Abnormal inter-hemispheric functional cooperation in blepharospasm

Jian-Ping Liu¹Yu-Fang Gu²Yang Shi³Shu-Fang Wang¹Chun-Mei Song¹Bi-Qin Liu⁴YingZhu Chen⁴Hua-Liang Li^1*

• ¹Yancheng Third People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
• ²Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
• ³Yangzhou Wutaishan Hospital of Jiangsu Province, Yangzhou, China
• ⁴Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China

Abstract Background Blepharospasm, characterized by involuntary contractions of the orbicularis oculi muscles, significantly impairs the quality of life. Its pathophysiology remains unclear. Inter-hemispheric cooperation is a prominent feature of the human brain. This study utilizes resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to explore interhemispheric functional cooperation in blepharospasm patients by examining connectivity between functionally homotopic voxels (CFH), aiming to identify neural disruptions associated with the disorder. Methods We recruited thirty patients with blepharospasm and 30 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls. All participants underwent rs-fMRI scanning. CFH maps were generated for each participant to quantify inter-hemispheric connectivity at the voxel level. Group differences were assessed, and partial correlation analyses were performed in the patient group to examine the relationship between aberrant CFH values and clinical variables. Results Compared to healthy controls, patients with blepharospasm showed significantly increased CFH in the left putamen and left precentral gyrus. However, these aberrant CFH values did not significantly correlate with clinical variables, including disease duration or total Jankovic Rating Scale (JRS) scores and its subscales. Conclusions