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Huang Z, Xia X, Guan S, Gong G, Luo Y, Shi L, Zhang J, Meng X. Neuroimaging anomalies in asymptomatic middle cerebral artery steno-occlusive disease with normal-appearing white matter. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1206786. [PMID: 37693758 PMCID: PMC10484479 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1206786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Asymptomatic chronic cerebrovascular steno-occlusive disease is common, but the cognitive function and alterations in the brain's structural and functional profiles have not been well studied. This study aimed to reveal whether and how patients with asymptomatic middle cerebral artery (MCA) steno-occlusive disease and normal-appearing white matter differ in brain structural and functional profiles from normal controls and their correlations with cognitive function. Methods In all, 26 patients with asymptomatic MCA steno-occlusive disease and 22 healthy controls were compared for neurobehavioral assessments, brain volume, cortical thickness, fiber connectivity density (FiCD) value, and resting-state functional connectivity (FC) using multimodal MRI. We also investigated the associations between abnormal cortical thicknesses, FiCD values, and functional connectivities with the neurobehavioral assessments. Results Patients performed worse on memory tasks (Auditory Verbal Learning Test-Huashan version) compared with healthy controls. Patients were divided into two groups: the right group (patients with right MCA steno-occlusive disease) and the left group (patients with left MCA steno-occlusive disease). The left group showed significant cortical thinning in the left superior parietal lobule, while the right group showed significant cortical thinning in the right superior parietal lobule and caudal portion of the right middle frontal gyrus. Increased FiCD values in the superior frontal region of the left hemisphere were observed in the left group. In addition, a set of interhemispheric and intrahemispheric FC showed a significant decrease or increase in both the left and right groups. Many functional connectivity profiles were positively correlated with cognitive scores. No correlation was found between cortical thickness, FiCD values, and cognitive scores. Conclusion Even if the patients with MCA steno-occlusive disease were asymptomatic and had normal-appearing white matter, their cognitive function and structural and functional profiles had changed, especially the FC. Alterations in FC may be an important mechanism underlying the neurodegenerative process in patients with asymptomatic MCA steno-occlusive disease before structural changes occur, so FC assessment may promote the detection of network alterations, which may be used as a biomarker of disease progression and therapeutic efficacy evaluation in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaodi Huang
- Department of Radiology, Qilu Hospital (Qingdao), Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiaona Xia
- Department of Radiology, Qilu Hospital (Qingdao), Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Shuai Guan
- Department of Radiology, Qilu Hospital (Qingdao), Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Gaolang Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yishan Luo
- BrainNow Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Lin Shi
- BrainNow Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Juntao Zhang
- GE Healthcare, Precision Health Institution, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiangshui Meng
- Department of Radiology, Qilu Hospital (Qingdao), Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
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Demir A, Rosas HD. Exploring interhemispheric connectivity using the directional tract density patterns of the corpus callosum. NEUROIMAGE. REPORTS 2023; 3:100174. [PMID: 37388455 PMCID: PMC10310067 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2023.100174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
The corpus callosum (CC) is one of the most important interhemispheric white matter tracts that connects interrelated regions of the cerebral cortex. Its disruption has been investigated in previous studies and has been found to play an important role in several neurodegenerative disorders. Currently available methods to assess the interhemispheric connectivity of the CC have several limitations: i) they require the a priori identification of specific cortical regions as targets or seeds, ii) they are limited by the characterization of only small components of the structure, primarily voxels that constitute the mid-sagittal slice, and iii) they use global measures of microstructural integrity, which provide only limited characterization. In order to address some of these limitations, we developed a novel method that enables the characterization of white matter tracts covering the structure of CC, from the mid-sagittal plane to corresponding regions of cortex, using directional tract density patterns (dTDPs). We demonstrate that different regions of CC have distinctive dTDPs that reflect a unique regional topology. We conducted a pilot study using this approach to evaluate two different datasets collected from healthy subjects, and we demonstrate that this method is reliable, reproducible, and independent of diffusion acquisition parameters, suggesting its potential applicability to clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Demir
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - H. Diana Rosas
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
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Liu K, Wang X, Zhang T, Wang W, Li R, Lu L, Deng Y, Xu K, Kwok T. Cortical Short-Range Fiber Connectivity and Its Association With Deep Brain White Matter Hyperintensities in Older Diabetic People With Low Serum Vitamin B12. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:754997. [PMID: 35401148 PMCID: PMC8990772 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.754997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although previous studies have indicated that older people with diabetes mellitus (DM) had an approximately two times larger white matter hyperintensity (WMH) load than those without DM, the influence of WMHs on cognition is uncertain and inconsistent in the literature. It is unclear whether the short-range fibers in the juxtacortical region, traditionally considered to be spared from WMH pathology, are enhanced as an adaptive response to deep WM degeneration in older diabetic people with normal cognition. Moreover, the specific effect of vitamin B12 deficiency, commonly accompanied by DM, remains to be investigated. This study implemented a specialized analysis of the superficial cortical short-range fiber connectivity density (SFiCD) based on a data-driven framework in 70 older individuals with DM and low serum vitamin B12. Moreover, the effects of time and vitamin B12 supplementation were assessed based on a randomized placebo-controlled trial in 59 individuals. The results demonstrated a higher SFiCD in diabetic individuals with a higher deep WMH load. Additionally, a significant interaction between DWMH load and homocysteine on SFiCD was found. During the 27-month follow-up period, a longitudinal increase in the SFiCD was observed in the bilateral frontal cortices. However, the observed longitudinal SFiCD change was not dependent on vitamin B12 supplementation; thus, the specific reason for the longitudinal cortical short fiber densification may need further study. Overall, these findings may help us better understand the neurobiology of brain plasticity in older patients with DM, as well as the interplay among DM, WMH, and vitamin B12 deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Liu
