| Abstract: | The hypothesis that explicit memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD) depends in part on hippocampal formation atrophy was tested in 47 persons with AD. Volumes of the hippocampal formation, parahippocampal gyrus, and temporal neocortex (excluding the hippocampal formation, amygdala, and parahippocampal gyrus) were estimated by reconstruction of magnetic resonance images. Tests of explicit memory, language, and constructional praxis were administered. Psychometric-volumetric associations were evaluated in regression analyses controlling for age, gender, education, and intracranial volume. Hippocampal formation volume was associated with a delayed-recall measure but not with immediate recall: temporal neocortical volume was correlated with performance on measures of language and constructional praxis. The results suggest that patterns of mnemonic and cognitive impairment in AD are due in part to differences in the distribution of pathology in the temporal lobe. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
