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Brain structural and functional changes in patients with chronic heart failure

Yu Ting Liu1, Yu Ting Yang1, Chun Xiang Tang1

  • 1Department of Radiology, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China.

Neuroscience
|November 27, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Patients with chronic heart failure (HF) show reduced brain gray matter volume and white matter integrity, alongside impaired functional connectivity. These brain changes correlate with cognitive deficits, suggesting potential neuroimaging biomarkers for heart failure patients.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Cardiology
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Heart failure (HF) is often associated with neurological complications, including cognitive impairments.
  • Understanding the underlying brain alterations in chronic HF is crucial for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate alterations in brain structure and function in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  • To explore the relationship between neuroimaging findings and cognitive performance in HF patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study comparing 49 chronic HF patients with 49 healthy controls (HCs).
  • Utilized voxel-based morphometry on structural MRI for gray matter volume (GMV) analysis.
  • Assessed functional connectivity (FC) using resting-state fMRI and white matter integrity with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Main Results:

  • Chronic HF patients exhibited significantly reduced regional GMV and white matter microstructure integrity compared to HCs.
  • Decreased FC was observed in brain regions critical for cognition, sensorimotor, and visual functions.
  • Reduced GMV positively correlated with cognitive performance, and decreased fractional anisotropy correlated with anxiety scores in HF patients.

Conclusions:

  • Chronic HF is associated with structural brain damage (gray and white matter) and functional connectivity abnormalities.
  • GMV may serve as a neuroimaging biomarker for cognitive impairments in HF.
  • These findings highlight potential targets for neuroprotective therapies in chronic HF management.

Keywords:
BrainCognitive impairmentHeart FailureMRI

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