Connectivity analysis of normal and mild cognitive impairment patients based on FDG and PiB-PET images

Abstract

Connectivity analysis allows researchers to explore interregional correlations, and thus is well suited for analysis of complex networks such as the brain. We applied whole brain connectivity analysis to assess the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To detect early AD progression, we focused on distinguishing between normal control (NC) subjects and subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Fludeoxyglucose (FDG) and Pittsburgh compound B (PiB)-positron emission tomography (PET) were acquired for 75 participants. A graph network was implemented using correlation matrices. Correlation matrices of FDG and PiB-PET were combined into one matrix using a novel method. Group-wise differences between NC and MCI patients were assessed using clustering coefficients, characteristic path lengths, and betweenness centrality using various correlation matrices. Using connectivity analysis, this study identified important regions differentially affected by AD progression.