Shared and Specific Changes of Cortico-Striatal Functional Connectivity in Stable Mild Cognitive Impairment and Progressive Mild Cognitive Impairment

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Ruan, Yiming^{a; 1} | Zheng, Darui^{a; 1} | Guo, Wenxuan^a | Cao, Xuan^b | Qi, Wenzhang^a | Yuan, Qianqian^a | Zhang, Xulian^a | Liang, Xuhong^a | Zhang, Da^a | Xue, Chen^{a; *} | Xiao, Chaoyong^{a; *} | and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative^b

Affiliations: [a] Department of Radiology, the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China | [b] Department of Mathematical Sciences, Division of Statistics and Data Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Chaoyong Xiao and Chen Xue, Department of Radiology, the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No. 264, Guangzhou Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, China. E-mail: xchaoyong@163.com (C. Xiao); E-mail: chenxue1994@njmu.edu.cn (C. Xue).

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Note: [2] Data used in preparation of this article were obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (http://adni.loni.usc.edu). As such, the investigators within the ADNI contributed to the design and implementation of ADNI and/or provided data but did not participate in analysis or writing of this report. A complete listing of ADNI investigators can be found at: http://adni.loni.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/how_to_apply/ADNI_Acknowledgement_List.pdf.

Abstract: Background:Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s disease, has two distinct subtypes: stable MCI (sMCI) and progressive MCI (pMCI). Early identification of the two subtypes has important clinical significance. Objective:We aimed to compare the cortico-striatal functional connectivity (FC) differences between the two subtypes of MCI and enhance the accuracy of differential diagnosis between sMCI and pMCI. Methods:We collected resting-state fMRI data from 31 pMCI patients, 41 sMCI patients, and 81 healthy controls. We chose six pairs of seed regions, including the ventral striatum inferior, ventral striatum superior, dorsal-caudal putamen, dorsal-rostral putamen, dorsal caudate, and ventral-rostral putamen and analyzed the differences in cortico-striatal FC among the three groups, additionally, the relationship between the altered FC within the MCI subtypes and cognitive function was examined. Results:Compared to sMCI, the pMCI patients exhibited decreased FC between the left dorsal-rostral putamen and right middle temporal gyrus, the right dorsal caudate and right inferior temporal gyrus, and the left dorsal-rostral putamen and left superior frontal gyrus. Additionally, the altered FC between the right inferior temporal gyrus and right putamen was significantly associated with episodic memory and executive function. Conclusions:Our study revealed common and distinct cortico-striatal FC changes in sMCIs and pMCI across different seeds; these changes were associated with cognitive function. These findings can help us understand the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of MCI and distinguish pMCI and sMCI in the early stage potentially.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, classification, functional connectivity, mild cognitive impairment, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, striatum

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-231174

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 98, no. 4, pp. 1301-1317, 2024