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Hippocampal volume for prediction of working memory performance in patients with infantile hydrocephalus
Renee-Marie Ragguett1, Lili Meng2, Derya Adil3
11Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario.
Insights
Children with infantile hydrocephalus show reduced working memory and smaller hippocampal volumes. Hippocampal size predicts memory performance, highlighting a key area for potential therapeutic intervention in this condition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Neurology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Infantile hydrocephalus is a common pediatric condition requiring surgical intervention.
- Cognitive outcomes post-treatment are not well-understood, hindering prognostication and targeted therapies.
- Existing research suggests memory difficulties in children with infantile hydrocephalus.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare hippocampal volume in children with infantile hydrocephalus versus healthy controls.
- To investigate the relationship between hippocampal volume and working memory performance in these groups.
Main Methods:
- Structural MRI was used to measure hippocampal volumes in 17 children with infantile hydrocephalus and 37 healthy controls.
- Working memory was assessed using the multicolored Mr. Peanut task.
- Multiple regression analysis examined the impact of hippocampal volume on working memory.
Main Results:
- Patients with infantile hydrocephalus exhibited significantly smaller hippocampal volumes and poorer working memory compared to controls (p < 0.005).
- Hippocampal volume was a significant positive predictor of working memory performance (p < 0.01).
- Neither sex nor lateral ventricle volume predicted working memory performance.
Conclusions:
- Children with infantile hydrocephalus demonstrate diminished working memory and reduced hippocampal volume.
- Hippocampal volume is a crucial predictor of memory function in this population.
- Further research with larger cohorts is warranted to explore factors influencing working memory in infantile hydrocephalus.
Objective:
Infantile hydrocephalus is a common condition that requires surgery. However, cognitive outcomes following treatment are poorly understood, limiting the ability to prognosticate cognitive functioning or target cognitive therapies. Some studies have shown that children with infantile hydrocephalus often experience memory difficulties. Given the role of the hippocampus in memory, the aim of this study was to assess hippocampal volume in children with infantile hydrocephalus compared with controls and to further evaluate the relationship between hippocampal volume and working memory.
Methods:
Children with infantile hydrocephalus and healthy control children were recruited between 2015 and 2024 for comparison. All participants underwent a neuroimaging protocol that included T1-weighted structural MRI. Hippocampal volumes were extracted, verified, and corrected for total intracranial volume. Participants also completed a neurocognitive battery using a digital version of the multicolored Mr. Peanut task for assessing working memory. A multiple regression model was used to examine the impact of hippocampal volume on working memory performance.
Results:
Overall, 54 participants were included in the study; 37 healthy controls (19 male, mean age 9.15 ± 2.16 years) and 17 children with infantile hydrocephalus (9 male, mean age 9.49 ± 1.55 years). There was no significant difference in age or sex between groups. Total hippocampal volume and working memory performance were significantly decreased for patients with infantile hydrocephalus compared with healthy controls (both p < 0.005). Furthermore, the multiple regression model showed that total hippocampal volume was a positive predictor of working memory performance (p < 0.01). Sex and lateral ventricle volume were not significant predictors.
Conclusions:
Children with infantile hydrocephalus had worse working memory performance and a smaller mean hippocampal volume compared with healthy controls. Similar to studies in healthy control children, hippocampal volume was a positive predictor of memory performance in the current study. These findings add to the scant existing literature characterizing cognitive deficits in infantile hydrocephalus. Additional studies with larger sample sizes and further consideration of factors that can impact working memory are needed.
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