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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Neurotrauma
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1477596
This article is part of the Research Topic Neurodegeneration and Cognitive Impairment after Traumatic Brain Injury View all 7 articles

Differential Brain Activity in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness: A 3-Month rs-fMRI Study Using Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation

Provisionally accepted
Xuewei Qin Xuewei Qin 1*Xuanling Chen Xuanling Chen 1Lan Yao Lan Yao 1*Fa Lu Fa Lu 2*Zhenhu Liang Zhenhu Liang 2*Jianghong He Jianghong He 3*Xiangyang Guo Xiangyang Guo 4*Xiaoli Li Xiaoli Li 5*
  • 1 International Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China
  • 2 Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China
  • 3 Beijing Neurosurgery Research Institute, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
  • 4 Peking University Third Hospital, Haidian, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 5 Beijing Normal University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Disorders of consciousness (DoC) from severe brain injuries have significant impacts. However, further research on nuanced biomarkers is needed to fully understand the condition. This study employed resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) to investigate differential brain activity in patients with DoC following spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy. It also assessed the predictive value of rs-fMRI and ALFF in determining the consciousness levels at 3 months post-therapy. Methods: We analyzed rs-fMRI data from 31 patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 22 with non-traumatic brain injury (non-TBI) diagnosed with DoC. ALFF was measured before SCS therapy, and clinical outcomes were assessed 3 months later using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. Results: Patients with TBI showed increased ALFF in the thalamus and anterior cingulate cortex, whereas the middle occipital lobe showed decreased ALFF. In the non-TBI group, a higher ALFF was noted in the precuneus, with a reduced ALFF in the occipital and temporal lobes. Patients with improved consciousness post-SCS exhibited distinct ALFF patterns compared with those with unchanged consciousness, particularly in the posterior cingulate and occipital regions. Conclusion: The application of ALFF in rs-fMRI may be a predictive tool for post-treatment outcomes in patients with DoC of varying etiologies. Differential ALFF in specific brain regions could indicate the likelihood of improvement in consciousness following SCS therapy.

    Keywords: disorders of consciousness, RS-fMRI, Precuneus, cingulate gyrus, ALFF, Spinal Cord Stimulation

    Received: 08 Aug 2024; Accepted: 02 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Qin, Chen, Yao, Lu, Liang, He, Guo and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xuewei Qin, International Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China
    Lan Yao, International Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China
    Fa Lu, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, 066004, Hebei, China
    Zhenhu Liang, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, 066004, Hebei, China
    Jianghong He, Beijing Neurosurgery Research Institute, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, China
    Xiangyang Guo, Peking University Third Hospital, Haidian, 100191, Beijing Municipality, China
    Xiaoli Li, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, Beijing Municipality, China

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