Lower Verbal Memory Performance Research Articles

Effects of healthy aging and mnemonic strategies on verbal memory performance across the adult lifespan: Mediating role of posterior hippocampus.

In this study, we aimed to understand the contributions of hippocampal anteroposterior subregions (head, body, tail) and subfields (cornu ammonis 1-3 [CA1-3], dentate gyrus [DG], and subiculum [Sub]) and encoding strategies to the age-related verbal memory decline. Healthy participants were administered the California Verbal Learning Test-II to evaluate verbal memory performance and encoding strategies and underwent 4.7 T magnetic resonance imaging brain scan with subsequent hippocampal subregions and subfields manual segmentation. While total hippocampal volume was not associated with verbal memory performance, we found the volumes of the posterior hippocampus (body) and Sub showed significant effects on verbal memory performance. Additionally, the age-related volume decline in hippocampal body volume contributed to lower use of semantic clustering, resulting in lower verbal memory performance. The effect of Sub on verbal memory was statistically independent of encoding strategies. While total CA1-3 and DG volumes did not show direct or indirect effects on verbal memory, exploratory analyses with DG and CA1-3 volumes within the hippocampal body subregion suggested an indirect effect of age-related volumetric reduction on verbal memory performance through semantic clustering. As semantic clustering is sensitive to age-related hippocampal volumetric decline but not to the direct effect of age, further investigation of mechanisms supporting semantic clustering can have implications for early detection of cognitive impairments and decline.

Progression from Subjective Cognitive Decline to Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: The Role of Baseline Cognitive Performance

Background: Older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) are at an increased risk of progression to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. However, few have examined the specific cognitive tests that are associated with progression. Objective: This study examined performance on 18 neuropsychological tests among participants with SCD who later progressed to MCI or dementia. Methods: We included 131 participants from the Czech Brain Aging Study that had SCD at baseline. They completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery including cognitive tests from the Uniform Data Set 2.0 enriched by the verbal memory test Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCFT). Results: Fifty-five participants progressed: 53% to non-amnestic MCI (naMCI), 44% to amnestic MCI (aMCI), and 4% to dementia. Scoring one SD below the mean at baseline on the RAVLT 1 and RAVLT 1–5 was associated with 133% (RAVLT 1; HR: 2.33 [1.50, 3.62]) and 122% (RAVLT 1–5; HR: 2.22 [1.55, 3.16]) greater risk of progression to MCI or dementia over 3.84 years on average. Worse performance on the RAVLT 5, RAVLT 1–5, RAVLT 30, and ROCFT–Recall was associated with progression to aMCI whereas worse performance on the RAVLT 1, TMT B, and Boston Naming Test was associated with progression to naMCI. Conclusion: At baseline, lower verbal memory performance was most strongly associated with progression to aMCI whereas lower executive or language performance was most strongly associated with progression to naMCI.

The Combined Effect of APOE and BDNF Val66Met Polymorphisms on Spatial Navigation in Older Adults.

Background:The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 allele is associated with episodic memory and spatial navigation deficits. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Met allele may further worsen memory impairment in APOE ɛ4 carriers but its role in APOE ɛ4-related spatial navigation deficits has not been established.Objective:We examined influence of APOE and BDNF Val66Met polymorphism combination on spatial navigation and volumes of selected navigation-related brain regions in cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults and those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).Methods:187 participants (aMCI [n = 116] and CU [n = 71]) from the Czech Brain Aging Study were stratified based on APOE and BDNF Val66Met polymorphisms into four groups: ɛ4–/BDNFVal/Val, ɛ4–/BDNFMet, ɛ4+/BDNFVal/Val, and ɛ4+/BDNFMet. The participants underwent comprehensive neuropsychological examination, brain MRI, and spatial navigation testing of egocentric, allocentric, and allocentric delayed navigation in a real-space human analogue of the Morris water maze.Results:Among the aMCI participants, the ɛ4+/BDNFMet group had the least accurate egocentric navigation performance (p < 0.05) and lower verbal memory performance than the ɛ4–/BDNFVal/Val group (p = 0.007). The ɛ4+/BDNFMet group had smaller hippocampal and entorhinal cortical volumes than the ɛ4–/BDNFVal/Val (p≤0.019) and ɛ4–/BDNFMet (p≤0.020) groups. Among the CU participants, the ɛ4+/BDNFMet group had less accurate allocentric and allocentric delayed navigation performance than the ɛ4–/BDNFVal/Val group (p < 0.05).Conclusion:The combination of APOE ɛ4 and BDNF Met polymorphisms is associated with more pronounced egocentric navigation impairment and atrophy of the medial temporal lobe regions in individuals with aMCI and less accurate allocentric navigation in CU older adults.

