Volume Loss of the Medial Temporal Lobe Structures in Subjective Memory Impairment

Background/Aims: Subjective memory impairment (SMI) has been suggested as a manifestation of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) preceding mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In this study, we determined the volumes of the hippocampus, the entorhinal cortex (EC) and the amygdala to provide biological evidence for AD in SMI. Methods: Regional volumetric measures were manually traced on 3-Tesla MRI scans. Results: Total brain volume did not differ between the groups. Individuals with SMI had reduced volumes of the hippocampus bilaterally (right p = 0.001; left p < 0.001), the bilateral EC (right p = 0.031, left p = 0.006) and the right amygdala (p = 0.01) compared to the control group. Conclusion: Volume reduction of bilateral hippocampus, bilateral EC and right amygdala supports the concept of SMI as a very early manifestation of AD prior to MCI. SMI may indicate awareness of a degenerative process that can still be functionally compensated.

[1]  J. Morris,et al.  The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD). Part I. Clinical and neuropsychological assesment of Alzheimer's disease , 1989, Neurology.

[2]  H. Soininen,et al.  Volumes of hippocampus, amygdala and frontal lobes in the MRI-based diagnosis of early Alzheimer's disease: Correlation with memory functions , 1995, Journal of neural transmission. Parkinson's disease and dementia section.

[3]  G. Frisoni,et al.  Linear measures of atrophy in mild Alzheimer disease. , 1996, AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology.

[4]  J. Morrison,et al.  Life and death of neurons in the aging brain. , 1997, Science.

[5]  H. Soininen,et al.  MR volumetric analysis of the human entorhinal, perirhinal, and temporopolar cortices. , 1998, AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology.

[6]  A. Delacourte,et al.  The biochemical pathway of neurofibrillary degeneration in aging and Alzheimer’s disease , 1999, Neurology.

[7]  Alan C. Evans,et al.  Volumetry of hippocampus and amygdala with high-resolution MRI and three-dimensional analysis software: minimizing the discrepancies between laboratories. , 2000, Cerebral cortex.

[8]  C. Jonker,et al.  Are memory complaints predictive for dementia? A review of clinical and population‐based studies , 2000, International journal of geriatric psychiatry.

[9]  J. Morris,et al.  The value of informant versus individual's complaints of memory impairment in early dementia , 2000, Neurology.

[10]  R. Killiany,et al.  Use of structural magnetic resonance imaging to predict who will get Alzheimer's disease , 2000, Annals of neurology.

[11]  J. Morris,et al.  Current concepts in mild cognitive impairment. , 2001, Archives of neurology.

[12]  B. Dickerson,et al.  MRI of human entorhinal cortex: a reliable protocol for volumetric measurement , 2001, Neurobiology of Aging.

[13]  D. Bennett,et al.  MRI-derived entorhinal and hippocampal atrophy in incipient and very mild Alzheimer’s disease☆ ☆ This research was supported by grants P01 AG09466 and P30 AG10161 from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health. , 2001, Neurobiology of Aging.

[14]  C. Bottino,et al.  Volumetric MRI Measurements Can Differentiate Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Normal Aging , 2002, International Psychogeriatrics.

[15]  P. Scheltens,et al.  Medial temporal lobe atrophy predicts Alzheimer's disease in patients with minor cognitive impairment , 2002, Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry.

[16]  C. Jack,et al.  Mild cognitive impairment – beyond controversies, towards a consensus: report of the International Working Group on Mild Cognitive Impairment , 2004, Journal of internal medicine.

[17]  R. Sperling,et al.  Use of IQ-adjusted norms to predict progressive cognitive decline in highly intelligent older individuals. , 2004, Neuropsychology.

[18]  R. Petersen.  Mild cognitive impairment as a diagnostic entity , 2004, Journal of internal medicine.

[19]  P. Fischer,et al.  Subjective Memory Complaints and Objective Memory Impairment in the Vienna‐Transdanube Aging Community , 2004, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[20]  H. Braak,et al.  Neuropathological stageing of Alzheimer-related changes , 2004, Acta Neuropathologica.

[21]  J. C. Pruessner,et al.  Comprehensive dissection of the medial temporal lobe in AD: measurement of hippocampus, amygdala, entorhinal, perirhinal and parahippocampal cortices using MRI , 2006, Journal of Neurology.

[22]  A. Hofman,et al.  Use of hippocampal and amygdalar volumes on magnetic resonance imaging to predict dementia in cognitively intact elderly people. , 2006, Archives of general psychiatry.

[23]  Lukas Scheef,et al.  Volume reduction of the entorhinal cortex in subjective memory impairment , 2006, Neurobiology of Aging.

[24]  A. Saykin,et al.  Older adults with cognitive complaints show brain atrophy similar to that of amnestic MCI , 2006, Neurology.

[25]  E. Tangalos,et al.  Neuropathologic features of amnestic mild cognitive impairment. , 2006, Archives of neurology.

[26]  D. A. Bennett,et al.  Memory complaints are related to Alzheimer disease pathology in older persons , 2006, Neurology.

[27]  S. Gauthier,et al.  A large, naturalistic, community-based study of rivastigmine in mild-to-moderate AD:the EXTEND Study , 2006, Current medical research and opinion.

[28]  Jakub Hort,et al.  Magnetic resonance analysis of amygdalar volume in Alzheimer's disease , 2007, Current opinion in psychiatry.

[29]  J. Morris,et al.  Pathologic correlates of nondemented aging, mild cognitive impairment, and early-stage alzheimer’s disease , 2001, Journal of Molecular Neuroscience.

[30]  Jong-Min Lee,et al.  Cortical thickness in single- versus multiple-domain amnestic mild cognitive impairment , 2007, NeuroImage.

[31]  Drug discovery and the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease , 2008, Alzheimer's & Dementia.

[32]  B. Reisberg,et al.  Current evidence for subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) as the pre-mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage of subsequently manifest Alzheimer's disease , 2008, International Psychogeriatrics.

[33]  K. D. de Laat,et al.  Subjective cognitive failures and hippocampal volume in elderly with white matter lesions , 2008, Neurology.

[34]  Lei Wang,et al.  Hippocampal Surface Analysis in Subjective Memory Impairment, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Dementia , 2008, Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

[35]  R. Stewart,et al.  Neuroimaging correlates of subjective memory deficits in a community population , 2008, Neurology.

[36]  R. Green,et al.  Health Behavior Changes After Genetic Risk Assessment for Alzheimer Disease: The REVEAL Study , 2008, Alzheimer disease and associated disorders.

[37]  Michael Weiner,et al.  Tensor-based morphometry as a neuroimaging biomarker for Alzheimer's disease: An MRI study of 676 AD, MCI, and normal subjects , 2008, NeuroImage.

[38]  Current and future management of Alzheimer’s disease , 2008, Alzheimer's & Dementia.

[39]  C. Jack,et al.  MRI patterns of atrophy associated with progression to AD in amnestic mild cognitive impairment , 2008, Neurology.

[40]  R. Castellani,et al.  Alzheimer disease. , 2010, Disease-a-month : DM.

[41]  F. Jessen,et al.  Prediction of dementia by subjective memory impairment: effects of severity and temporal association with cognitive impairment. , 2010, Archives of general psychiatry.