Aberrant memory system connectivity and working memory performance in subjective cognitive decline

Viviano, R.P.; Hayes, J.M.; Pruitt, P.J.; Fernandez, Z.J.; Van Rooden, S.; Van der Grond, J.; ... ; Damoiseaux, J.S. (2019)

Article / Letter to editor

Subjective cognitive decline, a perceived worsening of cognitive functioning without objective deficit onassessment, could indicate incipient dementia. However, the neural correlates of subjective cognitive decline asassessed by magnetic resonance imaging remain somewhat unclear. Here, we evaluated differences in functionalconnectivity across memory regions, and cognitive performance, between healthy older adults aged 50 to 85 with(n¼35,Age¼68.57.7, 22 female), and without (n¼48,Age¼67.08.8, 29 female) subjective cognitivedecline. We also evaluated neurite density, fractional anisotropy, and mean diffusivity of the parahippocampalcingulum, cingulate gyrus cingulum, and uncinatefiber bundles in a subsample of participants (n¼37). Partic-ipants with subjective cognitive decline displayed lower average functional connectivity across regions of a pu-tative posterior memory system, and lower retrosplenial-precuneus functional connectivity specifically, than thosewithout memory complaints. Furthermore, participants with subjective cognitive decline performed poorer thancontrols on visual working memory. However, groups did not differ in cingulum or uncinate diffusion measures.Our results show differences in functional connectivity and visual working memory in participants with subjectivecognitive decline that could indicate potential incipient dementia.

• Subjective cognitive decline
• Functional connectivity
• Neurite density
• Visual working memory
• Memory systems

• All authors: Viviano, R.P.; Hayes, J.M.; Pruitt, P.J.; Fernandez, Z.J.; Van Rooden, S.; Van der Grond, J.; Rombouts, S.A.R.B.; Damoiseaux, J.S.
• Date: 2019-01-15
• Journal: NeuroImage
• Volume: 185
• Pages: 556 - 564
• DOI: doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.10.015
• Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811918319748?via=...