TY - JOUR
T1 - Memory and executive function in older adults
T2 - Relationships with temporal and prefrontal gray matter volumes and white matter hyperintensities
AU - Van Petten, Cyma
AU - Plante, Elena
AU - Davidson, Patrick S.R.
AU - Kuo, Trudy Y.
AU - Bajuscak, Leslie
AU - Glisky, Elizabeth L.
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - Forty-eight healthy adults aged 65-85 were recruited for structural magnetic resonance scans after an extensive neuropsychological battery that ensured a high degree of variability across the sample in performance on long-term memory tests, and on tests traditionally thought to rely on prefrontal cortex. Gray matter volumes were measured for three gyri in the frontal lobe (superior, middle, inferior), six gyri in the temporal lobe (superior, middle, inferior, fusiform, parahippocampal, and hippocampus), and the occipital lobe. Gray matter volumes declined across the age range evaluated, but with substantial regional variation - greatest in the inferior frontal, superior temporal, and middle temporal gyri but negligible in the occipital lobe. Both memory performance and executive function declined as the number of hyperintense regions in the subcortical white matter increased. Memory performance was also significantly correlated with gray matter volumes of the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and several regions of temporal neocortex. However, the correlations were all in the negative direction; better memory performance was associated with smaller volumes. Several previous reports of significant negative correlations between gray matter volumes and memory performance are described, so that the possible reasons for this surprising finding are discussed.
AB - Forty-eight healthy adults aged 65-85 were recruited for structural magnetic resonance scans after an extensive neuropsychological battery that ensured a high degree of variability across the sample in performance on long-term memory tests, and on tests traditionally thought to rely on prefrontal cortex. Gray matter volumes were measured for three gyri in the frontal lobe (superior, middle, inferior), six gyri in the temporal lobe (superior, middle, inferior, fusiform, parahippocampal, and hippocampus), and the occipital lobe. Gray matter volumes declined across the age range evaluated, but with substantial regional variation - greatest in the inferior frontal, superior temporal, and middle temporal gyri but negligible in the occipital lobe. Both memory performance and executive function declined as the number of hyperintense regions in the subcortical white matter increased. Memory performance was also significantly correlated with gray matter volumes of the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and several regions of temporal neocortex. However, the correlations were all in the negative direction; better memory performance was associated with smaller volumes. Several previous reports of significant negative correlations between gray matter volumes and memory performance are described, so that the possible reasons for this surprising finding are discussed.
KW - Elderly
KW - Gray matter
KW - Magnetic resonance (MR)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=2942544464&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=2942544464&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2004.02.009
DO - 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2004.02.009
M3 - Article
C2 - 15193940
AN - SCOPUS:2942544464
SN - 0028-3932
VL - 42
SP - 1313
EP - 1335
JO - Neuropsychologia
JF - Neuropsychologia
IS - 10
ER -