Relation of cognitive function assessment with brain structure network in patients with acute cerebellar infarction / 中华神经医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the relations of changes in the cognitive function with brain structure network in patients with cerebellar infarction.Methods:Thirty-six patients with cerebellar infarction at the posterior lobe, admitted to our hospital from July 2016 to October 2019, were chosen as cerebellar infarction group; and 30 healthy subjects matched with age, gender, and education level at the same time period were used as control group. Neurocognitive and behavioral tests were performed on both groups to assess the cognitive functions, and MR imaging was performed to obtain diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data. Deterministic tractography and graph theory were used to obtain the structural brain network and network parameters of all subjects. The differences of clinical data and brain network topological characteristic parameters between the two groups were compared, and the correlation between the subjects' brain structural network characteristic parameters and cognitive function was analyzed.Results:As compared with the control group, patients in the cerebellar infarction group had significantly lower Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Scale (MoCA), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Digit Span Test (DST), Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) scores, and significantly longer Trail Making Test (TMT) time-consuming ( P<0.05). As compared with the control group, the cerebellar infarction group showed significantly decreased global efficiency (Eglob) and local efficiency (Eloc) in the brain network, and significantly increased clustering coefficient (Cp) and length of path (Lp, P<0.05). As compared with the control group, the cerebellar infarction group had significantly reduced nodal efficiency in 14 brain regions ( P<0.05), including bilateral median cingulate and paracingulate gyri (DCG), left inferior frontal gyrus-opercular part (IFGoperc), bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA), bilateral precuneus (PCUN), left inferior frontal gyrus-orbital part (ORBinf), left temporal pole-superior temporal gyrus (TPOsup), left temporal pole-middle temporal gyrus(TPOmid), left inferior parietal-supramarginal and angular gyri (IPL), bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG), left inferior frontal gyrus-triangular part (IFGtriang). MoCA scores were significantly negatively correlated with Lp ( r=-0.388, P=0.019), and were significantly positively correlated with Eglob ( r=0.350, P=0.036), and efficiencies in the right DCG ( r=0.428, P=0.009), left DCG ( r=0.359, P=0.031) and right PCG ( r=0.350, P=0.037) in the cerebellar infarction patients. The RAVLT scores showed a significantly positive correlation with Eglob ( r=0.338, P=0.044). The TMT-A time-consuming and left DCG had significant negative correlation ( r=0.357, P=0.032). TMT-B time-consuming was significantly negatively correlated with right DCG ( r=-0.432, P=0.008), right PCUN ( r=-0.350, P=0.036) and left DCG ( r=-0.398, P=0.016), and positively correlated with Lp ( r=0.406, P=0.014). Conclusions:There is cognitive dysfunction in multiple domains after acute cerebellar infarction, including memory, executive function, visuospatial ability and attention. At the same time, there are reduced efficiency of information transmission in bilateral PCUN, PCG and DCG, and the frontal temporal lobe; among them, the abnormal changes of the right PCG, bilateral DCG, and right PCUN may play key roles in cognitive dysfunction.