Jiao Liu1, Lidian Chen2, Yiheng Tu3, Xiangli Chen4, Kun Hu2, Youxue Tu2, Meiqin Lin2, Guanli Xie2, Shanjia Chen2, Jia Huang2, Weilin Liu2, Jinsong Wu2, Tianshen Xiao2, Georgia Wilson3, Courtney Lang3, Joel Park3, Jing Tao5, Jian Kong3. 1. National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian 350122, China; College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian 350122, China; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. 2. College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian 350122, China. 3. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. 4. Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 53706, USA. 5. National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian 350122, China; College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian 350122, China; Traditional Chinese Medicine Rehabilitation Research Center of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian 350122, China. Electronic address: taojing01@163.com.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common degenerative joint disease with no satisfactory intervention. Recently, both physical and mindfulness exercises have received considerable attention for their implications in KOA pain management, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has displayed a critical role in pain modulation. This study aimed to comparatively investigate the modulation effects of different exercises using multidisciplinary measurements. METHODS:140 KOA patients were randomized into Tai Chi, Baduanjin, stationary cycling, or health education control groups for 12 weeks. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), structural MRI, and serum biomarkers were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. RESULTS: We found: 1) increased KOOS pain subscores (pain reduction) and serum programmedcell death protein1 (PD-1) levels in the three exercise groups compared to the control group; 2) decreased resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the DLPFC-supplementary motor area (SMA) and increased rsFC between the DLPFC and anterior cingulate cortex in all exercise groups compared to the control group; 3) significant associations between DLPFC-SMA rsFC with KOOS pain subscores and serum PD-1 levels at baseline; 4) significantly increased grey matter volume in the SMA in the Tai Chi and stationary cycling groups, and a trend toward significant increase in the Baduanjin group compared to the control group; 5) significant DLPFC rsFC differences among different exercise groups; and 6) that baseline DLPFC-SMA rsFC can predict the effect of mind-body exercise on pain improvement in KOA. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that different exercises can modulate both common and unique DLPFC (cognitive control) pathways, and altered DLPFC-SMA rsFC is associated with serum biomarker levels. Our findings also highlight the potentials of neuroimaging biomarkers in predicting the therapeutic effect of mind-body exercises on KOA pain.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVES:Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common degenerative joint disease with no satisfactory intervention. Recently, both physical and mindfulness exercises have received considerable attention for their implications in KOA pain management, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has displayed a critical role in pain modulation. This study aimed to comparatively investigate the modulation effects of different exercises using multidisciplinary measurements. METHODS: 140 KOA patients were randomized into Tai Chi, Baduanjin, stationary cycling, or health education control groups for 12 weeks. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), structural MRI, and serum biomarkers were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. RESULTS: We found: 1) increased KOOS pain subscores (pain reduction) and serum programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) levels in the three exercise groups compared to the control group; 2) decreased resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the DLPFC-supplementary motor area (SMA) and increased rsFC between the DLPFC and anterior cingulate cortex in all exercise groups compared to the control group; 3) significant associations between DLPFC-SMA rsFC with KOOS pain subscores and serum PD-1 levels at baseline; 4) significantly increased grey matter volume in the SMA in the Tai Chi and stationary cycling groups, and a trend toward significant increase in the Baduanjin group compared to the control group; 5) significant DLPFC rsFC differences among different exercise groups; and 6) that baseline DLPFC-SMA rsFC can predict the effect of mind-body exercise on pain improvement in KOA. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that different exercises can modulate both common and unique DLPFC (cognitive control) pathways, and altered DLPFC-SMA rsFC is associated with serum biomarker levels. Our findings also highlight the potentials of neuroimaging biomarkers in predicting the therapeutic effect of mind-body exercises on KOA pain.