The Effect of Body Posture on Resting-State Functional Connectivity

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Brain Connectivity

Background:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is sensitive to confounds like motion and physiological changes.
• Body posture is an under-investigated factor that can influence cerebral blood flow and intracranial pressure.
• Standard fMRI is typically conducted supine, which may not reflect real-world conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of body posture on resting-state fMRI measurements.
• To compare whole-brain network organization and default mode network (DMN) connectivity across supine, right lateral decubitus (RLD), and left lateral decubitus (LLD) positions.

Main Methods:

• Twenty healthy adults underwent resting-state fMRI scans in three distinct body positions: supine, RLD, and LLD.
• Graph theory was employed to analyze global network organization.
• Functional connectivity of DMN seeds was examined across the different positions.

Main Results:

• Global network measures differed significantly between body positions.
• Supine and LLD positions yielded identical connectivity results, distinct from the RLD position.
• The RLD position showed decreased DMN seed connectivity compared to supine and LLD positions.

Conclusions:

• Body posture, particularly the RLD position, demonstrably alters whole-brain and DMN functional connectivity.
• Gravity, physiological changes, and anatomical factors may mediate these posture-induced connectivity alterations.
• Future research may benefit from considering body posture or integrating imaging modalities for naturalistic settings.