Gray Matter Volume and Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Motor Cortex-Cerebellum Network Reflect the Individual Variation in Masticatory Performance in Healthy Elderly People.
Gray Matter Volume and Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Motor Cortex-Cerebellum Network Reflect the Individual Variation in Masticatory Performance in Healthy Elderly People.
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DOI：
10.3389/fnagi.2015.00247
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发表时间：
2015
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Ko HW
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lin CS;Wu SY;Wu CY;Ko HW
神经影像学研究一致确定咀嚼过程中运动区和小脑的大脑激活。在这项研究中，我们进一步研究了结构和功能的大脑签名与咀嚼性能，这是一个广泛使用的指标，评估整体咀嚼功能的老年人。25名健康老年参与者接受了口腔检查，咀嚼性能测试和行为评估，包括认知能力筛查工具和简易老年抑郁量表。咀嚼性能进行了评估与验证比色法，使用变色口香糖。进行T1加权结构磁共振成像（MRI）和静息态功能MRI。我们使用基于体素的形态测量和基于种子的方法分析了脑区域之间的静息状态功能连接（rsFC）的灰质体积（GMV）变化。结构和功能MRI分析结果表明：（1）运动前区GMV的变化与咀嚼效能呈正相关。(2)小脑与前运动皮质之间的rsFC与咀嚼效能呈正相关。(3)背外侧前额叶皮层（DLPFC）的GMV变化，以及小脑和DLPFC之间的rsFC，与咀嚼性能呈正相关。结果表明，在运动前区皮层，GMV和rsFC的减少反映了咀嚼效能的下降。DLPFC的连接性与咀嚼功能呈正相关，提示老年人的咀嚼能力与认知功能有关。我们的研究结果强调了中枢神经系统在咀嚼性能中的作用，并增加了我们对老年人咀嚼性能个体差异背后的结构和功能大脑特征的理解。
Neuroimaging studies have consistently identified brain activation in the motor area and the cerebellum during chewing. In this study, we further investigated the structural and functional brain signature associated with masticatory performance, which is a widely used index for evaluating overall masticatory function in the elderly. Twenty-five healthy elderly participants underwent oral examinations, masticatory performance tests, and behavioral assessments, including the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument and the short-form Geriatric Depression Scale. Masticatory performance was assessed with the validated colorimetric method, using color-changeable chewing gum. T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and resting-state function MRI were performed. We analyzed alterations in gray matter volume (GMV) using voxel-based morphometry and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between brain regions using the seed-based method. The structural and functional MRI analyses revealed the following findings: (1) the GMV change in the premotor cortex was positively correlated with masticatory performance. (2) The rsFC between the cerebellum and the premotor cortex was positively correlated with masticatory performance. (3) The GMV changes in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), as well as the rsFC between the cerebellum and the DLPFC, were positively correlated with masticatory performance. The findings showed that in the premotor cortex, a reduction of GMV and rsFC would reflect declined masticatory performance. The positive correlation between DLPFC connectivity and masticatory performance implies that masticatory ability is associated with cognitive function in the elderly. Our findings highlighted the role of the central nervous system in masticatory performance and increased our understanding of the structural and functional brain signature underlying individual variations in masticatory performance in the elderly.