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Lewy body compared with Alzheimer dementia is associated with decreased functional connectivity in resting state networks
Lowther ER, O'Brien JT, Firbank MJ, Blamire AM.. Psychiatry research, 2014-06-27
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure whole brain functional connectivity within specific networks hypothesised to be more affected in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) (a disease characterised by prominent attentional deficits, spontaneous motor features of parkinsonism and depression) than in Alzheimer׳s disease (AD) and controls. This study involved 68 subjects (15 DLB, 13 AD and 40 controls) who were scanned using resting state BOLD (blood-oxygen-level-dependent) fMRI on a 3T MRI scanner. Functional connectivity was measured using a model-free independent component analysis approach that consisted of temporally concatenating the resting state fMRI data of all study subjects and investigating group differences using a back-reconstruction procedure. Resting state functional connectivity was affected in the default mode, salience, executive and basal ganglia networks in DLB subjects compared with AD and controls. Functional connectivity was lower in DLB compared with AD and controls in these networks, except for the basal ganglia network, where connectivity was greater in DLB. No resting state networks showed less connectivity in AD compared with DLB or controls. Our results suggest that functional connectivity of resting state networks can identify differences between DLB and AD subjects that may help to explain why DLB subjects have more frequent attentional deficits, parkinsonian symptoms, and depression than those with AD.
Key findings
- Resting state functional connectivity was affected in the default mode, salience, executive and basal ganglia networks in DLB subjects compared with AD and controls.
- Functional connectivity was lower in DLB compared with AD and controls in these networks, except for the basal ganglia network, where connectivity was greater in DLB.
- No resting state networks showed less connectivity in AD compared with DLB or controls.
- Our results suggest that functional connectivity of resting state networks can identify differences between DLB and AD subjects that may help to explain why DLB subjects have more frequent attentional deficits, parkinsonian symptoms, and depression than those with AD.
Why it matters
In this small study of 68 people, resting-state fMRI showed lower functional connectivity in several brain networks in dementia with Lewy bodies compared with Alzheimer's disease and controls. It is about distinguishing these dementias using imaging, not about treating or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants68
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, so that was left out: it earned 43 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 45 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Psychiatry research) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 68 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 70 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.0 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 18 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Andrew Matthew Blamire: h-index 69 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Cambridge: institution h-index 1,973 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 25035300) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 43 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 43 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 45 out of 100. |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Lowther, E. R., O'Brien, J. T., Firbank, M. J., & Blamire, A. M. (2014). Lewy body compared with Alzheimer dementia is associated with decreased functional connectivity in resting state networks. Psychiatry research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.06.004
Vancouver
Lowther ER, O'Brien JT, Firbank MJ, Blamire AM. Lewy body compared with Alzheimer dementia is associated with decreased functional connectivity in resting state networks. Psychiatry research. 2014. doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.06.004. PMID: 25035300.
BibTeX
@article{lowther2014-25035300,
author = {Lowther, E. R. and O'Brien, J. T. and Firbank, M. J. and Blamire, A. M.},
title = {{Lewy body compared with Alzheimer dementia is associated with decreased functional connectivity in resting state networks}},
journal = {Psychiatry research},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.06.004},
pmid = {25035300},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.06.004}
}
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