Premium
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING CORRELATES OF MEMORY IMPAIRMENT IN THE HEALTHY ELDERLY: ASSOCIATION WITH MEDIAL TEMPORAL LOBE ATROPHY BUT NOT WHITE MATTER LESIONS
Author(s) -
O'BRIEN JOHN T.,
DESMOND PATRICIA,
AMES DAVID,
SCHWEITZER ISAAC,
TRESS BRIAN
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(199703)12:3<369::aid-gps516>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - atrophy , magnetic resonance imaging , dementia , psychology , cognition , temporal lobe , cognitive decline , medicine , cognitive disorder , hyperintensity , audiology , gerontology , psychiatry , cognitive impairment , radiology , disease , epilepsy
Objective . To investigate the neuroradiological correlates of age‐related cognitive decline in the elderly. Design . A sample of healthy control subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning and cognitive testing. Setting . Melbourne, Australia. Participants . 40 volunteers over the age of 55 who were spouses of subjects seen in a hospital memory clinic, subjects from a register of normal volunteer subjects (not staff) kept for research purposes or residents of a retirement hostel. Measures . Hippocampal and amygdala (HA) atrophy, periventricular lesions (PVL) and deep white matter lesions (DWML) were rated by two radiologists blind to cognitive test score results. Cognitive assessment was by the Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMCOG). Results . After controlling for age and education, lower scores on the memory subscale of the CAMCOG were associated with the presence of HA atrophy, but not with DWML or PVL. Conclusions . HA atrophy on MRI is associated with impaired memory performance in the healthy elderly, while PVL and DWML are not. Further study should determine whether HA atrophy is a risk factor for developing dementia. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.