Altered functional connectivity between the default mode network in diabetic retinopathy patients

Abstract

Objectives Previous studies have demonstrated that diabetic retinopathy is associated with cognitive impairment. This study aimed to investigate the intrinsic functional connectivity pattern within the default mode network (DMN) and its associations with cognitive impairment in diabetic retinopathy patients using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). Methods A total of 34 diabetic retinopathy patients and 37 healthy controls were recruited for rs-fMRI scanning. Both groups were age, gender, and education level matched. The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) was chosen as the region of interest for detecting functional connectivity changes. Results Compared with the healthy control group, diabetic retinopathy patients showed increased functional connectivity between PCC and left medial superior frontal gyrus and increased functional connectivity between PCC and right precuneus. Conclusion Our study highlights that diabetic retinopathy patients show enhanced functional connectivity within DMN, suggesting that a compensatory increase of neural activity might occur in DMN, which offers new insight into the potential neural mechanism of cognitive impairment in diabetic retinopathy patients.