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Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the functional changes associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using independent component analysis (ICA) with the word generation task functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and resting‐state fMRI. Methods: In this study 17 patients with MCI and age and education‐matched 17 healthy individuals as control group are investigated. All participants underwent resting‐state fMRI and task‐based fMRI while performing the word generation task. ICA was used to identify the appropriate independent components (ICs) and their associated networks. The Dice Coefficient method was used to determine the relevance of the ICs to the networks of interest. Results: IC‐14 was found relevant to language network in both resting‐state and task‐based fMRI, IC‐4 to visual, and IC‐28 to dorsal attention network (DAN) in word generation task‐based fMRI by Sorento‐Dice Coefficient. ICA showed increased activation in language network, which had a larger voxel size in resting‐state functional MRI than word generation task‐based fMRI in the bilateral lingual gyrus. Right temporo‐occipital fusiform cortex, right hippocampus, and right thalamus were also activated in the task‐based fMRI. Decreased activation was found in DAN and visual network MCI patients in word generation task‐based fMRI. Conclusion: Task‐based fMRI and ICA are more sophisticated and reliable tools in evaluation cognitive impairments in language processing. Our findings support the neural mechanisms of the cognitive impairments in MCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a transitional state between normal aging and dementia, and identifying early biomarkers is crucial for disease detection and intervention. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has the potential to identify changes in neural activity in MCI. Methods: We investigated neural activity changes in the visual network of the aMCI patients (n:20) and healthy persons (n:17) using resting‐state fMRI and visual oddball task fMRI. We used independent component analysis to identify regions of interest and compared the activity between groups using a false discovery rate correction. Results: Resting‐state fMRI revealed increased activity in the areas that have functional connectivity with the visual network, including the right superior and inferior lateral occipital cortex, the right angular gyrus and the temporo‐occipital part of the right middle temporal gyrus (p‐FDR = 0.008) and decreased activity in the bilateral thalamus and caudate nuclei, which are part of the frontoparietal network in the aMCI group (p‐FDR = 0.002). In the visual oddball task fMRI, decreased activity was found in the right frontal pole, the right frontal orbital cortex, the left superior parietal lobule, the right postcentral gyrus, the right posterior part of the supramarginal gyrus, the right superior part of the lateral occipital cortex, and the right angular gyrus in the aMCI group. Conclusion: Our results suggest the alterations in the visual network are present in aMCI patients, both during resting‐state and task‐based fMRI. These changes may represent early biomarkers of aMCI and highlight the importance of assessing visual processing in cognitive impairment. However, future studies with larger sample sizes and longitudinal designs are needed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia characterized by cognitive deficits. Understanding the neural basis of MCI is crucial for early detection and intervention. This manuscript investigates the neural alterations associated with MCI using task-based and fMRI. Methods: The study employed a word generation task to assess cognitive processes related to language, attention, and visual processing. A group of individuals with MCI and a control group underwent fMRI scanning while performing the task. Independent component analysis (ICA) was conducted to identify and analyze task-related networks. Results: The results revealed distinct patterns of functional connectivity in the MCI group compared to the control group. During the word generation task, the MCI group exhibited decreased functional connectivity in the dorsal attention network (DAN), specifically in the right precentral gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and right middle frontal gyrus. Conversely, increased functional connectivity was observed in the language network, including bilateral lingual gyrus, right temporooccipital cortex, right hippocampus, and right thalamus. Furthermore, decreased functional connectivity was observed in the visual network, involving bilateral superior frontal gyrus and paracingulate gyrus. Resting-state fMRI analysis revealed increased functional connectivity in the language network of the aMCI group, particularly in bilateral thalamus and caudate nucleus. Conclusion: These findings highlight specific neural alterations in language, attention, and visual processing networks in individuals with aMCI, providing insights into the underlying mechanisms of cognitive impairment. The observed changes in functional connectivity during both task-based and restingstate fMRI suggest disrupted network dynamics in MCI. These results contribute to the knowledge on the neural correlates of MCI and have implications for the development of targeted interventions. Early detection and intervention based on these neural markers may improve prognosis and potentially delay the progression to dementia. Further research is warranted to validate these findings and explore their clinical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Pathological responses can occur in the aftermath of traumatic experiences, alongside positive changes in levels of functioning, such as Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG). Neurocognitive flexibility involves the adaptive restructuring of information in response to changing conditions. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential impact of neurocognitive flexibility on PTG. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and PTG are examined together. Method: A total of 96 participants of had a traffic accident, consisting of 43 individuals with a diagnosis of PTSD and 53 without a diagnosis of PTSD, participated in the study. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5, Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, Sociodemographic and Trauma-Related Characteristics Data Form, Life Events Checklist for DSM-5, PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 42, Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, Stroop Test, Trail Making Test, and Category Fluency Test were used as assessment tools. Results: According to correlation analyses, weak significant relationships were found between the PTG inventory subdimension of changes in life philosophy and neurocognitive flexibility scores. Statistically significant relationships were found between PTSD and neurocognitive flexibility scores. However, no significant relationship was found between PTSD and PTG. Linear regression analyses revealed a trend between PTG inventory and Category Fluency scores. Discussion: This study is the first in Turkey to examine the relationship between PTG and neurocognitive flexibility using neuropsychological tests. Including tests that measure neurocognitive flexibility in future studies with a larger sample size could yield more specific and robust findings. Investigating the impact of neurocognitive flexibility is theoretically important for understanding the cognitive variables that affect PTG and can help plan psychological interventions that encompass neurocognitive flexibility. This study was presented as a Poster Presentation at the 21st National Neuroscience Congress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]