Spatial patterns of intrinsic brain activity and functional connectivity in facial synkinesis patients

Abstract

Objectives As one of the most objectionable sequelae of facial paralysis, patients with facial synkinesis are more likely to be depressed and have lower quality of life than other facial paralysis patients. However, there is no research on the spatial patterns of intrinsic brain activity and functional connectivity in these patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the spatial patterns and cerebral plasticity of facial synkinesis patients. Methods A total of 20 facial synkinesis patients (18 men and 2 women; mean age: 33.35 ± 6.97 years old) and 19 healthy controls (17 men and 2 women; mean age: 33.21 ± 6.75 years old) were enrolled in this study. resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were collected, and the amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree centrality (DC) were calculated for each participant. Two-sample t-tests were performed to compare the ALFF, ReHo, and DC maps between the two groups. Results Compared with the healthy controls, facial synkinesis patients exhibited decreased ALFF in the fusiform gyrus, lingual gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, triangular inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, cingulate gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, precuneus, caudate nucleus and thalamus; decreased ReHo in the cingulate gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, insula, superior temporal gyrus, orbital middle frontal gyrus, caudate nucleus and thalamus; and decreased DC in the frontal lobe, insula, cingulate gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, lenticular putamen, hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus. We found significant overlap in the superior frontal gyrus across the ALFF, ReHo and DC analyses. Conclusions In facial synkinesis patients, the neurological activity in brain areas is reduced and the local synchronization in motion-related brain regions is decreased. The superior frontal gyrus could be a crucial region in the unique spatial patterns of intrinsic brain activity and functional connectivity in these patients.