Lower novelty-related locus coeruleus function is associated with Aβ-related cognitive decline in clinically healthy individuals

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28986-2
• Publication Date: 2022-03-23T11:05:57Z
• Authors: Prokopis C. Proko...; Nina Engels-Domín...; Kathryn V. Papp; Matthew R. Scott; Aaron P. Schultz; Christoph Schneider; Michelle E. Farrell; Rachel F. Buckley; Yakeel T. Quiroz; Georges El Fakhri; Dorene M. Rentz; Reisa A. Sperling; Keith A. Johnson; Heidi I. L. Jacobs
• Keywords: Locus coeruleus; Cognitive Decline; Neuropathology; Amyloid beta

Abstract Animal and human imaging research reported that the presence of cortical Alzheimer’s Disease’s (AD) neuropathology, beta-amyloid neurofibrillary tau, is associated with altered neuronal activity circuitry failure, together facilitating clinical progression. The locus coeruleus (LC), one initial subcortical regions harboring pretangle hyperphosphorylated has widespread connections to cortex modulating cognition. Here we investigate whether LC’s in-vivo functional connectivity (FC) are cognitive decline in conjunction beta-amyloid. We combined MRI a novel versus repeated face-name paradigm, beta-amyloid-PET longitudinal data 128 cognitively unimpaired older individuals. show LC LC-FC amygdala hippocampus was higher during novelty. also demonstrated lower novelty-related parahippocampus were steeper beta-amyloid-related decline. Our results demonstrate potential properties as gauge identify individuals at-risk for AD-related