Open AccessReduced corticostriatal functional connectivity in temporomandibular disorders
Author(s) -
He Shushu,
Li Fei,
Gu Tian,
Ma Huayu,
Li Xinyi,
Zou Shujuan,
Huang Xiaoqi,
Lui Su,
Gong Qiyong,
Chen Song
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.24023
Subject(s) - putamen , neuroscience , ventral striatum , striatum , supramarginal gyrus , precentral gyrus , functional magnetic resonance imaging , psychology , nucleus accumbens , anterior cingulate cortex , insula , caudate nucleus , cingulate cortex , supplementary motor area , medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , central nervous system , cognition , dopamine , radiology
Although temporomandibular disorders (TMD) have been associated with abnormal gray matter volumes in cortical areas and in the striatum, the corticostriatal functional connectivity (FC) of patients with TMD has not been studied. Here, we studied 30 patients with TMD and 20 healthy controls that underwent clinical evaluations, including Helkimo indices, pain assessments, and resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. The FCs of the striatal regions with the other brain areas were examined with a seed‐based approach. As seeds, we used the dorsal caudate, ventral caudate/nucleus accumbens, dorsal caudal putamen, and ventral rostral putamen regions. Voxel‐wise comparisons with controls revealed that the patients with TMD exhibited reduced FCs in the ventral corticostriatal circuitry, between the ventral striatum and ventral frontal cortices, including the anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula; in the dorsal corticostriatal circuitry, between the dorsal striatum and the dorsal cortices, including the precentral gyrus and supramarginal gyrus; and also within the striatum. Additionally, we explored correlations between the reduced corticostriatal FCs and clinical measurements. These results directly supported the hypothesis that TMD is associated with reduced FCs in brain corticostriatal networks and that these reduced FCs may underlie the deficits in motor control, pain processing, and cognition in TMD. Our findings may contribute to the understanding of the etiologies and pathologies of TMD.