Contributions
Abstract: P614
Type: Poster
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - 24 Neuropsychology
Background: Memory impairment affects about 50% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and identifying risk and protective factors is an important step toward developing targeted treatments. Neuroticism (tendency toward psychological distress) is related to worse memory in MS (Leavitt et al, 2017), but the neural basis of this relationship has not been described. Informed by preclinical work on stress and hippocampal dysfunction, we
(a) investigated links among neuroticism, hippocampal volume, and memory, and
(b) tested a mediation model to determine whether reduced hippocampal volume explains the relationship of neuroticism to worse memory.
Methods: 100 MS patients (83 RRMS, 17 CIS) within 5 years of diagnosis received 3D T1 MRIs in a 3.0T scanner and completed the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (a 60-item scale yielding scores for neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness) and a memory test (CANTAB Paired Associates Learning test). Hippocampal volumes were measured with Freesurfer. Partial correlations (controlling for age, sex, education, IQ, and intracranial volume) evaluated relationships of
1) neuroticism to hippocampal volume,
2) neuroticism to memory,
3) hippocampal volume to memory.
Mediation analysis tested hippocampal volume as a mediator of the relationship of neuroticism to memory.
Results: The only personality factor related to hippocampal volume was neuroticism (r= -0.213, p=0.034); the relationship was specific to hippocampus, (i.e., no relationship to any other subcortical gray matter structures, cortical gray matter, or cerebral white matter). Higher neuroticism was associated with worse memory (r=-0.288, p=0.004). Smaller hippocampal volume was associated with worse memory (r=0.251, p=0.014). The mediation model (Sobel test) revealed a trend whereby hippocampal volume partially mediated the relationship of neuroticism to worse memory
(full model, p=0.084).
Conclusions: We show for the first time that neuroticism is linked to smaller hippocampal volume in MS, which may help to explain the relationship of neuroticism to memory impairment in MS. This is consistent with preclinical research on stress, memory, and the hippocampus, and supports neuroticism as a potentially important treatment target for memory impairment in MS.
Disclosure:
Victoria M. Leavitt has nothing to disclose.
Kunal Shah has nothing to disclose.
Michelle T. Fabian has nothing to disclose.
Angeliki Tsapanou has nothing to disclose.
Peipei Li has nothing to disclose.
Sylvia Klineova has nothing to disclose.
James F. Sumowski has nothing to disclose.
Abstract: P614
Type: Poster
Abstract Category: Pathology and pathogenesis of MS - 24 Neuropsychology
Background: Memory impairment affects about 50% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and identifying risk and protective factors is an important step toward developing targeted treatments. Neuroticism (tendency toward psychological distress) is related to worse memory in MS (Leavitt et al, 2017), but the neural basis of this relationship has not been described. Informed by preclinical work on stress and hippocampal dysfunction, we
(a) investigated links among neuroticism, hippocampal volume, and memory, and
(b) tested a mediation model to determine whether reduced hippocampal volume explains the relationship of neuroticism to worse memory.
Methods: 100 MS patients (83 RRMS, 17 CIS) within 5 years of diagnosis received 3D T1 MRIs in a 3.0T scanner and completed the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (a 60-item scale yielding scores for neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness) and a memory test (CANTAB Paired Associates Learning test). Hippocampal volumes were measured with Freesurfer. Partial correlations (controlling for age, sex, education, IQ, and intracranial volume) evaluated relationships of
1) neuroticism to hippocampal volume,
2) neuroticism to memory,
3) hippocampal volume to memory.
Mediation analysis tested hippocampal volume as a mediator of the relationship of neuroticism to memory.
Results: The only personality factor related to hippocampal volume was neuroticism (r= -0.213, p=0.034); the relationship was specific to hippocampus, (i.e., no relationship to any other subcortical gray matter structures, cortical gray matter, or cerebral white matter). Higher neuroticism was associated with worse memory (r=-0.288, p=0.004). Smaller hippocampal volume was associated with worse memory (r=0.251, p=0.014). The mediation model (Sobel test) revealed a trend whereby hippocampal volume partially mediated the relationship of neuroticism to worse memory
(full model, p=0.084).
Conclusions: We show for the first time that neuroticism is linked to smaller hippocampal volume in MS, which may help to explain the relationship of neuroticism to memory impairment in MS. This is consistent with preclinical research on stress, memory, and the hippocampus, and supports neuroticism as a potentially important treatment target for memory impairment in MS.
Disclosure:
Victoria M. Leavitt has nothing to disclose.
Kunal Shah has nothing to disclose.
Michelle T. Fabian has nothing to disclose.
Angeliki Tsapanou has nothing to disclose.
Peipei Li has nothing to disclose.
Sylvia Klineova has nothing to disclose.
James F. Sumowski has nothing to disclose.