Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2025
Using Retinal Imaging to Study Dementia
Published on: November 6, 2017
Cortical structural degeneration and functional network connectivity changes in patients with subcortical vascular
Haixia Mao1, Yachen Shi2,3, Qianqian Gao1
1Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Wuxi People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi People's Hospital, Wuxi Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China.
Purpose:
To explore the structural basis of functional network connectivity (FNC) changes and early cortical degenerative patterns in subcortical vascular cognitive impairment (SVCI).
Methods:
We prospectively included SVCI cases and healthy controls (HCs). FNC alterations were evaluated using group-independent component analysis of resting-state functional MRI data. Cortical microstructural and macrostructural alterations were assessed using gray matter-based spatial statistics analysis with neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging and cortical thickness analysis with FreeSurfer software on T1-weighted images, respectively. Spearman correlation analyses were performed to assess relationships between FNC alterations and cortical microstructural/macrostructural alterations and between FNC, cortical thickness, or neurite density index (NDI)/orientation dispersion index (ODI) alterations and cognitive performance.
Results:
Forty-six SVCI patients and 73 HCs were recruited. FNC analysis showed lower network connectivity between the visual network (VN) and sensorimotor network (SMN) in SVCI, positively correlated with information processing speed (p=0.008) and negatively with summary SVD score (p = 0.037). Cortical microstructural analyses exhibited a lower NDI, mainly in the VN and default mode network (DMN) areas (PFWE < 0.05, cluster > 100 voxels), and lower ODI, mainly in the SMN and DMN areas (PFWE < 0.05, cluster > 100 voxels) in SVCI, both of which were related to cognitive function (p < 0.05). However, cortical thickness did not differ between groups. Lower NDI in the lateral occipital cortex was linked to lower VN-SMN connectivity in SVCI (p = 0.002).
Conclusion:
Cortical microstructural alterations may serve as the basis for FNC changes in SVCI.
