Default-mode network activity distinguishes Alzheimer's disease from healthy aging: Evidence from functional MRI

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0308627101
• Publication Date: 2004-03-30T19:58:04Z
• Authors: Michael D. Greicius; Gaurav Srivastava; Allan L. Reiss; Vinod Menon
• Keywords: Posterior cingulate; Coactivation; Cingulate cortex

Recent functional imaging studies have revealed coactivation in a distributed network of cortical regions that characterizes the resting state, or default mode, human brain. Among brain implicated this network, several, including posterior cingulate cortex and inferior parietal lobes, also shown decreased metabolism early course Alzheimer's disease (AD). We reasoned default-mode activity might therefore be abnormal AD. To test hypothesis, we used independent component analysis to isolate group 13 subjects with mild AD age-matched elderly controls as they performed simple sensory-motor processing task. Three important findings are reported. Prominent hippocampus, detected all groups, suggests is closely involved episodic memory processing. The showed resting-state suggesting disrupted connectivity between these two accounts for hypometabolism commonly positron emission tomography Finally, goodness-of-fit applied at individual subject level may ultimately prove sensitive specific biomarker incipient