Liao Yi, Li Xiuli, Jia Fenglin, Jiang Yuexin, Ning Gang, Li Xuesheng, Fu Chuan, Zhou Hui, He Xuejia, Cai Xiaotang, Qu Haibo
Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China.
Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 May 27;14:873148. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.873148. eCollection 2022.
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopment disorder characterized by motor and phonic tics. We investigated the topological alterations in pediatric TS using morphological topological analysis of brain structures. We obtained three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences from 59 drug-naïve pediatric patients with TS and 87 healthy controls. We identified morphological topographical alterations in the brains of patients with TS compared to those of the healthy controls GRETNA software. At the global level, patients with TS exhibited increased global efficiency (E ) ( = 0.012) and decreased normalized characteristic path length (λ) ( = 0.027), and characteristic path length (Lp) ( = 0.025) compared to healthy controls. At the nodal level, we detected significant changes in the nodal betweenness, nodal degree, and nodal efficiency in the cerebral cortex-striatum-thalamus-cortex circuit. These changes mainly involved the bilateral caudate nucleus, left thalamus, and gyri related to tics. Nodal betweenness, nodal degree, and nodal efficiency in the right superior parietal gyrus were negatively correlated with the motor tic scores of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) ( = -0.328, = 0.011; = -0.310, = 0.017; and = -0.291, and = 0.025, respectively). In contrast, nodal betweenness, nodal degree, and nodal efficiency in the right posterior cingulate gyrus were positively correlated with the YGTSS phonic tic scores ( = 0.353, = 0.006; = 0.300, = 0.021; = 0.290, and = 0.026, respectively). Nodal betweenness in the right supplementary motor area was positively correlated with the YGTSS phonic tic scores ( = 0.348, = 0.007). The nodal degree in the right supplementary motor area was positively correlated with the YGTSS phonic tic scores ( = 0.259, = 0.048). Diagnosis by age interactions did not display a significant effect on brain network properties at either the global or nodal level. Overall, our findings showed alterations in the gray matter morphological networks in drug-naïve children with TS. These findings enhance our understanding of the structural topology of the brain in patients with TS and provide useful clues for exploring imaging biomarkers of TS.
抽动秽语综合征（TS）是一种以运动和发声抽动为特征的神经发育障碍。我们使用脑结构的形态拓扑分析来研究小儿抽动秽语综合征中的拓扑改变。我们从59名未服用药物的小儿抽动秽语综合征患者和87名健康对照者那里获得了三维T1加权磁共振成像（MRI）序列。与健康对照者相比，我们使用GRETNA软件识别出了抽动秽语综合征患者大脑中的形态地形改变。在全局水平上，与健康对照者相比，抽动秽语综合征患者表现出全局效率（E）增加（P = 0.012）、标准化特征路径长度（λ）降低（P = 0.027）以及特征路径长度（Lp）降低（P = 0.025）。在节点水平上，我们在大脑皮质 - 纹状体 - 丘脑 - 皮质回路中检测到节点介数、节点度和节点效率的显著变化。这些变化主要涉及双侧尾状核、左侧丘脑以及与抽动相关的脑回。右侧顶上叶回中的节点介数、节点度和节点效率与耶鲁综合抽动严重程度量表（YGTSS）的运动抽动评分呈负相关（分别为P = -0.328，P = 0.011；P = -0.310，P = 0.017；P = -0.291，P = 0.025）。相比之下，右侧扣带回后部中的节点介数、节点度和节点效率与YGTSS发声抽动评分呈正相关（分别为P = 0.353，P = 0.006；P = 0.300，P = 0.021；P = 0.290，P = 0.026）。右侧辅助运动区中的节点介数与YGTSS发声抽动评分呈正相关（P = 0.348，P = 0.007）。右侧辅助运动区中的节点度与YGTSS发声抽动评分呈正相关（P = 0.259，P = 0.048）。年龄交互作用诊断在全局或节点水平上对脑网络属性均未显示出显著影响。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明未服用药物的小儿抽动秽语综合征患者的灰质形态网络存在改变。这些发现增进了我们对抽动秽语综合征患者大脑结构拓扑的理解，并为探索抽动秽语综合征的影像学生物标志物提供了有用线索。
