Gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain structures
Abstract Background The incidence of pain disorders in women is higher than in men, making gender differences in pain a research focus. The human insular cortex is an important brain hub structure for pain processing and is divided into several subdivisions, serving different functions in pain perce...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2018-03-01
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| Series: | The Journal of Headache and Pain |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s10194-018-0849-z |
| _version_ | 1811325578498801664 |
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| author | Yu-Jie Dai Xin Zhang Yang Yang Hai-Yan Nan Ying Yu Qian Sun Lin-Feng Yan Bo Hu Jin Zhang Zi-Yu Qiu Yi Gao Guang-Bin Cui Bi-Liang Chen Wen Wang |
| author_facet | Yu-Jie Dai Xin Zhang Yang Yang Hai-Yan Nan Ying Yu Qian Sun Lin-Feng Yan Bo Hu Jin Zhang Zi-Yu Qiu Yi Gao Guang-Bin Cui Bi-Liang Chen Wen Wang |
| author_sort | Yu-Jie Dai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The incidence of pain disorders in women is higher than in men, making gender differences in pain a research focus. The human insular cortex is an important brain hub structure for pain processing and is divided into several subdivisions, serving different functions in pain perception. Here we aimed to examine the gender differences of the functional connectivities (FCs) between the twelve insular subdivisions and selected pain-related brain structures in healthy adults. Methods Twenty-six healthy males and 11 age-matched healthy females were recruited in this cross-sectional study. FCs between the 12 insular subdivisions (as 12 regions of interest (ROIs)) and the whole brain (ROI-whole brain level) or 64 selected pain-related brain regions (64 ROIs, ROI-ROI level) were measured between the males and females. Results Significant gender differences in the FCs of the insular subdivisions were revealed: (1) The FCs between the dorsal dysgranular insula (dId) and other brain regions were significantly increased in males using two different techniques (ROI-whole brain and ROI-ROI analyses); (2) Based on the ROI-whole brain analysis, the FC increases in 4 FC-pairs were observed in males, including the left dId - the right median cingulate and paracingulate/ right posterior cingulate gyrus/ right precuneus, the left dId - the right median cingulate and paracingulate, the left dId - the left angular as well as the left dId - the left middle frontal gyrus; (3) According to the ROI-ROI analysis, increased FC between the left dId and the right rostral anterior cingulate cortex was investigated in males. Conclusion In summary, the gender differences in the FCs of the insular subdivisions with pain-related brain regions were revealed in the current study, offering neuroimaging evidence for gender differences in pain processing. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02820974. Registered 28 June 2016. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T14:35:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3d4d1a30ec224e6788a5a3dbd4fc6f09 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1129-2369 1129-2377 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T14:35:49Z |
| publishDate | 2018-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Headache and Pain |
| spelling | doaj.art-3d4d1a30ec224e6788a5a3dbd4fc6f092022-12-22T02:43:02ZengBMCThe Journal of Headache and Pain1129-23691129-23772018-03-0119111010.1186/s10194-018-0849-zGender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain structuresYu-Jie Dai0Xin Zhang1Yang Yang2Hai-Yan Nan3Ying Yu4Qian Sun5Lin-Feng Yan6Bo Hu7Jin Zhang8Zi-Yu Qiu9Yi Gao10Guang-Bin Cui11Bi-Liang Chen12Wen Wang13Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Student Brigade, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Student Brigade, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Xijing Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, the Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)Abstract Background The incidence of pain disorders in women is higher than in men, making gender differences in pain a research focus. The human insular cortex is an important brain hub structure for pain processing and is divided into several subdivisions, serving different functions in pain perception. Here we aimed to examine the gender differences of the functional connectivities (FCs) between the twelve insular subdivisions and selected pain-related brain structures in healthy adults. Methods Twenty-six healthy males and 11 age-matched healthy females were recruited in this cross-sectional study. FCs between the 12 insular subdivisions (as 12 regions of interest (ROIs)) and the whole brain (ROI-whole brain level) or 64 selected pain-related brain regions (64 ROIs, ROI-ROI level) were measured between the males and females. Results Significant gender differences in the FCs of the insular subdivisions were revealed: (1) The FCs between the dorsal dysgranular insula (dId) and other brain regions were significantly increased in males using two different techniques (ROI-whole brain and ROI-ROI analyses); (2) Based on the ROI-whole brain analysis, the FC increases in 4 FC-pairs were observed in males, including the left dId - the right median cingulate and paracingulate/ right posterior cingulate gyrus/ right precuneus, the left dId - the right median cingulate and paracingulate, the left dId - the left angular as well as the left dId - the left middle frontal gyrus; (3) According to the ROI-ROI analysis, increased FC between the left dId and the right rostral anterior cingulate cortex was investigated in males. Conclusion In summary, the gender differences in the FCs of the insular subdivisions with pain-related brain regions were revealed in the current study, offering neuroimaging evidence for gender differences in pain processing. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02820974. Registered 28 June 2016.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s10194-018-0849-zGender differencesInsular subdivisionsPainFunctional connectivityResting-state |
| spellingShingle | Yu-Jie Dai Xin Zhang Yang Yang Hai-Yan Nan Ying Yu Qian Sun Lin-Feng Yan Bo Hu Jin Zhang Zi-Yu Qiu Yi Gao Guang-Bin Cui Bi-Liang Chen Wen Wang Gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain structures The Journal of Headache and Pain Gender differences Insular subdivisions Pain Functional connectivity Resting-state |
| title | Gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain structures |
| title_full | Gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain structures |
| title_fullStr | Gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain structures |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain structures |
| title_short | Gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain structures |
| title_sort | gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain related brain structures |
| topic | Gender differences Insular subdivisions Pain Functional connectivity Resting-state |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s10194-018-0849-z |
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