Functional Connectivity Hypointensity of Middle Cingulate Gyrus and Thalamus in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Patients: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

OBJECTIVE: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes visual damage and blindness globally. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in functional connectivity (FC) in AMD patients using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 23 patients (12 male, 11 female) with AMD were enrolled to the AMD patients group (AMDs), and 17 healthy age-, sex-, and education-matched controls (9 male, 8 female) to the healthy controls group (HCs). All participants underwent rs-fMRI and mean FC values were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Significantly higher FC values were found in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), superior frontal gyrus (SFG), inferior parietal lobule (IPL), rectal gyrus (RTG), and superior parietal lobule (SPL) in AMDs compared with HCs. Conversely, FC values in the cerebellum posterior lobe (CPL), middle cingulate gyrus (MCG), medulla (MDL), cerebellum anterior lobe (CAL), and thalamus (TLM) were significantly lower in AMDs than in HCs. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated FC abnormalities in many specific cerebral regions in AMD patients, and may provide new insights for exploration of potential pathophysiological mechanism of AMD-induced functional cerebral changes.