Altered functional connectivity in patients with post-stroke fatigue: A resting-state fMRI study

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurology
• Medical Science

Background:

• Post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is a frequent complication following stroke.
• The underlying neuroimaging mechanisms of PSF remain under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the neuroimaging mechanisms of post-stroke fatigue (PSF).
• To investigate the role of the default mode network (DMN) and insula in PSF.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 70 patients with first-episode ischemic stroke.
• Assessed fatigue using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS).
• Utilized resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) analysis with precuneus seeds (pDMN).

Main Results:

• Decreased FC between posterior DMN (pDMN) and anterior DMN (aDMN) correlated negatively with FSS scores (p < 0.001).
• Increased FC between pDMN and the right insula correlated positively with FSS scores (p < 0.05).
• These connectivity changes were observed in patients with PSF compared to those without.

Conclusions:

• Abnormal functional connectivity (FC) between the anterior and posterior parts of the DMN is associated with PSF.
• The insula, involved in interoception, may play a significant role in the development of PSF.