Di-san junyi daxue xuebao (Jul 2020)

Functional brain abnormalities in male patients with hyperuricemia: a study by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

  • HU Junhao,
  • ZHANG Si,
  • FAN Weijie,
  • LI Guanghui,
  • LIU Bo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.16016/j.1000-5404.202003102
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 42, no. 14
pp. 1421 – 1427

Abstract

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Objective To assess the brain functions and explore the neurobiological mechanism of emotional and cognitive changes in male patients with hyperuricemia. Methods Forty-one untreated male patients with hyperuricemia and 41 healthy control subjects were recraited through communities during, and all of them underwent examinations of fasting serum uric acid (SUA), neuropsychological test and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was analyzed to determine the seed points, and the functional connections between the abnormal seed points and the voxels of the whole brain were analyzed. Results The patients with hyperuricemia showed significantly decreased ALFF in the left inferior temporal gyrus (ITG.L) and increased ALFF in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG.B) compared with the control subjects. The FC intensity of the bilateral cuneus (CUN.B) was enhanced when the extreme point of ITG.L was chosen as the seed point; the intensity of functional connection between the left thalamus (THA.L) and the right caudate nucleus (CAU.R) was enhanced when the extreme point of the IFG.L was the seed point. The results of SUA analysis and neuropsychological and behavioral tests showed that SUA levels were inversely correlated with the working memory reaction time (r=0.320, P=0.041), and the ALFF in the ITG.L was positively correlated with the working memory accuracy (r=0.535, P < 0.001). The ALFF in IFG.L and IFG.R was positively correlated with the accuracy of the executive function (r=0.461, P=0.002; r=0.566, P < 0.001, respectively); the strength of functional connection of the IFG.L with the THA.L and with the CAU.R was inversely correlated with sleep quality (r=-0.361, P=0.020) and depressive state (r=-0.343, P=0.028) of the patients, respectively. Conclusion Brain abnormalities at regional and network levels are present in male patients with hyperuricemia, and these findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying the cognitive and emotional changes in patients with hyperuricemia.

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