The auditory cortex morphometry predicts variations in hearing acuity: a preliminary study

BackgroundLoss of cortical volume in frontotemporal regions has been reported in patients with schizophrenia and their relatives. Cortical area and thickness are determined by different genetic processes, and measuring these parameters separately may clarify disturbances in corticogenesis relevant to schizophrenia. Our study also explored clinical and cognitive correlates of these parameters.MethodsThirty-seven patients with first-episode psychosis (34 schizophrenia, 3 schizoaffective disorder) and 38 healthy control subjects matched for age and sex took part in the study. Imaging was performed on an magnetic resonance imaging 1.5-T scanner. Area and thickness of the frontotemporal cortex were measured using a surface-based morphometry method (Freesurfer). All subjects underwent neuropsychologic testing that included measures of premorbid and current IQ, working and verbal memory, and executive function.ResultsReductions in cortical area, more marked in the temporal cortex, were present in patients. Overall frontotemporal cortical thickness did not differ between groups, although regional thinning of the right superior temporal region was observed in patients. There was a significant association of both premorbid IQ and IQ at disease onset with area, but not thickness, of the frontotemporal cortex, and working memory span was associated with area of the frontal cortex. These associations remained significant when only patients with schizophrenia were considered.ConclusionsOur results suggest an early disruption of corticogenesis in schizophrenia, although the effect of subsequent environmental factors cannot be excluded. In addition, cortical abnormalities are subject to regional variations and differ from those present in neurodegenerative diseases.

Cortical thickness of left Heschl’s gyrus correlates with hearing acuity in adults – A surface-based morphometry study

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is associated with structural brain alterations. Buprenorphine maintenance treatment (BMT)'s impact on brain morphology remains underexplored. We examined the effect of BMT on surface-based morphometry (SBM) metrics- cortical thickness, sulcal depth, gyrification, and fractal dimension, in a longitudinal controlled design. Twenty-five men with OUD and age- and education-matched participants in the control group were recruited. Participants underwent T1-weighted MRI scans immediately after starting BMT and after six months of treatment. SBM metrics were analyzed using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox 12 (CAT12), employing threshold-free cluster enhancement (TFCE) and family-wise error correction. At baseline, individuals with OUD had greater cortical thickness in superior parietal and occipital regions and reduced thickness in the inferior temporal gyrus versus participants in the control group. After six months, significant cortical thickness reductions were observed in the occipital pole, cuneus, and occipito-temporal gyri, and calcarine sulcus in both hemispheres; sulcal depth, gyrification, and fractal dimension remained unchanged. We observed negative correlations between buprenorphine dosage and change in cortical depth in the parahippocampal region (r = -0.53, p = .007) and temporal pole (r = -0.55, p = .005), and positive correlations with fractal dimension in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (r = 0.53, p = .006) and gyrification in the lateral orbital region (r = 0.56, p = .004). BMT is associated with a generalized cortical thinning in sensory regions, while dose-dependent changes are observed in memory, emotional regulation, and cognitive control regions, highlighting neuroadaptive processes in overall treatment and medication-specific effects.

The purpose of this study is to observe the changes of cortical morphological characteristics and their potential contribution to cognitive function in ALL survivors by using surface-based morphometry (SBM). Using SBM analysis, we calculated and compared group differences in cortical thickness, sulcal depth, gyrification, and fractal dimension of the cerebral cortex between 18 pediatric ALL survivors treated on chemotherapy-only protocols and off treatment within 2years, and 18 healthy controls (HCs) with two-sample t-tests [P < 0.05, family-wise error (FWE) corrected]. Relationships between abnormal cortical characteristic values and cognitive function parameters were investigated with partial correlation analysis, taking age as a covariate. We found decreased cortical thickness mainly located in the prefrontal and temporal region, and increased sulcal depth in left rostral middle frontal cortex and left pars orbitalis in the ALL survivors compared to HCs. There were no statistically significant differences in the gyrification and fractal dimension between the two groups. In ALL survivors, cortical thickness and sulcal depth of above areas values revealed no significant correlation with the cognitive function parameters. In conclusion, pediatric ALL survivors show decreased cortical thickness in prefrontal and temporal regions, and increased sulcal depth in prefrontal region. These results suggest that SBM-based approach can be used to assess changes of cortical morphological characteristics in pediatric ALL survivors.

