title: [Regional homogeneity changes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome: resting-state functional MRI study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the change of regional homogeneity (ReHo) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Resting-state fMRI data were collected from 15 patients with OSAHS and 15 normal controls. Patients were enrolled from the Sleep Laboratory of the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Department of Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing from November 2014 to June 2015. The data were analyzed with the ReHo method and compared between OSAHS and controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ReHo showed a significant increase in the posterior lobe of right cerebellum (t=4.292 1, P<0.01), posterior lobe of left cerebellum (t=4.350 6, P<0.01), right brainstem (t=5.276 6, P<0.01), right occipital lobe (t=3.620 9, P= 0.001), left basal ganglia (t=3.385 6, P=0.002) and left temporal lobe (t=4.781 2, P<0.01) and a decrease in the right middle frontal gyrus (t=-3.564 4, P= 0.001), right inferior parietal lobe (t=-4.123 7, P<0.01) and bilateral superior frontal gyrus (t=-3.500 9, P=0.002) in patients with OSAHS. Furthermore, the average ReHo values of the posterior lobe of bilateral cerebellum was positively correlated with the MMSE scores (r=0.682, P=0.012), the LMT scores (r=0.623, P=0.013) and the LMT-delayed recall scores (r=0.577, P=0.024), while negatively correlated with the TMT-A scores (r=-0.723, P=0.002); the average ReHo values of the right middle frontal gyrus (r=0.661, P=0.007) was positively correlated with the TMT-A scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current findings indicate that significant changes of ReHo in the global brain regions have been detected in OSAHS patients and the compensatory change of brain function occur. Abnormal ReHo values in the posterior lobe of bilateral cerebellum and right middle frontal gyrus could serve as potential biomarkers for assessment of neuronal damage and further provides insights into the biological mechanism of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuting
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chuanchuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Huixin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhichun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000503:physiopathology; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis*