by A study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, has found that a smaller hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with memory, is linked to cognitive decline, even in individuals who do not have amyloid plaques, which are early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The study suggests that neurodegenerative disorders other than Alzheimer’s could be contributing to cognitive decline and that measuring hippocampus volume could help identify these causes.
The research involved 128 participants with an average age of 72 who did not have any memory or thinking problems at the beginning of the study. Over the course of several years, the participants underwent various brain scans to measure the presence of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which are biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as the volume of their hippocampus. Additionally, the participants received yearly cognitive evaluations.
The findings revealed that individuals with a faster rate of hippocampus shrinkage also experienced a faster decline in cognitive function. When considering all the biomarkers, the study showed that hippocampus atrophy was independently associated with cognitive decline, regardless of amyloid and tau levels. The study concluded that hippocampus shrinkage accounted for approximately 10% of the variance in cognitive decline.
The author of the study, Bernard J. Hanseeuw, MD, PhD, from Harvard Medical School, explained that these results highlight the complexity of dementia and suggest that other types of dementia, aside from Alzheimer’s disease, may contribute to hippocampus shrinkage and subsequent cognitive decline. These insights could help identify individuals who are more likely to respond positively to new drugs targeting amyloid-beta plaques and help assess their trajectory of cognitive decline.
It is important to note that the study’s participants were predominantly highly educated and white individuals, so the results may not be representative of the entire population. However, the study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, Belgian Fund for Scientific Research, Welbio, and the Queen Elizabeth Medical Foundation.
Understanding the causes of cognitive decline is crucial in developing effective treatments and interventions. By identifying the role of the hippocampus, researchers can gain valuable insights into the mechanisms behind cognitive decline and potentially target new therapies towards specific neurodegenerative disorders. The findings of this study contribute to the growing body of knowledge in this field and open up possibilities for further research in the diagnosis and treatment of cognitive decline.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
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