Functional connectivity of basal nucleus of Meynert, locus coeruleus and ventral tegmental area in MCI and mild dementia in Alzheimer’s disease

Cholinergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic dysfunction plays an important role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Basal nucleus of Meynert (BNM), locus coeruleus (LC) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) are its main producer nuclei, respectively. Neuropathological studies have shown that structural changes are present in these areas from the beginning of the disease. As such, we aim to identify changes in the functional connectivity (FC) from these nuclei in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia (DA) in AD, compared with healthy controls (HCs).