Hippocampal and temporal lobe atrophy and age-related decline in memory.

To evaluate the relationship of memory decline that accompanies aging with structural changes in the medial temporal lobe, in healthy middle-aged and older subjects.A sample of 35 neurologically non-diseased subjects, between 55 and 70 years of age, were examined in a 5-year follow-up study. Neuropsychological investigation included tests of learning, verbal memory, and visual memory. MRI was performed with a superconducting MRI system operating at 1.0 T, using coronal slices of T1-weighted images. Medial temporal lobe atrophy was rated separately in the neocortical, entorhinal and hippocampal regions.We did not find any statistically significant relationship between mild hippocampal or temporal atrophy and memory test performance. Nor did the longitudinal decline in memory show a relationship with temporal lobe atrophy.The main outcome of our study was that age-related memory decline was not related to mild temporal lobe atrophy in healthy subjects without mild cognitive impairment. There could be other factors influencing memory functions besides age-related structural changes in temporal lobes.