Disruption of Functional Connectivity of the Default-Mode Network in Alcoholism

The default mode network (DMN) comprises brain structures maximally active at rest. Disturbance of network nodes or their connections occurs with some neuropsychiatric conditions and may underlie associated dysfunction. DMN connectivity has not been examined in alcoholism, which is marked by comprom...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. 1991) N.Y. 1991), 2011-10, Vol.21 (10), p.2272-2281
Main Authors: Chanraud, Sandra, Pitel, Anne-Lise, Pfefferbaum, Adolf, Sullivan, Edith V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Alcoholism - pathology
Alcoholism - physiopathology
Alcoholism - psychology
Brain Mapping - methods
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Middle Aged
Nerve Net - pathology
Nerve Net - physiology
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Reaction Time - physiology
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Summary:The default mode network (DMN) comprises brain structures maximally active at rest. Disturbance of network nodes or their connections occurs with some neuropsychiatric conditions and may underlie associated dysfunction. DMN connectivity has not been examined in alcoholism, which is marked by compromised DMN nodes and impaired spatial working memory. To test whether performance would be related to DMN integrity, we examined DMN functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data and graph theory analysis. We assumed that disruption of short paths between network nodes would attenuate processing efficiency. Alcoholics and controls were scanned at rest and during a spatial working memory task. At rest, the spontaneous slow fluctuations of fMRI signals in the posterior cingulate and cerebellar regions in alcoholics were less synchronized than in controls, indicative of compromised functional connectivity. Graph theory analysis indicated that during rest, alcoholics had significantly lower efficiency indices than controls between the posterior cingulate seed and multiple cerebellar sites. Greater efficiency in several connections correlated with longer sobriety in alcoholics. During the task, on which alcoholics performed on par with controls, connectivity between the left posterior cingulate seed and left cerebellar regions was more robust in alcoholics than controls and suggests compensatory networking to achieve normal performance.
ISSN:1047-3211
1460-2199
DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhq297