Aberrant Multimodal Connectivity Pattern Involved in Default Mode Network and Limbic Network in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Haifeng Chen, Zheqi Hu, Zhihong Ke, Yun Xu, Feng Bai, Zhuo Liu
Brain Sciences May 15, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13050803 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case-control neuroimaging study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 43 |
| Population | ALS patients and healthy controls |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Brain network Network-based statistic Sc–fc coupling |
| Key findings | ALS patients exhibited increased functional connectivity predominantly between the default mode network (DMN) and frontoparietal network, and altered structural connectivity involving limbic, salience, and subcortical networks. Structural-functional coupling was increased in DMN-related regions and decreased in limbic network regions, and these patterns differentiated ALS from controls with promising capacity using a support vector machine. The authors propose that DMN and limbic network dysfunction may be important in ALS pathophysiology and that coupling could be a biomarker. |
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder that progressively affects bulbar and limb function. Despite increasing recognition of the disease as a multinetwork disorder characterized by aberrant structural and functional connectivity, its integrity agreement and its predictive value for disease diagnosis remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we recruited 37 ALS patients and 25 healthy controls (HCs). High-resolution 3D T1-weighted imaging and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were, respectively, applied to construct multimodal connectomes. Following strict neuroimaging selection criteria, 18 ALS and 25 HC patients were included. Network-based statistic (NBS) and the coupling of grey matter structural-functional connectivity (SC-FC coupling) were performed. Finally, the support vector machine (SVM) method was used to distinguish the ALS patients from HCs. Results showed that, compared with HCs, ALS individuals exhibited a significantly increased functional network, predominantly encompassing the connections between the default mode network (DMN) and the frontoparietal network (FPN). The increased structural connections predominantly involved the inter-regional connections between the limbic network (LN) and the DMN, the salience/ventral attention network (SVAN) and FPN, while the decreased structural connections mainly involved connections between the LN and the subcortical network (SN). We also found increased SC-FC coupling in DMN-related brain regions and decoupling in LN-related brain regions in ALS, which could differentiate ALS from HCs with promising capacity based on SVM. Our findings highlight that DMN and LN may play a vital role in the pathophysiological mechanism of ALS. Additionally, SC-FC coupling could be regarded as a promising neuroimaging biomarker for ALS and shows important clinical potential for early recognition of ALS individuals.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |