Relation between cognitive impairment and brain regional homogeneity in patients with end-stage renal disease

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the abnormal alters of regional homogeneity (ReHo) in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) by resting functional-MR imaging (rs-fMRI), and explore its relation with cognitive impairment (CI). Methods A total of 52 patients with ESRD, admitted to our hospital from June 2017 to July 2018, and 36 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled. All subjects completed rs-fMRI. ReHo analysis method was used to analyze the synchronism of regional spontaneous activity between the two groups. Mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), digital symbol conversion test and trail marking test were employed to perform neuropsychological evaluations. The relation of ReHo value with neuropsychological evaluation results was analyzed. Results As compared with the healthy control group, the ESRD group exhibited significantly lower ReHo values of bilateral inferior orbital frontal gyrus, bilateral central anterior gyrus, left medial superior frontal gyrus, left medial temporal gyrus, right temporal gyrus, right cerebral island, and right lingual gyrus (P<0.05). No brain region with increased ReHo values was detected. Bivariate correlation analysis suggested that ReHo values were positively correlated with MoCA scores in right inferior orbital frontal gyrus (r=0.479, P=0.000), left medial superior frontal gyrus (r=0.433, P=0.000), and right cerebral island (r=0.292, P=0.035). Conclusion The decrease of ReHo value in the frontal lobe and insula lobe of ESRD patients is associated with CI. Key words: End stage renal disease; Resting functional MR imaging; Cognitive function; Regional homogeneity