scholarly journals Immediate Analgesic Effect of Acupuncture in Patients With Primary Dysmenorrhea: A fMRI Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanan Wang ◽  
Jing Xu ◽  
Qing Zhang ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Ya Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Analgesic Effect ◽  
Sham Acupuncture ◽  
Central Mechanism ◽  
Menstrual Period ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Primary Dysmenorrhea ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Real Acupuncture ◽  
Fmri Study

Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM) is a common gynecological disease characterized by lower abdominal pain. Acupuncture is considered a good alternative therapy for PDM. However, the central mechanism of the analgesic effect of acupuncture is largely unknown. In this study, eligible patients were randomized into the real and sham acupuncture groups using a computer-generated, permuted block randomization method. The study cohort comprised 34 patients: 19 in the real acupuncture group and 15 in the sham acupuncture group. The clinical characteristics of the patients during their menstrual period were collected, and imaging scans were performed during the first 3 days of the patients’ menstrual period. We analyzed task and resting functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to investigate the potential central mechanism of the immediate effect of acupuncture intervention on the intensity of PDM pain. The task fMRI study found that the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) and right supplemental motor area were activated during real acupuncture. Using the resting-state functional connectivity (FC) method, we found a post- versus pre-treatment change in the FC of the rACC and left precentral gyrus in the comparison of real acupuncture versus sham acupuncture. In addition, the FC of the rACC–left precentral gyrus at baseline was negatively correlated with short-term analgesia, while the change in the FC of the rACC–left precentral gyrus was positively correlated with short-term analgesia after acupuncture treatment. These findings support the importance of rACC–left precentral gyrus resting-state FC in the modulation of the intensity of PDM pain through acupuncture, which may shed light on the central mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of PDM.

scholarly journals Acupuncture Treatment Modulates the Connectivity of Key Regions of the Descending Pain Modulation and Reward Systems in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siyi Yu ◽  
Ana Ortiz ◽  
Randy L. Gollub ◽  
Georgia Wilson ◽  
Jessica Gerber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Chronic Low Back Pain ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Sham Acupuncture ◽  
Pain Modulation ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Reward Systems ◽  
Real Acupuncture ◽  
Descending Pain Modulation

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is a common disorder with unsatisfactory treatment options. Acupuncture has emerged as a promising method for treating cLBP. However, the mechanism underlying acupuncture remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the modulation effects of acupuncture on resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in patients with cLBP. Seventy-nine cLBP patients were recruited and assigned to four weeks of real or sham acupuncture. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected before the first and after the last treatment. Fifty patients completed the study. We found remission of pain bothersomeness in all treatment groups after four weeks, with greater pain relief after real acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture. We also found that real acupuncture can increase VTA/PAG rsFC with the amygdala, and the increased rsFC was associated with decreased pain bothersomeness scores. Baseline PAG-amygdala rsFC could predict four-week treatment response. Our results suggest that acupuncture may simultaneously modulate the rsFC of key regions in the descending pain modulation (PAG) and reward systems (VTA), and the amygdala may be a key node linking the two systems to produce antinociceptive effects. Our findings highlight the potential of acupuncture for chronic low back pain management.

scholarly journals Inflammation is Correlated with Abnormal Functional Connectivity in Unmedicated Bipolar Depression: A Resting State FMRI Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guixian Tang ◽  
Pan Chen ◽  
Guanmao Chen ◽  
Shuming Zhong ◽  
Jiaying Gong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Bipolar Depression ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objectives Inflammation might play a role in bipolar disorder (BD), but it remains unclear the relationship between inflammation and brain structural and functional abnormalities in patients with BD. In this study, we focused on the alterations of functional connectivity (FC), peripheral pro-inflammatory cytokines and their correlations to investigate the role of inflammation in FC in BD depression.Methods In this study, 42 unmedicated patients with BD II depression and 62 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Resting-state-functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was performed in all participants and independent component analysis (ICA) was used. Serum levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Interleukin-8 (IL-8) were measured in all participants. Correlation between FC values and IL-6 and IL-8 levels in BD was calculated.Results Compared with the HCs, BD II patients showed decreased FC in the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) implicating the limbic network and the right precentral gyrus implicating the somatomotor network (SMN). BD II showed increased IL-6 (P = 0.039), IL-8 (P = 0.002) levels. Moreover, abnormal FC in the right precentral gyrus were inversely correlated with the IL-8 (r=-0.458, P = 0.004) levels in BD II. No significant correlation was found between FC in the left OFC and cytokines levels.Conclusions Our findings that serum IL-8 levels is associated with impaired FC in the right precentral gyrus in BD II patients suggest that inflammation might play a crucial role in brain functional abnormalities in BD.

scholarly journals Development of the default-mode network during childhood and adolescence: A longitudinal resting-state fMRI study

NeuroImage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 226 ◽  
pp. 117581
Author(s):  
Fengmei Fan ◽  
Xuhong Liao ◽  
Tianyuan Lei ◽  
Tengda Zhao ◽  
Mingrui Xia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Default Mode Network ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Default Mode ◽  
Fmri Study

Improvement in prefrontal thalamic connectivity during the early course of the illness in recent-onset psychosis: a 12-month longitudinal follow-up resting-state fMRI study

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Daniel Bergé ◽  
Tyler A. Lesh ◽  
Jason Smucny ◽  
Cameron S. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Recent Onset ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Clinical Meaning ◽  
Mixed Pattern ◽  
The Right ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background Previous research in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has shown a mixed pattern of disrupted thalamocortical connectivity in psychosis. The clinical meaning of these findings and their stability over time remains unclear. We aimed to study thalamocortical connectivity longitudinally over a 1-year period in participants with recent-onset psychosis. Methods To this purpose, 129 individuals with recent-onset psychosis and 87 controls were clinically evaluated and scanned using rs-fMRI. Among them, 43 patients and 40 controls were re-scanned and re-evaluated 12 months later. Functional connectivity between the thalamus and the rest of the brain was calculated using a seed to voxel approach, and then compared between groups and correlated with clinical features cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Results At baseline, participants with recent-onset psychosis showed increased connectivity (compared to controls) between the thalamus and somatosensory and temporal regions (k = 653, T = 5.712), as well as decreased connectivity between the thalamus and left cerebellum and right prefrontal cortex (PFC; k = 201, T = −4.700). Longitudinal analyses revealed increased connectivity over time in recent-onset psychosis (relative to controls) in the right middle frontal gyrus. Conclusions Our results support the concept of abnormal thalamic connectivity as a core feature in psychosis. In agreement with a non-degenerative model of illness in which functional changes occur early in development and do not deteriorate over time, no evidence of progressive deterioration of connectivity during early psychosis was observed. Indeed, regionally increased connectivity between thalamus and PFC was observed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document