Muscle theta activity in the pathophysiology of cervical dystonia

IF 5.1 2区医学 Q1 NEUROSCIENCES

Neurobiology of Disease Pub Date : 2025-05-21 DOI:10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106969

Giorgio Leodori , Giulia Ruocco , Nicoletta Manzo , Danny Spampinato , Gina Ferrazzano , Francesco Marchet , Daniele Belvisi , Jürgen Konczak , Giovanni Fabbrini , Alfredo Berardelli , Antonella Conte

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Increased theta-band intermuscular coherence (IMC) between neck muscles has been reported as pathophysiological features of cervical dystonia (CD).

Objectives

investigate whether increased theta power and IMC are specific to the affected muscles, cortically driven, and actively contribute to dystonic contractions by examining the effect of sensory trick (ST) and analyzing correlations with clinical severity.

Methods

29 patients with torticollis (13 with effective ST) and 14 healthy subjects (HS) participated. We recorded EMG from bilateral sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and biceps (BIC) muscles and EEG over sensorimotor cortex. Theta power, IMC, and corticomuscular coherence (CMC) were analyzed across baseline and touch conditions and correlated with Torticollis Severity Scale (TSS) scores. Granger causality was used to assess the directionality of coherence.

Results

patients exhibited increased theta power in SCMs but not in biceps muscles. Theta IMC was significantly higher only between bilateral SCMs in CD compared to HS. We found no group differences in theta CMC, with Granger causality indicating predominant theta connectivity from muscle to cortex. The ST was associated with increased theta IMC between SCMs, while patients without ST showed a significant reduction in IMC. SCM theta power and IMC were both inversely correlated with TSS.

Conclusions

increased theta power and IMC in SCMs are specific to CD and likely reflect a subcortical drive rather than a cortical influence. Our results challenge prior suggestions of a pathogenic role for muscle theta synchronization in CD and suggest a possible compensatory role in balancing head position.

查看原文本刊更多论文

肌θ活动在颈肌张力障碍病理生理中的作用。

背景：颈部肌肉间增高的theta-band肌间相干性（IMC）已被报道为颈肌张力障碍（CD）的病理生理特征。目的：通过检查感觉欺骗（ST）的影响并分析与临床严重程度的相关性，研究θ波功率和IMC的增加是否对受影响的肌肉有特异性，皮质驱动，并积极促进张力障碍收缩。方法：29例斜颈患者（13例有效ST）和14例健康者（HS）参与研究。我们记录了双侧胸锁乳突肌（SCM）和二头肌（BIC）的肌电图和感觉运动皮层的脑电图。在基线和触摸条件下分析Theta功率、IMC和皮质肌肉相干性（CMC），并与斜颈严重程度量表（TSS）评分相关。格兰杰因果关系被用来评估连贯性的方向性。结果：患者在SCMs中表现出增加的θ波功率，但在二头肌中没有。与HS相比，CD患者的Theta IMC仅在双侧scm之间显著高于HS。我们发现theta CMC没有组间差异，格兰杰因果关系表明主要的theta连接从肌肉到皮层。ST与SCMs间的θ IMC升高相关，而无ST的患者IMC显著降低。SCM theta功率与IMC和TSS呈负相关。结论：SCMs中θ波功率和IMC的增加是CD特有的，可能反映皮层下驱动而不是皮层影响。我们的结果挑战了先前关于CD中肌肉theta同步的致病作用的建议，并提出了平衡头部位置的可能代偿作用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Neurobiology of Disease 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

11.20

自引率

3.30%

发文量

270

审稿时长

76 days

期刊介绍： Neurobiology of Disease is a major international journal at the interface between basic and clinical neuroscience. The journal provides a forum for the publication of top quality research papers on: molecular and cellular definitions of disease mechanisms, the neural systems and underpinning behavioral disorders, the genetics of inherited neurological and psychiatric diseases, nervous system aging, and findings relevant to the development of new therapies.