Brain mechanism of acupuncture for children with anisometropic amblyopia: a resting functional magnetic resonance imaging study based on voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity

AIM:To explore the brain mechanism of acupuncture for children with anisometropic amblyopia using the voxelmirror homotopic connectivity(VMHC)analysis method of resting functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)technology based on clinical effectiveness.METHODS:Eighty children with anisometropic monocular amblyopia were randomly divided into two groups:control(40 cases,1 case of shedding)and acupuncture(40 cases,1 case of shedding)groups.The control group was treated with glasses,red flash,grating,and visual stimulations,with each procedure conducted for 5min per time.Based on routine treatment,the acupuncture group underwent acupuncture of“regulating qi and unblocking meridians to bright eyes”,Jingming(BL1),Cuanzhu(BL2),Guangming(GB37),Fengchi(GB20)acupoints were taken on both sides,with the needle kept for 30min each time.Both groups were treated once every other day,three times per week,for a total of 4wk.After the treatment,the overall curative effect of the two groups and the latency and amplitude changes of P100 wave of pattern visual-evoked potential were counted.At the same time,nine children with left eye amblyopia were randomly selected from the two groups and were scanned with rsfMRI before and after treatment.The differences in the brain regions between the two groups were compared and analyzed with VMHC.RESULTS:Chi-square test showed a notable difference in the total efficiency rate between the acupuncture(94.87%)and control groups(79.49%).Regarding the P100 wave latency and amplitude,the acupuncture group had significantly shorter latency and higher amplitude of P100 wave than the control group.Moreover,the VMHC values of the bilateral temporal lobe,superior temporal gyrus,and middle temporal gyrus were notably increased in the acupuncture group after treatment.CONCLUSION:Acupuncture combined with conventional treatment can significantly improve the corrected visual acuity and optic nerve conduction in children with anisometropic amblyopia.Compared with the conventional treatment,the regulation of acupuncture on the functional activities of the relevant brain areas in the anterior cerebellum may be an effective acupuncture mechanism for anisometropic amblyopia.

Application of buried auricular point combined with Wenjing Sanhan prescription in arteriosclerosis obliterans patients with resting pain

BACKGROUND Research on the combined use of ear acupoint embedding beans and warming meridians with cold-dispersing formulas for alleviating resting pain in patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans(ASO)remains limited.AIM To explore the therapeutic efficacy of auricular point embedding beans combined with Wenjing Sanhan prescription in alleviating resting pain in patients with lower-limb ASO.METHODS A total of 100 patients with ASO experiencing resting pain who were treated at our hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 were enrolled.They were randomly allocated into two groups using a double-blind approach.The control group was treated using a warming meridian with a cold-dispersing formula,while the study group received additional treatment with ear acupoint embedding beans.The clinical efficacy,ankle-brachial artery pressure ratio,hemorheological indicators,and traditional Chinese medicine symptom scores were compared between the two groups.RESULTS The clinical efficacy rate in the study group was significantly higher(94.00%)than that in the control group(72.00%,P<0.05).Moreover,the ankle-brachial artery pressure ratio was significantly higher in the study group after treatment(P<0.05).Hemorheological parameters,including whole blood viscosity,plasma viscosity(1.83±0.11)mPa/s,fibrinogen levels(3.30±0.21)g/L,platelet adhesion rate(49.87%±10.51%),and erythrocyte aggregation index(1.79±0)were improved in the study group compared to the control group.In addition,the scores for decreased skin temperature(1.41±0.26),intermittent claudication(1.30±0.20),and resting pain(1.23±0.31)were significantly lower in the study group than those in the control group(all P<0.05).The level of oxidative stress in the study group also exhibited significant improvement(P<0.05),and the levels of inflammatory factors were considerably lower than those in the control group.CONCLUSION The combination of ear point embedding beans and Wenjing Sanhan prescription demonstrates promising clinical efficacy in alleviating resting pain associated with ASO.

