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Fronto-temporal functional disconnection precedes hippocampal atrophy in clinically confirmed multi-domain amnestic

Kathryn M Broadhouse1, Natalie J Winks2, Mathew J Summers3

  • 1The University of the Sunshine Coast, School of Science and Engineering, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia.

EXCLI Journal
|November 5, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Functional brain network decoupling in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may precede structural changes. This early functional alteration in fronto-temporal networks could serve as a biomarker for MCI progression.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Medical Imaging
  • Cognitive Neurology

Background:

  • Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) diagnosis faces challenges due to high false positive rates.
  • Identifying reliable biomarkers for MCI is crucial for early intervention and understanding disease progression.
  • Emerging evidence suggests functional neurocircuitry alterations may precede overt cognitive deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate early functional neurocircuitry changes in clinically confirmed multi-domain amnestic MCI (mdaMCI).
  • To differentiate between healthy controls (HC), mdaMCI, and mild Alzheimer's Dementia (mAD) using neuroimaging.
  • To explore the relationship between functional connectivity and cognitive performance in MCI.

Main Methods:

  • Acquisition of structural and resting-state functional MRI data.
  • Comparison of cortical thickness, hippocampal volume, and functional connectivity across HC, mdaMCI, and mAD groups.
  • Utilized a multi-time point methodology to minimize diagnostic errors.

Main Results:

  • Hippocampal subvolumes distinguished mAD from HC and mdaMCI.
  • Functional decoupling of fronto-temporal networks was observed in mdaMCI compared to HC.
  • Reduced functional connectivity in these networks correlated with lower cognitive scores.

Conclusions:

  • Early functional decoupling of fronto-temporal networks may precede structural neurodegeneration in MCI.
  • This functional alteration could serve as a potential biomarker for MCI progression.
  • Findings highlight the importance of functional connectivity in understanding early cognitive decline.
Keywords:
Alzheimer's Dementiacognitive declinecognitive functionfunctional magnetic resonance imagingmild cognitive impairment

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