Title:Irregular Baseline Brain Activity in Coronary Artery Disease Patients with
Cognitive Impairment: A Resting-state Functional Magnetic Resonance
Imaging Study
Volume: 19
Issue: 2
Author(s): Jingchen Zhang*, Jueyue Yan*, Jianhua Niu, Zhipeng Xu, Xing Fang, Jingyu You and Tong Li
Affiliation:
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang,
China
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang,
China
Keywords:
Coronary artery disease, functional magnetci resonance imaging, cognition, low-frequency fluctuations, minimental state examination, montreal cognitive assessment.
Abstract:
Objective: Cognitive impairment has been suggested to be associated with coronary artery
disease [CAD]; however, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Our current study
aimed to explore the brain activity in CAD patients compared to healthy controls [HCs].
Methods: Twenty-two CAD patients and 23 HCs were enrolled in our study. A low-frequency oscillation
at the voxel level in all participants based on the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations
[ALFF] was measured using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. All participants
underwent neuropsychological examinations [Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE and Montreal
Cognitive Assessment, MoCA] and visual acuity examination.
Results: CAD patients showed significantly lower ALFF values [P < 0.05] in the right precuneus
gyrus [Precuneus_R], left supramarginal gyrus [Supramarginal_L], left angular gyrus [Angular_L],
and left middle cingulum gyrus [Cingulum_Mid_L] than healthy controls. Lower MoCA scores in
CAD patients significantly correlated with lower Supramarginal_L [P = 0.001] and Cingulate_
Mid_L [P = 0.004] ALFF values. Reduced visual acuity significantly correlated with lower
Precuneus_R [P = 0.019] and Cingulate_Mid_L [P = 0.011] ALFF values in CAD patients.
Conclusion: These findings may provide further insight into the underlying neuropathophysiology
of CAD with cognitive impairment.