Functional role of frontal electroencephalogram alpha asymmetry in the resting state in patients with depression:A review

Depression is a psychological disorder that affects the general public worldwide.It is particularly important to make an objective and accurate diagnosis of depression,and the measurement methods of brain activity have gradually received increasing attention.Resting electroencephalogram(EEG)alpha asymmetry in patients with depression shows changes in activation of the alpha frequency band of the left and right frontal cortices.In this paper,we review the findings of the relationship between frontal EEG alpha asymmetry in the resting state and depression.Based on worldwide studies,we found the following:(1)Compared with individuals without depression,those with depression showed greater right frontal EEG alpha asymmetry in the resting state.However,the pattern of frontal EEG alpha asymmetry in the resting state in depressive individuals seemed to disappear with age;(2)Compared with individuals without maternal depression,those with maternal depression showed greater right frontal EEG alpha asymmetry in the resting state,which indicated that genetic or experience-based influences have an impact on frontal EEG alpha asymmetry at rest;and(3)Frontal EEG alpha asymmetry in the resting state was stable,and little or no change occurred after antidepressant treatment.Finally,we concluded that the contrasting results may be due to differences in methodology,clinical characteristics,and participant characteristics.

观察电针健康受试者不同经穴对Resting-state fMRI脑功能连接的影响

目的:观察比较电针心经穴与心包经穴时激活脑区的功能连接变化差异,为临床运用针刺心经、心包经穴治疗相关疾病提供实验依据。方法:将符合纳入标准的29例健康受试者随机分为电针心经穴组14例和电针心包经穴组15例,以双侧后扣带回为种子点,采用功能连接作为观察指标,分析两组电针刺激状态下脑功能连接的差异。结果:两组电针前静息状态下的脑功能连接比较未发现存在明显差异的脑区。电针心经穴与心包经穴时脑内功能网络均发生改变,前者出现功能连接增强的区域为右侧额下回、左侧颞下回、右侧顶下小叶、右侧海马旁回,新激活脑区为双侧中央后回、左侧中央前回、右侧楔前叶、左侧角回、左侧枕下回、左侧脑岛(P<0.05);后者出现功能连接增强的区域为右侧顶上小叶,新激活脑区为左侧小脑舌、左侧顶叶楔前叶、右侧枕下回、左侧豆状核、右侧脑岛(P<0.05)。结论:(1)大脑在无任务的安静、清醒状态下存在一定的功能活动。(2)电针心经、心包经穴广泛激活的脑区主要与精神、神志、智力等密切相关,为临床上选用二者治疗与上述脑区相关的精神、神志类疾病提供了重要的客观依据。电针心经激活的中央前回为皮质运动前区,与对侧肢体运动功能密切相关,它的激活为临床上治疗中风肢体功能障碍选用手少阴心经穴提供了佐证。两组均激活的脑岛与心血管的功能关系密切,为临床上选用心经、心包经穴治疗心血管病提供了部分影像学依据。两条经脉的主治有交叉性,均可用于治疗心脑相关疾病,同时又各有偏颇,心包经多用于治疗与心相关疾病,而心经更多用于治疗精神神志类疾病。

Age-related changes in resting-state functional connectivity in older adults

Age-related changes in the brain connectivity of healthy older adults have been widely studied in recent years,with some differences in the obtained results.Most of these studies showed decreases in general functional connectivity,but they also found increases in some particular regions and areas.Frequently,these studies compared young individuals with older subjects,but few studies compared different age groups only in older populations.The purpose of this study is to analyze whole-brain functional connectivity in healthy older adult groups and its network characteristics through functional segregation.A total of 114 individuals,48 to 89 years old,were scanned using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in a resting state paradigm and were divided into six different age groups(<60,60–64,65–69,70–74,75–79,≥80 years old).A partial correlation analysis,a pooled correlation analysis and a study of 3-cycle regions with prominent connectivity were conducted.Our results showed progressive diminution in the functional connectivity among different age groups and this was particularly pronounced between 75 and 79 years old.The oldest group(≥80 years old)showed a slight increase in functional connectivity compared to the other groups.This occurred possibly because of compensatory mechanism in brain functioning.This study provides information on the brain functional characteristics of every age group,with more specific information on the functional progressive decline,and supplies methodological tools to study functional connectivity characteristics.Approval for the study was obtained from the ethics committee of the Comision de Bioetica de la Universidad de Barcelona(approval No.PSI2012-38257)on June 5,2012,and from the ethics committee of the Barcelona’s Hospital Clinic(approval No.2009-5306 and 2011-6604)on October 22,2009 and April 7,2011 respectively.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of regional homogeneity changes in parkinsonian resting tremor

Regional homogeneity analysis of low-frequency blood oxygenation level-dependent signals from neighboring voxels enables the analysis of local neuronal synchrony. Both structural magnetic resonance imaging and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were collected from nine Parkinson＇s disease patients with right resting tremor, and from eight age-matched normal controls. Regional homogeneity was compared between Parkinson＇s disease patients and controls. The results revealed that regional homogeneity was increased in several brain regions, including the right precuneus, right superior parietal gyrus, left anterior cingulate cortex, right middle frontal gyrus and right inferior frontal gyrus. Conversely, regional homogeneity was decreased in the cerebellar vermis in Parkinson＇s disease patients compared with healthy controls.

