Аннотация:Background and aims: Studies of patients with Korsakoff’s syndrome revealed that memory deficits occur along with mammillary bodies atrophy (Harding et al., 2000; Vann & Aggleton, 2004). In present study we explore the relations between age-related mammillary bodies atrophy and memory characteristics in healthy people. Method: 15 healthy right-handed females (60-76 years old) participated in the study. Visual and verbal working memory capacity and permanency were evaluated with Luria’s neuropsychological tests modified by J.M. Glozman (1999). Structural magnetic resonance images were obtained on 3T MRI scanner for each subject. Based on visual analysis, we highlighted both mammillary bodies, and calculated their volumes (in mm3), we also calculated the asymmetry coefficient (the ratio of the volume of the right mammillary body to the left). We calculated non-parametric correlations between individual working memory characteristics and morphometric data. Results: The volume of the right mammillary body correlates significantly with visual working memory permanency (R = 0.54, p < 0.01). Verbal working memory capacity correlates positively with the asymmetry coefficient of mammillary bodies (R = 0.66, p < 0.05). Therefore, higher volume of left mammillary body in comparison with the right one is related to better verbal memory capacity. Conclusions: The study revealed correlation between age-related mammillary bodies’ atrophy and working memory decline. Furthermore, the results show functional asymmetry of this structure. Right mammillary body is mainly related to visual memory and the left one - with verbal memory.