Resting-state fMRI fALFF analysis in patients with non-fluent aphasia after ischemic stroke

Objective To understand the impairment and compensation mechanism of brain function in patients with non-fluent aphasia after ischemic stroke. The fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation(fALFF) method was used to analyze the functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) data in the resting state between the aphasia patients and the normal controls. Methods The scans of the resting state of fMRI were performed in 17 aphasia patients and 19 age-, education-, and sex-matched healthy control subjects. The scan sequence was singleshot echo planar image,DPARSF software was used to analyze fALFF data of the aphasia patients and the healthy controls. Results Compared to the control group, the value in right superior temporal gurus, inferior parietal lobule, frontal lobe cortex, and postcentral gurus were significantly increased in the aphasia group. The fALFF in bilateral cerebellum and right thalamus were also decreased in the aphasia group. Conclusions The fALFF values in some brain region in the aphasia group were abnormal in the resting state, indicating a few pathological change of brain function in patients with non-fluent aphasia after ischemic stroke.