Intact corticostriatal and altered subcortical circuits in chronic pain

Previous research has demonstrated the importance of the corticostriatal circuit in chronic pain. By focusing on nucleus accumbens (NAcc) circuits related to reward, we aimed to clarify how altered brain reward systems contribute to chronic pain. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we compared NAcc-medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) functional connectivity in patients with fibromyalgia vs. healthy controls. Among patients, we analyzed the extent to which functional connectivity correlated with clinical measures. We also examined NAcc functional connectivity to subcortical regions. Lastly, we compared our results to a separate dataset of patients with chronic back pain. We identified robust NAcc-MPFC functional connectivity among patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls, with no significant group differences. We found a positive correlational trend between NAcc-MPFC functional connectivity and total mood disturbance. Notably, patients with fibromyalgia showed significantly reduced functional connectivity of the right NAcc with mesolimbic circuit regions compared to controls. These results were largely similar to the results from the separate dataset. Our results provide novel evidence of intact corticostriatal but altered subcortical functional connectivity of the NAcc during resting-state in chronic pain and suggest that measured connectivity may relate to changes in mood and the level of cognitive demand during fMRI-based measurement.

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Altered amygdala-based functional connectivity in individuals with attenuated psychosis syndrome and first-episode schizophrenia

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-74771-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Woo-Sung Kim ◽

Guangfan Shen ◽

Congcong Liu ◽

Nam-In Kang ◽

Keon-Hak Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

First Episode ◽

Frontal Pole ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Significant Group ◽

Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome ◽

The Right ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

Abstract Altered resting-state functional connectivity (FC) of the amygdala (AMY) has been demonstrated to be implicated in schizophrenia (SZ) and attenuated psychosis syndrome (APS). Specifically, no prior work has investigated FC in individuals with APS using subregions of the AMY as seed regions of interest. The present study examined AMY subregion-based FC in individuals with APS and first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and healthy controls (HCs). The resting state FC maps of the three AMY subregions were computed and compared across the three groups. Correlation analysis was also performed to examine the relationship between the Z-values of regions showing significant group differences and symptom rating scores. Individuals with APS showed hyperconnectivity between the right centromedial AMY (CMA) and left frontal pole cortex (FPC) and between the laterobasal AMY and brain stem and right inferior lateral occipital cortex compared to HCs. Patients with FES showed hyperconnectivity between the right superficial AMY and left occipital pole cortex and between the left CMA and left thalamus compared to the APS and HCs respectively. A negative relationship was observed between the connectivity strength of the CMA with the FPC and negative-others score of the Brief Core Schema Scales in the APS group. We observed different altered FC with subregions of the AMY in individuals with APS and FES compared to HCs. These results shed light on the pathogenetic mechanisms underpinning the development of APS and SZ.

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Altered Intra- and Interregional Synchronization in Resting-State Cerebral Networks Associated with Chronic Tinnitus

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2015/475382 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Yu-Chen Chen ◽

Jian Zhang ◽

Xiao-Wei Li ◽

Wenqing Xia ◽

Xu Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Chronic Tinnitus ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Tinnitus Distress ◽

The Right

Objective. Subjective tinnitus is hypothesized to arise from aberrant neural activity; however, its neural bases are poorly understood. To identify aberrant neural networks involved in chronic tinnitus, we compared the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) patterns of tinnitus patients and healthy controls.Materials and Methods. Resting-state fMRI measurements were obtained from a group of chronic tinnitus patients (n=29) with normal hearing and well-matched healthy controls (n=30). Regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis and functional connectivity analysis were used to identify abnormal brain activity; these abnormalities were compared to tinnitus distress.Results. Relative to healthy controls, tinnitus patients had significant greater ReHo values in several brain regions including the bilateral anterior insula (AI), left inferior frontal gyrus, and right supramarginal gyrus. Furthermore, the left AI showed enhanced functional connectivity with the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), while the right AI had enhanced functional connectivity with the right MFG; these measures were positively correlated with Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaires (r=0.459,P=0.012andr=0.479,P=0.009, resp.).Conclusions. Chronic tinnitus patients showed abnormal intra- and interregional synchronization in several resting-state cerebral networks; these abnormalities were correlated with clinical tinnitus distress. These results suggest that tinnitus distress is exacerbated by attention networks that focus on internally generated phantom sounds.

