ABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the relationship of neurocognitive impairments and 1 H MRS changes of the thalamus in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus related cirrhosis (HBV-RC).Methods Totally 28 patients with HBV-RC (cirrhosis group) and 28 well-matched healthy subjects (control group) were enrolled.All subjects underwent number connection test A (NCT-A) and the digit symbol test (DST) before MRS scanning.The ratios of peak area to each metabolite,including N-acetylaminosuccinic acid (NAA),choline (Cho),glutamine and glutamate (Glx),myoinositol (mI) and creatine (Cr) were calculated,respectively.Results Compared with control group,patients in cirrhosis group showed lower Cho/Cr and mI/Cr,higher Glx/Cr,prolonged NCT-A time and decreased DST scores (all P＜0.001).NCT-A completion time was negatively correlated with Cho/Cr and mI/Cr (r=-0.477,P =0.001;r=-0.695,P＜0.001) and positively correlated with Glx/Cr (r=0.665,P＜0.001).DST scores were positively correlated with Cho/Cr and mI/Cr (r =0.478,P =0.001;r=0.632,P＜0.001),and negatively correlated with Glx/Cr (r=-0.572,P＜0.001).Conclusion The neurocognitive impairments may be related to metabolic changes of the thalamus in patients with HBV RC.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the changes in orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) functional connectivity and its association with decision-making deficits in chronic heroin-dependent individuals (HDIs) and explore the neural mechanisms of heroin addiction and relapse.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fourteen male chronic HDIs and 14 healthy subjects matched for age, education, and nicotine consumption participated in this study. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed using a 1.5 T MR scanner. Functional connectivity of the OFC and the rest of the brain were calculated using REST software. Voxel-based analysis of the functional connectivity maps between the control and HDI groups was performed with two-sample t test. The Iowa gambling task (IGT) was used to assess the participants' decision making during uncertainty.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, the HDIs showed significantly decreased functional connectivity of the OFC and the right inferior parietal lobule (rIPL) (t=3.5, P<0.05). A significant negative correlation was noted between the functional connectivity of the OFC-rIPL and performance level at the IGT.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The OFC-rIPL functional connectivity is significantly disrupted in HDIs, which may be the neural basis for decision-making deficits.</p>