White matter vascular lesions are related to parietal-to-frontal coupling of EEG rhythms in mild cognitive impairment.
Do cerebrovascular and Alzheimer's disease (AD) lesions represent additive factors in the development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as a putative preclinical stage of AD? Here we tested the hypothesis that directionality of fronto-parietal functional coupling of electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms is relatively preserved in amnesic MCI subjects in whom the cognitive decline is mainly explained by white-matter vascular load. Resting EEG was recorded in 40 healthy elderly (Nold) and 78 amnesic MCI. In the MCI subjects, white-matter vascular load was quantified based on magnetic resonance images (0-30 visual rating scale). EEG rhythms of interest were delta (2-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha1 (8-10.5 Hz), alpha2 (10.5-13 Hz), beta1 (13-20 Hz), and beta2 (20-30 Hz). Directionality of fronto-parietal functional coupling of EEG rhythms was estimated by directed transfer function software. As main results, (i) fronto-parietal functional coupling of EEG rhythms was higher in magnitude in the Nold than in the MCI subjects; (ii) more interestingly, that coupling was higher at theta, alpha1, alpha2, and beta1 in MCI V+ (high vascular load; N = 42; MMSE = 26) than in MCI V- group (low vascular load; N = 36; MMSE= 26.7). These results are interpreted as supporting the additive model according to which MCI state would result from the combination of cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative lesions.
Babiloni
Claudio
C
Dip. Fisiologia Umana e Farmacologia, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
Frisoni
Giovanni B
GB
Pievani
Michela
M
Vecchio
Fabrizio
F
Infarinato
Francesco
F
Geroldi
Cristina
C
Salinari
Serenella
S
Ferri
Raffaele
R
Fracassi
Claudia
C
Eusebi
Fabrizio
F
Rossini
Paolo M
PM
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000647:Amnesia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001160:Arterioles / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D054022:Cerebrum / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests
D015415:Biomarkers