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Changes of insular function in lifelong premature ejaculation patients before and after SSRI administration. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:3953-3962. [PMID: 36344824 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06268-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Lifelong premature ejaculation (PE) is regarded as one of the most common male sexual dysfunction. We aimed to detect whether insula-related brain functional networks are altered in lifelong PE patients and whether such alterations are "normalised" after selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) administration. METHODS Twenty-three drug-naive lifelong PE patients and 30 healthy controls (HC) were recruited in current study. All subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan at first. One hour after dapoxetine administration, all patients underwent fMRI scanning again. The degree centrality (DC), amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis, and ROI-based functional connectivity (FC) analysis were applied to calculate the abnormalities in insula-related functions among three groups. RESULTS Compared to HC group, PE patients at baseline showed significantly altered DC, ALFF, and ReHo value of the bilateral insula, which subsequently showed a "normalised" trend after dapoxetine administration. Additionally, compared to HC group, PE patients at baseline showed significantly decreased FC between insula and precentral gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, middle/inferior temporal gyrus, and caudate, while patients after dapoxetine administration showed increased insula-related FC in anterior cingulate cortex and decreased FC in thalamus and middle/inferior temporal gyrus. The main effects of dapoxetine were located in precentral gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, caudate, and limbic system. CONCLUSIONS Our findings report altered brain mechanism of insula in lifelong PE patients and also indicate that dapoxetine can "normalise" the abnormal function of the insula to certain extent in lifelong PE patients.
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Zhang T, Yuan P, Cui Y, Yuan W, Jiang D. Convergent and Divergent Structural Connectivity of Brain White Matter Network Between Patients With Erectile Dysfunction and Premature Ejaculation: A Graph Theory Analysis Study. Front Neurol 2022; 13:804207. [PMID: 35273555 PMCID: PMC8902049 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.804207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Sexual dysfunction, namely, erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE), has been found to be associated with abnormal structural connectivity in the brain. Previous studies have mainly focused on a single disorder, however, convergent and divergent structural connectivity patterns of the brain network between ED and PE remain poorly understood. Methods T1-weighted structural data and diffusion tensor imaging data of 28 patients with psychological ED, 28 patients with lifelong PE (LPE), and 28 healthy controls (HCs) were obtained to map the white matter (WM) brain networks. Then, the graph-theoretical method was applied to investigate the differences of network properties (small-world measures) of the WM network between patients with ED and LPE. Furthermore, nodal segregative and integrative parameters (nodal clustering coefficient and characteristic path length) were also explored between these patients. Results Small-world architecture of the brain networks were identified for both psychological ED and LPE groups. However, patients with ED exhibited increased average characteristic path length of the brain network when compared with patients with LPE and HCs. No significant difference was found in the average characteristic path length between patients with LPE and HCs. Moreover, increased nodal characteristic path length was found in the right middle frontal gyrus (orbital part) of patients with ED and LPE when compared with HCs. In addition, patients with ED had increased nodal characteristic path length in the right middle frontal gyrus (orbital part) when compared with patients with LPE. Conclusion Together, our results demonstrated that decreased integration of the right middle frontal gyrus (orbital part) might be a convergent neuropathological basis for both psychological ED and LPE. In addition, patients with ED also exhibited decreased integration in the whole WM brain network, which was not found in patients with LPE. Therefore, altered integration of the whole brain network might be the divergent structural connectivity patterns for psychological ED and LPE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tielong Zhang
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Jianhu Hospital of Nantong University, Jianhu People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Peng Yuan
- Department of Intervention, The Affiliated Jianhu Hospital of Nantong University, Jianhu People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Yonghua Cui
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Jianhu Hospital of Nantong University, Jianhu People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Weibiao Yuan
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Jianhu Hospital of Nantong University, Jianhu People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Daye Jiang
