AUTHOR=Gao Yujun , Zhao Xinfu , Huang JiChao , Wang Sanwang , Chen Xuan , Li Mingzhe , Sun Fengjiao , Wang Gaohua , Zhong Yi 

TITLE=Abnormal regional homogeneity in right caudate as a potential neuroimaging biomarker for mild cognitive impairment: A resting-state fMRI study and support vector machine analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2022.979183

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2022.979183

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=Objective: 
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by cognitive impairment on neurocognitive tests but accompanied by relatively intact daily activities. Due to high variation and no objective methods for diagnosing and treating MCI, guidance on neuroimaging is needed. The study is to explore the neuroimaging biomarkers using the support vector machine (SVM) method to predict MCI.

Methods: 53 MCI patients and 68 healthy controls were involved in scanning resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Neurocognitive testing and structured Clinical Interview, including Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale test (ADAS-Cog), Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADL), Hachinski ischemic Score (HIS), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) were utilized to assess participants’ cognitive state. Neuroimaging data were analyzed with the regional homogeneity (ReHo) and SVM methods.

Results: Compared with healthy comparisons, ReHo of MCI patients decreased in the right caudate. In addition, the SVM classification achieved an overall accuracy of 68.6%, sensitivity of 62.26% and specificity of 58.82%.

Conclusion: The results suggest that abnormal neural activity in the right cerebrum may play a vital role in the pathophysiological process of MCI. Moreover, the ReHo in the right caudate may serve as a neuroimaging biomarker for MCI, which can provide objective guidance on diagnosing and managing MCI in the future.