Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (Mar 2022)

Low Subicular Volume as an Indicator of Dementia-Risk Susceptibility in Old Age

  • Sonja M. Kagerer,
  • Sonja M. Kagerer,
  • Clemens Schroeder,
  • Jiri M. G. van Bergen,
  • Simon J. Schreiner,
  • Rafael Meyer,
  • Stefanie C. Steininger,
  • Laetitia Vionnet,
  • Anton F. Gietl,
  • Anton F. Gietl,
  • Valerie Treyer,
  • Valerie Treyer,
  • Alfred Buck,
  • Klaas P. Pruessmann,
  • Christoph Hock,
  • Christoph Hock,
  • Paul G. Unschuld,
  • Paul G. Unschuld,
  • Paul G. Unschuld,
  • Paul G. Unschuld

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2022.811146
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14

Abstract

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IntroductionHippocampal atrophy is an established Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) biomarker. Volume loss in specific subregions as measurable with ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may reflect earliest pathological alterations.MethodsData from positron emission tomography (PET) for estimation of cortical amyloid β (Aβ) and high-resolution 7 Tesla T1 MRI for assessment of hippocampal subfield volumes were analyzed in 61 non-demented elderly individuals who were divided into risk-categories as defined by high levels of cortical Aβ and low performance in standardized episodic memory tasks.ResultsHigh cortical Aβ and low episodic memory interactively predicted subicular volume [F(3,57) = 5.90, p = 0.018]. The combination of high cortical Aβ and low episodic memory was associated with significantly lower subicular volumes, when compared to participants with high episodic memory (p = 0.004).DiscussionOur results suggest that low subicular volume is linked to established indicators of AD risk, such as increased cortical Aβ and low episodic memory. Our data support subicular volume as a marker of dementia-risk susceptibility in old-aged non-demented persons.

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