Abnormal brain white matter in patients with right trigeminal neuralgia: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Neurology

Background:

• Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a chronic pain condition often linked to neurovascular compression (NVC).
• The precise white matter changes associated with TN are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate white matter alterations in patients with idiopathic or classical trigeminal neuralgia.
• To explore the relationship between white matter changes and disease duration and pain severity.

Main Methods:

• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and voxel-wise analyses using TBSS were performed on 29 TN patients and 35 healthy controls.
• Key diffusion metrics including fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD) were analyzed.
• Correlations between white matter changes, disease duration, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain scores were assessed.

Main Results:

• TN patients exhibited significantly lower FA and higher RD in widespread white matter, predominantly in the contralateral hemisphere.
• Correlations suggested associations between white matter integrity (FA, RD) and disease duration/VAS scores, though not all reached statistical significance after Bonferroni correction.
• Findings indicate selective white matter impairment in TN, potentially more pronounced contralaterally.

Conclusions:

• Trigeminal neuralgia is associated with significant white matter abnormalities.
• These white matter changes, especially in the contralateral hemisphere, may serve as indicators of TN disease severity.