Prefrontal and sensorimotor cortices showed opposite patterns of hemodynamic activity changes between eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions in blepharospasm
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 31, 2026
Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2012
Xiao-Feng Huang1, Zhen Zhang1, Li-Na Tan1
1Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Background:
Blepharospasm (BSP), characterized by involuntary eyelid closure and difficulty opening the eyes, often results in functional blindness. However, there is a lack of objective and quantitative diagnostic markers, and the differences in hemodynamics between eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) conditions are unknown in BSP.
Objective:
To address this issue, we utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure the oxygenation differences in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and sensorimotor cortex in response to EO and EC conditions and compared them with those of healthy controls.
Methods:
We analyzed data from 96 BSP individuals and 31 healthy controls (HCs) by using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) determined by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (derived from fNIRS) to measure the oxygenation differences in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and sensorimotor cortex in response to EO and EC conditions.
Results:
The BSP group and the HC group exhibited opposite patterns of differences between the EC and EO conditions. In the HC group, the ALFF was greater in the EC condition than in the EO condition in the frontopolar area (FPA) and orbitofrontal cortex and lower in the EC condition than in the EO condition in the bilateral sensorimotor cortex. In the BSP group, the ALFF was greater in the EC condition than the EO condition in the bilateral sensorimotor cortex and lower in the EC condition than in the EO condition in the frontopolar area and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Moreover, differences in the EC-EO patterns at channel 44 and channel 3 between the two groups showed promising excellent discrimination potential, pending external validation.
Conclusion:
The BSP group and the HCs group showed opposite patterns of EO-EC differences in the prefrontal cortex and sensorimotor cortex. The delta EO-EC difference between the right S2 and the right FPA showed promising has excellent differential diagnostic value for BSP in this discovery cohort and is a candidate and is expected to become an early diagnostic biomarker requiring external validation and neuromodulation therapeutic target.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Accessory Structures of the Eye
01:21Association Areas of the Cortex
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...