Objective The side-effects of resting tremor was common in renal transplant receipts receive tacrolimus. But the mechanism of this side-effect was unknown. This study want to assess changes in brain functions of renal allograft recipients that received tacrolimus or sirolimus using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI).

Methods Thirty cases of first cadaveric renal allograft recipients were included in this study.They were seperated into tacrolimus+mycophenolate mofetil(MMF)+steroid group(n=15) and sirolimus+MMF+steroid group(n=15). Laboratory tests, including serum creatinine. urea, and haemoglobin were performed in all patients. Neuropsychological tests were given to all subjects to evaluate cognitive and motor function, such as number connection type-A(NCT-A), digit symbol test(DST) , self-rating anxiety scale(SAS). ALFF map of each patients was computed by Resting-State fMRI Data Analysis Toolkit (REST verstion 6.1). One-sample t test was performed to show the spatial pattern of ALFF in each group.Two-sample t test was used to determine the ALFF differences between two groups.Results There were no differences in sex, age, serum creatinine, urea, haemoglobin between two groups. There was no difference in cognitive ability between two groups. Resting tremor incidence rate was higher in tacrolimus group(P<0.05). Compared with the sirolimus group, the tacrolimus group had significant higher ALFF values in bilateral frontal lobule(P<0.01), In tacrolimus group, the severe resting tremor group(n=7) also has higher ALFF than light resting tremor group(n=8) (P<0.05).while lower ALFF values in bilateral temporal lobule (p<0.05), left limbic (p<0.01) ,parietal lobule (p<0.05), and right occipital lobule (p<0.01).however, there were no difference between severe resting tremor group and light resting tremor group in these brain regions.Conclusions More brain regions with disrupted ALFF values were found in the tacrolimus group, suggesting that impaired spontaneous neural activity in these patients. ALFF changes in bilateral temporal might be related to resting tremor, and further research need to be done to explain the other changes between two groups.

CITATION INFORMATION: Wen J, Ni X, Wu L, Zheng G, Zhang L, Chen J. Alternations in Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuation in Renal Allograft Recipients That Received Tacrolimus or Sirolimus: An fMRI Study. Am J Transplant. 2017;17 (suppl 3).

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