Study of altered functional connectivity in individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s Disease

BACKGROUND: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) has been considered to have a high risk in converting into Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Previous studies showed that AD was associated with changes in resting-state networks (RSNs). However, few studies have evaluated the altered functional connectivity in early mild cognitive impairment (EMCI) and late mild cognitive impairment (LMCI). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to evaluate the impaired network functional connectivity with the disease progression. METHODS: In this paper, we evaluated the impaired function connectivity with the progression of disease based on a priori defined 246 regions of interest based on Brainnetome Atlas. Connectivity analysis based on three levels (node integrity, intra-network, and inter-network) was conducted. RESULTS: Altered function connectivity was detected in several RSNs. These results provided insights into the dysfunction of more RSNs accompany the progression of AD. We also found that one brain region may belong to multiple RSNs and contribute to achieving different network function. CONCLUSIONS: The aberrant intra- and inter-network dysfunctions might be potential biomarkers or predictors of MCI and AD progression and provide new insight into the pathophysiology of these diseases.