阿尔茨海默症(AD)是一种严重的神经退行性疾病,临床上以工作记忆障碍、失用、失语、执行功能障碍等认知功能的损害为表现特征.功能核磁共振(f MRI)技术作为一种新兴技术,被广泛应用于大脑以及各种神经退行性疾病的研究中.利用f MRI技术,人们发现大脑中存在着一些长程大尺度的功能脑网络,比如运动感觉网络、默认模式网络、背侧注意网络、执行网络、突显网络等.其中,执行网络与突显网络作为额顶叶控制系统的两个子网络参与包括执行功能、工作记忆、显著过程处理等与AD密切相关的认知生理活动.本研究招募了35名正常老年人作为正常对照(NC)、20名遗忘型轻度认知障碍患者(a MCI)、25名阿尔茨海默症患者作为被试,研究额顶叶系统在阿尔茨海默症中的异常改变.我们发现在额顶叶控制系统内的功能连接(FC)与其他网络的功能连接均出现了不同程度损害,结果表明执行网络在轻度认知障碍时期已经表现出功能损害而在进入AD时期后进一步加重,这与疾病的行为学表现一致;而突显网络在a MCI组中会出现功能连接的增强现象,这可能显示了一种与其他脑网络不同的受损模式.
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a serious neurodegenerative disorder characterized by aphasia, apraxia and dysfunction of executive or working memory. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an emerging technology which has been widely used in the brain and neurological diseases research. It was found that the brain had some large-scale networks by using fMRI technology, such as sensorimotor, default mode (DM), dorsal attention, salience (SAL) and executive control (EC) network. EC and SAL were sub-networks of frontal-parietal control system, primarily involved in working memory, executive function, salience process. These networks were closely related to the function damage in AD. Previous studies found that the functional connectivity of some large-scale networks were injured by AD especially in default mode network. However, the AD-related alterations in frontal-parietal control system were not completely clear. Therefore, study using different strategies are needed to better portray spatial topology of frontal-parietal system change. In this study, we recruited 35 healthy elderly as normal control (NC), 20 amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and 25 Alzheimer's disease patients. All of the subjects underwent a series of neuropsychology test and diagnosis to ensure the proper grouping. Subsequently, we collected structure image and Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent image for each subject to analyze abnormality of frontal-parietal control system. We chose DM, EC and SAL to detect disruption in functional connectivity within or between these networks. Our results supported the deficit of functional connectivity frontal-parietal control system. The results indicated that EC showed the damage in the aMCI group and further deteriorate in AD group, which involved connectivity between bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as well as superior frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyms. The working memory deficit is the early symptom of AD. Therefore, the intra-network dysconnec