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Relationships among cortical activation, cognition, and blood biomarkers in two types of dementia determined using functional near-infrared spectroscopy

  • 0Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Kangning Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.
Frontiers in Neurology +

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April 29, 2025

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April 29, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can differentiate Alzheimer's disease (AD) from Lewy body dementia (LBD) in older adults. This brain imaging technique measures cortical activation, aiding in distinguishing these common dementia types.

Area Of Science

  • Neuroscience
  • Medical Imaging
  • Gerontology

Background

  • Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Lewy body dementia (LBD) are prevalent neurodegenerative disorders in older adults.
  • These conditions share overlapping clinical symptoms, posing diagnostic challenges.
  • Distinguishing between AD and LBD is crucial for appropriate patient management and treatment.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To define cortical activation patterns using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
  • To identify brain function indicators that can differentiate between AD and LBD.
  • To improve diagnostic accuracy for these common dementia types.

Main Methods

  • Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was employed to measure oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) concentrations in the brains of AD and LBD patients.
  • A verbal fluency task (VFT) was used to assess brain function during both resting and task states.
  • Blood samples were analyzed for biomarkers, and fNIRS data were correlated with these biomarkers and clinical variables.

Main Results

  • While resting-state HbO concentrations did not differ significantly, functional connectivity showed significant differences between AD and LBD groups.
  • During the VFT, AD patients exhibited significantly lower HbO concentrations in temporal and prefrontal cortices compared to LBD patients.
  • A combination of fNIRS indicators demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.9314) in differentiating between AD and LBD.

Conclusions

  • fNIRS-derived HbO characteristics can effectively distinguish between Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.
  • This neuroimaging approach offers a promising tool for aiding the differential diagnosis of dementia in older adults.
  • Integrating fNIRS data with blood biomarkers may further enhance diagnostic capabilities.

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