Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Alzheimer's Research & Therapy
Published in: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research

Verbal and non-verbal memory and hippocampal volumes in a memory clinic population

Authors: Aaron Bonner-Jackson, Shamseldeen Mahmoud, Justin Miller, Sarah J Banks

Published in: Alzheimer's Research & Therapy | Issue 1/2015

Login to get access

Abstract

Introduction

Better characterization of the relationship between episodic memory and hippocampal volumes is crucial in early detection of neurodegenerative disease. We examined these relationships in a memory clinic population.

Methods

Participants (n = 226) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging and tests of verbal (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised, HVLT-R) and non-verbal (Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised, BVMT-R) memory. Correlational analyses were performed, and analyses on clinical subgroups (i.e., amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, non-amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, probable Alzheimer’s disease, intact memory) were conducted.

Results

Positive associations were identified between bilateral hippocampal volumes and both memory measures, and BVMT-R learning slope was more strongly positively associated with hippocampal volumes than HVLT-R learning slope. Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) participants showed specific positive associations between BVMT-R performance and hippocampal volumes bilaterally. Additionally, analyses of the aMCI group showed trend-level evidence of material-specific lateralization, such that retention of verbal information was positively associated with left hippocampal volume, whereas learning curve and retention of non-verbal information was positively associated with right hippocampal volume.

