Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation in Multiple Frequency Bands in Tension-Type Headache Patients: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Purpose: Tension-type headache (TTH), the most prevalent primary headache disorder, imposes an enormous burden on the people of the world. The quest to ease suffering from this neurological disorder has sustained research interest. The present study aimed at evaluating the amplitude of low-frequency oscillations (LFOs) of the brain in multiple frequency bands in patients with TTH. Methods: To address this question, 63 participants were enrolled in the study, including 32 TTH patients and 31 healthy controls (HCs). For all the participants, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was measured in six frequency bands (conventional frequency bands, 0.01–0.08 Hz; slow-2, 0.198–0.25 Hz; slow-3, 0.073–0.198 Hz; slow-4, 0.027–0.073 Hz; slow-5, 0.01–0.027 Hz; and slow-6, 0–0.01 Hz), and the differences between TTH patients and HCs were examined. To explore the relationship between the altered ALFF brain regions in the six frequency bands and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score in the TTH patients, Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed. Results: In all the six frequency bands, a decreased ALFF value was detected, and regions showing reduced ALFF values were mostly located in the middle frontal gyrus and superior gyrus. A frequency-dependent alternating characterization of intrinsic brain activity was found in the left caudate nucleus in the slow-2 band of 0.198–0.25 Hz and in the right inferior frontal orbital gyrus in the slow-5 band of 0.01–0.027 Hz. For the correlation results, both the left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri and right superior parietal gyrus showed a positive correlation with the VAS score in the slow-4 frequency band of 0.027–0.073 Hz. Conclusion: The ALFF alterations in the brain regions of TTH patients are involved in pain processing. The altered LFOs in the multiple regions may help promote the understanding of the pathophysiology of TTH. These observations could also allow the future treatment of TTH to be more directional and targeted and could promote the development of TTH treatment.