Exploring the Brain Mechanisms of Spleen Deficiency and Liver Stagnation in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Based on Symptom Brain Mapping
- VernacularTitle:基于症候脑区映射探究慢性疲劳综合征脾虚和肝郁的脑机制研究
- Author:
Kang WU
1
;
Kuangshi LI
;
Yanzhe NING
;
Sitong FENG
;
Hongxiao JIA
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: Symptom brain mapping; Spleen deficiency; Liver stagnation; fMRI; Neurotransmitters; Metabolism
- From: World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(11):3141-3147
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: Objective To investigate their potential differences in brain functional characteristics from a neuroimaging perspective,functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)was employed.Methods Twenty chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS)patients were recruited and underwent assessments of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome patterns,fatigue severity scores,and resting-state fMRI scans.First,correlation analysis was performed between fatigue scores and TCM symptom scores.Symptom clusters significantly associated with fatigue were categorized into spleen deficiency and liver stagnation groups.Principal component analysis(PCA)was then applied to identify the dominant symptom components for each group.These components were subsequently mapped onto whole-brain functional activity to compare the neural signatures between the two syndromes.Finally,the brain functional profiles of spleen deficiency and liver stagnation were compared with publicly available neurotransmitter receptor maps to explore their distinct neurochemical substrates.Results Symptoms correlated with fatigue severity included exhaustion,dizziness,chest tightness,bitter taste in the mouth,epigastric fullness,poor appetite,irritability,lumbar soreness,sallow complexion,dry eyes,and five-center-heat.The brain mapping results revealed that spleen deficiency-related symptoms(poor appetite,sallow complexion,reduced food intake,dizziness)were primarily associated with the left thalamus and left parahippocampal gyrus.Liver stagnation-related symptoms(dry eyes,chest tightness,irritability,bitter taste)were linked to the left parahippocampal gyrus and right middle occipital gyrus(lingual region).The functional brain spectrum of the two syndromes showed significant negative correlations.Moreover,the spleen deficiency spectrum was closely associated with vesicular acetylcholine transporter(VAChT)receptor density.The liver stagnation spectrum correlated with D2 dopamine receptor density.Both spectrums were significantly related to glucose metabolic density but exhibited opposing directional trends.Conclusion CFS patients with spleen deficiency and liver stagnation demonstrate distinct central functional activities and neurochemical substrates,along with opposing brain activity patterns.Clinically,differentiating between these two syndrome patterns is critical for applying targeted TCM interventions.
