Research Progress of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Brain Functional Connectivity of Subjective Cognitive Decline, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease

主观认知下降(SCD)和轻度认知障碍(MCI)作为阿尔茨海默病(AD)的临床前驱阶段，均表现为认知功能的减退。在出现显著的AD临床症状之前，大脑的病理改变已在此阶段悄然发生并持续进展。功能连接是静息态功能磁共振研究方法之一，为AD早期诊断提供新视角。该方法通过分析大脑中距离较远的神经生理事件的时间相关性，揭示脑网络的微观变化，有助于探究其神经效应机制。中医可改善认知功能。本文系统综述近年来SCD、MCI和AD及中医对这些疾病在脑功能连接研究方面的进展。通过探讨脑功能连接分析法在研究这些疾病过程中的变化，为提高阿尔茨海默病前驱期诊断的准确性及评估中医治疗效果提供参考。Both subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as clinical prodromal stages of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), are characterized by progressive cognitive decline. Before the emergence of significant clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), pathological changes in the brain have already quietly occurred and continued to progress during this stage. Functional connectivity, one of the methods in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies, offers a new perspective for the early diagnosis of AD by analyzing the temporal correlations of neurophysiological events in distant brain regions, thereby revealing subtle changes in brain networks and helping to explore the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has shown potential in improving cognitive function. This article provides a systematic review of the recent progress in research on subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD, as well as the role of TCM in brain functional connectivity studies related to these conditions. By investigating the changes in brain functional connectivity in the context of these diseases, this review aims to provide a reference for improving the accuracy of diagnosis in the prodromal stages of Alzheimer’s disease and for evaluating the therapeutic effects of TCM.