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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Imaging Methods
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1568045
This article is part of the Research Topic Unraveling Cognitive Impairment: A Multimodal MRI Approach to Brain Networks View all 5 articles
Functional Network Reorganization and Memory Impairment in Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- 2 Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
Brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are congenital vascular anomalies that can cause cognitive impairments, particularly affecting memory functions. However, the underlying mechanisms of neurocognitive abnormalities in unruptured AVMs remain unclear. This study aimed to explore spontaneous functional network reorganization associated with memory impairment in unruptured AVM patients using resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI). We compared functional activity and connectivity patterns, including regional homogeneity (ReHo), fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) between 25 AVM patients and healthy controls. Significant abnormal ReHo and FC were observed in several brain regions, particularly within the sensorimotor, fronto-parietal, and default mode networks (SMN, FPN, DMN). Subgroup analyses based on lesion location (frontal vs. non-frontal) and laterality (left vs. right) revealed location-dependent differences in connectivity reorganization. In particular, left-sided AVMs showed disrupted FC within the SMN, correlated with working memory and executive function, while right-sided and frontal AVMs exhibited more complex patterns involving multiple networks. Moreover, functional disconnection maps indicated that AVM lesions did not directly impair memory networks. These findings highlight distinct functional network alterations in AVM patients and suggest potential neural mechanisms underlying memory deficits, providing valuable insights for clinical management of AVM-induced cognitive dysfunction.
Keywords: working memory, unruptured arteriovenous malformation, neurocognition, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, functional connectivity
Received: 28 Jan 2025; Accepted: 26 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Deng, Yuan, Chen, Li, Chen and Zhao. 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:
XiaoLin Chen, Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100050, China
Yuanli Zhao, Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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