Reduced volume in the amygdala of trigeminal neuralgia patients: a neuroimaging study with clinical correlates

Lucas Rego Ramos; Tamires Morett Gama; Ana Clara de Mendonça Maia; Luiza Helena da Fonseca Lima; Orlando Fernandes Jr; Paulo Henrique Rosado de Castro; Marcos Fabio DosSantos

doi:10.1007/s00221-025-07191-9

Back

Reduced volume in the amygdala of trigeminal neuralgia patients: a neuroimaging study with clinical correlates

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Reduced volume in the amygdala of trigeminal neuralgia patients: a neuroimaging study with clinical correlates

Lucas Rego Ramos, Tamires Morett Gama, Ana Clara de Mendonça Maia, Luiza Helena da Fonseca Lima, Orlando Fernandes Jr, Paulo Henrique Rosado de Castro and Marcos Fabio DosSantos

Experimental brain research, Vol.244(1), pp.1-1

01/01/2026

DOI: 10.1007/s00221-025-07191-9

PMID: 41264008

View Online

Abstract

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is characterized by intense and recurrent episodes of pain in the orofacial region, mainly affecting the second (V2) and third (V3) divisions of the trigeminal nerve. Recent studies suggest that TN may be associated with structural alterations in the limbic system, particularly the amygdala, a core region for the emotion-related network, involved in emotional aspects of pain and pain modulation. This study evaluated the volumetry of the amygdala and its nine nuclei in patients with TN compared to healthy controls. Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data were analyzed from 111 TN patients and 48 healthy volunteers. MRI scans were acquired using a 3 T MRI scanner with high-resolution 3D T1w sequences (2022-2024) at the Federal Neurosurgical Center in Novosibirsk, Russia, and assessed via the OpenNeuro database. Amygdala volumetry was performed using FreeSurfer software. Morphometric analysis revealed significantly lower volumes of both the left (p = 0.02, η p = 0.13) and the right amygdala (p = 0.005, η p = 0.05) in TN patients, compared to healthy controls. Additionally, TN patients exhibited smaller bilateral volumes in the cortical nucleus of the amygdala as well as smaller volumes of the medial, accessory basal, and corticoamygdaloid transition nuclei of the right amygdala, when compared to the control group. Amygdala alterations may reflect impaired pain modulation in trigeminal neuralgia (TN), affecting sensory and affective aspects of pain.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Adult

Aged

Amygdala - diagnostic imaging

Amygdala - pathology

Female

Humans

Male

Middle Aged

Neuroimaging - methods

Trigeminal Neuralgia - diagnostic imaging

Trigeminal Neuralgia - pathology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Reduced volume in the amygdala of trigeminal neuralgia patients: a neuroimaging study with clinical correlates
Creators: Lucas Rego Ramos - Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
Tamires Morett Gama - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Ana Clara de Mendonça Maia - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Luiza Helena da Fonseca Lima - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Orlando Fernandes Jr - Universidade Federal Fluminense
Paulo Henrique Rosado de Castro - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Marcos Fabio DosSantos - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Experimental brain research, Vol.244(1), pp.1-1
DOI: 10.1007/s00221-025-07191-9
PMID: 41264008
NLM abbreviation: Exp Brain Res
ISSN: 0014-4819
eISSN: 1432-1106
Language: English
Date published: 01/01/2026
Academic Unit: Radiology
Record Identifier: 9985143125202771

Metrics

1 Record Views