Journal Article

FZJ-2020-01458

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Acute ischemic stroke alters the brain's preference for distinct dynamic connectivity states

Bonkhoff, A. K. ; Espinoza, F. A. ; Gazula, H. ; Vergara, V. M. ; Hensel, L. ; Michely, J. ; Paul, T. ; Rehme, A. K. ; Volz, L. J. ; Fink, G. R.FZJ* ; Calhoun, V. D. ; Grefkes, C. (Corresponding author)FZJ*

2020
Oxford Univ. Press Oxford

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Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/24978  doi:10.1093/brain/awaa101

Abstract: Acute ischemic stroke disturbs healthy brain organization, prompting subsequent plasticity and reorganization to compensate for loss of specialized neural tissue and function. Static resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have already furthered our understanding of cerebral reorganization by estimating stroke-induced changes in network connectivity aggregated over the duration of several minutes. In this study, we utilized dynamic resting-state fMRI analyses to increase temporal resolution to seconds and explore transient configurations of motor network connectivity in acute stroke. To this end, we collected resting-state fMRI data of 31 acute ischemic stroke patients and 17 age-matched healthy controls. Stroke patients presented with moderate to severe hand motor deficits. By estimating dynamic connectivity within a sliding window framework, we identified three distinct connectivity configurations of motor-related networks. Motor networks were organized into three regional domains, i.e. a cortical, subcortical and cerebellar domain. Temporal connectivity patterns of stroke patients markedly diverged from those of healthy controls depending on the severity of the initial motor impairment. Moderately affected patients (n=18) spent significantly more time in a weakly connected configuration that was characterized by low levels of connectivity, both locally as well as between distant regions. In contrast, severely affected patients (n=13) showed a significant preference for transitions into a spatially segregated connectivity configuration. This configuration featured particularly high levels of local connectivity within the three regional domains as well as anti-correlated connectivity between distant networks across domains. A third connectivity configuration represented an intermediate connectivity pattern compared to the preceding two, and predominantly encompassed decreased inter-hemispheric connectivity between cortical motor networks independent of individual deficit severity. Alterations within this third configuration thus closely resembled previously reported ones originating from static resting-state fMRI studies post-stroke. In summary, acute ischemic stroke not only prompted changes in connectivity between distinct functional networks, yet also caused severe aberrations in temporal properties of large-scale network interactions depending on the individual deficit severity. These findings offer new vistas on the dynamic neural mechanisms underlying acute neurological symptoms, cortical reorganization and treatment effects in stroke patients.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Kognitive Neurowissenschaften (INM-3)

Research Program(s):

1. 572 - (Dys-)function and Plasticity (POF3-572) (POF3-572)

Appears in the scientific report 2020

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