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The relationship between CSF tau markers, hippocampal volume and delayed primacy performance in cognitively intact
Davide Bruno1, Michel J Grothe2, Jay Nierenberg3
1Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK.
Background:
Primacy performance in recall has been shown to predict cognitive decline in cognitively intact elderly, and conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Delayed primacy performance, but not delayed non-primacy performance, has been shown to be associated with hippocampal volume in cognitively intact older individuals. Since presence of neurofibrillary tangles is an early sign of AD-related pathology, we set out to test whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of tau had an effect on delayed primacy performance, while controlling for hippocampal volume and CSF Aβ 1-42 levels.
Methods:
Forty-seven individuals, 60 or older and cognitively intact, underwent a multi-session study including lumbar puncture, an MRI scan of the head and memory testing.
Results:
Our regression analyses show that CSF levels of hyperphosphorylated (P) tau are only associated with reduced delayed primacy performance when hippocampal volumes are smaller.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that hippocampal size may play a protective role against the negative effects of P tau on memory.
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