Abstract
Autobiographical memory (AM) comprises memories of one’s own past that are characterized by a sense of subjective time and autonoetic awareness. AM deficits are among the major complaints of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) even in early or preclinical stages. However, little is known on the association between cerebral alterations and AM in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD. In the current study, patients with AD or MCI and healthy controls underwent high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychological testing including semi-structured assessment of semantic and episodic AM of distinct lifetime periods. In MRI analysis, FSL-FIRST was used to automatically ascertain volume and shape of the hippocampal formation. Episodic, but not semantic AM loss was associated with morphological changes of the hippocampus, primarily involving the left hemisphere. According to shape analyses, these associations referred to regionally specific rather than global atrophy of the hippocampus. Our study demonstrates that loss of episodic AM early in the course of AD is associated with regionally confined hippocampal atrophy, thus supporting the multiple trace theory for the role of the hippocampus in episodic AM. Our findings are not only relevant for the understanding of memory function, but may also contribute to facilitating the early diagnosis of AD.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, Autobiographical memory, Hippocampus, Magnetic resonance imaging, Mild cognitive impairment, hippocampal degeneration
Current Alzheimer Research
Title:Hippocampal Morphology and Autobiographic Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease
Volume: 9 Issue: 4
Author(s): Philipp A. Thomann, Ulrich Seidl, Julia Brinkmann, Dusan Hirjak, Tanja Traeger, R. Christian Wolf, Marco Essig, Johannes Schrode
Affiliation:
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, Autobiographical memory, Hippocampus, Magnetic resonance imaging, Mild cognitive impairment, hippocampal degeneration
Abstract: Autobiographical memory (AM) comprises memories of one’s own past that are characterized by a sense of subjective time and autonoetic awareness. AM deficits are among the major complaints of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) even in early or preclinical stages. However, little is known on the association between cerebral alterations and AM in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD. In the current study, patients with AD or MCI and healthy controls underwent high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychological testing including semi-structured assessment of semantic and episodic AM of distinct lifetime periods. In MRI analysis, FSL-FIRST was used to automatically ascertain volume and shape of the hippocampal formation. Episodic, but not semantic AM loss was associated with morphological changes of the hippocampus, primarily involving the left hemisphere. According to shape analyses, these associations referred to regionally specific rather than global atrophy of the hippocampus. Our study demonstrates that loss of episodic AM early in the course of AD is associated with regionally confined hippocampal atrophy, thus supporting the multiple trace theory for the role of the hippocampus in episodic AM. Our findings are not only relevant for the understanding of memory function, but may also contribute to facilitating the early diagnosis of AD.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Philipp A. Thomann, Ulrich Seidl, Julia Brinkmann, Dusan Hirjak, Tanja Traeger, R. Christian Wolf, Marco Essig, Johannes Schrode , Hippocampal Morphology and Autobiographic Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease, Current Alzheimer Research 2012; 9 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720512800492558
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720512800492558 |
Print ISSN 1567-2050 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5828 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
New Advances in the Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Alzheimer's Disease
Aims and Scope: Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses a significant global health challenge, with an increasing prevalence that demands concerted efforts to advance our understanding and strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. This thematic issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research and innovative approaches from multidisciplinary perspectives to address ...read more
Current updates on the Role of Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Disorders
Neuroinflammation is an invariable hallmark of chronic and acute neurodegenerative disorders and has long been considered a potential drug target for Alzheimer?s disease (AD) and dementia. Significant evidence of inflammatory processes as a feature of AD is provided by the presence of inflammatory markers in plasma, CSF and postmortem brain ...read more
Deep Learning for Advancing Alzheimer's Disease Research
Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses a significant global health challenge, with an increasing number of individuals affected yearly. Deep learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence, has shown immense potential in various domains, including healthcare. This thematic issue of Current Alzheimer Research explores the application of deep learning techniques in advancing our ...read more
Diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers of dementia
Dementia affects 18 million people worldwide. Dementia is a syndrome of symptoms caused by brain disease, usually chronic or progressive, clinically characterized by multiple impairments of higher cortical functions such as memory, thinking, orientation, and learning. In addition, in the course of dementia, cognitive deficits are observed, which often hinder ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Structure-Based Design of Benzimidazole Sugar Conjugates: Synthesis, SAR and In Vivo Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Activities
Medicinal Chemistry 5'-Nucleotidases, Nucleosides and their Distribution in the Brain: Pathological and Therapeutic Implications
Current Medicinal Chemistry Functional Interference of Dexamethasone on Some Morphine Effects:Hypothesis for the Steroid-Opioid Interaction
Recent Patents on CNS Drug Discovery (Discontinued) Treatment of Epileptic Encephalopathies
Current Pharmaceutical Design Interferon-γ-Induced Neurotoxicity of Human Astrocytes
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Pharmacological Regulators of Intracellular Calcium Release Channels
Current Pharmaceutical Design Focusing on the Interactions between the GABAergic System and Neurosteroids in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Current Pharmaceutical Design Psychomotor Seizure Test, Neurotoxicity and in vitro Neuroprotection Assay of some Semicarbazone Analogues
Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Chinese Herbal Medicine Interventions in Neurological Disorder Therapeutics by Regulating Glutamate Signaling
Current Neuropharmacology The Structural Features of α-Conotoxin Specifically Target Different Isoforms of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Histone Post-translational Modifications in Huntington’s and Parkinson’s Diseases
Current Pharmaceutical Design Allosteric Modulators of GABAB Receptors: Mechanism of Action and Therapeutic Perspective
Current Neuropharmacology Clinical Improvement and Cortical Adaptations After Functional Electrical Stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease Patients
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Delirium Secondary to Lamotrigine Toxicity
Current Drug Safety Development and Validation of 'Level A' In Vitro - In Vivo Correlation for Extended Release Tablets of Lamotrigine
Current Bioactive Compounds The Effect of Protein Restriction in the In Vitro Metabolism of Albendazole in Rats
Drug Metabolism Letters Recent Updates of Chemically Modified Electrodes in Pharmaceutical Analysis
Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationship on Anticonvulsant Aryl Semicarbazones
Medicinal Chemistry Purinergic Signalling: What is Missing and Needed Next? The Use of Transgenic Mice, Crystallographic Analysis and MicroRNA
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Editorial [Hot Topic: Calcium Regulatory Proteins as Therapeutic Targets (Guest Editor: Livia C. Hool)]
Current Drug Targets