title: Functional disconnection of the right anterior insula in obstructive sleep apnea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The right anterior insula (AIns) is an important node of the salience network and serves to switch between two major cognitive-related functional brain networks, ie, the central executive network (CEN) and the default mode network (DMN), both of which show functional deficits in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. However, the effect of OSA on functional connectivity of the right AIns remains uncertain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the right AIns and the CEN and DMN is disrupted in OSA patients, which may be associated with cognitive deficits in this disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four male OSA patients and 21 matched healthy controls underwent functional MRI examinations and clinical and neuropsychologic assessments. The rsFCs between the right AIns and the CEN and DMN were compared between the two groups and were correlated with clinical and neuropsychologic assessments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with healthy controls, OSA patients showed significantly weakened rsFC between the right AIns and the DMN. Moreover, the functional disconnection between the right AIns and the medial prefrontal cortex was correlated with the severity of the OSA; and the functional disconnection between the right AIns and the posterior cingulate cortex was correlated with depressive scores and working memory performance. However, there were no significant inter-group differences in the rsFC between the right AIns and the CEN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that OSA selectively impairs the rsFC between the right AIns and the DMN, which may be a candidate substrate for cognitive impairment in OSA patients.
authors: Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China; Department of Radiology, Pingjin Hospital, Logistics University of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces, Tianjin 300162, China.
authors: Quan
authors: Q
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.
authors: Wen
authors: W
authors: Qin
authors: Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.
authors: Xiaoxi
authors: X
authors: He
authors: Department of Radiology, Tianjin Nankai Hospital, Tianjin 300100, China.
authors: Qiong
authors: Q
authors: Li
authors: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.
authors: Baoyuan
authors: B
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.
authors: Yunting
authors: Y
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China. Electronic address: chunshuiyu@tijmu.edu.cn.
authors: Chunshui
authors: C
authors: Yu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anterior insula; Default mode network; Functional connectivity; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Obstructive sleep apnea; Resting-state