Exploring brain dysfunction in IBD: A study of EEG-fMRI source imaging based on empirical mode diagram decomposition
Yujie Kang1, Wenjie Li1, Jidong Lv1
1School of Microelectronics and Control Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China.
Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering : MBE
|April 29, 2025
Summary
This study introduces an advanced electroencephalography-functional magnetic resonance imaging (EEG-fMRI) method to analyze brain activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. The new technique reveals significant differences in brain connectivity and activation patterns associated with IBD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is linked to mood disorders and cognitive decline.
- Current neuroimaging methods for IBD have limitations in spatiotemporal resolution, hindering deep brain activity analysis.
- A combined EEG-fMRI approach is needed for comprehensive brain functional connectivity evaluation in IBD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel EEG-fMRI source imaging method using empirical mode diagram decomposition (EMDD) for IBD research.
- To investigate brain functional connectivity and activation differences between IBD patients and healthy controls.
- To identify specific brain regions and networks affected by IBD.
Main Methods:
- Synchronous EEG-fMRI data acquisition from 21 IBD patients and 11 healthy subjects.
- Application of EMDD to extract high-frequency spatial components from fMRI data as prior constraints for EEG source imaging.
- Cortical source time series reconstruction using the Desikan-Killiany atlas for effective connectivity analysis.
Main Results:
- The EMDD-based EEG-fMRI source imaging demonstrated superior performance, increasing log model evidence by 29.60% and explained variance by 19.12%.
- Significant differences in brain region activation intensity were observed between IBD patients and controls, including newly identified affected areas: uncus, claustrum, lentiform nucleus, and lingual gyrus.
- IBD patients exhibited information flow loss in frontal, central, left parietal, and right temporal lobes, with enhanced information flow in the right lingual gyrus.
Conclusions:
- The EMDD-based EEG-fMRI source imaging method offers improved accuracy for analyzing brain activity in IBD.
- IBD is associated with distinct alterations in brain activation and effective connectivity, particularly in emotional and cognitive processing regions.
- This research provides novel insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of mood and cognitive deficits in IBD patients.
