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. 2015 Oct 15;7(1):61.
doi: 10.1186/s13195-015-0147-9.

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

Aaron Bonner-Jackson  1 , Shamseldeen Mahmoud  2 , Justin Miller  3 , Sarah J Banks  4
Affiliations

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

Aaron Bonner-Jackson et al. Alzheimers Res Ther. .

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.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Example output of the NeuroQuant computer-automated analysis, including volumetric information and segmented brain images
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Coronal image of NeuroQuant output, with arrows pointing to the hippocampus
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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