Fronto-cerebellar features associate with cognitive dysfunction in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors' conclusion
This study provides evidence of fronto-cerebellar abnormalities and their associations with CD in cSLE.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with childhood-onset SLE and age- and sex-matched healthy controls
- Participants
- 20 vs 20
- Exposure
- Childhood-onset SLE vs age- and sex-matched healthy controls
- cSLEn = 20
- Healthy controls (HCs)n = 20reference
- Outcome
- Neurobehavioral and neuroimaging features of cognitive dysfunction
Methodological detailsage- and sex-matched healthy controls, multimodal neuroimaging (functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), structural MRI)
- Age- and sex-matched healthy controls
- Multimodal neuroimaging (fNIRS, fMRI, structural MRI)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Worse cognitive functioning, higher emotional distress and more physical symptoms in cSLE vs HCs
- fNIRS: higher prefrontal cortex activity in cSLE vs HCs during the color-word Stroop task
- fMRI during N-back working memory task: altered frontal cortex and cerebellum activity; modulated resting-state fronto-cerebellar connectivity in cSLE
- Reduced gray matter morphological properties in frontal cortex and cerebellar subdivisions (e.g., crus II), with altered white matter structural connectivity among these hubs, in cSLE
- K-means clustering: three cSLE subgroups by neuroimaging profile, varying in cognitive and emotional health
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Clinical status of cSLE
- Moderate disease activity with high inflammation and immune dysregulation, alongside low medication adherence
Original publication
Fronto-cerebellar features associate with cognitive dysfunction in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus. Semin Arthritis Rheum. Published 11 January 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →