Regional Homogeneity With Frequency-dependent Alterations In Diffuse Axonal Injury Patients:Resting-state FMRI Study

Objective:To study the difference of regional homogeneity(ReHo)in diffuse axonal injury(DAI)patients with different band of fluctuation(slow-4:0.027-0.073Hz;slow-5:0.01-0.027Hz)by resting-state functional MRI(rs-fMRI),as well as exploring the potential mechanism of DAI patients with cognitive dysfunction.Methods:Twenty-six patients with diffuse axonal injury(DAI group)and 26 healthy controls(HCs)with matched sex,age,and education were collected for rs-fMRI.Then,the data was preprocessed by DPARSFA,and SPM was used to investigate the variance of regional homogeneity(ReHo)in different frequency bands between the DAI and HCs via ANOVA.At the same time,the independent two-sample t-test was used to observe the changes of ReHo in different frequency bands between the DAI and HCs groups.Finally,correlation analysis was performed between ReHo abnormal area and clinical scales in DAI group.Results:(1)Compared with HCs,the DAI patients exhibited significantly decreased ReHo in several pair-clusters,including left cerebellum posterior lobe,right subcallosal gyrus,right inferior frontal gyrus,bilateral thalamus,left inferior parietal lobule,cingulate gyrus,and increased ReHo in left cuneus/precuneus(p<0.05,GFR correction).(2)There showed a significant ReHo value between the two bands in some regions,including left parahippocampal,left fusiform,left superior temporal gyrus,left middle temporal gyrus,left inferior temporal gyrus,bilateral inferior frontal gyrus,medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate(p<0.05,GFR correction).(3)Positive correlation was observed between the MMSE score and ReHo of the left cerebellum posterior lobe.Conclusions:(1)Patients with DAI have multiple functional changes in brain regions and involve multiple brain function network abnormalities,including executive control,default,and salience networks.(2)The distinct frequency-specific ReHo properties of brain area is existed in DAI patients,which provide new evidences to study the mechanisms of cognitive impairment in DAI patients.(3)Correlation was found between difference of ReHo value and clinical scales,which provides the foundation of brain function network after TBI.