Structural changes in the CNS of patients with hemifacial spasm

Bao, Faxiu; Wang, Y.; Liu, J.; Mao, Cuiping; Ma, Siddiqui; Guo, Chenguang; Ding, Hongbin; Zhang, M.

doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.12.070

Cited by 27 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Pallidum alterations have been previously reported in other movementrelated disorders (27,28). To date, only one study that used VBM method reported volume alterations in the pallidum in patients with HFS (7). Possible explanations for this discrepancy may be the presence of focal disease related morphological changes within subcortical structures which does not affect the global brain volume significantly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…HFS is not a life threating condition with low incidence in the general population (5), but it is more prevalent among older adults and inevitably causes social embarrassment and mental distress, which can affect patients' functioning and quality of life (6). Notably, patients with HFS demonstrate negative emotional symptoms, which have been reported to be related to brain structural alterations (7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, little is known about the contribution of subcortical abnormalities to the progress of HFS, and it is not clear whether those alterations cause or result from HFS symptoms. To date, only one study has observed subcortical alterations in HFS, which demonstrated reduced gray matter volume in the thalamus, putamen, pallidum, and amygdala in patients with HFS compared to healthy volunteers (7). The data were processed by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and traditional volumetric (i.e., total volume) approach with inherent limitations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Subcortical Brain Abnormalities and Clinical Relevance in Patients With Hemifacial Spasm

Guo

Luo

et al. 2020

Front. Neurol.

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Purpose: Hemifacial spasm (HFS), a rare neuromuscular movement disorder, is characterized by unilateral, irregular, and paroxysmal facial muscle contractions. To explore the central neural mechanisms of HFS, we conducted vertex-wise shape analyses to investigate volume and shape alterations of subcortical structures, which could help to better understand the abnormality in distinct subcortical regions and determine alternative biomarkers of HFS. Methods: Thirty patients with HFS and 30 age-and sex-matched healthy controls provided written informed consent. T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were collected from all participants. Vertex-wise shape analyses were performed to assess the volume and shape alterations of subcortical structures following HFS. Post hoc correlations with spasm severity and measures of mood dysfunction were applied to characterize subcortical brain alterations. Results: Compared with healthy controls, patients with HFS showed increased volume in the right caudate specifically. Furthermore, patients exhibited significant shape atrophy in the anterior medial aspect of left pallidum, together with shape expansion in the anterior ventrolateral aspect of right caudate head. In addition, shape alteration in right caudate was positively correlated with both anxiety and depression severity in patients with HFS. Conclusions: This is the first study to employ vertex-wise shape analysis to investigate subcortical brain abnormalities in patients with HFS. Our findings provide compelling evidence for subcortical brain alterations specific to HFS, and further may shed light on the pathophysiology of HFS and apply to the translational medicine.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Subcortical Brain Abnormalities and Clinical Relevance in Patients With Hemifacial Spasm

Guo

Luo

et al. 2020

Front. Neurol.

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“…Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a neuromuscular movement disorder generally characterized by unilateral, involuntary, and intermittent contractions of the muscles innervated by the ipsilateral facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) 1) . Patients with HFS suffer from facial muscle spasms which can impact social interaction with others and their quality of life 1) . The most common cause of HFS is a neurovascular conflict between the artery and the facial nerve at the root entry zone of the brainstem 13) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conformation of the Posterior Fossa of the Skull: A Predisposing Factor in Patients with Hemifacial Spasm

Kang

Choi

Lee

et al. 2020

Nerve

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Hemifacial spasm (HFS) can be caused by vascular compression of the facial nerve at the root entry zone in the brain stem. The study aims to analyze the length and volume of the posterior cranial fossa (PCF) and the angle of skull flatness to evaluate any possible contribution of morphological characteristics to the development of neurovascular compression leading to HFS. Methods: We enrolled 30 patients with HFS and matched them by age and sex to controls. Three-dimensional volumetric analyses of the PCF were performed using magnetic resonance imaging. We measured the angle and approximate volume of the PCF using the ellipsoid method. Results: The mean volume of the PCF in patients with HFS was significantly lower (220.2±24.9 vs. 243.1±31.2; p=0.003) than in controls. In addition, the mean angle of the PCF of patients with HFS was smaller than that of controls (100.7±6.0 vs. 106.5±7.0; p=0.001). Several clinical factors were investigated, and there were significant associations between PCF volume and hypertension. Hypertension is more common in the HFS patient group than in the control group (18/30 [60.0%] vs. 10/30 [33.3 %]; p=0.038). Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients with HFS can be characterized by flatness of the skull and small volume of the PCF. These structural differences may play a role in neurovascular compression in patients with HFS.

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“…It is widely considered that HFS is caused by vascular contact to the facial nerve in the cerebellopontine angle cistern (5, 6); however, to date, only two studies have evaluated gray matter abnormalities in HFS patients. The first study by Bao et al (7) found that patients with HFS showed reduced gray matter volume (GMV) in the thalamus, putamen, pallidum, amygdala, and parahippocampal gyrus compared to healthy volunteers. The second study, however, found that HFS patients had decreased GMV in the right inferior parietal lobule and increased GMV in the cerebellar lobule compared to controls (8).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural and Functional Amygdala Abnormalities in Hemifacial Spasm

Guo

et al. 2019

Front. Neurol.

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Background and Purpose: Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a rare neuromuscular disorder characterized by unilateral, involuntary, and paroxysmal contractions of orofacial muscles. To elucidate the central neural mechanisms of HFS, we investigated brain gray matter and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in HFS patients. Methods: Thirty patients with HFS and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy participants consented to the study. T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and resting-state BOLD images were collected in all participants. Cortical gray matter thickness was assessed, and subcortical volumetric analysis was performed. Seed-based rsFC analysis was performed on structurally abnormal regions in HFS patients. Post hoc correlations with HFS severity and measures of mood (i.e., depression and anxiety) were performed to characterize rsFC alterations. Results: There were no significant differences in cortical thickness in HFS patients compared to healthy controls. Patients with HFS presented smaller right amygdala volume in contrast to healthy controls ( q < 0.05, false-discovery rate corrected). We found that the right amygdala had increased rsFC with bilateral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), bilateral orbital frontal cortex (OFC), and left posterior insula (L postIns; voxel-wise p < 0.05, family-wise error corrected). Moreover, the connections of amygdala–postIns and amygdala–mPFC were positively related to HFS severity and anxiety, respectively. Conclusions: This is the first study to show structural and functional brain abnormalities in HFS. The volumetric and rsFC amygdala abnormalities were potentially driven by HFS, providing novel insights into HFS pathophysiology.

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Structural changes in the CNS of patients with hemifacial spasm

Cited by 27 publications

References 53 publications

Subcortical Brain Abnormalities and Clinical Relevance in Patients With Hemifacial Spasm

Subcortical Brain Abnormalities and Clinical Relevance in Patients With Hemifacial Spasm

Conformation of the Posterior Fossa of the Skull: A Predisposing Factor in Patients with Hemifacial Spasm

Structural and Functional Amygdala Abnormalities in Hemifacial Spasm

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