Changes of fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation and their correlation with cognitive function in patients with different side (left/right) cerebellar infarction / 中华神经医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the abnormal changes of fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (fALFF) values in resting-state magnetic resonance imaging and their correlation with cognitive function in patients with different side (left/right) cerebellar infarction.Methods:A total of 22 patients with acute left cerebellar infarction at the posterior lobe (left cerebellar infarction group) and 20 patients with acute right cerebellar infarction at the posterior lobe (right cerebellar infarction group), admitted to our hospital from July 2018 to December 2019, were enrolled; and 22 gender-, age and education level-matched healthy subjects (healthy control group) were chosen at the same time period. Head resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological cognitive scale were performed; the correlations between characteristics of fALFF changes and cognitive function changes of these patients were investigated.Results:(1) As compared with the healthy control group, patients in the left cerebellar infarction group and right cerebellar infarction group had significantly lower scores of Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Rey auditory verbal learning test (RAVLT), and significantly longer Trail Making Test (TMT) time-consuming ( P<0.05); the TMT time-consuming in right cerebellar infarction group was significantly longer than that in left cerebellar infarction group ( P<0.05). (2) There were significant differences in fALFF values among the 3 groups in the right cingulate gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, and left superior frontal gyrus ( P<0.05, Alphasim-revised). As compared with the healthy control group, the fALFF values in the right middle frontal gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus and right cingulate gyrus of left cerebellar infarction group were significantly increased, and fALFF values in the right hippocampus of right cerebellar infarction group were significantly increased ( P<0.05, Alphasim-revised). (3) In patients from left cerebellar infarction group, MoCA scores were negatively correlated with the fALFF values in the right frontal lobe, right inferior parietal lobule and right cingulate gyrus ( P<0.05); RAVLT scores were negatively correlated with fALFF values in right inferior parietal lobule and positively correlated with fALFF values in occipital lobe ( P<0.05); correlation analysis between fALFF values and TMT scores demonstrated a positive correlation in the right parietal lobe and right cingulate gyrus ( P<0.05). In patients from right cerebellar infarction group, MoCA scores were positively correlated with the fALFF values in the right frontal lobe ( P<0.05); MoCA scores were negatively correlated with the fALFF values in the right inferior parietal lobule ( P<0.05); RAVLT scores were positively correlated with fALFF values in the left cingulate gyrus, and TMT time-consuming was negatively correlated with fALFF values in left parietal lobe ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Patients with cerebellar infarction have cognitive dysfunction. Unilateral cerebellar infarction can cause compensatory increase of fALFF values in key brain regions of the contralateral cerebral hemisphere. Abnormal fALFF changes are closely related to the degrees of cognitive dysfunction.