Vascular cognitive impairment in the mouse reshapes visual, spatial network functional connectivity
biorxiv(2020)
Abstract
Connectome analysis of neuroimaging data is a rapidly expanding field to identify disease specific biomarkers. Structural diffusion MRI connectivity has been useful in individuals with radiological features of small vessel disease, such as white matter hyperintensities. Global efficiency, a network metric calculated from the structural connectome, is an excellent predictor of cognitive decline. To dissect the biological underpinning of these changes, animal models are required. We tested whether the structural connectome is altered in a mouse model of vascular cognitive impairment. White matter damage was more pronounced by 6 compared to 3 months. Global efficiency remained intact, but the visual association cortex exhibited increased structural connectivity with other brain regions. Exploratory resting state functional MRI connectivity analysis revealed diminished default mode network activity in the model compared to shams. Further perturbations were observed in a primarily cortical hub and the retrosplenial and visual cortices, and the hippocampus were the most affected nodes. Behavioural deficits were observed in the cued water maze, supporting the suggestion that the visual and spatial memory networks are affected. We demonstrate specific circuitry is rendered vulnerable to vascular stress in the mouse, and the model will be useful to examine pathophysiological mechanisms of small vessel disease.
![Figure][1]
### Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
* 5XFAD
: five-familial Alzheimer’s disease
Acb
: nucleus accumbens
Au
: auditory cortex
C
: cingulate cortex
CBF
: cerebral blood flow
cc
: corpus callosum
Ce
: cerebellum
Cst
: corticospinal tract
CuP
: caudate putamen
CS
: cortical subplate
DMN
: default mode network
dMRI
: diffusion magnetic resonance imaging
Ec
: ectorhinal cortex
FA
: fractional anisotropy
ff
: fornix
FrA
: frontal association cortex
Hps
: hippocampus
Hy
: hypothalamus
ICA
: independent component analysis
In
: insular cortex
Inf
: infralimbic cortex
M
: motor cortex
Md
: midbrain
Me
: medulla
MRA
: magnetic resonance angiography
Olf
: olfactory areas
Or
: orbital cortex
Pa
: ventral pallidum
PaA
: parietal association cortex
Pf
: prefrontal cortex
Po
: Pons
POpt
: preoptic nuclei
Rh
: rhinal cortex
RHp
: retrohippocampal region
RS
: retrosplenial cortex
rsfMRI
: resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging
S
: sensory cortex
SC
: superior colliculus
SWI
: susceptibility weighted images
TeA
: temporal association cortex
Th
: thalamus
V
: visual cortex
[1]: pending:yes
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Key words
vascular cognitive impairment,functional connectivity,mouse reshapes visual,spatial network
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