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Zheng Y, Xie L, Huang Z, Peng J, Huang S, Guo R, Huang J, Lin Z, Zhuang Z, Yin J, Hou Z, Ma S. Functional dysconnectivity and microstructural impairment of the cortico-thalamo-cortical network in women with rheumatoid arthritis: A multimodal MRI study. Heliyon 2024; 10:e24725. [PMID: 38304809 PMCID: PMC10830510 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Cognitive deficits are common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the effective connectivity and structural alterations of the core brain regions in RA patients with cognitive impairment. Methods Twenty-four female patients with RA and twenty-four healthy controls were enrolled. We analyzed abnormal brain activity patterns using functional MRI during the Iowa gambling task (IGT) and core regions effective connectivity using dynamic causal model (DCM). Structural alterations of white matter volume (WMV) and gray matter volume (GMV) were detected using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Results RA patients showed altered activation patterns of the cortico-thalamo-cortical network, increased coupling strength from the left ventromedial prefrontal gyrus to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the ACC to the right thalamus, and decreased connectivity from the thalamus to left hippocampus. VBM structural analysis showed increased GMV in the bilateral orbital frontal gyrus, bilateral hippocampus and right putamen, and reduced GMV and WMV in the bilateral thalamus in RA patients. Right thalamic GMV and WMV were positively correlated with the right thalamus-to-hippocampus connective strength. Additionally, the bold signal, GMV and WMV of the right thalamus were positively correlated with cognitive performance (IGT score) in RA patients. Conclusion Results suggest a structural and functional deficiency in the cortico-thalamo-cortical network, which is characterized by increased ACC-to-thalamus strength and reduced thalamus-to-hippocampus coupling in RA patients. The cognitive dysfunction may be the result of compensatory measures against imbalanced cortico-thalamic-cortical coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanmin Zheng
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Lei Xie
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Zikai Huang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Jianhua Peng
- Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Shuxin Huang
- Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Ruiwei Guo
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Jinzhuang Huang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Zhirong Lin
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Zelin Zhuang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Jingjing Yin
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Zhiduo Hou
- Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Shuhua Ma
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
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