Hippocampal degeneration is associated with temporal and limbic gray matter/white matter tissue contrast in Alzheimer's disease

►MRI measures of tissue signal intensity are altered in early Alzheimer's disease. ►Signal changes result in an alteration of contrast between gray and white matter. ►Signal changes are found in known areas of pathology in AD. ►Signal changes are related to traditional imaging measures of pathology. ►Signal changes are reliable and may provide novel metric of disease processes.