Changes in pairwise functional connectivity associated with changes in cognitive performance in cognitively normal older individuals: A two-year observational study. (11th June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Oishi, Kumiko; Soldan, Anja; Pettigrew, Corinne; Hsu, Johnny; Mori, Susumu; Albert, Marilyn; Oishi, Kenichi
• Is Part Of: Neuroscience letters. Volume 781(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-06-11
• Subjects: Cognitively normal -- Cognitive change -- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging -- Default mode network -- Salience network; Neurology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Research -- Periodicals; Neurologie -- Périodiques; Neuroanatomie -- Périodiques; Neuropharmacologie -- Périodiques; Neurophysiologie -- Périodiques; Neurology; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 617.48
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136618
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0304-3940

Abstract

Highlights: Substrates of the cognitive change in cognitively normal older adults were studied. Pairwise functional connectivity relevant to cognitive change was investigated. Changes in eleven pairwise connectivity were associated with cognitive change. The eleven relevant connections belong to the default mode and salience networks. A linear combination of the eleven connections could predict cognitive change. Abstract: Neurobiological substrates of cognitive decline in cognitively normal older individuals have been investigated by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, but little is known about the relationship between longitudinal changes in the whole brain. In this study, we examined two-year changes in functional connectivity among 80 gray matter areas and investigated the relationship to two-year changes in cognitive performance. A cross-validated permutation variable importance measure was applied to select features related to a change in cognitive performance. Age-corrected changes in eleven pairs of functional connections were selected as important features, all related to brain areas that belong to the default mode network. A linear regression model with cross-validation demonstrated a mean correlation coefficient of 0.55 between measured and predicted changes in the cognitive composite score. These results suggest that intra- and inter-network connections in the default mode network are associated with cognitive changes over two years among cognitively normal individuals.