PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Warioba, Chisondi S. AU - Liu, Mira AU - Peñano, Sagada AU - Carroll, Timothy J. AU - Foxley, Sean AU - Christoforidis, Gregory TI - Efficacy Assessment of Cerebral Perfusion Augmentation through Functional Connectivity in an Acute Canine Stroke Model AID - 10.3174/ajnr.A8320 DP - 2024 Sep 01 TA - American Journal of Neuroradiology PG - 1214--1219 VI - 45 IP - 9 4099 - http://www.ajnr.org/content/45/9/1214.short 4100 - http://www.ajnr.org/content/45/9/1214.full SO - Am. J. Neuroradiol.2024 Sep 01; 45 AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Ischemic stroke disrupts functional connectivity within the brain's resting-state networks (RSNs), impacting recovery. This study evaluates the effects of norepinephrine and hydralazine (NEH), a cerebral perfusion augmentation therapy, on RSN integrity in a hyperacute canine stroke model.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen adult purpose-bred mongrel canines, divided into treatment and control (natural history) groups, underwent endovascular induction of acute middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Postocclusion, the treatment group received intra-arterial norepinephrine (0.1–1.52 µg/kg/min, adjusted for 25–45 mm Hg above baseline mean arterial pressure) and hydralazine (20 mg). Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) data were acquired with a 3T scanner by using a blood oxygen level dependent-EPI sequence (TR/TE = 1400 ms/20 ms, 2.5 mm slices, 300 temporal positions). Preprocessing included motion correction, spatial smoothing (2.5 mm full width at half maximum), and high-pass filtering (0.01 Hz cutoff). Functional connectivity within RSNs were analyzed through group-level independent component analysis and weighted whole-brain ROI-to-ROI connectome, pre- and post-MCAO.RESULTS: NEH therapy significantly maintained connectivity post-MCAO in the higher-order visual and parietal RSNs, as evidenced by thresholded statistical mapping (threshold-free cluster enhancement Pcorr > .95). However, this preservation was network-dependent, with no significant (Pcorr < .95) changes in the primary visual and sensorimotor networks.CONCLUSIONS: NEH demonstrates potential as a proof-of-concept therapy for maintaining RSN functional connectivity after ischemic stroke, emphasizing the therapeutic promise of perfusion augmentation. These insights reinforce the role of functional connectivity as a measurable end point for stroke intervention efficacy, suggesting clinical translatability for patients with insufficient collateral circulation.FWEfamily-wise errorICAindependent component analysisMCAOmiddle cerebral artery occlusionNEHnorepinephrine and hydralaziners-fMRIresting-state fMRIRSNresting-state networkTFCEthreshold-free cluster enhancement