Hong Jui-Yang, Kilpatrick Lisa A, Labus Jennifer S, Gupta Arpana, Katibian David, Ashe-McNalley Cody, Stains Jean, Heendeniya Nuwanthi, Smith Suzanne R, Tillisch Kirsten, Naliboff Bruce, Mayer Emeran A
Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer Family Center for Neurobiology of Stress, Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095.
Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer Family Center for Neurobiology of Stress, Pain and Interoception Imaging Network, Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases.
J Neurosci. 2014 Oct 22;34(43):14252-9. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1683-14.2014.
Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging has been used to investigate intrinsic brain connectivity in healthy subjects and patients with chronic pain. Sex-related differences in the frequency power distribution within the human insula (INS), a brain region involved in the integration of interoceptive, affective, and cognitive influences, have been reported. Here we aimed to test sex and disease-related alterations in the intrinsic functional connectivity of the dorsal anterior INS. The anterior INS is engaged during goal-directed tasks and modulates the default mode and executive control networks. By comparing functional connectivity of the dorsal anterior INS in age-matched female and male healthy subjects and patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common chronic abdominal pain condition, we show evidence for sex and disease-related alterations in the functional connectivity of this region: (1) male patients compared with female patients had increased positive connectivity of the dorsal anterior INS bilaterally with the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and dorsal posterior INS; (2) female patients compared with male patients had greater negative connectivity of the left dorsal anterior INS with the left precuneus; (3) disease-related differences in the connectivity between the bilateral dorsal anterior INS and the dorsal medial PFC were observed in female subjects; and (4) clinical characteristics were significantly correlated to the insular connectivity with the dorsal medial PFC in male IBS subjects and with the precuneus in female IBS subjects. These findings are consistent with the INS playing an important role in modulating the intrinsic functional connectivity of major networks in the resting brain and show that this role is influenced by sex and diagnosis.
静息态功能磁共振成像已被用于研究健康受试者和慢性疼痛患者的脑内固有连接性。据报道，在脑岛（INS）内的频率功率分布存在性别差异，脑岛是一个参与内感受、情感和认知影响整合的脑区。在这里，我们旨在测试背侧前脑岛固有功能连接性中的性别和疾病相关改变。前脑岛在目标导向任务中被激活，并调节默认模式和执行控制网络。通过比较年龄匹配的健康男性和女性受试者以及肠易激综合征（IBS，一种常见的慢性腹痛疾病）患者背侧前脑岛的功能连接性，我们发现了该区域功能连接性中与性别和疾病相关的改变的证据：（1）与女性患者相比，男性患者双侧背侧前脑岛与内侧前额叶皮质（PFC）和背侧后脑岛的正性连接性增加；（2）与男性患者相比，女性患者左侧背侧前脑岛与左侧楔前叶的负性连接性更强；（3）在女性受试者中观察到双侧背侧前脑岛与背内侧PFC之间连接性的疾病相关差异；（4）临床特征与男性IBS受试者中脑岛与背内侧PFC的连接性以及女性IBS受试者中脑岛与楔前叶的连接性显著相关。这些发现与脑岛在调节静息状态下大脑主要网络的固有功能连接性中起重要作用一致，并表明这一作用受性别和诊断的影响。
