Virtual brain simulations reveal network-specific parameters in neurodegenerative dementias

Neural circuit alterations lay at the core of brain physiopathology, and yet are hard to unveil in living subjects. The Virtual Brain (TVB) modeling, by exploiting structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), yields mesoscopic parameters of connectivity and synaptic transmission. We u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in aging neuroscience 2023-07, Vol.15, p.1204134-1204134
Main Authors: Monteverdi, Anita, Palesi, Fulvia, Schirner, Michael, Argentino, Francesca, Merante, Mariateresa, Redolfi, Alberto, Conca, Francesca, Mazzocchi, Laura, Cappa, Stefano F, Cotta Ramusino, Matteo, Costa, Alfredo, Pichiecchio, Anna, Farina, Lisa M, Jirsa, Viktor, Ritter, Petra, Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott, Claudia A M, D'Angelo, Egidio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alzheimer's disease
Aphasia
Atrophy
Biomarkers
brain dynamics
Dementia
Dementia disorders
excitatory/inhibitory balance
Executive function
Frontotemporal dementia
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging
Metabolism
Neural networks
Neurodegenerative diseases
Neuropsychology
Neuroscience
Patients
resting-state networks
Semantics
Structure-function relationships
Synaptic transmission
virtual brain modeling
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Summary:Neural circuit alterations lay at the core of brain physiopathology, and yet are hard to unveil in living subjects. The Virtual Brain (TVB) modeling, by exploiting structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), yields mesoscopic parameters of connectivity and synaptic transmission. We used TVB to simulate brain networks, which are key for human brain function, in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients, whose connectivity and synaptic parameters remain largely unknown; we then compared them to healthy controls, to reveal novel pathological hallmarks. The pattern of simulated parameter differed between AD and FTD, shedding light on disease-specific alterations in brain networks. Individual subjects displayed subtle differences in network parameter patterns that significantly correlated with their individual neuropsychological, clinical, and pharmacological profiles. These TVB simulations, by informing about a new personalized set of networks parameters, open new perspectives for understanding dementias mechanisms and design personalized therapeutic approaches.
ISSN:1663-4365
1663-4365
DOI:10.3389/fnagi.2023.1204134