title: Aberrant salience network and its functional coupling with default and executive networks in minimal hepatic encephalopathy: a resting-state fMRI study.
abstract: The purposes of this study are to explore functional alterations in salience network (SN) and its functional coupling with default mode (DMN) and central executive (CEN) networks in minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). Twenty cirrhotic patients with MHE, 23 cirrhotic patients without MHE (NHE), and 18 controls underwent resting-state fMRI and psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) test. Independent component analysis was performed to obtain DMN (including three subsystems: anterior, inferior-posterior, and superior-posterior DMN [a/ip/spDMN]), SN, and CEN (including three subsystems: left-ventral, right-ventral, and dorsal CEN [lv/rv/dCEN]). The intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) within (intra-iFC) and between (inter-iFC and time-lagged inter-iFC) networks was measured. MHE patients showed decreased intra-iFC within aDMN, SN, lvCEN, and rvCEN; and decreased inter-iFC and time-lagged inter-iFC between SN and ipDMN/spDMN/lvCEN and increased inter-iFC and time-lagged inter-iFC between SN and aDMN, compared with controls. A progressive trend in connectivity alterations was found as the disease developed from NHE to MHE. The inter-iFC between ipDMN/spDMN and SN was significantly correlated with PHES score. In conclusion, an aberrant SN and its functional interaction with the DMN/CEN are core features of MHE that are associated with disease progression and may play an important role in neurocognitive dysfunction in MHE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
authors.forename: Hua-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Information Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China.
authors.forename: Qiu-Feng
authors.initials: QF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D063132:Connectome / Q000379:methods; D018450:Disease Progression; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012146:Rest