Neural Correlates of Mild Behavioral Impairment: A Functional Brain Connectivity Study Using Resting-State Functional...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Gerontology

Background:

• Mild behavioral impairment (MBI) is a recognized predictor of cognitive decline and dementia.
• The underlying neural mechanisms of MBI remain incompletely understood.
• Identifying neural correlates of MBI is crucial for early detection and intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between MBI and functional brain connectivity in cognitively normal individuals and those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).
• To explore the neural correlates of MBI using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Main Methods:

• The study included 30 cognitively normal participants and 13 participants with aMCI.
• Mild behavioral impairment was assessed using the MBI checklist (MBI-C).
• Region of interest (ROI)-to-ROI analysis examined functional connectivity (FC) within key brain networks, including the frontoparietal control network (FPCN), controlling for age, cognitive status, sex, and education.

Main Results:

• A significant negative correlation was found between the MBI-C total score and FC between the left posterior parietal cortex and the right middle frontal gyrus.
• This negative correlation was also observed for the affective dysregulation domain of the MBI-C.
• These findings implicate FPCN dysfunction in MBI.

Conclusions:

• Frontoparietal control network (FPCN) dysfunction is identified as a neural correlate of MBI, particularly associated with affective dysregulation.
• This FPCN dysfunction may contribute to cognitive impairment in MBI and the progression to dementia.
• Further longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm the relationship between FPCN dysfunction and MBI progression to dementia.