Surface-based morphometry study of brain in patients with carbon monoxide poisoning

Purpose: Although cortical volume abnormalities are frequently detected in patients with carbon monoxide poisoning (COP), particularly delayed neurological sequelae (DNS), the associated changes in cortical thickness and shape patterns remain unknown.

Materials & methods: Using surface-based morphometry, we investigated the differences in cortical thickness and shape indices between a COP group (n = 44) vs healthy controls (HCs, n = 36), and between the DNS (n = 21) vs non-DNS (n = 23) subgroups. Additionally, the influence of cortical damage on neurological disorders was explored.

Results: The COP group exhibited significant cortical thinning mainly in the bilateral fronto-parietal lobes (P < 0.05, family-wise error corrected). When cortical thinning in the bilateral parietal lobes, bilateral primary motor areas, left primary sensory areas, and bilateral paracentral lobules was explored in the DNS subgroups compared to the non-DNS subgroup (P < 0.05, FWE corrected), no differences in shape indices between the two subgroups were noted. In the COP group, there were significant positive correlations between the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and cortical thickness in the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and bilateral rostral middle frontal gyrus (rMFG) (P < 0.05, false discovery rate corrected). There was no any significant correlation between cortical thickness and Neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI), UPDRS III scores (P > 0.05, FDR-corrected).

Conclusion: Cortical thickness is a more sensitive index than shape for measuring cortical damage in patients with COP exposure, as cortical thinning in the right SFG and bilateral rMFG is related to cognitive impairment.