Resting-state MRI functional connectivity as a neural correlate of multidomain lifestyle adherence in older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Ai Meishan , Morris Timothy P. , Zhang Jiahe , de la Colina Adrián Noriega , Tremblay-Mercier Jennifer , Villeneuve Sylvia , Whitfield-Gabrieli Susan , Kramer Arthur F. , Geddes Maiya R. ,   for the PREVENT-AD Research Group, Aisen Paul , Anthal Elena , Appleby Melissa , Bellec Pierre , Benbouhoud Fatiha , Bohbot Véronique , Brandt Jason , Breitner John C. S. , Brunelle Céline , Chakravarty Mallar , Cheewakriengkrai Laksanun , Collins Louis , Couture Doris , Craft Suzanne , Dadar Mahsa , Daoust Leslie-Ann , Das Samir , Dauar-Tedeschi Marina , Dea Doris , Desrochers Nicole , Dubuc Sylvie , Duclair Guerda , Dufour Marianne , Eisenberg Mark , El-Khoury Rana , Etienne Pierre , Evans Alan , Faubert Anne-Marie , Ferdinand Fabiola , Fonov Vladimir , Fontaine David , Francoeur Renaud , Frenette Joanne , Gagné Guylaine , Gauthier Serge , Gervais Valérie , Giles Renuka , Gonneaud Julie , Gordon Renee , Greco Claudia , Hoge Rick , Hudon Louise , Ituria-Medina Yasser , Kat Justin , Kazazian Christina , Kligman Stephanie , Kostopoulos Penelope , Labonté Anne , Lafaille-Magnan Marie-Elyse , Lee Tanya , Leoutsakos Jeannie-Marie , Leppert Illana , Madjar Cécile , Mahar Laura , Maltais Jean-Robert , Mathieu Axel , Mathotaarachchi Sulantha , Mayrand Ginette , McSweeney Melissa , Meyer Pierre-François , Michaud Diane , Miron Justin , Morris John C. , Multhaup Gerhard , Münter Lisa-Marie , Nair Vasavan , Near Jamie , Newbold-Fox Holly , Nilsson Nathalie , Pagé Véronique , Pascoal Tharick A. , Petkova Mirela , Picard Cynthia , Binette Alexa Pichet , Pogossova Galina , Poirier Judes , Rajah Natasha , Remz Jordana , Rioux Pierre , Rosa-Neto Pedro , Sager Mark A. , Saint-Fort Eunice Farah , Savard Mélissa , Soucy Jean-Paul , Sperling Reisa A. , Spreng Nathan , St-Onge Frederic , Tardif Christine , Théroux Louise , Thomas Ronald G. , Toussaint Paule-Joanne , Tuwaig Miranda , Vachon-Presseau Etienne , Vallée Isabelle , Venugopalan Vinod , Wan Karen , Wang Seqian 
Published: May 2023

Prior research has demonstrated the importance of a healthy lifestyle to protect brain health and diminish dementia risk in later life. While a multidomain lifestyle provides an ecological perspective to voluntary engagement, its association with brain health is still under-investigated. Therefore, understanding the neural mechanisms underlying multidomain lifestyle engagement, particularly in older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), gives valuable insights into providing lifestyle advice and intervention for those in need. The current study included 139 healthy older adults with familial risk for AD from the Prevent-AD longitudinal aging cohort. Self-reported exercise engagement, cognitive activity engagement, healthy diet adherence, and social activity engagement were included to examine potential phenotypes of an individual’s lifestyle adherence. Two adherence profiles were discovered using data-driven clustering methodology [i.e., Adherence to healthy lifestyle (AL) group and Non-adherence to healthy lifestyle group]. Resting-state functional connectivity matrices and grey matter brain features obtained from magnetic resonance imaging were used to classify the two groups using a support vector machine (SVM). The SVM classifier was 75% accurate in separating groups. The features that show consistently high importance to the classification model were functional connectivity mainly between nodes located in different prior-defined functional networks. Most nodes were located in the default mode network, dorsal attention network, and visual network. Our results provide preliminary evidence of neurobiological characteristics underlying multidomain healthy lifestyle choices.