Abstract
BACKGROUND
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by cognitive decline. To date, the specific dysfunction in the brain’s hierarchical structure in AD remains unclear.
METHODS
We introduced the structural decoupling index (SDI), based on a multi-site data set comprising functional and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data from 793 subjects, to assess their brain hierarchy.
RESULTS
Compared to normal controls (NCs), individuals with AD exhibited increased SDI within the posterior superior temporal sulcus, insular gyrus, precuneus, hippocampus, amygdala, postcentral gyrus, and cingulate gyrus; meanwhile, the patients with AD demonstrated decreased SDI in the frontal lobe. The SDI in those regions also showed a significant correlation with cognitive ability. Moreover, the SDI was a robust AD neuroimaging biomarker capable of accurately distinguishing diagnostic status (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.86).
DISCUSSION
Our findings revealed the dysfunction of the brain’s hierarchical structure in AD. Furthermore, the SDI could serve as a promising neuroimaging biomarker for AD.
Highlights
This study utilized multi-center, multi-modal data from East Asian populations.
We found an increased spatial gradient of the structure decoupling index (SDI) from sensory–motor to higher-order cognitive regions.
Changes in SDI are associated with energy metabolism and mitochondria.
SDI can identify Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and further uncover the disease mechanisms of AD.
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This post is Copyright: Yibao Sun,
Pan Wang,
Kun Zhao,
Pindong Chen,
Yida Qu,
Zhuangzhuang Li,
Suyu Zhong,
Bo Zhou,
Jie Lu,
Xi Zhang,
Dawei Wang,
Ying Han,
Hongxiang Yao,
Yong Liu | July 29, 2024