Chen Jing, Lu Weiwei, Wang Zhangyang, Shi Mingfang, Shi Zhang, Shi Weibin
Department of Neurology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Department of Rehabilitation, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Neuroimage Clin. 2025 Mar 21;46:103773. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103773.
To examine the role of the large-scale functional network connectivity between white matter lesions (WMLs) and cognitive behaviors in patients of asymptomatic cerebral small vascular diseases (CSVD).
The study sample consisted of 211 asymptomatic CSVD patients with WMLs. Large-scale internetwork and intranetwork functional connectivity (FC) were calculated using a combination of resting-state functional MRI data and independent component analysis. Neuropsychological tests involve cognitive functions were also measured. Then, potential correlations between WMLs, functional network connectivity and cognitive behaviors were tested. Mediation analysis was used to explore the role of functional network connectivity between WMLs and cognitive behaviors.
We successfully identified fourteen meaningful resting-state functional networks. Internetwork FC between dorsal sensorimotor network (dSMN) and right frontoparietal network (rFPN), dSMN and left frontoparietal network (lFPN), auditory network (AN) and posterior default network (pDMN), AN and executive control network (ECN), ECN and salience network (SN), dorsal attention network (DAN) and ECN were significant correlated with volumes of WMLs. Executive function were associated with internetwork FC between AN and pDMN, ECN and SN. Moreover, internetwork FC between AN and pDMN, ECN and SN mediated the relations of WMLs with executive function (for AN and pDMN, indirect effect: -0.0371, 95% CI: -0.0829 to -0.0073; for ECN and SN, indirect effect: -0.03191, 95% CI: -0.0807 to -0.0047). Moreover, left inferior parietal lobule in rFPN, right precentral gyrus in anterior default network (aDMN), right paracentral lobue in pDMN and left precunues in ECN were related to volumes of WMLs. There is a significant association of WMLs with intranetwork FC in left precunues, which could mediate the link between WMLs and information processing speed (indirect effect: -0.0437, 95% CI: -0.1055 to -0.0081).
WMLs in asymptomatic CSVD patients may induce large-scale connectivity changes including the internetwork FC and intranetwork FC, which might further influence executive function and information processing speed.
探讨无症状性脑小血管病（CSVD）患者白质病变（WMLs）与认知行为之间大规模功能网络连接的作用。
研究样本包括211例有WMLs的无症状CSVD患者。结合静息态功能磁共振成像数据和独立成分分析，计算大规模网络间和网络内功能连接（FC）。还测量了涉及认知功能的神经心理学测试。然后，测试WMLs、功能网络连接和认知行为之间的潜在相关性。采用中介分析来探讨WMLs与认知行为之间功能网络连接的作用。
我们成功识别出14个有意义的静息态功能网络。背侧感觉运动网络（dSMN）与右侧额顶叶网络（rFPN）、dSMN与左侧额顶叶网络（lFPN）、听觉网络（AN）与后默认网络（pDMN）、AN与执行控制网络（ECN）、ECN与突显网络（SN）、背侧注意网络（DAN）与ECN之间的网络间FC与WMLs体积显著相关。执行功能与AN和pDMN、ECN和SN之间的网络间FC相关。此外，AN和pDMN、ECN和SN之间的网络间FC介导了WMLs与执行功能的关系（对于AN和pDMN，间接效应：-0.0371，95%CI：-0.0829至-0.0073；对于ECN和SN，间接效应：-0.03191，95%CI：-0.0807至-0.0047）。此外，rFPN中的左侧顶下小叶、前默认网络（aDMN）中的右侧中央前回、pDMN中的右侧中央旁小叶和ECN中的左侧楔前叶与WMLs体积相关。WMLs与左侧楔前叶的网络内FC存在显著关联，其可介导WMLs与信息处理速度之间的联系（间接效应：-0.0437，95%CI：-0.1055至-0.0081）。
无症状CSVD患者的WMLs可能会引起包括网络间FC和网络内FC在内的大规模连接变化，这可能会进一步影响执行功能和信息处理速度。
