Regional homogeneity alterations in patients with functional constipation and their associations with gene expression profiles.

Functional constipation, a highly prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder, often accompanies by mental and psychological disorders. Previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated brain functional and structural alterations in patients with functional constipation. However, little is known about whether and how regional homogeneity is altered in these patients. Moreover, the potential genetic mechanisms associated with these alterations remain largely unknown. The study included 73 patients with functional constipation and 68 healthy controls, and regional homogeneity comparison was conducted to identify the abnormal spontaneous brain activities in patients with functional constipation. Using Allen Human Brain Atlas, we further investigated gene expression profiles associated with regional homogeneity alterations in functional constipation patients with partial least squares regression analysis applied. Compared with healthy controls, functional constipation patients demonstrated significantly decreased regional homogeneity in both bilateral caudate nucleus, putamen, anterior insula, thalamus and right middle cingulate cortex, supplementary motor area, and increased regional homogeneity in the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex. Genes related to synaptic signaling, central nervous system development, fatty acid metabolism, and immunity were spatially correlated with abnormal regional homogeneity patterns. Our findings showed significant regional homogeneity alterations in functional constipation patients, and the changes may be caused by complex polygenetic and poly-pathway mechanisms, which provides a new perspective on functional constipation's pathophysiology.

Corrigendum: Transcriptomic Signatures Associated With Gray Matter Volume Changes in Patients With Functional Constipation.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.791831.].

Transcriptomic Signatures Associated With Gray Matter Volume Changes in Patients With Functional Constipation.

Functional constipation, which belongs to the functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID), is a common disease and significantly impacts daily life. FGID patients have been progressively proven with functional and structural alterations in various brain regions, but whether and how functional constipation affects the brain gray matter volume (GMV) remains unclear; besides, which genes are associated with the GMV changes in functional constipation is largely unknown. On account of the structural MRI image from the 30 functional constipation patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs), GMV analysis showed that functional constipation patients had significantly decreased GMV in the right orbital prefrontal cortex (OFC), left precentral gyrus (PreG), and bilateral thalamus (THA). Correlation analysis showed that the self-rating depressive scale, patient assessment of constipation quality of life (PAC-QOL), and Wexner constipation scores were negatively correlated with GMV of the OFC and negative correlations between PAC-QOL score and GMV of the bilateral THA. Based on the Allen Human Brain Atlas, a cross-sample spatial correlation was conducted and found that 18 genes' expression values showed robust correlations with GMV changes in functional constipation patients. These outcomes highlight our recognition of the transcriptional features related to GMV changes in functional constipation and could be regarded as candidates to detect biological mechanisms of abnormality in functional constipation patients.

Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis is Related to Post-stroke Cognitive Impairment: A Cross-sectional Study of Minor Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis (ICAS) is an important risk factor for cognitive impairment. However, it is unclear whether patients with ICAS are more likely to develop cognitive impairment after an acute, non-disabling ischemic stroke (minor stroke). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the association between ICAS and post-stroke cognitive impairment. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, patients with acute, non-disabling ischemic stroke underwent two cognitive tests and imaging evaluation for ICAS, within two weeks after the stroke. To determine the association between ICAS and post-stroke cognitive impairment, we performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for several demographic and vascular risk factors. RESULTS: Of the 164 patients with minor stroke in this study, 98 (59.76%) were diagnosed with poststroke cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment score<26). After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that patients with ICAS were more likely to develop cognitive impairment after an acute, non-disabling ischemic stroke, compared to patients without ICAS (Odds Ratio: 2.13; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.07-4.26), and underperformed in the tests of visuospatial and executive function. CONCLUSION: In this cross-sectional study of a population that has experienced a minor stroke, our findings demonstrated a positive association between ICAS and post-stroke cognitive impairment.

Differential Reorganization of SMA Subregions After Stroke: A Subregional Level Resting-State Functional Connectivity Study.

Background and Purpose: The human supplementary motor area (SMA) contains two functional subregions of the SMA proper and preSMA; however, the reorganization patterns of the two SMA subregions after stroke remain uncertain. Meanwhile, a focal subcortical lesion may affect the overall functional reorganization of brain networks. We sought to identify the differential reorganization of the SMA subregions after subcortical stroke using the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) analysis. Methods: Resting-state functional MRI was conducted in 25 patients with chronic capsular stroke exhibiting well-recovered global motor function (Fugl-Meyer score >90). The SMA proper and preSMA were identified by the rsFC-based parcellation, and the rsFCs of each SMA subregion were compared between stroke patients and healthy controls. Results: Despite common rsFC with the fronto-insular cortex (FIC), the SMA proper and preSMA were mainly correlated with the sensorimotor areas and cognitive-related regions, respectively. In stroke patients, the SMA proper and preSMA exhibited completely different functional reorganization patterns: the former showed increased rsFCs with the primary sensorimotor area and caudal cingulate motor area (CMA) of the motor execution network, whereas the latter showed increased rsFC with the rostral CMA of the motor control network. Both of the two SMA subregions showed decreased rsFC with the FIC in stroke patients; the preSMA additionally showed decreased rsFC with the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Conclusion: Although both SMA subregions exhibit functional disconnection with the cognitive-related areas, the SMA proper is implicated in the functional reorganization within the motor execution network, whereas the preSMA is involved in the functional reorganization within the motor control network in stroke patients.