Purpose: Although functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revealed that spinal cord injury (SCI) causes anomalous changes in task-induced brain activation, its effect during the resting state remains unclear. The aim of this study is to explore the changes of the brain resting-state function in non-human primates with unilateral SCI. Materials and methods: Eleven adult female rhesus monkeys were subjected to resting-state fMRI: five with unilateral thoracic SCI and six healthy monkeys, to obtain the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) of the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast signal to determine the influence of SCI on the cerebral resting-state function. Results: The SCI-induced fALFF vary significantly in several encephalic regions, including the left cerebellum, the left thalamus, the right lateral geniculate nucleus, the right superior parietal lobule, and the posterior cingulate gyrus. Conclusion: Analysis of the resting-state fMRI provides evidence of abnormal spontaneous brain activations in primates with SCI, which may help us understand the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying the changes in neural plasticity in the central nervous system after SCI. Crown Copyright (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
基金:
State Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNational Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [31130022, 31271037, 31320103903, 91132302]; National Science & Technology Pillar Program of China [2012BAI171304]; International Cooperation in Science & Technology Projects of Ministry of Science & Technology of China [2014DFA30640]; National 863 ProjectNational High Technology Research and Development Program of China [2012AA020506]; National 973 ProjectNational Basic Research Program of China [2012CB825500]; Innovation Method Work Program [2012IM030100, 2010IM030800]; National Ministry of Education Special Fund for Excellent Doctoral Dissertation [201356]; Special Funds for Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of Beijing, China [20111000601]; Department of Science and Technology of Beijing, China [D090800046609004]