Pathogenic Factors Identification of Brain Imaging and Gene in Late Mild Cognitive Impairment

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Brain Imaging

Background:

• Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) progresses to severe cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• Late mild cognitive impairment (LMCI), a stage between MCI and AD, is understudied, hindering understanding of its mechanisms.
• Identifying specific brain regions and genes associated with LMCI is crucial for early detection and intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the pathological mechanisms of LMCI.
• To identify key brain regions and genes associated with LMCI using a multimodal approach.
• To enhance understanding of LMCI as a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.

Main Methods:

• Utilized genetic evolved random forest (GERF) for data analysis.
• Integrated resting functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI) and gene data from 62 subjects (36 LMCI, 26 controls).
• Employed Pearson correlation analysis for multimodal data fusion to construct integrated features.

Main Results:

• Identified specific abnormal brain regions in LMCI: PUT.L, PreCG.L, IFGtriang.R, REC.R, DCG.R, PoCG.L, and HES.L.
• Identified pathogenic genes associated with LMCI: FHIT, RF00019, FRMD4A, PTPRD, and RBFOX1.
• Confirmed that most identified risk genes and brain regions are previously linked to AD and MCI, with higher accuracy for LMCI in this study.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified brain regions and genes implicated in the pathological mechanisms of LMCI.
• Findings provide a more robust understanding of LMCI's physiological mechanisms, potentially aiding in early AD detection.
• Highlights the importance of studying LMCI as a critical transitional stage in cognitive decline.