Copyright
©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Oct 19, 2025; 15(10): 108861
Published online Oct 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i10.108861
Published online Oct 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i10.108861
Frontal, temporal, cerebellar changes link to sepsis survivors' cognitive issues: A resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging study
Ying Li, Jian-Jun Yang, Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210003, Jiangsu Province, China
Jian-Qing Chen, Department of Anesthesiology, Jiangyin People's Hospital, Affiliated to Nantong University, Jiangyin 214400, Jiangsu Province, China
Hui Wang, Department of Interventional Neurology, The Affiliated Wuxi People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214023, Jiangsu Province, China
Mu-Huo Ji, Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210011, Jiangsu Province, China
Co-first authors: Ying Li and Jian-Qing Chen.
Co-corresponding authors: Jian-Jun Yang and Mu-Huo Ji.
Author contributions: Ji MH, Li Y and Chen JQ contributed to research design, data collection, data analysis, and paper writing; Wang H, Li Y and Yang JJ was responsible for research design, funding application, data analysis, reviewing and editing, communication coordination, ethical review, copyright and licensing, and follow-up. Li Y and Chen JQ contributed equally to this work as co-first authors. This manuscript includes two corresponding authors, each of whom played distinct yet complementary roles in the conception, execution, and oversight of this research. Their joint contributions were essential to the study's success. Dr. Yang JJ, serving as the primary doctoral supervisor, provided critical intellectual guidance, oversaw experimental design, and contributed to data interpretation and manuscript development throughout the project. His expertise in neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment was fundamental to the study's scientific rigor and integrity. Dr. Ji MH, as the Principal Investigator (PI), secured the necessary funding, allocated essential resources (including laboratory and core facilities), and established the collaborative framework that enabled this work to proceed. His strategic oversight ensured that the research aligned with the group's long-term vision and objectives in the field of sepsis-related neurological injury and cognitive phenotypes. Both authors jointly supervised the project and share responsibility for communication regarding the integrity and dissemination of the findings. This dual designation accurately reflects their indispensable and complementary contributions to the study's success.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82372182, No. 82172131, and No. U23A20421; and Training Project of the Leading Expert Team: "Jiyang Medical Elites", No. RC2023-004.
Institutional review board statement: The research was reviewed and approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Jiangyin People's Hospital Affiliated with Southeast University.
Informed consent statement: All research participants or their legal guardians provided written informed consent prior to study registration.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflict of interest is associated with this work.
Data sharing statement: No other data available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jian-Jun Yang, PhD, Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, No. 87 Dingjiaqiao, Gulou District, Nanjing 210003, Jiangsu Province, China. 15852655431@163.com
Received: April 30, 2025
Revised: June 4, 2025
Accepted: August 8, 2025
Published online: October 19, 2025
Processing time: 148 Days and 24 Hours
Revised: June 4, 2025
Accepted: August 8, 2025
Published online: October 19, 2025
Processing time: 148 Days and 24 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study innovatively integrates graph theory and Granger causality analysis to uncover distinct topological alterations in frontal, temporal, and cerebellar networks of intensive care unit sepsis survivors. Key findings reveal compensatory hyperconnectivity in the right cerebellum Crus 2, inversely linked to cognitive scores, alongside reduced efficiency in frontal and temporal hubs. Disrupted cerebro-cerebellar directional connectivity further highlights network reorganization post-sepsis. These region-specific network deviations, particularly cerebellar dynamics, offer novel neuroimaging biomarkers for early detection of sepsis-associated cognitive impairment, bridging neuropathological mechanisms with clinical outcomes.