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Updated: Jun 24, 2025
Identification of Disease-related Spatial Covariance Patterns using Neuroimaging Data
Published on: June 26, 2013
Spatiotemporal consistency analysis of cerebral small vessel disease: an rs-fMRI study
Jie Yang1, Rui Xiao1, Yujian Liu1,2
1Department of Radiology, Zigong First People's Hospital, Zigong, China.
Introduction:
Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) affects older adults, but traditional approaches have limited the understanding of the neural mechanisms of SVD. This study aimed to explore the effects of SVD on brain regions and its association with cognitive decline using the four-dimensional (spatiotemporal) consistency of local neural activity (FOCA) method.
Methods:
Magnetic resonance imaging data from 42 patients with SVD and 38 healthy controls (HCs) were analyzed using the FOCA values. A two-sample t test was performed to compare the differences in FOCA values in the brain between the HCs and SVD groups. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the association of various brain regions with SVD scores.
Results:
The results revealed that the FOCA values in the right frontal_inf_oper, right temporal_pole_sup, and default mode network decreased, whereas those in the temporal_inf, hippocampus, basal ganglia, and cerebellum increased, in patients with SVD. Most of these varying brain regions were negatively correlated with SVD scores.
Discussion:
This study suggested that the FOCA approach might have the potential to provide useful insights into the understanding of the neurophysiologic mechanisms of patients with SVD.
