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Lateral temporal hyper-activation as a novel biomarker of mild cognitive impairment
Carlos C Faraco1, Antonio N Puente, Courtney Brown
1Biomedical Health Sciences Institute, Division of Neuroscience, University of Georgia, Psychology Building, Athens, GA 30602, United States.
Abstract:
Memory dysfunction in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's pathology is primarily associated with episodic memory deficits linked to deterioration of the medial temporal lobes (MTLs). Currently, there is a call to discover novel biomarkers of MCI in order to improve research criteria. Functional activation differences in MCI during episodic memory-task performance are often evidenced in the MTLs, and frontal and parietal lobes, but it has been suggested that examination of working memory (WM) differences may be more useful in detecting MCI. In the current study, MCI and control participants performed a complex WM span (CWMS) task while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired. Results indicated hyper-activation of the lateral temporal lobes, MTLs, and frontal and parietal regions during encoding and maintenance, and hyper-activation of the lateral temporal, frontal, and parietal lobes during CWMS recall for the MCI participants. Medial and lateral temporal differences during encoding and maintenance are consistent with previous findings, but lateral temporal differences are often not elaborated upon. Hyper-activation of the lateral temporal lobes during WM encoding and maintenance, and also during recall, suggests that this region may provide valuable information regarding WM impairment in MCI and Alzheimer's. Given that whole-brain functional imaging of the MTLs is often limited due to artifact and partial voluming of sub-fields, examination of lateral temporal differences may provide a novel biomarker related to WM impairment in MCI.
Insights
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) linked to Alzheimer's shows altered brain activity in temporal lobes during working memory tasks. Lateral temporal lobe hyper-activation may serve as a novel biomarker for detecting MCI and Alzheimer's disease.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is often characterized by episodic memory deficits linked to medial temporal lobe (MTL) deterioration.
- Current research seeks novel biomarkers to refine MCI diagnostic criteria.
- Working memory (WM) differences may offer a more sensitive indicator of MCI than episodic memory tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) differences in brain activation during a complex working memory span (CWMS) task in individuals with MCI compared to controls.
- To explore the potential of lateral temporal lobe activation as a novel biomarker for WM impairment in MCI.
Main Methods:
- Participants with MCI and healthy controls performed a CWMS task.
- fMRI data were acquired during task performance (encoding, maintenance, and recall phases).
- Analysis focused on functional activation differences between groups in various brain regions.
Main Results:
- MCI participants exhibited hyper-activation in lateral temporal lobes, MTLs, and frontal and parietal regions during WM encoding and maintenance.
- Hyper-activation was also observed in lateral temporal, frontal, and parietal lobes during CWMS recall in the MCI group.
- Lateral temporal lobe activation patterns during WM tasks were notably different in MCI patients.
Conclusions:
- Hyper-activation in lateral temporal lobes during working memory tasks suggests their involvement in WM impairment in MCI.
- Lateral temporal lobe differences may offer a novel, valuable biomarker for MCI, potentially overcoming limitations of MTL imaging.
- This finding could enhance early detection and research criteria for MCI and Alzheimer's pathology.
