Spatiotemporal consistency analysis of cerebral small vessel disease: an rs-fMRI study

Introduction Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) affects older adults, but traditional approaches have limited the understanding of the neural mechanisms of SVD. This study aimed to explore the effects of SVD on brain regions and its association with cognitive decline using the four-dimensional (spatiotemporal) consistency of local neural activity (FOCA) method. Methods Magnetic resonance imaging data from 42 patients with SVD and 38 healthy controls (HCs) were analyzed using the FOCA values. A two-sample t test was performed to compare the differences in FOCA values in the brain between the HCs and SVD groups. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the association of various brain regions with SVD scores. Results The results revealed that the FOCA values in the right frontalᵢnfₒper, right temporalₚoleₛup, and default mode network decreased, whereas those in the temporalᵢnf, hippocampus, basal ganglia, and cerebellum increased, in patients with SVD. Most of these varying brain regions were negatively correlated with SVD scores. Discussion This study suggested that the FOCA approach might have the potential to provide useful insights into the understanding of the neurophysiologic mechanisms of patients with SVD.