Spatial navigation and verbal memory are influenced by the combined effects of APOE and BDNF Val66Met polymorphisms in mild cognitive impairment

AbstractBackgroundThe apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 allele is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), episodic memory deficits and less accurate spatial navigation in non‐demented older adults. The brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism is also related to the increased risk of AD and more pronounced memory impairment but its role in APOE ɛ4‐related spatial navigation deficits has not been established. Our aim was to examine the influence of combination of APOE and BDNF Val66Met polymorphisms on spatial navigation and other cognitive functions in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).MethodIn total, 116 older adults with aMCI from the Czech Brain Aging Study were stratified based on APOE and BDNF Val66Met polymorphisms into four groups: ɛ4–/BDNF Val/Val (n = 29), ɛ4–/BDNF Met (n = 11), ɛ4+/BDNF Val/Val (n = 52), and ɛ4+/BDNF Met (n = 24). All participants underwent comprehensive neuropsychological examination, brain MRI and spatial navigation testing of egocentric (body‐centred), allocentric (world‐centred), and allocentric delayed navigation in a real‐space human analogue of the Morris water maze.ResultThe ɛ4+/BDNF Met group although similar to other groups in age, gender, education, depressive symptoms and global cognitive function had less accurate egocentric navigation performance (ps ≤ .045). The differences in allocentric and allocentric delayed navigation performance were not significant (ps ≥ .651). The ɛ4+/BDNFMet group had lower verbal memory performance than the ɛ4–/BDNF Val/Val group (p = .007) and similar performance to the ɛ4–/BDNF Met (p = .071) and ɛ4+/BDNF Val/Val (p = .240) groups. There were no between‐group differences in other cognitive domains including attention and working memory, nonverbal memory, executive function, language and visuospatial function (ps ≥ .268).ConclusionThe aMCI carriers with the most risky combination of APOE ɛ4 and BDNF Met polymorphisms had more pronounced egocentric spatial navigation impairment than the other polymorphism groups and more pronounced memory deficits than the carriers with the least risky combination of APOE ɛ3 and BDNF Val/Val polymorphisms. These findings indicate that aMCI individuals with two risky gene polymorphisms are particularly susceptible to hippocampus‐dependent episodic memory deficits and even more to non‐hippocampus‐dependent egocentric spatial navigation impairment that may reflect more advanced underlying pathological changes.

A-37 Neuropsychological Functioning In Cognitively Normal And Impaired Aging NFL Retirees

Abstract Objective Identify differences in neuropsychological (NP) functioning between older (≥ 50) National Football League (NFL) retirees and age-matched controls, and examine whether differences correlate to head-injury exposure. Method NFL retirees were diagnosed with normal cognition (n = 20), mild cognitive impairment (n = 19), or dementia (n = 5) using Jak and Bondi (2009) criteria and clinical consensus. Retirees were age-matched to either healthy controls (n = 18) or clinical controls with MCI (n = 21) or dementia (n = 5). MANCOVAs and partial correlations covarying for age and education compared retiree’s NP performances to controls, and examined whether differences in NP measures were correlated with number of concussions, or games and years played in the NFL. Results Cognitively normal (CN) retirees displayed lower processing speed, naming, and verbal memory (p’s &amp;lt; .05) than CN controls. Impaired retirees displayed worse processing speed and naming than impaired controls, but better verbal memory (p’s &amp;lt; .05). Only lower verbal memory performance in CN retirees significantly correlated with number of games (r = −.60) and years played (r = −.54). Conclusions Aging CN and impaired retirees performed worse on single measures of processing speed and naming, but their performances did not correlate to head-injury exposure. Verbal memory performance varied between CN (worse than controls) and impaired retirees (better than controls). Overall, results suggest some aging NFL players may be at risk for reduced verbal memory, but this relationship could diminish following onset of MCI. No clear dose-response relationship was observed between head-injury exposure and NP functioning. Future studies should examine longitudinal trajectories of NP performances in larger samples to elucidate these findings.

