基于多模态磁共振成像的幻肢痛脑网络机制研究

Recent studies have shown that the pathophysiology of phantom limb pain is associated with cortical reorganization and neural circuitry abnormalities. However, previous neuroimaging studies on phantom limb pain only examined local brain function, structure and single neural circuits conncetivity, which makes the current understanding of the central mechanisms of phantom limb pain fractional. It is believed that the human brain is a complex and efficient small-world network, and there is also increasing evidence that the small-world properties of brain networks are affected by brain diseases. However, the small world network topological properties are not clear in patients with phantom limb pain. Based on this, the case-control design study utilized resting-state functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging, combined with complex network analysis algorithms based on graph theory to reveal brain structural, functional topological property in patients with phantom limb pain; in order to evaluate the potential effect of illness duration and pain intensity of pain limb pain on our results, we examined the correlations between the topological parameters. The study has implications for understanding how the topological alterations in large-scale brain functional,.way to understand the pathophysiology of phantom limb pain and, possibly, to provide a new basis for the choice of treatment targets.

最近的研究表明幻肢痛与皮层功能重组和异常的神经环路有关。然而，既往幻肢痛的神经影像学研究仅仅考察了患者局部脑区的神经活动或者单一神经环路的连接，这使得当前对幻肢痛的脑机制认识偏于局部化、片面化。大量研究表明，人脑是一个高效的复杂的"小世界"网络，疾病会导致脑网络拓扑属性发生改变。但是，在幻肢痛患者中，这种"小世界"网络拓扑属性和特征是否改变尚不清楚。基于此，本项目拟采用病例-正常对照实验设计，运用静息态功能磁共振和弥散张量成像技术，结合基于图论的复杂网络分析算法揭示幻肢痛脑结构/功能网络连接模式和拓扑属性；并将脑网络研究结果与临床病程、痛觉评估作相关分析。以期从脑结构和功能上探明幻肢痛异常脑网络调控模式，为理解幻肢痛的发病机制及治疗靶点的选择提供新的依据。