Altered functional connectivity between the retrosplenial cortex and hippocampal subfields in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

WANG Junkai; BAI Xinyue; LIU shui; CHEN Xiaojun; WANG Zhiqun

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2096-5516.2025.04.003

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Chinese Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders ›› 2025, Vol. 8 ›› Issue (4) : 231-238. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.2096-5516.2025.04.003

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Altered functional connectivity between the retrosplenial cortex and hippocampal subfields in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

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Abstract

Objective: The aim of the current study was to explore the specific intrinsic functional connectivity between the the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) and the hippocampal subfields in healthy adults and to characterize the alterations in functional connectivity between the RSC and the hippocampal subfields in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Methods: Demographic data, neuropsychological assessments, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected from 60 AD participants, 60 participants with aMCI, and 60 sex-matched normal controls (NCs). The bilateral RSC, other parts of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and hippocampus (HPC) subfields (including the bilateral cornu ammonis fields (CA1-CA3), the dentate gyrus (DG), and subiculum (SUB)) were selected to investigate functional connectivity alterations in aMCI and AD. Results: Resting-state functional connectivity analysis demonstrated heterogeneity in the degree of connectivity between the HPC and different parts of the total PCC, with considerably greater functional connectivity of the RSC with the HPC compared with other parts of the PCC. Furthermore, the bilateral RSC exhibited widespread intrinsic functional connectivity with all HPC subfields. Compared to the NCs, the aMCI and AD groups showed different magnitudes of decreased functional connectivity between the RSC and the contralateral DG. Additionally, diminished functional connectivity between the left RSC and right DG was correlated with clinical disease severity in aMCI subjects. Conclusion: These findings confirm and extend previous studies suggesting that the RSC is extensively and functionally connected with HPC subfields and that these functional connections are selectively affected in the AD continuum, with prominent disruptions in functional connectivity between the RSC and contralateral DG underpinning episodic memory impairment associated with the disease.

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Alzheimer's disease / Amnestic mild cognitive impairment / Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging / Retrosplenial cortex / Hippocampal subfields

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WANG Junkai , BAI Xinyue , LIU shui , et al . Altered functional connectivity between the retrosplenial cortex and hippocampal subfields in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease[J]. Chinese Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders. 2025, 8(4): 231-238 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.2096-5516.2025.04.003

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