Cerebello-Parietal Functional Connectivity in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: Lin, Chi-Ying R.^{a; b; *} | Yonce, Shayla S.^a | Pacini, Nat J.^a | Yu, Melissa M.^a | Bishop, Jeffrey S.^a | Pavlik, Valory N.^a | Salas, Ramiro^{c; d; e; f; *}

Affiliations: [a] Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA | [b] Parkinson’s Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA | [c] Menninger Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA | [d] The Menninger Clinic, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA | [e] Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA | [f] Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Chi-Ying R. Lin, MD MPH, Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 7200 Cambridge St, Suite 9A, Houston, TX, USA. E-mail: chi-ying.lin@bcm.edu and Ramiro Salas PhD, Menninger Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, 1329 Moursund St, BCMA-A277, Houston, TX, USA. E-mail: rsalas@bcm.edu.

Abstract: The role of the cerebellum in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), typically a prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s disease, is not fully understood. We studied the lobule-specific cerebello-cerebral connectivity in 15 cognitively normal and 16 aMCI using resting-state functional MRI. Our analysis revealed weaker connectivity between the cognitive cerebellar lobules and parietal lobe in aMCI. However, stronger connectivity was observed in the cognitive cerebellar lobules with certain brain regions, including the precuneus cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus, and caudate nucleus in participants with worse cognition. Leveraging these measurable changes in cerebello-parietal functional networks in aMCI could offer avenues for future therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, cerebellum, functional MRI, mild cognitive impairment, resting state functional connectivity

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-240368

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 100, no. 3, pp. 775-782, 2024