Abnormal baseline brain activity in Alzheimer’s disease patients with depression: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Abstract

Purpose

As one of the most common mental disorders and the most important precursor of suicide in Alzheimer's disease (AD), depression is associated with a decline in both well-being and daily functioning. At present, the diagnosis of AD patients with depression (D-AD) is largely dependent on clinical signs and symptoms, and the precise neural correlate underlying D-AD is still not fully understood.

Methods

The current study sought to investigate low-frequency oscillations at the voxel level in D-AD patients based on the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) measured using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. We examined 22 D-AD patients and 21 non-depressed AD (nD-AD) patients.

Results

The results revealed that D-AD patients exhibited increased ALFF values in the left caudate and thalamus and decreased ALFF values in the left middle temporal pole compared with nD-AD patients.

Conclusion

These findings may provide further insight into the underlying neuropathophysiology of AD with depression.

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