Functional MRI Assessment of Cognitive Decline in Early Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

This paper discusses the importance of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMMRI) in assessing cognitive decline in individuals with mild cases of the Alzheimer Disease (AD).  We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer disease (AD) involved in the fMRI analysis of brain activity and connectivity.  We have found that the functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) and the hippocampal hippocampus and other cortical regions are significantly reduced which is consistent with the patients of the Alzheimer disease (AD) patients with cognitive impairments.  We also observed that tasks related patterns of brain activity was not functioning well in the regions that are of significance to memory, attention and executive function.  The results show that fMRI may serve as a reliable tool in detecting the initial changes in brain functioning associated with cognitive deterioration in Alzheimer disease that can provide great information on the disease progression and help to make a diagnosis at its early stages.