Title: Topological Signatures of Alzheimer’s: Investigating Functional Connectivity with Permutation Testing
Speaker: Luopeiwen (Tina) Yi, Kian Bagherlee
Abstract:
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is marked by progressive disruptions in brain network organization, yet identifying early, non-invasive biomarkers remains a critical challenge. This talk explores how topological data analysis (TDA)—a powerful framework for capturing the shape and structure of complex networks—can be applied to both Functional Connectivity (FC) and Dynamic Functional Connectivity (dFC) to better understand the brain’s evolving communication patterns. By leveraging permutation testing, a robust, assumption-free statistical method, this study evaluates whether topological features of FC and dFC differ significantly across stages of Alzheimer’s progression.
The findings highlight the crucial role of temporal dynamics in brain connectivity, revealing significant topological differences in dynamic functional connectivity between specific cognitive and sex groups. These results underscore the potential of TDA-informed approaches to uncover early biomarkers of AD and provide deeper insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of the disease.
