(A) Regions of interests are identified based on the Desikan-Killiany Atlas and visualized with the BrainNet Viewer (Xia et al., 2013). The medial temporal lobe (MTL) includes bilateral entorhinal …
Please note that the white color indicates that no streamline was generated between the region of interest pairs in any of the participants within the group.
Average mean diffusivity (MD) matrices for each group at each time point.
(A) Structural stability within MTL, MTL-AT, and MTL-PM for CN Ptau– (blue), CN Ptau+ (orange), and MCI Ptau+ (red) groups. Asterisk represents significant group comparison. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; …
Group comparisons.
N: neurodegeneration; higher values indicate greater cortical thickness and lower severity in neurodegeneration.
The effect of covariates on the structural stability in the whole sample.
The effect of covariates on the relationship between Ptau and structural stability.
(A) Relationship of average episodic memory over 5 years and the structural stability in the whole sample. (B) Relationship of episodic memory decline rate and the structural stability in the whole …
MTL structural stability predicts episodic memory.
The plot shows how structural stability within MTL affected the relationship between Ptau and rate of memory change. Participants were divided into terciles based on their MTL stability. The lowest …
MTL structural stability moderates the relationship between Ptau and memory change.
CN Ptau– (n = 26) | CN Ptau+ (n = 18) | MCI Ptau+ (n = 30) | T, F, or χ2 tests, df1, df2, (p) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Age baseline, mean (SD) | 74.0 (4.63) | 74.8 (6.04) | 73.9 (7.34) | 0.14, 2, 71 (0.87) |
Age baseline ≥ 75, N (%) | 12 (46.2) | 8 (44.4) | 15 (50.0) | 0.16, 2 (0.92) |
Male, N (%) | 11 (42.3) | 7 (38.9) | 18 (60.0) | 2.65, 2 (0.27) |
Education, mean (SD) | 16.69 (2.57) | 17.28 (2.42) | 15.67 (2.35) | 2.68, 2, 71 (0.08) |
APOEε4 carrier, N (%) | 5 (19.2)a | 7 (38.8)a | 22 (73.3)b | 14.79, 2 (<0.001) |
CSF Ptau baseline, mean (SD) | 15.8 (4.30)a | 29.0 (7.63)b | 38.0 (12.34)c | 41.58, 2, 71 (<0.001) |
CSF Aβ baseline, mean (SD) | 1231.1 (571.89)a | 1396.2 (690.95)a | 890.7 (383.11)b | 5.63, 2, 71 (0.005) |
CSF Aβ-positive baseline, N (%) | 9 (34.6)a | 7 (38.9)a | 22 (73.3)b | 9.84, 2 (0.007) |
Neurodegeneration baseline, mean (SD) | 2.97 (0.11)a | 2.89 (0.17)a | 2.77 (0.20)b | 9.68, 2, 71 (<0.001) |
Neurodegeneration-positive baseline, N (%) | 2 (7.69)a | 3 (16.67)a | 14 (46.67)b | 12.10, 2 (0.002) |
Episodic memory baseline, mean (SD) | 0.75 (0.81)a | 0.67 (0.79)a | 0.14 (0.84)b | 4.60, 2, 71 (0.013) |
MOCA baseline, mean (SD) | 25.92 (2.07)a | 25.89 (2.54)a | 21.67 (2.17)b | 32.17, 2, 71 (<0.001) |
Note: CN, cognitively normal; MCI, amnestic mild cognitive impairment; APOEε4, apolipoprotein E ε4; SD, standard deviation; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; Aβ, beta-amyloid-(1–42); Ptau, phosphorylated tau; MOCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment. a, b, c represents the post hoc comparison difference from the F-test or χ2 test. Bold values indicate p < 0.05.
Baseline characteristics.
Mean MD of MTL at year 0 | Mean MD of MTL at year 2 | Stability of MTL | CN Ptau– (N = 26) | CN Ptau+ (N = 18) | MCI Ptau+ (N = 30) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
High | High | Stable | 8 (30.8%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (13.3%) |
High | Low | Stable | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (10.0%) |
Low | High | Stable | 6 (23.1%) | 1 (5.6%) | 0 (0%) |
Low | Low | Stable | 4 (15.4%) | 7 (38.9%) | 4 (13.3%) |
High | High | Instable | 2 (7.6%) | 6 (33.3%) | 4 (13.3%) |
High | Low | Instable | 0 (0%) | 2 (11.1%) | 8 (26.7%) |
Low | High | Instable | 3 (11.5%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (10.0%) |
Low | Low | Instable | 3 (11.5%) | 2 (11.1%) | 4 (13.3%) |
Note: Mean MD is the averaged MD across all connections within MTL. MD, mean diffusivity; MTL, medial temporal lobe.
Dichotomized mean MD and stability of MTL.