[Regional homogeneity changes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome: resting-state functional...

To investigate the change of regional homogeneity (ReHo) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI).

Resting-state fMRI data were collected from 15 patients with OSAHS and 15 normal controls. Patients were enrolled from the Sleep Laboratory of the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Department of Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing from November 2014 to June 2015. The data were analyzed with the ReHo method and compared between OSAHS and controls.

The ReHo showed a significant increase in the posterior lobe of right cerebellum (t=4.292 1, P<0.01), posterior lobe of left cerebellum (t=4.350 6, P<0.01), right brainstem (t=5.276 6, P<0.01), right occipital lobe (t=3.620 9, P= 0.001), left basal ganglia (t=3.385 6, P=0.002) and left temporal lobe (t=4.781 2, P<0.01) and a decrease in the right middle frontal gyrus (t=-3.564 4, P= 0.001), right inferior parietal lobe (t=-4.123 7, P<0.01) and bilateral superior frontal gyrus (t=-3.500 9, P=0.002) in patients with OSAHS. Furthermore, the average ReHo values of the posterior lobe of bilateral cerebellum was positively correlated with the MMSE scores (r=0.682, P=0.012), the LMT scores (r=0.623, P=0.013) and the LMT-delayed recall scores (r=0.577, P=0.024), while negatively correlated with the TMT-A scores (r=-0.723, P=0.002); the average ReHo values of the right middle frontal gyrus (r=0.661, P=0.007) was positively correlated with the TMT-A scores.

The current findings indicate that significant changes of ReHo in the global brain regions have been detected in OSAHS patients and the compensatory change of brain function occur. Abnormal ReHo values in the posterior lobe of bilateral cerebellum and right middle frontal gyrus could serve as potential biomarkers for assessment of neuronal damage and further provides insights into the biological mechanism of the disease.