Cao Zi-Min, Chen Yi-Chao, Liu Guo-Yun, Wang Xu, Shi An-Qi, Xu Lu-Fan, Li Zhi-Jun, Huo Jian-Wei, Zhang Ya-Nan, Liu Ni, Yan Chao-Qun, Wang Jun
Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Dongzhimen Hospital Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Hai Yun Cang on the 5th Zip, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100700, China.
Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010, China.
Pain Ther. 2022 Jun;11(2):561-574. doi: 10.1007/s40122-022-00365-1. Epub 2022 Feb 27.
Migraine is a common headache disorder. Many studies have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to explore the possible pathogenesis of migraine, but they have not reached consistent conclusions and lack rigorous multiple comparison correction. Thus, this study investigates the mechanisms of migraine development from the perspective of altered functional connectivity (FC) in brain regions by using data-driven and regions of interest (ROI)-based approaches.
Resting-state functional MRI data were collected from 30 patients with migraine and 40 healthy controls (HCs) matched for age, gender, and years of education. For the data-driven method, we used a voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) approach to compare the FC between the patients and HCs. For the ROI-based method, significant differences in VMHC maps between the patients and HCs were defined as ROI. The seed-based approach further revealed significant differences in FC between the seeds and the other brain regions. Furthermore, the correlations between abnormal FC and clinical characteristics of patients were investigated. A rigorous multiple comparison correction was used with false discovery rate and permutation test (5000 times).
In comparison with the controls group, patients showed enhanced VMHC in the bilateral thalamus. We also observed enhanced FC between the left thalamus and the left superior frontal gyrus, and increased FC between the right thalamus and the left middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann area 45 and Brodmann area 8) in patients. Further analysis showed that the FC values in the left superior frontal gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus were negatively corrected with visual analogue scale scores or attack times for headaches.
Patients with migraine showed altered VMHC in the bilateral thalamus, and abnormal FC of bilateral thalamus and other brain regions. The abnormalities in thalamic FC are a likely mechanism for the development of migraine.
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000033995. Registered on 20 June 2020.
偏头痛是一种常见的头痛疾病。许多研究已使用磁共振成像（MRI）来探索偏头痛可能的发病机制，但尚未得出一致结论，且缺乏严格的多重比较校正。因此，本研究通过使用数据驱动和基于感兴趣区域（ROI）的方法，从脑区功能连接（FC）改变的角度研究偏头痛的发病机制。
收集了30例偏头痛患者和40名年龄、性别及受教育年限相匹配的健康对照（HC）的静息态功能MRI数据。对于数据驱动方法，我们使用体素镜像同伦连接（VMHC）方法比较患者与HC之间的FC。对于基于ROI的方法，将患者与HC之间VMHC图的显著差异定义为ROI。基于种子点的方法进一步揭示了种子点与其他脑区之间FC的显著差异。此外，还研究了异常FC与患者临床特征之间的相关性。使用错误发现率和置换检验（5000次）进行严格的多重比较校正。
与对照组相比，患者双侧丘脑的VMHC增强。我们还观察到患者左侧丘脑与左侧额上回之间的FC增强，以及右侧丘脑与左侧额中回（布罗德曼区45和布罗德曼区8）之间的FC增加。进一步分析表明，左侧额上回和左侧额中回的FC值与视觉模拟量表评分或头痛发作次数呈负相关。
偏头痛患者双侧丘脑的VMHC改变，以及双侧丘脑与其他脑区的FC异常。丘脑FC异常可能是偏头痛发病的一种机制。
中国临床试验注册中心，ChiCTR2000033995。于2020年6月20日注册。
