Decreased Coupling Between Functional Connectivity Density and Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuation in Non-Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: a Resting-Stage Functional MRI Study

• Published in: Molecular neurobiology Vol. 54; no. 7; pp. 5225 - 5235
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xiao Dong, Jiang, Xiao Lu, Cheng, Zhen, Zhou, Yan, Xu, Qiang, Zhang, Zhi Qiang, Qi, Rongfeng, Luo, Song, Yun, Yan Su, Chen, Hui Juan, Kong, Xiang, Lu, Guang Ming, Zhang, Long Jiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.09.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Autoimmune diseases; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain; Brain - physiopathology; Brain Mapping; Cell Biology; Correlation analysis; Cortex (cingulate); Cortex (parietal); Cortex (temporal); Density; Ethics; Female; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Hippocampus; Humans; Lupus; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - physiopathology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Middle Aged; Nerve Net - physiopathology; Neural networks; Neurobiology; Neuroimaging; Neurological complications; Neurology; Neurosciences; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Parahippocampal gyrus; pH effects; Postcentral gyrus; Psychiatry; Rest - physiology; Systemic lupus erythematosus; Temporal gyrus; Variation; Young Adult; Systemic lupus erythematosus; Coupling; Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging; Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation; Functional connectivity density
• ISSN: 0893-7648; 1559-1182
• DOI: 10.1007/s12035-016-0050-9

In this study, we seek to explore alterations of coupling between functional connectivity density (FCD) and amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in systemic lupus erythematosus patients without overt neuropsychiatric symptoms (non-NPSLE) by using resting-state functional MR imaging. This study was approved by the institutional ethical review board, and all participants signed written informed consent prior to the study. Twenty six non-NPSLE patients and 35 matched healthy controls underwent resting-state functional MR imaging. The correlation analysis between FCD and ALFF was conducted to assess the imaging coupling. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to correlate imaging variables to clinical and neuropsychological data in non-NPSLE patients. According to the consistent alteration of FCD and ALFF, region of interests were identified including the right inferior temporal gyrus, bilateral hippocampus-parahippocampus (H-PH), left posterior cingulate cortex, superior parietal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and bilateral precuneus. Across-voxel correlation analysis showed decreased coupling strengths in some brain regions. Correlations between FCD, ALFF, and coupling strength in H-PH and C3/C4/MoCA were found. The imaging coupling between FCD and ALFF was decreased in non-NPSLE patients, indicating brain function alteration in non-NPSLE patients, especially the abnormal coupling between FCD and ALFF of the hippocampus-parahippocampus might be an imaging biomarker of brain dysfunction in non-NPSLE patients.