Home › Research › Brain scans and imaging
Neurovascular coupling and functional connectivity changes through the Alzheimer's disease spectrum: Effects of simvastatin treatment
Aline R Zimmer, Miled Bourourou, Frédéric Lesage, Edith Hamel. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2025-08
Topic: Plasma and spinal-fluid biomarkers
AD mice showed early decreases in NVC and bilateral connectivity (BC) in motor and cingulate cortex, and hypoconnectivity within the sensory-motor network. Early default-mode network (DMN) hyperconnectivity was followed by hypoconnectivity, together with a decreased BC in somatosensory (S) cortex. SV restored NVC, prevented aberrant DMN hyperconnectivity, improved BC of S, and preserved memory. Our results indicate that OIS can detect early AD-related changes in NVC and RSFC, and that a preventive cardiovascular strategy may bear therapeutic promise in at-risk individuals. HIGHLIGHTS: Optical imaging of intrinsic signals captures Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression and response to therapy. Neurovascular coupling (NVC) and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) disruptions precede memory decline in AD transgenic mice. Simvastatin prevented NVC and AD-specific RSFC disruptions and protected memory. This study supports translational value of hemodynamic signal in early AD detection.
Key findings
- AD mice showed early decreases in NVC and bilateral connectivity (BC) in motor and cingulate cortex, and hypoconnectivity within the sensory-motor network.
- Early default-mode network (DMN) hyperconnectivity was followed by hypoconnectivity, together with a decreased BC in somatosensory (S) cortex.
- SV restored NVC, prevented aberrant DMN hyperconnectivity, improved BC of S, and preserved memory.
- Our results indicate that OIS can detect early AD-related changes in NVC and RSFC, and that a preventive cardiovascular strategy may bear therapeutic promise in at-risk individuals.
- HIGHLIGHTS: Optical imaging of intrinsic signals captures Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression and response to therapy.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Brain scans & tests →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 26 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 46 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association) |
| 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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40747637) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 26 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 26 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 46 out of 100. |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.
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
Zimmer, A. R., Bourourou, M., Lesage, F., & Hamel, E. (2025). Neurovascular coupling and functional connectivity changes through the Alzheimer's disease spectrum: Effects of simvastatin treatment. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70402
Vancouver
Zimmer AR, Bourourou M, Lesage F, Hamel E. Neurovascular coupling and functional connectivity changes through the Alzheimer's disease spectrum: Effects of simvastatin treatment. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz.70402. PMID: 40747637.
BibTeX
@article{zimmer2025-40747637,
author = {Zimmer, Aline R and Bourourou, Miled and Lesage, Frédéric and Hamel, Edith},
title = {{Neurovascular coupling and functional connectivity changes through the Alzheimer's disease spectrum: Effects of simvastatin treatment}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz.70402},
pmid = {40747637},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70402}
}