title: Improvement of Orbitofrontal Cortex Function Associated with Blephrospasm Symptom Remission.
abstract: To determine whether orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) function improves with blepharospasm (BSP) symptom remission using a verbal fluency task and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).
  
  
  
  Nineteen BSP patients and 9 healthy controls (HCs) matched by gender and education were examined using NIRS. The BSP patients were divided into 2 groups based on the onset or remission of BSP symptoms. A covariance analysis was conducted to analyze the differences among the 3 groups to avoid the influence of different ages. The least significant difference was used to process the post hoc test.
  
  
  
  The hemoglobin concentration and cerebral blood flow of the bilateral orbitofrontal area (channels 27, 31, 34, 37, and 39) were not significantly different between the BSP remission and HC groups (p > 0.05); however, both groups were significantly increased compared with the BSP onset group (BSP remission group vs. BSP onset group: p = 0.003, p = 0.018, p = 0.013, p = 0.001, and p = 0.011, respectively; BSP remission group vs. BSP onset group: p = 0.037, p = 0.044, p = 0.023, p = 0.016, and p = 0.025, respectively).
  
  
  
  This is the first investigation to control for symptom stages in BSP patients examined via NIRS. Cognitive ability and OFC function improve with BSP symptom remission. Thus, the OFC may be inter-connected with motor and cognitive symptoms in BSP.
authors.affiliation: Yuquan Hospital, Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Medical Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Chen-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Yong-Jun
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao-Min
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiao-Qian
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xia-Jin
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Xiang-Yun
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jing-Jing
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Gao-Xiang
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Po-Zi
authors.initials: PZ
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001764:Blepharospasm / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Blepharospasm onset/remission; Near-infrared spectroscopy; Primary blepharospasm