Neural correlates of verbal episodic memory in patients with MCI and Alzheimer's disease--a VBM study

Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Nov;23(11):1114-8. doi: 10.1002/gps.2036.

Abstract

Objective: The hippocampus is a key area for episodic memory processes. Hippocampal atrophy is a hallmark feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We used a new and automatized morphometric technique to better characterize brain atrophy in subjects with different levels of cognitive deficit.

Methods: In this study 21 participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), 12 patients with early AD and 29 elderly control subjects were subjected to high resolution MRI and a neuropsychological test battery. Brain volume across participants, measured by voxel-based morphometry (VBM), was correlated with verbal memory capacity, measured with a verbal memory test (VLMT).

Results: Atrophy in the anterior hippocampus, the ento- and perirhinal cortex as well as the parahippocampal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex correlated closely with episodic memory performance.

Conclusions: These brain areas are known to subserve episodic encoding of verbal material. The data contribute to a better understanding of atrophic brain processes in subjects at risk for AD. A combination of neuropsychological testing and voxel-based morphometry may serve as a diagnostic tool in the future.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Alzheimer Disease / pathology*
  • Atrophy / pathology
  • Brain Mapping*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cognition Disorders / pathology*
  • Female
  • Hippocampus / pathology*
  • Hippocampus / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
  • Male
  • Memory Disorders / pathology*
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Parahippocampal Gyrus / physiology*
  • Verbal Learning / physiology