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Jianhu Hospital of Nantong University, Jianhu People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
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Ma Z, Ren F, Huang X, Yang X, Li H, Li G, Chang D, Yin T, Zhang P. Decreased gray matter volume of the anterior insular cortex in patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction: A voxel-based morphometry study. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 145:125-131. [PMID: 34920162 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to explore the gray matter morphological alteration and its correlation with the severity of symptoms in patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction (pED). Fifty patients with pED and 50 healthy controls (HCs) were included. The whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis was conducted to compare the differences in gray matter volume (GMV) between patients with pED and HCs. And then, the region-of-interest-based correlation analyses were performed between the GMV of these regions with the most pronounced between-group differences and clinical symptoms in patients. The results demonstrated that patients with pED manifested decreased GMV in the bilateral anterior insula (aINS), bilateral precentral gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral middle cingulate cortex, bilateral fusiform gyrus, and cerebellum when compared to HCs. Taking the bilateral aINS as the region-of-interest, the results of voxel-based correlation analyses showed that the GMV of the bilateral aINS were positively correlated with the International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5) and Quality of Erection Questionnaire score, and the GMV of right aINS was positively associated with duration and sexual craving score in patients with pED. Furthermore, the significant correlations between the total GMV of the right aINS and IIEF-5 and sexual craving score, as well as between the total GMV of the left aINS and sexual craving score were also detected. In conclusion, these results suggested that the decreased GMV of aINS might be a critical neuropathological characteristic of pED, which provided new evidence for understanding the neurobiological basis of pED from the perspective of brain structure alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyang Ma
- Department of Andrology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; Clinical Medical School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, China
| | - Feiqiang Ren
- Department of Urology, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Chongqing, 400021, China
| | - Xiaopeng Huang
- Department of Andrology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China
| | - Xuemei Yang
- Clinical Medical School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, China
| | - Hao Li
- Clinical Medical School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, China
| | - Guangsen Li
- Department of Andrology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China
| | - Degui Chang
- Department of Andrology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China
| | - Tao Yin
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, China; Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610075, China.
| | - Peihai Zhang
- Department of Andrology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China.
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Functional Connectivity of Nucleus Accumbens Is Associated with Lifelong Premature Ejaculation in Male Adults : A Resting-state fMRI Study. Clin Neuroradiol 2021; 32:655-663. [PMID: 34714363 DOI: 10.1007/s00062-021-01105-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Ejaculation represents a crucial component of sexual behavior in men, which is involved in reward functions of certain brain areas including the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Lifelong premature ejaculation (PE) is one of the most prevalent sexual dysfunctions in men. It is suggested to be related to abnormal brain function. This study aimed to explore changes of the functional connectivity patterns of NAcc and possible correlations of the neuroimaging abnormalities with clinical features in lifelong PE patients. METHODS The sample consisted with 42 lifelong PE patients and 30 healthy controls. All participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scans and clinical symptoms. The functional connectivity (FC) approach was applied to investigate differences of NAcc-seed intrinsic connectivity between two groups and correlation analysis was used to access possible relationships between the imaging findings and clinical features, such as premature ejaculation diagnostic tool (PEDT) or intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT). RESULTS Results showed that lifelong PE patients had decreased FC between the NAcc and thalamus, superior temporal pole, superior temporal cortex (STC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), orbitofrontal cortex, caudate and putamen. A significantly negative correlation between the PEDT score and NAcc-STC connectivity (r = -0.46) was found in lifelong PE patients, while IELT score positively correlated with the NAcc-IFG connectivity (r = 0.48) and NAcc-thalamus connectivity (r = 0.46). CONCLUSION The findings may facilitate a more sophisticated understanding of neural mechanisms of lifelong PE, particularly associated with the NAcc-related intrinsic connectivity during the resting state.
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Gao M, Geng B, Jannini TB, Wu J, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Yuan J, Jannini EA, Liu P, Yin C. Thalamocortical Dysconnectivity In Lifelong Premature Ejaculation: A Functional MRI Study. Urology 2021; 159:133-138. [PMID: 34688769 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2021.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To detect seed-based functional connectivity (FC) between various cortical sub-regions and the thalamus in lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE) patients and explore whether specific thalamocortical networks are significantly altered in PE patients compared to healthy controls (HCs) METHODS: Fifty non-medicated LPE patients and 40 age-matched HCs underwent a resting-state functional MRI. FC was adopted to identify specific thalamocortical connectivity between the thalamus and 6 cortical regions of interest (i.e., the motor cortex/supplementary motor, the prefrontal cortex, the temporal lobe, the posterior parietal cortex, the somatosensory cortex and the occipital lobe). In LPE patients, regression analysis was subsequently conducted to assess relationships of thalamocortical connectivity with the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) score and the Intravaginal Ejaculatory Latency Time (IELT). RESULTS LPE patients had significantly decreased FC between the motor cortex and bilateral ventral thalamus, between the prefrontal cortex and left dorsomedial thalamus, as well as between the temporal cortex and bilateral ventromedial thalamus. In LPE patients, PEDT score was significantly positively associated with the thalamus-posterior parietal cortex FC, and negatively associated with the thalamus-temporal cortex FC, while IELT was positively associated with the thalamus-temporal cortex and thalamus-motor cortex FC. CONCLUSION These results enrich the imaging evidence for the understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms and/or consequences of LPE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Gao
- Department of Urology, Xi'An DaXing Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China; Department of Andrology, XiYuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bowen Geng
- Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Tommaso B Jannini
- School of Psychiatry, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, Roma, Italy
| | - Jiayu Wu
- Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yanzhu Wang
- Department of Urology, Xi'An DaXing Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China
| | - Yuntao Zhang
- Department of Urology, Xi'An DaXing Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China
| | - Jianlin Yuan
- Department of Urology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Emmanuele A Jannini
- Chair of Endocrinology and Medical Sexology, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
| | - Peng Liu
- Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China; Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Chuanmin Yin
- Department of Urology, Xi'An DaXing Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China.
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Xu Y, Zhang X, Xiang Z, Wang Q, Huang X, Liu T, Yang Z, Chen Y, Xue J, Chen J, Yang J. Abnormal Functional Connectivity Between the Left Medial Superior Frontal Gyrus and Amygdala Underlying Abnormal Emotion and Premature Ejaculation: A Resting State fMRI Study. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:704920. [PMID: 34421524 PMCID: PMC8375680 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.704920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common sexual dysfunction and is found to be associated with abnormal emotion. The amygdala plays an important role in the processing of emotion. The process of ejaculation is found to be mediated by the frontal-limbic neural circuits. However, the correlations between PE and emotion are still unclear. Methods Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were acquired in 27 PE patients with stable emotion (SPE), 27 PE patients with abnormal emotion (NPE), and 30 healthy controls (HC). We used rs-fMRI to explore the underlying neural mechanisms in SPE, NPE, and HC by measuring the functional connectivity (FC). Differences of FC values among the three groups were compared when choosing bilateral amygdala as the regions of interest (ROIs). We also explored the correlations between the brain regions showing altered FC values and scores of the premature ejaculation diagnostic tool (PEDT)/Eysenck Personality Inventory about neuroticism (EPQ-N) in the PE group. Results When the left amygdala was chosen as the ROI, the SPE group exhibited an increased FC between the left medial superior frontal gyrus (SFGmed) and amygdala compared with the NPE or HC group. When the right amygdala was chosen as the ROI, the NPE group exhibited a decreased FC between the left SFGmed and right amygdala compared with the HC group. In addition, FC values of the left SFGmed had positive correlations with PEDT and negative correlations with EPQ-N scores in the PE group. Moreover, FC values of the left superior temporal gyrus had positive correlations with EPQ-N scores in the PE group. Conclusion The increased FC values between the left SFGmed and amygdala could reflect a compensatory cortical control mechanism with the effect of stabilized emotion in the limbic regions of PE patients. Abnormal FC between these brain regions could play a critical role in the physiopathology of PE and could help us in dividing PE into more subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Xu
- Department of Andrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Xing Zhang
- Department of Andrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.,Department of Andrology, Yangzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Ziliang Xiang
- Department of Andrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Department of Andrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinfei Huang
- Department of Andrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Tao Liu
- Department of Andrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhaoxu Yang
- Department of Andrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yun Chen
- Department of Andrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Jianguo Xue
- Department of Andrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Jianhuai Chen
