Relationship between neural functional connectivity and memory performance in age-related macular degeneration.
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.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/22531Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2020.07.020Publication Info
Zuo, Xintong; Zhuang, Jie; Chen, Nan-Kuei; Cousins, Scott; Cunha, Priscila; Lad, Eleonora
M; ... Whitson, Heather E (2020). Relationship between neural functional connectivity and memory performance in age-related
macular degeneration. Neurobiology of aging, 95. pp. 176-185. 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2020.07.020. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/22531.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Scott William Cousins
Robert Machemer, M.D. Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology
Scott W. Cousins, M.D. is currently the Robert Machemer, M.D. Professor of Ophthalmology
and Immunology, Vice Chair for Research, and Director of the Duke Center for Macular
Diseases at Duke Eye Center. As Vice Chair, he oversees all basic science research
as well as the Ophthalmology Site-Based Research Group, which administrates clinical
research for Duke Eye Center. Dr. Cousins is also Medical Director of Hospital-Based
Imaging and Procedures for Duke Eye Center. Dr. Cousins is a
David Joseph Madden
Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
My research focuses primarily on the cognitive neuroscience of aging: the investigation
of age-related changes in perception, attention, and memory, using both behavioral
measures and neuroimaging techniques, including positron emission tomography (PET),
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
The behavioral measures have focused on reaction time, with the goal of distinguishing
age-related changes in specific cognitive abilities from mo
Guy Glenn Potter
Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Heather Elizabeth Whitson
Professor of Medicine
Dr. Whitson's research is focused on improving care options and resilience for people
with multiple chronic conditions. In particular, she has interest and expertise related
to the link between age-related changes in the eye and brain (e.g., How does late-life
vision loss impact the aging brain or cognitive outcomes? Is Alzheimer's disease
associated with distinctive changes in the retina, and could such changes help diagnose
Alzheimer's disease early in its course?). Dr. Whits
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