Topological properties of the resting-state functional network in nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate children after speech rehabilitation

Abstract

Speech therapy has been widely used as an essential therapy for compensatory articulation errors in nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate patients. We sought to identify potential biomarkers of nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate children after speech rehabilitation based on resting-state fMRI and graph theory techniques. We scanned 28 nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate and 28 typically developing children for resting-state fMRI on a 3T MRI scanner. Functional networks were constructed, and their topological properties were obtained for assessing between-group differences (two-sample t-tests). Also, language clear degree scale scores were obtained for correlation analysis with the topological features in nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate patients. Significant between-group differences of local properties were detected in brain regions involved in higher-order language and social cognition. There were no significant correlations between topological feature differences and language clear degree scale scores in nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate patients. Graph theory provided valuable insight into the neurobiological mechanisms of speech rehabilitation in nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate patients. The global network features, smallworld index, nodal clustering coefficient, and nodal shortest path length may represent potential imaging biomarkers for the estimation of effective speech rehabilitation.

Random Network and Non-rich-club Organization Tendency in Children With Non-syndromic Cleft Lip and Palate After Articulation Rehabilitation: A Diffusion Study

“…The lower σ suggested a disturbance of the average balance and a higher cost for a new equilibrium between weaker local phonologic information transfer and higher global information integration, demonstrating a random network tendency in articulation-rehabilitated children with NSCLP (22). However, our previous study showed that the same participants exhibited a higher σ value of the resting-state functional network in the NSCLP group (11).…”

“…Our recent study based on restingstate functional MRI that detected the increased capability of information transmission and integration involving language and social cognition brain areas in children with CLP after articulation rehabilitation. In addition, we found an increased small-world index in these patients which means optimum equilibrium between local specialization and global integration to process information (11). The structural organization of CLP children in the developing brain after articulation rehabilitation still needs to be investigated.…”

Increased modularity of the resting‐state network in children with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate after speech rehabilitation

“…We presumed that the increased modularity index was linked with the higher degree strength and betweenness centrality induced by the repair surgery and speech therapy, which improved network adaption (Guye et al, 2010). Our previous study found the increased small-world index in children with CLP after speech rehabilitation (Rao et al, 2020). We can infer that the higher modularity index caused the small-world index to increase for the function specialization.…”

“…Another study of adult speech‐rehabilitated patients with CLP showed similar functional activation patterns as healthy controls, except for increased activation in the left hippocampus in a subvocalization task functional MRI study (Zhang et al., 2017). Our previous study found lower nodal shortest path length and higher nodal clustering coefficient of brain regions involved in higher‐order language and social cognition, and increased small‐world index of the whole brain in children with CLP after speech rehabilitation (Rao et al., 2020). Therefore, we performed a further study of the topological organization in the developing functional brain networks of children with CLP after speech rehabilitation.…”

Articulation-Function-Associated Cortical Developmental Changes in Patients with Cleft Lip and Palate

“…Articulation disorder is one of the developmental motor-speech disordersthat can persist into adulthood [ 15 ]. Previous studies have shown a correlation between articulation function and brain activation in CLP patients [ 16 , 17 ]. CLP subjects recovered to a normal level of articulation function after speech training, while their language-related brain function was improved [ 18 ].…”