Reduction of recruitment of Acartia pacifica nauplii from benthic resting eggs due to organochlorine pesticides

Many estuarine and coastal planktonic copepods depend on the hatching of benthic resting eggs for recruitment ofnauplii to the water column population. The potential effects of two organochlorine pesticides, hexchloriobinzene （HCH） and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane （DDT）, on the recruitment of A ccu＇tla pacifica nauplii from benthic resting eggs in the seabed of Xiamen Bay were experimentally investigated. The abundance of A. pacifica nauplii hatched from the sediment significantly decreased with the increase of pesticide concentration. Trimmed Spearman-Karber analysis gave sediment 96-h LC50 values were 84.81 ng/g for HCH, and 157.94 ng/g for DDT. The median AI （Al50） was -0.77, which suggested that the combined effect of riCH and DDT showed a weak effect than individual effects. There was a positive relationship between mortality and exposure time in DDT treatment, while the relationship was not significant in HCH treatment. The results suggest that organochlorine pesticides can reduce recruitment of A. pacifica nauplii from benthic resting eggs to planktonic population.

A potential source of recruitment of Acartia pacifica nauplii: viable benthic resting eggs

Many estuarine and coastal planktonic copepods depend on the hatching of benthic resting eggs for recruitment of nauplii to the water column population. The distribution and abundance of viable resting eggs of Acartia pacifica in the Xiamen Bay were determined by the presence of nauplii in the laboratory. The number of viable eggs var/ed temporally and spatially. The maximum number (9.2×10^4m^-2) of viable eggs was in summer. In spring the average abundance of viable eggs was 5.6×10^4 m^-2. The abundances of viable eggs in fall and winter were similar, respectively 2.7×10^4 and 3.3×10^4m^-2, which were the lowest in the year. The numbers of viable eggs inside the stations of the Xiamen Bay were higher than those outside the stations. The viable eggs were found at all depths (0-10 cm),although not in every station. The maximum number did not necessarily occur in the uppermost centimeter of the sediments but often occurred several centimeters below the water-sediment interface. The accumulation of viable eggs in the seabed of a subtropical bay constitutes a potential source of recruitment of nauplii into the pelagic population.

Heavy metal exposure reduces hatching success of Acartia pacifica resting eggs in the sediment

The potential effects of three heavy metals （Cu, Pb, and Cd） on hatching success ofAcartia pacifica resting eggs in the sediment of Xiamen Bay were experimentally investigated. The number ofA. pacifica nauplii hatched from the sediment sharply decreased with the increase of metal concentration and exposure time from 3 to 30 d. An increase of the Cu concentration from 34.8 to 348 mg/kg, reduced the number of hatched nauplii by 46.6%-100%. An increase of the Pb concentration from 75.2 to 752 mg/kg, reduced the number of hatched nauplii by 21.4%-78.9%. An increase of the Cd concentration from 0.68 to 6.8 mg/kg, reduced the number of hatched nauplii by 31.6%-94.7%. The number of nauplii also significantly decreased with the increase of mixed-metal concentration and exposure time in the mixed-metal test. Trimmed Spearman-Karber analysis gave sediment metal 72-h LC50 values of 1.25 mmol Cu/kg, 1.73 mmol Pb/kg, and 0.054 mmol Cd/kg, which suggested that Cd was the most toxic to A. pacifica resting eggs in the three tested metals. The results indicate that heavy metals with higher concentrations can reduce recruitment of A. pacifica nauplii from benthic resting eggs to planktonic population.

