INTRODUCTION
dementia, MCI, cognitive impairment
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate stage between normal aging and dementia characterized by cognitive impairment according to age and education but with intact activities of daily living [Expressive art program (EAP), a promising nonpharmacologic intervention integrating ≥2 art modalities, including painting, collage, sculpting, storytelling, dance, music, theatre, and others, is an integrated and multi-oriented art treatment [Studies have shown the positive effects of EAP on behavioral outcomes in patients with MCI [In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of a remote expressive arts program (rEAP) on cognitive performance in patients with MCI and explore the neuroimaging mechanism of rEAP. In addition to testing the performance of neuropsychological scales in patients with MCI, we tested whether the ReHo value of patients with MCI was affected after an intervention. Furthermore, we picked the PCC and ventromedial PFC (vmPFC) as target regions to analyze whether rEAP affects the FC. We hypothesized that 1) rEAP could enhance the cognitive function of patients with MCI, 2) the change in ReHo value is related to the change in cognitive function of patients with MCI, and 3) the FC of the two regions of the PCC and vmPFC will increase and be related to cognitive changes. However, it is impossible to predict the specific brain regions and patterns of changes in the ReHo value because the ReHo does not need an a priori hypothesis.