Tao YY, Wang R, Zhang P, Huang XH, Yang L. Functional connectivity alterations in patients with poststroke cognitive impairment: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. World J Radiol 2026; 18(2): 116799 [DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v18.i2.116799]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Lin Yang, MD, Interventional Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, No. 63 Wenhua Road, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China. linyangmd@163.com
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Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
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Retrospective Study
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Feb 28, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 28, 2026
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World Journal of Radiology
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1949-8470
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Tao YY, Wang R, Zhang P, Huang XH, Yang L. Functional connectivity alterations in patients with poststroke cognitive impairment: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. World J Radiol 2026; 18(2): 116799 [DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v18.i2.116799]
World J Radiol. Feb 28, 2026; 18(2): 116799 Published online Feb 28, 2026. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v18.i2.116799
Functional connectivity alterations in patients with poststroke cognitive impairment: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study
Lin Yang, Xiao-Hua Huang, Peng Zhang, Ran Wang, Yun-Yun Tao
Yun-Yun Tao, Ran Wang, Peng Zhang, Xiao-Hua Huang, Lin Yang, Interventional Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
Co-first authors: Yun-Yun Tao and Ran Wang.
Co-corresponding authors: Xiao-Hua Huang and Lin Yang.
Author contributions: Tao YY, Wang R, and Zhang P analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; Tao YY and Wang R contributed equally to this article, they are the co-first authors of this manuscript; Huang XH and Yang L conceptualized the study, they contributed equally to this article, they are the co-corresponding authors of this manuscript; and all authors contributed to manuscript revision and provided approval of the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Supported by the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, No. 2020ZD017 and No. 2020ZD008.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, approval No. 2020ER117-1.
Informed consent statement: All of the participants provided signed informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
Corresponding author: Lin Yang, MD, Interventional Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, No. 63 Wenhua Road, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China. linyangmd@163.com
Received: November 25, 2025 Revised: December 25, 2025 Accepted: January 9, 2026 Published online: February 28, 2026 Processing time: 96 Days and 3.1 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Cognitive impairment is a common functional impairment after stroke that severely affects the quality of life of patients. The underlying neurobiological mechanisms of poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) remain unclear.
AIM
To investigate the changes in functional connectivity (FC) in the brains of patients with PSCI.
METHODS
A total of 21 patients with PSCI and 12 healthy controls were selected as study subjects, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed. The brain region [Cerebellum_6_R (aal)] with significant differences identified by regional homogeneity analysis and the left thalamus, right thalamus, left basal ganglia, and right basal ganglia in the Brainnetome Atlas were selected as the seeds (regions of interest), and the FC between the seeds and whole-brain voxels was analyzed. Moreover, the 116 brain regions defined in the AAL116 atlas were selected as seeds (regions of interest), and the FC between the whole-brain seeds was calculated.
RESULTS
The results of the seed-based FC analysis revealed that the FC of the Cerebelum_9_R, Occipital_Mid_L, and Fusiform_R in the PSCI group was significantly greater than that in the control group. FC analysis of whole-brain seeds revealed that the FC of 20 pairs (Cerebelum_4_5_R and Cerebelum_6_R, etc.) in the PSCI group was significantly greater than that in the healthy control group.
CONCLUSION
Patients with PSCI exhibit changes in the FC of specific brain regions in the resting state, which may help researchers explore the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of PSCI from a new perspective.
Core Tip: Cognitive impairment is a common functional impairment after stroke that seriously affects the quality of life of patients. The underlying neurobiological mechanisms of poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the changes in brain functional connectivity of patients with PSCI, which may help explore the neurobiological mechanisms of PSCI from a new perspective.
