Brain Structural Changes in Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Cardiology
• Neurology

Background:

• Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is linked to neurological and mood disturbances.
• The specific brain regions affected by PAH and the nature of the injury remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate regional gray matter (GM) volume changes in PAH patients.
• To assess brain tissue alterations using T2-relaxometry in PAH.
• To compare brain structure in PAH patients versus healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 3.0-Tesla MRI to acquire T1-weighted, proton-density, and T2-weighted images from 9 PAH patients and 19 healthy subjects.
• Processed images to generate normalized gray matter maps and T2-relaxation maps.
• Employed analysis of covariance to compare GM volume and T2-relaxation values between groups, correcting for age, sex, and total brain volume.

Main Results:

• PAH patients exhibited significantly reduced GM volumes in areas including the hippocampus, insula, cerebellum, amygdala, and frontal/temporal/occipital lobes.
• Elevated T2-relaxation values, indicative of tissue damage, were observed in the cerebellum, hippocampus, and frontal/temporal/occipital lobes of PAH patients.
• These brain regions are critical for regulating cognition, mood, and autonomic functions.

Conclusions:

• PAH is associated with significant gray matter injury and tissue changes in key brain regions.
• These structural brain alterations provide a basis for the cognitive, autonomic, and mood deficits observed in PAH.
• Findings highlight the impact of PAH on brain structure and function.