Measuring the Hippocampus Could Spot Early Dementia

A thesis from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, revealed that there might be a connection between dementia and the size of the part of the brain called the hippocampus.

In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, for example, the atrophy of the hippocampus is very common, and this thesis shows that the same area could also be affected in small vessel disease (SIVD), which is the second-most common form of vascular dementia in old people, after Alzheimer’s.

Researchers assessed the changes of the white matter in 122 mild cognitive impaired patients, and also compared the size of their hippocampus.

The individuals were divided into two categories, one in which the patients would develop dementia two years later, and the other, in which nothing changes after two years.

A group of healthy controls was also considered, AlphaGalileo reports.

The results of the study showed that a link between the damage to the white matter and the shrinking of the hippocampus, could exist.

If this is correct, then the damage of the white matter could also play a role in a process that leads to the atrophy of the hippocampus.

Carl Eckerström, a researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy’s Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, and doctor at Sahlgrenska University Hospital’s memory clinic, said that “one of the challenges for the healthcare is identifying which MCI patients have an underlying dementia disorder, which is why we need new tools to detect the early signs of dementia.

“I believe that measuring the hippocampus could be a useful clinical instrument for investigating whether a person is in the early stages of dementia, as our findings suggest that the size of the hippocampus is linked to a deterioration in cognitive function and dementia,” he added.

Mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, is a condition less severe than dementia, that forgoes several types of the disease.

The hippocampus is located deep in the temporal lobe, and it is a vital organ for our ability to learn and remember things.

It also controls spatial awareness, avoiding us getting lost in new places.