Altered Neural Activity and Functional Connectivity of Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Associated With Cognitive...

Executive dysfunction is the most prominent feature of cognitive impairment in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is a central region for the regulation of executive functions. The aim of our study was to examine alterations in neural activity and functional connectivity (FC) of the DLPFC in relation to cognitive assessments and clinical indicators in patients with ESRD using the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) technique, and to further predict cognitive-related brain damage in this population.

A total of 37 ESRD patients and 35 normal controls received MRI scans and neuropsychological assessments. Inter-group differences in fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and FC of the DLPFC were compared. Additionally, the relationships between DLPFC abnormalities and cognitive function were analyzed in ESRD patients, along with the clinical characteristics. Finally, we ascertained the potential of DLPFC abnormalities to predict cognitive-related brain damage using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

ESRD patients exhibited decreased fALFF in the bilateral DLPFC (p < 0.05, false discovery rate [FDR] corrected). These also showed abnormal FC with the frontoparietal cortex, cingulate cortex, cerebellar posterior lobe, inferior temporal gyrus, and rolandic operculum (p < 0.05, FDR corrected). Several alterations in the DLPFC were associated with cognitive assessments (p < 0.05) in ESRD patients, and were also correlated with the levels of uric acid and hemoglobin (p < 0.05). Importantly, ROC curve analysis showed the fALFF value of left DLPFC, and FC between right DLPFC and right middle frontal gyrus effectively predicted cognitive-related brain damage in patients with ESRD.

This study demonstrated that the DLPFC is an important pathological brain region associated with the cognitive impairment of ESRD patients. Our results provide neuroimaging insights to further understand neural mechanisms of cognitive decline in this population.