Background: Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is the main cause of neonatal death and disability worldwide. At present, there are few researches on the application of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to explore the brain development of HIE children. This study aimed to explore the changes of brain function in neonates with different degrees of HIE using rs-fMRI. Methods: From February 2018 to May 2020, 44 patients with HIE were recruited, including 21 mild patients and 23 moderate and severe patients. The recruited patients were scanned by conventional and functional magnetic resonance image, and the method of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and connecting edge analysis of brain network was used. Results: Compared with the mild group, the connections between the right supplementary motor area and the right precentral gyrus, the right lingual gyrus and the right hippocampus, the left calcarine cortex and the right amygdala, and the right pallidus and the right posterior cingulate cortex in the moderate and severe groups were reduced (t values were 4.04, 4.04, 4.04, 4.07, all p < 0.001, uncorrected). Conclusion: By analyzing the functional connection changes of brain network in infants with different degrees of HIE, the findings of the current study suggested that neonates with moderate to severe HIE lag behind those with mild HIE in emotional processing, sensory movement, cognitive function, and learning and memory. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry registration number: ChiCTR1800016409.
Keywords: functional brain network; functional connectivity; hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy; resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.