White Matter Hyperintensities and Working Memory: An Explorative Study

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are commonly observed in elderly people and may have the most profound effect on executive functions, including working memory. Surprisingly, the Digit Span backward, a frequently employed working memory task, reveals no association with WMH. In the present study,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 2008-05, Vol.15 (3), p.384-399
Main Authors: Oosterman, Joukje M., van Harten, Barbera, Weinstein, Henry C., Scheltens, Philip, Sergeant, Joseph A., Scherder, Erik J.A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult. Elderly
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - anatomy & histology
Brain - physiology
Brain Mapping
Cardiovascular risk factors
Developmental psychology
Executive functions
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Memory, Short-Term - physiology
Neuropsychological Tests
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Statistics, Nonparametric
White matter
Working memory
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Summary:White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are commonly observed in elderly people and may have the most profound effect on executive functions, including working memory. Surprisingly, the Digit Span backward, a frequently employed working memory task, reveals no association with WMH. In the present study, it was investigated whether more detailed analyses of WMH variables and study sample selection are important when establishing a possible relationship between the Digit Span backward and WMH. To accomplish this, the Digit Span backward and additional working memory tests, WMH subscores, and cardiovascular risk factors were examined. The results revealed that performance on the Digit Span backward test is unrelated to WMH, whereas a relationship between other working memory tests and WMH was confirmed. Furthermore, a division between several white matter regions seems important; hyperintensities in the frontal deep white matter regions were the strongest predictor of working memory performance.
ISSN:1382-5585
1744-4128
DOI:10.1080/13825580701879998