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Zhu K, Chang J, Zhang S, Li Y, Zuo J, Ni H, Xie B, Yao J, Xu Z, Bian S, Yan T, Wu X, Chen S, Jin W, Wang Y, Xu P, Song P, Wu Y, Shen C, Zhu J, Yu Y, Dong F. The enhanced connectivity between the frontoparietal, somatomotor network and thalamus as the most significant network changes of chronic low back pain. Neuroimage 2024; 290:120558. [PMID: 38437909 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The prolonged duration of chronic low back pain (cLBP) inevitably leads to changes in the cognitive, attentional, sensory and emotional processing brain regions. Currently, it remains unclear how these alterations are manifested in the interplay between brain functional and structural networks. This study aimed to predict the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) in cLBP patients using multimodal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data and identified the most significant features within the multimodal networks to aid in distinguishing patients from healthy controls (HCs). We constructed dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) and structural connectivity (SC) networks for all participants (n = 112) and employed the Connectome-based Predictive Modeling (CPM) approach to predict ODI scores, utilizing various feature selection thresholds to identify the most significant network change features in dFC and SC outcomes. Subsequently, we utilized these significant features for optimal classifier selection and the integration of multimodal features. The results revealed enhanced connectivity among the frontoparietal network (FPN), somatomotor network (SMN) and thalamus in cLBP patients compared to HCs. The thalamus transmits pain-related sensations and emotions to the cortical areas through the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and primary somatosensory cortex (SI), leading to alterations in whole-brain network functionality and structure. Regarding the model selection for the classifier, we found that Support Vector Machine (SVM) best fit these significant network features. The combined model based on dFC and SC features significantly improved classification performance between cLBP patients and HCs (AUC=0.9772). Finally, the results from an external validation set support our hypotheses and provide insights into the potential applicability of the model in real-world scenarios. Our discovery of enhanced connectivity between the thalamus and both the dlPFC (FPN) and SI (SMN) provides a valuable supplement to prior research on cLBP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Zhu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Jianchao Chang
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Siya Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Junxun Zuo
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Haoyu Ni
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Bingyong Xie
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Jiyuan Yao
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Zhibin Xu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Sicheng Bian
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Tingfei Yan
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Xianyong Wu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Orthopedics, Anqing First People's Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anqing, PR China
| | - Senlin Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongcheng branch of The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Feidong People's Hospital), Hefei, PR China
| | - Weiming Jin
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Peng Xu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Peiwen Song
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Yuanyuan Wu
- Department of Medical Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Cailiang Shen
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Jiajia Zhu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Yongqiang Yu
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China
| | - Fulong Dong
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, PR China.
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Pak V, Hashmi JA. Top-down threat bias in pain perception is predicted by higher segregation between resting-state networks. Netw Neurosci 2023; 7:1248-1265. [PMID: 38144683 PMCID: PMC10631789 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Top-down processes such as expectations have a strong influence on pain perception. Predicted threat of impending pain can affect perceived pain even more than the actual intensity of a noxious event. This type of threat bias in pain perception is associated with fear of pain and low pain tolerance, and hence the extent of bias varies between individuals. Large-scale patterns of functional brain connectivity are important for integrating expectations with sensory data. Greater integration is necessary for sensory integration; therefore, here we investigate the association between system segregation and top-down threat bias in healthy individuals. We show that top-down threat bias is predicted by less functional connectivity between resting-state networks. This effect was significant at a wide range of network thresholds and specifically in predefined parcellations of resting-state networks. Greater system segregation in brain networks also predicted higher anxiety and pain catastrophizing. These findings highlight the role of integration in brain networks in mediating threat bias in pain perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Pak
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Javeria Ali Hashmi
- Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management, and Perioperative Medicine, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
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Robertson JW, Aristi G, Hashmi JA. White matter microstructure predicts measures of clinical symptoms in chronic back pain patients. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 37:103309. [PMID: 36621020 PMCID: PMC9850203 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Chronic back pain (CBP) has extensive clinical and social implications for its sufferers and is a major source of disability. Chronic pain has previously been shown to have central neural factors underpinning it, including the loss of white matter (WM), however traditional methods of analyzing WM microstructure have produced mixed and unclear results. To better understand these factors, we assessed the WM microstructure of 50 patients and 40 healthy controls (HC) using diffusion-weighted imaging. The data were analyzed using fixel-based analysis (FBA), a higher-order diffusion modelling technique applied to CBP for the first time here. Subjects also answered questionnaires relating to pain, disability, catastrophizing, and mood disorders, to establish the relationship between fixelwise metrics and clinical symptoms. FBA determined that, compared to HC, CBP patients had: 1) lower fibre density (FD) in several tracts, specifically the right anterior and bilateral superior thalamic radiations, right spinothalamic tract, right middle cerebellar peduncle, and the body and splenium of corpus callosum; 2) higher FD in the genu of corpus callosum; and 3) lower FDC - a combined fibre density and cross-section measure - in the bilateral spinothalamic tracts and right anterior thalamic radiation. Exploratory correlations showed strong negative relationships between fixelwise metrics and clinical questionnaire scores, especially pain catastrophizing. These results have important implications for the intake and processing of sensory data in CBP that warrant further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason W Robertson
- Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1276 South Park St., Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2Y9, Canada; Nova Scotia Health Authority, 1276 South Park St., Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2Y9, Canada.
| | - Guillermo Aristi
- Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1276 South Park St., Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2Y9, Canada; Nova Scotia Health Authority, 1276 South Park St., Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2Y9, Canada
| | - Javeria A Hashmi
- Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1276 South Park St., Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2Y9, Canada; Nova Scotia Health Authority, 1276 South Park St., Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2Y9, Canada.
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