Ld-EEG Effective Brain Connectivity in Patients With Cheyne-Stokes Respiration

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cardiology
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Cheyne-Stokes Respiration (CSR) is common in heart failure and linked to autonomic dysfunction.
• Understanding brain activity in CSR is crucial for elucidating its underlying mechanisms.
• The central autonomic network's role in breathing and cardiac regulation is increasingly recognized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize brain cortical activity and cortico-cortical interactions in heart failure patients with CSR.
• To develop and validate a framework for analyzing electroencephalographic (EEG) signals during CSR.
• To investigate how ventilatory changes (apnea/hyperpnea) affect brain connectivity.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel framework using Independent Component Analysis (ICA), unsupervised clustering, and Vector Autoregression (MVAR) modeling.
• Analyzed EEG signals from 8 heart failure patients with CSR using low-density caps.
• Employed a permutation-bootstrap strategy to assess significant connectivity differences between breathing conditions.

Main Results:

• Identified a common cortico-cortical network, predominantly in the left hemisphere, across patients.
• Observed significant group-level connectivity differences related to ventilatory state (apnea vs. hyperpnea).
• Found significantly higher interactions in the delta band during hyperpnea compared to central apneas; opposite patterns seen in beta/gamma bands.

Conclusions:

• The developed framework effectively assesses cortico-cortical interactions in CSR patients using clinical EEG data.
• Brain connectivity patterns dynamically change with ventilatory fluctuations in CSR.
• Findings highlight the interplay between respiratory control and cortical network activity in heart failure.