3T Hippocampal Glutamate-Glutamine Complex Reflects Verbal Memory Decline in Aging

Publication date: Available online 18 March 2017
Source:Neurobiology of Aging
Author(s): S. Nikolova, S.M. Stark, C.E.L. Stark
The hippocampus is a critical site for alterations that are responsible for age-related changes in memory. Here, we present a relatively novel approach of examining the relationship between memory performance and Glutamate-Glutamine levels using short echo time magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Specifically, we investigated the relationship between Glx (a composite of glutamate and glutamine) levels in the hippocampus, performance on a word recall task and resting state functional connectivity (RSFC). While there was no overall difference in Glx intensity between young and aging adults, we identified a positive correlation between delayed word-list recall and Glx, bilaterally in older adults, but not in young adults. Collapsed across age, we also discovered a negative relationship between Glx intensity and RSFC between the anterior hippocampus and regions in the subcallosal gyrus, replicating a recent finding by Wagner et al., (2016). These findings demonstrate the possibly utility of Glx in identifying age-related changes in the brain and behavior and provide encouragement that MRS can be useful in predicting age-related decline before any physical abnormalities are present.



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