Regional brain function study in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurology
• Radiology

Background:

• Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is associated with neuropsychological symptoms, including cognitive impairment.
• The underlying mechanisms of central nervous system damage in pSS are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate regional brain function alterations in pSS patients compared to healthy controls.
• To analyze differences in static and dynamic fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and region homogeneity (ReHo).

Main Methods:

• rs-fMRI data from 68 pSS patients and 69 healthy controls were analyzed.
• Static (sfALFF, sReHo) and dynamic (dfALFF, dReHo) brain indices were calculated.
• Correlations with clinical data (disease duration, lab tests, neuropsychological scores) were examined.

Main Results:

• pSS patients showed increased sfALFF in the right supplementary motor area and decreased sReHo in several brain regions.
• Dynamic analysis revealed increased dfALFF and dReHo in specific frontal and supplementary motor areas.
• Brain function alterations correlated with cognitive test scores.

Conclusions:

• Primary Sjögren's syndrome patients exhibit significant alterations in regional brain function, affecting both static and dynamic measures.
• Integrating static and dynamic brain metrics offers a comprehensive understanding of brain function changes in pSS.
• These findings contribute to understanding the neurological basis of cognitive deficits in pSS.