Relationships between Beta-Amyloid and Functional Connectivity in Different Components of the Default Mode Network in Aging
Cerebral Cortex March 7, 2011 Elizabeth C. Mormino, Andre Smiljic, Amynta O. Hayenga et al. 349 citations
Beta-amyloid deposition, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, is also common in cognitively normal older adults. Using Pittsburgh compound-B PET imaging, the study found that greater beta-amyloid burden in normal controls is associated with altered functional connectivity within the default mode network during rest. Connectivity decreased in regions critical for episodic memory, including posteromedial cortex, ventral medial prefrontal cortex, and angular gyrus, while increases appeared in dorsal and anterior medial prefrontal and lateral temporal cortices. The decreases align with known vulnerability of memory-related areas in Alzheimer's disease, and the increases may reflect compensatory mechanisms.