Modification of Brain Functional Connectivity in Adolescent Thoracic Idiopathic Scoliosis by Lower Extremities Position
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Symmetry |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-8994/14/10/2068 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/sym14102068 |
| Keywords | functional MRI; motor circuitry; brain; adolescent idiopathic scoliosis; thoracic curve |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 18 patients with a right thoracic idiopathic curve greater than 30° (mean angle 49.4°, mean age 15.3 years, 4 males) and 22 healthy controls (mean age 18.2 years, 4 males) was explored using a 3T MR scanner. We measured their resting-state fMRI: a) with extended lower extremities; b) with semiflexion of the left lower extremity and extended right lower extremity, with hip abduction. Decreased functional connectivity (FC) between the secondary motor area (SMA) and postcentral cortex, pallidum and cuneus, postcentral gyrus and cerebellum, putamen and temporal lateral neocortex was observed in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). This pathological connectivity was reversed by lower extremity semiflexion. The functional connectivity (FC) between cortical and subcortical motor structures is significantly decreased in AIS. The decreased FC of the SMA, basal ganglia, cuneus (a hub structure), and cerebellum indicates the functional impairment of structures involved in regulating muscular tone. FC impairment in patients with AIS appears to be a reaction to the pathological condition. This pathological pattern flexibly reacts to changes in the positioning of the lower extremities, showing that the functional impairment of brain motor circuitry in AIS is reversible. We suggest that the reactivity of cerebral activity leading to brain activity normalization could be used for a rehabilitation program for patients with AIS. |
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