ERP-P300 and resting-state fNIRS characteristics of patients with cerebral small vessel disease-related cognition impairment and their correlations with white matter lesions
10.11886/scjsws20260421001
- VernacularTitle:脑小血管病相关认知障碍患者ERP-P300与静息态fNIRS特征及其与脑白质病变的相关性
- Author:
Shanshan ZHANG
1
;
Pei SUN
1
;
Rui YANG
1
;
Hao TANG
1
;
Xiaoming WANG
1
Author Information
1. The Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College， Nanchong 637000， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Cerebral small vessel disease;
Cognitive impairment;
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy;
Event-related potential
- From:
Sichuan Mental Health
2026;39(3):212-219
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
BackgroundThe prevalence， disability rate and mortality rate of cerebral small vessel disease （CSVD） are relatively high among the elderly population， imposing a heavy burden on families and society. Among the various clinical manifestations of CSVD， cognitive impairment is the most common， and it is also the most closely related neuro-psychiatric syndrome to clinical practice in psychiatry. Previous studies on CSVD-related cognitive impairment （CSVD-CI） have mostly focused on the field of imaging， while studies on non-invasive electrophysiological and cerebral hemodynamic assessments are relatively scarce. ObjectiveTo analyze the characteristics of event-related potential （ERP） and functional near-infrared spectroscopy （fNIRS） in patients with CSVD-CI， and to explore their correlations with the severity of white matter lesions， in order to provide references for the objective assessment and early identification of CSVD-CI. MethodsA total of 40 patients with CSVD who met the diagnostic criteria of the Chinese Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease （2020） and had cognitive impairment， as well as were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from December 2024 to December 2025， were enrolled as the case group. Meanwhile， 40 healthy volunteers matched for gender， age and education level were recruited as the control group. Both groups underwent assessment using the Mini-Mental State Examination （MMSE）， ERP-P300 detection， and fNIRS examination. The ERP-P300 indicators， functional connectivity strength of the whole brain and cognitive-related regions of interest （ROI） in fNIRS of the two groups were compared. The severity of the patients' white matter lesions was classified as follows： the Fazekas grade I group （mild white matter lesions） and the Fazekas grades II to III group （moderate to severe white matter lesions）. Spearman correlation analysis was employed to investigate the correlation between the Fazekas grading of brain white matter lesions and the latency of ERP-P300， as well as the strength of functional connectivity measured by fNIRS. ResultsThe MMSE score of the CSVD-CI group was lower than that of the control group （Z=-6.250， P<0.01）， and ERP-P300 lantency was significantly longer than that of the control group （t=12.291， P<0.01）. The MMSE score of the sub-group with Fazekas grade I was higher than that of the sub-groups with grades II to III （Z=-2.420， P<0.05）， and showed a shorter P300 latency than that of the sub-groups with grades II to III （Z=-4.210， P<0.01）. All the differences were statistically significant. The resting-state whole-brain functional connectivity strength in the CSVD-CI group was lower than that in the control group， and the difference was statistically significant （t=10.243， P<0.05）. Compared with the control group， the differences in the functional connectivity strength within the left premotor cortex （PMC）， right PMC， left frontopolar cortex （FPC）， right FPC， left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex （DLPFC）， right DLPFC， left orbitofrontal cortex （OFC）， and right OFC regions in the CSVD-CI group were all statistically significant （PFDR correction<0.01）. The differences in the functional connectivity strength between multiple prefrontal-related brain regions between the CSVD-CI group and the control group were all statistically significant （PFDR correction<0.01）. The severity of white matter lesions in CSVD-CI patients was positively correlated with the P300 latency （rs=0.891， P<0.05）， and negatively correlated with the fNIRS functional connectivity strength （rs=-0.359， P<0.05）. ConclusionPatients with CSVD-CI exhibit prolonged P300 latency， as well as decreased functional connectivity strength in multiple brain regions including the whole brain and the prefrontal lobe during the resting state. Moreover， these indicators are correlated with the severity of white matter lesions.
