title: Altered resting-state brain activity at functional MR imaging during the progression of hepatic encephalopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the spatial patterns of the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) of varying severity and to correlate these fluctuations with clinical markers of HE.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was approved by the local ethics committee, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Twenty-nine patients with HE (15 with overt and 14 with minimal HE) and 17 healthy control subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The ALFF, an index reflecting the amplitudes of spontaneous brain activity, was compared among patients with overt HE, patients with minimal HE, and control subjects with analysis of variance tests and t tests between each pair. Pearson correlation analysis was performed between the ALFF and the venous blood ammonia level and Child-Pugh score of all patients with HE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with control subjects, patients with overt and minimal HE showed decreased ALFF mainly in regions within the default-mode network (DMN) and increased ALFF in the cerebellum and middle temporal gyrus. Compared with patients with minimal HE, those with overt HE showed decreased ALFF in DMN regions and increased ALFF in the posterior insular cortex (P<.05, corrected for multiple comparisons). Both the venous blood ammonia levels and Child-Pugh scores of individual patients with HE showed negative correlation with ALFF within some DMN regions, whereas they showed positive correlation with ALFF in the posterior insular cortex (P<.05, corrected for multiple comparisons).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with HE have diffuse abnormalities in intrinsic brain activity. The levels of decreased ALFF in the DMN and increased ALFF in the posterior insular cortex are dependent on the severity of HE, suggesting continuous impairment of the DMN and a compensatory role of the insula during the progression of HE. Resting-state functional MR imaging with ALFF analysis may be a noninvasive modality with which to detect the progression of HE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Clinical School of Medical College, Nanjing University, 305 Zhongshan East Rd, Xuanwu District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210002, China.
authors.forename: Rongfeng
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Longjiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shengyong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jianhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Zongjun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Xingjiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xinxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Yijun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Guangming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000097:blood; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000641:Ammonia