Increased Brain Functional Connectivity Correlated With Neurocognitive Performance Decline in Patients With Left Frontal Glioma

Abstract Objectives: The association between neurocognitive decline and changing functional connectivity in glioma patients remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between brain oscillatory activity or functional connectivity and neurocognitive function in patients with left frontal glioma using resting-state electroencephalography (EEG).Methods: This was an observational study and conforms to all the STROBE guidelines. Participants comprised 18 consecutive patients diagnosed with newly left frontal glioma between April 2010 and March 2021 who underwent neuropsychological examination and electroencephalography. Forty seconds of artifact-free electroencephalographic data were selected, and current source density (CSD) or lagged phase synchronization (LPS) were analyzed using exact low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA). We investigated associations of CSD and LPS with the Wechsler adult intelligence scale (WAIS), the Wechsler memory scale-revised (WMS-R), and the western aphasia battery aphasia quotient (WAB AQ) scores. Results: Among the 18 consecutive patients (mean age, 43 ± 13.15 years), the mean WAIS full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ), WMS-R general memory (GM), and WAB AQ scores were within standard value ranges, and none had aphasia. The correlation analysis showed lower GM score was associated with higher LPS value between the right anterior prefrontal cortex and the left superior parietal lobule in the beta1 band (13–20 Hz, R = -0.802, P = 0.012)Conclusion: Increases in functional connectivity between certain brain regions may potentially represent more common and early network changes in the brain that are associated with cognitive declines in patients with left frontal glioma.