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The functional brain favours segregated modular connectivity at old age unless affected by neurodegeneration

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Mehraram, Ramtin 
Wang, Yanjiang 

Abstract

Abstract: Brain’s modular connectivity gives this organ resilience and adaptability. The ageing process alters the organised modularity of the brain and these changes are further accentuated by neurodegeneration, leading to disorganisation. To understand this further, we analysed modular variability—heterogeneity of modules—and modular dissociation—detachment from segregated connectivity—in two ageing cohorts and a mixed cohort of neurodegenerative diseases. Our results revealed that the brain follows a universal pattern of high modular variability in metacognitive brain regions: the association cortices. The brain in ageing moves towards a segregated modular structure despite presenting with increased modular heterogeneity—modules in older adults are not only segregated, but their shape and size are more variable than in young adults. In the presence of neurodegeneration, the brain maintains its segregated connectivity globally but not locally, and this is particularly visible in dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia; overall, the modular brain shows patterns of differentiated pathology.

Description

Funder: Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No.16CX06050A).


Funder: Medical Research Council (MRC) grant (MR/T004347/1)


Funder: Alzheimer’s Research UK in partnership with Hidden Hearing (ARUK-PPG2016A-2); National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC);


Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of P.R. China (Grant No.62072468) and the National Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (Grant No. ZR2018MF017).


Funder: Alzheimer’s Research UK in partnership with Hidden Hearing (ARUK-PPG2016A-2); National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC); Medical Research Council (MRC) grant (MR/T004347/1); Guangci Professorship Program of Ruijin Hospital (Shanghai Jiao Tong University);


Funder: Alzheimer’s Research UK in partnership with Hidden Hearing (ARUK-PPG2016A-2); National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC); Wellcome Trust Fellowship (WT088441MA);

Keywords

Article, /631/378/1689/364, /631/378/2611, /692/617/375/365/1718, /59/36, article

Journal Title

Communications Biology

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2399-3642

Volume Title

4

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group UK
Sponsorship
China Scholarship Council (CSC) (201706450045, 201306455001)