Resting Energy Expenditure and Its Relationship With Patterns of Obesity and Visceral Fat Area in Chinese Adults

Objective To investigate the relationship between resting energy expenditure (REE) and patterns of obesity/regional fat parameters in Chinese adults. Methods Body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM) were assessed in 109 Chinese adults (52 men and 57 women), and their abdominal visceral adipose tissue area (VA) and subcutaneous fat area (SA) were measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements. REE was measured with indirect calorimetry and compared with normal and obese subjects. Multivariate analysis was used to study the factors related to REE. Results The resting energy expenditure per kilogram of body weight (REE/kg) was closely related with the area of abdominal visceral fat measured with MRI. REE/kg was significantly lower in overweight/obesity subjects than in normal-weighted subjects, and significantly lower in subjects with abdominal obesity (VA≥100 cm2) than in subjects with non-abdominal obesity (VA< 100 cm2, BMI≥25 kg/m2). In the stepwise regression analysis of REE/kg on regional fat parameters, VA in men and women and SA in women were independent factors reversely related to REE/kg. Conclusion REE/kg is associated with the visceral fat area and more prominent in men. REE/kg can be used as an index in the pathophysiology of intra-abdominal obesity.

Alteration of functional connectivity in patients with Alzheimer’s disease revealed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

The main symptom of patients with Alzheimer’s disease is cognitive dysfunction. Alzheimer’s disease is mainly diagnosed based on changes in brain structure. Functional connectivity reflects the synchrony of functional activities between non-adjacent brain regions, and changes in functional connectivity appear earlier than those in brain structure. In this study, we detected resting-state functional connectivity changes in patients with Alzheimer’s disease to provide reference evidence for disease prediction. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data from patients with Alzheimer’s disease were used to show whether particular white and gray matter areas had certain functional connectivity patterns and if these patterns changed with disease severity. In nine white and corresponding gray matter regions, correlations of normal cognition, early mild cognitive impairment, and late mild cognitive impairment with blood oxygen level-dependent signal time series were detected. Average correlation coefficient analysis indicated functional connectivity patterns between white and gray matter in the resting state of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Functional connectivity pattern variation correlated with disease severity, with some regions having relatively strong or weak correlations. We found that the correlation coefficients of five regions were 0.3–0.5 in patients with normal cognition and 0–0.2 in those developing Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, in the other four regions, the range increased to 0.45–0.7 with increasing cognitive impairment. In some white and gray matter areas, there were specific connectivity patterns. Changes in regional white and gray matter connectivity patterns may be used to predict Alzheimer’s disease;however, detailed information on specific connectivity patterns is needed. All study data were obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Library of the Image and Data Archive Database.

An abnormal resting-state functional brain network indicates progression towards Alzheimer's disease

Brain structure and cognitive function change in the temporal lobe, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex of patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer＇s disease, and brain network-connection strength, network efficiency, and nodal attributes are abnormal. However, existing research has only analyzed the differences between these patients and normal controls. In this study, we constructed brain networks using resting-state functional MRI data that was extracted from four populations （nor- mal controls, patients with early mild cognitive impairment, patients with late mild cognitive impairment, and patients with Alzheimer＇s disease） using the Alzheimer＇s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative data set. The aim was to analyze the characteristics of resting-state functional neural networks, and to observe mild cognitive impairment at different stages before the transformation to Alzheimer＇s disease. Results showed that as cognitive deficits increased across the four groups, the shortest path in the rest- ing-state functional network gradually increased, while clustering coefficients gradually decreased. This evidence indicates that dementia is associated with a decline of brain network efficiency. In addi- tion, the changes in functional networks revealed the progressive deterioration of network function across brain regions from healthy elderly adults to those with mild cognitive impairment and AIz- heimer＇s disease. The alterations of node attributes in brain regions may reflect the cognitive functions in brain regions, and we speculate that early impairments in memory, hearing, and language function can eventually lead to diffuse brain injury and other cognitive impairments.

