Altered functional connectivity associated with cognitive impairment in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

Yang Yang; Qianyun Rui; Xiaojuan Wu; Xiang Chen; Shuting Han; Yan Yang; Xiaoyuan Wang; Peng Wu; Hui Dai; Qun Xue; Yonggang Li

doi:10.1016/j.msard.2022.104113

Altered functional connectivity associated with cognitive impairment in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2022 Dec:68:104113. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2022.104113. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Authors

Yang Yang¹, Qianyun Rui², Xiaojuan Wu¹, Xiang Chen¹, Shuting Han¹, Yan Yang², Xiaoyuan Wang², Peng Wu³, Hui Dai⁴, Qun Xue⁵, Yonggang Li⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China.
² Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China.
³ Philips Healthcare, Shanghai 200072, China.
⁴ Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China; Institute of Medical Imaging, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China. Electronic address: huizi198208@126.com.
⁵ Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China; Clinical Research Center of Neurology, Jiangsu Institute of Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China. Electronic address: qxue_sz@163.com.
⁶ Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215000, China; Institute of Medical Imaging, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China. Electronic address: liyonggang224@163.com.

PMID: 35987110
DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2022.104113

Abstract

Background: Cognitive impairment is one of the common symptoms in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) offers the opportunity to reveal the patterns of brain activity in patients with different cognitive states. Accordingly, this study investigated functional connectivity (FC) abnormalities within and between the main cognitive networks in cognitively impaired (CI) patients with NMOSD and their correlations with cognitive performance.

Methods: Thirty-four patients with NMOSD and 39 healthy controls (HC) were included. Neuropsychological evaluations and rs-fMRI scanning were performed. Patients were classified as CI (n = 16) or cognitively preserved (CP; n = 18) according to neuropsychological evaluations. Seven components representing six main cognitive networks were selected by group independent component analysis. The differences in inter- and intranetwork FC among CI, CP, and HC groups were assessed. The correlation between FC values and neuropsychological data in NMOSD was calculated.

Results: The CI group showed decreased intranetwork connectivity in the posterior default mode network (pDMN) compared with the HC group (P < 0.05, GRF corrected), and decreased internetwork connectivity between the salience network (SN) and pDMN, and between the SN and right frontoparietal network (rFPN) compared with CP and HC groups. The altered FC values were significantly correlated with cognitive performance in the whole NMOSD group.

Conclusion: The disconnection within the pDMN and between the SN and pDMN or rFPN might suggest the neural substrates underlying cognitive impairment in NMOSD.

Keywords: Cognitive impairment; Functional connectivity; Independent component analysis; Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

MeSH terms

Brain / diagnostic imaging
Brain Mapping / methods
Cognitive Dysfunction* / diagnostic imaging
Cognitive Dysfunction* / etiology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
Neuromyelitis Optica* / complications
Neuromyelitis Optica* / diagnostic imaging