Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710071, China.
Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710071, China.
Brain Imaging Behav. 2017 Oct;11(5):1479-1485. doi: 10.1007/s11682-016-9627-1.
Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM), characterized by cramping pain in the lower abdomen, is a common gynecological disorder in women of child-bearing age. An increasing number of neuroimaging studies have emphasized that PDM is associated with functional and structural abnormalities in the regions related to the default mode network (DMN). Based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the aim of this study was to use amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and functional connectivity (FC) to investigate changes of the intrinsic brain activity in the DMN in PDM. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to assess relationships between the neuroimaging findings and clinical symptoms. Forty-eight PDM patients and thirty-eight matched healthy controls participated in this study. Compared to healthy controls, PDM patients had increased ALFF in the precuneus, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and decreased ALFF in the thalamus. PDM patients also had decreased connectivity between the precuneus and left dmPFC and right ACC, while increased connectivity between the precuneus and left thalamus. In addition, the ALFF in the left dmPFC in PDM patients positively correlated with disease duration. Our findings provide further evidence of the DMN-related abnormalities in PDM patients which might contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of this disease.
原发性痛经（PDM）以下腹痉挛性疼痛为特征，是育龄妇女常见的妇科疾病。越来越多的神经影像学研究强调，PDM 与与默认模式网络（DMN）相关区域的功能和结构异常有关。本研究基于静息态功能磁共振成像（fMRI），旨在使用低频振幅（ALFF）和功能连接（FC）来研究 PDM 中 DMN 内在脑活动的变化。Pearson 相关分析用于评估神经影像学发现与临床症状之间的关系。48 名 PDM 患者和 38 名匹配的健康对照者参与了这项研究。与健康对照组相比，PDM 患者在楔前叶、背内侧前额叶皮质（dmPFC）和前扣带皮质（ACC）的 ALFF 增加，而在丘脑的 ALFF 降低。PDM 患者的楔前叶与左侧 dmPFC 和右侧 ACC 之间的连接减少，而与左侧丘脑的连接增加。此外，PDM 患者左侧 dmPFC 的 ALFF 与疾病持续时间呈正相关。我们的研究结果提供了进一步的证据，表明 PDM 患者存在与 DMN 相关的异常，这可能有助于更好地理解这种疾病的病理生理学。
