P3‐471: Temporal Sequence of Cerebellum Volumes and Memory in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging
Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The cerebellum contributes to higher-order cognitive function, including learning and memory. Furthermore, the cerebellum is vulnerable to age-related degeneration with onset occurring in early adulthood. However, it is not known whether age-related decline in cerebellum volume is predictive of neurocognitive aging in learning and memory. We examined the temporal sequence of cerebellum volumes and medial temporal lobe-dependent cognition among non-demented, older adults. Cerebellum volumes and memory were assessed in 396 non-demented participants aged ≥ 60 at 3 timepoints (baseline, 2-year, and 4-year) in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Cerebellum volumes (total cerebellum, cerebellum gray matter (GM), cerebellum white matter, and lobules I-V, VI-VII, and VIII-X) were obtained from harmonized Multi-atlas region Segmentation utilizing Ensembles of registration algorithms and parameters (MUSE) anatomical labels across 1.5-T and 3-T scans. Memory was assessed using the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) immediate, short-delay, and long-delay recall. We used linear regression models for cross-sectional associations and autoregressive, cross-lagged models to evaluate whether baseline or changes in cerebellum volumes predicted baseline or change in CVLT performance and vice versa. Models controlled for baseline age, sex, race, education, baseline intracranial volume, scan type (1.5-T vs. 3-T), and APOE e4 carrier status. Cross-sectionally, there were no associations between cerebellum volumes and CVLT performance. Longitudinally, larger whole cerebellum and cerebellum GM volumes were bi-directionally associated with better immediate and long-delayed recall (p < 0.05). Furthermore, baseline lobule I-V volume bi-directionally associated with CVLT short-delay (CVLT short-delay → lobule I-V: β=0.012, SE=0.005, p=0.010; lobule I-V → CVLT short-delay: β=0.110, SE=0.054, p=0.041) and long-delay (CVLT long-delay → lobule I-V: β=0.011, SE=0.005, p=0.022; lobule I-V → CVLT long-delay: β=0.127, SE=0.054, p=0.018) recall over four years (Table 1). There were no significant associations between lobule VI-VII or VIII-X volumes and CVLT performance measures.
Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia
Institutions: National Institute on Aging, University of Pennsylvania
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2981075482