Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Neurosciences, Neurosciences & Neurology, back pain, brain connectivity, graph theory, sensorimotor system, white matter, GRAPH-THEORETICAL ANALYSIS, CORTICAL NETWORKS, ANATOMICAL NETWORKS, POSTURAL CONTROL, PRIMARY MOTOR, MATTER, ORGANIZATION, PEOPLE, MRI, EFFICIENCY, Adult, Brain, Brain Mapping, Case-Control Studies, Connectome, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Low Back Pain, Male, Middle Aged, Movement, Nerve Net, Neural Pathways, Sensorimotor Cortex, White Matter, 1109 Neurosciences, 3209 Neurosciences, 5202 Biological psychology

Abstract:

Individuals with non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) show an impaired sensorimotor control. They need significantly more time to perform five consecutive sit-to-stand-to-sit (STSTS) movements compared to healthy controls. Optimal sensorimotor control depends on the co-activation of many brain regions, which have to operate as a co-ordinated network to achieve correct motor output. Therefore, the examination of brain connectivity from a network perspective is crucial for understanding the factors that drive sensorimotor control. In the current study, potential alterations in structural brain networks of individuals with NSLBP and the correlation with the performance of the STSTS task were investigated. Seventeen individuals with NSLBP and 17 healthy controls were instructed to perform five consecutive STSTS movements as fast as possible. In addition, data of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging were acquired and analyzed using a graph theoretical approach. Results showed that individuals with NSLBP needed significantly more time to perform the STSTS task compared to healthy controls (p < 0.05). Both groups exhibited small-world properties in their structural networks. However, local efficiency was significantly decreased in the NSLBP patients compared with controls (p < 0.05, FDR corrected). Moreover, global efficiency was significantly correlated with the sensorimotor task performance within the NSLBP group (r = -0.73, p = 0.002). Our data show disrupted network organization of white matter networks in patients with NSLBP, which may contribute to their persistent pain and motor disabilities.