Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 24, 2025
Early Pathological and Magnetic Resonance Detection of Cerebral Injury Using a Rat Model of Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Published on: October 28, 2022
Reduced Cortical Complexity in Cirrhotic Patients with Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy
Qiu-Feng Chen1, Xiao-Hong Zhang2, Tian-Xiu Zou2
1College of Computer and Information Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
Purpose:
Gray matter volume loss, regional cortical thinning, and local gyrification index alteration have been documented in minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). Fractal dimension (FD), another morphological parameter, has been widely used to describe structural complexity alterations in neurological or psychiatric disease. Here, we conducted the first study to investigate FD alterations in MHE.
Methods And Materials:
We performed high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging on cirrhotic patients with MHE (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 21). We evaluated their cognitive performance using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES). The regional FD value was calculated by Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) and compared between groups. We further estimated the association between patients' cognitive performance and FD values.
Results:
MHE patients presented significantly decreased FD values in the left precuneus, left supramarginal gyrus, right caudal anterior cingulate cortex, right isthmus cingulate cortex, right insula, bilateral pericalcarine cortex, and bilateral paracentral cortex compared to normal controls. In addition, the FD values in the right isthmus cingulate cortex and right insula were shown to be positively correlated with patients' cognitive performance.
Conclusion:
Aberrant cortical complexity is an additional characteristic of MHE, and FD analysis may provide novel insight into the neurobiological basis of cognitive dysfunction in MHE.
Insights
Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is associated with altered brain complexity. This study reveals decreased fractal dimension (FD) in MHE patients, particularly in regions linked to cognitive function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is characterized by gray matter volume loss, cortical thinning, and altered gyrification.
- Fractal dimension (FD) is a morphological parameter used to assess structural complexity in neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate fractal dimension (FD) alterations in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE).
- To explore the relationship between FD values and cognitive performance in MHE.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution structural MRI was performed on cirrhotic patients with MHE (n=20) and healthy controls (n=21).
- Cognitive performance was assessed using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES).
- Regional FD values were calculated using Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) and compared between groups.
Main Results:
- MHE patients exhibited significantly decreased FD values in several brain regions, including the left precuneus, left supramarginal gyrus, right caudal anterior cingulate cortex, right isthmus cingulate cortex, right insula, bilateral pericalcarine cortex, and bilateral paracentral cortex.
- FD values in the right isthmus cingulate cortex and right insula positively correlated with cognitive performance in MHE patients.
Conclusions:
- Aberrant cortical complexity, as measured by FD, is a characteristic of MHE.
- FD analysis offers novel insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of cognitive dysfunction in MHE.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Drug Dosing and Hepatic Blood Flow
01:08Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment
01:22Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test