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Altered Brain Functional Connectivity at Resting-State in Patients With Non-arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.712256 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Pengbo Zhao ◽

Han Lv ◽

Pengde Guo ◽

Yan Su ◽

Ming Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Field ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Optic Neuropathy ◽

Resting State ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy ◽

Ischemic Optic Neuropathy ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Central Visual Field ◽

The Right

Purpose: To investigate the possible changes in functional connectivity (FC) in patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) using resting-state functional MRI (fMRI).Methods: Thirty-one NAION patients and 31 healthy controls were recruited and underwent resting-state fMRI scans. Regions of interest (ROIs) were defined as bilateral Brodmann’s area 17 (BA17). FC analysis was performed between the ROIs and the rest of the brain regions, and the between group comparisons of FC were performed. We conducted correlation analysis between the FC changes and the clinical variables in NAION patients.Results: Compared with healthy controls, patients with NAION showed significantly decreased FC between the left BA17 and the right inferior frontal gyrus, left caudate nucleus. As for the right BA17, patients exhibited significantly increased FC with the left olfactory gyrus and decreased FC with the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG), right insula. Moreover, FC values between the right insula and the right BA17 were positively correlated with the right side of mean sensitivity in the central visual field (r = 0.52, P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with the right side of mean defect in the central visual field (r = −0.55, P < 0.01).Conclusion: Our study indicated that patients with NAION showed significantly abnormal functional reorganization between the primary visual cortex and several other brain regions not directly related to visual function, which supports that NAION may not only be an ophthalmic disease but also a neuro-ophthalmological disease.

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Alterations of Interhemispheric Functional Connectivity and Degree Centrality in Cervical Dystonia: A Resting-State fMRI Study

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2019/7349894 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Wenyan Jiang ◽

Yiwu Lei ◽

Jing Wei ◽

Lu Yang ◽

Shubao Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Basal Ganglia ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Cervical Dystonia ◽

Degree Centrality ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Lentiform Nucleus ◽

Correlation Analyses ◽

Postcentral Gyrus ◽

The Right

Background. Cervical dystonia (CD) is a neurological movement disorder characterized by involuntary head and neck movements and postures. Reports on microstructural and functional abnormalities in multiple brain regions not limited to the basal ganglia have been increasing in patients with CD. However, the neural bases of CD are unclear. This study is aimed at identifying cerebral functional abnormalities in CD by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Methods. Using rs-fMRI data, voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) and degree centrality were used to compare the alterations of the rs-functional connectivity (FC) between 19 patients with CD and 21 healthy controls. Regions showing abnormal FCs from two measurements were the regions of interest for correlation analyses. Results. Compared with healthy controls, patients with CD exhibited significantly decreased VMHC in the supplementary motor area (SMA), precuneus (PCu)/postcentral gyrus, and superior medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Significantly increased degree centrality in the right PCu and decreased degree centrality in the right lentiform nucleus and left ventral MPFC were observed in the patient group compared with the control group. Further correlation analyses showed that the VMHC values in the SMA were negatively correlated with dystonia severity. Conclusion. Local abnormalities and interhemispheric interaction deficits in the sensorimotor network (SMA, postcentral gyrus, and PCu), default mode network (MPFC and PCu), and basal ganglia may be the key characteristics in the pathogenesis mechanism of CD.

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Increased functional connectivity between the right temporo-parietal junction and the temporal poles in migraine without aura

Cephalalgia Reports ◽

10.1177/2515816318804823 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 251581631880482 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Marco Lisicki ◽

Kevin D’Ostilio ◽

Gianluca Coppola ◽

Alain Maertens de Noordhout ◽

Vincenzo Parisi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Migraine Without Aura ◽

Brain Structures ◽

Episodic Migraine ◽

Angular Gyrus ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Positive Interaction ◽

The Right

Rather than a localized alteration, increased visual reactivity in migraine patients seems to result from a complex interaction between several brain structures, mostly involving the ventral attention network. The hub of this network is the right temporo-parietal junction. In this report, complementing our previous findings, we describe the differences in seed-to-voxel resting-state functional connectivity seeded in the right temporo-parietal junction (right angular gyrus) between migraine patients and healthy controls. Resting-state functional MRIs of episodic migraine without aura patients in the interictal period ( n = 19) and matched healthy controls ( n = 19) were analysed. With the seed placed in the right temporo-parietal junction (right angular gyrus), seed-to-voxel connectivity was compared between groups. Electrophysiological, voxel-based morphometry (both groups) and specific region of interest (ROI)-to-ROI functional connectivity (migraine patients) data have already been published. Migraine patients showed a higher positive interaction between the right temporo-parietal junction and both temporal poles and a higher negative interaction between this same region and bilateral areas of the visual cortex. On the basis of our results, and because of their established properties as multisensory integration hubs, it is likely that the right temporo-parietal junction and both temporal poles are involved in the altered processing of sensory stimulus commonly observed in migraine patients. Therefore, more attention should be paid to these regions for migraine research in the future.

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Salience, central executive, and sensorimotor network functional connectivity alterations in failed back surgery syndrome

Scandinavian Journal of Pain ◽

10.1016/j.sjpain.2017.01.008 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 10-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Tiffany A. Kolesar ◽

Elena Bilevicius ◽

Jennifer Kornelsen

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Resting State Networks ◽

Chronic Pain Condition ◽

Sensorimotor Network ◽

Failed Back Surgery

AbstractObjectiveThis study examined the altered patterns of functional connectivity in task-positive resting state networks in failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) patients compared to healthy controls using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This work stems from a previous study in which alterations in the task-negative default mode network were investigated.DesignParticipants underwent a 7-minute resting state fMRI scan in which they lay still, with eyes closed, in the absence of a task.SettingScanning took place at the National Research Council’s 3 Tesla MRI magnet in Winnipeg, Canada.SubjectsFourteen patients with FBSS and age- and gender-matched controls participated in this study. Three patients were removed from the analyses due to image artefact (n = 1) and effective pain treatment (n = 2). Eleven patients (5 female, mean age 52.7 years) and their matched controls were included in the final analyses.MethodsResting state fMRI data were analyzed using an independent component analysis, yielding three resting state networks of interest: the salience network (SN), involved in detection of external stimuli, central executive network (CEN), involved in cognitions, and sensorimotor network (SeN), involved in sensory and motor integration. Analysis of Variance contrasts were performed for each network, comparing functional connectivity differences between FBSS patients and healthy controls.ResultsAlterations were observed in all three resting state networks, primarily relating to pain and its processing in the FBSS group. Specifically, compared to healthy controls, FBSS patients demonstrated increased functional connectivity in the anterior cingulate cortex within the SN, medial frontal gyrus in the CEN, and precentral gyrus within the SeN. FBSS patients also demonstrated decreased functional connectivity in the medial frontal gyrus in the SeN compared to healthy controls. Interestingly, we also observed internetwork functional connectivity in the SN and SeN.ConclusionsFBSS is associated with altered patterns of functional connectivity in the SN, CEN, and SeN. Taken together with our previous work, this reveals that a chronic pain condition can have a dramatic effect on the connectivity of multiple resting state networks.ImplicationsThese data suggest that a chronic pain condition—FBSS—is associated with disruptions to networks of functional connectivity in brain areas that are involved in numerous functions, including pain processing, sensation, and movement. It is possible that the alterations in these networks may contribute to other common chronic pain comorbidities, such as disrupted cognitions or anxiety. Previous research shows that during experimentally-induced pain, these networks can return to initial levels of functioning, indicating that these functional alterations are likely not permanent.

