Overview
The goal of this observational study is to identify the characteristics of brain functional connectivity in refractory constipation and fluoxetine-sensitive patients. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Investigating the alterations in brain functional connectivity in patients with refractory constipation and fluoxetine-sensitive patients
- Assessing the predictive value of brain functional connectivity regarding the efficacy of fluoxetine and standard protocol treatments for constipation.
Participants will receive:
- Standard physiological and psychological assessments of constipation
- BOLD-fMRI tests
- Standard protocol and fluoxetine treatment
If there is a comparison group: Researchers will compare:
Refractory group/Fluoxetine sensitive group to see the specific brain alterations.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- 18≤ age ≤ 45 years old
- Right-handed
- Patients diagnosed as functional constipation according to the Rome IV criteria
- Informed consent of patients
Exclusion Criteria:
- Complicated with gastrointestinal organic disease or significant functional abnormalities (tuberculosis, polyps, Crohn's disease, tumors, congenital megacolon, pelvic floor muscle relaxation, abnormal colonic transit test, etc.)
- Long-term intense exercise (continuous exercise for more than 8 hours per week, such as marathon runners or triathletes)
- No history of chronic pain, no recent major trauma
- Drug abuse or tobacco dependence (half a pack or more per day)
- Combined hypothyroidism and Parkinson's disease
- Patients with confirmed mental illness or neurological disorders who take psychotropic drugs, analgesics or hormones
- History of abdominal surgery (appendectomy, hysterectomy, or cholecystectomy)
- Contraindications to functional magnetic resonance imaging (claustrophobia, metal implants)
- Pregnant or lactating women with constipation after delivery
- Patients with other benign and malignant tumors and autoimmune diseases
- Infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, AIDS, etc.
- Heart disease, organ failure and other chronic diseases that require long-term medication or affect the quality of life