Cited by 7Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchFunctional Brain Connectivity StudiesNeural dynamics and brain function

Exploration of working memory retrieval stage for mild cognitive impairment: time-varying causality analysis of electroencephalogram based on dynamic brain networks

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Jiang, Yi, Guo, Zhiwei, Zhou, Xiaobo, Jiang, Ning, He, Jiayuan·2025·Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is an intermediate stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Its management is crucial for it helps intervene and slow the progression of cognitive decline to AD. However, the understanding of the MCI mechanism is not completely clear. As working memory (WM) damage is a common symptom of MCI, this study focused on the core stage of WM, i.e., the memory retrieval stage, to investigate information processing and the causality relationships among brain regions based on electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. METHOD: 21 MCI and 20 normal cognitive control (NC) participants were recruited. The delayed matching sample paradigm with two different loads was employed to evaluate their WM functions. A time-varying network based on the Adaptive transfer function (ADTF) was constructed on the EEG of the memory retrieval trials.to perform the dynamic brain network analysis. RESULTS: Our results showed that: (a) Behavioral data analysis: there were significant differences in accuracy and accuracy / reaction time between MCI and NC in tasks with memory load capacity of low load-four and high load-six, especially in tasks with memory load capacity of four. (b) Dynamic brain network analysis: there were significant differences in the dynamic changes of brain network patterns between the two groups during the memory retrieval stage of the WM task. Specifically, in low load WM tasks, the dynamic brain network changes of NC were more regular to accommodate for efficient information processing, with important core nodes showing a transition from bottom to up, while MCI did not display a regular dynamic brain network pattern. Further, the brain functional areas associated with low load WM disorders were mainly located in the left prefrontal lobe (FC1) and right occipital lobe (PO8). Compared with low load WM task, during the high load WM task, the dynamic brain network changes of NC during the memory retrieval stage were regular, and the core nodes exhibited a consistent transition phenomenon from up to bottom to up, which were not observed in MCI. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioral data in the low load WM task paradigm and abnormal electrophysiological signals in the left prefrontal (FC1) and right occipital lobes (PO8) could be used for MCI diagnosis. This is the first time based on large-scale dynamic network methods to investigate the dynamic network patterns of MCI memory retrieval stages under different load WM tasks, providing a new perspective on the neural mechanisms of WM deficits in MCI patients and providing some reference for the clinical intervention treatment of MCI-WM memory disorders.

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  • Working memory impairment is prevalent across neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions and is among the most sensitive early indicators of cognitive function decline, with links to everyday functional limitations and reduced quality of life.

    “Working memory impairment is prevalent across neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions and is among the most sensitive early indicators of cognitive function decline, with clear links to everyday functional limitations and reduced quality of life10–13.”

    From Meta-analysis of computerised working memory training: behavioural gains, training parameters, transfer mechanisms, and neural correlates (2026) · cites this paper as [11]

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  1. [28]Gevins A, Smith ME, McEvoy L, Yu D. High-resolution EEG mapping of cortical activation related to working memory: effects of task difficulty, type of processing, and practice. Cerebral cortex (New York, NY: 1991) 1997, 7(4):374-385.10.1093/cercor/7.4.374. 9177767 · DOI · Paper page
  2. [51]Fali L, Wenjing P, Yuanling J, Limeng S, Yuanyuan L, Chanlin Y, Luyan Z, Yajing S, Tao Z, Fei W et al. The Dynamic Brain Networks of Motor Imagery: Time-Varying Causality Analysis of Scalp EEG. Int J Neural Syst: 2018, 29(1).10.1142/s0129065718500168. 29793372 · DOI
  3. [79]Pengyun W, Rui L, Jing Y, Zirui H, Juan L. Frequency-Dependent Brain Regional Homogeneity Alterations in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment during Working Memory State Relative to Resting State. Front Aging Neurosci 2016, 8(0).10.3389/fnagi.2016.00060. PMC4805610 27047375 · DOI

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Authors
Jiang, Y., Guo, Z., Zhou, X., Jiang, N., & He, J.
Affiliations
  • Sichuan University (CN)
  • The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (US)
Corresponding author
  • Jiang, Ning
  • He, Jiayuan
Venue
Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation
Published
2025-03-13
Volume
22
Issue
1
Pages
58-58
ISSN
1743-0003 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4408418518
Cited by
7
References
83
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 2
FWCI
4.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Commons-TMC (Texas Medical Center) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (YJ202373)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
Keywords
mild cognitive impairment, working memory, memory retrieval, dynamic brain networks, time-varying causality, EEG, delayed matching-to-sample, memory load, prefrontal cortex, occipital lobe, Alzheimer's disease, MCI diagnosis, cognitive decline, top-down and bottom-up processing, network modularity
MeSH terms
Aged, Brain, Electroencephalography, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Middle Aged, Nerve Net, Neuropsychological Tests, Reaction Time, Mental Recall, Cognitive Dysfunction

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