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Aberrant brain functional hubs and causal connectivity in presbycusis
Chunhua Xing1, Yu-Chen Chen1, Zhaopeng Tong2,3
1Department of Radiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Brain Imaging and Behavior
|September 26, 2020
Summary
This study reveals altered brain network connectivity in presbycusis patients using resting-state fMRI. Key findings show reduced centrality in the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), potentially linked to executive dysfunction.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
- Gerontology
Background:
- Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, is associated with cognitive changes.
- Understanding the neural underpinnings of these changes is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate resting-state brain connectivity and directional functional alterations in presbycusis patients.
- To identify functional hubs and analyze directed connectivity patterns in the whole-brain network.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on 40 presbycusis patients and 40 controls.
- Degree centrality (DC) analysis to identify functional hubs.
- Granger causality analysis (GCA) to assess directional functional connectivity (FC).
Main Results:
- Significantly lower network centrality in the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) of presbycusis patients compared to controls.
- Altered directional connectivity: increased from left MFG to left superior frontal gyrus (SFG), decreased from left MFG to left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and right lingual gyrus (LinG).
- Decreased directed connectivity from left precentral gyrus (PrCG) to left MFG; negative correlation between left MFG DC and Trail-Making Test B (TMT-B) scores.
Conclusions:
- Resting-state fMRI effectively identifies aberrant brain network architecture in presbycusis.
- Altered functional hubs and frontal lobe connectivity patterns suggest potential executive dysfunction in presbycusis patients.
