[Brain function and connection in patients with refractory overactive bladder and healthy population: Analysis based...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Urology
• Medical Imaging

Context:

• Refractory overactive bladder (rOAB) significantly impacts quality of life.
• Central nervous system (CNS) regulation mechanisms in rOAB are not fully understood.
• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) offers insights into brain function and connectivity.

Purpose:

• To investigate CNS regulation characteristics in rOAB patients using rs-fMRI.
• To compare brain function and connectivity between rOAB patients and healthy controls.
• To identify potential neurobiological underpinnings of rOAB.

Summary:

• rs-fMRI analysis revealed significantly decreased fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree centrality (DC) in the right superior and middle frontal regions of rOAB patients compared to healthy controls.
• While Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) showed no significant differences, the observed reductions in fALFF, ReHo, and DC suggest altered neural activity and connectivity.
• rOAB patients demonstrated significantly higher urinary frequency and symptom scores (OABSS, OAB-Q) than controls, correlating with the observed neuroimaging findings.

Impact:

• Identifies specific brain regions (right superior and middle frontal) with altered function and connectivity in rOAB.
• Suggests that these frontal brain regions may serve as novel therapeutic targets for rOAB.
• Provides a neurobiological basis for understanding rOAB and developing targeted interventions.