Altered Brain Network Centrality in Patients With Orbital Fracture: A Resting-State fMRI Study. Running Head: DC Alterations in OF Patients
Abstract Objective: We aimed to identify potential functional network brain-activity abnormalities in patients with orbital fractures (OFs) by using the voxel-wise degree centrality (DC) method.Methods:We selected 20 patients with OFs (12 men and 8 women) and 20 healthy controls (HCs; 12 men and 8 women) matched by gender, age, and education level for this study. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been widely used in various disciplines. We calculated receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to differentiate characteristics between patients with orbital fractures and HCs; in addition, we applied correlation analyses between behavioral performance and average DC values in different areas. The DC method served to evaluate spontaneous brain activity.Results:The DC values of patients with OFs were higher in the right cerebellum 9 area (Cerebelum_9_R) and left cerebellar peduncle 2 area (Cerebelum_Crus2_L) than those in HCs. The area under the curve (AUC) values for Cerebelum_9_R and Cerebelum_Crus2_L were 0.983 and 1, respectively. The accuracy of our ROC curve analysis result was reliable. Conclusion:Many brain regions seem to show abnormal brain network characteristics in patients with orbital fractures, suggesting potential neuropathic mechanisms.