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This study investigated neurologic changes in patients with dry eye (DE) by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and to used regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis to clarify the relationship between these changes and clinical features of DE. A total of 28 patients with DE and 28 matched healthy control (HC) subjects (10 males and 18 females in each group) were enrolled. fMRI scans were performed in both groups. We carried out ReHo analysis to assess differences in neural activity between the 2 groups, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the performance of ReHo values of specific brain areas in distinguishing DE patients from HCs. The relationship between average ReHo values and clinical characteristics was assessed by correlation analysis. ReHo values of the middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and superior frontal gyrus were significantly lower in DE patients compared to HCs. The ROC analysis showed that ReHo value had high accuracy in distinguishing between DE patients and HCs (P

Objective. In order to further study the changes of cerebral functional connectivity in patients with toothache (TA), this study used the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) technique and degree centrality (DC) analysis method. Methods. Eighteen TA patients (8 males, 10 females) and 18 healthy individuals of similar age, sex, and educational levels were recruited as healthy controls (HCs) to take part in the study, and all underwent rs-fMRI examination. And DC technology was used to compare the state of their cerebral spontaneous functional activity. In order to compare the average DC values of the TA group and HC group, we used independent two-sample t -test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to compare the difference of DC values between the two groups, so as to distinguish the accuracy of TA diagnosis. Finally, we also carry out Pearson’s linear regression analysis. Results. The TA group showed higher DC values in the right lingual gyrus (RLG), right precentral gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus (LMTG) than HCs. Moreover, ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve (AUC) of each cerebral region studied had high accuracy. In addition, linear analysis indicated that the DC values of the RLG were positively correlated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) ( r = 0.844 , p < 0.001 ), and the DC values of the LMTG were positively correlated with the visual analogue scale (VAS) ( r = 0.723 , p < 0.001 ). Conclusion. TA generates abnormal changes in the intrinsic activity patterns of pain-related and vision-related areas of the cerebral cortex, which will be beneficial to reveal the underlying neuropathic mechanisms.

We used correlation analysis to examine whether changes in grey matter volume in patients correlated with clinical presentation. gray matter volume was markedly reduced in neovascular glaucoma patients than healthy controls in the following brain regions: left cingulum anterior/medial frontal gyrus; left middle frontal gyrus, orbital part; left inferior frontal gyrus, orbital part; superior temporal gyrus/right frontal inferior orbital part. VBM directly suggests that neovascular glaucoma patients have changed in the volume of multiple brain regions. These changes exist in brain areas related to the visual pathway, as well as other brain areas which are not related to vision. The alteration of specific brain areas are closely related to clinical symptoms such as increased intraocular pressure and optic nerve atrophy in neovascular glaucoma patients. In conclusion, neovascular glaucoma may cause paralgesia, anxiety, and depression in patients.

Objective: Recent studies suggested that diabetic optic neuropathy(DON) independently increases the incidence of brain diseases like cerebral infarction and hemorrhage. In this study, voxel-level degree centrality (DC) was used to study potential changes in functional network brain activity in DON patients. Methods: The study included 14 DON patients and 14 healthy controls (HCs) matched by age, sex, and weight. All subjects underwent resting functional magnetic resonance imaging. Receiver operating characteristic curves and Pearson correlation analysis were performed. Results: The DC values of the left frontal mid orb (LFMO) and right middle frontal Gyrus (RMFG)/right frontal sup (RFS) were significantly lower in DON patients compared to HCs. The DC value of the left temporal lobe (LTL) was also significantly higher than in HCs. Conclusion: Three different brain regions show DC changes in DON patients, suggesting common optic neuropathy in the context of diabetes and providing new ideas for treating optic nerve disease in patients with long-term diabetes. Abbreviations: DC = degree centrality; DON = diabetic optic neuropathy; HC = healthy control; LFMO = left frontal mid orb; RMFS = right middle frontal gyrus; RFS = right frontal sup; LTL = left temporal lobe; FFA = fluorescein fundus angiography; fMRI = functional magnetic resonance imaging; VMHC = voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity; ALFF = low-frequency fluctuation amplitude; AUC = area under the curve; BCVA = best corrected visual acuity.