Thalamic Morphometry Abnormalities in Trigeminal Neuralgia Using Deformation-Based Shape Analysis

Motivation: The potential pathophysiologic mechanisms related to trigeminal neuralgia (TN) needed elucidation, and alternative biomarkers of TN needed to be identified. Goal(s): To explore atrophy in specific subregions of the thalamus, which may contribute to the pathophysiology of TN. Approach: We used vertex-based shape analysis to evaluate the differences in thalamus volume and shape in patients with TN and determine the location of regional thalamic atrophy. Results: The analysis revealed distinct brain structural disparities between patients with TN exhibiting symptoms on the right and left sides. Compared with controls, patients with TN showed atrophy in specific subregions of the thalamus. Impact: This study used an advanced deformation-based statistical shape analysis pipeline to investigate localized morphometric abnormalities in the thalamus, rather than relying on global volume measurements. It may help us understand the pathologic mechanism of trigeminal neuralgia.