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. 2015 Mar 17;84(11):1136-44.
doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001375. Epub 2015 Feb 13.

Brain structure and function as mediators of the effects of amyloid on memory

Collaborators, Affiliations

Brain structure and function as mediators of the effects of amyloid on memory

Niklas Mattsson et al. Neurology. .

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to test whether effects of β-amyloid (Aβ) pathology on episodic memory were mediated by metabolism and gray matter volume in the early stages of Alzheimer disease.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study. We measured baseline Aβ (using florbetapir-PET), brain function (using fluorodeoxyglucose-PET), and brain structure (using MRI). A mediation analysis was performed to test whether statistical effects of Aβ positivity on cross-sectional and longitudinal episodic memory were mediated by hypometabolism or regional gray matter volume in cognitively healthy controls (CN, n = 280) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 463).

Results: Lower memory scores were associated with Aβ positivity (CN, mildly; MCI, strongly), smaller gray matter volumes (CN, few regions, including hippocampus; MCI, widespread), and hypometabolism. Smaller volumes and hypometabolism mediated effects of Aβ in MCI but not in CN. The strongest individual regions mediated up to approximately 25%. A combination of brain structure and function mediated up to approximately 40%. In several regions, gray matter atrophy and hypometabolism predicted episodic memory without being associated (at p < 0.05) with Aβ positivity.

Conclusions: Changes in brain structure and function appear to be, in part, downstream events from Aβ pathology, ultimately resulting in episodic memory deficits. However, Aβ pathology is also strongly related to memory deficits through mechanisms that are not quantified by these imaging measurements, and episodic memory decline is partly caused by Alzheimer disease-like brain changes independently of Aβ pathology.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Direct associations between Aβ and brain structure and function
β Coefficients for the effect of Aβ positivity on gray matter volumes (A, B) and FDG-PET (C, D) in CN (A, C) and MCI (B, D). The error bars are 95% confidence interval generated by nonparametric bootstrap. For regions with significant mediation (95% confidence interval excluding zero), results are shown in red. For convenience, regions are ranked by effect in MCI. Volumes, FDG-PET, and memory scores are standardized (scaled and centered). Only selected key regions were included in this plot. See figure e-1 for data on all tested regions. Aβ = β-amyloid; CN = cognitively healthy control; FDG = fluorodeoxyglucose; GM = gray matter; MCI = mild cognitive impairment.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Brain structure and function mediating effects of Aβ on delayed recall
Mediation by gray matter volumes (A, B) and FDG-PET (C, D) for the effect of Aβ positivity on LM delayed recall at baseline (A, C) and over time (B, D) in mild cognitive impairment. Data are indirect effects (c-c') with 95% confidence interval. Significant mediations are shown in red. The right y-axes indicate the βratio (the proportion of Aβ's effect that is explained by volume). For example, hippocampal atrophy explained 16% to 25% of the effect of Aβ on memory. Only selected key regions were included in this plot. See figure e-4 for data on all tested regions. Only regions with some (p < 0.1) direct association with the memory scores are included. Aβ = β-amyloid; FDG = fluorodeoxyglucose; LM = Logical Memory.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Mediation of effects of Aβ on change in Logical Memory delayed recall
Path analysis showing how hippocampal volume and angular FDG-PET mediate the effect of Aβ on longitudinal change in Logical Memory delayed recall. (A) The direct effects of Aβ on memory, (B) hippocampal volume mediating effects of Aβ on memory, (C) angular FDG-PET mediating effects of Aβ on memory, and (D) the combination of hippocampal volume and FDG-PET mediating effects of Aβ on memory. The figure includes the following standardized regression coefficients: a, the effects of Aβ on hippocampal volume or FDG-PET; b, the effects of hippocampal volume or FDG-PET on memory when adjusting for Aβ; c, the direct association between Aβ and memory (without adjusting for hippocampal volume or FDG-PET); c', the association between Aβ and memory when adjusting for hippocampal volume and/or FDG-PET; and c-c', the mediated effect on memory (with % mediation). *p < 0.05. Aβ = β-amyloid; FDG = fluorodeoxyglucose; hippo = hippocampal.

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