title: Face-name associative memory performance is related to amyloid burden in normal elderly.
abstract: Cerebral amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition occurs in a substantial fraction of cognitively normal (CN) older individuals. However, it has been difficult to reliably detect evidence of amyloid-related cognitive alterations in CN using standard neuropsychological measures. We sought to determine whether a highly demanding face-name associative memory exam (FNAME) could detect evidence of Aβ-related memory impairment in CN. We studied 45 CN subjects (mean age=71.7 ± 8.8) with Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scores=0 and MMSE ≥ 28, using Positron Emission Tomography with Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB PET). Memory factor scores were derived from a principal components analysis for FNAME name retrieval (FN-N), FNAME occupation retrieval (FN-O) and the 6-Trial Selective Reminding Test (SRT). Using multiple linear and logistic regression analyses, we related the memory factor scores to PiB distribution volume ratios (DVR, cerebellar reference) as either a continuous or a dichotomous variable in frontal cortex and a posterior cortical region representing the precuneus, posterior cingulate and lateral parietal cortices (PPCLP), co-varying for age and AMNART IQ (a proxy of cognitive reserve (CR)). A significant inverse relationship for FN-N was found with Aβ deposition in frontal (R(2)=0.29, β=-2.2, p=0.02) and PPCLP cortices (R(2)=0.26, β=-2.4, p=0.05). In contrast, neither FN-O nor the SRT were significantly related to Aβ deposition. Performance on a demanding test of face-name associative memory was related to Aβ burden in brain regions associated with memory systems. Associative memory for faces and names, a common complaint among older adults, may be a sensitive marker of early Aβ-related impairment.
authors.affiliation: Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. drentz@partners.org
authors.forename: Dorene M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rentz
authors.forename: Rebecca E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Amariglio
authors.forename: J Alex
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frey
authors.forename: Lauren E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Frishe
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carmasin
authors.forename: Jacqueline E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Maye
authors.forename: Keith A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Reisa A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Sperling
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012016:Reference Values; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000378:metabolism; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C475519:2-(4'-(methylamino)phenyl)-6-hydroxybenzothiazole; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D000814:Aniline Compounds; D013844:Thiazoles