Structural Analysis of Brain Hub Region Volume and Cortical Thickness in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Abstract

Background and Objectives: A complex network of axonal pathways interlinks the human brain cortex. Brain networks are not distributed evenly, and brain regions making more connections with other parts are defined as brain hubs. Our objective was to analyze brain hub region volume and cortical thickness and determine the association with cognitive assessment scores in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 11 patients (5 mild cognitive impairment; 6 dementia). All patients underwent neurological examination, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test scores were recorded. Scans with a 3T MRI scanner were done, and cortical thickness and volumetric data were acquired using Freesurfer 7.1.0 software. Results: By analyzing differences between the MCI and dementia groups, MCI patients had higher hippocampal volumes (p < 0.05) and left entorhinal cortex thickness (p < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between MoCA test scores and left hippocampus volume (r = 0.767, p < 0.01), right hippocampus volume (r = 0.785, p < 0.01), right precuneus cortical thickness (r = 0.648, p < 0.05), left entorhinal cortex thickness (r = 0.767, p < 0.01), and right entorhinal cortex thickness (r = 0.612, p < 0.05). Conclusions: In our study, hippocampal volume and entorhinal cortex showed significant differences in the MCI and dementia patient groups. Additionally, we found a statistically significant positive correlation between MoCA scores, hippocampal volume, entorhinal cortex thickness, and right precuneus. Although other brain hub regions did not show statistically significant differences, there should be additional research to evaluate the brain hub region association with MCI and dementia.

Explosive Synchronization-Based Brain Modulation Reduces Hypersensitivity in the Brain Network: A Computational Model Study

“…However, ES network has an aberrant hub network organization because the hub connectivity of the ES network is directly or indirectly disrupted. Considering the essential role of hubs in the organization of higher-order brain functions such as cognition ( Vatansever et al, 2020 ; Zdanovskis et al, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2021 ), such aberrant functional brain organization may be associated with the cognitive deficit in FM. However, the detailed association between the cognitive deficit and the aberrant hub structure in the brain remains to be tested.…”

Explosive Synchronization-Based Brain Modulation Reduces Hypersensitivity in The Brain Network: A Computational Model Study

“…Considering the essential role of hubs in the organization of higher-order brain functions such as cognition (Vatansever et al, 2020;S. Wang et al, 2021;Zdanovskis et al, 2020), such aberrant functional brain organization may be associated with the cognitive deficit in FM. However, the detailed association between the cognitive deficit and the aberrant hub structure in the brain remains to be tested.…”

Deep learning volumetric brain segmentation based on spectral CT

“…Taking advantage of this excellent tissue discrimination ability, MRI has also been at the forefront of volumetric analysis. While there are numerous examples of volumetry -and the added clinical value thereofusing MRI [1][2][3][4][5] , volumetric analysis of intracranial structures based on CT-data is scarce. [6][7][8] Nonetheless, CT volumetry has been used for brain CT perfusion 9 , hemorrhage volume measurement 10 , and semi-quantitative volumetry to assess early brain ischemia 11 , and more recently for determination of the skull volume and the volume of the lateral ventricles.…”