Conclusions

Findings support the link between episodic memory and hippocampal volumes in a memory clinic population. Non-verbal memory measures also may have higher diagnostic value, particularly in individuals at elevated risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Literature
1.
2.
Marra C, Ferraccioli M, Vita MG, Quaranta D, Gainotti G. Patterns of cognitive decline and rates of conversion to dementia in patients with degenerative and vascular forms of MCI. Curr Alzheimer Res. 2011;8:24–31.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Scahill RI, Schott JM, Stevens JM, Rossor MN, Fox NC. Mapping the evolution of regional atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease: unbiased analysis of fluid-registered serial MRI. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002;99:4703–7.PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMed
4.
Milner B. Interhemispheric differences in the localization of psychological processes in man. Br Med Bull. 1971;27:272–7.PubMed
5.
Wagner AD, Poldrack RA, Eldridge LL, Desmond JE, Glover GH, Gabrieli JD. Material-specific lateralization of prefrontal activation during episodic encoding and retrieval. Neuroreport. 1998;9:3711–7.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Deweer B, Pillon B, Pochon JB, Dubois B. Is the HM story only a ‘remote memory’? Some facts about hippocampus and memory in humans. Behav Brain Res. 2001;127:209–24.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Kelley WM, Miezin FM, McDermott KB, Buckner RL, Raichle ME, Cohen NJ, et al. Hemispheric specialization in human dorsal frontal cortex and medial temporal lobe for verbal and nonverbal memory encoding. Neuron. 1998;20:927–36.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Banks SJ, Jones-Gotman M, Ladowski D, Sziklas V. Sex differences in the medial temporal lobe during encoding and recognition of pseudowords and abstract designs. Neuroimage. 2012;59:1888–95.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Arlt S, Buchert R, Spies L, Eichenlaub M, Lehmbeck JT, Jahn H. Association between fully automated MRI-based volumetry of different brain regions and neuropsychological test performance in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2013;263:335–44.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Hackert VH, den Heijer T, Oudkerk M, Koudstaal PJ, Hofman A, Breteler MM. Hippocampal head size associated with verbal memory performance in nondemented elderly. Neuroimage. 2002;17:1365–72.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Hirni DI, Kivisaari SL, Monsch AU, Taylor KI. Distinct neuroanatomical bases of episodic and semantic memory performance in Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychologia. 2013;51:930–7.CrossRefPubMed
12.
van der Flier WM, van Buchem MA, Weverling-Rijnsburger AW, Mutsaers ER, Bollen EL, Admiraal-Behloul F, et al. Memory complaints in patients with normal cognition are associated with smaller hippocampal volumes. J Neurol. 2004;251:671–5.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Deweer B, Lehericy S, Pillon B, Baulac M, Chiras J, Marsault C, et al. Memory disorders in probable Alzheimer's disease: the role of hippocampal atrophy as shown with MRI. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1995;58:590–7.PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMed
14.
Fama R, Sullivan EV, Shear PK, Marsh L, Yesavage JA, Tinklenberg JR, et al. Selective cortical and hippocampal volume correlates of Mattis Dementia Rating Scale in Alzheimer disease. Arch Neurol. 1997;54:719–28.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Kohler S, Black SE, Sinden M, Szekely C, Kidron D, Parker JL, et al. Memory impairments associated with hippocampal versus parahippocampal-gyrus atrophy: an MR volumetry study in Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychologia. 1998;36:901–14.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Laakso MP, Soininen H, Partanen K, Helkala EL, Hartikainen P, Vainio P, et al. Volumes of hippocampus, amygdala and frontal lobes in the MRI-based diagnosis of early Alzheimer's disease: correlation with memory functions. J Neural Transm Park Dis Dement Sect. 1995;9:73–86.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Laakso MP, Hallikainen M, Hanninen T, Partanen K, Soininen H. Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: MRI of the hippocampus vs delayed recall. Neuropsychologia. 2000;38:579–84.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Petersen RC, Jack CR, Xu YC, Waring SC, O'Brien PC, Smith GE, et al. Memory and MRI-based hippocampal volumes in aging and AD. Neurology. 2000;54:581–7.CrossRefPubMed
19.
20.
Leube DT, Weis S, Freymann K, Erb M, Jessen F, Heun R, et al. Neural correlates of verbal episodic memory in patients with MCI and Alzheimer's disease--a VBM study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008;23:1114–8.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Di Paola M, Macaluso E, Carlesimo GA, Tomaiuolo F, Worsley KJ, Fadda L, et al. Episodic memory impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease is correlated with entorhinal cortex atrophy. A voxel-based morphometry study. J Neurol. 2007;254:774–81.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Basso M, Yang J, Warren L, MacAvoy MG, Varma P, Bronen RA, et al. Volumetry of amygdala and hippocampus and memory performance in Alzheimer's disease. Psychiatry Res. 2006;146:251–61.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Van Petten C. Relationship between hippocampal volume and memory ability in healthy individuals across the lifespan: review and meta-analysis. Neuropsychologia. 2004;42:1394–413.CrossRefPubMed
24.
de Toledo-Morrell L, Dickerson B, Sullivan MP, Spanovic C, Wilson R, Bennett DA. Hemispheric differences in hippocampal volume predict verbal and spatial memory performance in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Hippocampus. 2000;10:136–42.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Dickerson BC, Goncharova I, Sullivan MP, Forchetti C, Wilson RS, Bennett DA, et al. MRI-derived entorhinal and hippocampal atrophy in incipient and very mild Alzheimer’s disease. Neurobiol Aging. 2001;22:747–54.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Venneri A, Gorgoglione G, Toraci C, Nocetti L, Panzetti P, Nichelli P. Combining neuropsychological and structural neuroimaging indicators of conversion to Alzheimer's disease in amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Curr Alzheimer Res. 2011;8:789–97.CrossRefPubMed