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Functional connectivity of the anterior cingulate cortex with pain-related regions in children with post-traumatic headache

Cephalalgia Reports ◽

10.1177/25158163211009477 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 251581632110094

Author(s):

Zahra Ofoghi ◽

Christiane S Rohr ◽

Deborah Dewey ◽

Signe Bray ◽

Keith Owen Yeates ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Resting State ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Pain Processing ◽

Central Pain ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Post Traumatic ◽

The Right ◽

Central Pain Processing

Introduction: Post-traumatic headaches (PTH) are common following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). There is evidence of altered central pain processing in adult PTH; however, little is known about how children with PTH process pain. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a critical role in descending central pain modulation. In this study, we explored whether the functional connectivity (FC) of the ACC is altered in children with PTH. Methods: In this case-control study, we investigated resting-state FC of 5 ACC seeds (caudal, dorsal, rostral, perigenual, and subgenual) in children with PTH ( n = 73) and without PTH ( n = 29) following mTBI, and healthy controls ( n = 27). Post-concussion symptoms were assessed using the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory and the Child Health Questionnaire. Resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data were used to generate maps of ACC FC. Group-level comparisons were performed within a target mask comprised of pain-related regions using FSL Randomise. Results: We found decreased FC between the right perigenual ACC and the left cerebellum, and increased FC between the right subgenual ACC and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in children with PTH compared to healthy controls. The ACC FC in children without PTH following mTBI did not differ from the group with PTH or healthy controls. FC between rostral and perigenual ACC seeds and the cerebellum was increased in children with PTH with pre-injury headaches compared to those with PTH without pre-injury headaches. There was a positive relationship between PTH severity and rostral ACC FC with the bilateral thalamus, right hippocampus and periaqueductal gray. Conclusions: Central pain processing is altered in children with PTH. Pre-existing headaches help to drive this process. Trial registration: The PlayGame Trial was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov database ( ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01874847).

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Resting-state Functional Connectivity of the Right Temporoparietal Junction Relates to Belief Updating and Reorienting during Spatial Attention

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_01543 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (6) ◽

pp. 1130-1141

Author(s):

Anne-Sophie Käsbauer ◽

Paola Mengotti ◽

Gereon R. Fink ◽

Simone Vossel

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Cognitive Processing ◽

Resting State ◽

Prior Information ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Belief Updating ◽

Temporoparietal Junction ◽

Right Temporoparietal Junction ◽

The Right

Although multiple studies characterized the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ), little is known about the link between rTPJ rsFC and cognitive functions. Given a putative involvement of rTPJ in both reorienting of attention and the updating of probabilistic beliefs, this study characterized the relationship between rsFC of rTPJ with dorsal and ventral attention systems and these two cognitive processes. Twenty-three healthy young participants performed a modified location-cueing paradigm with true and false prior information about the percentage of cue validity to assess belief updating and attentional reorienting. Resting-state fMRI was recorded before and after the task. Seed-based correlation analysis was employed, and correlations of each behavioral parameter with rsFC before the task, as well as with changes in rsFC after the task, were assessed in an ROI-based approach. Weaker rsFC between rTPJ and right intraparietal sulcus before the task was associated with relatively faster updating of the belief that the cue will be valid after false prior information. Moreover, relatively faster belief updating, as well as faster reorienting, were related to an increase in the interhemispheric rsFC between rTPJ and left TPJ after the task. These findings are in line with task-based connectivity studies on related attentional functions and extend results from stroke patients demonstrating the importance of interhemispheric parietal interactions for behavioral performance. The present results not only highlight the essential role of parietal rsFC for attentional functions but also suggest that cognitive processing during a task changes connectivity patterns in a performance-dependent manner.

