Reorganized Brain Functional Network Topology in Presbycusis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, is linked to cognitive decline.
• Understanding brain functional network changes in presbycusis is crucial for managing cognitive health in aging populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the topological reorganization of brain functional networks in presbycusis patients with and without cognitive decline.
• To utilize graph theory analysis on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data.

Main Methods:

• rs-fMRI scans were acquired from 30 presbycusis patients with cognitive decline, 30 without, and 50 healthy controls.
• Graph theory was applied to analyze global and nodal network metrics, modularity, and rich-club organization.

Main Results:

• All groups exhibited small-world brain network properties.
• Significant differences in global network metrics (e.g., clustering coefficient, path length) were found across groups.
• Presbycusis patients showed altered nodal efficiency and reorganized rich-club organization, with more pronounced changes in those with cognitive decline.

Conclusions:

• Presbycusis leads to topological reorganization of whole-brain functional networks.
• Cognitive decline in presbycusis is associated with more significant network alterations.
• These neural adaptations may represent a compensatory mechanism for cognitive deficits.