Author: Bao CH1, Liu P2, Liu HR3, Wu LY4, Shi Y3, Chen WF5, Qin W2, Lu Y1, Zhang JY6, Jin XM7, Wang XM3, Zhao JM1, Liu XM2, Tian J8, Wu HG9
Affiliation:
1Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
2Life Sciences Research Center, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Shaanxi, China.
3Outpatient Department, Shanghai Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
4Qigong Institute, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
5Endoscopy Center, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
6Department of Radiology, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
7Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
8Life Sciences Research Center, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Shaanxi, China wuhuangan@126.com.
9Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China wuhuangan@126.com.
Conference/Journal: J Crohns Colitis.
Date published: 2015 Jul
Other:
Volume ID: 9 , Issue ID: 7 , Pages: 532-40 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjv057. Epub 2015 Apr 20. , Word Count: 255
BACKGROUND: Whether Crohn's disease [CD] is correlated with brain structural changes is unclear. This study examined changes in grey matter [GM] structures in CD patients and their correlation with psychological distress.
METHODS: A total of 45 CD patients and 33 healthy controls were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]. Voxel-based morphometry and a cortical thickness analysis were used to determine brain GM volume and cortical thickness.
RESULTS: The GM volumes in the CD patients were significantly higher in the putamen, pallidum, thalamus, hippocampal cortex, amygdala, precuneus, posterior parietal cortex, periaqueductal grey, and cerebellum, but were lower in many other cortical regions. The cortical thicknesses of the insula, cingulate cortex, parahippocampal cortex, and other cortical regions were significantly reduced in CD patients. After controlling for psychological distress [anxiety and depression], the differences among several regions involved in emotional processing were not significant. The GM volumes of the right anterior cingulate cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and left insula and the cortical thickness of the left insula and orbitofrontal cortex were negatively correlated with disease duration.
CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the significant changes in GM structures in multiple brain regions of CD patients can be partially explained by the higher levels of anxiety and depression in these patients. Specific profiles of altered GM structures in CD patients were correlated with disease duration.
Copyright © 2015 European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
KEYWORDS: Neuroimaging; brain; cortical thickness; intestine; voxel-based morphometry
PMID: 25895879 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
