Subcortical Brain Abnormalities and Clinical Relevance in Patients With Hemifacial Spasm

Cocaine use disorder is associated with widespread surface-based alterations of the basal ganglia

Cocaine use is a major public health problem with significant negative consequences at the individual and societal levels. Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is closely associated with brain structure alterations, which are mainly analyzed using voxel-based morphometric and traditional volumetric methods with certain limitations. This study conducted vertex-wise shape analysis to examine the effects of cocaine use on surface-based alterations of the basal ganglia in CUD. A total of 68 CUD individuals and 52 matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the study and underwent MRI scans and clinical measures. There were no significant differences in the volume of brain tissues and subcortical structures between groups. Related to HCs, CUD individuals showed regional surface atrophy of the left medial anterior thalamus, right medial posterior thalamus, and right dorsal anterior caudate, which were found to exhibit more significant surface atrophy in CUD individuals with onset age of cocaine use below 18. Furthermore, surface-based alteration of the right dorsal anterior caudate was significantly associated with years of cocaine use and the onset age of cocaine use in CUD individuals. Furthermore, both CUD individuals with onset age of cocaine use below 18 and CUD individuals with onset age of cocaine use above 18 showed similar significant relationship patterns between regional surface alteration of right dorsal anterior caudate and the onset age of cocaine use. These findings shed light on the effect of cocaine use on basal ganglia, help us understand the neural basis of cocaine dependence, and further provide effective interventions for CUD.

Regional shape alteration of left thalamus associated with late chronotype in young adults

Chronotype reflects individual differences in circadian rhythms and influences individual psychology and behavior. Previous studies found altered subcortical structures are closely related to individual chronotypes. However, these studies have been conducted mainly using voxel-based morphometry and traditional volume measurement methods with certain limitations. This study aimed to investigate subcortical aberrant volume and shape patterns in late chronotypes (LC) young adults compared to early chronotypes (EC) young adults. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning and chronotype assessment were performed once for all participants, including 49 LC young adults and 49 matched EC young adults. The morningness and eveningness preferences were assessed using the Chronotype Questionnaire. A vertex-wise shape analysis was conducted to analyze structural MRI data. There were no significant differences in brain tissue volume and subcortical structural volume between groups. LC young adults showed significant regional shape atrophy in the left ventral posterior thalamus compared to EC individuals. A significant correlation was found between the regional shape atrophy of left ventral posterior thalamus and the score of Chronotype Questionnaire in LC young adults. Regional shape alteration of left thalamus was closely related to the chronotype, and LC may be a potential risk factor for sleep-related behavioral and mental problems in young adults. However, the predominantly female sample and the failure to investigate the effect of chronotype on the subcortical structure-function network are limitations of this study. Further prospective studies are needed to investigate the temporal characteristics of thalamic shape changes and consequent behavioral and psychiatric problems in adults with LC.

Aberrant hippocampal shape development in young adults with heavy cannabis use: Evidence from a longitudinal study

Cannabis is one of the most commonly used illicit drugs globally. Mounting evidence indicates that cannabis use, particularly consumption during young adulthood, is related to adverse mental and behavioral outcomes and an increased risk of the onset and relapse of psychosis. However, the neuromechanism underpinnings of heavy cannabis use (HCU) in young adults remain largely unknown, and no study has yet investigated the development of hippocampal shape in young adults with HCU. Twenty young adults with HCU and 22 matched non-cannabis-use healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Neuroimaging scanning and clinical assessments for all participants were performed at baseline (BL) and 3-year follow-up (FU). The vertex-wise shape analysis was conducted to investigate aberrant hippocampal shape development in young adults with HCU. Aberrant shape development pattern of the hippocampus was observed in young adults with HCU. There was no significant difference in hippocampal shape between the groups at BL, but young adults with HCU at FU exhibited significant shape atrophy of the right dorsal anterior hippocampus related to HCs. In addition, there was a significantly lower growth rate of the right hippocampal shape. Furthermore, there were significant associations of heavy cannabis use, as indicated by the age at onset first and frequent cannabis use, with the growth rate of hippocampal shape in young adults with HCU. The aberrant hippocampal shape development may reflect the effect of heavy cannabis use on young adults and it may be a potential target for heavy cannabis use treatment for young adults.

Shape deformations of the basal ganglia in patients with classical trigeminal neuralgia: a cross-sectional evaluation

INTRODUCTION

Despite the involvement of subcortical brain structures in the pathogenesis of classic trigeminal neuralgia (CTN), the details of morphological abnormalities of basal ganglia to this disorder are still unknown. This study aimed to investigate potential changes in terms of volume and shape of subcortical regions in patients with CTN.

