title: A study on the specificity of the association between hippocampal volume and delayed primacy performance in cognitively intact elderly individuals.
abstract: Delayed recall at the primacy position (first few items on a list) has been shown to predict cognitive decline in cognitively intact elderly participants, with poorer delayed primacy performance associated with more pronounced generalized cognitive decline during follow-up. We have previously suggested that this association is due to delayed primacy performance indexing memory consolidation, which in turn is thought to depend upon hippocampal function. Here, we test the hypothesis that hippocampal size is associated with delayed primacy performance in cognitively intact elderly individuals. Data were analyzed from a group (N=81) of cognitively intact participants, aged 60 or above. Serial position performance was measured with the Buschke selective reminding test (BSRT). Hippocampal size was automatically measured via MRI, and unbiased voxel-based analyses were also conducted to explore further regional specificity of memory performance. We conducted regression analyses of hippocampus volumes on serial position performance; other predictors included age, family history of Alzheimer's disease (AD), APOE ε4 status, education, and total intracranial volume. Our results collectively suggest that there is a preferential association between hippocampal volume and delayed primacy performance. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that delayed primacy consolidation is associated with hippocampal size, and shed light on the relationship between delayed primacy performance and generalized cognitive decline in cognitively intact individuals, suggesting that delayed primacy consolidation may serve as a sensitive marker of hippocampal health in these individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Hope Park, Liverpool L16 9JD, UK. Electronic address: brunod@hope.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.affiliation: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) - Rostock/Greifswald, Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Michel J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Grothe
authors.affiliation: Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, New York University, New York City, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nierenberg
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden; UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zetterberg
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kaj
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blennow
authors.affiliation: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) - Rostock/Greifswald, Rostock, Germany; Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Teipel
authors.affiliation: Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, New York University, New York City, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Nunzio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pomara
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009929:Organ Size
keywords: Hippocampus; Primacy; Serial position; Structural MRI