Li Yan, Cheng Jinming, Cao Yungang, Chen Keyang, Liu Kun, Zhang Xi, Wu Xiaoyuan, Wang Zhihong, Liu Xiaozheng
Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Department of Neurology, the Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.
Quant Imaging Med Surg. 2024 Sep 1;14(9):6285-6293. doi: 10.21037/qims-24-588. Epub 2024 Aug 5.
In recent years, several functional imaging studies have shown that the hypothalamus is closely associated with migraine and have suggested that the hypothalamus may be a potential site of migraine generation. Studying the characteristics of the functional network of the hypothalamus in persons with migraines may help to understand the neural mechanisms of migraine. We thus used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) and Granger causal analysis to investigate the effective connectivity (EC) of the hypothalamus in persons with migraines.
The study included 17 healthy volunteers and 39 persons with migraines. The EC calculation was based on rsfMRI data from a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The brain networks of the hypothalamus were compared using a general linear model to determine if there were any differences between the two groups. We used Pearson correlation analysis to examine the correlation between EC values in abnormal brain regions and clinical variables.
Compared with healthy controls, those with migraines showed decreased EC from the hypothalamus to the left fusiform and increased EC from the hypothalamus to the medial frontal gyrus/orbital part, right lingual gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, and right middle frontal gyrus (P<0.05). Meanwhile, persons with migraines also showed decreased EC from the left middle frontal gyrus and right medial frontal gyrus/orbital part to the hypothalamus (P<0.05). EC from the hypothalamus to the left superior frontal gyrus correlated significantly and positively with the visual analogue scale in those with migraines (r=-0.3820; P=0.0164).
Disturbances in the EC between the hypothalamus and the prefrontal gyrus and visual cortex may play a key role in the neuropathological features of persons with migraines. The current study adds to our understanding of the complexity of migraine mechanisms.
近年来，多项功能成像研究表明，下丘脑与偏头痛密切相关，并提示下丘脑可能是偏头痛发作的潜在部位。研究偏头痛患者下丘脑功能网络的特征可能有助于理解偏头痛的神经机制。因此，我们使用静息态功能磁共振成像（rsfMRI）和格兰杰因果分析来研究偏头痛患者下丘脑的有效连接性（EC）。
该研究纳入了17名健康志愿者和39名偏头痛患者。EC计算基于来自3-T磁共振成像扫描仪的rsfMRI数据。使用一般线性模型比较下丘脑的脑网络，以确定两组之间是否存在差异。我们使用Pearson相关分析来检验异常脑区的EC值与临床变量之间的相关性。
与健康对照组相比，偏头痛患者下丘脑至左侧梭状回的EC降低，而下丘脑至内侧额回/眶部、右侧舌回、左侧额上回和右侧额中回的EC增加（P<0.05）。同时，偏头痛患者左侧额中回和右侧内侧额回/眶部至下丘脑的EC也降低（P<0.05）。偏头痛患者下丘脑至左侧额上回的EC与视觉模拟量表显著正相关（r=-0.3820；P=0.0164）。
下丘脑与前额叶回及视觉皮层之间的EC紊乱可能在偏头痛患者的神经病理特征中起关键作用。本研究增加了我们对偏头痛机制复杂性的理解。
