Changes of brain functional network in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia: a graph-theoretic analysis

作者：Shijing Wu, Ping Zhan, Guojing Wang, Xiaohua Yu, Hongyun Liu, Weidong Wang · 发表于：BMC Neuroscience · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1186/s12868-024-00877-w · 被引用次数：37 · 研究领域：Functional Brain Connectivity Studies、Mental Health Research Topics、EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are the two most common neurodegenerative dementias, presenting with similar clinical features that challenge accurate diagnosis. Despite extensive research, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain unclear, and effective treatments are limited. This study aims to investigate the alterations in brain network connectivity associated with AD and FTD to enhance our understanding of their pathophysiology and establish a scientific foundation for their diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: We analyzed preprocessed electroencephalogram (EEG) data from the OpenNeuro public dataset, comprising 36 patients with AD, 23 patients with FTD, and 29 healthy controls (HC). Participants were in a resting state with eyes closed. We estimated the average functional connectivity using the Phase Lag Index (PLI) for lower frequencies (delta and theta) and the Amplitude Envelope Correlation with leakage correction (AEC-c) for higher frequencies (alpha, beta, and gamma). Graph theory was applied to calculate topological parameters, including mean node degree, clustering coefficient, characteristic path length, global and local efficiency. A permutation test was then utilized to assess changes in brain network connectivity in AD and FTD based on these parameters. RESULTS: Both AD and FTD patients showed increased mean PLI values in the theta frequency band, along with increases in average node degree, clustering coefficient...