title: Relationship between atrophy of the medial temporal areas and cognitive functions in elderly adults with mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current study sought to determine which types of cognitive function are related to atrophy of the bilateral medial temporal areas including the entorhinal cortex (MTA-ERC) in elderly adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 96 elderly adults (mean age 75.3 years) with mild cognitive impairment. Subjects underwent Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised, logical memory I and II (WMS-R, LM I and II), Rey complex figure retention tests after 3 and 30 min (RCF-3 min and RCF-30 min), digit span backword (DSB), digit symbol-coding (DSC), Stroop Color and Word Test-Interference List (SCWT-IL) as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and were divided into elderly adults without or with mild to moderate MTA-ERC atrophy, and those with severe atrophy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all subjects, MTA-ERC atrophy showed significant relationships with age (r = 0.43), education (r = -0.25), WMS-R, LM I (r = -0.21), DSC (r = -0.32), and SCWT-IL (r = 0.32). The mild to moderate atrophy group showed significant relationships between MTA-ERC atrophy and age (r = 0.34), DSC (r = -0.28), and SCWT-IL (r = 0.25). In contrast, in the severe atrophy group, MTA-ERC atrophy was correlated significantly with RCF-3 min (r = -0.70) and RCF-30 min (r = -0.74). The linear regression model included demographic variables and cognitive tests; two variables to survive the step-wise analysis were age (β = 0.374) and SCWT-IL (β = 0.247) in all subjects. Age (β = 0.301), and RCF-30 min (β = -0.521) and age (β = 0.460) remained as a significant variable in the mild to moderate atrophy and severe atrophy groups, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Executive function tests such as SCWT-IL may be useful as a screening tool to identify mild to moderate MTA-ERC atrophy and a decline in the RCF test may suggest severe MTA-ERC atrophy in elderly adults with MCI.
authors.affiliation: Section for Health Promotion, Department of Health and Medical Care, Center for Development of Advanced Medicine for Dementia, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Japan. shimada@ncgg.go.jp
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Kengo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Hyuma
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Makizako
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimokata
authors.forename: Yukihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Washimi
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001284:Atrophy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology*