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• Clinical Article •
Study on the correlation between brain structure-function coupling and cognitive function in end-stage renal disease patients using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging
ZHOU Yu  WANG Haibao  QI Xiangming  LI Dashan  FANG Jie  ZOU Fan  WANG Hailong  GUO Lingling 

Cite this article as: ZHOU Y, WANG H B, QI X M, et al. Study on the correlation between brain structure-function coupling and cognitive function in end-stage renal disease patients using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(5): 74-79. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.05.012.


[Abstract] Objective For the first time, this study combines the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) method with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) technique to systematically investigate the brain structural-functional coupling characteristics in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and their associative mechanisms with cognitive dysfunction.Materials and Methods Prospectively, 57 ESRD patients and 45 healthy control were recruited. Both groups underwent cranial 3D-T1 structural imaging, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scanning, and cognitive function assessment tests [including Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Trail Making Test A (TMT-A)]. The fALFF maps and gray matter volume (GMV) maps of the two groups were obtained. By calculating the ratio of fALFF to GMV for each voxel, the structure-function coupling (fALFF/GMV) maps were generated. The differences between the two groups were compared, and a Pearson correlation analysis was conducted between the fALFF/GMV values of the brain regions with significant differences and the cognitive scores.Results Compared with the healthy control group, in ESRD patients, the fALFF/GMV values increased in the bilateral hippocampi, putamina, middle temporal gyri, cerebellar Cere8 regions, as well as the right amygdala, olfactory cortex, parahippocampal gyrus, left lenticular pallidum, fusiform gyrus, and cerebellar Cere7b region. The fALFF/GMV values decreased in the bilateral medial superior frontal gyri and inferior parietal lobules (P < 0.001, corrected by FDR). There was a significant negative correlation between the total score of the MMSE and the fALFF/GMV values in the left putamen and left lenticular pallidum. A significant negative correlation was observed between the total score of MoCA and the fALFF/GMV values in the left putamina. There was a significant positive correlation between the TMT-A and the fALFF/GMV values in the bilateral medial superior frontal gyri (P < 0.05, corrected by FDR).Conclusions ESRD patients exhibit a significant phenomenon of structural-functional decoupling in multiple relevant brain regions within the default network and the executive control network, which is closely associated with the degree of cognitive impairment in these patients.
[Keywords] end-stage renal disease；structural-functional coupling；cognitive impairment；magnetic resonance imaging；multimodal magnetic resonance imaging；voxel-based morphometry；resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

ZHOU Yu1   WANG Haibao1*   QI Xiangming2   LI Dashan2   FANG Jie1   ZOU Fan1   WANG Hailong1   GUO Lingling1  

1 Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China

2 Department of Nephrology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China

Corresponding author: WANG H B, E-mail: wanghaibao916@163.com

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2025-02-21
Accepted  2025-04-10
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.05.012
Cite this article as: ZHOU Y, WANG H B, QI X M, et al. Study on the correlation between brain structure-function coupling and cognitive function in end-stage renal disease patients using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(5): 74-79. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.05.012.

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