Our study examined the relationship between high-resolution T2 MRI scans of the medial temporal lobe and memory, language, executive function, and visuospatial abilities in normal-aging CN, MCI, and AD patients. Most importantly, smaller medial temporal subregions, especially in the left hemisphere, were associated with worse composite cognitive scores across multiple categories. However, cognitive area and disease stage affected the structure-function association of these entities. In AD, left CA, SUB, BA35, and both sides of the PHC were positively associated with memory function (ADNI-MEM). ADNI-LAN showed positive relationships between mild MCI patients' bilateral hippocampus (CA, DG) and cortical areas (BA35, BA36) size and language skills. In AD patients, only right ERC volume was positively correlated with the language skills. In the CN group, executive function (ADNI-EF) and visuospatial ability (ADNI-VSP) were positively correlated with bilateral subiculum and right ERC volumes.
Language changes in AD can manifest as difficulties in recalling vocabulary, reduced ability to name familiar objects, decreased precision in expressing meaning, paraphasia (substituting words or sounds), increased pauses and slower speech rate (indicating problems with language production), decreased amount and quality of speech content, lexical disorders (repeating words and using pronouns instead of names), and syntactic disorders (20, 21). Severe AD can lead to echolalia, aphasia, and restricted language (22). Language difficulties can have an impact on social connections, particularly in instances when the obstacles are moderate or severe (23–25). Notably, language difficulties often appear in the first and preclinical stages of AD, making them useful for detecting the disease early (26). Detecting language impairments may accelerate the beginning of medication therapy and the adoption of tactics to stabilize or restrict the advancement of the condition. In addition, the surveillance of language abnormalities might direct the creation of alternative communication strategies to enhance interpersonal connections. Our findings indicate that there is a connection between the size of the medial temporal lobe and language abilities. It appears that language skills may start to decline slightly later than memory skills as the disease progresses (27). Within the MCI group, we found that there were positive connections between ADNI-LAN and the volumes of both hippocampal regions (CA, DG) and cortical regions (BA35, BA36). This suggests that language difficulties during the early stage of the disease may be associated with shrinkage in both sides of the medial temporal lobe (28). However, it was observed that only the volume of the right ERC had a significant positive correlation with ADNI-LAN in the group with AD dementia. This suggests that language impairments in the later stages of the disease may be more dependent on the spread of pathology to neocortical language regions, as indicated by the association with the volume of the right ERC. Chauveau et al. conducted a study that focuses on the ERC and its role in language function (29). They also explored how the ERC may be related to the language abnormalities reported in AD. The ERC, a component of the anterior temporal lobe system, plays a crucial role in semantic processing, language comprehension, and verbal fluency (30). The ERC's early engagement in the AD progression may interfere with the neuronal networks that are accountable for language processing, resulting in a deterioration of semantic memory, naming proficiency, and verbal fluency (31). Chauveau and colleagues proposed that the participation of the ERC in language function may be connected to its role in retrieving and processing semantic information, which is crucial for activities involving the production of words (29).
Memory deficits are one of the first and most noticeable characteristics of AD, frequently manifesting in the preclinical and early phases (32). The disease's progression leads to increasingly severe impairments in the ability to encode and retrieve new information, impacting both episodic and semantic memory (33). The medial temporal lobe, specifically the hippocampus and ERC, is a crucial brain area involved in the memory impairments seen in AD (34). Neuroimaging studies have repeatedly shown that people with AD have considerable shrinkage of the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (35, 36). This shrinkage is linked to the buildup of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques (37). The damage caused by this impairs the process of forming, strengthening, and recalling specific memories, resulting in the severe memory deficits that are characteristic of AD. The initial and substantial participation of the medial temporal lobe in AD emphasizes its potential as a biomarker for early identification and monitoring of the condition, as well as a target for therapeutic approaches focused on protecting memory function. In terms of memory performance, our findings indicate that there are substantial positive associations between the ADNI-MEM composite and volumes of the left CA, SUB, BA35, and bilateral PHC in AD. These findings support prior research that suggests the left medial temporal lobe play a vital role in the encoding and retrieval of spoken memory. The strong associations identified between ADNI-MEM and these regional volumes confirm the effectiveness of this new composite as a reliable indicator of memory impairment in the initial phases of AD. In line with our research, Mortamais et al. have shown that AD is characterized by early cognitive impairments, namely in episodic memory, which can be identified during the preclinical phase (38). Their review emphasized the crucial significance of the medial temporal lobe, particularly the hippocampus and ERC, in the memory deficits reported in AD. It also acknowledged the link between the shrinkage of these areas and the buildup of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques. While Mortamais et al. did not explicitly utilize the memory composite, their results provide evidence for the possibility of employing cognitive evaluations and neuroimaging biomarkers to identify and track the progression of AD by detecting and monitoring atrophy in the medial temporal lobe. This is consistent with our strategy of using the ADNI-MEM composite, which shows significant connections with the sizes of certain regions in the medial temporal lobe, as a dependable indication of memory decline in the early stages of AD.
Executive function impairments, which manifest as challenges in tasks including as planning, organizing, problem-solving, and adapting to unfamiliar circumstances (39). They frequently encounter difficulties in organizing work in a specific order, comprehending complex situations, and adapting their techniques (39). Impairments in inhibition control and working memory lead to heightened impulsivity and difficulties in retaining information in the short-term (40). Visuospatial anomalies result in difficulties with spatial orientation, leading to patients being disoriented in familiar environments and inaccurately perceiving distances (41). Perceptual-motor skills are impaired, leading to difficulties in hand-eye coordination and recognizing familiar faces or objects (42). We found positive relationships between executive function and visuospatial ability, as measured by ADNI-EF and ADNI-VSP composites, respectively, and the volumes of the bilateral SUB and right ERC in the CN group. The results indicate that non-memory activities are susceptible to early impairment and rely on shared posteromedial cortical hubs. The connections correspond to prior findings that link the subiculum to spatial processing, and the ERC to executive processes such as cognitive flexibility (43, 44). However, these correlations were not detected in the group of individuals with AD, indicating that the condition may interfere with the usual connections between structure and function that are observed in healthy persons. Possible reasons for the absence of correlation in the AD group include disruptions in the normal relationship between structure and function, the activation of alternative neural networks as a compensatory mechanism, the variability in how AD is presented and progresses, a limitation in detecting changes in advanced stages of the disease, and the impact of other brain regions outside of the medial temporal lobe (45, 46). These findings emphasize the significance of examining the distinct connections between brain structure and cognitive function in both healthy aging and AD. By comprehending these changes, we can gain insights into the underlying disease mechanisms and use this knowledge to develop specific interventions that can help preserve cognitive function in affected individuals.
The limitations of this study include the cross-sectional design, modest sample size for the AD group, and lack of longitudinal follow-up. Larger, prospective studies are needed to track the evolution of medial temporal morphology and cognitive profiles over time. Incorporation of other imaging modalities and biomarkers could further elucidate the complex interplay of structural, functional and pathologic changes driving cognitive decline in AD.