- Department of Andrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Department of Urology, Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Urology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, Ürümqi, China
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Wu J, Gao M, Piao R, Feng N, Geng B, Liu P. Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Structural Covariance Changes of the Striatum in Lifelong Premature Ejaculation Patients. J Magn Reson Imaging 2021; 55:443-450. [PMID: 34291847 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.27851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The striatum has been reported to be implicated in various neurological diseases, including lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE). Altered striatum-related functional connectivity was investigated in LPE patients in previous studies; however, structural abnormalities in the striatum have been less studied in LPE. PURPOSE To identify the gray matter volume (GMV) and structural covariance patterns of the striatum between LPE patients and healthy controls (HCs). STUDY TYPE Prospective. SUBJECTS Forty-three LPE patients and 31 male HCs. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner; T1-weighted imaging using a spoiled gradient recalled echo sequence. ASSESSMENT Preprocessing of structural MRI data and the striatum-seeded GMV computation were conducted using SPM12. STATISTICAL TESTS Two sample t-test was used to compare differences in GMV of the striatum between patients and HCs. Regions showing altered between-group GMV were considered as seeds for structural covariance analysis in two groups. Additionally, correlations between GMV findings and clinical features were assessed with age and total intracranial volume (TIV) as covariates and with age, TIV, anxiety, and depression scores as covariates in the patient group, P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS Compared to HCs, LPE patients had significantly decreased GMV in four regions located in the bilateral caudate and putamen. Distinct striatum-based structural covariance patterns in the two groups were mainly related to the thalamus, amygdala, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, middle cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, primary motor cortex, and precuneus/cuneus. LPE patients showed that GMV in the bilateral caudate negatively correlated with the premature ejaculation diagnostic tool (PEDT) scores (r = -0.369, r = -0.377, respectively). DATA CONCLUSION Our findings indicated that LPE patients had altered GMV and structural covariance patterns in the striatum compared to HCs. The correlations between abnormal GMV and PEDT were also shown in the present findings. These findings may contribute to enhancing the understanding of the pathophysiology of LPE. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayu Wu
- Life Sciences Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ming Gao
- Xi'An DaXing Hospital of Shaanxi, University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China.,Assisted Reproduction Center, Northwest Women and Children Hospital Affiliated to Xi'an JiaoTong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ruiqing Piao
- Life Sciences Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Nana Feng
- Life Sciences Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Bowen Geng
- Life Sciences Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Peng Liu
- Life Sciences Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
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Feng N, Gao M, Wu J, Yang G, Piao R, Liu P. Higher inter-hemispheric homotopic connectivity in lifelong premature ejaculation patients: a pilot resting-state fMRI study. Quant Imaging Med Surg 2021; 11:3234-3243. [PMID: 34249649 DOI: 10.21037/qims-20-1103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Background Lifelong premature ejaculation (PE) is one common male sexual dysfunction and is implicated in widespread structural and functional abnormalities of bilateral hemispheres. However, whether the inter-hemisphere functional connectivity (FC) of lifelong PE patients was altered still remain unclear. Methods Thirty-four lifelong PE patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this study and all underwent T1-weighted and resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) scan. The voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) measure and independent sample t-test were applied to examine the alterations of VMHC values in the patients relative to HCs with the significant threshold at P<0.05, false discovery rates corrected. Correlation analysis was adopted to calculate the relationships between the imaging results and clinical characteristics of patients (P<0.05, Bonferroni corrected). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to investigate the possible biomarkers for distinguishing the patients from the HCs using the VMHC values of inter-group differences. Results The results revealed that compared with HCs, lifelong PE patients had higher VMHC values in the precentral gyrus (PG), primary somatosensory cortex (S1), supplementary motor area (SMA), precuneus, middle temporal cortex (MTC), superior temporal pole (STP), thalamus, caudate and middle cingulate cortex (MCC). Correlation analysis showed that the mean VMHC values in the S1 negatively correlated with intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT) in the patient group. Furthermore, the caudate revealed the well classification power from the ROC analysis. Conclusions The present study showed the abnormal inter-hemisphere interaction and integration of information involved in ejaculation inhibitory control, sensorimotor mediation and self-reference processing including the thalamus, caudate, MCC, widespread parietal cortex and temporal cortex in lifelong PE patients compared with HCs. Correlation analysis and ROC analysis revealed the importance of S1 and caudate in lifelong PE. Notably, the ROC result of caudate might show the core roles of caudate played in the pathophysiology of lifelong PE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Feng
- Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ming Gao
- Xi'an Daxing Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China.,Department of Andrology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiayu Wu
- Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Guang Yang
- Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ruiqing Piao
- Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Peng Liu
- Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
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