Xue Chen, Sun Haiting, Hu Guanjie, Qi Wenzhang, Yue Yingying, Rao Jiang, Yang Wenjie, Xiao Chaoyong, Chen Jiu
Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Department of Pediatrics, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University (Air Force Medical University), Xi'an, China.
Front Neurosci. 2020 Oct 15;14:575652. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.575652. eCollection 2020.
Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) were considered to be a continuum of Alzheimer's disease (AD) spectrum. The abnormal topological architecture and rich-club organization in the brain functional network can reveal the pathology of the AD spectrum. However, few studies have explored the disrupted patterns of diverse club organizations and the combination of rich- and diverse-club organizations in SCD and aMCI.
We collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 19 SCDs, 29 aMCIs, and 28 healthy controls (HCs) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Graph theory analysis was used to analyze the network metrics and rich- and diverse-club organizations simultaneously.
Compared with HC, the aMCI group showed altered small-world and network efficiency, whereas the SCD group remained relatively stable. The aMCI group showed reduced rich-club connectivity compared with the HC. In addition, the aMCI group showed significantly increased feeder connectivity and decreased local connectivity of the diverse club compared with the SCD group. The overlapping nodes of the rich club and diverse club showed a significant difference in nodal efficiency and shortest path length ( ) between groups. Notably, the values of overlapping nodes in the SCD and aMCI groups were significantly associated with episodic memory.
The present study demonstrates that the network properties of SCD and aMCI have varying degrees of damage. The combination of the rich club and the diverse club can provide a novel insight into the pathological mechanism of the AD spectrum. The altered patterns in overlapping nodes might be potential biomarkers in the diagnosis of the AD spectrum.
主观认知下降（SCD）和遗忘型轻度认知障碍（aMCI）被认为是阿尔茨海默病（AD）谱系的一个连续体。脑功能网络中异常的拓扑结构和富俱乐部组织能够揭示AD谱系的病理学特征。然而，很少有研究探讨SCD和aMCI中不同俱乐部组织的破坏模式以及富俱乐部和不同俱乐部组织的组合情况。
我们从阿尔茨海默病神经影像倡议组织收集了19名SCD患者、29名aMCI患者和28名健康对照（HC）的静息态功能磁共振成像数据。采用图论分析同时分析网络指标以及富俱乐部和不同俱乐部组织。
与HC相比，aMCI组的小世界和网络效率发生改变，而SCD组相对稳定。与HC相比，aMCI组的富俱乐部连通性降低。此外，与SCD组相比，aMCI组的支线连通性显著增加，不同俱乐部的局部连通性降低。富俱乐部和不同俱乐部的重叠节点在组间的节点效率和最短路径长度方面存在显著差异。值得注意的是，SCD组和aMCI组重叠节点的 值与情景记忆显著相关。
本研究表明，SCD和aMCI的网络属性存在不同程度的损害。富俱乐部和不同俱乐部的组合可为AD谱系的病理机制提供新的见解。重叠节点的改变模式可能是AD谱系诊断中的潜在生物标志物。
