Altered Spontaneous Brain Activity in Left-Behind Children: A Resting-State Functional MRI Study

• DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.834458
• Publication Date: 2022-03-30T05:35:50Z
• Authors: Yu Wang; Yi Lu; Meimei Du; Nimo Mohamed Hussein; Lan Li; Yu Wang; Chuanwan Mao; Tao Chen; Fangfang Chen; Xiaozheng Liu; Zhihan Yan; Yuchuan Fu
• Keywords: 03 medical and health sciences; fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation; 0302 clinical medicine; resting-state; Neurology; left behind children; amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation; Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system; RC346-429; functional magnetic resonance imaging; 3. Good health

Parental migration has been associated with a higher risk of cognitive and behavioral abnormalities in left-behind children (LBC). This study aimed to explore the spontaneous brain activity LBC reveal mechanisms underlying abnormalities.Involved (n = 36) non-LBC 22) underwent resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) examination assessment. The fMRI-based amplitude low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) fractional ALFF (fALFF) were assessed analyze pattern. relationships among abnormal activity, deficits altered family environment by partial correlation analysis.Compared non-LBC, exhibited increased fluctuations right lingual gyrus (LING), while decreased was observed bilateral insula orbital part middle frontal (ORBmid) (two-tailed voxel-level p < 0.01 cluster-level <0.05, Gaussian Random Field (GRF) correction). fALFF significantly left cerebellum 9 (Cbe9) Crus2 (CbeCru2), it hippocampus superior temporal (STG) 0.05, GRF values regions found be correlated learning ability, except for insula, STG positively full-scale IQ scores (p 0.05). Moreover, all education level caregivers 0.05).Our provided empirical evidence that lack direct parental care during early childhood could affect function development involving cognition, behavior, emotion. Our findings emphasized intellectual emotional cares are essential LBC.