AUTHOR=Cheng Qinxiu , Xiao Han , Luo Yuhan , Zhong Linchang , Guo Yaomin , Fan Xinxin , Zhang Xiaodong , Liu Ying , Weng Ai , Ou Zilin , Zhang Weixi , Wu Huawang , Hu Qingmao , Peng Kangqiang , Xu Jinping , Liu Gang 

TITLE=Cortico-basal ganglia networks dysfunction associated with disease severity in patients with idiopathic blepharospasm

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 17 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1159883

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2023.1159883

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=Background: Structural changes occur in brain regions involved in cortico-basal ganglia networks in idiopathic blepharospasm; whether these changes influence the function connectivity patterns of cortico-basal ganglia networks remains largely unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the global integrative state and organization of functional connections of cortico-basal ganglia networks in patients with idiopathic blepharospasm.
Methods: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data and clinical measurements were acquired from 62 patients with idiopathic blepharospasm, 62 patients with hemifacial spasm, and 62 healthy controls. Topological parameters and functional connections of cortico-basal ganglia networks were evaluated and compared among the three groups. Correlation analyses were performed to explore the relationship between topological parameters and clinical measurements in patients with idiopathic blepharospasm.
Results: We found significantly increased global efficiency and decreased shortest path length and clustering coefficient of cortico-basal ganglia networks in patients with idiopathic blepharospasm compared with healthy controls; however, such differences were not observed between patients with hemifacial spasm and healthy controls. Further correlation analyses revealed that these parameters were significantly correlated with the severity of idiopathic blepharospasm. At the regional level, the functional connectivity between the left orbitofrontal area and left primary somatosensory cortex and between the right anterior part of pallidum and right anterior part of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex was significantly decreased in patients with idiopathic blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm compared with healthy controls. 
Conclusions: Dysfunction of the cortico-basal ganglia networks occurs in patients with idiopathic blepharospasm. The altered network metrics of cortico-basal ganglia networks might be served as quantitative markers for evaluation of the severity of idiopathic blepharospasm.