Functional brain connectome in posterior cortical atrophy.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA) is a neurodegenerative syndrome characterized by progressive visual and cognitive impairment.
• Understanding the underlying functional brain network alterations in PCA is crucial for diagnosis and monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the functional brain connectome architecture in patients with Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA).
• To assess topological brain network properties and functional connectivity using graph analysis and connectomics.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 18 PCA patients and 29 healthy controls.
• Utilized neurologic examination, CSF analysis for Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers, cognitive assessment, and brain MRI.
• Applied graph analysis and connectomics to assess functional connectivity, including intra- and inter-hemispheric connections.

Main Results:

• PCA patients demonstrated diffuse global and regional functional connectome alterations.
• A significant breakdown in connectivity was observed between posterior brain nodes.
• Widespread loss of intra- and inter-hemispheric connections, including frontal connections, exceeded structural damage.

Conclusions:

• Functional connectome alterations in PCA are widespread and affect all brain nodes, irrespective of structural or metabolic status.
• Graph analysis and connectomics show high sensitivity in detecting neurodegeneration progression in PCA.
• Connectome alterations are associated with a breakdown between damaged and spared brain areas.