Directed Network Defects in Alzheimer's Disease Using Granger Causality and Graph Theory
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Updated: Nov 25, 2025
Application of Granger Causality Analysis of the Directed Functional Connection in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: August 7, 2017
1School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410008 Hunan, China.
Background:
Few works studied the directed whole-brain interaction between different brain regions of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we investigated the whole-brain effective connectivity and studied the graph metrics associated with AD.
Methods:
Large-scale Granger causality analysis was conducted to explore abnormal whole-brain effective connectivity of patients with AD. Moreover, graph-theoretical metrics including smallworldness, assortativity, and hierarchy, were computed from the effective connectivity network. Statistical analysis identified the aberrant network properties of AD subjects when compared against healthy controls.
Results:
Decreased small-worldness, and increased characteristic path length, disassortativity, and hierarchy were found in AD subjects.
Conclusion:
This work sheds insight into the underlying neuropathological mechanism of the brain network of AD individuals such as less efficient information transmission and reduced resilience to a random or targeted attack.
