Epicentral Disruption of Structural Connectivity in Alzheimer's Disease

• Published in: CNS neuroscience & therapeutics 2015-10, Vol.21 (10), p.837-845
• Main Authors: Mallio, Carlo Augusto, Schmidt, Ruben, Reus, Marcel A., Vernieri, Fabrizio, Quintiliani, Livia, Curcio, Giuseppe, Beomonte Zobel, Bruno, Quattrocchi, Carlo Cosimo, den Heuvel, Martijn P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Alzheimer Disease - pathology; Alzheimer's Disease; Anisotropy; Brain - pathology; Cognitive Dysfunction - pathology; Connectivity; Connectome; Diffusion‐weighted imaging; Epicentral disruption; Female; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Mental Status Schedule; Mild cognitive impairment; Neural Pathways - pathology; Original; Severity of Illness Index
• ISSN: 1755-5930; 1755-5949
• DOI: 10.1111/cns.12397

Summary Aims Neurodegenerative changes observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been suggested to begin at the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus and then to propagate in a stereotypical fashion. Using diffusion‐weighted imaging, we test whether disruption of structural connectivity in AD is centered on these “epicenters of disease”. Methods Fifteen healthy controls, 14 amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), 13 mild, and 15 moderate patients with AD were enrolled. The percentages of affected connections directly linking to the epicenter (named first ring) and to nodes with topological distance 2 from the epicenter (named second ring) were calculated. Results For the group of aMCI patients, just 5.3% of the first ring (n.s.) and 2.9% of the second ring (n.s.) connections were affected. However, for mild AD there was disruption involving 20% of the first ring (P