PlumX Metrics
Embed PlumX Metrics

Alterations of white matter structural networks in patients with non-neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus identified by probabilistic tractography and connectivity-based analyses

NeuroImage: Clinical, ISSN: 2213-1582, Vol: 13, Page: 349-360
2017
  • 17
    Citations
  • 0
    Usage
  • 38
    Captures
  • 1
    Mentions
  • 0
    Social Media
Metric Options:   Counts1 Year3 Year

Metrics Details

Most Recent News

Cerebral Microstructural and Microvascular Changes in Non-Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Study Using Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging and 3D Pseudo-Continuous Arterial Spin Labeling

Introduction Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, recurring, female-predominant autoimmune connective tissue disorder that affects various organ systems, including the central nervous system. In

Article Description

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory female-predominant autoimmune disease that can affect the central nervous system and exhibit neuropsychiatric symptoms. In SLE patients without neuropsychiatric symptoms (non-NPSLE), recent diffusion tensor imaging studies showed white matter abnormalities in their brains. The present study investigated the entire brain white matter structural connectivity in non-NPSLE patients by using probabilistic tractography and connectivity-based analyses. Whole-brain structural networks of 29 non-NPSLE patients and 29 healthy controls (HCs) were examined. The structural networks were constructed with interregional probabilistic connectivity. Graph theory analysis was performed to investigate the topological properties, and network-based statistic was employed to assess the alterations of the interregional connections among non-NPSLE patients and controls. Compared with HCs, non-NPSLE patients demonstrated significantly decreased global and local network efficiencies and showed increased characteristic path length. This finding suggests that the global integration and local specialization were impaired. Moreover, the regional properties (nodal efficiency and degree) in the frontal, occipital, and cingulum regions of the non-NPSLE patients were significantly changed and negatively correlated with the disease activity index. The distribution pattern of the hubs measured by nodal degree was altered in the patient group. Finally, the non-NPSLE group exhibited decreased structural connectivity in the left median cingulate-centered component and increased connectivity in the left precuneus-centered component and right middle temporal lobe-centered component. This study reveals an altered topological organization of white matter networks in non-NPSLE patients. Furthermore, this research provides new insights into the structural disruptions underlying the functional and neurocognitive deficits in non-NPSLE patients.

Provide Feedback

Have ideas for a new metric? Would you like to see something else here?Let us know