ABSTRACT
Previous studies have found a link between tinnitus and cognitive impairment, even leading to dementia. However, the mechanisms underlying this association are not clear. The purpose of this study was to explore intrinsic network changes in tinnitus and hearing loss patients with cognitive disorders. We included 17 individuals with bilateral idiopathic tinnitus, hearing loss, and cognitive impairment (PA) and 21 healthy controls. We identified resting-state networks (RSNs) and measured intra-network functional connectivity (FC) values via independent component analysis (ICA). We also evaluated correlations between RSNs and clinical characteristics. Compared with the healthy controls, the PA group showed decreased connectivity within the ventral attention network, dorsal attention network (DAN), visual network, left frontoparietal network, right frontoparietal network, sensorimotor network, and increased connectivity within the executive control network. MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) scores were negatively correlated with the FC values for left calcarine within the DAN. We identified abnormal intrinsic connectivity in several brain networks, mainly involving cognitive control, vision, sensorimotor function, and the cerebellum, in tinnitus patients with cognitive impairment. It may be possible to use the FC strength of the left calcarine within the DAN as an imaging marker to predict cognitive impairment in tinnitus patients.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To investigate the association between palatally displaced canines and cervical skeletal abnormalities by lateral cephalometric, panoramic radiographs and cone-beam CT. METHODS: One hundred and three patients with palatally displaced canines were chosen as the experimental group, and 103 patients with Class I and normal canines eruption were as the control group.The data of the first four cervical fusions and posterior arch defects were measured on the lateral cephalometrics. The relationship of the cervical skeletal abnormalities and palatally displaced canines was analyzed with SPSS 21.0 software package for Chi-square test. RESULTS: The incidence of cervical fusion in the experimental group was 71.84%(74 cases), while 15.53% (16 cases) in the control group; the difference between the experimental group and the control group was significant (P<0.001); the incidence of posterior arch defects in the experimental group was 10.68% (11 cases) and 4.85%ï¼5 casesï¼ in the control group; the difference between the experimental group and the control group was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: There is an obviously increasing occurrence rate of cervical skeletal abnormalities in patients with palatally displaced canines, and cervical vertebra bone abnormalities can be combined with other diagnostic parameters to confirm the situation of impacted canines.