The amplitude of low frequency fluctuation and spontaneous brain activity alterations in age-related macular degeneration

Yan Yan Zhang; Jin Yu Hu; Qian Ling; San Hua Xu; Min Kang; Hong Wei; Jie Zou; Quanyong Yi; Gang Tan; Yi Shao

doi:10.3389/fmed.2024.1507971

The amplitude of low frequency fluctuation and spontaneous brain activity alterations in age-related macular degeneration

Front Med (Lausanne). 2025 Jan 22:11:1507971. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1507971. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Yan Yan Zhang^#¹, Jin Yu Hu^#², Qian Ling^#², San Hua Xu², Min Kang², Hong Wei², Jie Zou², Quanyong Yi¹, Gang Tan³, Yi Shao^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Ningbo Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Ningbo, China.
² Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Centre of National Clinical Research Ophthalmology Center, Nanchang, China.
³ Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hunan Center of National Ocular Disease Clinical Research Center, Hengyan, China.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Shanghai, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) is a vision-threatening eye disease worldwide. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method was used to observe changes in spontaneous brain activity, which may help to investigate the underlying pathological mechanism of AMD.

Methods: Eighteen patients with wAMD and 18 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The ALFF method was used on each subject and mean ALFF values were compared between groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the two groups.

Results: ALFF values in the temporal lobe and limbic lobe/parahippocampal gyrus were significantly higher than controls, while values in the postcentral gyrus were significantly lower. The under the curve of the ROC (AUC) of the three regions shows high accuracy of the diagnosis.

Conclusion: The abnormal spontaneous brain activity of patients with AMD suggests scope for the use of ALFF in the diagnosis or prognosis in AMD.

Keywords: age-related macular degeneration; functional magnetic resonance imaging; resting brain activity; spontaneous brain activity; the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation.