Correlation between the changes of brain amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and cognitive impairment in patients with neuropsychiatric lupus

Purpose: To explore the relationship between brain function changes and clinical serological indicators and behavioral cognitive assessment in patients with neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE), and understand the pathogenesis of NPSLE from the perspective of imaging. Methods: The resting-state functional imaging data, clinical serological, and behavioral cognitive assessment scores of 28 patients with NPSLE and 22 healthy controls (HC) were prospectively collected. The resting-state amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) values obtained from the analysis and processing were correlated with the serological data and behavioral cognitive assessment scores to determine the relationship between these data. Results: The average age of the patients of the NPSLE group was older than that of the HC group; significant differences in education level, Auditory Verbal Learning Test Hua Shan Version (AVLT-H), and Trail Making Test scores were observed between the two groups. The NPSLE group demonstrated increased brain activity in the insula, precentral gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus, and decreased brain activity in the superior parietal gyrus. The ALFF value of the insula positively correlated with the Anti-beta 2gp1 antibody and negatively correlated with the anti-nucleosome antibody and the AVL-recall (RC) score. The ALFF of the precentral gyrus negatively correlated with the AVL-immediate recall (I). The ALFF value of the superior temporal gyrus negatively correlated with the AVL-RC score. The left superior parietal gyrus positively correlated with the c-reactive protein. The right superior parietal gyrus positively correlated with the System Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index and negatively correlated with the AVL-I score. Conclusion: Patients with NPSLE show different brain activity changes in different brain regions, and the abnormal brain regions are correlated with certain lupus antibodies, inflammatory factors, and cognitive assessment, thereby suggesting that the correlation between the three could provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of NPSLE.