Wenyan Jiang1, Yu Lan2, Chaoyu Cen1, Yang Liu1, Changqiang Feng1, Yiwu Lei3, Wenbin Guo4, Shuguang Luo5. 1. Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China. 2. Department of Neurology, Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China. 3. Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China. 4. Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China. Electronic address: guowenbin76@csu.edu.cn. 5. Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China. Electronic address: robert58243@sohu.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Primary blepharospasm (BSP) is characterized by excessive involuntary eyelid spasms without significant morphological brain abnormalities. Its neural bases remain unclear. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is a powerful tool for exploring cerebral function mechanisms in BSP. METHODS: Two subject groups (24 patients with BSP and 24 healthy controls) underwent rs-fMRI scans. The rs-fMRI images were analyzed using the regional homogeneity (ReHo) method to assess the local features of spontaneous brain activity. Correlation analysis was carried out to explore the relationship between the ReHo values of abnormal brain areas and clinical variables including illness duration, symptom severity, and depression/anxiety symptoms. RESULTS: Relative to healthy controls, patients with BSP showed significantly decreased ReHo in the left superior temporal pole/left insula, left calcarine cortex, and bilateral superior medial frontal gyrus (mSFG), and increased ReHo in the bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA). There were no significant correlations between ReHo values in these brain regions and clinical variables in the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that abnormal spontaneous brain activity in multiple brain regions not limited to the basal ganglia may be trait alterations in the patients, which provides more insights into the pathogenesis of BSP.
BACKGROUND:Primary blepharospasm (BSP) is characterized by excessive involuntary eyelid spasms without significant morphological brain abnormalities. Its neural bases remain unclear. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is a powerful tool for exploring cerebral function mechanisms in BSP. METHODS: Two subject groups (24 patients with BSP and 24 healthy controls) underwent rs-fMRI scans. The rs-fMRI images were analyzed using the regional homogeneity (ReHo) method to assess the local features of spontaneous brain activity. Correlation analysis was carried out to explore the relationship between the ReHo values of abnormal brain areas and clinical variables including illness duration, symptom severity, and depression/anxiety symptoms. RESULTS: Relative to healthy controls, patients with BSP showed significantly decreased ReHo in the left superior temporal pole/left insula, left calcarine cortex, and bilateral superior medial frontal gyrus (mSFG), and increased ReHo in the bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA). There were no significant correlations between ReHo values in these brain regions and clinical variables in the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that abnormal spontaneous brain activity in multiple brain regions not limited to the basal ganglia may be trait alterations in the patients, which provides more insights into the pathogenesis of BSP.