基于脑网络组的阿尔茨海默病早期脑功能代偿机制的研究

During the study of the latest funding of NSFC, and also based on the deep learning of the recent literatures, we realized that accompanied the dysfunction, there are some regions will have compensatory increased activity/connectivity with the brain in patients with the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, almost all the previous studies have focused on the study of the dysfunction or disconnection, none of them has studied the relationship between reduce cognitive function and compensatory alteration in MCI/AD. In this project, we plan to clarify the core brain regions which has the compensatory function in MCI/AD based on previous published literatures. Then we will investigate the connectivity pattern of the identified core regions based on the ADNI dataset, our previous dataset and some new collected MCI/AD data. By this way, we can evaluated the alteration and dynamic properties of the brain compensatory networks in MCI and AD, also we can investigate the relationship between the brain compensatory networks and cognitive function (such as MMSE, memory capacity, implementation capacity, etc.). This will certainly help us to understand the role of compensatory function during the cognitive changes in MCI and early AD. This will also help us evaluate the early intervention to ease the development and progression of the disease in MCI and early AD patients.

基于前期完成的自然科学基金项目研究结果及对于近10年国内外文献复习，我们发现遗忘型轻度认知功能障碍（aMCI）和早期阿尔茨海默病（AD）患者的脑功能在出现连接降低的同时会出现部分脑区的功能代偿。但以往的研究均关注对功能缺失机制的研究，尚无真正意义上针对功能代偿机制及其对早期AD认知康复的意义。在本项目中，我们重点研究aMCI和AD早期具有代偿功能的核心脑区及其机制。基于早期AD的多模态磁共振数据，利用脑连接和脑网络的研究方法，通过横向和纵向数据神经网络分析技术，明确aMCI和早期AD的脑功能代偿网络的连接模式及动态变化特征，明确患者脑代偿网络的连接模式与认知功能评价指标的关系。这将为aMCI和早期AD患者的认知康复干预、缓解疾病进程提供理论依据。

在本项目中，我们充分挖掘已发表文献明确发生代偿功能的核心脑区。利用国外公开数据，自有的多模态磁共振数据和新采集的横向和纵向数据，利用脑连接和脑网络的研究方法，明确MCI和早期AD的功能代偿网络的连接模式及动态变化，明确脑网络的连接模式改变和认知功能（主要是MMSE,记忆能力、执行能力等）改变之间的关系。.在项目的执行过程中,上述问题得到了很好的研究，共发表SCI论文11篇，会议论文1篇，已经毕业博士生2人。这必将帮助我们理解MCI和早期AD在认知改变过程中，代偿功能的作用。从而有助于我们对MCI和早期AD患者进行早期干预、缓解疾病的发生和发展。