Altered Function And Structure Of Brain In Patients With Sensorineural Deafness Based On Multimodal MRI

Background: Sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL)accounts for about 90% of all deafness and it is a kind of common diseases for infants and children.It is caused by congenital or acquired damage to the cochlear hair cells,auditory nerve,or auditory central neurons.Because sensory input plays a crucial role in human brain development,early hearing deprivation can affect language,memory formation,cognitive development and learning.Recently,with the continuous development of magnetic resonance technology,structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging(s MRI and f MRI)have become important to evaluate white matter(WM)lesions in the central nervous system.Some studies have used this method to reveal changes in brain structure and function in patients with SNHL.Currently,voxel-based morphometry(VBM)diffusion-tensor imaging(DTI)and f MRI are the most widely used techniques in the study of gray matter(GM)and WM structures.Some studies have applied this method to reveal the changes of brain structure and function in SNHL patients,but these results are not consistent.Objective: The purpose of the present study was to detect structural changes in the brains of patients with sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL)by combining voxel-based morphometry(VBM)and tract-based spatial statistics(TBSS).Methods: Thirty-five patients with SNHL(mean age: 39.72±1.81 years)and 23age-matched control subjects(mean age: 39.83±1.96 years)were assessed using3-dimensional,T1-weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging.TBSS and VBM analysis were performed to evaluate grey matter(GM)volume changes and white matter(WM)alternations,as measured by mean diffusivity(MD),fractional anisotropy(FA),axial diffusivity(AD),and radial diffusivity(RD).Results: VBM showed decreased GM volume in patients with SNHL in the fusiform gyrus of the right temporal lobe and right middle occipital gyrus.TBSS revealed WM integrity changes,including decreased FA and RD and increased RD in several WM regions.However,MD showed no significant difference between patients with SNHL and age-matched controls.ALFF and Re Ho of SNHL patients have some integrity changes in different encephalic region.Conclusion: Patients with SNHL showed smaller GM volume and WM integrity changes in several regions.The degree and consistency of neuronal activity in SNHL patients have changed in different brain regions of the SNHL patients.