Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026
08:33
A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial of Cranial Electrical Stimulation for Fibromyalgia Pain and Physical Function, Using Brain Imaging Biomarkers
Published on: January 5, 2024
Altered Brain Functional Connectivity in Postherpetic Neuralgia and Its Association With Neuropathic Pain
Daeseok Oh1, Dong Ah Lee2, Ho-Joon Lee3
1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
Journal of Clinical Neurology (Seoul, Korea)
|July 9, 2026
Summary
Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is linked to altered brain network organization, showing reduced local efficiency and clustering. Pain severity correlates with increased local efficiency in PHN patients, suggesting symptom-specific network changes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
- Neurology
Background:
- Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a chronic neuropathic pain condition following herpes zoster.
- Brain network organization's role in PHN symptoms is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate brain network alterations in PHN patients.
- Correlate network changes with clinical pain severity.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state fMRI data from 42 PHN patients and 41 controls.
- Graph-theoretical analyses to assess global and regional brain network properties.
- Comparison between PHN patients and controls, stratified by Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) scores.
Main Results:
- PHN patients exhibited lower global network measures (clustering coefficient, eccentricity, local efficiency) compared to controls.
- Reduced betweenness centrality in the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC) was observed in PHN patients.
- Higher local efficiency in PHN patients correlated positively with DN4 pain scores.
Conclusions:
- PHN is associated with decreased local clustering, efficiency, and ACC hubness, indicating disrupted brain network organization.
- Increased local efficiency in PHN patients is linked to higher pain severity (DN4 scores).
- Connectomic profiling can reveal clinically relevant heterogeneity in PHN network reorganization.