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Altered Resting-State Frontoparietal Control Network in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s135561771500020x ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 271-284 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Hsiang-Yuan Lin ◽

Wen-Yih Isaac Tseng ◽

Meng-Chuan Lai ◽

Kayako Matsuo ◽

Susan Shur-Fen Gau

Keyword(s):

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Control Network ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Anterior Prefrontal Cortex ◽

The Right ◽

Frontoparietal Control Network

AbstractThe frontoparietal control network, anatomically and functionally interposed between the dorsal attention network and default mode network, underpins executive control functions. Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) commonly exhibit deficits in executive functions, which are mainly mediated by the frontoparietal control network. Involvement of the frontoparietal control network based on the anterior prefrontal cortex in neurobiological mechanisms of ADHD has yet to be tested. We used resting-state functional MRI and seed-based correlation analyses to investigate functional connectivity of the frontoparietal control network in a sample of 25 children with ADHD (7–14 years; mean 9.94±1.77 years; 20 males), and 25 age-, sex-, and performance IQ-matched typically developing (TD) children. All participants had limited in-scanner head motion. Spearman’s rank correlations were used to test the associations between altered patterns of functional connectivity with clinical symptoms and executive functions, measured by the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test and Spatial Span in the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Compared with TD children, children with ADHD demonstrated weaker connectivity between the right anterior prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the right ventrolateral PFC, and between the left anterior PFC and the right inferior parietal lobule. Furthermore, this aberrant connectivity of the frontoparietal control network in ADHD was associated with symptoms of impulsivity and opposition-defiance, as well as impaired response inhibition and attentional control. The findings support potential integration of the disconnection model and the executive dysfunction model for ADHD. Atypical frontoparietal control network may play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of ADHD. (JINS, 2015, 21, 271–284)

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Disentangling Mathematics from Executive Functions by Investigating Unique Functional Connectivity Patterns Predictive of Mathematics Ability

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_01367 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 560-573 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kenny Skagerlund ◽

Taylor Bolt ◽

Jason S. Nomi ◽

Mikael Skagenholt ◽

Daniel Västfjäll ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Mathematical Ability ◽

Angular Gyrus ◽

Intraparietal Sulcus ◽

Supramarginal Gyrus ◽

Connectivity Patterns ◽

The Right

What are the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms that give rise to mathematical competence? This study investigated the relationship between tests of mathematical ability completed outside the scanner and resting-state functional connectivity (FC) of cytoarchitectonically defined subdivisions of the parietal cortex in adults. These parietal areas are also involved in executive functions (EFs). Therefore, it remains unclear whether there are unique networks for mathematical processing. We investigate the neural networks for mathematical cognition and three measures of EF using resting-state fMRI data collected from 51 healthy adults. Using 10 ROIs in seed to whole-brain voxel-wise analyses, the results showed that arithmetical ability was correlated with FC between the right anterior intraparietal sulcus (hIP1) and the left supramarginal gyrus and between the right posterior intraparietal sulcus (hIP3) and the left middle frontal gyrus and the right premotor cortex. The connection between the posterior portion of the left angular gyrus and the left inferior frontal gyrus was also correlated with mathematical ability. Covariates of EF eliminated connectivity patterns with nodes in inferior frontal gyrus, angular gyrus, and middle frontal gyrus, suggesting neural overlap. Controlling for EF, we found unique connections correlated with mathematical ability between the right hIP1 and the left supramarginal gyrus and between hIP3 bilaterally to premotor cortex bilaterally. This is partly in line with the “mapping hypothesis” of numerical cognition in which the right intraparietal sulcus subserves nonsymbolic number processing and connects to the left parietal cortex, responsible for calculation procedures. We show that FC within this circuitry is a significant predictor of math ability in adulthood.

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