Abstract
IntroductionMemory functions are highly variable between healthy humans. The neural correlates of this variability remain largely unknown.MethodsHere, we investigated how differences in free recall performance are associated with DTI‐based properties of the brain's structural connectome and with grey matter volumes in 664 healthy young individuals tested in the same MR scanner.ResultsGlobal structural connectivity, but not overall or regional grey matter volumes, positively correlated with recall performance. Moreover, a set of 22 inter‐regional connections, including some with no previously reported relation to human memory, such as the connection between the temporal pole and the nucleus accumbens, explained 7.8% of phenotypic variance.ConclusionsIn conclusion, this large‐scale study indicates that individual memory performance is associated with the level of structural brain connectivity.
Highlights
Memory functions are highly variable between healthy humans
Free recall performance was positively correlated with network cost (Figure 2; Spearman r = .102; pnominal=.0086; pFDR=.043; coefficient of determination R2=.011; 95% confidence interval [0.02,0.18])
The relationship remained significant after controlling for attention (r = .098; p = .0117) or working memory performance (r = .097; p = .0125), indicating that the reported association does not depend on the assessed non-episodic cognitive domains
Summary
Memory functions are highly variable between healthy humans. The neural correlates of this variability remain largely unknown. Little is known about the neuroanatomical basis of such behavioral variability It might be explained, at least partly, by individual differences in white-matter properties, given their link to memory disorders (Metzler-Baddeley et al, 2012; Pievani, Filippini, van den Heuvel, Cappa, & Frisoni, 2014). At least partly, by individual differences in white-matter properties, given their link to memory disorders (Metzler-Baddeley et al, 2012; Pievani, Filippini, van den Heuvel, Cappa, & Frisoni, 2014) In this context, previous studies related diffusion characteristics such as fractional anisotropy (FA) to individual differences in episodic memory performance, both for well-known white matter pathways (Rudebeck et al, 2009) or at the voxel-wise level (Fuentemilla et al, 2009).
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