Lateralization of the crossed cerebellar diaschisis-associated metabolic connectivities in cortico-ponto-cerebellar and cortico-rubral pathways

This study aimed to explore the glucose metabolic profile of extrapyramidal system in patients with crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD). Furthermore, the metabolic connectivities in cortico-ponto-cerebellar and cortico-rubral pathways associated with CCD were also investigated. A total of 130 CCD positive (CCD+) and 424 CCD negative (CCD-) patients with unilateral cerebral hemisphere hypometabolism on F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (F-18-FDG PET) were enrolled. Besides, the control group consisted of 56 subjects without any brain structural and metabolic abnormalities. Apart from the autocorrelation, metabolic connectivity pattern of right or left affected cerebellar hemisphere involved unilateral (left or right, respectively) caudate, pallidum, putamen, thalamus and red nucleus, in CCD+ patients with left or right supratentorial lesions, respectively (P-uncorrected < 0.001, cluster size > 200). CCD+ group had significantly lower asymmetry index (AI) in corticoponto-cerebellar pathway (including ipsilateral cerebral white matter, ipsilateral pons, contralateral cerebellum white matter and contralateral cerebellum exterior cortex) and cortico-rubral pathway (including ipsilateral caudate, thalamus proper, pallidum, putamen, ventral diencephalon and red nucleus) than those of both CCD- and control groups (all P < 0.05). AI in contralateral cerebellum exterior cortex was significantly positively correlated with that in ipsilateral caudate, putamen, pallidum, thalamus proper, ventral diencephalon, red nucleus and pons among CCD+ group (all P < 0.01), but only with that in ipsilateral caudate and putamen among CCD- group (both P < 0.001). These results provide additional insight into the involvement of both cortico-ponto-cerebellar and cortico-rubral pathways in the presence of CCD, underlining the need for further investigation about the role of their aberrant metabolic connectivities in the associated symptoms of CCD.

Automated summary

This study explored the glucose metabolic profile of extrapyramidal system in patients with crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD) and investigated the metabolic connectivities in cortico-ponto-cerebellar and cortico-rubral pathways associated with CCD. The results revealed that CCD+ patients had significantly lower asymmetry index (AI) in corticoponto-cerebellar and cortico-rubral pathways compared to CCD- patients and the control group. Additionally, AI in contralateral cerebellum exterior cortex was positively correlated with several brain regions among CCD+ patients.