Association between metabolic syndrome and resting-state functional brain connectivity

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cardiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors.
• Understanding MetS's impact on brain function is crucial for public health.
• Large-scale cortical brain networks are vital for cognitive processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if MetS disrupts resting-state functional connectivity (FC) in brain networks.
• To identify specific alterations in brain network communication associated with MetS.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 78 middle-aged and older adults (27 MetS, 51 non-MetS).
• Whole-brain seed-based functional connectivity (FC) analysis to map intrinsic brain activity.
• Comparison of FC maps between individuals with and without MetS.

Main Results:

• Individuals with MetS demonstrated hyperconnectivity in core brain regions.
• A loss of modularity was observed in the MetS group compared to the non-MetS group.
• MetS was associated with altered between-network communication across both hemispheres.

Conclusions:

• MetS is linked to disrupted intrinsic communication within and between large-scale brain networks.
• Vascular risk factors co-occurring in MetS contribute to these observed neural alterations.
• Findings highlight the significant impact of MetS on brain network integrity and function.