Thalamic Shape and Cognitive Performance in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate thalamic shape alterations and their relationships with various episodic memory impairments in subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).MethodsWe compared volumes and morphological alterations of the thalamus between aMCI subjects and healthy controls. In addition, we investigated the correlation between thalamic deformations and various memory impairments in aMCI subjects using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery.ResultsThe normalized left thalamic volumes of the aMCI group were significantly smaller than those of the healthy control group (p<0.0001). aMCI subjects exhibited significant thalamic deformations in the left thalamic dorso-medial and antero-medial areas compared with healthy individuals. CERAD-K Word List Memory scores were significantly correlated with the left dorso-medial areas in aMCI subjects. There were no significant correlations between verbal fluency, Boston naming test, constructional praxis, Word List Recognition, and Visuospatial Recall scores and thalamic shape in aMCI subjects. Verbal delayed recall scores were also significantly correlated with the left dorso-medial areas in the aMCI group.ConclusionStructural alterations in the thalamic deformations in the left dorso-medial and antero-medial areas might be core underlying neurobiological mechanisms of thalamic dysfunction related to Word List Memory and delayed verbal recall in individuals with aMCI.

Subcortical Shape Changes, Hippocampal Atrophy and Cortical Thinning in Future Alzheimer's Disease Patients

“…These, however, revealed contractions in the MCI-CC group. Our finding of contractions in dorsal, medial dorsal and anterior regions with more pronounced results in the left than in the right hemisphere in MCI-CB and MCI-CC, contractions in the pulvinar and dorsal as well as medial dorsal regions in MCI-CC in turn are consistent with other study results (Qiu et al, 2009 ; Cho et al, 2014 ; Stepan-Buksakowska et al, 2014 ; Hahn et al, 2016 ). The few results about thalamic expansions in MCI and AD are inconsistent.…”

“…Contrary to our expectation, the same was true for both total and local thalamus volumes in MCI-CB and MCI-CC. Indeed reduced thalamic total volumes have been reported in amnestic MCI (Hahn et al, 2016) and MCI-CB (Bossa et al, 2011). However, thalamic atrophy in AD is debated, particularly in early disease stages (Xuereb et al, 1991; Braak and Braak, 1991a; Paskavitz et al, 1995), where only a few regions are affected by a small number of isolated neurofibrillary tangles (Braak and Braak, 1991b).…”

“…The authors are fully aware of other studies investigating subcortical shape alterations in MCI and/or AD patients (Cho et al, 2014; Stepan-Buksakowska et al, 2014; Tang et al, 2014; Hahn et al, 2016). However, and apart from the study from Tang et al (2014), we are not aware of other studies investigating thalamic and striatal shape abnormalities in MCI-S, MCI-CB, and MCI-CC in a single comparative study, and of no study comparing these shape abnormalities with measures from age—and gender matched HC.…”

Cerebrovascular Resistance in Healthy Aging and Mild Cognitive Impairment

“…Additionally, the thalamus has been implicated in amnestic MCI. Compared to healthy controls, amnestic MCI patients were found to have decreased functional connectivity between the thalamus and other structures using resting-state fMRI (Wang et al, 2012; Zhou et al, 2013; Cai et al, 2015), structural abnormalities in the thalamo-cortical WM fiber pathways (Alderson et al, 2017), significant neuroanatomical thalamic shape differences (Leh et al, 2016; Hahn et al, 2016), and smaller left thalamic volumes (Hahn et al, 2016).…”

Association of Subcortical Structural Shapes With Tau, Amyloid, and Cortical Atrophy in Early-Onset and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

“…Like gray matter change, more rapid volumetric declines in several subcortical structures including the caudate, putamen, and thalamus have been highlighted as distinct to LOAD patients (Cho et al, 2013;Pievani et al, 2013). It has also been reported that characteristic symptoms of EOAD such as severe extrapyramidal signs (Chui et al, 1985) and non-memory cognitive dysfunction such as executive function, visuospatial functioning, and attention (Smits et al, 2012) are related to deterioration of the basal ganglia and the thalamus, both of which play major roles in movement symptoms, brain connectivity, and memory function (Hahn et al, 2016;Dipasquale and Cercignani, 2017).…”