Functional Integrity of Executive Control Network Contributed to Retained Executive Abilities in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered to be a transitional state between normal aging and Alzheimer's dementia (AD). Recent studies have indicated that executive function (EF) declines during MCI. However, only a limited number of studies have investigated the neural basis of EF deficits in MCI. Herein, we investigate the changes of regional brain spontaneous activity and functional connectivity (FC) of the executive control network (ECN) between high EF and low EF groups.Methods: According to EF composite score (ADNI-EF) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), we divided MCI into two groups, including the MCI-highEF group and MCI-lowEF group. Resting-state functional MRI was utilized to investigate the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and ECN functional connectivity across 23 healthy controls (HC), 11 MCI-highEF, and 14 MCI-lowEF participants. Moreover, a partial correlation analysis was carried out to examine the relationship between altered fALFF or connectivity of the ECN and the ADNI-EF.Results: Compared to HC, the MCI-highEF participants demonstrated increased fALFF in the left superior temporal gyrus (STG), as well as decreased fALFF in the right precentral gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, and left middle frontal gyrus (MFG). The MCI-lowEF participants demonstrated increased fALFF in the cerebellar vermis and decreased fALFF in the left MFG. Additionally, compared to HC, the MCI-highEF participants indicated no significant difference in connectivity of the ECN. Furthermore, the MCI-lowEF participants showed increased ECN FC in the left cuneus and left MFG, as well as decreased ECN functional connectivity in the right parahippocampal gyrus (PHG). Notably, the altered fALFF in the left MFG was positively correlated to ADNI-EF, while the altered fALFF in cerebellar vermis is negatively correlated with ADNI-EF across the two MCI groups and the HC group. Altered ECN functional connectivity in the right PHG is negatively correlated to ADNI-EF, while altered ECN functional connectivity in the left cuneus is negatively correlated to ADNI-EF across the three groups.Conclusions: Our current study demonstrates the presence of different patterns of regional brain spontaneous activity and ECN FC in the MCI-highEF group and MCI-lowEF group. Furthermore, the ECN FC of the MCI-highEF group was not disrupted, which may contribute to retained EF in MCI.

Relationship between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Executive Function in Young Adults: Mediating Effects of Gray Matter Volume

“…Previous research has reported that compared with the elderly, parahippocampal GMV is positively correlated with EF. It is stronger in the elderly than in young adults [ 61 , 62 , 63 ]. We have not come to the same conclusion in this study, which may be related to lower direct correspondence between the parahippocampal GMV and the EF of college students in early adulthood.…”

Exploring brain changes of impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease: An ALE study

“…SFG inhibited behavioral bias between immediate rewards and long-term goals (Diekhof and Gruber, 2010 ). PCG and CG play a key role in the executive control of cognition (Carter et al, 1998 ; Liu et al, 2021 ). Brain changes in IFG, MFG, SFG, PCG and CG contribute to ICD in PD.…”

Functional Connectivity within the Frontal–Striatal Network Differentiates Checkers from Washers of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

“…This finding may be related to the fact that washing OCD inhibits the activity of core brain areas involved in executive control functions [ 43 ], which affects cognitive functions and enhances the urge to wash. In turn, the left middle frontal gyrus shows increased compensatory activity to maintain normal executive functions [ 44 , 45 ]. Therefore, dysfunction in the middle frontal gyrus may be a feature of washing OCD, and the right middle frontal gyrus in particular has a significant discriminatory value in distinguishing checking OCD from cleaning OCD.…”