Generalized Psychophysiological Interaction (PPI) Analysis of Memory Related Connectivity in Individuals at Genetic Risk for Alzheimer's Disease

Summary

This manuscript describes how to implement a psychophysiological interaction analysis to reveal task-dependent changes in functional connectivity between a selected seed region and voxels in other regions of the brain. Psychophysiological interaction analysis is a popular method to examine task effects on brain connectivity, distinct from traditional univariate activation effects.

Abstract

In neuroimaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measures the blood-oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) signal in the brain. The degree of correlation of the BOLD signal in spatially independent regions of the brain defines the functional connectivity of those regions. During a cognitive fMRI task, a psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis can be used to examine changes in the functional connectivity during specific contexts defined by the cognitive task. An example of such a task is one that engages the memory system, asking participants to learn pairs of unrelated words (encoding) and recall the second word in a pair when presented with the first word (retrieval). In the present study, we used this type of associative memory task and a generalized PPI (gPPI) analysis to compare changes in hippocampal connectivity in older adults who are carriers of the Alzheimer's disease (AD) genetic risk factor apolipoprotein-E epsilon-4 (APOEε4). Specifically, we show that the functional connectivity of subregions of the hippocampus changes during encoding and retrieval, the two active phases of the associative memory task. Context-dependent changes in functional connectivity of the hippocampus were significantly different in carriers of APOEε4 compared to non-carriers. PPI analyses make it possible to examine changes in functional connectivity, distinct from univariate main effects, and to compare these changes across groups. Thus, a PPI analysis may reveal complex task effects in specific cohorts that traditional univariate methods do not capture. PPI analyses cannot, however, determine directionality or causality between functionally connected regions. Nevertheless, PPI analyses provide powerful means for generating specific hypotheses regarding functional relationships, which can be tested using causal models. As the brain is increasingly described in terms of connectivity and networks, PPI is an important method for analyzing fMRI task data that is in line with the current conception of the human brain.

Introduction

The term "connectome" was coined in 2005 marking a paradigm shift in neuroscience that continues to this day¹. The brain is increasingly described in terms of functional networks, connectivity and interactions between and among regions on a large scale. Nevertheless, the delineation of regional functional specialization and associations between fMRI-measured activity and task demands are still valid and useful approaches. In light of the growing interest in connectomics, functional connectivity approaches to task fMRI analysis are growing in popularity. One approach to measuring functional connectivity changes dependent on task demands ....

Protocol

The present study was performed in compliance with the UCLA Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols and approved by the UCLA Human Subjects Protection Committee. All participants gave written informed consent in order to enroll in this study.

1. Participant Selection

1. Obtain IRB approval to perform the study.
2. Screen individuals aged 55 and older for cognitive decline using a standardized neuropsychological battery. Include tests of General Intelligence (Subtests of the WAIS-III)¹³, Fluency (Fruits and Vegetables)¹⁴, Attention (Digits Forward and Backward)

Results

With two different active task phases (encoding and retrieval) and two seed regions (anterior and posterior hippocampus) there are four conditions to report results for each group. The within-group task activation maps (not shown here, see Harrison et al., 2016¹²) show that the occipital lobe, auditory cortex, large regions of parietal lobe, frontal language areas, superior temporal gyrus, and caudate (more pronounced during retrieval) have significant BOL.......

Discussion

Early task-based fMRI studies were designed to uncover statistical relationships between particular cognitive processes or demands and changes in the BOLD signal relative to a baseline measurement. This traditional approach is useful for identifying specific regions in the brain where activity is modulated by an experimental task. In contrast, a PPI analysis is chiefly concerned with the modulation of functional connectivity, or synchrony of activity, that results from a task-induced cognitive process. PPI measures conte.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
3T manetic resonance imaging scanner	Siemens Medical Solutions	MAGNETOM Trio, A Tim System	3T MRI Scanner
FSL (FMRIB Software Library)	Oxford University	Version 6.0	Functional Imaging Processing Software
AFNI (Analysis of Functional Neuroimaging)	National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health	Any version after May 2015	Functional Imaging Processing Software
SPM8 (Statistical Parametric Mapping)	University College of London	SPM8	Functional Imaging Processing Software
Matlab Software	The Mathworks, Inc	Version R2012a	Computing Software
SDS Software	Applied Biosystems, Inc	7900HT Fast Real-Time PCR System	Real Time PCR
Taqman Assays	ThermoFisher Scientific	Specific to SNP	SNP Genotyping