Longitudinal stability of medial temporal lobe connectivity is associated with tau-related memory decline.

Abstract

The relationship between Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and cognitive decline is an important topic in the aging research field. Recent studies suggest that memory deficits are more susceptible to phosphorylated tau (Ptau) than amyloid-beta. However, little is known regarding the neurocognitive mechanisms linking Ptau and memory-related decline. Here, we extracted data from Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) participants with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Ptau collected at baseline, diffusion tensor imaging measure twice, 2 year apart, and longitudinal memory data over 5 years. We defined three age- and education-matched groups: Ptau negative cognitively unimpaired, Ptau positive cognitively unimpaired, and Ptau positive individuals with mild cognitive impairment. We found the presence of CSF Ptau at baseline was related to a loss of structural stability in medial temporal lobe connectivity in a way that matched proposed disease progression, and this loss of stability in connections known to be important for memory moderated the relationship between Ptau accumulation and memory decline.

• Authors: Quanjing Chen, Adam Turnbull, Timothy M Baran, Feng V Lin
• Journal: eLife (Elife) Vol. 9 (12 31 2020) ISSN: 2050-084X [Electronic] England
• PMID: 33382038 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.)
• Copyright: © 2020, Chen et al.

Chemical References

• MAPT protein, human
• tau Proteins

Topics

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Alzheimer Disease (cerebrospinal fluid, pathology)
• Disease Progression
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Memory Disorders
• Middle Aged
• Neural Pathways (pathology)
• Temporal Lobe (pathology)
• tau Proteins (cerebrospinal fluid)