Clinical Report: Analysis of Cortical Morphological Similarities in HE

Overview

This study integrates the Morphometric Inverse Divergence (MIND) network with graph theory to investigate cortical morphological similarities and topological changes in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Differences in brain network connectivity and efficiency were observed between HE patients and healthy controls.

Background

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a complication of liver disease that can lead to neurological impairment. This study explores advanced neuroimaging techniques to identify biomarkers for HE.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• HE patients showed elevated mean MIND values across multiple functional subnetworks compared to healthy controls.
• Increased global efficiency and local efficiency were observed in HE patients.
• NHE patients exhibited mild DMN connectivity enhancement without significant differences in MIND metrics.
• HE is associated with abnormal whole-brain cortical morphological covariance networks.

Clinical Implications

The findings suggest that MIND network indices could be utilized as objective biomarkers for the early diagnosis of HE. Understanding these network alterations may enhance the clinical assessment and monitoring of patients with liver disease.

Conclusion

This study highlights the application of advanced neuroimaging techniques in identifying cortical changes associated with hepatic encephalopathy.

Related Resources & Content

1. American College of Gastroenterology, Guideline Highlights, 2026 -- Hepatic Encephalopathy
2. EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines, 2022 -- Hepatic Encephalopathy
3. Bass et al., NEJM, 2010 -- Rifaximin Treatment in Hepatic Encephalopathy
4. Brain — Structural covariance analysis for neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory brain disorders
5. Brain — Modelling pathological spread through the structural connectome in the frontotemporal dementia clinical spectrum
6. Journal of Neuro-Oncology — The connection between abnormal brain activity and functional network connectivity in patients with glioma
7. Journal of Neuro-Oncology — Unique Topographic and Anatomical Features of Primary and Secondary Brain Tumors and Their Implications for Treatment
8. Structural covariance analysis for neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory brain disorders
9. Modelling pathological spread through the structural connectome in the frontotemporal dementia clinical spectrum
10. The connection between abnormal brain activity and functional network connectivity in patients with glioma
11. https://webfiles.gi.org/GuidelineHighlights/ACGHepaticEncephGH.pdf
12. EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of hepatic encephalopathy
13. Rifaximin Treatment in Hepatic Encephalopathy | New England Journal of Medicine
14. RESEARCH ARTICLE
15. Gray matter microstructural alterations and their correlation with systemic biomarkers in hepatic encephalopathy: a NODDI study using gray-matter based spatial statistics
16. PerAF-based resting-state fMRI classifier for minimal hepatic encephalopathy