Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 28, 2025
A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy
Published on: November 13, 2016
Altered lateral geniculate nucleus functional connectivity in migraine without aura: a resting-state functional MRI
Di Zhang1, Xiaobin Huang1, Wen Su1
1Department of Radiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, No.68, Changle Road, Nanjing, 210006, Jiangsu Province, China.
Objectives:
To investigate the structural and functional connectivity changes of lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and their relationships with clinical characteristics in patients without aura.
Methods:
Conventional MRI, 3D structure images and resting state functional MRI were performed in 30 migraine patients without aura (MwoA) and 22 healthy controls (HC). The lateral geniculate nucleus volumes and the functional connectivity (FC) of bilateral lateral geniculate nucleus were computed and compared between groups.
Results:
The lateral geniculate nucleus volumes in patient groups did not differ from the controls. The brain regions with increased FC of the left LGN mainly located in the left cerebellum and right lingual gyrus in MwoA compared with HC. The increased FC of right LGN located in left inferior frontal gyrus in MwoA compared with HC. The correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between VLSQ-8 score and the increased FC of left cerebellum and right lingual gyrus.
Conclusions:
Photophobia in MwoA could be mediated by abnormal resting state functional connectivity in visual processing regions, the pain perception regulatory network and emotion regulation network. This result is valuable to further understanding about the clinical manifestation and pathogenesis of migraine.
