1. Relationship between neural functional connectivity and memory performance in age-related macular degeneration.
- Author
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Zuo, Xintong, Zhuang, Jie, Chen, Nan-kuei, Cousins, Scott, Cunha, Priscila, Lad, Eleonora M., Madden, David J., Potter, Guy, and Whitson, Heather E.
- Subjects
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FUNCTIONAL connectivity , *RETINAL degeneration , *FUNCTIONAL magnetic resonance imaging , *CINGULATE cortex , *MEMORY , *EPISODIC memory - Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been linked to memory deficits, with no established neural mechanisms. We collected resting-state brain functional magnetic resonance imaging and standardized verbal recall tests from 42 older adults with AMD and 41 age-matched controls. We used seed-based whole brain analysis to quantify the strength of functional connectivity between hubs of the default mode network and a network of medial temporal regions relevant for memory. Our results indicated neither memory performance nor network connectivity differed by AMD status. However, the AMD participants exhibited stronger relationships than the controls between memory performance and connectivity from the memory network hub (left parahippocampal) to 2 other regions: the left temporal pole and the right superior/middle frontal gyri. Also, the connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex of default mode network correlated more strongly with memory performance in AMD compared to control. We concluded that stronger brain-behavior correlation in AMD may suggest a role for region-specific connectivity in supporting memory in the context of AMD. • Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) participants exhibit stronger correlation between episodic memory and connectivity between hubs of resting-state default mode network (DMN) compared to controls. • AMD participants also show stronger connectivity between episodic memory and a medial temporal network, compared to controls. • These differences in brain-behavior relationships may reflect compensatory brain changes to support memory function in people with AMD, a condition which has been previously associated with risk of memory impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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