title: The default mode network and related right hemisphere structures may be the key substrates of dementia.
abstract: We have employed structural equation models to explicitly distinguish dementia-relevant variance in cognitive task performance (i.e., δ) from the variance that is unrelated to a dementing process (i.e., g'). Together g' and d comprise Spearman's "g". Although d represents only a minor fraction of the total variance in cognitive task performance, it is more strongly associated with dementia severity than is g'. In this analysis, we replicate δ in a new dataspace, the University of Kansas Brain Aging Project, and associate it specifically with regional grey matter atrophy by voxel-based morphometry of magnetic resonance imaging data. The latent variable d localizes to elements of the default mode network and related structures in the R hemisphere.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA. royall@uthscsa.edu
authors: Donald R
authors: DR
authors: Royall
authors: Raymond F
authors: RF
authors: Palmer
authors: Eric D
authors: ED
authors: Vidoni
authors: Robyn A
authors: RA
authors: Honea
authors: Jeffrey M
authors: JM
authors: Burns
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology; D001284:Atrophy / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003071:Cognition; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000473:pathology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D008959:Models, Neurological; D036421:Nerve Fibers, Unmyelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000473:pathology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests