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Changes in cerebral morphology consequent to peripheral autonomic denervation
Hugo D Critchley1, Catriona D Good, John Ashburner
1Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, UCL, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. j.critchley@fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk
Neuroimage
|May 3, 2003
Summary
Pure autonomic failure (PAF) causes loss of autonomic responses. This study found that PAF patients show reduced grey matter in brain regions controlling arousal, suggesting experience-dependent changes due to lost bodily feedback.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Autonomic Nervous System Research
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Pure autonomic failure (PAF) involves peripheral autonomic denervation, impairing arousal responses.
- Patients with PAF lack autonomic nervous system activity during physical or cognitive challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if chronic absence of peripheral autonomic responses in PAF leads to structural brain changes.
- To test for morphological alterations in brain regions associated with autonomic control.
Main Methods:
- Utilized optimized voxel-based morphometry on structural MRI scans.
- Compared grey and white matter differences between 15 PAF patients and matched controls.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in global grey matter, white matter, or CSF volume between groups.
- Identified significant regional decreases in grey matter volume and concentration in the anterior cingulate and insular cortices of PAF patients.
- Brainstem and subcortical regions did not show statistically significant morphometric differences.
Conclusions:
- Peripheral autonomic denervation in PAF is linked to grey matter reduction in cortical autonomic control areas.
- These brain changes may reflect experience-dependent alterations resulting from diminished afferent input.
- Further research is needed to determine the precise nature of these observed morphometric changes.