AUTHOR=Chen Jun , Wang Zengjian , Tu Yiheng , Liu Xian , Jorgenson Kristen , Ye Guoxi , Lin Chenlin , Liu Jianhua , Park Joel , Lang Courtney , Liu Bo , Kong Jian 

TITLE=Regional Homogeneity and Multivariate Pattern Analysis of Cervical Spondylosis Neck Pain and the Modulation Effect of Treatment

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2018

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2018.00900

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2018.00900

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=Objects: We investigated brain functional alteration in patients with chronic neck pain (CSNP) compared to healthy controls (HCs), and the effect of intervention. Methods: 104 CSNP patients and 96 matched HCs were recruited. Patients received 4 weeks of treatment. Resting-state fMRI and Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) were collected before and after treatment. Regional Homogeneity (rs-ReHo) and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) were applied to 1) investigate rs-ReHo differences between CSNP patients and controls and the effect of longitudinal treatment; and 2) classify CSNP patients from HCs and predict the clinical outcomes before treatment using MVPA. Results: We found that 1) CSNP patients showed decreased rs-ReHo in the left sensorimotor cortex and right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ), and rs-ReHo at the rTPJ significantly increased after treatment; 2) rs-ReHo at rTPJ was associated with NPQ at baseline, and pre- and post-treatment rs-ReHo changes at rTPJ were associated with NPQ changes in CSNP patients; and 3) MVPA could discriminate CSNP patients from HCs with 72% accuracy and predict clinical outcomes with a mean absolute error of 19.6%. Conclusion: The rs-Reho at rTPJ and sensorimotor cortex were underlying mechanism in CSNP patients. Significance: rTPJ played important role in the pathophysiology and development of CSNP.