Duan Can, Chong Yufei, Gong Jingyi, Wu Qingqing, Sun Jialing, Zheng Chanjuan, Li Zhengliang, Xia Lirong, Cheng Zhen, Zhang Peiwen, Xia Wenguang
College of Chinese Medicine, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China.
Department of Rehabilitation, Xinhua Hospital of Hubei University of Chinese Medicine (Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine), Wuhan, China.
Front Neurol. 2025 May 8;16:1571964. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1571964. eCollection 2025.
Early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is crucial for preventing Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aims to explore alterations in brain co-functional connectivity between cognitively healthy individuals and those with cognitive impairment during a verbal fluency task (VFT) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The investigation examines changes in brain activation patterns in both MCI patients and healthy controls during the VFT and 1-back task, and identifies correlations between cognitive function and brain activation areas using fNIRS technology.
This study evaluated markers for screening MCI by performing the VFT and 1-back task using a 67-channel fNIRS to measure changes in oxyhemoglobin (HbO) levels in the bilateral prefrontal and temporal lobes of 108 healthy controls (HC) and 103 participants with MCI. The severity of patients' symptoms was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale, neuropsychiatric symptoms were evaluated with the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), and sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
Compared with the HC group, the MCI group showed a significant reduction in MoCA scores, with no significant differences in education level, PSQI, and SCL-90 scores. There was no significant difference in brain activation levels between the MCI and HC groups during the VFT. However, during the 1-back task, the MCI group exhibited significantly reduced activation levels in channels 33, 54, 49, and 47, as well as in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and frontal eye fields (FEF). Moreover, the mean HbO levels in these channels, DLPFC, and FEF during the 1-back task were found to be significantly correlated with MoCA scores.
When performing the VFT and 1-back task, our study found that patients with MCI exhibited reduced brain activity levels in the DLPFC and FEF only during the 1-back task. This diminished task-induced brain activity was significantly positively correlated with MoCA scores and was less influenced by mental health and sleep quality. The 1-back task may be a more optimal paradigm for the early detection of MCI compared to the VFT.
轻度认知障碍（MCI）的早期检测对于预防阿尔茨海默病（AD）至关重要。本研究旨在利用功能近红外光谱技术（fNIRS），探索在言语流畅性任务（VFT）期间认知健康个体与认知障碍个体之间大脑共功能连接的变化。该调查研究了MCI患者和健康对照在VFT和1-back任务期间大脑激活模式的变化，并使用fNIRS技术确定认知功能与大脑激活区域之间的相关性。
本研究通过使用67通道fNIRS进行VFT和1-back任务，以评估筛选MCI的标志物，测量108名健康对照（HC）和103名MCI参与者双侧前额叶和颞叶的氧合血红蛋白（HbO）水平变化。使用蒙特利尔认知评估量表（MoCA）评估患者症状的严重程度，使用症状自评量表（SCL-90）评估神经精神症状，并使用匹兹堡睡眠质量指数（PSQI）评估睡眠质量。
与HC组相比，MCI组的MoCA评分显著降低，教育水平、PSQI和SCL-90评分无显著差异。在VFT期间，MCI组和HC组之间的大脑激活水平无显著差异。然而，在1-back任务期间，MCI组在通道33、54、49和47以及背外侧前额叶皮质（DLPFC）和额叶眼区（FEF）的激活水平显著降低。此外，发现在1-back任务期间这些通道、DLPFC和FEF中的平均HbO水平与MoCA评分显著相关。
在进行VFT和1-back任务时，我们的研究发现MCI患者仅在1-back任务期间在DLPFC和FEF中表现出大脑活动水平降低。这种任务诱导的大脑活动减少与MoCA评分显著正相关，并且受心理健康和睡眠质量的影响较小。与VFT相比，1-back任务可能是早期检测MCI的更优范式。