Autobiographical memory deficits in remitted patients with bipolar disorder I: The effect of impaired memory retrieval

Autobiographical memory (AM) has been studied extensively in different psychiatric disorders. However, less is known about AM in bipolar disorder (BD). Aim of the present study was to investigate BD patients’ ability to recall episodic and semantic autobiographical memories after controlling for the effect of other possible neurocognitive deficits. Participants included 30 clinically remitted outpatients with BD type I and 30 healthy controls, matched for age, gender and educational level. Autobiographical memory was examined by the Questionnaire of Autobiographical Memory. Premorbid intellectual functioning, verbal memory, verbal fluency, attention and working memory were also assessed. Bipolar patients were impaired in both episodic and semantic AM, compared with healthy individuals. Deficits involved recall of memories from childhood-adolescence, early adulthood and recent life. Additionally, patients were impaired in verbal memory compared with controls. Differences between study groups in both episodic and semantic AM remained significant even after controlling for the effect of verbal memory deficits. Remitted BD-I patients showed deficits in recalling personal episodic memories and facts dating to three different life periods. These deficits were independent of patients’ lower verbal memory performance. Additional research is required to gain a better understanding of the pattern and the mechanisms underlying AM impairment in BD.

Verbal memory functioning moderates psychotherapy treatment response for PTSD-Related nightmares

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with cognitive deficits in attention, executive control, and memory, although few studies have investigated the relevance of cognitive difficulties for treatment outcomes. We examined whether cognitive functioning and history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) were associated with response to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for PTSD-related sleep problems. In a randomized controlled trial of Imagery Rehearsal (IR) added to components of CBT for Insomnia (IR + cCBT-I) compared to cCBT-I alone for PTSD-related recurrent nightmares, 94 U.S. veterans completed a battery of cognitive tests. TBI was assessed via structured clinical interview. Mixed-effects models examined main effects of cognitive functioning and interactions with time on primary sleep and nightmare outcomes. Significant verbal immediate memory by time interactions were found for nightmare distress, nightmare frequency, and sleep quality, even after controlling for overall cognitive performance and depression. TBI exhibited main effects on outcomes but no interactions with time. Findings indicated that individuals with lower verbal memory performance were less likely to respond to treatment across two sleep interventions. Veterans with TBI displayed greater symptoms but no altered trajectories of treatment response. Together with prior literature, findings suggest that verbal memory functioning may be important to consider in PTSD treatment implementation.

Relationship between remnant hippocampus and amygdala and memory outcomes after stereotactic surgery for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

Background and purposeMesial temporal structures play an important role in human memory. In mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), seizure activity is generated from the same structures. Surgery is the definitive treatment for medically intractable MTLE. In addition to standard temporal lobe microsurgical resection, stereotactic radiofrequency amygdalohippocampectomy (SAHE) is used as an alternative MTLE treatment. While memory impairments after standard epilepsy surgery are well known, it has been shown that memory decline is not a feature of SAHE. The aim of the present study was to correlate the volume of the remnant hippocampus and amygdala in patients treated by SAHE with changes in memory parameters.Materials and methodsThirty-seven MTLE patients treated by SAHE (ten right, 27 left) were included. Patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging examinations including hippocampal and amygdalar volumetry and neuropsychological evaluation preoperatively and 1 year after surgery.ResultsUsing Spearman correlation analyses, larger left-sided hippocampal reductions were associated with lower verbal memory performance (ρ=−0.46; P=0.02). On the contrary, improvement of global memory quotient (MQ) was positively correlated with larger right-sided hippocampal reduction (ρ=0.66; P=0.04). Similarly, positive correlations between the extent of right amygdalar reduction and verbal MQ (ρ=0.74; P=0.02) and global MQ change (ρ=0.69; P=0.03) were found. Thus, larger right hippocampal and amygdalar reduction was associated with higher global and verbal MQ change after SAHE.ConclusionLarger left-sided hippocampal reductions were associated with lower verbal memory performance. This finding is in accordance with the material-specific model of human memory, which states that the dominant hemisphere is specialized for the learning and recall of verbal information. We hypothesize that larger right-sided ablations enable the left temporal lobe to support memory more effectively, perhaps as a consequence of epileptiform discharges spreading from remnants of right mesiotemporal structures to the left.

