Cheng Qiansheng, Liu Shoufeng, Wang Junling, Wang Yajing, Han Bihui, Wang Lichen, Jin Song
Department of Radiology, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Clinical College of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Neurorehabilitation, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
BMC Neurol. 2025 Jul 5;25(1):278. doi: 10.1186/s12883-025-04289-z.
Primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN) is a recurrent condition of electric shock-like pain occurring in the facial area nervated by the sensory portion of the trigeminal nerve. The thalamus is a relay station for transmitting sensory information transmission, where the facial pain signal involved in PTN transmits. The multiple functions of the thalamus vary from its subregions, and changes in the functional connectivity (FC) between the thalamic sensory subregions and the whole brain are yet unclear. This study aims to explore the altered FC of thalamic sensory subregions in PTN patients using the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).
Differences in the FC of the thalamic subregions with the whole brain voxels between 48 PTN patients and 35 age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were examined. Moreover, the correlation of altered FC in the brain regions with the course of PTN was identifed.
Compared with HCs, PTN patients displayed a significantly increased FC between the SC_thalamus and postcentral gyrus, increased FC between the SC_thalamus and midfrontal gyrus, and decreased FC between the SC_thalamus and right supramarginal gyrus. The FC between the SC_thalamus and left postcentral gyrus (r = 0.442, P = 0.002) and that between the SC_thalamus and right postcentral gyrus (r = 0.415, P = 0.003) were positively correlated with the course of PTN. The FC between the SC_thalamus and right supramarginal gyrus (r=-0.398, P = 0.005) was negatively correlated with the course of PTN.
FC between the SC_thalamus and certain brain regions alters in PTN patients. The pathophysiological basis of the central mechanism changes in PTN patients at the subnuclear level provides a theoretical basis for developing new treatment methods for PTN.
原发性三叉神经痛（PTN）是一种反复发作的疾病，表现为三叉神经感觉支所支配面部区域出现电击样疼痛。丘脑是感觉信息传递的中继站，PTN所涉及的面部疼痛信号在此传递。丘脑的多种功能因其亚区域而异，丘脑感觉亚区域与全脑之间功能连接（FC）的变化尚不清楚。本研究旨在利用静息态功能磁共振成像（rs-fMRI）探索PTN患者丘脑感觉亚区域FC的改变。
检查了48例PTN患者与35例年龄匹配的健康对照（HCs）之间丘脑亚区域与全脑体素的FC差异。此外，还确定了脑区FC改变与PTN病程的相关性。
与HCs相比，PTN患者在丘脑腹后核（SC_thalamus）与中央后回之间的FC显著增加，在丘脑腹后核与额中回之间的FC增加，而在丘脑腹后核与右侧缘上回之间的FC降低。丘脑腹后核与左侧中央后回之间的FC（r = 0.442，P = 0.002）以及丘脑腹后核与右侧中央后回之间的FC（r = 0.415，P = 0.003）与PTN病程呈正相关。丘脑腹后核与右侧缘上回之间的FC（r = -0.398，P = 0.005）与PTN病程呈负相关。
PTN患者丘脑腹后核与某些脑区之间的FC发生改变。PTN患者在亚核水平上中枢机制变化的病理生理基础为开发PTN的新治疗方法提供了理论依据。
