International Journal of General Medicine (Jan 2024)
Alterations of White Matter Connectivity in Adults with Essential Hypertension
Abstract
Weijie Chen,1,2,* Simin Deng,3,* Huali Jiang,2,* Heng Li,2 Yu Zhao,2 Yiqiang Yuan4 1Department of Cardiology, The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, Dongguan Tung Wah Hospital, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 3Research Center, Dongguan Eighth People’s Hospital, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Cardiology, The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, The Seventh People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yiqiang Yuan, Department of Cardiology, The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, The Seventh People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou, No. 17 Jingnan 5th Road, Zhengzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-0371-61205666, Email [email protected]: To explore the topology of the white matter network in individuals with essential hypertension by graph theory.Patients and Methods: T1-weighted image and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data from 43 patients diagnosed with essential hypertension (EHT) and 33 individuals with normotension (healthy controls, HCs) were incorporated in this cross-sectional study. Furthermore, structural networks were constructed by graph theory to calculate whole brain network characteristics and intracerebral node characteristics.Results: Both EHT and HC groups displayed small-worldness in their structural networks. The area under the curve (AUC) of the small-worldness coefficient (σ) was higher in the EHT group compared to the HC group, whereas the AUC of assortativity was lower in the EHT group in contrast to the HC group. The nodal clustering coefficient (CP) and local efficiency (Eloc) of the EHT group decreased in the right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus and the left medial superior frontal gyrus. These values increased in the left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyrus. Furthermore, weight and body mass index (BMI) were positively correlated with σ.Conclusion: The EHT group showed brain network separation and integration dysfunction. Weight and BMI were positively correlated with σ. The data acquired in this investigation implied that altered structural connectivity in the prefrontal region may be a potential neuroimaging marker in EHT patients.Keywords: DTI, EHT, graph theory, whole brain network characteristics, intracerebral node characteristics
