Connectivity graph analysis of the auditory resting state network in tinnitus

• Published in: Brain research Vol. 1485; no. Nov 16; pp. 10 - 21
• Main Authors: Maudoux, A, Lefebvre, Ph, Cabay, J.-E, Demertzi, A, Vanhaudenhuyse, A, Laureys, S, Soddu, A
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 16.11.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acoustic Stimulation; Adult; Aged; Amygdala; Auditory Cortex - physiopathology; Auditory resting-sate network; Basal ganglia; Brain - physiopathology; Brain Mapping; Brain stem; Chronic Disease; cortex; Cortex (cingulate); Cortex (parietal); Data Interpretation, Statistical; Disability Evaluation; distress; eyes; Female; fMRI; Functional connectivity; ganglia; Graph analysis; Human health sciences; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Independent component analysis (ICA); Inventories; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Nerve Net - physiopathology; Nervous system; Neural networks; Neural Pathways - physiopathology; Neurologie; Neurology; Neurosciences & behavior; Neurosciences & comportement; Nucleus accumbens; Parahippocampal Gyrus - physiopathology; pathophysiology; patients; Principal Component Analysis; questionnaires; Scanning; Sciences de la santé humaine; Sciences sociales & comportementales, psychologie; Social & behavioral sciences, psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tinnitus; Tinnitus - physiopathology; Young Adult; Functional connectivity; fMRI; independent component analysis; Graph analysis; ICA; Auditory resting-sate network; blood oxygenation level dependent; region of interest; BOLD; Tinnitus; Independent component analysis (ICA); ROI
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.05.006

Thirteen chronic tinnitus patients and fifteen age-matched healthy controls were studied on a 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner during resting condition (i.e. eyes closed, no task performance). The auditory resting-state component was selected using an automatic component selection approach. Functional connectivity (correlations/anti-correlations) in the extracted network was portrayed by integrating the independent component analysis (ICA) approach with a graph theory method. Tinnitus and control groups showed different graph connectivity patterns. In the control group, the connectivity graph was divided into two distinct anti-correlated networks. The first one encompassed the auditory cortices and the insula. The second one encompassed frontoparietal and anterior cingulate cortices, brainstem, amygdala, basal ganglia/nucleus accumbens and parahippocampal regions. In the tinnitus group, only one of the two previously described networks was observed, encompassing the auditory cortices and the insula. Direct group comparison showed, in the tinnitus group, an increased functional connectivity between auditory cortices and the left parahippocampal region surviving multiple comparisons. We investigated a possible correlation between four tinnitus relevant measures (tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) and tinnitus questionnaire (TQ) scores, tinnitus duration and tinnitus intensity during the scanning session) and the connectivity pattern in the tinnitus population. We observed a significant positive correlation between the beta values of the posterior cingulate/precuneus region and the THI score. Our results show a modified functional connectivity pattern in tinnitus sufferers and highlight the role of the parahippocampal region in tinnitus physiopathology. They also point out the importance of the activity and connectivity pattern of the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus region to the development of the tinnitus associated distress. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Tinnitus Neuroscience.