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Hippocampal Acidity and Volume Are Differentially Associated With Spatial Navigation in Older Adults
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Hippocampal Acidity and Volume Are Differentially Associated With Spatial Navigation in Older Adults

Matthew J Sodoma, Rachel C Cole, Taylor J Sloan, Chase M Hamilton, James D Kent, Vincent A Magnotta and Michelle W Voss
NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.), Vol.245, 118682
10/2021
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118682
PMCID: PMC8867536
PMID: 34728245
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118682View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The hippocampus is negatively affected by aging and is critical for spatial navigation. While there is evidence that wayfinding navigation tasks are especially sensitive to preclinical hippocampal deterioration, these studies have primarily used volumetric hippocampal imaging without considering microstructural properties or anatomical variation within the hippocampus. T1ρ is an MRI measure sensitive to regional pH, with longer relaxation rates reflecting acidosis as a marker of metabolic dysfunction and neuropathological burden. For the first time, we investigate how measures of wayfinding including landmark location learning and delayed memory in cognitively normal older adults (N = 84) relate to both hippocampal volume and T1ρ in the anterior and posterior hippocampus. Regression analyses revealed hippocampal volume was bilaterally related to learning, while right lateralized T1ρ was related to delayed landmark location memory and bilateral T1ρ was related to the delayed use of a cognitive map. Overall, results suggest hippocampal volume and T1ρ relaxation rate tap into distinct mechanisms involved in preclinical cognitive decline as assessed by wayfinding navigation, and laterality influenced these relationships more than the anterior-posterior longitudinal axis of the hippocampus.

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