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. 2021 May 7:17:1385-1395.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S292302. eCollection 2021.

Altered Temporal Dynamics of Brain Activity in Multiple-Frequency Bands in Non-Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients with Inactive Disease

Liheng Chen  1 , Jiawei Sun  2   3 , Qiaohong Wang  1 , Lingzhen Hu  1 , Yi Zhang  1 , Huibin Ma  2   3 , Xize Jia  4   5 , Xuyan Yang  1
Affiliations

Altered Temporal Dynamics of Brain Activity in Multiple-Frequency Bands in Non-Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients with Inactive Disease

Liheng Chen et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

Purpose: In this study, we seek to investigate dynamic changes of brain activity in non-neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (non-NPSLE) patients with inactive disease.

Patients and methods: Thirty-one non-NPSLE patients with inactive disease and 20 matched healthy controls underwent the blood oxygenation level-dependent fMRI examination. Dynamic regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) were used to analyze the brain activity in typical band (0.01-0.08 Hz), slow-4 (0.027-0.073 Hz) and slow-5 (0.01-0.027 Hz). Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to correlate dynamic regional homogeneity (dReHo) and dynamic fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (dfALFF) values for clusters of voxels where significant group differences were found with clinical variables in non-NPSLE patients with inactive disease.

Results: In typical band, non-NPSLE patients showed increased dReHo in left middle occipital gyrus (MOG) compared to healthy controls. Meanwhile, patients showed decreased dfALFF in right superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and bilateral middle frontal gyrus (MFG) in typical band. In slow-4, increased dReHo in left MOG was found in non-NPSLE patients. In slow-5, non-NPSLE patients showed increased dReHo in left MOG, left calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex, right precentral gyrus (PreCG) and left postcentral gyrus (PoCG). Meanwhile, non-NPSLE patients showed decreased dfALFF in left SFG, right MFG, and right PreCG in slow-5. Moreover, the glucocorticoid dose showed significantly negative correlations with dReHo values in right PreCG in slow-5, left PoCG in slow-5, and left MOG in typical band.

Conclusion: dReHo and dfALFF abnormalities in different frequency bands may be the key characteristics in the pathogenesis mechanism of non-NPSLE.

Keywords: dynamic fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations; dynamic regional homogeneity; frequency bands; non-neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus; resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging; systemic lupus erythematosus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
dReHo map of non-NPSLE patients versus healthy controls in different frequency bands. T-statistic dReHo maps of non-NPSLE patients versus healthy controls (HCs) (voxel p<0.005, cluster p<0.05, GRF corrected). (A) dReHo map of non-NPSLE patients versus healthy controls in typical band; (B) dReHo map of non-NPSLE patients versus healthy controls in slow-4; (C) dReHo map of non-NPSLE patients versus healthy controls in slow-5. Hot colors indicate increased dReHo in patients compared with HCs; cold colors indicate decreased dReHo in patients compared with HCs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
dfALFF map of non-NPSLE patients versus healthy controls in different frequency bands T-statistic dfALFF maps of non-NPSLE patients versus healthy controls (HCs) (voxel p<0.005, cluster p<0.05, GRF corrected). (A) dfALFF map of non-NPSLE patients versus healthy controls in typical band; (B) dfALFF map of non-NPSLE patients versus healthy controls in slow-5. Hot colors indicate increased dfALFF in patients compared with HCs; cold colors indicate decreased dfALFF in patients compared with HCs.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation analysis. The correlation analysis showed significantly negative correlations between the glucocorticoid dose and dReHo values in right PreCG in slow-5 (B), dReHo values in left PoCG in slow-5 (A), and dReHo values in left MOG in typical band (C).
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