title: The cingulate cortex of older adults with excellent memory capacity.
abstract: Memory deterioration is the earliest and most devastating cognitive deficit in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Some older adults, known as "Supernormals", maintain excellent memory. This study examined relationships between cerebral amyloid deposition and functional connectivity (FC) within the cingulate cortex (CC) and between CC and other regions involved in memory maintenance between Supernormals, healthy controls (HC), and those at risk for AD (amnestic mild cognitive impairment [MCI]). Supernormals had significantly stronger FC between anterior CC and R-hippocampus, middle CC (MCC) and L-superior temporal gyrus, and posterior CC (PCC) and R-precuneus, while weaker FC between MCC and R-middle frontal gyrus and MCC and R-thalamus than other groups. All of these FC were significantly related to memory and global cognition in all participants. Supernormals had less amyloid deposition than other groups. Relationships between global cognition and FC were stronger among amyloid positive participants. Relationships between memory and FC remained regardless of amyloid level. This revealed how CC-related neural function participates in cognitive maintenance in the presence of amyloid deposition, potentially explaining excellent cognitive function among Supernormals.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Rochester Medical Center, United States; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, United States; Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, University of Rochester, United States. Electronic address: Vankee_lin@urmc.rochester.edu.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Rochester Medical Center, United States.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of California-Irvine, United States.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mapstone
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, United States.
authors.forename: Steven P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Meyers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, United States.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Porsteinsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, United States.
authors.forename: Timothy M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Baran
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000647:Amnesia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
keywords: Cerebral amyloid deposition; Cingulate cortex; Functional connectivity; Memory; Supernormal