Resting-state global brain activity affects early β-amyloid accumulation in default mode network

Abstract

It remains unclear why β-amyloid (Aβ) plaque, a hallmark pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), first accumulates cortically in the default mode network (DMN), years before AD diagnosis. Resting-state low-frequency ( < 0.1 Hz) global brain activity recently was linked to AD, presumably due to its role in glymphatic clearance. Here we show that the preferential Aβ accumulation in the DMN at the early stage of Aβ pathology was associated with the preferential reduction of global brain activity in the same regions. This can be partly explained by its failure to reach these regions as propagating waves. Together, these findings highlight the important role of resting-state global brain activity in early preferential Aβ deposition in the DMN.