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Aumont E, Bussy A, Bedard MA, Bezgin G, Therriault J, Savard M, Fernandez Arias J, Sziklas V, Vitali P, Poltronetti NM, Pallen V, Thomas E, Gauthier S, Kobayashi E, Rahmouni N, Stevenson J, Tissot C, Chakravarty MM, Rosa-Neto P. Hippocampal subfield associations with memory depend on stimulus modality and retrieval mode. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad309. [PMID: 38035364 PMCID: PMC10681971 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Hippocampal atrophy is a well-known feature of age-related memory decline, and hippocampal subfields may contribute differently to this decline. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the associations between hippocampal subfield volumes and performance in free recall and recognition memory tasks in both verbal and visual modalities in older adults without dementia. We collected MRIs from 97 (41 males) right-handed participants aged over 60. We segmented the right and left hippocampi into (i) dentate gyrus and cornu ammonis 4 (DG/CA4); (ii) CA2 and CA3 (CA2/CA3); (iii) CA1; (iv) strata radiatum, lacunosum and moleculare; and (v) subiculum. Memory was assessed with verbal free recall and recognition tasks, as well as visual free recall and recognition tasks. Amyloid-β and hippocampal tau positivity were assessed using [18F]AZD4694 and [18F]MK6240 PET tracers, respectively. The verbal free recall and verbal recognition performances were positively associated with CA1 and strata radiatum, lacunosum and moleculare volumes. The verbal free recall and visual free recall were positively correlated with the right DG/CA4. The visual free recall, but not verbal free recall, was also associated with the right CA2/CA3. The visual recognition was not significantly associated with any subfield volume. Hippocampal tau positivity, but not amyloid-β positivity, was associated with reduced DG/CA4, CA2/CA3 and strata radiatum, lacunosum and moleculare volumes. Our results suggest that memory performances are linked to specific subfields. CA1 appears to contribute to the verbal modality, irrespective of the free recall or recognition mode of retrieval. In contrast, DG/CA4 seems to be involved in the free recall mode, irrespective of verbal or visual modalities. These results are concordant with the view that DG/CA4 plays a primary role in encoding a stimulus' distinctive attributes, and that CA2/CA3 could be instrumental in recollecting a visual memory from one of its fragments. Overall, we show that hippocampal subfield segmentation can be useful for detecting early volume changes and improve our understanding of the hippocampal subfields' roles in memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Aumont
- NeuroQAM Research Centre, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montreal H2X 3P2, Canada
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Aurélie Bussy
- Cerebral Imaging Center, Douglas Research Center, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Computational Brain Anatomy (CoBrALab) Laboratory, Montreal, QC H4H 1R2, Canada
| | - Marc-André Bedard
- NeuroQAM Research Centre, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montreal H2X 3P2, Canada
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Gleb Bezgin
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Joseph Therriault
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Melissa Savard
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Jaime Fernandez Arias
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Viviane Sziklas
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Paolo Vitali
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | | | - Vanessa Pallen
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Emilie Thomas
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Serge Gauthier
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Eliane Kobayashi
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Nesrine Rahmouni
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Jenna Stevenson
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Cecile Tissot
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Mallar M Chakravarty
- Cerebral Imaging Center, Douglas Research Center, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Computational Brain Anatomy (CoBrALab) Laboratory, Montreal, QC H4H 1R2, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Pedro Rosa-Neto
- NeuroQAM Research Centre, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montreal H2X 3P2, Canada
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
