Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been linked to memory deficits, with no established neural mechanisms. We collected resting-state brain functional magnetic resonance imaging and standardized verbal recall tests from 42 older adults with AMD and 41 age-matched controls. We used seed-based whole brain analysis to quantify the strength of functional connectivity between hubs of the default mode network and a network of medial temporal regions relevant for memory. Our results indicated neither memory performance nor network connectivity differed by AMD status. However, the AMD participants exhibited stronger relationships than the controls between memory performance and connectivity from the memory network hub (left parahippocampal) to 2 other regions: the left temporal pole and the right superior/middle frontal gyri. Also, the connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex of default mode network correlated more strongly with memory performance in AMD compared to control. We concluded that stronger brain-behavior correlation in AMD may suggest a role for region-specific connectivity in supporting memory in the context of AMD.

中文翻译：

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年龄相关性黄斑变性 (AMD) 中神经功能连接与记忆性能的关系

年龄相关性黄斑变性 (AMD) 与记忆缺陷有关，但没有确定的神经机制。我们收集了来自 42 名患有 AMD 的老年人和 41 名年龄匹配的对照者的静息状态脑功能磁共振成像和标准化言语回忆测试。我们使用基于种子的全脑分析来量化默认模式网络的集线器和与记忆相关的内侧时间区域网络之间的功能连接强度。我们的结果表明内存性能和网络连接都不会因 AMD 状态而异。然而，与对照组相比，AMD 参与者的记忆性能和从记忆网络中心（左海马旁）到其他 2 个区域的连接性之间的关系更强：左颞极和右上/中额回。还，与对照组相比，默认模式网络的内侧前额叶皮层和后扣带皮层之间的连接与 AMD 的记忆性能更密切相关。我们得出结论，AMD 中更强的大脑行为相关性可能表明特定区域的连接在 AMD 的背景下支持记忆中的作用。