Aberrant Thalamic-Centered Functional Connectivity in Patients with Persistent Somatoform Pain Disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Psychiatry
• Pain Medicine

Background:

• Persistent Somatoform Pain Disorder (PSPD) is characterized by aberrant brain activity in sensory, cognitive, and emotional regions.
• Previous task-based fMRI studies have limitations in revealing spontaneous brain network alterations in PSPD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alterations in spontaneous brain networks in PSPD patients using resting-state fMRI.
• To explore the neural mechanisms underlying pain-related anxiety in PSPD.

Main Methods:

• 13 PSPD patients and 23 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state and structural MRI.
• Functional connectivity (FC) was calculated between 90 regions of interest (ROIs) using the CONN toolbox.
• Correlation analysis was performed between FC and anxiety levels.

Main Results:

• PSPD patients exhibited increased FC between the left thalamus and the right amygdala, right hippocampus, and occipital lobe sub-regions compared to HCs.
• A negative correlation was found between left thalamus-right amygdala FC and anxiety levels in PSPD patients.

Conclusions:

• Altered functional connectivity between the thalamus and amygdala may underlie pain-related anxiety in PSPD.
• These findings highlight potential neural targets for therapeutic interventions in PSPD.