Exploring Psychological Factors and Brain Alterations in Functional Anorectal Pain Patients: Insights From Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Investigations.
Yu Wan, Churan Sun, Mingfeng Fan, Hao Yu, Juan Xu, Kai Zhang, Shanling Ji, Hao Yu, Chuanxin Liu, Cong Zhou, Shuai Wang
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Functional anorectal pain (FAP) is classified as one of the disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI). It involves the impairments of anorectal afferents and disrupted gut-brain communication. However, neuroimaging studies focused on FAP are lacking.
Methods: A total of 25 FAP patients and 18 healthy controls (HC) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) scans, and collection of demographic data, mental health assessment scales and pain assessment questionnaires. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM), tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) were utilized to analyze the imaging data. Correlation analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between the neuroimaging findings and clinical symptoms.
Key results: Functional anorectal pain (FAP) patients exhibited higher levels of anxiety, depression scores and lower sleep quality compared to HC. VBM analysis revealed increased gray matter volume (GMV) in the bilateral fusiform, right parahippocampal, bilateral inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), and decreased GMV in the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG), left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), left Calcarine, bilateral middle occipital gyrus (MOG), left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) in FAP patients. TBSS analysis showed decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), and forceps minor in the FAP patients. Additionally, increased ALFF in the right cerebellum and increased ReHo in the right MFG were observed in the FAP patients.
Conclusions and inferences: These findings showed a worse psychological condition and suggested neuroanatomical and neurofunctional alterations associated with pain processing, emotion regulation, and cognitive control in FAP patients.
期刊介绍：
Neurogastroenterology & Motility (NMO) is the official Journal of the European Society of Neurogastroenterology & Motility (ESNM) and the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS). It is edited by James Galligan, Albert Bredenoord, and Stephen Vanner. The editorial and peer review process is independent of the societies affiliated to the journal and publisher: Neither the ANMS, the ESNM or the Publisher have editorial decision-making power. Whenever these are relevant to the content being considered or published, the editors, journal management committee and editorial board declare their interests and affiliations.
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