Neuroinflammation is independently associated with brain network dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Brain network dysfunction is increasingly recognised in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the causes of brain connectivity disruption are still poorly understood. Recently, neuroinflammation has been identified as an important factor in AD pathogenesis. Microglia participate in the construction and maintenance of healthy neuronal networks, but pro-inflammatory microglia can also damage these circuits. We hypothesised that microglial activation is independently associated with brain connectivity disruption in AD. We performed a cross-sectional multimodal imaging study and interrogated the relationship between imaging biomarkers of neuroinflammation, Aβ deposition, brain connectivity and cognition. 42 participants (12 Aβ-positive MCI, 14 Aβ-positive AD and 16 Aβ-negative healthy controls) were recruited. Participants had 11C-PBR28 and 18F-flutemetamol PET to quantify Aβ deposition and microglial activation, T1-weighted, diffusion tensor and resting-state functional MRI to assess structural network and functional network. 11C-PBR28 uptake, structural network integrity and functional network orgnisation were compared across diagnostic groups and the relationship between neuroinflammation and brain network was tested in 26 Aβ-positive patients. Increased 11C-PBR28 uptake, decreased FA, network small-worldness and local efficiency were observed in AD patients. Cortical 11C-PBR28 uptake correlated negatively with structural integrity (standardised β = −0.375, p = 0.037) and network local efficiency (standardised β = −0.468, p < 0.001), independent of cortical thickness and Aβ deposition, while Aβ was not. Network structural integrity, small-worldness and local efficiency, and cortical thickness were positively associated with cognition. Our findings suggest cortical neuroinflammation coincide with structural and functional network disruption independent of Aβ and cortical atrophy. These findings link the brain connectivity change and pathological process in Alzheimer’s disease, and suggest a pathway from neuroinflammation to systemic brain dysfunction.
Date Issued
2023-03
Date Acceptance
2022-11-08
Citation
Molecular Psychiatry, 2023, 28 (3), pp.1303-1311
ISSN
1359-4184
Publisher
Springer Nature [academic journals on nature.com]
Start Page
1303
End Page
1311
Journal / Book Title
Molecular Psychiatry
Volume
28
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2022
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000920481300001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=a2bf6146997ec60c407a63945d4e92bb
Subjects
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID MARKERS
CONNECTIVITY
DIAGNOSTIC GUIDELINES
FRAMEWORK
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
MICROGLIAL ACTIVATION
MICROSTRUCTURE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE
Neurosciences
Neurosciences & Neurology
Psychiatry
RECOMMENDATIONS
Science & Technology
WHITE-MATTER INTEGRITY
WORKGROUPS
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2022-12-06