Regional brain structural abnormality in meal-related functional dyspepsia patients: a voxel-based morphometry study

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Gastroenterology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Functional dyspepsia (FD) is associated with brain dysfunction.
• Previous neuroimaging studies indicate altered brain structures in FD patients.
• Meal-related symptoms are a key characteristic of this FD subgroup.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate regional gray matter density (GMD) changes in meal-related FD.
• Correlate GMD alterations with clinical variables and symptom duration.
• Explore the impact of emotional state on brain structure in FD.

Main Methods:

• Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on 50 meal-related FD patients and 40 healthy subjects (HS).
• Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis to detect cerebral structure differences.
• Correlation analysis between GMD changes and clinical symptoms/duration, controlling for psychological factors.

Main Results:

• FD patients showed decreased GMD in precentral gyrus, MPFC, ACC, MCC, OFC, and insula compared to HS.
• After controlling for anxiety/depression, decreased GMD persisted in middle frontal gyrus, MCC, precentral gyrus, and insula.
• GMD reductions in ACC negatively correlated with Nepean Dyspepsia Index scores and FD duration.

Conclusions:

• Regional GMD in meal-related FD patients differs significantly from HS, especially in homeostatic afferent processing networks.
• Psychological factors are crucial in influencing regional brain structure alterations in meal-related FD.
• These findings highlight the brain-gut axis interplay in functional dyspepsia.