• Jeng-Dau Tsai, Ming-Chou Ho, Chao-Yu Shen, and Jun-Cheng Weng.
• School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan,Department of Pediatrics, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan,Department of Psychology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan,Clinical Psychological Room, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung,Taiwan,Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan,Department of Medical Imaging, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, TaichungTaiwan,Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, and Graduate Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan,MedicalImaging Research Center, Institute for Radiological Research, Chang Gung University and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan,Department ofPsychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Mar 18; 101 (11).

AbstractTuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare genetic disorder with multisystem involvement. TSC is characterized by benign hamartomas in multiple organs, including the brain, and its clinical phenotypes may be associated with abnormal functional connections. We aimed to use resting-state functional connectivity to provide findings of disrupted functional brain networks in TSC patients using graph theoretical analysis (GTA) and network-based statistic (NBS) analysis.Forty TSC patients (age = 24.11+/-11.44 years old) and 18 age-matched (25.13+/- 10.01 years old) healthy controls were recruited; they underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging using a 3T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. After image preprocessing and removing physiological noises, GTA was used to calculate the topological parameters of the brain network. NBS analysis was then used to determine the differences in cerebrum functional connectivity between the 2 groups.In GTA, several topological parameters, including the clustering coefficient, local efficiency, transitivity, and modularity, were better in controls than in TSC patients (P < .05). In NBS analysis, the edges of the brain networks between the groups were compared. One subnetwork showed more edges in controls than in TSC patients (P < .05), including the connections from the frontal lobe to the temporal and parietal lobe.The study results provide the findings on disrupted functional connectivity and organization in TSC patients compared with controls. The findings may help better understand the underlying physiological mechanisms of brain connection in TSC.Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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