Atrophy of hippocampal subfield CA2/3 in healthy elderly men is related to educational attainment

Lijuan Jiang; Xinyi Cao; Jiangling Jiang; Ting Li; Jijun Wang; Zhi Yang; Chunbo Li

doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.03.019

Atrophy of hippocampal subfield CA2/3 in healthy elderly men is related to educational attainment

Neurobiol Aging. 2019 Aug:80:21-28. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.03.019. Epub 2019 Apr 2.

Authors

Lijuan Jiang¹, Xinyi Cao¹, Jiangling Jiang¹, Ting Li², Jijun Wang³, Zhi Yang⁴, Chunbo Li⁵

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China.
³ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT), Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China; Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong Universit, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong Universit, Shanghai, China; Brain Science and Technology Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT), Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China; Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong Universit, Shanghai, China; Brain Science and Technology Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 31077957
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.03.019

Abstract

A higher education level is a protective factor against cognitive decline in elders; however, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Modulated by both aging and education, the hippocampus is a starting point for understanding the long-lasting effect of education on the aging of human brain. Because the hippocampus possesses functionally heterogeneous subfields and exhibits sex differences, we examined hippocampal subfields in men and women separately. We performed both cross-sectional (n = 143) and longitudinal (n = 51) analyses on healthy participants aged 65-75 years, who underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. Volumes of the hippocampi and their subfields were estimated by automated segmentation. We found significantly positive correlations between educational attainment and the volume of hippocampal CA2/3 in men but not in women. The longitudinal analysis focusing on this region validated the above results by showing that a higher education level attenuated the progression of atrophy during a 15-month follow-up period in the CA2/3 region in men. These findings suggest that, in men, education plays a role in the aging of specific hippocampal subfields.

Keywords: Education; Hippocampal subfield; Normal aging; Sex difference.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Atrophy
CA2 Region, Hippocampal / diagnostic imaging
CA2 Region, Hippocampal / pathology*
CA3 Region, Hippocampal / diagnostic imaging
CA3 Region, Hippocampal / pathology*
Educational Status*
Female
Healthy Aging / pathology*
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male