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Graph theoretical analysis reveals the reorganization of the brain network pattern in primary open angle glaucoma patients

  • Magnetic Resonance
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

Most previous glaucoma studies with resting-state fMRI have focused on the neuronal activity in the individual structure of the brain, yet ignored the functional communication of anatomically separated structures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficiency of the functional communication change or not in glaucoma patients.

Methods

We applied the resting-state fMRI data to construct the connectivity network of 25 normal controls and 25 age-gender-matched primary open angle glaucoma patients. Graph theoretical analysis was performed to assess brain network pattern differences between the two groups.

Results

No significant differences of the global network measures were found between the two groups. However, the local measures were radically reorganized in glaucoma patients. Comparing with the hub regions in normal controls’ network, we found that six hub regions disappeared and nine hub regions appeared in the network of patients. In addition, the betweenness centralities of two altered hub regions, right fusiform gyrus and right lingual gyrus, were significantly correlated with the visual field mean deviation.

Conclusions

Although the efficiency of functional communication is preserved in the brain network of the glaucoma at the global level, the efficiency of functional communication is altered in some specialized regions of the glaucoma.

Key Points

• Global topological measures of brain network have no alterations in glaucoma patients.

• Local network measures are radically reorganized in glaucoma patients.

• The alterations of hub regions are found in the glaucoma.

• Betweenness centrality of altered hubs may reflect the glaucoma severity.

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Abbreviations

ALFF:

Amplitude of low frequency fluctuations

BC:

Betweenness centrality

BOLD:

Blood-oxygen-level dependent

CDR:

Cup-to-disk ratio

CON:

Normal controls

Deg:

Degree

Eg:

Global efficiency

Eloc:

Local efficiency

FC:

Functional connectivity

FDR:

False discovery rate

MD:

Mean deviation

PAT:

Primary open angle glaucoma patients

POAG:

Primary open angle glaucoma

ReHo:

Regional homogeneity

RNFL:

Retinal nerve fiber layer

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Acknowledgments

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Huiguang He. The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies, whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article. This study has received funding by 863 Projects (2013AA013803), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (61271151, 91520202, 81571649) and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS. One of the authors has significant statistical expertise. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study. Approval was given by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Beijing Tongren Hospital. Some study subjects or cohorts have been previously reported in two studies: “Automatic segmentation of the lateral geniculate nucleus: Application to control and glaucoma patients” and “Altered Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuation in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma: A Resting State fMRI Study”.

Methodology: retrospective, case–control study, performed at one institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Management and Control for Complex Systems, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, ZhongGuanCun East Rd. 95#, Beijing, China

    Jieqiong Wang & Huiguang He

  2. Department of Radiology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, DongJiaoMinXiang 1#, Beijing, China

    Ting Li & Junfang Xian

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, DongJiaoMinXiang 1#, Beijing, China

    Ningli Wang

  4. Research Center for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, ZhongGuanCun East Rd. 95#, Beijing, China

    Huiguang He

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  1. Jieqiong Wang
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Correspondence to Junfang Xian or Huiguang He.

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Wang, J., Li, T., Wang, N. et al. Graph theoretical analysis reveals the reorganization of the brain network pattern in primary open angle glaucoma patients. Eur Radiol 26, 3957–3967 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-016-4221-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-016-4221-x

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