Grey matter network measures are associated with cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment

Publication date: Available online 6 October 2017
Source:Neurobiology of Aging
Author(s): Ellen Dicks, Betty M. Tijms, Mara ten Kate, Alida A. Gouw, Marije R. Benedictus, Charlotte E. Teunissen, Frederik Barkhof, Philip Scheltens, Wiesje M. van der Flier
Grey matter networks are disrupted in Alzheimer's disease and related to cognitive impairment. However, it is still unclear whether these disruptions are associated with cognitive decline over time. Here, we studied this question in a large sample of patients with mild cognitive impairment with extensive longitudinal neuropsychological assessments. Grey matter networks were extracted from baseline structural MRI and we tested associations of network measures and cognitive decline in MMSE and five cognitive domains (i.e., memory, attention, executive function, visuospatial and language). Disrupted network properties were cross-sectionally related to worse cognitive impairment. Longitudinally, lower small-world coefficient values were associated with a steeper decline in almost all domains. Lower betweenness centrality values correlated with a faster decline in MMSE and memory and, at a regional level, these associations were specific for the precuneus, medial frontal and temporal cortex. Furthermore, network measures showed additive value over established biomarkers in predicting cognitive decline. Our results suggest that grey matter network measures might have use in identifying patients who will show fast disease progression.



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