Microstructural White Matter Impairments in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Evidence of Segmental Injury in the Cingulum Bundle
BACKGROUND
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a neurological disorder characterized by persistent fatigue. Previous studies have shown structural and functional brain alterations in CFS patients. However, how chronic fatigue affects white matter remains unclear.
METHODS
We recruited 100 CFS patients and 100 healthy controls (HCs) and collected their diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) data along with fatigue severity scores. Group comparisons were conducted using 87 white matter tract templates derived from 1,068 healthy individuals to identify impaired tracts. Fiber bundle quantitative analysis was then applied to localize segmental disruptions. Furthermore, a machine learning model was developed to evaluate the importance of the identified tracts in diagnosing CFS, and treatment efficacy analysis was performed to examine the causal relationship between recovery of fiber bundle structure and improvement in fatigue symptoms.
RESULTS
Compared with HCs, CFS patients exhibited reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left cingulum parolfactory tract and the left cingulum frontal-parahippocampal tract. The quantitative analysis indicated that disruptions in these two tracts were localized to the middle-posterior portion of the cingulum bundle. Moreover, FA values of the two tracts yielded 85% accuracy in distinguishing CFS patients, and causal analysis demonstrated that recovery of these segmentally disrupted tracts was associated with improvements in fatigue symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS
This large-sample study provides comprehensive insights into microstructural impairments induced by chronic fatigue and highlights the critical role of the cingulum bundle in the pathological mechanisms of CFS, thereby advancing our understanding of CFS.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients exhibit reduced fractional anisotropy in the middle-posterior cingulum bundle.
• Machine learning and treatment efficacy analyses validate the pivotal role of the cingulum bundle in CFS.
• This work represents the largest trial to examine white matter atrophy in CFS.
Web | DOI | PDF | Brain Research Bulletin | Open Access
Wu; Wu; Feng; Zhou; Ning; Li; Jia
BACKGROUND
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a neurological disorder characterized by persistent fatigue. Previous studies have shown structural and functional brain alterations in CFS patients. However, how chronic fatigue affects white matter remains unclear.
METHODS
We recruited 100 CFS patients and 100 healthy controls (HCs) and collected their diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) data along with fatigue severity scores. Group comparisons were conducted using 87 white matter tract templates derived from 1,068 healthy individuals to identify impaired tracts. Fiber bundle quantitative analysis was then applied to localize segmental disruptions. Furthermore, a machine learning model was developed to evaluate the importance of the identified tracts in diagnosing CFS, and treatment efficacy analysis was performed to examine the causal relationship between recovery of fiber bundle structure and improvement in fatigue symptoms.
RESULTS
Compared with HCs, CFS patients exhibited reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left cingulum parolfactory tract and the left cingulum frontal-parahippocampal tract. The quantitative analysis indicated that disruptions in these two tracts were localized to the middle-posterior portion of the cingulum bundle. Moreover, FA values of the two tracts yielded 85% accuracy in distinguishing CFS patients, and causal analysis demonstrated that recovery of these segmentally disrupted tracts was associated with improvements in fatigue symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS
This large-sample study provides comprehensive insights into microstructural impairments induced by chronic fatigue and highlights the critical role of the cingulum bundle in the pathological mechanisms of CFS, thereby advancing our understanding of CFS.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients exhibit reduced fractional anisotropy in the middle-posterior cingulum bundle.
• Machine learning and treatment efficacy analyses validate the pivotal role of the cingulum bundle in CFS.
• This work represents the largest trial to examine white matter atrophy in CFS.
Web | DOI | PDF | Brain Research Bulletin | Open Access
