Delage Émilie, Rouleau Isabelle, Akzam-Ouellette Marc-Antoine, Rahayel Shady, Filiatrault Marie, Joubert Sven
Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, QC, Canada; Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada; Département de Psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Brain Cogn. 2025 Mar;184:106258. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106258. Epub 2025 Jan 1.
About half of MCI patients experience semantic deficits, which may predict progression to Alzheimer's disease (AD). The neural basis of these deficits in MCI is not well understood. This study aimed to examine the relationship between semantic memory performance and cortical thickness in MCI patients.
Using FreeSurfer, T1-weighted MRI scans were analyzed from MCI patients with (MCIsem+) and without (MCIsem-) semantic deficits. Correlation analyses across all participants, including healthy controls, examined the link between semantic memory and cortical thickness, controlling for age and education. Group comparisons of cortical thickness were also conducted between MCIsem+ and MCIsem- groups.
Significant correlations emerged between semantic memory performance and cortical thickness in the left medial temporal lobe, right temporal pole, and bilateral frontal regions-areas involved in central semantic and executive processes. Additionally, MCIsem + patients showed reduced cortical thickness in frontal, parietal, and occipital areas compared to MCIsem- patients.
Semantic memory performance in MCI patients is associated with structural differences in regions supporting both central and executive aspects of semantic processing. Given that MCIsem + patients may face higher risk of AD progression, longitudinal studies should investigate these cortical markers' predictive value.
约一半的轻度认知障碍（MCI）患者存在语义缺陷，这可能预示着会进展为阿尔茨海默病（AD）。MCI患者这些缺陷的神经基础尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨MCI患者语义记忆表现与皮质厚度之间的关系。
使用FreeSurfer软件，对有（MCIsem+）和无（MCIsem-）语义缺陷的MCI患者的T1加权磁共振成像（MRI）扫描进行分析。对包括健康对照者在内的所有参与者进行相关性分析，在控制年龄和教育程度的情况下，研究语义记忆与皮质厚度之间的联系。还对MCIsem+组和MCIsem-组之间的皮质厚度进行了组间比较。
在左侧颞中叶、右侧颞极以及涉及中央语义和执行过程的双侧额叶区域，语义记忆表现与皮质厚度之间出现了显著相关性。此外，与MCIsem-患者相比，MCIsem+患者在额叶、顶叶和枕叶区域的皮质厚度降低。
MCI患者的语义记忆表现与支持语义处理的中央和执行方面的区域结构差异有关。鉴于MCIsem+患者可能面临更高的AD进展风险，纵向研究应调查这些皮质标志物的预测价值。
