Abstract
The objective of the study was to observe brain function changes in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Hypopnoea Syndrome (OSAHS) patients at high altitude. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in patients with OSAHS was assessed using regional homogeneity (ReHo), amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and functional connectivity (FC). In this study, 36 male patients with OSAHS and 38 healthy male subjects were recruited from high-altitude areas, specifically, altitudes of 2,000–3,000 m. OSAHS was diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG). The blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals of OSAHS patients and healthy controls in the resting state were obtained and compared using ReHo, ALFF and FC methods. The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) was selected as the seed region in the comparison of FC between the two groups. Compared with the healthy control group, multiple brain functions in the OSAHS patient group were different. There were correlations between the brain function values of some brain regions and demographic data. We also found that in contrast to earlier findings with individuals in plains areas, the brain function at the frontal lobe and the precuneus were higher in OSAHS patients, and the PCC showed higher FC with the left caudate, which may be due to the high-altitude hypoxic environment.
Highlights
The objective of the study was to observe brain function changes in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Hypopnoea Syndrome (OSAHS) patients at high altitude
Rs-fMRI uses the spontaneous blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal fluctuations acquired in the absence of a stimulus or a task, and can be exploited by measuring changes in Regional homogeneity (ReHo), amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and
Hypoxia caused by OSAHS and increased by high altitude could be linked to vascular, metabolic and perhaps anatomic changes and may, at a long time scale, affect brain oxygenation and able to modify resting state functions and connectivity. These changes are inter-related and complex, the aim of this study is to investigate and describe the changes in BOLD-related brain activity occurring in OSAHS patients compared to controls, both at high altitude
Summary
The objective of the study was to observe brain function changes in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Hypopnoea Syndrome (OSAHS) patients at high altitude. The blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals of OSAHS patients and healthy controls in the resting state were obtained and compared using ReHo, ALFF and FC methods. There are no data on the study of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in OSAHS patients at high altitude. The combination of the blood magnetic contributions in activated regions lead to a reduction of T2* relaxation time and a decreased MR s ignal[12] This signal difference, named the BOLD s ignal[12], can be picked up and exploited to infer neuronal activation via a vascular phenomenon (neuro-vascular coupling). Brain regions OSAHS > control Superior frontal gyrus_L Anterior cingulate_R Parahippocampus_L Postcentral gyrus_R Hippocampus_R Precuneus_R OSAHS < control Cuneus_L Precuneus_L
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