Longitudinally altered default mode network and insula multimodal brain pattern in end-stage renal disease during sustained hemodialysis treatment.
Chuang Liang, Wenhao Jiang, Jiayu Chen, Jessica A. Turner, Vince D Calhoun, Christopher C Abbott, Rongtao Jiang, Zening Fu, Lei Wu, Xiaoyan Wang, Shile Qi, Yonggui Yuan
iScience June 19, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.116008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 39 |
| Population | People with end-stage renal disease receiving hemodialysis |
| Intervention | Hemodialysis |
| Duration | 1-year follow-up |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Health science |
| Key findings | A longitudinally altered default mode network-insula pattern was associated with cognition in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis and predicted follow-up cognition. |
Abstract
Hemodialysis (HD) is the predominant treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Despite the efficacy of HD, the neurobiological underpinnings underlying high-risk complications remain unclear. In this study, using unsupervised fusion of functional and structural MRI, we identified a longitudinally altered default mode network (DMN)-insula pattern in ESRD receiving HD over 1-year follow-up (n = 39). This pattern was associated with cognition, and its related genes were enriched in biological processes involving DNA damage and repair, energy metabolism, and cellular activation. The baseline DMN-insula pattern demonstrated potential predictive value for follow-up cognition in ESRD. More importantly, these brain-cognition associations were validated in independent high-risk complications cohorts, including major depressive disorder (n = 60), mild cognitive impairment (n = 291), and Alzheimer's disease (n = 77) by extracting the corresponding brain features and assessing their correlations with cognition. Collectively, this study may help researchers better understand the underlying mechanisms of ESRD receiving HD from a multimodal neuroimaging and molecular perspective.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |