Topological Alterations of the Intrinsic Brain Network in Patients with Functional Dyspepsia.
OBJECTIVE
Previous studies reported that integrated information in the brain ultimately determines the subjective experience of patients with chronic pain, but how the information is integrated in the brain connectome of functional dyspepsia (FD) patients remains largely unclear. The study aimed to quantify the topological changes of the brain network in FD patients.


METHODS
Small-world properties, network efficiency and nodal centrality were utilized to measure the changes in topological architecture in 25 FD patients and 25 healthy controls based on functional magnetic resonance imaging. Pearson's correlation assessed the relationship of each topological property with clinical symptoms.


RESULTS
FD patients showed an increase of clustering coefficients and local efficiency relative to controls from the perspective of a whole network as well as elevated nodal centrality in the right orbital part of the inferior frontal gyrus, left anterior cingulate gyrus and left hippocampus, and decreased nodal centrality in the right posterior cingulate gyrus, left cuneus, right putamen, left middle occipital gyrus and right inferior occipital gyrus. Moreover, the centrality in the anterior cingulate gyrus was significantly associated with symptom severity and duration in FD patients. Nevertheless, the inclusion of anxiety and depression scores as covariates erased the group differences in nodal centralities in the orbital part of the inferior frontal gyrus and hippocampus.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest topological disruption of the functional brain networks in FD patients, presumably in response to disturbances of sensory information integrated with emotion, memory, pain modulation, and selective attention in patients.
Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China.
Jiaofen
J
Nan
Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
Li
L
Zhang
Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China.
Fubao
F
Zhu
The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Xiaorui
X
Tian
Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China.
Qian
Q
Zheng
School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.
Karen M von
KM
Deneen
School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.
Jixin
J
Liu
Department of Medical Imaging, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
Ming
M
Zhang
Brain; Connectome; Dyspepsia; Functional magnetic resonance imaging