Frontoparietal functional connectivity underlies top-down attention in mild cognitive impairment

Lower resting-state functional connectivity in the left frontoparietal attention network is linked to worse top-down attentional control in amnestic mild cognitive impairment, with t(37.43) = -2.24, p = 0.031.

• Why it matters: Attention problems in amnestic mild cognitive impairment may reflect reduced top-down control, but it was unclear whether this aligns with decreased connectivity between brain areas.
• What they did: In a case-control study (26 patients aged 58–91; 29 age-matched controls aged 60–79), resting-state fMRI at 3T was used to compare connectivity and relate it to a theory of visual attention-based verbal partial-report task (higher parameter = poorer control).
• The result: Frontoparietal connectivity correlated with top-down control across all participants (rho = -0.33, p = 0.003) and within patients (rho = -0.48, p = 0.014), and it mediated the relationship between amnestic mild cognitive impairment and top-down control.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.