Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Application of Granger Causality Analysis of the Directed Functional Connection in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: August 7, 2017
Alzheimer's Disease Disrupts Rich Club Organization in Brain Connectivity Networks
Madelaine Daianu1, Emily L Dennis1, Neda Jahanshad1
1Imaging Genetics Center, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Diffusion imaging and brain connectivity analyses can monitor white matter deterioration, revealing how neural pathways break down in aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we tested how AD disrupts the 'rich club' effect - a network property found in the normal brain - where high-degree nodes in the connectivity network are more heavily interconnected with each other than expected by chance. We analyzed 3-Tesla whole-brain diffusionweighted images (DWI) from 66 subjects (22 AD/44 normal elderly). We performed whole-brain tractography based on the orientation distribution functions. Connectivity matrices were compiled, representing the proportion of detected fibers interconnecting 68 cortical regions. As expected, AD patients had a lower nodal degree (average number of connections) in cortical regions implicated in the disease. Unexpectedly, the normalized rich club coefficient was higher in AD. AD disrupts cortical networks by removing connections; when these networks are thresholded, organizational properties are disrupted leading to additional new biomarkers of AD.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ...
Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Dementia l: Introduction
Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment
Organization of the Brain
Hindbrain
The hindbrain, located at the base of the brain, plays a vital role in regulating automatic processes that sustain life. It includes the medulla oblongata, which is essential for...

