Khokhar Sunil Kumar, Kumar Manoj, Arshad Faheem, Goyal Sheetal, Tiwari Megha, Thanissery Nithin, Ramakrishnan Subasree, Nagaraj Chandana, Kashyap Rajan, Mangalore Sandhya, Gandhi Tapan K, Alladi Suvarna, Bharath Rose Dawn
Department of Neuroimaging and Interventional Radiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India.
Department of Neurology, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, India.
Netw Neurosci. 2025 Apr 30;9(2):615-630. doi: 10.1162/netn_a_00448. eCollection 2025.
A network neuroscience perspective can significantly advance the understanding of neurodegenerative disorders, particularly frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This study employed an innovative multiplex connectomics approach, integrating cortical thickness (CTH) and fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in a dual-layer model to investigate network alterations in FTD subtypes across two geographically distinct sites. The cohort included groups of behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD), primary progressive aphasia (PPA), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and cognitively normal (CN) individuals who were analyzed from two separate sites. Site 1 included 28 bvFTD, 20 PPA, and 27 MCI participants, whereas Site 2 included 26 bvFTD, 43 PPA, and 43 CN individuals, respectively. Utilizing CTH and FDG-PET data after standard preprocessing, a multiplex network pipeline in BRAPH2 toolbox was used to derive multiplex participation coefficient (MPC) between the groups. The analysis revealed an increase in global MPC as an indicator of disease in PPA at both sites. Additionally, nodal MPC alterations in the anterior cingulate, frontal, and temporal lobes in PPA were compared with bvFTD. Comparisons with the CN showed that nodal MPC alterations were more extensive in PPA when compared with bvFTD. These findings underscore the potential utility of multiplex connectomes for identifying network disruptions in neurodegenerative disorders, offering promising implications for future research and clinical applications.
从网络神经科学的角度能够显著推动对神经退行性疾病，尤其是额颞叶痴呆（FTD）的理解。本研究采用了一种创新的多重连接组学方法，在双层模型中整合皮质厚度（CTH）和氟脱氧葡萄糖正电子发射断层扫描（FDG-PET），以研究两个地理位置不同的地点的FTD亚型中的网络改变。该队列包括行为变异型FTD（bvFTD）、原发性进行性失语（PPA）、轻度认知障碍（MCI）和认知正常（CN）个体组，这些个体来自两个不同的地点并进行了分析。地点1包括28名bvFTD、20名PPA和27名MCI参与者，而地点2分别包括26名bvFTD、43名PPA和43名CN个体。在进行标准预处理后利用CTH和FDG-PET数据，使用BRAPH2工具箱中的多重网络管道来得出组间的多重参与系数（MPC）。分析显示，两个地点的PPA中作为疾病指标的全局MPC均增加。此外，还将PPA中前扣带回、额叶和颞叶的节点MPC改变与bvFTD进行了比较。与CN的比较表明，与bvFTD相比，PPA中的节点MPC改变更为广泛。这些发现强调了多重连接组在识别神经退行性疾病中的网络破坏方面的潜在效用，为未来的研究和临床应用提供了有希望的启示。