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Xiaopeng Wang
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Teng Zhang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET-CT Center, The Second Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Ruohan Li
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Li Lu
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Yanjia Deng
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yanjia Deng,
| | - Kai Xu
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
- Kai Xu,
| | - Timothy Kwok
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Ma C, Jiang X, Ren Y, Gu G, Fu A, Wang C, Bai P, Zhou T, Qin S, Fu S. Fiber connectivity density mapping in end-stage renal disease patients: a preliminary study. Brain Imaging Behav 2022; 16:1314-1323. [PMID: 35000065 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-021-00604-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Abnormal brain structural connectivity of end-stage renal disease(ESRD) is associated with cognitive impairment. However, the characteristics of cortical structural connectivity have not been investigated in ESRD patients. Here, we study structural connectivity of the entire cerebral cortex using a fiber connectivity density(FiCD) mapping method derived from diffusion tensor imaging(DTI) data of 25 ESRD patients and 20 healthy controls, and between-group differences were compared in a vertexwise manner. We also investigated the associations between these abnormal cortical connectivities and the clinical variables using Pearson correlation analysis and multifactor linear regression analysis. Our results demonstrated that the mean global FiCD value was significantly decreased in ESRD patients. Notably, FiCD values were significantly changed(decreased or increased) in certain cortical regions, which mainly involved the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC), inferior parietal cortex, lateral temporal cortex and middle occipital cortex. In ESRD patients, we found a trend of negative correlation between the increased FiCD values of bilateral middle frontal gyrus and serum creatinine, urea, parathyroid hormone(PTH) levels and dialysis duration. Only the white matter hyperintensity(WMH) scores were significantly negatively correlated with the global FiCD value in multifactor regression analysis. Our results suggested that ESRD patients exhibited extensive impaired cortical structural connectivity, which was related to the severity of WMHs. A compensation mechanism of cortical structural recombination may play a role in how the brain adapts to maintain optimal network function. Additionally, the serum creatinine, urea and PTH levels may be risk factors for brain structural network decompensation in ESRD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Ma
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Xinghai Jiang
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention, West Coast New District, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Yande Ren
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
| | - Gaojie Gu
- College of Electronic Information Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Airong Fu
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, West Coast New District Central Hospital, Qingdao, Shangdong, China
| | - Chengjian Wang
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Peirui Bai
- College of Electronic Information Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Tong Zhou
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Shanshan Qin
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Shengli Fu
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
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Liu C, Shi L, Zhu W, Yang S, Sun P, Qin Y, Tang X, Zhang S, Yao Y, Wang Z, Zhu W, Wang D. Fiber Connectivity Density in Cerebral Small-Vessel Disease Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Cerebral Small-Vessel Disease Patients With Normal Cognition. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:83. [PMID: 32116526 PMCID: PMC7028684 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Abnormal structural connectivity of cerebral small-vessel disease (CSVD) is associated with cognitive impairment. But the different characteristics of structural connectivity have not been elucidated in early CSVD patients. The current study aimed to investigate the potential differences of structural connectivity in CSVD patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and CSVD patients with normal cognition. Twenty-two CSVD patients with MCI, 34 CSVD patients with normal cognition, and 35 controls, who were age, sex, and education matched underwent diffusion tensor imaging and high resolution T1-weighted imaging. Clinical characteristics, lacunar infarct volume, white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, and global atrophy were quantitatively evaluated. Maps of fiber connectivity density (FiCD) were constructed and compared across groups in vertex levels. Pearson correlation was used to estimate the imaging–clinical relationships with control of general characteristics. CSVD patients with MCI had higher lesion load of WMH and lacunar infarcts, and correspondingly lower global FiCD value than CSVD patients with normal cognition (P < 0.01). Lacunar infarct (r = −0.318, P < 0.01) and WMH (r = −0.400, P < 0.01), but not global atrophy, age, or sex, were significantly correlated with the global FiCD value. CSVD patients with normal cognition showed decreased FiCD value mainly in the prefrontal areas (P < 0.01 with Monte Carlo correction). Compared with CSVD patients with normal cognition, CSVD patients with MCI showed significantly decreased FiCD value in enlarged frontal and parietal areas (P < 0.01 with Monte Carlo correction). Inter-group comparisons showed regional enhanced impairment of connectivity density in CSVD patients with MCI in the left superior frontal gyrus, the left precuneus, and the orbital part of the right inferior frontal gyrus (P < 0.01 with Monte Carlo correction). Regional FiCD value of frontal and parietal areas was associated with the cognitive function (P < 0.01). In conclusion, cognitively normal CSVD patients already have disruptions of structural connectivity. The extent and intensity of connectivity disruptions in frontal and parietal areas may underlie the mechanism of cognitive impairment in CSVD. Fiber connectivity density measurements may be helpful for quantitative description of structural cortical connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengxia Liu
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lin Shi
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wenhao Zhu
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shiqi Yang
- Xianning Central Hospital, Xianning, China
| | - Pan Sun
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuanyuan Qin
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiangyu Tang
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shun Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yihao Yao
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhenxiong Wang
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenzhen Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Defeng Wang
- Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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