Cheng Qiansheng, Liu Shoufeng, Wang Junling, Wang Yajing, Han Bihui, Wang Lichen, Jin Song
Department of Radiology, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Huanhu Hospital Affiliated to Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Front Neurol. 2025 Jun 6;16:1584290. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1584290. eCollection 2025.
Motor and cognitive impairments are common symptoms of basal ganglia (BG) stroke, although the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, we aimed to explore the alterations in functional connectivity (FC) between thalamic subregions post-BG stroke via resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) measurements.
This cross-sectional study compared 40 patients with BG stroke and 35 healthy controls (HCs). Seed-based FC analysis was performed for 14 thalamic subregions. Correlations between FC changes and Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA)/Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were assessed.
Patients exhibited hyperconnectivity between the left thalamic subregion connected with the sensory cortex (SC_thalamus) and left precuneus ( = 3.97, FWE = 0.041) and the right SC_thalamus-left angular gyrus ( = 4.50, FWE = 0.032). Hypoconnectivity emerged between the left thalamic subregion connected with the prefrontal cortex (PFC_thalamus) and right supramarginal gyrus ( = -5.54, FWE = 0.015), left thalamic subregion connected with the temporal cortex (TC_thalamus) and right postcentral gyrus ( = -4.95, FWE = 0.022), and right thalamic subregion connected with the primary motor cortex (M1_thalamus) and right medial suprafrontal gyrus ( = -5.62, FWE = 0.012). FC strength between the right M1_thalamus and right medial suprafrontal gyrus was positively correlated with FMA ( = 0.484, FDR = 0.033), while left PFC_thalamus-right supramarginal connectivity predicted MMSE performance ( = 0.490, FDR = 0.021).
BG stroke disrupts thalamocortical circuitry at subregional levels, with distinct FC patterns linking to motor/cognitive deficits. These network-level insights may guide targeted neuromodulation therapies. The identified FC alterations could serve as biomarkers for monitoring recovery and personalizing interventions to improve post-stroke rehabilitation outcomes.
运动和认知障碍是基底神经节（BG）卒中的常见症状，但其潜在的神经生物学机制仍不清楚。因此，我们旨在通过静息态功能磁共振成像（rs-fMRI）测量来探索BG卒中后丘脑亚区域之间功能连接（FC）的变化。
这项横断面研究比较了40例BG卒中患者和35名健康对照者（HCs）。对14个丘脑亚区域进行基于种子点的FC分析。评估FC变化与Fugl-Meyer评估（FMA）/简易精神状态检查表（MMSE）评分之间的相关性。
患者在与感觉皮层相连的左侧丘脑亚区域（SC_丘脑）和左侧楔前叶之间（=3.97，FWE=0.041）以及右侧SC_丘脑-左侧角回之间（=4.50，FWE=0.032）表现出连接增强。在与前额叶皮层相连的左侧丘脑亚区域（PFC_丘脑）和右侧缘上回之间（=-5.54，FWE=0.015）、与颞叶皮层相连的左侧丘脑亚区域（TC_丘脑）和右侧中央后回之间（=-4.95，FWE=0.022）以及与初级运动皮层相连的右侧丘脑亚区域（M1_丘脑）和右侧额上内侧回之间（=-5.62，FWE=0.012）出现连接减弱。右侧M1_丘脑和右侧额上内侧回之间的FC强度与FMA呈正相关（=0.484，FDR=0.033），而左侧PFC_丘脑-右侧缘上回的连接性可预测MMSE表现（=0.490，FDR=0.021）。
BG卒中在亚区域水平破坏了丘脑皮质回路，不同的FC模式与运动/认知缺陷相关。这些网络水平的见解可能指导有针对性的神经调节治疗。所确定的FC改变可作为监测恢复情况和个性化干预以改善卒中后康复结果的生物标志物。
