Alterations of regional homogeneity in perimenopause: a resting-state functional MRI study

Regional homogeneity (ReHo) was used to evaluate the changes of brain function and the relationship with cognitive function in perimenopausal women.

The cross-sectional study recruited 25 perimenopausal women and 25 postmenopausal women who underwent sex hormone level measurements, clinical and neuropsychological assessments, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. ReHo was measured based on the resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data and the differences in ReHo between the perimenopausal and postmenopausal groups were compared. Gray matter volume (GMV) values of brain regions with differences (region of interest [ROI]) in ReHo were extracted and the differences of GMV between the two groups were compared. We analyzed the correlations of the ReHo and GMV values of these ROIs with the results of sex hormone levels, clinical and neuropsychological assessments in the two groups.

ReHo values in the left lingual gyrus and the right precentral gyrus increased in perimenopause, whereas ReHo values in the left inferior temporal gyrus and bilateral putamen decreased. Correlation analysis showed that the ReHo values of the left inferior temporal gyrus positively correlated with the reaction time of the Stroop color word test in perimenopausal women.

Changes in abnormal patterns of the ReHo in perimenopausal women affect cognitive function. These changes in brain function may provide more insights and information on the neural mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in perimenopausal women.