Inefficient default mode network hyperconnectivity characterizes chronic low back-related leg pains: a static and dynamic functional MRI study.

Ziwei Yang, Xiao Liang, Yuqi Ji, Yao Wang, Yong Zhang, Fuqing Zhou

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Article in Brain imaging and behavior, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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6 authors.

Ziwei YangJiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Precision Pathology and Intelligent Diagnosis, Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, 17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, People's Republic of China.

Xiao LiangJiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Precision Pathology and Intelligent Diagnosis, Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, 17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, People's Republic of China.

Yuqi JiJiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Precision Pathology and Intelligent Diagnosis, Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, 17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, People's Republic of China.

Yao WangJiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Precision Pathology and Intelligent Diagnosis, Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, 17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, People's Republic of China.

Yong Zhang *Department of Pain Clinic, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, 17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, 330006, People's Republic of China. zy830226@163.com.

Fuqing Zhou *Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Precision Pathology and Intelligent Diagnosis, Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, 17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, People's Republic of China. ndyfy02301@ncu.edu.cn.

Funding

Jiangxi Province Double Thousand Talent Plan jxsq2023201039the Jiangxi Clinical Research Center for Medical Imaging 20223BCG74001the Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory for Precision Pathology and Intelligent Diagnosis 2024SSY06281the National Natural Science Foundation of China 82160331the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province 20202BABL206114

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pain-induced reorganization of the default mode network (DMN) exhibits distinct temporal signatures in the acute and chronic stages, yet the mechanistic interplay between static/dynamic network topology and pain chronicity remains unclear. In this study, we utilized both static and dynamic graph theory analyses to characterize DMN reconfiguration in 50 patients with low back-related leg pain (LBLP)--comprising 19 acute (aLBLP) and 31 chronic (cLBLP)--compared to 51 healthy controls. Chronic pain patients exhibited reduced global and nodal efficiency, accompanied by increased static functional connectivity (sFC) between the core and medial temporal lobe (MTL) subsystems. In contrast, acute pain patients demonstrated decreased temporal variability in dynamic functional connectivity (dFC), particularly between the core and MTL subsystems. Importantly, the alterations of static node topology properties in cLBLP correlated with pain intensity, whereas reduced dFC variability in aLBLP was predictive of neurological deficits, as assessed by the neurological assessments (LANSS). These findings suggest that chronic LBLP is associated with a paradoxical DMN state–inefficient hyperconnectivity–whereas acute pain disrupts temporal flexibility of DMN dynamics. This study advances our understanding of the dynamic interplay between DMN topology and pain chronicity, highlighting potential biomarkers for pain progression and neuroplasticity.

Indexed as

BrainChronic PainDefault Mode NetworkLegLow Back PainAdultBrain MappingFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNeural PathwaysChronic painDefault mode networkFunctional magnetic resonance imagingGraph theory analysisStatic/dynamic functional connectivity

Identifiers

PMID41761024

DOI10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101661

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.