Dysfunction in the Interaction of Information Between and Within the Bilateral Primary Sensory Cortex

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Functional integration relies on interhemispheric and intrahemispheric synchronization.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is associated with disrupted functional connectivity (FC) in bilateral hemispheres.
• The central mechanisms of weakened connectivity in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in CTS require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential mechanism of weakened S1 connectivity in patients with CTS.
• To explore changes in interhemispheric and intrahemispheric S1 connectivity using advanced neuroimaging techniques.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was performed on 53 CTS patients and 23 healthy controls (HCs).
• Functional connectivity (FC), effective connectivity (EC), and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) were employed.
• These methods were used to analyze interhemispheric and intrahemispheric S1 changes.

Main Results:

• Patients with CTS showed significantly decreased interhemispheric S1 connectivity compared to HCs.
• EC and VMHC results were consistent with FC findings in CTS patients.
• Effective connectivity revealed weakened information output from the dominant hemisphere to the contralateral hemisphere.

Conclusions:

• Maladjusted connections within and between bilateral S1 are present in CTS patients.
• Deafferentation in the dominant hemisphere leads to reduced influence on the contralateral hemisphere.
• These findings provide evidence for neuropathophysiological mechanisms underlying decreased functional integration in CTS.