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Brain Functional Connectivity Plasticity Within and Beyond the Sensorimotor Network in Lower-Limb Amputees
Jingna Zhang1,2, Ye Zhang1, Li Wang1
1Department of Medical Imaging, College of Biomedical Engineering, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|October 26, 2018
Summary
Brain network reorganization occurs after lower-limb amputation, with decreased functional connectivity (FC) observed. This FC decline in the sensorimotor system evolves over time and may indicate recovery markers.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
- Rehabilitation Science
Background:
- Cerebral neuroplasticity following amputation is increasingly studied using functional neuroimaging.
- However, the evolution of brain network-level functional reorganization within the sensorimotor system after lower-limb amputation remains poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the intra-network changes and whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) reorganization in the sensorimotor system of unilateral lower-limb amputees (LLAs).
- To explore the relationship between FC changes and the time since amputation.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was employed in 32 LLAs and 32 matched healthy controls (HCs).
- Regions of interest (ROI)-wise connectivity analysis and seed-based whole-brain FC analysis with a seed in the contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex (S1M1) were performed.
Main Results:
- LLAs exhibited decreased FC, primarily between subcortical nuclei and the contralateral S1M1.
- Decreased FC with the contralateral S1M1 extended beyond the sensorimotor network to prefrontal and visual cortices.
- Decreased FC between subcortical and cortical sensorimotor regions increased progressively with the time since amputation.
Conclusions:
- Lower-limb amputation triggers a cascade of cortical reorganization at an extensive network level.
- These findings suggest potential neurobiological markers for tracking motor function recovery in LLAs.
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