The Trend of Disruption in the Functional Brain Network Topology of Alzheimer’s Disease

Authors

Alireza Fathian, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran
Yousef Jamali, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran
Mohammad Reza Raoufy, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran
The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Michael W. Weiner, University of California - San Francisco
Norbert Schuf, University of California, San Francisco
Howard J. Rosen, University of California, San Francisco
Bruce L. Miller, University of California, San Francisco
Thomas Neylan, University of California, San Francisco
Jacqueline Hayess, University of California, San Francisco
Shannon Finley, University of California, San Francisco
Paul Aisen, University of California - San Diego
Zaven Khachaturian, University of California - San Diego
Ronald G. Thomas, University of California - San Diego
Charles D. Smith, University of Kentucky
Gregory A. Jicha, University of Kentucky
Peter A. Hardy, University of Kentucky
Partha Sinha, University of Kentucky
Elizabeth Oates, University of Kentucky
Gary Conrad, University of Kentucky

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive disorder associated with cognitive dysfunction that alters the brain’s functional connectivity. Assessing these alterations has become a topic of increasing interest. However, a few studies have examined different stages of AD from a complex network perspective that cover different topological scales. This study used resting state fMRI data to analyze the trend of functional connectivity alterations from a cognitively normal (CN) state through early and late mild cognitive impairment (EMCI and LMCI) and to Alzheimer’s disease. The analyses had been done at the local (hubs and activated links and areas), meso (clustering, assortativity, and rich-club), and global (small-world, small-worldness, and efficiency) topological scales. The results showed that the trends of changes in the topological architecture of the functional brain network were not entirely proportional to the AD progression. There were network characteristics that have changed non-linearly regarding the disease progression, especially at the earliest stage of the disease, i.e., EMCI. Further, it has been indicated that the diseased groups engaged somatomotor, frontoparietal, and default mode modules compared to the CN group. The diseased groups also shifted the functional network towards more random architecture. In the end, the methods introduced in this paper enable us to gain an extensive understanding of the pathological changes of the AD process.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-2-2022

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18987-y

Repository Citation

Fathian, Alireza; Jamali, Yousef; Raoufy, Mohammad Reza; The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative; Weiner, Michael W.; Schuf, Norbert; Rosen, Howard J.; Miller, Bruce L.; Neylan, Thomas; Hayess, Jacqueline; Finley, Shannon; Aisen, Paul; Khachaturian, Zaven; Thomas, Ronald G.; Smith, Charles D.; Jicha, Gregory A.; Hardy, Peter A.; Sinha, Partha; Oates, Elizabeth; and Conrad, Gary, "The Trend of Disruption in the Functional Brain Network Topology of Alzheimer’s Disease" (2022). Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications. 212.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/sbcoa_facpub/212