Abstract
Leukoaraiosis (LA) is associated with cognitive impairment in the older people which can be demonstrated in functional connectivity (FC) based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). This study is to explore the FC changes in LA patients with different cognitive status by three network models. Fifty-three patients with LA were divided into three groups: the normal cognition (LA-NC; n = 14, six males), mild cognitive impairment (LA-MCI; n = 27, 13 males), and vascular dementia (LA-VD; n = 12, six males), according to the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). The three groups and 30 matched healthy controls (HCs; 11 males) underwent rs-fMRI. The data of rs-fMRI were analyzed by independent components analysis (ICA) and region of interest (ROI) analysis by the REST toolbox. Then the FC was respectively analyzed by the default-mode network (DMN), salience networks (SNs) and the central executive network (CEN) with their results compared among the different groups. For inter-brain network analysis, there were negative FC between the SN and DMN in LA groups, and the FC decreased when compared with HC group. While there were enhanced inter-brain network FC between the SN and CEN as well as within the SN. The FC in patients with LA can be detected by different network models of rs-fMRI. The multi-model analysis is helpful for the further understanding of the cognitive changes in those patients.
Highlights
Leukoaraiosis (LA), called white matter hyperintensities (WMH), was described as multifocal or diffuse periventricular or subcortical hyperintensity lesions of varying sizes (Hachinski et al, 1987)
A total of 53 LA patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs) were included in all the analyses
We found significant connectivity differences in the bilateral dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC), bilateral ventrolateral PFC, bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA), and bilateral inferior parietal lobe (IPL) among the four groups (Figures 8, 9)
Summary
Leukoaraiosis (LA), called white matter hyperintensities (WMH), was described as multifocal or diffuse periventricular or subcortical hyperintensity lesions of varying sizes (Hachinski et al, 1987). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), including functional connectivity (FC), has been used in cognitive impairments (He et al, 2014; Cheng et al, 2017). FC has been identified as some robust intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs), such as the default-mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN) and salience network (SN; Seeley et al, 2007; Menon and Uddin, 2010; Menon, 2011; Chand et al, 2017). A triple network model made by DMN, CEN and SN has shown an explanatory power for psychiatric and neurological diseases (Seeley et al, 2007; Menon, 2011; Chand and Dhamala, 2016)
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