TY - JOUR
T1 - Brain network connectivity assessed using graph theory in frontotemporal dementia
AU - Agosta, Federica
AU - Sala, Sara
AU - Valsasina, Paola
AU - Meani, Alessandro
AU - Canu, Elisa
AU - Magnani, Giuseppe
AU - Cappa, Stefano F.
AU - Scola, Elisa
AU - Quatto, Piero
AU - Horsfield, Mark A.
AU - Falini, Andrea
AU - Comi, Giancarlo
AU - Filippi, Massimo
PY - 2013/7/9
Y1 - 2013/7/9
N2 - Objective: To investigate whether brain functional network connectivity is disrupted in patients with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Methods: Graph theoretical analysis was applied to resting state functionalMRI data from18 patients with probable bvFTDand 50 healthy individuals. Functional connectivity between 90 cortical and subcortical brain regions was estimated using bivariate correlation analysis and thresholded to construct a set of undirected graphs. Correlations between network properties and cognitive variables were tested. Results: Global topologic organization of the functional brain network in bvFTD was significantly disrupted as indicated by reduced mean network degree, clustering coefficient, and global efficiency and increased characteristic path length and assortativity relative to normal subjects. Compared to controls, bvFTD data showed retention of major "hub" regions in the medial parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes, but cortical hubs were not noted in the frontal lobes. Medial and dorsal frontal regions, left caudate nucleus, left insular cortices, and some regions of the temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes showed decreased nodal centrality. BvFTD patients showed the greatest decrease in inter-regional connectivity between the frontal and occipital regions, and the insular cortices and occipital, temporal, subcortical, and frontal regions. In bvFTD, altered global network properties correlated with executive dysfunction. Conclusions: Global and local functional networks are altered in bvFTD, suggesting a loss of efficiency in information exchange between both distant and close brain areas. Altered brain regions are located in structures that are closely associated with neuropathologic changes in bvFTD. Aberrant topology of the functional brain networks in bvFTD appears to underlie cognitive deficits in these patients.
AB - Objective: To investigate whether brain functional network connectivity is disrupted in patients with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Methods: Graph theoretical analysis was applied to resting state functionalMRI data from18 patients with probable bvFTDand 50 healthy individuals. Functional connectivity between 90 cortical and subcortical brain regions was estimated using bivariate correlation analysis and thresholded to construct a set of undirected graphs. Correlations between network properties and cognitive variables were tested. Results: Global topologic organization of the functional brain network in bvFTD was significantly disrupted as indicated by reduced mean network degree, clustering coefficient, and global efficiency and increased characteristic path length and assortativity relative to normal subjects. Compared to controls, bvFTD data showed retention of major "hub" regions in the medial parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes, but cortical hubs were not noted in the frontal lobes. Medial and dorsal frontal regions, left caudate nucleus, left insular cortices, and some regions of the temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes showed decreased nodal centrality. BvFTD patients showed the greatest decrease in inter-regional connectivity between the frontal and occipital regions, and the insular cortices and occipital, temporal, subcortical, and frontal regions. In bvFTD, altered global network properties correlated with executive dysfunction. Conclusions: Global and local functional networks are altered in bvFTD, suggesting a loss of efficiency in information exchange between both distant and close brain areas. Altered brain regions are located in structures that are closely associated with neuropathologic changes in bvFTD. Aberrant topology of the functional brain networks in bvFTD appears to underlie cognitive deficits in these patients.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84881290421&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84881290421&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31829a33f8
DO - 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31829a33f8
M3 - Article
C2 - 23719145
AN - SCOPUS:84881290421
VL - 81
SP - 134
EP - 143
JO - Neurology
JF - Neurology
SN - 0028-3878
IS - 2
ER -