Study on default mode network and visual network in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus based on independent component analysis

Abstract:

Objective：To investigate the change of the functional connectivity（FC） of default mode network（DMN） and visual net－work（VIS） in type 2 diabetes mellitus（T2DM） patients by using independent component analysis（ICA）. Methods：T2DM patients with retinopathy（R+，n=25） and without（R-，n=22） retinopathy were recruited as the T2DM group and 29 healthy controls were en－rolled（HCs group）. Resting-state fMRI scanning，data preprocessing and ICA analysis were performed and DMN and VIS networks were selected. changes of FC between groups were compared and correlation between FC scores in different brain regions，and clinical parameters and cognitive scores was analyzed. Results：Compared with the HCs group，the FC of DMN in the T2DM group was signif－icantly decreased in the left supplementary motor area and the left superior frontal gyrus，while was increased in the bilateral medial cingulate cortex；the FC of VIS decreased in the right calcarine gyrus，the right cuneus cortex and bilateral lingual gyrus，but no FC of VIS was increased. Compared with the R- group，no significant differences about the FC of DMN in the R+ group；the FC of VIS was decreased in the left calcarine gyrus，the right middle occipital gyrus and the right inferior parietal lobule，but no FC of VIS was in－creased. FC scores of the right lingual gyrus were negatively correlated with the body mass index（BMI）（r=-0.434，P=0.003） in T2DM patients. Conclusion：The abnormal FC of DMN and VIS in T2DM patients suggests the impairment of some brain networks，especially the VIS in the R+ group，which may provide a possible imaging pathway for early diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction in T2DM.