Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Functional Connectivity in Mild Cognitive Impairment
Year: 2015
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), such as apathy and depression, commonly accompany cognitive and functional decline in early Alzheimer's disease (AD). Prior studies have shown associations between affective NPS and neurodegeneration of medial frontal and inferior temporal regions in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD dementia. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between functional connectivity in four brain networks and NPS in elderly with MCI. METHODS: NPS were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory in 42 subjects with MCI. Resting-state functional connectivity in four networks (default mode network, fronto-parietal control network (FPCN), dorsal attention network, and ventral attention network) was assessed using seed-based magnetic resonance imaging. Factor analysis was used to identify two factors of NPS: Affective and Hyperactivity. Linear regression models were utilized with the neuropsychiatric factors as the dependent variable and the four networks as the predictors of interest. Covariates included age, gender, premorbid intelligence, processing speed, memory, head movement, and signal-to-noise ratio. These analyses were repeated with the individual items of the affective factor, using the same predictors. RESULTS: There was a significant association between greater Affective factor symptoms and reduced FPCN connectivity (p = 0.03). There was no association between the Hyperactivity factor and any of the networks. Secondary analyses revealed an association between greater apathy and reduced FPCN connectivity (p = 0.005), but none in other networks. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased connectivity in the FPCN may be associated with greater affective symptoms, particularly apathy, early in AD. These findings extend prior studies, using different functional imaging modalities in individuals with greater disease severity.
Source: Journal of Alzheimer s Disease
DOI: 10.3233/jad-150017
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Loneliness and biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease in clinically normal elderly, Mentoring Imaging Research in Early AD, G5345118568, Evolution of memory related fMRI activation over the course of MCI and AD, Characterizing the Evolution of Amyloid Deposition in Normal Elderly, Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, PIB binding, hypometabolism, apathy and executive dysfunction in MCI and AD, Impact of Amyloid and Tau on the Aging Brain: The Harvard Aging Brain Study, Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (MADRC)
OpenAlex ID: W1660189836