Altered brain anatomical networks and disturbed co

Authors: Zhou Yu Ling Tao Zhiyu Qian Jiangfen Wu Hongyi Liu Yun Yu Jiantai Song Shaobo Wang Jinyang Sun

Publish Date: 2016/02/25

Volume: 11, Issue: 11, Pages: 2007-2019

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Abstract

Brain tumor patients are usually accompanied by impairments in cognitive functions and these dysfunctions arise from the altered diffusion tensor of water molecules and disrupted neuronal conduction in white matter Diffusion tensor imaging DTI is a powerful noninvasive imaging technique that can reflect diffusion anisotropy of water and brain white matter neural connectivity in vivo This study was aimed to analyze the topological properties and connection densities of the brain anatomical networks in brain tumor patients based on DTI and provide new insights into the investigation of the structural plasticity and compensatory mechanism of tumor patient’s brainIn this study the brain anatomical networks of tumor patients and healthy controls were constructed using the tracking of white matter fiber bundles based on DTI and the topological properties of these networks were described quantitatively The statistical comparisons were performed between two groups with six DTI parameters degree regional efficiency local efficiency clustering coefficient vulnerability and betweenness centrality In order to localize changes in structural connectivity to specific brain regions a networkbased statistic approach was utilized By comparing the edge connection density of brain network between two groups the edges with greater difference in connection density were associated with three functional systemsCompared with controls tumor patients show a significant increase in smallworld feature of cerebral structural network Twosample twotailed t test indicates that the regional properties are altered in 17 regions p005 Study reveals that the positive and negative changes in vulnerability take place in the 14 brain areas In addition tumor patients lose 3 hub regions and add 2 new hubs when compared to normal controls Eleven edges show much significantly greater connection density in the patients than in the controls Most of the edges with greater connection density are linked to regions located in the limbic/subcortical and other systems Besides most of the edges connect the two hemispheres of the brainsThe stronger smallworld property in the tumor patients proves the existence of compensatory mechanism The changes in the regional properties especially the betweenness centrality and vulnerability aid in understanding the brain structural plasticity The increased connection density in the tumor group suggests that tumors may induce reorganization in the structural network

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