, examined MRI-histology correspondence in individuals with both in-vivo imaging and post-mortem data, and tested whether these measures reflect early MRI-indexed degeneration predicting later cognitive decline. LC and SN-VTA contrast predicted cognitive and behavioral function 10 years later, despite only weak associations with current function. LC- and SN-VTA-associated brain-wide atrophy patterns aligned with PET-derived norepinephrine-transporter and dopamine-receptor maps, respectively. A one-standard-deviation decrease in baseline LC contrast was associated with 84% higher five-year odds of MCI-to-AD progression, and predictive effects of the catecholaminergic nuclei were mediated by their corresponding atrophy patterns. The SN-VTA pattern was associated with less amyloid PET-related memory decline. Together, these findings establish LC and SN-VTA MRI contrast as markers of early neurodegeneration that forecast cognitive decline years before clinical onset.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "W. Zhao"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. J. Guzman"
    },
    {
      "name": "H. J. Yoo"
    },
    {
      "name": "K. Ruiz"
    },
    {
      "name": "K. Chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Moheban"
    },
    {
      "name": "D. A. Nation"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. J. Dahl"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Mather"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/chejtrnkd8rmb.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.10.29.762942",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.29.762942v1.full",
  "id": "chejtrnkd8rmb",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.29.762942v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "neuroscience"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.29.762942v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-29",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/chejtrnkd8rmb.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-03T00:20:36Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.10.29.762942",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.29.762942v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "In-vivo MRI of noradrenergic and dopaminergic nuclei predicts future cognition and Alzheimers disease progression",
  "title_text": "In-vivo MRI of noradrenergic and dopaminergic nuclei predicts future cognition and Alzheimers disease progression",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T00:21:02Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/chejtrnkd8rmb",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}