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. 2018 Sep 11:9:1620.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01620. eCollection 2018.

Voxel-Mirrored Homotopic Connectivity of Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Blepharospasm

Jing Wei  1 , Shubao Wei  1 , Rongxing Yang  1 , Lu Yang  1 , Qiong Yin  1 , Huihui Li  1 , Yuhong Qin  2 , Yiwu Lei  2 , Chao Qin  1 , Jingqun Tang  1 , Shuguang Luo  1 , Wenbin Guo  3
Affiliations

Voxel-Mirrored Homotopic Connectivity of Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Blepharospasm

Jing Wei et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Objective: Several networks in human brain are involved in the development of blepharospasm. However, the underlying mechanisms for this disease are poorly understood. A voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) method was used to quantify the changes in functional connectivity between two hemispheres of the brain in patients with blepharospasm. Methods: Twenty-four patients with blepharospasm and 24 healthy controls matched by age, sex, and education were recruited. The VMHC method was employed to analyze the fMRI data. The support vector machine (SVM) method was utilized to examine whether these abnormalities could be applied to distinguish the patients from the controls. Results: Compared with healthy controls, patients with blepharospasm showed significantly high VMHC in the inferior temporal gyrus, interior frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, and postcentral gyrus. No significant correlation was found between abnormal VMHC values and clinical variables. SVM analysis showed a combination of increased VMHC values in two brain areas with high sensitivities and specificities (83.33 and 91.67% in the combined inferior frontal gyrus and posterior cingulate cortex; and 83.33 and 87.50% in the combined inferior temporal gyrus and postcentral gyrus). Conclusion: Enhanced homotopic coordination in the brain regions associated with sensory integration networks and default-mode network may be underlying the pathophysiology of blepharospasm. This phenomenon may serve as potential image markers to distinguish patients with blepharospasm from healthy controls.

Keywords: blepharospasm; functional magnetic resonance imaging; resting state; support vector machine; voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Statistical maps showing VMHC differences between patients and controls. Red denotes increased VMHC, and color bars indicate T-values from t-tests between groups. VMHC, voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Visualization of classification by support vector machine (SVM) using the combination of the VMHC values in the Inferior Frontal Gyrus and Posterior Cingulate Cortex. Left: SVM parameters selection result (3D visualization) [Grid Search Method]: Best c = 0.70711; Best g = 0.088388; Right: the visualization of classification with a combination of the VMHC values in the Inferior Frontal Gyrus and Posterior Cingulate Cortex.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Visualization of classification by support vector machine (SVM) using the combination of the VMHC values in the abnormal brain regions. Left: SVM parameters selection result (3D visualization) [Grid Search Method]: Best c = 0.70711; Best g = 11.3137; Right: the visualization of classification with a combination of the VMHC values in the Inferior Temporal Gyrus and Postcentral Gyrus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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