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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Joe Necus, Dr Ramtin Mehraram, Professor John O'Brien, Professor Andrew BlamireORCiD, Professor Marcus Kaiser, Professor John-Paul TaylorORCiD
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© 2021, The Author(s).Brain’s modular connectivity gives this organ resilience and adaptability. The ageing process alters the organised modularity of the brain and these changes are further accentuated by neurodegeneration, leading to disorganisation. To understand this further, we analysed modular variability—heterogeneity of modules—and modular dissociation—detachment from segregated connectivity—in two ageing cohorts and a mixed cohort of neurodegenerative diseases. Our results revealed that the brain follows a universal pattern of high modular variability in metacognitive brain regions: the association cortices. The brain in ageing moves towards a segregated modular structure despite presenting with increased modular heterogeneity—modules in older adults are not only segregated, but their shape and size are more variable than in young adults. In the presence of neurodegeneration, the brain maintains its segregated connectivity globally but not locally, and this is particularly visible in dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia; overall, the modular brain shows patterns of differentiated pathology.
Author(s): Chen X, Necus J, Peraza LR, Mehraram R, Wang Y, O'Brien JT, Blamire A, Kaiser M, Taylor J-P
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Communications Biology
Year: 2021
Volume: 4
Issue: 1
Online publication date: 16/08/2021
Acceptance date: 22/07/2021
ISSN (electronic): 2399-3642
Publisher: Nature Research
URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02497-0
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02497-0
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