The risk of falling increases in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) patients. As a central part, Basal ganglia play an important role in motor and balance control, but whether its involvement in DPN is unclear.
Ten patients with confirmed DPN, ten diabetes patients without DPN, and ten healthy age-matched controls(HC) were recruited to undergo magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) to assess brain structure and zone adaptability. Multiscale entropy and small-world network analysis were then used to assess the complexity of the hemodynamic response signal, reflecting the adaptability of the basal ganglia.
There was no significant difference in brain structure among the three groups, except the duration of diabetes in DPN patients was longer (p < 0.05). The complexity of basal ganglia was significantly decreased in the DPN group compared with the non-DPN and HC group (p < 0.05), which suggested their poor adaptability.
In the sensorimotor loop, peripheral and early central nervous lesions exist simultaneously in DPN patients. Multiscale Entropy and Small-world Network Analysis could detect basal ganglia dysfunction prior to structural changes in MRI, potentially valuable tools for early non-invasive screening and follow-up.