Hippocampal Atrophy Relates to Fluid Intelligence Decline in the Elderly

Overview

Journal J Int Neuropsychol Soc

Publisher Cambridge University Press

Specialties Neurology
Psychology

Date 2010 Nov 25

PMID 21092387

Citations 26

Authors

Aaron Reuben

Adam M Brickman

Jordan Muraskin

Jason Steffener

Yaakov Stern

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Measures of brain and hippocampal volume in 40 healthy young (aged 18-30 years) and 36 healthy elderly (aged 60-83 years) subjects were compared with composite cognitive function scores in three conceptual domains: memory ability, processing speed, and general fluid intelligence. Through a series of general linear models testing the relationship between these brain measures and cognitive performance scores, a significant positive relationship between hippocampal volume and fluid intelligence ability was found in elderly subjects but not in young. No relationship between the other cognitive domains and brain or hippocampal volume was found. The findings suggest a role of hippocampal atrophy in the decline in fluid intelligence in the elderly.

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