Demographic characteristics.

The caudate nucleus has been thought to be involved in the control of motor commands by the cerebrum, and recent studies suggest that it may play a role in the control of attachment behavior, cognition, emotion, and mental functions. Implied by the basal ganglia’s involvement in the execution, planning and control of movement, the caudate nucleus functions in a situation-dependent manner where processing of external stimuli is important on the basis of learning and memory. Sensory processing, which determines the response to external stimuli, has been shown to be related to various brain regions but it remains unknown how sensory processing is associated with the structure of the caudate nucleus and white matter microstructures of the caudate. Using four diffusion parameters derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) (i.e., fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axonal diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD)) and the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP) questionnaire of 99 healthy subjects [42 males and 57 females; mean age:26.9 years, standard deviation 6.9], we investigated the relationship between white matter structure in the caudate nucleus and sensory processing. In consistent with what had been suggested by the results of previous studies, we found significant correlations between AD, MD and tactile sensation. Furthermore, we found a significant correlation between AD, MD and tactile sensory avoidance, the AASP sub-scores regarding the tactile senses. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show that DTI diffusion parameters correlate with AASP scores in specific brain regions.

尾状核（caudate nucleus）此前被认为参与大脑对运动指令的调控，近期研究则提示其可能在依恋行为、认知、情绪及精神功能的调控中发挥作用。基于基底节参与运动执行、规划与调控的已有结论，尾状核的功能呈现情境依赖性，即基于学习与记忆的基础上，对外界刺激的处理至关重要。感官处理决定了机体对外界刺激的应答，已有研究表明其与多个脑区相关，但目前尚不清楚感官处理与尾状核结构以及尾状核白质微结构之间存在何种关联。本研究纳入99名健康受试者（42名男性、57名女性；平均年龄26.9岁，标准差6.9），采用弥散张量成像（diffusion tensor imaging, DTI）衍生的四项弥散参数——各向异性分数（fractional anisotropy, FA）、平均弥散率（mean diffusivity, MD）、轴突弥散率（axonal diffusivity, AD）以及径向弥散率（radial diffusivity, RD），结合青少年/成人感官轮廓量表（Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile, AASP），探究尾状核白质结构与感官处理之间的关联。与既往研究结果一致，本研究发现AD、MD与触觉感知存在显著相关性。此外，本研究还发现AD、MD与触觉感官回避——即AASP中关于触觉感知的子量表得分——之间存在显著相关性。据我们所知，本研究首次证实弥散张量成像的弥散参数与特定脑区的AASP得分存在相关性。