Abnormalities of interhemispheric functional connectivity in individuals with acute eye pain: a resting-state fMRI study

AIM: To study the changes of the resting state functional connectivity(rsFC) between acute eye pain(EP) subjects and healthy controls(HCs) in the two hemispheres by using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity(VMHC) method.METHODS: Totally 20 patients with EP and 20 HCs were enrolled, sex, age, and education were matched, and all subjects were examined by functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) scans at resting-state. The changes of rs FC between the hemispheres were evaluated by the VMHC method according to Gaussian random field(GRF) theory. In order to identify the VMHC, as biomarkers for distinguishing EP and from HC, the receiver operating characteristic curves(ROC) had been analyzed. The relationships were evaluated with Pearson correlation analysis between the mean VMHC signal values and clinical features in these patients.RESULTS: By comparing with health subjects, the significant decreased VMHC values was observed in lingual/calcarine(Brodmann area, BA 30), precentral/postcentral gyrus(PreCG/PosCG; BA 4) and medial frontal gyrus(MFG; BA 8)(false discovery rate corrected <0.01) in the acute EP individuals. The accuracy of area under curve was excellent indicated by the ROC curve analysis of each brain regions.CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates preliminary evidence of disrupted interhemispheric rsFC in acute EP in sensorimotor and limbic system and somatosensory cortex, which might give some useful information for understanding the neurological mechanisms in acute EP individuals.

Resting Stages of Crustaceans in the Crimean Hypersaline Lakes(Ukraine) and Their Ecological Role

1 Introduction A presence of resting stages in various aquatic organisms is a long-known phenomenon as a mechanism of species adaptation to exist in unstable aquatic habitats,surviving adverse conditions in the"sleeping"state(Radzikowski,2013).Bank of resting stages of planktonic organisms is an important component of the plankton community,without which we cannot understand community dynamics(Brendonck and De Meester,2003).

Abnormal resting-state functional network centrality in patients with high myopia： evidence from a voxel-wise degree centrality analysis

AIM： To investigate the functional networks underlying the brain-activity changes of patients with high myopia using the voxel-wise degree centrality（DC） method.METHODS： In total, 38 patients with high myopia（HM）（17 males and 21 females）, whose binocular refractive diopter were-6.00 to-7.00 D, and 38 healthy controls（17 males and 21 females）, closely matched in age, sex, and education levels, participated in the study. Spontaneous brain activities were evaluated using the voxel-wise DC method. The receiver operating characteristic curve was measured to distinguish patients with HM from healthy controls. Correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between the observed mean DC values of the different brain areas and the behavioral performance.RESULTS： Compared with healthy controls, HM patients had significantly decreased DC values in the right inferior frontal gyrus/insula, right middle frontal gyrus, and right supramarginal/inferior parietal lobule（P〈0.05）. In contrast, HM patients had significantly increased DC values in the right cerebellum posterior lobe, left precentral gyrus/postcentral gyrus, and right middle cingulate gyrus（P〈0.05）. However, no relationship was found between the observed mean DC values of the different brain areas and the behavioral performance（P〉0.05）.CONCLUSION： HM is associated with abnormalities in many brain regions, which may indicate the neural mechanisms of HM. The altered DC values may be used as a useful biomarker for the brain activity changes in HM patients.

Deactivation Kinetics of Nitrile Hydratase in Free Resting Cells

Nitrile hydratase (NHase) is an important industrial enzyme used for acrylamide production from acrylonitrile.The deactivation kinetics of NHases in free resting cells of Rhodococcus sp.was presented based on a bi-steady state assumption.Effects of hydration temperature,product concentration and substrate concentration on NHase deactivation were investigated experimentally and correlated with a first order deactivation kinetics.The results showed that the hydration temperature and product concentration were major factors governing the deactivation of NHases under substrate-feeding conditions.When acrylamide concentration was higher than 250 g·L1,the deactivation of NHases became serious and the bi-steady state assumption was not applicable.When the hydration temperature was controlled at a relatively higher level such as 28°C,the total deactivation rate constant was about 2.8-fold of that at 20°C.

Reduction of hydrocarbon contamination on viability of Acartia pacifica benthic resting eggs

The potential effect of hydrocarbon contamination on the hatching success of benthic resting eggs of Acartia pacifica in Xiamen Bay was investigated experimentally. The number of nauplii emerging from the sediment samples decreased with increasing Fuel Oil #0 concentration. The estimated rate of mortality increased markedly with the increase of Fuel Oil #0 concentration. Successive fuel Oil #0 concentrations from 50 mg/kg to 5000 mg/kg reduced the number of hatched nauplii by 3.8% -100%. The mortality of A. pacifica resting eggs due to Fuel Oil #0 contamination did not significantly increase as time progressed at each concentration level. The LC50 values of resting eggs, changing from 237.12 to 279.59 mg/kg, remained at an almost stable level in two months. The number of A. pacifica nauplii that hatched from the sediment at 10℃ was higher than those from the sediment at 30℃, which indicates that the toxicity of Fuel Oil #0 on A. pacifica resting eggs increases with increasing temperature.

