ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1626961
This article is part of the Research TopicTemporal Perception and Memory: dynamic interactionsView all articles
Abnormal Neural Network Connectivity in Heart Failure with Reduced and Mild-ranged Ejection Fraction Patients: An Independent Component and Dynamic Functional Network Connectivity Analysis
Provisionally accepted
Qian Gao1,2
Junyan Wen1
Yi Lu2Jun Li2
Baotong Hua2
Mo Yin2Yanfei Mao2Yunyun Xu2Ping Xia2Kaipeng Xie2Yizhen Zeng2Ge Wen1*- 1Department of Imaging, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- 2Department of Radiology, The 1st Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming medical unversity, Kunming, China
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Indroduction Heart failure (HF) is frequently accompanied by cognitive and affective impairments, yet the neural mechanisms underlying these comorbidities remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to investigate alterations in static and dynamic functional connectivity (FC) within large-scale brain networks in patients with reduced (HFrEF) and mid-range (HFmrEF) ejection fraction. Methods Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to identify resting-state networks (RSNs) and FC disparities between HF patients and healthy controls(HCs) within the RSNs. The ICA, sliding window approach, and k-means clustering analysis were used to compute dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) matrices and estimate different dynamic connection states. The temporal characteristics of the two groups were analyzed in each state. The correlations among significantly diverse temporal aspects and clinical measures were finally determined. Results Compared to HCs, HF patients showed reduced FC in the right inferior parietal lobule (IPL) within the dorsal attention and frontoparietal networks, alongside increased FC in the salience network. dFNC analysis revealed five recurrent connectivity states. Notably, HF patients exhibited shorter dwell time in a sensory–cognitive segregation state (State 5), and dwell time in this state correlated positively with both left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. Conclusion The disrupted static and dynamic connectivity in HF patients—marked by alterations in frontoparietal, attention, and salience networks and reduced stability of a sensory–cognitive segregation state—may underlie cognitive and affective vulnerability, providing potential imaging markers for early risk monitoring and management in HF.
Keywords: Heart Failure, Independent Component Analysis, dynamic functional network connectivity, functional connectivity, functional magnetic resonance imaging
Received: 12 May 2025; Accepted: 01 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gao, Wen, Lu, Li, Hua, Yin, Mao, Xu, Xia, Xie, Zeng and Wen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ge Wen, wenge@smu.edu.cn
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