Evidences of Brain Plasticity and Motor Control Modulation after Hemodialysis Session by Helixone Membrane: BOLD-fMRI Study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the impact of hemodialysis (HD) using synthetic Helixone membrane on brain functional control reorganization and plasticity in the cortical area generated while Oxidative Stress (OS) would be the main impacting agent.

Methods: Indeed, 9 chronic HD patients underwent identical brain BOLD-fMRI assessment using the motor paradigm immediately before and after the same HD sessions. To assess the oxidative stress, the same patients underwent biological-assessment, including Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Total- Antioxidant-Activity (TAOA) reported in earlier papers.

Results: BOLD-fMRI maps of motor areas obtained from HD-patients before and after HD sessions revealed a significant enhancement of activation volume of the studied motor cortex after HD reflecting brain plasticity. Results were correlated with OS assessed by the measurement of MDA and TAOA; this correlation was close to 1.

Conclusion: Indeed, HD enhances the inflammatory state of brain tissues reflected by the increased OS. The functional brain reaction demonstrated a functional activity reorganization to overcome the inflammatory state and OS enhanced by HD process. This functional activity reorganization reveals brain plasticity induced by OS originated by HD.

Keywords: BOLD-fMRI; brain functional control; helixone membrane; hemodialysis; oxidative stress; plasticity.