title: White matter vascular lesions are related to parietal-to-frontal coupling of EEG rhythms in mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Dip. Fisiologia Umana e Farmacologia, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Babiloni
authors.forename: Giovanni B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Frisoni
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pievani
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vecchio
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Infarinato
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Geroldi
authors.forename: Serenella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salinari
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fracassi
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eusebi
authors.forename: Paolo M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Rossini
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers