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Association between executive dysfunction and hippocampal volume in Alzheimer's disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2010

Tomoyuki Nagata ,
Shunichiro Shinagawa ,
Yusuke Ochiai ,
Ryo Aoki ,
Hiroo Kasahara ,
Kazutaka Nukariya  and
Kazuhiko Nakayama
Tomoyuki Nagata*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Kashiwa Hospital, Chiba, Japan Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
Shunichiro Shinagawa
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
Yusuke Ochiai
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Kashiwa Hospital, Chiba, Japan
Ryo Aoki
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Kashiwa Hospital, Chiba, Japan
Hiroo Kasahara
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Kashiwa Hospital, Chiba, Japan
Kazutaka Nukariya
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Kashiwa Hospital, Chiba, Japan
Kazuhiko Nakayama
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Tomoyuki Nagata, Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Kashiwa Hospital, 163-1 Kashiwashita, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8567, Japan. Phone: +81-4-7164-1111; Fax: +81-4-7164-9374. Email: t.nagata@jikei.ac.jp.
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Abstract

Background: Some previous research has hypothesized that executive dysfunction in patients with early Alzheimer's disease (AD) occurs as a result of a disconnection between different cerebral areas. The aim of the present study was to evaluate how the hippocampal volume influences executive function as a non-memory cognitive function.

Methods: From 157 consecutive patients with AD or amnestic mild cognitive impairment (A-MCI), we recruited 107 subjects who had a global Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 0.5 or 1.0 and whose degree of hippocampal atrophy had been measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); the severity of atrophy was assessed using the voxel-based specific regional analysis for Alzheimer's disease (VSRAD) system. We divided the subjects into three groups: mild atrophy, 0 < Z-score < 1.0 (N = 21); moderate atrophy, 1.0 ≤ Z-score < 2.0 (N = 46); or severe atrophy, 2.0 ≤ Z-score < 4.0 (N = 40) according to the Z-score and compared the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) and its subtest scores between each atrophy group.

Results: The results demonstrated that age, sex ratio, duration of illness, education years, MMSE score, Behave-AD score, and proportion of atrophy area in total brain (%) were not significantly different among the three groups. Only the go/no-go score among the six subtests was significantly lower for increasing atrophy severity (P < 0.05). Furthermore, hippocampal atrophy significantly influenced the go/no-go score independently of interactions from whether the diagnosis was early AD or A-MCI (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: These results support a significant association between hippocampal atrophy and executive dysfunction as a non-memory cognitive impairment in patients with early AD and A-MCI.

Keywords

amnestic mild cognitive impairments (A-MCI)non-memorydisconnection syndromeFrontal Assessment Battery (FAB)voxel-based specific regional analysis for Alzheimer's disease (VSRAD)Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM)parahippocampal gyrusentorhinal cortex
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 23 , Issue 5 , June 2011 , pp. 764 - 771
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2010

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