Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice ›› 2026, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (5): 522-533.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-9771.2026.05.003

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Functional connectivity in default mode network and medial temporal lobe in mild cognitive impairment stage of Alzheimer's disease based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging: a meta-analysis

HAN Tianxing1, LIU Haotian1, XU Ziqi1, PENG Xiaohan1, WANG Yang2, CAO Danna2()   

  1. 1 The First Clinical Medical College of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang 155040, China
    2 The CT and MRI Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang 155040, China
  • Received:2025-11-19 Published:2026-05-25 Online:2026-05-26
  • Contact: CAO Danna E-mail:hljanna@126.com
  • Supported by:
    Joint Guidance Project of Heilongjiang Natural Science Foundation(LH2021H101)

Abstract:

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to investigate the changes in brain functional connectivity in default mode network (DMN) and medial temporal lobe (MTL) regions.
Methods Literatures were retrieved from multiple databases including CNKI, PubMed, Medline, and Embase, etc. from January, 2020 to October, 2025, investigating the changes in functional connectivity of DMN and MTL in patients with MCI compared to health control (HC) using rs-fMRI. Two researchers independently screened and extracted the literatures and methodological quality was assessed using QUADAS-2. Review Manager 5.4 was used to perform a meta-analysis of neuroimaging indicators in MCI patients and HC subjects. Stata and SDM were utilized to summarize diagnostic efficacy and brain functional connectivity, calculating the over all sensitivity, specificity and summary receiver operating characteristic-area under the curve (SROC-AUC). Deeks funnel plots were drawn, literature weights were analyzed, and subgroup analyses were conducted.
Results A total of ten literatures were ultimately included, involving 1 010 patients with MCI and 1 714 HC subjects. MCI patients showed decreased or abnormal blood oxygen level dependence signals in DMN, focusing on bilateral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex. The SROC-AUC was 0.91. In MTL, there was a characteristic decrease of spontaneous neural functional connectivities between the hippocampus and other regions, reflecting the obstruction of information transmission from episodic memory to the central nodes. Abnormal functional connectivity in DMN and MTL resulted in compensatory resting-state functional connectivity enhancement in other subnetworks or local functional connections, such as frontoparietal network and the hippocampal-parietal network. Abnormal activation of mPFC suggested atrophy of the hippocampus or abnormal brain function. The decline in functional connectivity between DMN and MTL indicated impairment of memory and information processing in the early stage.
Conclusion The early functional decoupling between DMN and MTL is a crucial neural mechanism at the MCI stage of AD, providing important neuroimaging evidence for the early diagnosis of AD.

Key words: Alzheimer's disease, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, default mode network, mesial temporal lobe, meta-analysis

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