A study on changes of the resting-state brain function network in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment

This study aimed to explore the structural and functional characteristics of the neural network of resting-state brain activities in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology. Resting state fMRI scanning was performed on 10 clinically diagnosed aMCI patients and 10 healthy volunteers, and the difference in the resting-state brain activities between aMCI patients and healthy volunteers was compared using the brain function network regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis method. Results of the ReHo analysis of aMCI patients and healthy volunteers revealed that the ReHo value significantly increased in the posterior cingulate gyrus region, medial frontal lobe, medial cortex of the prefrontal lobe, and part of the parietal lobe. Compared with the normal elderlies, ReHo decreased in aMCI patients in the left temporal lobe (middle temporal gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus), left parahippocampal gyrus, occipital lobe, lingual gyrus, precuneus, and other regions while ReHo increased in regions of the right frontal lobe (inferior frontal gyrus), left superior temporal gyrus, precentral gyrus (frontal lobe), right thalamus, left fusiform gyrus, and other regions. In the resting state, there may be regional abnormalities in brain functional areas in aMCI patients, which may be associated with cognitive impairment.

本研究旨在借助功能磁共振成像（functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI）技术，探究遗忘型轻度认知障碍（amnestic mild cognitive impairment, aMCI）患者静息态脑活动的神经网络结构与功能特征。本研究纳入10例经临床确诊的aMCI患者与10名健康志愿者，对其开展静息态fMRI扫描，并采用脑功能网络局部一致性（regional homogeneity, ReHo）分析方法，对比aMCI患者与健康志愿者的静息态脑活动差异。aMCI患者与健康志愿者的ReHo分析结果显示，患者的后扣带回、内侧额叶、前额叶内侧皮层及部分顶叶区域的ReHo值显著升高。与正常老年人相比，aMCI患者左侧颞叶（颞中回、颞下回）、左侧海马旁回、枕叶、舌回、楔前叶等区域的ReHo值降低；而右侧额叶（额下回）、左侧颞上回、中央前回（额叶）、右侧丘脑、左侧梭状回等区域的ReHo值升高。静息状态下，aMCI患者的脑功能区域可能存在局部异常，这或许与其认知损害存在关联。