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Research progress on voxel-based and node-based analyses of functional connectivity alterations in ischemic post-stroke cognitive impairment
WANG Yang  LIU Xiao  LI Xiaoling  WANG Peng  HAN Shengwang 

DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.12.023.


[Abstract] Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a condition caused by stroke events leading to functional impairment in cognitive-related brain regions, with some cases progressing to dementia, severely affecting patients' daily lives. The pathological mechanism of PSCI is complex, involving various factors such as impaired brain reserve, blood-brain barrier disruption, gut microbiota dysbiosis, and reduced synaptic plasticity, leading to brain dysfunction; in-depth investigation of the central effects of PSCI is key to clinically developing scientific interventions and improving patients' quality of life. In recent years, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology has developed rapidly; resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI), with its advantages of non-invasiveness and high temporal and spatial resolution, has become an important tool for evaluating the neural mechanisms of PSCI; PSCI exhibits widespread functional connectivity (FC) abnormalities, including reduced FC in some resting-state networks (RSN), altered cerebellar activity, and decreased dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC); directed FC analysis shows enhanced information transmission in the contralateral brain regions and impaired RSN in the early stages of stroke. This paper uses voxel-based and node-based analysis methods for FC, systematically reviewing the literature on abnormal local FC, changes in brain network topological properties, and characteristics of directed FC dynamics in PSCI. It also identifies current research limitations and suggests future directions, aiming to inform early diagnosis and refine personalized treatment strategies.
[Keywords] ischemic post-stroke cognitive impairment；resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging；magnetic resonance imaging；voxel；node；functional connectivity；functional network

WANG Yang1, 2   LIU Xiao3   LI Xiaoling1*   WANG Peng4   HAN Shengwang2, 5  

1 Department of CT and MRI, First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, China

2 Graduate School, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, China

3 Department of Pediatrics, First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, China

4 Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, China

5 Third Rehabilitation Department, Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150001, China

Corresponding author: LI X L, E-mail: lixiaoling1525@163.com

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2025-08-31
Accepted  2025-11-29
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.12.023
DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.12.023.

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