Functional Brain Connectivity Patterns Associated with Visual Hallucinations in Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Abstract

Copyright © 2021 – The authors. Background: The presence of recurrent, complex visual hallucinations (VH) is among the core clinical features of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). It has been proposed that VH arise from a disrupted organization of functional brain networks. However, studies are still limited, especially investigating the resting-state functional brain features underpinning VH in patients with dementia.

Objective: The aim of the present pilot study was to investigate whether there were any alterations in functional connectivity associated with VH in DLB.

Methods: Seed-based analyses and independent component analysis (ICA) of resting-state fMRI scans were carried out to explore differences in functional connectivity between DLB patients with and without VH.

Results: Seed-based analyses reported decreased connectivity of the lateral geniculate nucleus, the superior parietal lobule and the putamen with the medial frontal gyrus in DLB patients with VH. Visual areas showed a pattern of both decreased and increased functional connectivity. ICA revealed between-group differences in the default mode network (DMN).

Conclusion: Functional connectivity analyses suggest dysfunctional top-down and bottom-up processes and DMN-related alterations in DLB patients with VH. This impairment might foster the generation of false visual images that are misinterpreted, ultimately resulting in VH.