Alteration of brain network centrality in CTN patients after a single triggering pain

Xiuhong Ge; Luoyu Wang; Mengze Wang; Lei Pan; Haiqi Ye; Xiaofen Zhu; Sandra Fan; Qi Feng; Quan Du; Yu Wenhua; Zhongxiang Ding

doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1109684

Alteration of brain network centrality in CTN patients after a single triggering pain

Front Neurosci. 2023 Feb 16:17:1109684. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1109684. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Xiuhong Ge^{1

2}, Luoyu Wang^{1

2}, Mengze Wang^{1

3}, Lei Pan¹, Haiqi Ye¹, Xiaofen Zhu⁴, Sandra Fan³, Qi Feng⁴, Quan Du², Yu Wenhua², Zhongxiang Ding^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Jiangsu, China.
² Department of Radiology, Key Laboratory of Clinical Cancer Pharmacology and Toxicology Research of Zhejiang Province, The Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Cancer Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
³ Department of Radiology, The Fourth Clinical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.

Abstract

Objective: The central nervous system may also be involved in the pathogenesis of classical trigeminal neuralgia (CTN). The present study aimed to explore the characteristics of static degree centrality (sDC) and dynamic degree centrality (dDC) at multiple time points after a single triggering pain in CTN patients.

Materials and methods: A total of 43 CTN patients underwent resting-state function magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) before triggering pain (baseline), within 5 s after triggering pain (triggering-5 s), and 30 min after triggering pain (triggering-30 min). Voxel-based degree centrality (DC) was used to assess the alteration of functional connection at different time points.

Results: The sDC values of the right caudate nucleus, fusiform gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and orbital part were decreased in triggering-5 s and increased in triggering-30 min. The sDC value of the bilateral superior frontal gyrus were increased in triggering-5 s and decreased in triggering-30 min. The dDC value of the right lingual gyrus was gradually increased in triggering-5 s and triggering-30 min.

Conclusion: Both the sDC and dDC values were changed after triggering pain, and the brain regions were different between the two parameters, which supplemented each other. The brain regions which the sDC and dDC values were changing reflect the global brain function of CTN patients, and provides a basis for further exploration of the central mechanism of CTN.

Keywords: central mechanism; classical trigeminal neuralgia; degree centrality; dynamic; function magnetic resonance imaging.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81871337), the Zhejiang Provincial Public Welfare Research Project (2020RC092 and 2021RC108), the Medical and Health Technology Project of Hangzhou (A20200507), and the Hangzhou Agriculture and Social Development Scientific Research Guidance Project (20211231Y022).