TY - JOUR
T1 - Association between composite scores of domain-specific cognitive functions and regional patterns of atrophy and functional connectivity in the Alzheimer's disease spectrum
AU - Amaefule, Chimezie O.
AU - Dyrba, Martin
AU - Wolfsgruber, Steffen
AU - Polcher, Alexandra
AU - Schneider, Anja
AU - Fliessbach, Klaus
AU - Spottke, Annika
AU - Meiberth, Dix
AU - Preis, Lukas
AU - Peters, Oliver
AU - Incesoy, Enise I.
AU - Spruth, Eike J.
AU - Priller, Josef
AU - Altenstein, Slawek
AU - Bartels, Claudia
AU - Wiltfang, Jens
AU - Janowitz, Daniel
AU - Bürger, Katharina
AU - Laske, Christoph
AU - Munk, Matthias
AU - Rudolph, Janna
AU - Glanz, Wenzel
AU - Dobisch, Laura
AU - Haynes, John D.
AU - Dechent, Peter
AU - Ertl-Wagner, Birgit
AU - Scheffler, Klaus
AU - Kilimann, Ingo
AU - Düzel, Emrah
AU - Metzger, Coraline D.
AU - Wagner, Michael
AU - Jessen, Frank
AU - Teipel, Stefan J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s)
PY - 2021/1
Y1 - 2021/1
N2 - Background: Cognitive decline has been found to be associated with gray matter atrophy and disruption of functional neural networks in Alzheimer's disease (AD) in structural and functional imaging (fMRI) studies. Most previous studies have used single test scores of cognitive performance among monocentric cohorts. However, cognitive domain composite scores could be more reliable than single test scores due to the reduction of measurement error. Adopting a multicentric resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) and cognitive domain approach, we provide a comprehensive description of the structural and functional correlates of the key cognitive domains of AD. Method: We analyzed MRI, rs-fMRI and cognitive domain score data of 490 participants from an interim baseline release of the multicenter DELCODE study cohort, including 54 people with AD, 86 with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), 175 with Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD), and 175 Healthy Controls (HC) in the AD-spectrum. Resulting cognitive domain composite scores (executive, visuo-spatial, memory, working memory and language) from the DELCODE neuropsychological battery (DELCODE-NP), were previously derived using confirmatory factor analysis. Statistical analyses examined the differences between diagnostic groups, and the association of composite scores with regional atrophy and network-specific functional connectivity among the patient subgroup of SCD, MCI and AD. Result: Cognitive performance, atrophy patterns and functional connectivity significantly differed between diagnostic groups in the AD-spectrum. Regional gray matter atrophy was positively associated with visuospatial and other cognitive impairments among the patient subgroup in the AD-spectrum. Except for the visual network, patterns of network-specific resting-state functional connectivity were positively associated with distinct cognitive impairments among the patient subgroup in the AD-spectrum. Conclusion: Consistent associations between cognitive domain scores and both regional atrophy and network-specific functional connectivity (except for the visual network), support the utility of a multicentric and cognitive domain approach towards explicating the relationship between imaging markers and cognition in the AD-spectrum.
AB - Background: Cognitive decline has been found to be associated with gray matter atrophy and disruption of functional neural networks in Alzheimer's disease (AD) in structural and functional imaging (fMRI) studies. Most previous studies have used single test scores of cognitive performance among monocentric cohorts. However, cognitive domain composite scores could be more reliable than single test scores due to the reduction of measurement error. Adopting a multicentric resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) and cognitive domain approach, we provide a comprehensive description of the structural and functional correlates of the key cognitive domains of AD. Method: We analyzed MRI, rs-fMRI and cognitive domain score data of 490 participants from an interim baseline release of the multicenter DELCODE study cohort, including 54 people with AD, 86 with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), 175 with Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD), and 175 Healthy Controls (HC) in the AD-spectrum. Resulting cognitive domain composite scores (executive, visuo-spatial, memory, working memory and language) from the DELCODE neuropsychological battery (DELCODE-NP), were previously derived using confirmatory factor analysis. Statistical analyses examined the differences between diagnostic groups, and the association of composite scores with regional atrophy and network-specific functional connectivity among the patient subgroup of SCD, MCI and AD. Result: Cognitive performance, atrophy patterns and functional connectivity significantly differed between diagnostic groups in the AD-spectrum. Regional gray matter atrophy was positively associated with visuospatial and other cognitive impairments among the patient subgroup in the AD-spectrum. Except for the visual network, patterns of network-specific resting-state functional connectivity were positively associated with distinct cognitive impairments among the patient subgroup in the AD-spectrum. Conclusion: Consistent associations between cognitive domain scores and both regional atrophy and network-specific functional connectivity (except for the visual network), support the utility of a multicentric and cognitive domain approach towards explicating the relationship between imaging markers and cognition in the AD-spectrum.
KW - Alzheimer's disease spectrum
KW - Cognitive domain score
KW - Cortical atrophy
KW - Multicenter cohort
KW - Resting-state functional connectivity
KW - Visuo-spatial cognitive deficits
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85098803414&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102533
DO - 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102533
M3 - Article
C2 - 33360018
AN - SCOPUS:85098803414
SN - 2213-1582
VL - 29
JO - NeuroImage: Clinical
JF - NeuroImage: Clinical
M1 - 102533
ER -