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Zhang X, Liang C, Wang N, Wang Y, Gao Y, Sui C, Xin H, Feng M, Guo L, Wen H. Abnormal whole-brain voxelwise structure-function coupling and its association with cognitive dysfunction in patients with different cerebral small vessel disease burdens. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1148738. [PMID: 37455935 PMCID: PMC10347527 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1148738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a universal neurological disorder in older adults that occurs in connection with cognitive dysfunction and is a chief risk factor for dementia and stroke. While whole-brain voxelwise structural and functional abnormalities in CSVD have been heavily explored, the degree of structure-function coupling abnormality possible in patients with different CSVD burdens remains largely unknown. This study included 53 patients with severe CSVD burden (CSVD-s), 108 patients with mild CSVD burden (CSVD-m) and 76 healthy controls. A voxelwise coupling metric of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to research the important differences in whole-brain structure-function coupling among groups. The correlations between ALFF/VBM decoupling and cognitive parameters in CSVD patients were then investigated. We found that compared with healthy controls, CSVD-s patients presented notably decreased ALFF/VBM coupling in the bilateral caudate nuclei and increased coupling in the right inferior temporal gyrus (ITG). In addition, compared with the CSVD-m group, the CSVD-s group demonstrated significantly decreased coupling in the bilateral caudate nuclei, right putamen and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and increased coupling in the left middle frontal gyrus and medial superior frontal gyrus. Notably, the ALFF/VBM decoupling values in the caudate, IFG and ITG not only showed significant correlations with attention and executive functions in CSVD patients but also prominently distinguished CSVD-s patients from CSVD-m patients and healthy controls in receiver operating characteristic curve research. Our discoveries demonstrated that decreased ALFF/VBM coupling in the basal ganglia and increased coupling in the frontotemporal lobes were connected with more severe burden and worse cognitive decline in CSVD patients. ALFF/VBM coupling might serve as a novel effective neuroimaging biomarker of CSVD burden and provide new insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of the clinical development of CSVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Glucose and Lipids Metabolism and Brain Aging, Ministry of Education, Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Changhu Liang
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Glucose and Lipids Metabolism and Brain Aging, Ministry of Education, Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Na Wang
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Glucose and Lipids Metabolism and Brain Aging, Ministry of Education, Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- Department of Medical Imaging, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Yian Gao
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Glucose and Lipids Metabolism and Brain Aging, Ministry of Education, Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Chaofan Sui
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Glucose and Lipids Metabolism and Brain Aging, Ministry of Education, Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Haotian Xin
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Mengmeng Feng
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Lingfei Guo
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Glucose and Lipids Metabolism and Brain Aging, Ministry of Education, Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Hongwei Wen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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Abstract
PURPOSE To examine spatiotemporal dynamics of low frequency fluctuations in rat cortex. MATERIALS AND METHODS Gradient-echo echo-planar imaging images were acquired from anesthetized rats (repetition time = 100 ms). Power spectral analysis was performed to detect different frequency peaks. Functional connectivity maps were obtained for the frequency peaks of interest. The images in the filtered time-series were displayed as a movie to study spatiotemporal patterns in the data for frequency bands of interest. RESULTS High temporal and spectral resolution allowed separation of primary components of physiological noise and visualization of spectral details. Two low frequency peaks with distinct characteristics were observed. Selective visualization of the second low frequency peak revealed waves of activity that typically began in the secondary somatosensory cortex and propagated to the primary motor cortex. CONCLUSION To date, analysis of these fluctuations has focused on the detection of functional networks assuming steady state conditions. These results suggest that detailed examination of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the low frequency fluctuations may provide more insight into brain function, and add a new perspective to the analysis of resting state fMRI data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waqas Majeed
- Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Biomedical Engineering, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Abstract
Much of the rising health care costs in aging populations can be attributed to congenital disease and psychiatric and neurologic disorders. Early detection of changes related to these diseases can promote the development of new therapeutic strategies and effective treatments. Changes in tissue, such as damage resulting from continued functional abnormality, often exhibit a time-delay before detection is possible. Methods for detecting functional alterations in endogenous brain fluctuations allow for an early diagnosis before tissue damage occurs, enabling early treatment and a more likely positive outcome. A literature review and comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge about endogenous brain fluctuations is presented here. Recent findings of the association between various pathological conditions and endogenous fluctuations are discussed. A particular emphasis is placed on research showing the relationship between clinical measures and pathological findings to the dynamics of endogenous fluctuations of the brain. Recent discoveries of methods for detecting abnormal functional connectivity are discussed and future research directions explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vesa Kiviniemi
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
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