METHODS

Forty-eight patients with CTN and 46 matched healthy subjects were recruited in the study. The whole-brain T1 anatomical data was acquired at a 3.0 Tesla scanner using a fast spoiled gradient recalled sequence (FSPGR). Vertex-wise analysis was applied to detect the alterations of volume and shape in each subcortical region in the patients with CTN compared to healthy controls. The relationships of morphological abnormalities in subcortical structures to the severity of orofacial pain and the affective disturbance in the patient group were examined using the multiple linear regression model.

RESULTS

No group difference was found about volumetric measurement in any of the subcortical regions. Vertex-wise analysis revealed areas of significant shape atrophy in bilateral putamen and bilateral pallidum in the patients with CTN compared to healthy controls. Besides, the patient group exhibited shape expansion in the head of the right caudate nucleus compared to healthy subjects. In addition, shape deformation in the head of the right caudate nucleus was positively associated with VAS score in CTN.

CONCLUSION

The patients with CTN display shape alterations in the specific subregions of basal ganglia, which may contribute to the pathophysiology of this refractory disorder and may be useful for translational medicine.

Modulation effect of acupuncture treatment on chronic neck and shoulder pain in female patients: Evidence from periaqueductal gray-based functional connectivity

Aims

Chronic neck and shoulder pain (CNSP) is a common neurological disorder, which females are more likely to suffer from. The periaqueductal gray (PAG) plays a key role in the descending modulation of pain. This study aimed to investigate altered PAG‐based functional connectivity (FC) in female patients with CNSP related to healthy controls (HCs) and the effect of acupuncture for female patients with CNSP using PAG‐based FC biomarkers.

Methods

PAG‐based FC value was calculated based on resting‐state functional images and then compared between patients with CNSP at pre‐acupuncture, post‐acupuncture, and HCs. Then, correlational analyses were performed to examine the relationships between increased PAG‐based FC strength and improved clinical parameters in patients after acupuncture treatment.

Results

Before acupuncture treatment, compared to HCs, patients with CSNP showed altered PAG‐based FC with widely distributed brain regions, including the left medial superior frontal gyrus, bilateral posterior insula (pIns), and cingulate gyrus. After treatment, patients with CNSP exhibited specially improved PAG‐pIns FC compared to that before treatment, and no significant difference was observed in the increased PAG‐pIns FC strength between HCs and patients with CNSP after treatment. Furthermore, pain catastrophizing reduction was significantly correlated with the increased PAG‐pIns FC strength in patients after treatment.

Conclusion

The effect of acupuncture treatment may relate to the increased PAG‐pIns FC, which significantly correlated with pain catastrophizing reduction after treatment. These findings shed important mechanistic information on the role of therapeutic approaches in treating chronic neck and shoulder pain.

Restoration of aberrant shape of caudate sub-regions associated with cognitive function improvement in mild traumatic brain injury

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is an important but less recognized public health concern. Research shows that altered subcortical structures mediate cognitive impairment in patients with mTBI. This has been performed mostly using voxel-based morphometry methods and traditional volume measurement methods, which have certain limitations. In this study, we conducted a vertex-wise shape analysis to understand the aberrant patterns of caudate sub-regions and recovery from mTBI. The study involved 36 mTBI patients and 34 matched healthy controls (HCs) observed at seven-days (acute phase) and followed-up for one-month (subacute phase) post-injury. Different aberrant shapes of the caudate sub-regions were observed at acute phase, which revealed atrophy in the bilateral dorsal medial caudate, and increase in the size of the right ventral anterior caudate in mTBI patients related to HCs. Moreover, specific and significant shape restoration of right dorsal medial caudate in mTBI was observed at subacute phase, which significantly associated with the cognitive function improvement of the patients. These findings suggest that the restoration of the aberrant shape atrophy of right dorsal medial caudate plays a vital role in the improvement of cognitive function of mTBI patients, providing an alternative clinical target for these patients.

Volumetric and functional connectivity alterations in patients with chronic cervical spondylotic pain

PURPOSE

To explore the structural and functional alterations of the whole brain in patients with chronic cervical spondylotic pain (cCSP).

METHODS

The whole-brain three-dimensional (3D) T1 and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were acquired in 31 patients with cCSP and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. 3D T1 and rs-fMRI data were processed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and data processing and analysis of brain imaging (DPABI) toolbox. The parametric differences of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) were calculated between groups, then these measures were correlated with the score of visual analogue scale (VAS) and other clinical indices in patients with cCSP.

RESULTS

Patients with cCSP exhibited reduced gray matter volume (GMV) in the right middle cingulate cortex (MCC), right superior temporal gyrus (STG) and right precuneus compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, patients with cCSP displayed decreased functional connectivity between the right precuneus and bilateral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Additionally, GMV of the right MCC, right STG, and right precuneus, together with rs-FC of the right precuneus to bilateral mPFC, were negatively correlated with the VAS respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study revealed cerebral morphological and functional abnormalities during the pain process in patients with cCSP, which may provide alternative information for the treatment of cCSP.