Functional Connectivity Density in Patients with Left Basal Ganglia Ischemic Stroke: A Comparative Study

The purpose of this study was to examine brain function activity changes in patients with left basal ganglia ischemic stroke (LBGIS) in order to identify the specific brain regions associated with motor function.

The study compared 35 patients with LBGIS and 34 healthy control participants (HCs). Functional connectivity density (FCD) was calculated to explore brain functional activity difference between the 2 groups of participants, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to test the specificity of these different regions. Pearson's correlation was employed to evaluate relationships between FCD values and clinical scores.

In the LBGIS group, FCD values were increased in the left cerebellum 9 lobe (L_C9), right inferior temporal gyrus (R_ITG), left middle temporal gyrus (L_MTG), and right supplementary motor area (R_SMA) but decreased in the left calcarine sulcus (L_CS), right lingual gyrus (R_LG), right cuneus (R_C), right supramarginal gyrus (R_SG), right inferior frontal gyrus (R_IFG), and left inferior parietal gyrus (L_IPG). ROC curves demonstrated that these designated brain areas alone distinguished between the LBGIS and HC groups with high sensitivity and specificity. In patients with LBGIS, L_C9 and R_SMA displayed significant correlations with the Fugl-Meyer assessment and Barthel index scores.

Patients with LBGIS exhibit changes in the functional activity of multiple brain regions, and L_C9 and R_SMA may be key areas to promote motor function in people with LBGIS.