[P3–411]: THALAMIC SHAPE AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN AMNESTIC MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

Abstract

Although previous postmortem studies have shown that thalamus is involved in early stage of Alzheimer's disease, no structural neuroimaging studies have conducted in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients. In addition, the relationships between thalamic deformations and various episodic memory impairments were not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate thalamic shape changes and their relationships with various episodic memory impairments in aMCI. Thalamic volumes and deformations were compared between the aMCI(n=32) and the controls(n=32). In addition, we explored the correlation pattern between thalamic deformations and cognitive dysfunctions in aMCI using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Patients with a MCI showed left thalamic atrophy and thalamic deformations in the left dorso-medial and antero-medial areas compared with healthy individuals. Significant correlations were observed between CERAD-K Word List Memory scores and the left dorso-medial areas in aMCI. Verbal delayed recall scores(CERAD-K Word List Recall) were also significantly correlated with the left dorso-medial areas in aMCI. This study was the first to explore the relationships between thalamic deformations and various types of cognitive performances in aMCI. These structural changes in the dorso-medial and pulvinar areas might be at the core of underlying neurobiological mechanisms of thalamic dysfunction and their relevance to verbal and visuospatial delayed recall in aMCI