Rostral locus coeruleus integrity is associated with better memory performance in older adults

Martin J. Dahl (), Mara Mather, Sandra Düzel, Nils C. Bodammer, Ulman Lindenberger, Simone Kühn and Markus Werkle-Bergner ()
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Martin J. Dahl: Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Mara Mather: University of Southern California
Sandra Düzel: Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Nils C. Bodammer: Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Ulman Lindenberger: Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Simone Kühn: University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf
Markus Werkle-Bergner: Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development

Nature Human Behaviour, 2019, vol. 3, issue 11, 1203-1214

Abstract: Abstract For decades, research into memory decline in human cognitive ageing has focused on neocortical regions, the hippocampus and dopaminergic neuromodulation. Recent findings indicate that the locus coeruleus (LC) and noradrenergic neuromodulation may also play an important role in shaping memory development in later life. However, technical challenges in quantification of LC integrity have hindered the study of LC–cognition associations in humans. Using high-resolution, neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging, we found that individual differences in learning and memory were positively associated with LC integrity across a variety of memory tasks in both younger (n = 66) and older adults (n = 228). Moreover, we observed functionally relevant age differences confined to rostral LC. Older adults with a more ‘youth-like’ rostral LC also showed higher memory performance. These findings link non-invasive, in vivo indices of LC integrity to memory in ageing and highlight the role of the LC norepinephrine system in the decline of cognition.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-019-0715-2

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