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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Lesion Explorer: A Video-guided, Standardized Protocol for Accurate and Reliable MRI-derived Volumetrics in Alzheimer's Disease and Normal Elderly
12:50

Lesion Explorer: A Video-guided, Standardized Protocol for Accurate and Reliable MRI-derived Volumetrics in Alzheimer's Disease and Normal Elderly

Published on: April 14, 2014

Longitudinal volumetric MRI change and rate of cognitive decline

D Mungas1, D Harvey, B R Reed

  • 1Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. dmmungas@ucdavis.edu

Neurology
|August 24, 2005
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Memory decline in older adults is linked to hippocampal volume changes. Executive function decline is associated with multiple brain factors, including cortical gray matter and cerebrovascular disease.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Neurology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Memory relies on hippocampal integrity; executive function is linked to frontal lobe function.
  • Hippocampal and cortical atrophy correlate more strongly with cognition than cerebrovascular disease (CVD).
  • Hypothesis: Memory decline relates to hippocampal volume change; executive function decline relates to cortical gray matter volume change and CVD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between baseline and changes in volumetric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and cognitive decline in older individuals.
  • To differentiate the neuroanatomical correlates of memory and executive function decline.
  • To explore the roles of hippocampal volume, cortical gray matter volume, and cerebrovascular disease in cognitive aging.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 103 participants (cognitively normal, mildly impaired, demented) with cognitive evaluations and serial MRI scans.
  • MRI measures included hippocampal volume (HC), cortical gray matter volume (CGM), lacune volume (LAC), and white matter hyperintensity volume (WMH).
  • Random effects modeling analyzed the impact of baseline and change in MRI measures on memory (MEM) and executive function (EXEC) over time.

Main Results:

  • Memory decline was associated with baseline and change in hippocampal volume (HC).
  • Executive function (EXEC) decline related to baseline and change in cortical gray matter (CGM), HC, and lacune volume (LAC).
  • White matter hyperintensity (WMH) was not independently associated with MEM or EXEC decline.

Conclusions:

  • Hippocampal volume is a key factor in memory decline.
  • Executive function decline is influenced by multiple brain components, including Alzheimer disease (AD) and cerebrovascular disease (CVD).
  • Findings suggest distinct neurobiological pathways for memory and executive function decline in aging.

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