Altered Coupling Between Resting-State Cerebral Blood Flow and Functional Connectivity Strength in Cervical...

Background: Changes in regional neural activity and functional connectivity in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients have been reported. However, resting-state cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes and coupling between CBF and functional connectivity in CSM patients are largely unknown. Methods: Twenty-seven CSM patients and 24 sex/age-matched healthy participants underwent resting-state functional MRI and arterial spin labeling imaging to compare functional connectivity strength (FCS) and CBF between the two groups. The CBF-FCS coupling of the whole gray matter and specific regions of interest was also compared between the groups. Results: Compared with healthy individuals, CBF-FCS coupling was significantly lower in CSM patients. The decrease in CBF-FCS coupling in CSM patients was observed in the superior frontal gyrus, bilateral thalamus, and right calcarine cortex, whereas the increase in CBF-FCS coupling was observed in the middle frontal gyrus. Moreover, low CBF and high FCS were observed in sensorimotor cortices and visual cortices, respectively. Conclusion: In general, neurovascular decoupling at cortical level may be a potential neuropathological mechanism of CSM.