Different Patterns of Functional Connectivity Alterations Within the Default-Mode Network and Sensorimotor Network in Basal Ganglia and Pontine Stroke

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate whether patients with basal ganglia stroke and patients with pontine stroke have different types of functional connectivity (FC) alterations in the early chronic phase.Material/MethodsWe included 14 patients with pontine stroke, 17 patients with basal ganglia stroke, and 20 well-matched healthy controls (HCs). All of them underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scanning. The independent component analysis (ICA) approach was applied to extract information regarding the default-mode network (DMN), including anterior DMN (aDMN) and posterior DMN (pDMN) components and the sensorimotor network (SMN).ResultsCompared with HCs, patients with basal ganglia stroke exhibited significantly reduced FC in the left precuneus of the pDMN, right supplementary motor area (SMA), and right superior frontal gyrus (SFG) of the SMN. Additionally, FC in the left medial prefrontal gyrus (MFG) of the aDMN, right precuneus and right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) of the pDMN, and left middle cingulate gyrus (mid-CC) of the SMN decreased in patients with pontine stroke.ConclusionsThe different patterns of FC damage in patients with basal ganglia stroke and patients with pontine stroke in the early chronic phase may provide a new method for investigating lesion-induced network plasticity.

An imbalance between functional segregation and integration in patients with pontine stroke: A dynamic functional network connectivity study

“…For example, a seed-based analysis (SBA) of early pontine infarction showed increased voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) in the hippocampus/amygdala and frontal pole, and the VMHC was negatively correlated with the later motor assessment( Shan et al, 2018 ). An independent component analysis (ICA) of PS reported decreased FC in the left medial prefrontal gyrus in the anterior default mode network, right precuneus and right posterior cingulate cortex in the posterior default mode network, and left middle cingulate gyrus in the sensorimotor network( Chen et al, 2019 ). In addition to SBA and ICA, another promising technique for studying functional connectivity is graph theoretic analysis, which provides a new perspective for evaluating the property of integration and separation of brain networks( Smitha et al, 2017 ).…”

Alterations in brain structure and function in patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head: a multimodal MRI study

“…The SMN includes somatosensory and motor regions and extends to the SMA ( Chenji et al, 2016 ). Previous studies have demonstrated that many conditions, including stroke ( Chen et al, 2019 ), Parkinson’s disease ( Li et al, 2019 ), bipolar disorder ( Martino et al, 2020 ), and irritable bowel syndrome ( Labus et al, 2019 ), can cause dysfunction of the SMN. Although no studies on ONFH have been published to date, Zhang et al (2018) and Sevel et al (2020) detected changes in the SMN in cases of lower limb amputation and repeated delayed onset muscle soreness.…”

Disrupted Regional Cerebral Blood Flow and Functional Connectivity in Pontine Infarction: A Longitudinal MRI Study

“…Although early evidence has utilized FC to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying stroke-related behavioral function decline, there is little knowledge about PI, especially longitudinal and within-person changes. In cross-sectional studies, patients with acute PI showed significantly lower FC in the medial prefrontal cortex and precuneus (Jiang et al, 2018), while patients with early chronic PI exhibited decreased FC in the medial prefrontal gyrus, precuneus, right posterior cingulum, and left middle cingulum gyrus (Chen et al, 2019). In a longitudinal-sectional study, some brain regions exhibited special changes during the followup period, in which voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) in the precentral and postcentral gyrus tended to increase gradually, and VMHC in the hippocampus/amygdala was increased throughout the study period, and VMHC in the hippocampus/amygdala and frontal pole in the early stages were associated with the later motor recovery (Shan et al, 2018).…”