Entorhinal-based path integration selectively predicts midlife risk of Alzheimer's disease
Coco Newton1, Marianna Pope1,2, Catarina Rua3
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Introduction:
Entorhinal cortex (EC) is the first cortical region to exhibit neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD), associated with EC grid cell dysfunction. Given the role of grid cells in path integration (PI)-based spatial behaviors, we predicted that PI impairment would represent the first behavioral change in adults at risk of AD.
Methods:
We compared immersive virtual reality (VR) PI ability to other cognitive domains in 100 asymptomatic midlife adults stratified by hereditary and physiological AD risk factors. In some participants, behavioral data were compared to 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of brain structure and function.
Results:
Midlife PI impairments predicted both hereditary and physiological AD risk, with no corresponding multi-risk impairment in episodic memory or other spatial behaviors. Impairments associated with altered functional MRI signal in the posterior-medial EC.
Discussion:
Altered PI may represent the transition point from at-risk state to disease manifestation in AD, prior to impairment in other cognitive domains.
More Related Videos
06:23The 4 Mountains Test: A Short Test of Spatial Memory with High Sensitivity for the Diagnosis of Pre-dementia Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: October 13, 2016
07:03Evaluation of Hemisphere Lateralization with Bilateral Local Field Potential Recording in Secondary Motor Cortex of Mice
Published on: July 31, 2019
Related Concept Videos
01:25Olfaction
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
01:26Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ...