Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 24, 2026
A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy
Published on: November 13, 2016
Voxel-based global-brain functional connectivity alterations in first-episode drug-naive patients with somatization
Pan Pan1, Yangpan Ou1, Qinji Su2
1Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China; National Clinical Research Center on Mental Disorders, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China.
Background:
Altered functional connectivity (FC) is associated with the pathophysiology of patients with somatization disorder (SD). However, inconsistent results were obtained due to different selections of regions of interest (ROIs) in previous researches. This study aims to examine voxel-wise brain-wide FC alterations in patients with first-episode, drug-naive SD in an unbiased way.
Methods:
A total of 25 patients with SD and 28 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Global-brain FC (GFC) was applied to analyze the images. Receiver operating characteristic curves and support vector machine were used to differentiate the patients from the controls.
Results:
Compared with healthy controls, patients with SD exhibited increased GFC in the right inferior temporal gyrus (t-value = 4.0663, p < 0.001) and left superior occipital gyrus (t-value = 3.8197, p < 0.001). Decreased GFC in the right insula (t-value = ‒4.1667, p < 0.001) was observed in the patients relative to the controls. The GFC values in the right insula of the patients were positively correlated to their scores of the sleep subscale of the Hamilton Depression Scale (r = 0.455, p = 0.022) and the lie subscale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (r = 0.436, p = 0.029). A combination of GFC values in the right insula and left superior occipital gyrus can be applied to discriminate the patients from the controls with optimal sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 88.00%, 85.71%, and 86.79%, respectively.
Conclusions:
Our study indicates that patients with SD show abnormal GFC in the brain areas of insula-centered sensorimotor network, and thus providing a new perspective for understanding the pathological changes of FC in SD. Furthermore, a combination of the GFC values in the right insula and left superior occipital gyrus may be used as a potential biomarker to identify the patients from the controls.
More Related Videos
07:12Using Informational Connectivity to Measure the Synchronous Emergence of fMRI Multi-voxel Information Across Time
Published on: July 1, 2014
11:57Whole-Brain 3D Activation and Functional Connectivity Mapping in Mice using Transcranial Functional Ultrasound Imaging
Published on: February 24, 2021
Related Concept Videos
01:17Functions of Connective Tissues
Hard connective tissues, such as bones and cartilage, provide structure and support to the body.
01:17Drugs Used in Lower Respiratory Disorders: Overview
Bronchodilators, the first step of respiration enhancement, come in various forms, each with its own mechanism...
01:16Drugs Used in Upper Respiratory Disorders: Overview
Antihistamines (e.g., Benadryl) block histamines from binding. Histamines are chemicals released during an allergic reaction in the body. As a...
01:50Global Climate Change
01:29Disorders of Acid-Base Balance
Respiratory Acidosis and Alkalosis
Respiratory acidosis occurs due to an increase in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide PCO2 in the blood. It often arises from shallow breathing or impaired gas exchange caused by...
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients