Differing Spontaneous Brain Activity in Healthy Adults with Two Different Body Constitutions: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Ching-Hsiung Liu,Pei-Shan Hsu,Jen-Chuen Hsieh,Tzu-Chen Yeh,Hong-Chun Lin,Yen-Ying Kung,Jen-Lin Yang,Ching-Mao Chang,Fang-Pey Chen,Chou-Ming Cheng,Ching-Ju Yang,Ta-Peng Wu

doi:10.3390/jcm8070951

Abstract

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners assess body constitution (BC) as a treatment basis for maintaining body homeostasis. We investigated patterns in spontaneous brain activity in different BC groups using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) and determined the relationship between these patterns and quality of life (QOL). Thirty-two healthy individuals divided into two groups (body constitution questionnaire (BCQ)-gentleness [BCQ-G] and BCQ-deficiency [BCQ-D]) based on the body constitution questionnaire (BCQ) underwent rsfMRI to analyze regional homogeneity (ReHo) and the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF). The World Health Organization Quality of Life Instruments (brief edition) scale was used to evaluate the QOL. The BCQ-G group (n = 18) had significantly greater ReHo values in the right postcentral gyrus and lower ALFF values in the brainstem than the BCQ-D group (n = 14). In the BCQ-D group, decreased ReHo of the postcentral gyrus correlated with better physiological functioning; increased ALFF in the brainstem correlated with poor QOL. BCQ-subgroup analysis revealed a nonsignificant correlation between ReHo and Yang deficiency/phlegm and stasis (Phl & STA). Nonetheless, the BCQ-D group showed a positive correlation between ALFF and Phl & STA in the parahippocampus. This study identified differences between BCQ-G and BCQ-D types of healthy adults based on the rsfMRI analysis. The different BCQ types with varied brain endophenotypes may elucidate individualized TCM treatment strategies.

Highlights

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been practiced in China for 2000 years
Our results suggested regional homogeneity (ReHo) values in the primary somatosensory cortex may contribute to the homeostasis in both body constitution questionnaire (BCQ) type and increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in the parahippocampus may play a role in deficiency-type of body constitution (BC)
Our present results demonstrated that ReHo analysis did not reveal the significant neural-behavior correlation of WHOQOL-BREF/BCQ-subtypes in BCQ-G/BCQ-all groups, respectively, which inferred that ReHo might be more sensitive inter-regional coherence

Summary

Introduction

TCM practitioners assess individual innate characters as patterns of body constitution (BC) according to the yin-yang theory and treat patients with herbal medicine, tuina, or acupuncture in clinical practice. The most widely used instruments for BC classification were developed by Wang and Su. Wang et al established a constitutional rule of nine that forms the primary content of the ‘Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire’ (CCMQ). Wang et al established a constitutional rule of nine that forms the primary content of the ‘Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire’ (CCMQ) This includes gentleness, qi-deficiency, yang-deficiency, yin-deficiency, phlegm-dampness, dampness-heat, blood-stasis, qi-depression, and special diathesis [5,6]. Su et al [3,4] created a 42-item questionnaire for assessing BC (body constitution questionnaire [BCQ]), which includes healthy/sub-healthy conditions consisting of gentleness, yang-deficiency (YaD), yin-deficiency (YinD), and phlegm and stasis (Phl & STA). In TCM practice, an individual’s BC represents the constitutional traits of an individual’s morphosis, including physical and psychological components that determine susceptibility to pathogenic factors [1,10]

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Results

Conclusion