Reduced hippocampal volumes and memory deficits in adolescents with single ventricle heart disease

Nancy A Pike; Bhaswati Roy; Stefanie Moye; Cristina Cabrera-Mino; Mary A Woo; Nancy J Halnon; Alan B Lewis; Rajesh Kumar

doi:10.1002/brb3.1977

Reduced hippocampal volumes and memory deficits in adolescents with single ventricle heart disease

Brain Behav. 2021 Feb;11(2):e01977. doi: 10.1002/brb3.1977. Epub 2021 Jan 7.

Authors

Nancy A Pike¹, Bhaswati Roy¹, Stefanie Moye¹, Cristina Cabrera-Mino¹, Mary A Woo¹, Nancy J Halnon², Alan B Lewis³, Rajesh Kumar^{4

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Affiliations

¹ UCLA School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
² Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
³ Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Departments of Anesthesiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁵ Radiological Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁶ Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁷ Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Abstract

Introduction: Adolescents with single ventricle congenital heart disease (SVHD) show functional deficits, particularly in memory and mood regulation. Hippocampi are key brain structures that regulate mood and memory; however, their tissue integrity in SVHD is unclear. Our study aim is to evaluate hippocampal volumes and their associations with memory, anxiety, and mood scores in adolescents with SVHD compared to healthy controls.

Methods: We collected brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 25 SVHD (age 15.9 ± 1.2 years; 15 male) and 38 controls (16.0 ± 1.1 years; 19 male) and assessed memory (Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning 2, WRAML2), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI), and mood (Patient Health Questionnaire 9, PHQ-9) functions. Both left and right hippocampi were outlined and global volumes, as well as three-dimensional surfaces were compared between groups using ANCOVA and associations with cognitive and behavioral scores with partial correlations (covariates: age and total brain volume).

Results: The SVHD group showed significantly higher BAI (p = .001) and PHQ-9 (p < .001) scores, indicating anxiety and depression symptoms and significantly reduced WRAML2 scores (p < .001), suggesting memory deficits compared with controls. SVHD group had significantly reduced right global hippocampal volumes (p = .036) compared with controls, but not the left (p = .114). Right hippocampal volume reductions were localized in the CA1, CA4, subiculum, and dentate gyrus. Positive correlations emerged between WRAML2 scores and left (r = 0.32, p = .01) and right (r = 0.28, p = .03) hippocampal volumes, but BAI and PHQ-9 did not show significant correlations.

Conclusion: Adolescents with SVHD show reduced hippocampal volumes, localized in several sites (CA1, CA4, subiculum, and dentate gyrus), which are associated with memory deficits. The findings indicate the need to explore ways to improve memory to optimize academic achievement and ability for self-care in the condition.

Keywords: cognition; congenital heart disease; gray matter; magnetic resonance imaging.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Heart Diseases*
Hippocampus* / diagnostic imaging
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Memory
Memory Disorders / diagnostic imaging

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

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