Department of Neuroscience, Functional Pharmacology, Uppsala University, BMC, Box 593, 751 24, Uppsala, Sweden.
Eating Disorders Centre "La Cura del Girasole" ONLUS, Via Gregorio VII, 186/B, 00165, Rome, Italy.
Transl Psychiatry. 2018 Jul 6;8(1):127. doi: 10.1038/s41398-018-0173-z.
To date, few functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have explored resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in long-lasting anorexia nervosa (AN) patients via graph analysis. The aim of the present study is to investigate, via a graph approach (i.e., the network-based statistic), RSFC in a sample of adolescents at the earliest stages of AN (i.e., AN duration less than 6 months). Resting-state fMRI data was obtained from 15 treatment-naive female adolescents with AN restrictive type (AN-r) in its earliest stages and 15 age-matched healthy female controls. A network-based statistic analysis was used to isolate networks of interconnected nodes that differ between the two groups. Group comparison showed a decreased connectivity in a sub-network of connections encompassing the left and right rostral ACC, left paracentral lobule, left cerebellum (10th sub-division), left posterior insula, left medial fronto-orbital gyrus, and right superior occipital gyrus in AN patients. Results were not associated to alterations in intranodal or global connectivity. No sub-networks with an increased connectivity were identified in AN patients. Our findings suggest that RSFC may be specifically affected at the earliest stages of AN. Considering that the altered sub-network comprises areas mainly involved in somatosensory and interoceptive information and processing and in emotional processes, it could sustain abnormal integration of somatosensory and homeostatic signals, which may explain body image disturbances in AN. Further studies with larger samples and longitudinal designs are needed to confirm our findings and better understand the role and consequences of such functional alterations in AN.
迄今为止，通过图分析研究持久神经性厌食症（AN）患者静息状态功能连接（RSFC）的功能磁共振成像（fMRI）研究较少。本研究旨在通过图方法（即网络统计），研究处于 AN 最早阶段（即 AN 持续时间少于 6 个月）的青少年的 RSFC。静息态 fMRI 数据来自 15 名未经治疗的 AN 限制型（AN-r）女性青少年患者和 15 名年龄匹配的健康女性对照者。采用基于网络的统计分析方法来分离两组之间存在差异的相互连接节点网络。组间比较显示，在包括左右额前皮质、左旁中央小叶、左小脑（第 10 亚区）、左后岛叶、左额眶内侧回和右顶枕上回的连接的子网中，AN 患者的连通性降低。结果与节点内或全局连通性的改变无关。在 AN 患者中未发现连通性增加的子网络。我们的研究结果表明，RSFC 可能在 AN 的最早阶段受到特定影响。考虑到改变的子网包括主要涉及躯体感觉和内脏感觉信息处理以及情绪过程的区域，它可能维持躯体感觉和稳态信号的异常整合，这可以解释 AN 中的身体形象障碍。需要进一步的研究来确认我们的发现，并更好地了解这种功能改变在 AN 中的作用和后果。
