Differential involvement of hippocampal subfields in the relationship between Alzheimer's pathology and memory interference in older adults

Abstract

Introduction:We tested whether Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology predicts memory deficits in non-demented older adults through its effects on medial temporal lobe (MTL) subregional volume. Methods: Thirty-two, non-demented older adults with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (amyloid-beta [Aβ] 42 /Aβ 40 , phosphorylated tau [p-tau] 181 , total tau [t-tau]), positron emission tomography (PET; 18F-florbetapir), high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and neuropsychological assessment were analyzed. We examined relationships between biomarkers and a highly granular measure of memory consolidation, retroactive interference (RI). Results: Biomarkers of AD pathology were related to RI. Dentate gyrus (DG) and CA3 volume were uniquely associated with RI, whereas CA1 and BA35 volume were related to both RI and overall memory recall. AD pathology was associated with reduced BA35, CA1, and subiculum volume. DG volume and Aβ were independently associated with RI, whereas CA1 volume mediated the relationship between AD pathology and RI. Discussion: Integrity of distinct hippocampal subfields demonstrate differential relationships with pathology and memory function, indicating specificity in vulnerability and contribution to different memory processes.

Examining the diagnostic value of the mnemonic discrimination task for classification of cognitive status and amyloid-beta burden

“…A recent study by Adams et al (2023) assessed concordance between CSF-based and PET-based Aβ measures with respect to diagnosis of cognition (normal and MCI). The authors showed high concordance between the two measures with high accuracy (0.93 ± 0.13), precision (0.93 ± 0.17), and an overall AUC of 0.92 (±0.16).…”