Massimo Filippi1,
2, Federica Agosta1, Sara Sala1, 3,
Paola Valsasina1, Alessandro Meani1, Elisa Canu1,
Giuseppe ni2, Stefano Francesco Cappa4, Elisa Scola5,
Piero Quatto3, Mark A. Horsfield6, Andrea Falini5,
Giancarlo Comi2
1Neuroimaging
Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute,
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, MI, Italy; 2Department
of Neurology, Institute of Experimental Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific
Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, MI, Italy; 3Department
of Statistics, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, MI, Italy; 4Department
of Clinical Neurosciences, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific
Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, MI, Italy; 5Department
of Neuroradiology and CERMAC, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute
San Raffaele University, Milan, MI, Italy; 6Medical Physics Group,
Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester
Royal Infirmary, Leicester, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
In this study, we used resting state fMRI data to construct functional networks in patients with the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and healthy elderly subjects, and demonstrated that bvFTD is characterized by a topological functional disorganization of brain networks. Frontal and subcortical hubs of bvFTD patients showed a significant reduction of nodal centrality, suggesting a less central hub role for these regions in the overall network function. The conversion from small-world network architecture to less optimal functional topologies contributed to the cognitive changes in these patients, giving support to a network perspective in dementia.
Keywords