Numerous neuroimaging studies have revealed abnormal brain function in patients with herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). However, few studies have focused on the alterations of intrinsic degree centrality (DC) in the transition process from the HZ to the PHN.
Materials and Methods:
Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data from 27 patients with PHN, 24 patients with HZ, and 21 healthy controls (HCs) were acquired. DC based on rs-fMRI was used to explore specific brain functional abnormalities in these participants.
Results:
Compared with HCs, patients with HZ presented decreased DC values in the right superior frontal gyrus, right cingulate gyrus, bilateral inferior parietal lobule (IPL), bilateral precuneus, and right paracentral lobule. Compared with HCs, patients with PHN also exhibited decreased DC values in the bilateral IPL. However, no regions with significant DC value changes were found between the HZ and PHN groups.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that decreased DC of the IPL is associated with the underlying neural mechanisms of the HZ and PHN stages and may represent a potential biomarker or intervention target candidate that needs further longitudinal confirmation.
Impact Statement
The neurophysiologic mechanism underlying zoster-associated pain is not yet adequately and comprehensively understood. Therefore, exploration of the underlying neural mechanism of the transition from HZ to PHN is urgently needed. We detected decreased DC values in the bilateral IPL in the HZ and PHN stages, which is associated with the neural mechanisms of zoster-associated pain and may represent a potential biomarker or intervention target candidate for neurofeedback, pharmacotherapy, or prognosis. This work contributes to the development of personalized preventive and therapeutic strategies for HZ and PHN.
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