Episodic memory dysfunction and hypersynchrony in brain functional networks in cognitively intact subjects and MCI: a study of 379 individuals

Abstract

Delayed recall (DR) impairment is one of the most significant predictive factors in defining the progression to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Changes in brain functional connectivity (FC) could accompany this decline in the DR performance even in a resting state condition from the preclinical stages to the diagnosis of AD itself, so the characterization of the relationship between the two phenomena has attracted increasing interest. Another aspect to contemplate is the potential moderator role of the APOE genotype in this association, considering the evidence about their implication for the disease. 379 subjects (118 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 261 cognitively intact (CI) individuals) underwent an extensive evaluation, including MEG recording. Applying cluster-based permutation test, we identified a cluster of differences in FC and studied which connections drove such an effect in DR. The moderation effect of APOE genotype between FC results and delayed recall was evaluated too. Higher FC in beta band in the right occipital region is associated with lower DR scores in both groups. A significant anteroposterior link emerged in the seed-based analysis with higher values in MCI. Moreover, APOE genotype appeared as a moderator between beta FC and DR performance only in the CI group. An increased beta FC in the anteroposterior brain region appears to be associated with lower memory performance in MCI. This finding could help discriminate the pattern of the progression of healthy aging to MCI and the relation between resting state and memory performance.

Resting State Electrophysiological Profiles and Their Relationship with Cognitive Performance in Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults: A Systematic Review

“…That is, less false positive scores in the recognition task involved lower delta coherence in the abovementioned regions. On the other hand, Chino et al [31] describe a negative association between delayed recall performance and functional connectivity in beta band, over right occipital and left frontal regions.…”

Decoding bilingualism from resting‐state oscillatory network organization

“…Importantly, the use of both global and nodal metrics is a well-established practice in network analysis. 25,[61][62][63]…”

Improving Cognitive Function with Nutritional Supplements in Aging: A Comprehensive Narrative Review of Clinical Studies Investigating the Effects of Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants, and Other Dietary Supplements

“…These mechanisms encompass a spectrum of pathologies, ranging from microvascular issues [21], including blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption [22][23][24][25], impaired cerebral blood flow regulation [26][27][28][29], impaired glymphatic function [30], and small vessel disease [31,32] to macrovascular pathologies such as atherosclerosis [33] and stroke. Additionally, neuroinflammation [34,35], synapse loss, white matter damage [36,37] and changes in connectivity [38,39], neuronal metabolic dysfunction [40,41] and amyloid pathologies [42,43] play significant roles in the progression of cognitive impairment and dementia. These multifaceted and interrelated pathologies highlight the complexity of brain aging and the challenges in mitigating cognitive decline.…”