Resting-state fMRI dynamic functional network in young children with Tourette syndrome

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by involuntary motor and phonic tics, with diagnosis often delayed due to the 1-year symptom duration criterion. This study aimed to explore early neuroimaging biomarkers of TS in young children, by investigating spatiotemporal alterations in dynamic brain network connectivity in 4-6-year-old children with TS.

This retrospective case-control study collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 24 children aged 4-6 years, including 12 drug-naive TS patients and 12 matched healthy controls (N group). Group Independent Component Analysis (GICA) and Independent Vector Analysis (IVA) were used to assess group differences in temporal and spatial dynamic functional network connectivity (FNC), respectively. Correlations between these connectivity alterations and Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) scores as well as disease duration were analyzed.

Statistically significant between-group differences were found in temporal dynamic FNC (p < 0.05), with marginal differences observed in spatial dynamic connectivity (p < 0.1), primarily involving the ventral default mode network (VDMN), primary visual network (PVN), and precuneus network (PCN). The N group showed a wider range and higher strength of FNC values, while the TS group exhibited abnormally enhanced connectivity in the insula region, which was positively correlated with disease duration.

This study revealed abnormal temporal and spatial dynamic brain network connectivity in young children at the early stage of TS, particularly in insula-related circuits. These findings provide novel insights into the early neuropathological mechanisms of TS and support the potential of dynamic FNC metrics as early imaging biomarkers for TS in young children.