Reduction in interhemispheric functional connectivity in the dorsal visual pathway in unilateral acute open globe injury patients: a resting-state fMRI study

This study investigated the changes in interhemispheric functional connectivity （FC） of the whole brain in open globe injury （OGI） patients, using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity （VMHC）, and their relationships with clinical features. Totally, 16 male and 2 female acute OGI patients and 18 sex, age, and education-matched healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. All subjects were scanned through functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI）. Receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curves analyses had been used to identify the VMHC in these brain areas could be used as biomarkers to distinguish OGI and from healthy control （HC）. The mean VMHC values in multiple brain areas and clinical OGI manifestations were evaluated with a Pearson correlation analysis. OGI patients had significantly decreased VMHC in the bilateral calcarine/lingual/cuneus （BA18, 19, 30） and middle occipital gyrus （BA18, 19）. The OGI patients had abnormal interhemispheric FC in the dorsal visual pathway, which may represent the pathophysiological mechanism that underlies acute vision loss after OGI.

Survivors of COVID-19 exhibit altered amplitudes of low frequency fluctuation in the brain: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study at 1-year follow-up

Although some short-term follow-up studies have found that individuals recovering from coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)exhibit anxiety,depression,and altered brain microstructure,their long-term physical problems,neuropsychiatric sequelae,and changes in brain function remain unknown.This observational cohort study collected 1-year follow-up data from 22 patients who had been hospitalized with COVID-19(8 males and 11 females,aged 54.2±8.7 years).Fatigue and myalgia were persistent symptoms at the 1-year follow-up.The resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that compared with 29 healthy controls(7 males and 18 females,aged 50.5±11.6 years),COVID-19 survivors had greatly increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation(ALFF)values in the left precentral gyrus,middle frontal gyrus,inferior frontal gyrus of operculum,inferior frontal gyrus of triangle,insula,hippocampus,parahippocampal gyrus,fusiform gyrus,postcentral gyrus,inferior parietal angular gyrus,supramarginal gyrus,angular gyrus,thalamus,middle temporal gyrus,inferior temporal gyrus,caudate,and putamen.ALFF values in the left caudate of the COVID-19 survivors were positively correlated with their Athens Insomnia Scale scores,and those in the left precentral gyrus were positively correlated with neutrophil count during hospitalization.The long-term follow-up results suggest that the ALFF in brain regions related to mood and sleep regulation were altered in COVID-19 survivors.This can help us understand the neurobiological mechanisms of COVID-19-related neuropsychiatric sequelae.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University(approval No.2020 S004)on March 19,2020.

Effect of Chinese tuina massage therapy on resting state brain functional network of patients with chronic neck pain

Objective:Cervical disease,a type of chronic pain,can greatly impact quality of life.Traditional Chinese tuina,a form of therapeutic massage and manipulation,has been shown to be effective in relieving pain and other symptoms in patients with chronic neck pain.This study applied functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore the features of the resting state network of patients with chronic neck pain caused by cervical radiculopathy,and how tuina affects the causality between intrinsic brain networks.Methods:Using Granger causality analysis,effective connectivity of brain networks of 10 patients with chronic neck pain was compared with 10 healthy control subjects.Resting state fMRI data were using magnetic resonance scanning.Cervical spondylosis symptom scores were evaluated before and after 4 weeks of tuina therapy.Independent component analysis was applied to extract the specific networks related to sensation,execution,and cognition,including sensorimotor network (SMN),visual network (VN),auditory network (AN),anterior and posterior default mode network (aDMN,pDMN),left frontoparietal network and right frontoparietal network.Results:Compared with the control group,data from the treatment group revealed two major findings:before tuina therapy,SMN had a profound influence on aDMN and AN greatly affected pDMN;however,after 4 weeks of tuina therapy,aDMN and SMN showed reversed causality.Conclusion:Chronic neck pain caused by cervical radiculopathy may influence the DMN,which plays an important role in emotion,cognition,and memory,by stimulating the sensory afferent network.Tuina not only significantly relieves pain and discomfort,but also reverses the causality between aDMN and SMN.