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Functional connectivity and topology in patients with restless legs syndrome: a case-control resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Tuovinen, N; Stefani, A; Mitterling, T; Heidbreder, A; Frauscher, B; Gizewski, ER; Poewe, W; Högl, B; Scherfler, C
Published in: Eur J Neurol
February 2021

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Functional connectivity studies revealed alterations within thalamic, salience, and default mode networks in restless legs syndrome patients. METHODS: Eighty-two patients with restless legs syndrome (untreated, n = 30; on dopaminergic medication, n = 42; on alpha-2-delta ligands as mono- or polytherapy combined with dopaminergic medication, n = 10), and 82 individually age- and gender-matched healthy controls were studied with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Connectivity of 12 resting-state networks was investigated with independent component analysis, and network topology was studied with graph methods among 410 brain regions. RESULTS: Patients with restless legs syndrome showed significantly higher connectivity within salience (p = 0.029), executive (p = 0.001), and cerebellar (p = 0.041) networks, as well as significantly lower (p < 0.05) cerebello-frontal communication compared to controls. In addition, they had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) clustering coefficient and local efficiency in motor and frontal regions; lower clustering coefficient in the central sulcus; and lower local efficiency in the central opercular cortex, temporal, parieto-occipital, cuneus, and occipital regions compared to controls. Untreated patients had significantly lower (p < 0.05) cerebello-parietal communication compared to healthy controls. Connectivity between the thalamus and frontal regions was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in patients on dopaminergic medication compared to untreated patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Networks with higher intranetwork connectivity (i.e., salience, executive, cerebellar) and lower cerebello-frontal connectivity in the restless legs syndrome patients, as well as lower cerebello-parietal connectivity in untreated patients, correspond to regions associated with attention, response inhibitory control, and processing of sensory information. Intact cerebello-parietal communication and increased thalamic connectivity to the prefrontal regions in patients on dopaminergic medication suggests a treatment effect on thalamus.

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Published In

Eur J Neurol

DOI

EISSN

1468-1331

Publication Date

February 2021

Volume

28

Issue

2

Start / End Page

448 / 458

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Thalamus
  • Restless Legs Syndrome
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Humans
  • Cerebral Cortex
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Brain Mapping
  • Brain
  • 3209 Neurosciences
 

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Tuovinen, N., Stefani, A., Mitterling, T., Heidbreder, A., Frauscher, B., Gizewski, E. R., … Scherfler, C. (2021). Functional connectivity and topology in patients with restless legs syndrome: a case-control resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Eur J Neurol, 28(2), 448–458. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.14577
Tuovinen, N., A. Stefani, T. Mitterling, A. Heidbreder, B. Frauscher, E. R. Gizewski, W. Poewe, B. Högl, and C. Scherfler. “Functional connectivity and topology in patients with restless legs syndrome: a case-control resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.Eur J Neurol 28, no. 2 (February 2021): 448–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.14577.
Tuovinen N, Stefani A, Mitterling T, Heidbreder A, Frauscher B, Gizewski ER, et al. Functional connectivity and topology in patients with restless legs syndrome: a case-control resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Eur J Neurol. 2021 Feb;28(2):448–58.
Tuovinen, N., et al. “Functional connectivity and topology in patients with restless legs syndrome: a case-control resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.Eur J Neurol, vol. 28, no. 2, Feb. 2021, pp. 448–58. Pubmed, doi:10.1111/ene.14577.
Tuovinen N, Stefani A, Mitterling T, Heidbreder A, Frauscher B, Gizewski ER, Poewe W, Högl B, Scherfler C. Functional connectivity and topology in patients with restless legs syndrome: a case-control resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Eur J Neurol. 2021 Feb;28(2):448–458.
Journal cover image

Published In

Eur J Neurol

DOI

EISSN

1468-1331

Publication Date

February 2021

Volume

28

Issue

2

Start / End Page

448 / 458

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Thalamus
  • Restless Legs Syndrome
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Humans
  • Cerebral Cortex
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Brain Mapping
  • Brain
  • 3209 Neurosciences