Cerebral perfusion alterations in patients with trigeminal neuralgia as measured by pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling

Qianling Zhou; Qianling Zhou; Meng Li; Qisen Fan; Feng Chen; Guihua Jiang; Tianyue Wang; Qinmeng He; Shishun Fu; Yi Yin; Jinzhi Lin; Jianhao Yan; Jianhao Yan

doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.1065411

Frontiers in Neuroscience (Dec 2022)

Cerebral perfusion alterations in patients with trigeminal neuralgia as measured by pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling

Qianling Zhou,
Qianling Zhou,
Meng Li,
Qisen Fan,
Feng Chen,
Guihua Jiang,
Tianyue Wang,
Qinmeng He,
Shishun Fu,
Yi Yin,
Jinzhi Lin,
Jianhao Yan,
Jianhao Yan

Affiliations

Qianling Zhou: The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Qianling Zhou: Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
Meng Li: Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
Qisen Fan: Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Feng Chen: Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
Guihua Jiang: Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
Tianyue Wang: Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
Qinmeng He: Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
Shishun Fu: Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
Yi Yin: Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
Jinzhi Lin: Department of Neurosurgery, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
Jianhao Yan: Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
Jianhao Yan: The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.1065411
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 16

Abstract

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BackgroundAccumulating evidence suggests that trigeminal neuralgia (TN) causes structural and functional alterations in the brain. However, only a few studies have focused on cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes in patients with TN. This study aimed to explore whether altered cerebral perfusion patterns exist in patients with TN and investigate the relationship between abnormal regional CBF (rCBF) and clinical characteristics of TN.Materials and methodsThis study included 28 patients with TN and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) who underwent perfusion functional MRI (fMRI) of the brain using pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) in the resting state. The regions of significantly altered CBF in patients with TN were detected using group comparison analyses. Then, the relationships between the clinical characteristics and abnormal rCBF were further investigated.ResultsCompared to the control group, patients with TN exhibited increased rCBF, primarily in the thalamus, middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and left insula. Furthermore, the CBF values of the thalamus were negatively correlated with the pain intensity of TN and positively correlated with pain duration in patients with TN.ConclusionPrimary alterations in rCBF in patients with TN occurred in different brain regions related to pain, which are involved in cognitive-affective interaction, pain perception, and pain modulation. These results indicate that non-invasive resting cerebral perfusion imaging may contribute complementary information to further understanding the neuropathological mechanism underlying TN.

Published in Frontiers in Neuroscience

ISSN: 1662-4548 (Print); 1662-453X (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Website: http://www.frontiersin.org/neuroscience

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