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Hansen N, Hirschel S, Teegen B, Wiltfang J, Malchow B. Preserved visuoconstruction in patients with Alzheimer's pathology and anti-neural autoantibodies: A case control study. FRONTIERS IN DEMENTIA 2022; 1:975851. [PMID: 39081477 PMCID: PMC11285684 DOI: 10.3389/frdem.2022.975851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) is seldom reported to be associated with neural autoantibodies apart from those involved in axonal neurodegeneration and amyloidopathy in prior studies. Nevertheless, this is an under-investigated aspect of AD. As we do not know whether additional screening for autoantibodies in AD patients has additional diagnostic and therapeutic value, this study aims to shed light on whether visuoconstructive or figural memory capacities might distinguish these patient populations. Methods In this pilot case series, we investigated eight patients suffering from cognitive impairment associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-based Alzheimer pathology (AP) and with verified anti-neural autoantibodies (AP Aab+) compared to eight AD patients presenting no autoantibodies (Aab-) (AD Aab-). Patients files were reviewed retrospectively regarding their neuropsychological profile assessed via the CERAD (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease) test battery and psychopathology measured by the AMDP (Manual for the Assessment and Documentation of Psychopathology in Psychiatry) system. We also relied on diagnostic parameters as in the CSF and magnetic resonance images. Results All patients shared the same pattern of dysfunctional word-list learning and word-list recall resembling a hippocampus-dependent memory dysfunction. Furthermore, both patient groups revealed a CSF profile concurring with Alzheimer's disease. However, visuoconstructive capacity, but not figure recall was preserved in AP Aab+ patients, but not in AD Ab-patients with the shared hippocampus-based memory dysfunction. We observed no relevant differences between the AP Aab+ and AD Aab- groups in CSF cell-counts or intrathecal IgG synthesis. The relative frequency of hippocampal and focal atrophy did not differ either between AP Aab+ and AD Aab- groups. Discussion Our pilot findings are encouraging us to conduct large-scale studies to replicate our discovery of preserved visuoconstruction in AP Aab+ patients with hippocampus-based memory dysfunction. The role of anti-neural autoantibodies is still not fully understood. The detection of these autoantibodies might imply another disease pathology that could be either neuroprotective or be affecting other brain regions, i.e., less pronounced disease activity in the right temporo-parietal regions mainly involved in visuoconstruction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels Hansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Translational Psychoneuroscience, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sina Hirschel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Bianca Teegen
- Clinical Immunological Laboratory Prof. Stöcker, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Jens Wiltfang
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany
- Neurosciences and Signaling Group, Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED), Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Berend Malchow
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Molinder A, Ziegelitz D, Maier SE, Eckerström C. Validity and reliability of the medial temporal lobe atrophy scale in a memory clinic population. BMC Neurol 2021; 21:289. [PMID: 34301202 PMCID: PMC8305846 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-021-02325-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Visual rating of medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) is often performed in conjunction with dementia workup. Most prior studies involved patients with known or probable Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study investigated the validity and reliability of MTA in a memory clinic population. Methods MTA was rated in 752 MRI examinations, of which 105 were performed in cognitively healthy participants (CH), 184 in participants with subjective cognitive impairment, 249 in subjects with mild cognitive impairment, and 214 in patients with dementia, including AD, subcortical vascular dementia and mixed dementia. Hippocampal volumes, measured manually or using FreeSurfer, were available in the majority of cases. Intra- and interrater reliability was tested using Cohen’s weighted kappa. Correlation between MTA and quantitative hippocampal measurements was ascertained with Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Moreover, diagnostic ability of MTA was assessed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and suitable, age-dependent MTA thresholds were determined. Results Rater agreement was moderate to substantial. MTA correlation with quantitative volumetric methods ranged from -0.20 (p< 0.05) to -0.68 (p < 0.001) depending on the quantitative method used. Both MTA and FreeSurfer are able to distinguish dementia subgroups from CH. Suggested age-dependent MTA thresholds are 1 for the age group below 75 years and 1.5 for the age group 75 years and older. Conclusions MTA can be considered a valid marker of medial temporal lobe atrophy and may thus be valuable in the assessment of patients with cognitive impairment, even in a heterogeneous patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Molinder
- Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. .,Neuroradiology, Sahlgrenska sjukhuset, Blå stråket 5, Gothenburg, 413 46, Sweden.
| | - Doerthe Ziegelitz
- Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Stephan E Maier
- Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carl Eckerström
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Region Västra Götaland, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
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