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Whole-brain Segmentation and Change-point Analysis of Anatomical Brain MRI—Application in Premanifest Huntington's Disease
Published on: June 9, 2018
Default-mode network changes in Huntington's disease: an integrated MRI study of functional connectivity and
Mario Quarantelli1, Elena Salvatore, Sara Maria Delle Acque Giorgio
1Biostructure and Bioimaging Institute, National Research Council, Naples, Italy. quarante@unina.it
Plos One
|August 27, 2013
Summary
Huntington's disease (HD) patients show altered Default-Mode Network (DMN) connectivity, independent of brain atrophy. These DMN changes correlate with cognitive impairments, offering insights into symptomatic HD progression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- Previous research identified Default-Mode Network (DMN) dysfunction in pre-symptomatic Huntington's disease (HD) carriers.
- Limited data exists on DMN alterations in symptomatic HD, a stage marked by cortical atrophy impacting DMN regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate DMN integrity in symptomatic HD patients.
- To explore correlations between DMN alterations and motor/cognitive symptoms in HD.
- To differentiate DMN changes from atrophy-related effects.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional MRI was used to analyze DMN connectivity in 26 symptomatic HD patients and 22 healthy controls.
- The Precuneal Cortex/Posterior Cingulate Cortices (PC/PCC) served as the seed region for DMN analysis.
- Gray matter volume was co-varied to control for the effect of atrophy at the voxel level.
Main Results:
- Decreased direct correlation with PC/PCC was observed in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex, right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and right inferior parietal cortex, independent of atrophy.
- Altered negative correlations were found in bilateral inferior parietal cortices, and increased correlation in the right middle occipital gyrus.
- DMN alterations in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex significantly correlated with Stroop test performance.
Conclusions:
- Symptomatic HD patients exhibit widespread DMN changes not directly related to regional atrophy.
- These DMN alterations are associated with cognitive deficits, particularly executive function.
- Findings highlight the role of DMN disruption in the pathophysiology of symptomatic Huntington's disease.
