Altered functional connectivity density in the prefrontal-limbic-visual networks of vestibular migraine

This study aimed to explore abnormal patterns of functional connectivity density (FCD) and functional connectivity (FC) in patients with vestibular migraine (VM) and their associations with clinical symptoms. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data from 49 VM patients and 61 healthy controls (HCs) were analyzed using Global FCD (GFCD), long-range FCD (LRFCD), and seed-based FC. Compared with HCs, VM patients demonstrated decreased GFCD and LRFCD in the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), along with increased GFCD in the right lingual gyrus (LING), right middle occipital cortex (MOC), left precuneus (preCUN), and elevated LRFCD in the middle cingulate cortex (MCC) and bilateral MOC. Seed-based FC analysis revealed significantly reduced connectivity between the mPFC and multiple regions, including the right cuneus/precuneus (CUN/preCUN), bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), bilateral hippocampus/parahippocampus (HIPP/ParaHIPP), and left calcarine cortex (CAL) in VM patients. Correlation analysis identified a positive association between GFCD in the left preCUN and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) scores (r = 0.370, p = 0.011). These findings highlight disrupted prefrontal-limbic-visual network integration in VM, with precuneus dysfunction potentially linked to dizziness severity. This study provides novel insights into the neural mechanisms underlying VM, highlighting the role of altered functional integration in symptom manifestation.