Brain aging among individuals with trigeminal neuralgia

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Psychology

Background:

• Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a neuropathic pain condition with poorly understood mechanisms.
• Brain changes, including accelerated aging, are increasingly implicated in TN.
• Brain aging biomarkers offer potential insights into TN pathophysiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess predicted brain age difference (brain-PAD) in classical TN and secondary/idiopathic TN subtypes.
• To compare brain-PAD between TN subtypes and pain-free controls.
• To investigate associations between brain-PAD and clinical/psychological factors in TN.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study comparing classical TN (n=34), secondary/idiopathic TN (n=17), and controls (n=54).
• T1 brain MRI scans were acquired for all participants.
• Brain-PAD was calculated using validated biomarkers; clinical and psychological data were collected.

Main Results:

• Classical TN showed significantly greater brain-PAD (3.87 years) compared to controls (p=0.01).
• No significant brain-PAD differences were found between secondary/idiopathic TN and controls.
• Brain-PAD positively correlated with pain catastrophizing and pain-related anxiety in classical TN (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

• Accelerated brain aging is associated with classical TN, but not secondary/idiopathic TN.
• Brain aging in classical TN is linked to psychological factors, not disease duration or intensity.
• Brain aging biomarkers derived from clinical MRI scans may aid TN research and understanding.