Local-to-remote cortical connectivity in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Alterations in both local and remote connectivity were reported in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients but rarely in the same group of patients. In the present study, we employed a novel resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI) connectome index, regional functional homogeneity on the 2-dimensional cortical surface, to detect full-cortex vertex-wise changes of the local rfMRI connectivity in 32 aMCI patients compared with 40 healthy controls. We further used the seed-based functional connectivity to explore the remote rfMRI connectivity in aMCI. The results revealed significantly lower local connectivity in the default network and higher local connectivity in the somatomotor network in aMCI patients. Abnormal remote connectivity relevant to local connectivity was primarily detectable within the default network (decrease) and in the somatomotor and attention networks (increase). The abnormalities in the remote (not local) default network connectivity were significantly associated with episodic memory performance in patients. These distance-related connectivity profiles illustrated a dysfunctional pattern in aMCI, which extended our knowledge of this pathological aging process.