FMRI Study Of Regional Homogeneity And Voxel-mirrored Homotopic Connectivity In Female Patients With Hypothyroidism

Purpose:In this study,resting brain functional magnetic resonance imaging(rest functional magnetic resonance imaging,rs-f MRI)was used to explore the abnormal changes of regional brain activity and functional connection between mirror voxels in bilateral hemispheres in female patients with hypothyroidism,in order to explain the pathophysiological mechanism of clinical symptoms of hypothyroidism by visual neuroimaging.Materials and Methods:In this study,18 female patients with hypothyroidism diagnosed and untreated in our hospital and 18 healthy women with similar age and sex(Healthy controls,HC)were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Siemens 3.0T(Siemens Verio)nuclear magnetic resonance scanner was used.Acquisition of 3D sagittal high resolution structural images(T1)and blood oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging(blood oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging,BOLD-f MRI)data.Through the Matlab2018 b platform,the structural magnetic resonance and functional magnetic resonance data of all subjects were preprocessed by SPM12.0 and DPABI6.0 software,and the local consistency(regional homogeneity,Re Ho)and voxel mirror homotopy connection(Voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity,VMHC)were calculated respectively.After the normal distribution test of the data,the differences between the two groups were compared by two-sample T-test or U-test,and the abnormal changes of synergy between spontaneous neuronal activity in local brain regions and bilateral mirror brain regions were analyzed.The results were presented by standardized Re Ho and VMHC statistical results and axial and three-dimensional brain region difference maps,respectively.Results:(1).There was no significant difference in general clinical data between hypothyroidism group and healthy control group.(P>0.05).(2).Compared with the control group,the decreased Reho values in patients with hypothyroidism were mainly bilateral anterior cerebellar lobe,left inferior temporal gyrus,left middle temporal gyrus,left putamen and right thalamus,while increased Reho values occurred in left middle occipital gyrus and right inferior parietal lobule in hypothyroidism patients.(P<0.01,Alpha Sim correction).(3).Compared with the control group,the patients with hypothyroidism mainly had bilateral posterior cerebellar lobe,anterior cerebellar lobe,lenticular nucleus and superior frontal gyrus.(P<0.01,Alpha Sim correction).Conclusion:1.In female patients with hypothyroidism,the Reho values of bilateral anterior cerebellar lobe,left inferior temporal gyrus,left middle temporal gyrus,left putamen and right thalamus decreased in resting state.it may be related to the clinical manifestations of spatial sensory abnormality,response and action retardation,affective disorder,memory and cognitive impairment in patients with hypothyroidism.At the same time,the Reho values of the left middle occipital gyrus and the right inferior parietal lobule increased,suggesting that female patients with hypothyroidism may have compensatory responses to cognitive impairment,cognitive understanding and spatial sensory abnormalities.2.The decrease of VMHC in bilateral superior frontal gyrus,lenticular nucleus,putamen,anterior cerebellar lobe and posterior lobe in female patients with hypothyroidism may lead to damage to the functional connections between bilateral frontal lobe-intercerebellar nerve circuits and bilateral basal ganglia-cerebellum,which may be one of the pathological bases of motor coordination,emotional disturbance and cognitive dysfunction in female patients with hypothyroidism.3.The purpose of this project is to explore the local consistent activity of brain region reflected by Re Ho method in female patients with hypothyroidism and the functional connection state of mirror brain regions in both hemispheres by VMHC method.The two methods are simple,effective,complementary and repeatable,and can provide valuable neuroimaging theoretical basis for explaining the clinical manifestations,pathogenesis and pathophysiological changes of female patients with hypothyroidism.