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Lookup NU author(s): Julia SchumacherORCiD, Dr Luis Peraza RodriguezORCiD, Dr Michael FirbankORCiD, Professor Alan ThomasORCiD, Professor Marcus Kaiser, Dr Peter GallagherORCiD, Professor John O'Brien, Professor Andrew BlamireORCiD, Professor John-Paul TaylorORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2019 We studied the dynamic functional connectivity profile of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to controls, how it differs between the two dementia subtypes, and a possible relation between dynamic connectivity alterations and temporally transient clinical symptoms in DLB. Resting state fMRI data from 31 DLB, 29 AD, and 31 healthy control participants were analyzed using dual regression to determine between-network functional connectivity. Subsequently, we used a sliding window approach followed by k-means clustering and dynamic network analyses to study dynamic functional connectivity. Dynamic connectivity measures that showed significant group differences were tested for correlations with clinical symptom severity. Our results show that AD and DLB patients spent more time than controls in sparse connectivity configurations with absence of strong positive and negative connections and a relative isolation of motor networks from other networks. Additionally, DLB patients spent less time in a more strongly connected state and the variability of global brain network efficiency was reduced in DLB compared to controls. There were no significant correlations between dynamic connectivity measures and clinical symptom severity. An inability to switch out of states of low inter-network connectivity into more highly and specifically connected network configurations might be related to the presence of dementia in general as it was observed in both AD and DLB. In contrast, the loss of global efficiency variability in DLB might indicate the presence of an abnormally rigid brain network and the lack of economical dynamics, factors which could contribute to cognitive slowing and an inability to respond appropriately to situational demands.
Author(s): Schumacher J, Peraza LR, Firbank M, Thomas AJ, Kaiser M, Gallagher P, O'Brien JT, Blamire AM, Taylor J-P
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: NeuroImage: Clinical
Year: 2019
Volume: 22
Online publication date: 03/04/2019
Acceptance date: 02/04/2019
Date deposited: 24/04/2019
ISSN (electronic): 2213-1582
Publisher: Elsevier BV
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101812
DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101812
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