Network Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia: Implications for Psychiatry

Structural and functional connectivity methods are changing how researchers conceptualize and explore neuropsychiatric disease. Here, we summarize emerging evidence of large-scale network dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, focusing on the divergent impact these disorders have on the default mode network and the salience network. We update a working model for understanding the functions of these networks within a broader anatomical context and highlight the relevance of this model for understanding psychiatric illness. Finally, we look ahead to persistent challenges in the application of network-based imaging methods to patients with Alzheimer’s disease, behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, and other neuropsychiatric conditions. Recent advances and persistent needs are discussed, with an eye toward anticipating the hurdles that must be overcome for a network-based framework to clarify the biology of psychiatric illness and aid in the drug discovery process. Structural and functional connectivity methods are changing how researchers conceptualize and explore neuropsychiatric disease. Here, we summarize emerging evidence of large-scale network dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, focusing on the divergent impact these disorders have on the default mode network and the salience network. We update a working model for understanding the functions of these networks within a broader anatomical context and highlight the relevance of this model for understanding psychiatric illness. Finally, we look ahead to persistent challenges in the application of network-based imaging methods to patients with Alzheimer’s disease, behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, and other neuropsychiatric conditions. Recent advances and persistent needs are discussed, with an eye toward anticipating the hurdles that must be overcome for a network-based framework to clarify the biology of psychiatric illness and aid in the drug discovery process. Neurodegenerative Dementias: Connecting Psychiatry and Neurology Through a Shared NeurobiologyBiological PsychiatryVol. 75Issue 7PreviewIt is becoming increasingly hard to ignore the fact that as we improve medical treatment of common diseases and extend the human life span, we face an epidemic of dementia, which poses a terrible burden on society at all levels. Identifying disease course–altering treatments for dementia has become an imperative not only for neurologists, psychiatrists, and other medical professionals but also for humanity as a whole. This issue of Biological Psychiatry presents eight reviews from leading experts who provide authoritative analyses of their respective areas, offering a broad overview of the current state of research in dementia. Full-Text PDF