Potential Role of Right Cerebellum in Post-stroke Aphasia: A Preliminary Study Based on Granger Causality Analysis / 中国康复理论与实践

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the recovery mechanism of language network among post-stroke aphasic patients by investigating the difference of whole-brain amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and the Granger causality analysis (GCA) between the patients and the controls. Methods From May, 2019 to May, 2021, 19 patients with aphasia after left hemispheric stroke and 17 age- and sex- matched healthy controls finished functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. All the patients assessed with Chinese version of Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). Restplus was used for fMRI data analysis. Regions with significant difference of ALFF between groups were chosen as regions of interests (ROI) for the following GCA analysis. Results ALFF in left inferior frontal gyrus triangle (LIFGtri) and left medial frontal gyrus (LMFG) were significantly lower in the patients than in the controls. Effective connectivity from LIFGtri to LMFG and from LMFG to the right cerebellar Crus I were significantly lower in the patients. Effective connectivity from right cerebellar Crus II to LIFGtri, from right cerebellar Crus I to LMFG were significantly greater in the patients. Conclusion Unidirectional negative regulatory pathway such as LIFGtri→LMFG might be injured in post-stroke aphasia, while, connectivities between right cerebellar Crus II→LIFGtri and right cerebellar Crus I →LMFG enhanced. Right cerebellum might be the potential target for the language recovery.