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Relationship between cortical thickness and fluency in the memory disorders clinic population
Stephen E Jones1, Amir Idris2, Jennifer A Bullen3
1Imaging Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA.
Neuropsychologia
|April 6, 2019
Summary
Brain imaging reveals that cortical thickness, particularly in the temporal lobe, correlates with language fluency in patients with neurodegenerative disorders. This finding highlights the link between brain structure and cognitive function in conditions like Alzheimer's disease.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, are characterized by the breakdown of brain networks.
- Language and executive functions, including verbal fluency, often decline in these conditions.
- Understanding the neural correlates of these cognitive deficits is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the relationship between verbal fluency (categorical and phonemic) and cortical thickness in a large patient cohort.
- To map the spatial pattern of these relationships across the four major brain lobes.
- To investigate hemispheric differences in the fluency-cortical thickness association.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 590 patients undergoing assessment at a memory disorders clinic.
- Administered categorical (animal-naming) and phonemic (FAS) fluency tests.
- Performed structural MRI with FreeSurfer to calculate cortical thickness and parcellations.
Main Results:
- Significant positive correlations were found between both types of fluency and cortical thickness across all lobes.
- These relationships were strongest in the temporal lobe for both categorical and phonemic fluency.
- The left frontal lobe showed a stronger association with fluency scores compared to the right frontal lobe.
Conclusions:
- Structural MRI and fluency tests reveal a distinct spatial pattern of correlations between cortical thickness and verbal fluency.
- The specific pattern varies depending on the type of fluency test employed (categorical vs. phonemic).
- These findings contribute to understanding the neuroanatomical basis of language decline in neurodegenerative diseases.
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