Functional Brain Connectivity Patterns Associated with Visual Hallucinations in Dementia with Lewy Bodies

The presence of recurrent, complex visual hallucinations (VH) is among the core clinical features of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). It has been proposed that VH arise from a disrupted organization of functional brain networks. However, studies are still limited, especially investigating the resting-state functional brain features underpinning VH in patients with dementia.

The aim of the present pilot study was to investigate whether there were any alterations in functional connectivity associated with VH in DLB.

Seed-based analyses and independent component analysis (ICA) of resting-state fMRI scans were carried out to explore differences in functional connectivity between DLB patients with and without VH.

Seed-based analyses reported decreased connectivity of the lateral geniculate nucleus, the superior parietal lobule and the putamen with the medial frontal gyrus in DLB patients with VH. Visual areas showed a pattern of both decreased and increased functional connectivity. ICA revealed between-group differences in the default mode network (DMN).

Functional connectivity analyses suggest dysfunctional top-down and bottom-up processes and DMN-related alterations in DLB patients with VH. This impairment might foster the generation of false visual images that are misinterpreted, ultimately resulting in VH.