Hyperintensities of middle frontal gyrus in patients with diabetic optic neuropathy: a dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation study

Abstract

Diabetic optic neuropathy (DON) is a diverse complication of diabetes and its pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to explore dynamic cerebral activity changes in DON patients usingdynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (dALFF). In total, 22 DON patients and 22 healthy controlswere enrolled. The dALFF approach was used in all participants to investigate dynamic intrinsic brain activitydifferences between the two groups. Compared with HCs, DON patients exhibited significantly increased dALFFvariability in the right middle frontal gyrus (P < 0.01). Conversely, DON patients exhibited obviously decreaseddALFF variability in the right precuneus (P < 0.01). We also found that there were significant negativecorrelations between HADS scores and dALFF values of the right middle frontal gyrus in the DON patients (r = -0.6404, P <0.01 for anxiety and r = -0.6346, P <0.01 for depression; HADS, Hospital Anxiety and DepressionScale). Abnormal variability of dALFF was observed in specific areas of the cerebrum in DON patients, whichmay contribute to distinguishing patients with DON from HCs and a better understanding of DON,hyperintensities of right middle frontal gyrus may be potential diagnostic marker for DON.