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Basal forebrain cholinergic system volume is associated with general cognitive ability in the elderly
Florian Lammers1, Friedrich Borchers2, Insa Feinkohl3
1Department of Anaesthesiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany; Pharmaimage Biomarker Solutions GmbH, Robert-Rössle-Straße 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany.
Neuropsychologia
|August 11, 2018
Summary
The basal forebrain cholinergic system (BFCS) volume is associated with general cognitive ability in elderly individuals. However, this association appears to reflect overall brain volume rather than a specific BFCS effect in non-demented subjects.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- The relationship between basal forebrain cholinergic system (BFCS) volume and cognitive performance in elderly individuals, both healthy and impaired, remains unclear.
- Previous studies suggest an association with general cognitive ability in healthy aging, but effects on specific domains are mainly observed in cognitively declining subjects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between basal forebrain cholinergic system (BFCS) volume and general cognitive ability ('g') in a larger sample of non-demented elderly subjects.
- To determine if similar associations exist for specific cognitive domains in this population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized T1-weighted MRI scans from 282 pre-surgical patients (aged 65-87) from the BioCog study.
- Assessed BFCS volume, overall brain volume, and brain parenchymal fraction using SPM12 and a probabilistic BFCS map.
- Conducted neuropsychological assessments using the CANTAB cognitive battery and paper-and-pencil tests, analyzed with generalized linear models and quantile regression.
Main Results:
- Found significant associations between BFCS volume and general cognitive ability ('g'), as well as several specific cognitive domains.
- BFCS volume accounted for less variance in cognitive performance compared to overall brain volume.
- The association between BFCS volume and 'g' was consistent across high- and low-cognitive performers and was not confounded by brain parenchymal fraction.
Conclusions:
- The study confirms associations between BFCS volume and cognitive performance in elderly subjects.
- However, the findings suggest that this association may primarily reflect a general relationship between overall brain volume and cognition.
- A specific, independent association of BFCS volume with cognition in non-demented elderly individuals is questionable.
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