title: Altered intrinsic brain activity in patients with familial cortical myoclonic tremor and epilepsy: an amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate localized cerebral function abnormalities in patients with familial cortical myoclonic tremor and epilepsy (FCMTE) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven patients with FCMTE from a Chinese family, seven patients with essential tremor (ET), and ten healthy controls were recruited. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) analysis was utilized to reveal the potential functional changes in patients with FCMTE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences in the bilateral frontal lobe and fusiform gyrus among the three groups were revealed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The t-tests between groups were performed to compare ALFF in these ROIs. The FCMTE subjects exhibited decreased ALFF in the right fusiform gyrus and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) with increased ALFF in the frontal lobe, compared with the ET and healthy control groups. Furthermore, the ALFF in the frontal lobe was positively correlated with the duration of tremor in patients with FCMTE and ET.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that frontal cortex and PCC impairment might be related to the epileptic activity and that the abnormality of the fusiform gyrus may be associated with impairment of visuospatial in FCMTE. Due to the positive correlation between the duration of tremor and ALFF in the frontal lobe, changes in the frontal lobe could be a potential indicator of a candidate causative gene for FCMTE.
authors: College of Material Sciences and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Department of Neurology, Chongzhou People's Hospital, Chongzhou, Sichuan, China; Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study and Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Department of Neurology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors: Pu
authors: P
authors: Wang
authors: Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors: Cheng
authors: C
authors: Luo
authors: Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Dong
authors: Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Bin
authors: Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study and Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences Sichuan Translational Medicine Research Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors: Shi
authors: S
authors: Ma
authors: Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors: Dezhong
authors: D
authors: Yao
authors: Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study and Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Department of Neurology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: guofuqiang2005@126.com.
authors: Fuqiang
authors: F
authors: Guo
authors: College of Material Sciences and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study and Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Department of Neurology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences Sichuan Translational Medicine Research Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: zliny@yahoo.com.
authors: Zhenglin
authors: Z
authors: Yang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004831:Epilepsies, Myoclonic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020329:Essential Tremor / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010375:Pedigree; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF); Epilepsy; Essential tremor (ET); Familial cortical myoclonic tremor and epilepsy (FCMTE); Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); Resting state