27.
Apostolova LG, Morra JH, Green AE, Hwang KS, Avedissian C, Woo E, et al. Automated 3D mapping of baseline and 12-month associations between three verbal memory measures and hippocampal atrophy in 490 ADNI subjects. Neuroimage. 2010;51:488–99.PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMed
28.
Kramer JH, Schuff N, Reed BR, Mungas D, Du AT, Rosen HJ, et al. Hippocampal volume and retention in Alzheimer’s disease. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2004;10:639–43.PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMed
29.
Kessels RP, Rijken S, Joosten-Weyn Banningh LW, van Schuylenborgh-van Es N, Olde Rikkert MG. Categorical spatial memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer dementia: positional versus object-location recall. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2010;16:200–4.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Kasai M, Meguro K, Hashimoto R, Ishizaki J, Yamadori A, Mori E. Non-verbal learning is impaired in very mild Alzheimer's disease (CDR 0.5): normative data from the learning version of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2006;60:139–46.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Okonkwo OC, Oh JM, Koscik R, Jonaitis E, Cleary CA, Dowling NM, et al. Amyloid burden, neuronal function, and cognitive decline in middle-aged adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2014;20:422–33.PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMed
32.
Kawas CH, Corrada MM, Brookmeyer R, Morrison A, Resnick SM, Zonderman AB, et al. Visual memory predicts Alzheimer's disease more than a decade before diagnosis. Neurology. 2003;60:1089–93.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Snitz B, Weissfeld LA, Lopez OL, Kuller LH, Saxton J, Singhabahu DM, et al. Cognitive trajectories associated with β-amyloid deposition in the oldest-old without dementia. Neurology. 2013;80:1378–84.PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMed
34.
Benedict RH, Schretlen DG, Brandt JL. Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised: normative data and analysis of inter-form and test-retest reliability. Clin Neuropsychol. 1998;12:43–55.CrossRef
35.
Benedict RH, Schretlen D, Groninger L, Dobraski M, Shpritz B. Revision of the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test: studies of normal performance, reliability, and validity. Psychol Assess. 1996;8:145–53.CrossRef
36.
Talairach J, Tournoux P. Co-Planar Stereotaxic Atlas of the Human Brain: An Approach to Cerebral Imaging. New York: Thieme Publishers; 1988.
37.
Ross DE, Ochs AL, Seabaugh JM, Shrader CR. Man versus machine: comparison of radiologists' interpretations and NeuroQuant(R) volumetric analyses of brain MRIs in patients with traumatic brain injury. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2013;25:32–9.CrossRefPubMed
38.
Woodard JL, Dunlosky J, Salthouse TA. Task decomposition analysis of intertrial free recall performance on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 1999;21:666–76.CrossRefPubMed
39.
Moulin CJ, James N, Freeman JE, Jones RW. Deficient acquisition and consolidation: intertrial free recall performance in Alzheimer’s disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2004;26:1–10.CrossRefPubMed
40.
Chen NC, Lin YI, Chang CC, Lin KN, Chuang YC, Chen C, et al. Learning and error patterns in the Chinese Verbal Learning Test in subjects with mild cognitive impairment and normal elderly. Acta Neurol Taiwan. 2011;20:114–24.PubMed
41.
Schrijnemaekers AM, de Jager CA, Hogervorst E, Budge MM. Cases with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease fail to benefit from repeated exposure to episodic memory tests as compared with controls. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2006;28:438–55.CrossRefPubMed
42.
Serra L, Giulietti G, Cercignani M, Spano B, Torso M, Castelli D, et al. Mild cognitive impairment: same identity for different entities. J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;33:1157–65.PubMed
43.
Jones-Gotman M, Zatorre RJ, Olivier A, Andermann F, Cendes F, Staunton H, et al. Learning and retention of words and designs following excision from medial or lateral temporal-lobe structures. Neuropsychologia. 1997;35:963–73.CrossRefPubMed
44.
Kennepohl S, Sziklas V, Garver KE, Wagner DD, Jones-Gotman M. Memory and the medial temporal lobe: hemispheric specialization reconsidered. Neuroimage. 2007;36:969–78.CrossRefPubMed
45.
Eckerstrom C, Olsson E, Bjerke M, Malmgren H, Edman A, Wallin A, et al. A combination of neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and cerebrospinal fluid markers predicts conversion from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;36:421–31.PubMed
46.
Li S, Okonkwo O, Albert M, Wang MC. Variation in variables that predict progression from MCI to AD dementia over duration of follow-up. Am J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;2:12–28.
47.
Peters F, Villeneuve S, Belleville S. Predicting progression to dementia in elderly subjects with Mild Cognitive Impairment using both cognitive and neuroimaging predictors. J Alzheimers Dis. 2014;38:307–18.PubMed
Metadata
Title
Verbal and non-verbal memory and hippocampal volumes in a memory clinic population
Authors
Aaron Bonner-Jackson
Shamseldeen Mahmoud
Justin Miller
Sarah J Banks
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Alzheimer's Research & Therapy / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1758-9193
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-015-0147-9

Other articles of this Issue 1/2015

Alzheimer's Research & Therapy 1/2015 Go to the issue

Review

Frailty and the risk of cognitive impairment

Review

Kidney disease as a determinant of cognitive decline and dementia

Review

Immune phenotypes of microglia in human neurodegenerative disease: challenges to detecting microglial polarization in human brains

Research

Improved predictive ability of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for diagnosing dementia in a community-based study

Review

Connectivity and circuitry in a dish versus in a brain

Research

Characterization of the postsynaptic protein neurogranin in paired cerebrospinal fluid and plasma samples from Alzheimer’s disease patients and healthy controls