High-resolution imaging of medial temporal lobe subfield structure and function in mild cognitive impairment

Abstract

MMSE1⁄428.58) from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a clinical-pathological cohort study of aging and dementia, were scanned using restingstate functional MRI. Financial literacy was assessed using a series of questions imbedded as part of an ongoing decision making study. A 4 mm radius spherical seed region of interest (ROI) was prescribed in the posterior cingulate cortex (x1⁄40, y1⁄4-53, z1⁄426) after removal of 6 head motion parameters, white matter signal, global mean signal, and cerebrospinal fluid as nuisance variables. Results: After adjusting for age, education, sex, and global cognition, and correcting for multiple comparisons, analyses revealed significant associations (AlphaSim cluster level p<0.05, voxelwise p<0.004) such that functional connectivity values between the posterior cingulate and the right ventromedial prefrontal cortex (t1⁄44.7917), left postcentral gyrus (t1⁄43.3051), right precuneus (t1⁄43.5919), and right postcentral gyrus (t1⁄43.5262) were positively associated with higher financial literacy. Interestingly, functional connectivity values between the posterior cingulate and left caudate were inversely associated with financial literacy (t1⁄4-3.7011). Conclusions: Greater financial literacy is associated with stronger functional connectivity between anterior and posterior regions typically associated with the Default Mode Network. Financial literacy may also be associated with functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate and basal ganglia structures, although this relationship is less clear. Results suggest specific functional brain network properties may be associated with differing levels of financial literacy among older adults.