It's about Time: Long-term Memory Outcome following Temporal Lobectomy

Verbal Memory Decline after Temporal Epilepsy Surgery?: A 6-Year Multiple Assessments Follow-up Study. Alpherts WC, Vermeulen J, van Rijen PC, da Silva FH, van Veelen CW; Dutch Collaborative Epilepsy Surgery Program. Neurology 2006;67:626–631. Objective To assess the long-term effects of temporal lobe epilepsy surgery on verbal memory. Methods We assessed verbal memory performance as measured by a verbal learning test (“15 Words Test,” a Dutch adaptation of Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test) before surgery and at three specific times after surgery: 6 months, 2 years, and 6 years in 85 patients (34 left temporal lobe [LTL] vs. 51 right temporal lobe [RTL]). An amygdalo-hippocampectomy and a neocortical temporal resection between 2.5 and 8 cm were carried out in all patients. Results LTL patients showed an ongoing memory decline for consolidation and acquisition of verbal material (both 2/3 SDs) for up to 2 years after surgery. RTL patients at first showed a gain in both memory acquisition and consolidation, which vanished in the long term. Breaking the group up into a mesiotemporal (MTS) group and a non-MTS group showed clear differences. The group with pure MTS showed an overall lower verbal memory performance than the group without pure MTS, in the LTL group more pronounced than in the RTL group. After surgery, both pathology groups showed an ongoing decline for up to 2 years, but the degree of decline was greater for the LTL patients with MTS compared with the non-MTS group. Becoming and remaining seizure-free after surgery does not result in a better performance in the long term. Predictors of postoperative verbal memory performance at 6 years after surgery were side of surgery, preoperative memory score, and age. Conclusions The results provide evidence for a dynamic decline of verbal memory functions up to 2 years after left temporal lobectomy, which then levels off.

Verbal memory decline after temporal epilepsy surgery?

To assess the long-term effects of temporal lobe epilepsy surgery on verbal memory. We assessed verbal memory performance as measured by a verbal learning test ("15 Words Test," a Dutch adaptation of Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test) before surgery and at three specific times after surgery: 6 months, 2 years, and 6 years in 85 patients (34 left temporal lobe [LTL] vs. 51 right temporal lobe [RTL]). An amygdalo-hippocampectomy and a neocortical temporal resection between 2.5 and 8 cm were carried out in all patients. LTL patients showed an ongoing memory decline for consolidation and acquisition of verbal material (both 2/3 SDs) for up to 2 years after surgery. RTL patients at first showed a gain in both memory acquisition and consolidation, which vanished in the long term. Breaking the group up into a mesiotemporal (MTS) group and a non-MTS group showed clear differences. The group with pure MTS showed an overall lower verbal memory performance than the group without pure MTS, in the LTL group more pronounced than in the RTL group. After surgery, both pathology groups showed an ongoing decline for up to 2 years, but the degree of decline was greater for the LTL patients with MTS compared with the non-MTS group. Becoming and remaining seizure-free after surgery does not result in a better performance in the long term. Predictors of postoperative verbal memory performance at 6 years after surgery were side of surgery, preoperative memory score, and age. The results provide evidence for a dynamic decline of verbal memory functions up to 2 years after left temporal lobectomy, which then levels off.