Alterations of Functional Connectivity Among Resting-State Networks in Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism affects brain functioning as suggested by various neuroimaging studies. The primary focus of the present study was to examine whether hypothyroidism would impact connectivity among resting-state networks (RSNs) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI). Twenty-two patients with hypothyroidism and 22 healthy controls were recruited and scanned using rsfMRI. The data were analysed using independent component analysis and a dual regression approach that was applied on five RSNs that were identified using fsl software (http://fsl.fmrib.ox.ac.uk). Hypothyroid patients showed significantly decreased functional connectivity in the regions of the right frontoparietal network (frontal pole), the medial visual network (lateral occipital gyrus, precuneus cortex and cuneus) and the motor network (precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, precuneus cortex, paracingulate gyrus, cingulate gyrus and supramarginal gyrus) compared to healthy controls. The reduced functional connectivity in the right frontoparietal network, the medial visual network and the motor network suggests neurocognitive alterations in hypothyroid patients in the corresponding functions. However, the study would be further continued to investigate the effects of thyroxine treatment and correlation with neurocognitive scores. The findings of the present study provide further interesting insights into our understanding of the action of thyroid hormone on the adult human brain.