Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 22, 2025
12:09
Network Analysis of the Default Mode Network Using Functional Connectivity MRI in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Published on: August 5, 2014
18.3K
Frontal Functional Network Disruption Associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: An fNIRS-Based Minimum Spanning
Seyyed Bahram Borgheai1, John McLinden1, Kunal Mankodiya1,2
1Department of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States.
Frontiers in Neuroscience
|January 11, 2021
Summary
Minimum spanning tree analysis reveals altered frontal brain network organization in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This neuroimaging study highlights potential biomarkers for ALS progression and bedside assessment, suggesting network dysregulation in ALS patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Systems Biology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Network disruption in brain organization is increasingly linked to neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
- Conventional graph theory methods face challenges in comparing brain network characteristics across studies.
- Minimum spanning tree (MST) analysis offers a less biased approach for network comparison.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the novel application of MST network analysis to functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data.
- To investigate disruptions in frontal functional brain network topology as a marker for executive dysfunction in ALS.
- To identify potential neuro-topological markers for ALS pathogenesis and progression.
Main Methods:
- Functional connectivity was estimated using phase-locking value (PLV) analysis on fNIRS data from 9 ALS participants and 10 healthy controls.
- Individual and group Minimum Spanning Trees (MSTs) were constructed to analyze frontal functional network topology during an activity-based paradigm.
- Topological properties (leaf fraction, degree, diameter, eccentricity, divergence) and nodal analysis were compared between groups.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in MST topological properties were observed between ALS patients and healthy controls.
- The ALS group exhibited a global shift towards more centralized frontal network organization, suggesting dysregulation.
- Healthy controls showed greater overlap in individual MSTs, indicating a more consistent reference network topology.
Conclusions:
- Dysregulation, centralization, and asymmetry in the hemodynamic-based frontal functional network are potential neuro-topological markers of ALS.
- MST analysis of fNIRS data can reveal network alterations associated with ALS, including links to disease progression and duration.
- Findings may support new bedside assessments for ALS functional status and potentially extend to other neurodegenerative diseases.
