Hypothalamus and amygdala functional connectivity at rest in narcolepsy type 1
Daniela Ballotta1, Francesca Talami1, Fabio Pizza2
1Department of Biomedical, Metabolic, and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy; Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Neuroimage. Clinical
|July 12, 2021
Summary
Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) patients exhibit altered brain connectivity, particularly in the hypothalamus and amygdala, impacting arousal and memory. This study reveals abnormal resting-state functional connectivity in children and adolescents with NT1.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Functional Neuroimaging
Background:
- Orexin (hypocretin) deficiency in narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) affects brain metabolism and grey matter.
- Previous fMRI studies focused on emotional processing; this study examines resting-state brain activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate resting-state functional connectivity in drug-naïve children and adolescents with NT1 near disease onset.
- To explore hemodynamic behavior of spontaneous BOLD fluctuations in NT1 patients.
Main Methods:
- EEG-fMRI study involving 15 drug-naïve NT1 patients and 15 healthy controls (children/adolescents).
- Acquisition of functional images on a 3T system.
- Seed-based functional connectivity analyses using SPM12, focusing on the lateral hypothalamus and amygdala.
Main Results:
- NT1 patients showed decreased functional connectivity between the lateral hypothalamus and regions including the superior parietal lobule, hippocampus, and parahippocampal gyrus.
- Decreased amygdala connectivity was observed with the post-central gyrus and occipital regions.
- Increased amygdala connectivity was found with the inferior frontal gyrus, claustrum, insula, and putamen.
Conclusions:
- Abnormal hypothalamic connectivity in NT1 may relate to orexin neuron loss and affect memory consolidation.
- Amygdala functional connectivity is also influenced by orexin neuron loss in NT1.
- Dysfunctional interactions between arousal, memory, and emotional processing regions may underlie narcolepsy symptoms.
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