Frequency-dependent changes in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD): a resting-state fMRI study

Abstract

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) allowed researchers to detect intrinsic brain activity during rest and has been considered an analytical tool for evaluation of dementia. Previously, subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD) has been found decreased amplitude low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in a widely frequency range (0.01-0.08Hz) in the bilateral precuneus and increased ALFF values in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left insula and hippocampus, which showed significant correlations with the cognitive performance. In this study we analyzed the ALFF of 30 patients with SIVD in two different frequency bands (slow-5: 0.01-0.027Hz; slow-4: 0.027-0.073Hz). In the slow-5 band, SIVD patients compared with controls exhibited significant higher ALFF in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, right putamen and right supplementary motor area, while lower ALFF in the right precuneus and right angular gyrus. A close correlation was found between the ALFF value of the right angular gyrus and ADL scores. In the slow-4 band, SIVD patients only exhibited increased ALFF in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, right putamen, left fusiform gyrus, and no correlation with cognitive scores was found. Our data demonstrate that SIVD patients have widespread abnormal intrinsic neural oscillations, which are dependent on specific frequency bands. ALFF of right angular gyrus at slow-5 band is more specific for SIVD and may be a useful tool to help SIVD diagnosis.

Keywords: Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF); Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging; Vascular dementia.