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Aberrant Intraregional Brain Activity and Functional Connectivity in Patients With Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable
Xiao-Fei Chen1, Yun Guo2, Xing-Qi Lu1
1Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China.
Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) patients exhibit altered brain activity and connectivity, particularly in regions regulating pain and emotion. These changes correlate with mood and gastrointestinal symptoms, suggesting a link to dopamine pathway dysfunction.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gastroenterology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) is linked to psychosocial factors.
- Altered brain activity and functional connectivity (FC) may underlie IBS-D symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure spontaneous brain activity and FC in IBS-D patients using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI).
- To analyze the relationship between brain activity, FC, and emotional/gastrointestinal symptoms in IBS-D.
Main Methods:
- RS-fMRI scans were performed on 36 IBS-D patients and 36 healthy controls (HCs).
- Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) were compared between groups.
- Seed-based FC analysis was conducted, and correlations with symptom severity were examined.
Main Results:
- IBS-D patients showed distinct patterns of increased and decreased ALFF and ReHo in various brain regions compared to HCs.
- Enhanced FC was observed between the left precuneus and bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in IBS-D patients.
- Increased midbrain ALFF positively correlated with anxiety-depression symptoms, mediated by gastrointestinal symptoms.
Conclusions:
- IBS-D patients exhibit dysregulated brain activity and FC in pain regulation and emotional arousal circuits.
- Dysfunction in the prefrontal-limbic-midbrain circuit and dopamine pathway may contribute to mood disorders in IBS-D.
- Visceral pain-induced dysfunction in brain regions like the midbrain and OFC could be implicated in mood disturbances.
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