Scholarlink

Background <p>The neural substrates distinguishing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from those with preserved cognition are not fully understood. This study aims to investigate the distinct neural substrates associated with disease severity and cognitive impairment in COPD using multimodal MRI.</p> Methods <p>Thirty-three COPD patients with MCI (COPD-MCI), 30 cognitively normal patients (COPD-nMCI), and 34 healthy controls underwent structural and functional MRI. Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM) and seed-based Functional Connectivity (FC) analyses identified gray matter volume (GMV) and network alterations. Diagnostic utility was evaluated using ROC analysis.</p> Results <p>Common to all COPD patients, GMV atrophy and reduced FC in the sensorimotor network (left postcentral gyrus/inferior parietal lobule) were observed, correlating with disease duration (<i>r</i> = -0.523) and distinguished patients from healthy controls (cross-validated AUC = 0.746). Notably, the MCI subgroup was characterized by focal atrophy in the left thalamus and functional decoupling within the visual association network. Visual network FC served as a robust discriminator between the two COPD subgroups (cross-validated AUC = 0.833) and correlated with MoCA scores (<i>r</i> = 0.585). Additionally, reduced fronto-striatal connectivity was observed in the MCI group, while its integrity correlated with lung function in the nMCI group (<i>r</i> = 0.666).</p> Conclusions <p>Our findings suggest distinct substrates underlying clinical heterogeneity in COPD. Sensorimotor alterations likely reflect a generalized disease trait of chronic respiratory burden, whereas the integrity of higher-order associative networks, involving the thalamus, visual, and fronto-striatal circuits, acts as a critical checkpoint against cognitive decline. These findings offer novel biomarkers for the early detection of COPD-related cognitive impairment.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Distinct neural substrates of disease severity and cognitive impairment in COPD: a multimodal MRI study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月27日

查看全文
  • Wei Wang,
  • Yang Xue,
  • Gang Wang,
  • Ming Zhao,
  • Yi Xiao,
  • Wencai Huang,
  • Yang Yang,
  • Zhongyu Liu

摘要

Background

The neural substrates distinguishing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from those with preserved cognition are not fully understood. This study aims to investigate the distinct neural substrates associated with disease severity and cognitive impairment in COPD using multimodal MRI.

Methods

Thirty-three COPD patients with MCI (COPD-MCI), 30 cognitively normal patients (COPD-nMCI), and 34 healthy controls underwent structural and functional MRI. Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM) and seed-based Functional Connectivity (FC) analyses identified gray matter volume (GMV) and network alterations. Diagnostic utility was evaluated using ROC analysis.

Results

Common to all COPD patients, GMV atrophy and reduced FC in the sensorimotor network (left postcentral gyrus/inferior parietal lobule) were observed, correlating with disease duration (r = -0.523) and distinguished patients from healthy controls (cross-validated AUC = 0.746). Notably, the MCI subgroup was characterized by focal atrophy in the left thalamus and functional decoupling within the visual association network. Visual network FC served as a robust discriminator between the two COPD subgroups (cross-validated AUC = 0.833) and correlated with MoCA scores (r = 0.585). Additionally, reduced fronto-striatal connectivity was observed in the MCI group, while its integrity correlated with lung function in the nMCI group (r = 0.666).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest distinct substrates underlying clinical heterogeneity in COPD. Sensorimotor alterations likely reflect a generalized disease trait of chronic respiratory burden, whereas the integrity of higher-order associative networks, involving the thalamus, visual, and fronto-striatal circuits, acts as a critical checkpoint against cognitive decline. These findings offer novel biomarkers for the early detection of COPD-related cognitive impairment.