title: Abnormal resting brain activity in patients with functional dyspepsia is related to symptom severity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Abnormal processing of visceral sensation at the level of the central nervous system is believed to be involved in functional dyspepsia. However, compared with studies of stimulation-related changes in brain activity, few studies have focused on resting brain activity, which also is important in pathogenesis. We mapped changes in resting brain glucometabolism of patients with functional dyspepsia, compared with healthy subjects, and attempted to correlate abnormal brain activity with symptom severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography on 40 patients with functional dyspepsia and 20 healthy subjects who were in resting states. The symptom index of dyspepsia and the Nepean dyspepsia index were used to determine symptom severity. The positron emission tomography-computed tomography data were analyzed using statistical parametric mapping software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with healthy subjects, patients with functional dyspepsia had higher levels of glycometabolism in the bilateral insula, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), middle cingulate cortex (MCC), cerebellum, thalamus, prefrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, putamen, right parahippocampal gyrus, claustrum, and left precuneus (P < .001). The signal increase in the ACC, insula, thalamus, MCC, and cerebellum was correlated with symptom index of dyspepsia scores and Nepean dyspepsia index scores (P < .01). The glycometabolism in ACC, insula, thalamus, MCC, and cerebellum of patients with more severe functional dyspepsia was significantly higher than that of patients with less severe functional dyspepsia (P < .005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with functional dyspepsia, resting cerebral glycometabolism differs significantly from that of healthy subjects. The ACC, insula, thalamus, MCC, and cerebellum might be the key regions that determine the severity of symptoms.
authors.affiliation: The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Fanrong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Jixin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Xuguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Shuguang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Wenzhong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Mailan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yijun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose