Visual processing difficulties are often present in Alzheimer's disease (AD), even in its pre-dementia phase (i.e. in mild cognitive impairment, MCI). The default mode network (DMN) modulates the brain connectivity depending on the specific cognitive demand, including visual processes. The aim of the present study was to analyze specific changes in connectivity of the posterior DMN node (i.e. the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus, PCC/P) associated with visual processing in 17 MCI patients and 15 AD patients as compared to 18 healthy controls (HC) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We used psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis to detect specific alterations in PCC connectivity associated with visual processing while controlling for brain atrophy. In the HC group, we observed physiological changes in PCC connectivity in ventral visual stream areas and with PCC/P during the visual task, reflecting the successful involvement of these regions in visual processing. In the MCI group, the PCC connectivity changes were disturbed and remained significant only with the anterior precuneus. In between-group comparison, we observed significant PPI effects in the right superior temporal gyrus in both MCI and AD as compared to HC. This change in connectivity may reflect ineffective "compensatory" mechanism present in the early pre-dementia stages of AD or abnormal modulation of brain connectivity due to the disease pathology. With the disease progression, these changes become more evident but less efficient in terms of compensation. This approach can separate the MCI from HC with 77% sensitivity and 89% specificity.

• Klíčová slova
• Dementia, Posterior cingulate, Precuneus, Psychophysiological interactions, Visual pathways, fMRI,
• MeSH
• Alzheimerova nemoc komplikace   MeSH
• kognitivní dysfunkce diagnostické zobrazování   etiologie   patologie   MeSH
• kyslík krev   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• magnetická rezonanční tomografie MeSH
• modely neurologické MeSH
• mozek patologie   MeSH
• nervové dráhy diagnostické zobrazování   patofyziologie   MeSH
• počítačové zpracování obrazu MeSH
• psychofyzika MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• stárnutí * MeSH
• světelná stimulace MeSH
• zraková percepce fyziologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• kyslík MeSH

The resting brain exhibits continuous intrinsic activity, which is correlated between groups of regions forming resting state networks. Evaluating resting connectivity is a popular approach for studying brain diseases. Several hundred studies are now available that address integrity of resting connectivity in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as well as preclinical at-risk subjects. Most studies focus on the default mode network, a system of specific brain areas showing strong connected resting activity that attenuates during goal-directed behavior. The extent of intrinsic brain activity tends to be strongly correlated with cognitive processes and is specifically disrupted in AD and MCI patients and at-risk subjects, with changes seeming to evolve during the transition between the disease stages. In this study, we review the current findings in default mode network and other resting state network studies in AD and MCI patients and at-risk subjects as assessed by resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging.

• MeSH
• Alzheimerova nemoc patologie   MeSH
• kognitivní dysfunkce patologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mozek krevní zásobení   patologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• nervová síť patologie   MeSH
• nervové dráhy fyziologie   MeSH
• neurozobrazování MeSH
• odpočinek fyziologie   MeSH
• rizikové faktory MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• přehledy MeSH