Altered cerebellar functional connectivity in chronic subcortical stroke patients

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Cerebellar subregions, specifically the cerebellar anterior lobe (CAL) and cerebellar posterior lobe (CPL), are associated with distinct functions.
• CAL is linked to sensorimotor functions, while CPL is implicated in cognitive processes.
• Functional connectivity (FC) alterations in CAL and CPL and their behavioral impact in chronic stroke are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate functional connectivity (FC) differences in the cerebellar anterior lobe (CAL) and cerebellar posterior lobe (CPL) between chronic stroke survivors and healthy controls.
• To explore the relationship between these FC alterations and motor and cognitive performance in stroke patients.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state fMRI data were acquired from 36 subcortical chronic stroke participants and 38 healthy controls (HCs).
• FC analysis was performed using bilateral CAL and CPL as seeds.
• Group comparisons (two-sample t-test) and correlation analyses (partial correlation) were employed to assess FC differences and their association with behavioral scores.

Main Results:

• Stroke participants exhibited increased FC in the CAL with prefrontal cortex, temporal gyrus, and lingual gyrus.
• Increased FC in the CPL was observed in the inferior parietal lobule, precuneus, and cingulate gyrus in stroke survivors compared to HCs.
• Altered FC in the right CAL and right CPL negatively correlated with executive function and memory, respectively, in stroke participants.

Conclusions:

• Distinct patterns of increased FC alterations exist in the CAL and CPL of chronic stroke survivors.
• These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying behavioral deficits and recovery in stroke.
• Cerebellar FC alterations provide insights into the functional reorganization following stroke.