Aberrant Functional Connectivity Of Resting-state Brain Networks In Patients With Early-onset Bipolar Disorder

Objective:Independent component analysis(ICA)based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-f MRI)was performed to explore the changes of connectivity patterns within and among large-scale brain functional networks in patients with early-onset bipolar disorder(BD),and to further investigate the relationship between altered functional connectivity strength of brain regions or brain networks and clinical neuropsychological scores.Methods:A total of 43 patients with early-onset BD and 21 healthy controls(HCs)matched for age,gender and handedness were enrolled in this study.Brain functional imaging data of all subjects were collected and neuropsychological scales were assessed.The brain functional network components of individual subjects were obtained by data-driven ICA,including the anterior default mode network(a DMN),posterior default mode network(p DMN),left frontoparietal network(l FPN),right frontoparietal network(r FPN),dorsal attention network(DAN),ventral attention network(VAN),sensorimotor network(SMN),visual network and auditory network.The inter-group differences in functional connectivity(FC)and functional network connectivity(FNC)were calculated,and the correlation between the changes of connectivity and neuropsychological scores was analyzed.Result:Compared with HCs,the FC increased in the right hippocampus and inferior temporal gyrus,left triangular inferior frontal gyrus of a DMN,right median cingulate and paracingulate gyri and inferior parietal lobule of p DMN,and right precentral and postcentral gyrus of SMN in early-onset BD.However,the FC decreased in the left superior frontal gyrus of a DMN,left paracentral lobule of SMN,left lingual gyrus and calcarine of visual network in early-onset BD.There was no significant correlation between FC values and clinical scores(p > 0.05).In addition,the FNC among p DMN-auditory network,p DMN-visual network,l FPN-visual network,l FPN-a DMN and DAN-VAN were increased in early-onset BD.The z FNC of p DMN-visual network was positively correlated with anxiety/somatization score(r = 0.5822,p < 0.0001)and sleep disorders(r = 0.6150,p < 0.0001).The z FNC of l FPN-a DMN was positively correlated with despair(r = 0.4505,p = 0.004 × 10 <0.05 after Bonferroni correction).The z FNC of DAN-VAN was positively correlated with cognitive impairment(r = 0.4598,p = 0.0032 × 10 < 0.05 after Bonferroni correction).The z FNC of DAN-VAN was positively correlated with the HAMD total score in a trend manner(r = 0.4404,p = 0.005 × 10 = 0.05 after Bonferroni correction).Conclusions:Patients with early-onset BD have a wide range of changes in neural network,involving executive control,attention,perceptual regulation,cognition and other neural network changes,suggesting that mania and depression related symptoms may disturb the normal pattern of RSNs,and the damage and adaptive remodeling at the level of brain functional network coexist.It can provide some new imaging evidence for understanding its pathogenesis and therapeutic intervention targets.