Changes in Brain Functional Network Connectivity in Adult Moyamoya Diseases

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cerebrovascular Diseases
• Medical Imaging and Diagnostics

Background:

• Moyamoya disease (MMD) involves progressive stenosis of internal carotid arteries, leading to abnormal collateral vessels.
• The impact of these vascular changes on cortical network connectivity and brain function remains poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare the brain network features of hemorrhagic MMD (H_MMD) and ischemic MMD (I_MMD) using EEG analysis.
• To explore how MMD affects cortical network connectivity during resting states and working memory tasks.

Main Methods:

• Electroencephalography (EEG) recording during eyes-closed (EC), eyes-open (EO) resting states, and working memory (WM) tasks.
• Application of graphic network analyses to examine brain network features.
• Comparison of EEG frequency and network topological maps between MMD subtypes and healthy controls.

Main Results:

• Ischemic MMD (I_MMD) demonstrated a significantly lower alpha-blocking rate during the EO state compared to controls.
• Hemorrhagic MMD (H_MMD) showed reduced EEG activity across all behavioral states.
• I_MMD exhibited strong alpha-wave band network connections in frontal and parietal regions during EO and WM states.
• Distinct EEG and network topological differences were observed in specific brain regions for both H_MMD and I_MMD patients compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• This study provides novel insights into the distinct electrophysiological features of hemorrhagic and ischemic Moyamoya disease.
• Specific alterations in cortical network connectivity are associated with different MMD subtypes.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is warranted to confirm these findings.