Altered Intrinsic Brain Activity in Patients With Toothache Using the Percent Amplitude of a Fluctuation Method: A Resting-State fMRI Study

Abstract

ObjectiveThe percent amplitude of fluctuation (PerAF) technique was utilized to evaluate the neural functions of specific cerebrum areas in patients with toothache (TA).Patients and MethodsAn aggregation of 18 patients with TA (eight males and 10 females) were included in the study. We also recruited 18 healthy controls (HCs; eight men and 10 women) aligned for sex and age. Resting functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans were obtained. Then, we utilized the PerAF method and a support vector machine (SVM) to analyze the image data and measure neural abnormalities in related cerebrum areas. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was utilized to appraise the two data sets.ResultsThe PerAF signals in the right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus (RDSFG) and the right posterior central gyrus (RPCG) of TA sufferers were lower than HC signals. These results may reveal neural dysfunctions in relevant cerebrum regions. The AUC values of PerAF in the two areas were 0.979 in the RDSFG and 0.979 in the RPCG. The SVM results suggested that PerAF could be utilized to distinguish the TA group from HCs with a sensitivity of 75.00%, a specificity of 66.67%, and an accuracy of 70.83%.ConclusionPatients with TA had marked differences in PerAF values in some regions of the cerebrum. Changes in PerAF values represented distinctions in blood oxygen level dependent semaphore intensity, which reflected the overactivity or inactivation of some cerebrum areas in those suffering from TA. At the same time, we analyzed the PerAF values of TAs with ROC curve, which can be helpful for the diagnosis of TA severity and subsequent treatment. Our results may help to elucidate the pathological mechanism of TA.

Dynamic local metrics changes in patients with toothache: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

“…Studies have shown that TA increases ALFF in the left postcentral gyrus, right paracentral lobule, right lingual gyrus, right inferior occipital gyrus, left syrinx, and right superior occipital gyrus ( 15 ), and increases degree centrality (DC) values in the right lingual gyrus, right precentral gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus ( 16 ). Yang et al ( 17 ) showed that the PerAF signal in the right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus and right postcentral gyrus of patients with TA was lower than that in HC. The above studies provide a basis for neuroimaging to better understand the consciousness and cognitive changes associated with TA.…”