Abnormal static and dynamic brain function in patients with temporomandibular disorders: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the brain function of patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) by combining the static and dynamic amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF).

Methods: Thirty patients with TMD and 20 healthy controls were enrolled. All the participants completed their questionnaires, received clinical examinations, and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. We compared the static and dynamic ALFF between the patients and healthy controls by conducting a two-sample t-test with AlphaSim correction for multiple comparisons. The correlation between the static and dynamic ALFF of the brain regions with significant group differences and clinical measurements was analyzed.

Results: The patients with TMD showed increased static and dynamic ALFF in the posterior cingulate cortex compared with that of the controls (whole-brain level, uncorrected P=0.005; region of interest level with AlphaSim correction, voxel level P<0.005, cluster level P<0.05). The dynamic ALFF of the posterior cingulate cortex was negatively correlated with bilateral condylar vertical discrepancies. The dynamic ALFF in the medial orbitofrontal cortex of the patients with TMD was greater than that of the controls (whole-brain level AlphaSim correction, voxel level P<0.005, cluster level P<0.05).

Conclusions: Our findings revealed that the resting-state brain function of the posterior cingulate cortex and the medial orbitofrontal cortex of patient with TMD increased. These changes probably indicated the potential central mechanisms underlying the increased self-relevant thoughts, negative emotion, and abnormal emotion regulation in TMD.