title: Characterizing Thalamocortical Disturbances in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: Revealed by Functional Connectivity under Two Slow Frequency Bands.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent advanced MRI studies on cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) revealed alterations of sensorimotor cortex, but the disturbances of large-scale thalamocortical systems remains elusive. The purpose of this study was to characterizing the CSM-related thalamocortical disturbances, which were associated with spinal cord structural injury, and clinical measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 17 patients with degenerative CSM and well-matched control subjects participated. Thalamocortical disturbances were quantified using thalamus seed-based functional connectivity in two distinct low frequencies bands (slow-5 and slow-4), with different neural manifestations. The clinical measures were evaluated by Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score system and Neck Disability Index (NDI) questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Decreased functional connectivity was found in the thalamo-motor, -somatosensory, and -temporal circuits in the slow-5 band, indicating impairment of thalamo-cortical circuit degeneration or axon/synaptic impairment. By contrast, increased functional connectivity between thalami and the bilateral primary motor (M1), primary and secondary somatosensory (S1/S2), premotor cortex (PMC), and right temporal cortex was detected in the slow-4 band, and were associated with higher fractional anisotropy values in the cervical cord, corresponding to mild spinal cord structural injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These thalamocortical disturbances revealed by two slow frequency bands inform basic understanding and vital clues about the sensorimotor dysfunction in CSM. Further work is needed to evaluate its contribution in central functional reorganization during spinal cord degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, NanChang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China; Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Fuqing
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, NanChang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Xiaojia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, NanChang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
authors.forename: Honghan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Keith Dip-Kei
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Luk
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055009:Spondylosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000503:physiopathology*