Altered Dynamic Brain Functional Network Connectivity Related to Visual Network in Spinal Cord Injury

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Visual feedback training (VFT) is crucial for motor rehabilitation in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients.
• The underlying neural mechanisms of VFT's effectiveness in SCI remain unclear.
• Understanding dynamic functional network connectivity (FNC) changes is key to elucidating these mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alterations in dynamic FNC related to visual networks (VN) in SCI patients.
• To explore the neural mechanisms through which VFT promotes motor function rehabilitation in SCI.

Main Methods:

• Employed dynamic FNC analysis using the sliding window method in complete SCI (CSCI), incomplete SCI (ISCI), and healthy controls (HCs).
• Utilized k-means clustering to identify distinct FNC states and computed temporal properties.
• Correlated dynamic FNC features with neurological parameters in SCI patients.

Main Results:

• Significant aberrant FNC was observed primarily between visual networks (VN) and the executive control network (ECN).
• CSCI patients exhibited decreased temporal metrics, including mean dwell time and time spent in state 3, compared to HCs.
• Disrupted FNC between the salience network and ECN in state 2, along with altered transition counts, positively correlated with neurological scores in SCI patients.

Conclusions:

• Spinal cord injury leads to significant alterations in visual network-related functional connectivity.
• These findings suggest a potential neural mechanism for VFT in SCI rehabilitation.
• Understanding these dynamic FNC changes can help optimize VFT efficacy and promote better motor recovery in SCI.