Human Motor Control Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 10 Center Drive, Bdg10/7D37, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Transl Neurodegener. 2012 Jun 15;1(1):12. doi: 10.1186/2047-9158-1-12.
Focal dystonia is a neurological disorder characterized by unwanted muscle spasms. Blepharospasm is a focal dystonia producing an involuntary closure of the eyelid. Its etiology is unknown.
To investigate if there are structural changes in the white and grey matter of blepharospasm patients, and if the changes are related to disease features.
T1 and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans were collected from 14 female blepharospasm patients and 14 healthy matched controls. Grey matter volumes, fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean diffusivity maps were compared between the groups. Based on grey matter differences within the facial portion of the primary motor cortex, the corticobulbar tract was traced and compared between groups.
Changes in grey matter in patients included the facial portion of the sensorimotor area and anterior cingulate gyrus. These changes did not correlate with disease duration. Corticobulbar tract volume and peak tract connectivity were decreased in patients compared with controls. There were no significant differences in FA or mean diffusivity between groups.
Grey matter changes within the primary sensorimotor and the anterior cingulate cortices in blepharospasm patients may help explain involuntary eyelid closure and the abnormal sensations often reported in this condition.
局灶性肌张力障碍是一种以不自主肌肉痉挛为特征的神经障碍。眼睑痉挛是一种局灶性肌张力障碍，导致眼睑不自主闭合。其病因尚不清楚。
研究眼睑痉挛患者的白质和灰质是否存在结构变化，以及这些变化是否与疾病特征有关。
对 14 名女性眼睑痉挛患者和 14 名健康匹配对照者进行 T1 和弥散加权磁共振成像扫描。比较两组之间的灰质体积、各向异性分数（FA）和平均弥散度图。基于初级运动皮层面部灰质差异，追踪并比较皮质脊髓束。
患者的灰质变化包括感觉运动区的面部部分和前扣带回。这些变化与疾病持续时间无关。与对照组相比，患者的皮质脊髓束体积和峰值束连通性降低。两组之间 FA 或平均弥散度无显著差异。
眼睑痉挛患者初级感觉运动皮质和前扣带回皮质内的灰质变化可能有助于解释不自主的眼睑闭合以及该疾病中经常报告的异常感觉。
