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Shrinkage of the entorhinal cortex over five years predicts memory performance in healthy adults
Rodrigue KM, Raz N.. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2004-01-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Lesions in the hippocampus (HC), the entorhinal cortex (EC), and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are associated with impairment of episodic memory; reduced HC volume is linked to memory declines in dementia; and decline in EC volume predicts progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. However, in healthy adults, the relationship between memory and regional volumes is unclear, and no data are available on the relationship of longitudinal regional shrinkage to memory performance in a cognitively intact population. The objective of this study was to examine whether shrinkage of the EC, HC, and PFC over a 5 year period can predict declarative memory performance in healthy adults. The volumes of three brain regions were measured on magnetic resonance images that were acquired twice, 5 years apart. Multiple measures of episodic memory were administered at follow-up. Results indicated that the volume of HC and PFC (but not EC) correlated with age at baseline and follow-up. However, after age differences in memory were taken into account, none of the regional volumes was associated with memory performance at follow-up. In contrast, greater annual rate of shrinkage in EC (but not HC or PFC) predicted poorer memory performance. Thus, in a healthy and educated population, even mild age-related shrinkage of the EC may be a sensitive predictor of memory decline.
Key findings
- Lesions in the hippocampus (HC), the entorhinal cortex (EC), and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are associated with impairment of episodic memory; reduced HC volume is linked to memory declines in dementia; and decline in EC volume predicts progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.
- Results indicated that the volume of HC and PFC (but not EC) correlated with age at baseline and follow-up.
- However, after age differences in memory were taken into account, none of the regional volumes was associated with memory performance at follow-up.
Why it matters
In healthy adults, greater annual rate of shrinkage in the entorhinal cortex predicted poorer memory performance over 5 years, while hippocampal and prefrontal cortex volumes did not. The authors suggest even mild age-related shrinkage of the entorhinal cortex may be a sensitive predictor of memory decline, but this is not a treatment finding.
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 53/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Journal of Neuroscience: journal h-index 651 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2004 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 282 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 11.8 citations a year over 24 year(s) since 2004 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 27 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Naftali Raz: h-index 80 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Wayne State University: institution h-index 864 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 14749440) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4166-03.2004
- PubMed: 14749440
- Original source →
- Free full text: Journal of Neuroscience →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Rodrigue, K. M., & Raz, N. (2004). Shrinkage of the entorhinal cortex over five years predicts memory performance in healthy adults. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.4166-03.2004
Vancouver
Rodrigue KM, Raz N. Shrinkage of the entorhinal cortex over five years predicts memory performance in healthy adults. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2004. doi:10.1523/jneurosci.4166-03.2004. PMID: 14749440.
BibTeX
@article{rodrigue2004-14749440,
author = {Rodrigue, K. M. and Raz, N.},
title = {{Shrinkage of the entorhinal cortex over five years predicts memory performance in healthy adults}},
journal = {The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience},
year = {2004},
doi = {10.1523/jneurosci.4166-03.2004},
pmid = {14749440},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.4166-03.2004}
}
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