AUTHOR=Zhou Qi-Hui , Wang Kun , Zhang Xiao-Ming , Wang Li , Liu Jiang-Hong
TITLE=Differential Regional Brain Spontaneous Activity in Subgroups of Mild Cognitive Impairment
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
VOLUME=14
YEAR=2020
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00002
DOI=10.3389/fnhum.2020.00002
ISSN=1662-5161
ABSTRACT=Background: Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) has a high conversion risk to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The aMCI patients may have only a memory deficit (single-domain-aMCI, sd-aMCI) or deficits in multiple cognitive domains (multiple-domain-aMCI, md-aMCI). However, differences in intrinsic brain activity between these two sub-types remain unclear.
Method: Neuropsychological and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired from 24 patients with sd-aMCI, 23 patients with md-aMCI, and 32 healthy controls (HCs). We used the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) to characterize the intensity of spontaneous brain activity. The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and post hoc tests was performed to determine the between-group differences in fALFF.
Results: We found higher fALFF in left-sided superior-to-middle frontal gyri and middle-to-inferior temporal gyri in sd-aMCI compared to both the md-aMCI and HCs. Conversely, a lower fALFF was found in the left inferior parietal lobe in both the md-aMCI and sd-aMCI patients. The fALFF values in the left middle and inferior temporal gyri were correlated with cognitive performances.
Conclusion: The gradual reduction in the left inferior parietal lobe from single to multiple domain aMCI suggest a functional inefficiency underlying cognitive impairment, while increased activity in the frontal and temporal gyri in sd-aMCI rather than md-aMCI might indicate functional compensation. This study indicates differential functional profiles in the sd-aMCI and md-aMCI, which may be helpful for the prediction of the future conversion of aMCI to AD.