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Updated: Jul 19, 2025

Application of Granger Causality Analysis of the Directed Functional Connection in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: August 7, 2017
Whole-brain structure-function coupling abnormalities in mild cognitive impairment: a study combining amplitude of
Rong Zhao1, Pan Wang1, Lin Liu1
1MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Center for Information in Medicine, School of Life Science and Technology, The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
This study reveals that as Alzheimer's disease (AD) progresses, specific brain regions show altered functional signals and decreased structure-function coupling. The ALFF/VBM ratio effectively tracks cognitive decline in AD patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves memory and cognitive decline.
- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and very mild cognitive impairment (VMCI) are precursors to AD.
- Brain structure-function coupling changes in AD are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate whole-brain structural and functional neuroimaging changes in MCI, VMCI, and normal controls (NC).
- Examine the relationship between structure-function coupling and cognitive impairment severity in AD.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the OASIS-3 dataset with 53 MCI, 90 VMCI, and 100 NC participants.
- Measured Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) and Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM).
- Analyzed the ALFF/VBM ratio to assess structure-function coupling.
Main Results:
- Progressively increasing ALFF in frontal-inf-orb, putamen, and paracentral lobule (white matter) with worsening symptoms.
- Decreasing structure-function coupling in cuneus/frontal lobe (WM) and parahippocampal gyrus/hippocampus (gray matter) as AD progresses.
- Significant positive correlation between the parahippocampal gyrus/hippocampus ALFF/VBM ratio and cognitive impairment severity.
Conclusions:
- Altered functional signals and impaired structure-function coupling are key features of cognitive decline in AD.
- The ALFF/VBM ratio shows potential as a biomarker for brain disorders like AD.
- Findings offer new insights into the pathophysiology of AD-related cognitive decline.
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