title: Cognitive aging in persons with minimal amyloid-β and white matter hyperintensities.
abstract: Substantial individual differences exist in the magnitude of the cognitive decline associated with normal aging. Potential contributors to this intersubject variability include white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and preclinical Alzheimer's disease, evident as increased brain amyloid. This study examined whether older individuals with minimal evidence of WMH and/or brain amyloid-beta (seen on positron emission tomography with the Pittsburgh compound B radiotracer-PiB) still showed significant cognitive decrements compared to the young. Older individuals, conservatively screened for normal range performance on an extensive neuropsychological battery, underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and PiB scans and performed tests of information processing speed, working memory and inhibitory function. The elderly were divided into PiB(+) and PiB(-) groups based on radiotracer retention. There were no significant differences in cognitive performance between PiB(+) and PiB(-) elderly. However, both PiB groups performed significantly worse than did the young on cognitive testing. WMH burden in the same individuals was quantified by consensus ratings using a 10 point scale with a median split defining two groups, WMH(+) and WMH(-). There were no differences in cognitive performance between WMH(+) and WMH(-) individuals, but both WMH groups performed significantly worse than did the young. Older participants who were both PiB(-) and WMH(-) also performed significantly worse than did the young in all three cognitive domains. The present results suggest that normal-elderly individuals whose brain scans show minimal evidence of amyloid deposition or WMH, still demonstrate a major decrement in comparison to younger persons on measures of processing resources and inhibitory efficiency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Electronic address: nebesrd@upmc.edu.
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Nebes
authors.forename: Beth E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Snitz
authors.forename: Ann D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Howard J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Aizenstein
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Saxton
authors.forename: Edythe M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Halligan
authors.forename: Chester A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mathis
authors.forename: Julie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: M Ilyas
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Kamboh
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Weissfeld
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Klunk
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D059906:Neuroimaging; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides
keywords: Amyloid; Cognition; Normal aging; White matter hyperintensities
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