Alterations in Corticocortical Vestibular Network Functional Connectivity Are Associated with Decreased Balance Ability in Elderly Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment

The corticocortical vestibular network (CVN) plays an important role in maintaining balance and stability. In order to clarify the specific relationship between the CVN and the balance ability of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), we recruited 30 MCI patients in the community. According to age and sex, they were 1:1 matched to 30 older adults with normal cognitive function. We evaluated balance ability and performed MRI scanning in the two groups of participants. We analyzed functional connectivity within the CVN based on the region of interest. Then, we performed a Pearson correlation analysis between the functional connection and the Berg Balance Scale scores. The research results show that compared with the control group, there were three pairs of functional connections (hMST_R–Premotor_R, PFcm_R–SMA_L, and hMST_L–VIP_R) that were significantly decreased in the CVNs of the MCI group (p < 0.05). Further correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between hMST_R–Premotor_R functional connectivity and BBS score (r = 0.364, p = 0.004). The decline in balance ability and increase in fall risk in patients with MCI may be closely related to the change in the internal connection mode of the corticocortical vestibular network.