The amnestic syndrome of hippocampal type is frequent in patients without hippocampal atrophy in a memory clinic population

Background Since 2011, diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s Disease have led to the introduction of biomarkers. Hippocampal atrophy, either volumetric or visually‐rated is arguably the most widely available biomarker of neurodegeneration. An association with a specific type of amnestic disorder has been claimed, but the clinical validity of this concept remains to be established in unselected patient populations. This problem is important as the amnestic syndrome of the hippocampal type is theoretically a key element in the diagnosis of the most common clinical syndrome of Alzheimer’s disease. Our objective was to determine the correlation between the amnestic syndrome of hippocampal type and hippocampal atrophy. Method This is a retrospective study of 274 consecutive patients who were assessed in the Memory Clinic between 01/2014 and 11/2018. Verbal memory was assessed with the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Memory Index Score. Brain imaging was performed within six months of the neuropsycholgical assessment and hippocampal atrophy was estimated using the Scheltens Scale, adjusted for age. Result The Scheltens scale had a moderate correlation with FCSRT free recall (Pearson correlation = ‐0,425, p