Increases in Resting State Network Connectivity in Sickle Cell Anaemia with Spatially Constrained Independent Component Analysis

Motivation: Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is associated with cognitive impairment and chronic pain, but underlying changes in brain network connectivity are unclear. Goal(s): To investigate network-scale functional connectivity using resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI). Approach: Large scale resting-state networks (RSNs) were estimated using independent component analysis (ICA). Within-and-between network functional connectivity was compared between SCA patients and controls. Results: Functional connectivity was increased between the frontal and attention networks, within the attention network, within the frontal network, between the default mode and frontal networks, and between the auditory and attention networks. Impact: We identified increased functional connectivity within and between several large resting-state networks in sickle cell anaemia (SCA). This work may contribute to the characterisation of a signature neuroimaging profile in important disease manifestations, such as cognitive deficit and chronic pain.