Age-related enhancement of the association between episodic memory and gray matter volume in medial temporal and frontal lobes

Shaokun Zhao; Feng Sang; Chen Liu; Fei Wang; Jiawen Liu; Chuansheng Chen; Jun Wang; Xin Li; Zhanjun Zhang

doi:10.1186/s12993-024-00237-y

Age-related enhancement of the association between episodic memory and gray matter volume in medial temporal and frontal lobes

Behav Brain Funct. 2024 May 3;20(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s12993-024-00237-y.

Authors

Shaokun Zhao^{1

2}, Feng Sang^{1

2}, Chen Liu^{1

2}, Fei Wang^{1

2}, Jiawen Liu^{1

2}, Chuansheng Chen³, Jun Wang^{4

5}, Xin Li^{6

7}, Zhanjun Zhang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
² BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
³ Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China. jun_wang@bnu.edu.cn.
⁵ BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China. jun_wang@bnu.edu.cn.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China. lixin99@bnu.edu.cn.
⁷ BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China. lixin99@bnu.edu.cn.

Abstract

Background: Episodic memory (EM) deteriorates as a result of normal aging as well as Alzheimer's disease. The neural underpinnings of such age-related memory impairments in older individuals are not well-understood. Although previous research has unveiled the association between gray matter volume (GMV) and EM in the elderly population, such findings exhibit variances across distinct age cohorts. Consequently, an investigation into the dynamic evolution of this relationship with advancing age is imperative.

Result: The present study utilized a sliding window approach to examine how the correlation between EM and GMV varied with age in a cross-sectional sample of 926 Chinese older adults. We found that both verbal EM (VEM) and spatial EM (SEM) exhibited positive correlations with GMV in extensive areas primarily in the temporal and frontal lobes and that these correlations typically became stronger with older age. Moreover, there were variations in the strength of the correlation between EM and GMV with age, which differed based on sex and the specific type of EM. Specifically, the association between VEM and GMVs in the insula and parietal regions became stronger with age for females but not for males, whereas the association between SEM and GMVs in the parietal and occipital regions became stronger for males but not for females. At the brain system level, there is a significant age-related increase in the correlations between both types of EM and the GMV of both the anterior temporal (AT) system and the posterior medial (PM) system in male group. In females, both types of EM show stronger age-related correlations with the GMV of the AT system compared to males.

Conclusions: Our study revealed a significant positive correlation between GMV in most regions associated with EM and age, particularly in the frontal and temporal lobes. This discovery offers new insights into the connection between brain structure and the diminishing episodic memory function among older individuals.

Keywords: Episodic memory; Gray matter volume; Older adults.

MeSH terms

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging* / pathology
Aging* / physiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Frontal Lobe* / diagnostic imaging
Gray Matter* / diagnostic imaging
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging* / methods
Male
Memory, Episodic*
Middle Aged
Organ Size / physiology
Temporal Lobe* / diagnostic imaging

Abstract

MeSH terms

Grants and funding