Altered Angular Gyrus Resting State Functional Connectivity Associated with Financial Capacity in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Background: Financial capacity (FC) is a complex ability commonly impaired in older individuals with cognitive impairment; however, the underlying neural mechanisms are not well understood. Objective: To assess resting state functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and impaired FC compared to cognitively normal older adults. Methods: rs-fMRI scans were obtained from individuals with MCI (N = 17) and normal older adults (N = 15). All participants completed the Financial Capacity Instrument Short Form (FCI-SF) and neuropsychological assessments. Based on previous findings, the left angular gyrus (lAG) was used as the seed region. Connectivity correlation coefficients were calculated for each seed-based connection that showed significantly altered connectivity. A Pearson’s correlation was calculated between the connectivity correlation values from relevant regions and FC and other cognitive measures. Results: A total of 26 brain regions showed significantly increased functional connectivity with the lAG. Of these regions, 14 were identified as relevant to higher-level cognitive function for analysis. Pearson’s correlations showed a significant negative correlation between the FCI-SF total score and increased connectivity between the IAG and the right temporal fusiform cortex (rTFC) (r = –0.455, p = 0.009). Conclusion: Results showed a significant correlation between FC and increased functional connectivity between the lAG and the rTFC in cognitively normal older adults compared to participants with MCI. These exploratory findings suggest that cognitive functions play important roles in FC as the functional connectivity between the lAG and rTFC was not associated with other tests of executive or visuospatial cognition.