Hui Dai1,2, Chengcheng Jiang1, Guanzuan Wu1, Renjun Huang1, Xiaohong Jin3, Zhongshuai Zhang4, Lina Wang5, Yonggang Li6,7. 1. Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Shizi Street 188#, Suzhou, 215000, China. 2. Institute of Medical Imaging, Soochow University, Suzhou City, 215000, Jiangsu Province, China. 3. Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China. 4. SIEMENS Healthineers Ltd., Shanghai, 20000, China. 5. Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China. wangln@suda.edu.cn. 6. Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Shizi Street 188#, Suzhou, 215000, China. liyonggang224@163.com. 7. Institute of Medical Imaging, Soochow University, Suzhou City, 215000, Jiangsu Province, China. liyonggang224@163.com.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To explore the brain microstructural and functional changes in patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 12 PHN patients and 12 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting-state functional MRI (rfMRI) sequences were scanned by a 3T MR scanner. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) t-maps were obtained following DTI data processing. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF) were obtained following rfMRI data processing. A two sample t-test was performed to compare the FA, MD, ALFF and fALFF differences between the PHN patients and healthy controls. RESULTS: No significant differences were noted with regard to the parameters gender, age and education years between the two groups. FA, MD, ALFF and/or fALFF indicated significant alterations in specific pain or pain-related brain regions, such as brainstem, cerebellum, parietal lobe, precuneus, frontal lobe, temporal lobe, postcentral and precentral gyrus, corpus callosum, cingulate gyrus, putamen and insula. CONCLUSION: Multi-local alterations of spontaneous brain activity could form a network related to chronic pain, sensory discrimination, emotion and cognition, suggesting complicated central mechanisms of PHN. The combined-action of brain microstructure and function may play a critical role in comprehension of neurological mechanisms of PHN-induced pain.
PURPOSE: To explore the brain microstructural and functional changes in patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 12 PHN patients and 12 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting-state functional MRI (rfMRI) sequences were scanned by a 3T MR scanner. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) t-maps were obtained following DTI data processing. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF) were obtained following rfMRI data processing. A two sample t-test was performed to compare the FA, MD, ALFF and fALFF differences between the PHN patients and healthy controls. RESULTS: No significant differences were noted with regard to the parameters gender, age and education years between the two groups. FA, MD, ALFF and/or fALFF indicated significant alterations in specific pain or pain-related brain regions, such as brainstem, cerebellum, parietal lobe, precuneus, frontal lobe, temporal lobe, postcentral and precentral gyrus, corpus callosum, cingulate gyrus, putamen and insula. CONCLUSION: Multi-local alterations of spontaneous brain activity could form a network related to chronic pain, sensory discrimination, emotion and cognition, suggesting complicated central mechanisms of PHN. The combined-action of brain microstructure and function may play a critical role in comprehension of neurological mechanisms of PHN-induced pain.
Authors: Michael Valet; Till Sprenger; Henning Boecker; Frode Willoch; Ernst Rummeny; Bastian Conrad; Peter Erhard; Thomas R Tolle Journal: Pain Date: 2004-06 Impact factor: 6.961