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. 2024 Feb;30(2):e13626.
doi: 10.1111/srt.13626.

Functional connectivity characteristics of the brain network involved in prickle perception of single fiber stimulation

Qicai Wang  1 , Yonghao Mei  1 , Yuan Tao  2 , Jiayu Ao  1 , Zhongwei Zhang  3 , Jie Yuan  4 , Xinghua Hong  1 , Fangmeng Zeng  1 , Zimin Jin  1
Affiliations

Functional connectivity characteristics of the brain network involved in prickle perception of single fiber stimulation

Qicai Wang et al. Skin Res Technol. 2024 Feb.

Abstract

Background: The complex network connections, information transmission and organization play key roles in brain cognition on sensory stimulation. Previous studies showed that several brain regions of somatosensory, motor, emotional, cognitive, etc. are linked to fabric-evoked prickle. But the functional connectivity characteristics of the brain network involved in prickle perception is still unclear.

Materials and methods: In the present study, resting state fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) with functional connectivity analysis was adopted to build the initial brain functional network, and task fMRI with psychophysiological interaction analysis was employed to investigate modulation features of prickling task to functional connections in the brain network.

Results: The results showed that, in resting state, six groups or sub-networks can be identified in the prickle network, and when the subjects performed the prickling task, functional connectivity strength between some seed regions (e.g., somatosensory regions and precuneus, emotional regions and the prefrontal cortex, etc.) in the network increased.

Conclusion: Combining resting-state fMRI with task fMRI is a feasible and promising method to study functional connectivity characteristics of the brain network involved in prickle perception. It is inferred that the "itch" ingredient of prickle sensation was transmitted from somatosensory cortices to precuneus, and emotional attribute (e.g., pain) from somatosensory cortices to the prefrontal cortex and at last to emotional regions.

Keywords: brain networks; functional connectivity; hairy skin; prickling stimulation; psychophysiological interaction; single fiber.

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Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors have any potential financial conflict of interest related to this manuscript.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Procedures of the fMRI experiment.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Group‐averaged functional connectivity matrix in resting state (unthresholded). SupFG_L: Superior Frontal Gyrus of the Left hemisphere; MidFG_R: Middle Frontal Gyrus of the Right hemisphere; InfFG.tri: Inferior Frontal Gyrus, pars triangularis; InfFG.oper: Inferior Frontal Gyrus, pars opercularis; SupMG.ant: Supramarginal Gyrus, anterior division; SupMG.post: Supramarginal Gyrus, posterior division; IC: Insular Cortex; ACC: Anterior Cingulate Cortex; OP: Parietal Operculum Cortex; PreCG: Precentral Gyrus; PostCG: Postcentral Gyrus; PHG.ant: Parahippocampal Gyrus, anterior division; PHG.post: Parahippocampal Gyrus, posterior division.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Functional connectivity between the 30 ROIs of the brain network in resting state (connection‐level p < 0.05 threshold, and cluster‐level corrected p‐FDR < 0.05 threshold).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
The SBC modulated clusters displayed in MNI brain template for the seed ROIs of (A) S1, (B) ACC, (C) S2, and (D) IC.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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