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The Brain Resilience Study: Cognitive performance on a test of pattern separation is associated with cortical thickness in older adults

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 7, 2026, 3:00 – 5:00 pm PST, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballrooms

Miranda Chang¹ (miranda_chang@sfu.ca), Kelly Shen², Kashish Mehta¹, Aina Roenningen^1,2, Santiago I. Flores-Alonso^2,3, Alex I. Wiesman^2,3, Anthony R. McIntosh^2,3, Brianne A. Kent^1,2; ¹Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, ²Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, Simon Fraser University, ³Biomedical Physiology & Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University

Pattern separation is a neural process by which similar inputs are transformed into discrete representations and is critical for reducing interference amongst stored episodic memories. Ineffective pattern separation is hypothesized to underlie some of the early memory impairments associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A well-established pattern of cortical thinning has been shown to predict the development of AD in cognitively healthy individuals. Here, we examined whether performance on a cognitive task designed to assess pattern separation was associated with the AD cortical signature. 63 older adults (Mean age = 69.74 years, 31F/32M) completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Paired Associates Learning (PAL) task, Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST), and structural T1-weighted MRI. The AD cortical thickness signature was calculated as the average cortical thickness across the medial, inferior, and temporal pole regions of the temporal lobe, angular gyrus, superior and inferior frontal lobes, superior parietal lobule, supramarginal gyrus, and precuneus. The results indicate that better performance on the MST, a task designed to assess pattern separation, was associated with greater cortical thickness (b=0.25, p=.044). Greater cortical thickness in the AD signature was also related to measures of global cognition and episodic memory, as demonstrated by higher total scores on the MoCA (b=8.49, p<.001) and better performance on the PAL task (b=-15.09, p=.030). Our findings indicate that performance on a cognitive task designed to assess pattern separation is associated with cortical thickness in brain regions vulnerable to AD-related changes, suggesting that it could be sensitive to neurodegeneration in older adults.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Development & aging