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Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease Using Non-invasive Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Rihui Li1,2, Guoxing Rui3, Wei Chen3
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States.
Abstract:
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a cognitive disorder characterized by memory impairment, wherein patients have an increased likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). The classification of MCI and different AD stages is therefore fundamental for understanding and treating the disease. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the hemodynamic response patterns among various subject groups. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to measure signals from the frontal and bilateral parietal cortices of healthy controls (n = 8), patients with MCI (n = 9), mild (n = 6), and moderate/severe AD (n = 7) during a digit verbal span task (DVST). The concentration changes of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) in various subject groups were thoroughly explored and tested. Result revealed that abnormal patterns of hemodynamic response were observed across all subject groups. Greater and steeper reductions in HbO concentration were consistently observed across all regions of interest (ROIs) as disease severity developed from MCI to moderate/severe AD. Furthermore, all the fNIRS-derived indexes were found to be significantly and positively correlated to the clinical scores in all ROIs (R ≥ 0.4, P < 0.05). These findings demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing fNIRS for the early detection of AD, suggesting that fNIRS-based approaches hold great promise for exploring the mechanisms underlying the progression of AD.
Insights
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) detects abnormal brain hemodynamic responses in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Reduced oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) levels correlate with disease severity, showing fNIRS
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a precursor to Alzheimer's disease (AD), characterized by memory deficits.
- Accurate classification of MCI and AD stages is crucial for disease management and treatment.
- Understanding the progression of cognitive decline requires investigating brain activity patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate hemodynamic response patterns in healthy controls, MCI, and AD patients.
- To assess the utility of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in differentiating cognitive states.
- To explore the relationship between fNIRS signals and clinical disease severity.
Main Methods:
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure brain activity.
- Signals were recorded from the frontal and bilateral parietal cortices during a digit verbal span task (DVST).
- Concentration changes of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) were analyzed across subject groups (healthy controls, MCI, mild AD, moderate/severe AD).
Main Results:
- Abnormal hemodynamic response patterns were observed in all subject groups.
- Progressive reductions in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) concentration were noted with increasing disease severity (MCI to moderate/severe AD).
- fNIRS-derived indexes showed significant positive correlations with clinical scores across all regions of interest (ROIs).
Conclusions:
- fNIRS is a feasible tool for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease.
- fNIRS-based approaches show promise for understanding the mechanisms of AD progression.
- Hemodynamic changes measured by fNIRS can serve as biomarkers for cognitive impairment and AD.