BackgroundThe study aimed to explore cortical morphology in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) and the relationship between cortical characteristics and age of onset and intelligence quotient (IQ).MethodsCortical morphometry with surface-based morphometry (SBM) was used to compare changes in cortical thickness, gyrification, sulcal depth, and fractal dimension of the cerebral cortex between 25 BECTS patients and 20 healthy controls (HCs) with two-sample t-tests [P<0.05, family-wise error (FWE) corrected]. Relationships between abnormal cortical morphological changes and age of onset and IQ, which included verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ), performance intelligence quotient (PIQ), and full-scale intelligence quotient (FIQ) were investigated with Spearman correlation analysis (P<0.05, uncorrected).ResultsThe BECTS patients showed extensive cortical thinning predominantly in bilateral frontal, temporal regions, and limbic system. Cortical gyrification increased in the left hemisphere and partial right hemisphere, and the decreased cortical gyrification was only in the left hemisphere. The increased sulcal depth was the left fusiform gyrus. There are no statistically significant differences in the fractal dimension. Correlation analysis revealed the negative correlation between age of onset and cortical thickness in the right precentral gyrus. It also revealed the negative correlation between the age of onset and cortical gyrification in the left inferior parietal gyrus. Also, there was negative correlation between VIQ and cortical gyrification in the left supramarginal gyrus of BECTS patients.ConclusionsThis study reveals aberrant cortical thickness, cortical gyrification, and sulcal depth of BECTS in areas related to cognitive functions including language, attention and memory, and the correlation between some brain regions and VIQ and age of onset, providing a potential marker of early neurodevelopmental disturbance and cognitive dysfunction in BECTS.

Background: Cortical atrophy is common in early relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Whether this atrophy is caused by changes in cortical thickness or cortical surface area is not known, nor is their separate contributions to clinical symptoms. Objectives: To investigate the difference in cortical surface area, thickness and volume between early RRMS patients and healthy controls; and the relationship between these measures and neurological disability, cognitive decline, fatigue and depression. Methods: RRMS patients (n = 61) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neurological and neuropsychological examinations. We estimated cortical surface area, thickness and volume and compared them with matched healthy controls (n = 61). We estimated the correlations between clinical symptoms and cortical measures within the patient group. Results: We found no differences in cortical surface area, but widespread differences in cortical thickness and volume between the groups. Neurological disability was related to regionally smaller cortical thickness and volume. Better verbal memory was related to regionally larger surface area; and better visuo-spatial memory, to regionally larger cortical volume. Higher depression scores and fatigue were associated with regionally smaller cortical surface area and volume. Conclusions: We found that cortical thickness, but not cortical surface area, is affected in early RRMS. We identified specific structural correlates to the main clinical symptoms in early RRMS.

Aim: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) is a trinucleotide repeat disorder characterized by mutations in the ataxin-2 gene. Although the primary symptoms of this disease are related to cerebellar involvement, such as ataxia and dysarthria, cognitive disorders associated with supratentorial involvement, depression, and extrapyramidal symptoms are also common. The aim of this study was to investigate volumetric changes in patients with SCA2. Materials and Methods: Nine SCA2 patients and sixteen age and gender-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to explore changes in whole brain gray and white matter, while surface-based morphometry (SBM) was employed to investigate changes in cortical thickness (CT), local gyrification index (LGI), sulcal depth (SD), and fractal dimension (FD). Deep learning methods were utilized for the automatic segmentation of subcortical gray matter structures and extrapyramidal system structures. Comparisons between groups were made using GLM, T-Test, and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: VBM results showed widespread gray matter loss in the cerebellum and widespread white matter loss in the brain stem (Cluster size: 25918 voxels for gray matter, 24557 voxels for white matter). SBM findings indicated a decrease in cortical thickness (Cluster size:19276 vertices for left hemisphere; 17276 vertices for right hemisphere), more pronounced in the supratentorial frontoparietal region, while FD, LGI, and SD did not differ between groups. Volume loss was observed in the subthalamic nucleus, globus pallidus internus and externus, and red nucleus in SCA2 patients. Conclusion: SCA2 patients exhibit white and gray matter volume loss in the infratentorial region. Additionally, they show a decrease in frontoparietal cortical thickness, while FD, LGI, and SD do not show any changes. Moreover, atrophy is also observed in the extrapyramidal system structures.

Background: Cortical differences in thickness, folding, and complexity may reflect synaptic pruning and myelination alterations. Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) may demonstrate differences in these cortical metrics due to neurodevelopmental aberrations or early opioid exposure. Objectives: We compared the cortical metrics between individuals with OUD and controls. The influence of age and duration of opioid exposure were considered indirect evidence for preexisting or opioid-exposure-based structural aberrations. Methods: Sixty-nine treatment-naïve men with OUD (52 heroin, 17 non-heroin) and 25 age and education-matched non-drug-using male controls were recruited from a treatment center and community, respectively. 3-Tesla Siemens Magnetom Verio scanner and Computational Anatomy Toolbox 12 were used for image acquisition and processing. Cortical parcellation was performed using Destrieux atlas. Surface-based morphometry (SBM) metrics were cortical thickness, sulcal depth, fractal dimension, and gyrification index. Results: Only two cortical areas survived corrections for multiple comparisons: persons with OUD had greater sulcal depth in the right lateral orbital sulcus (p = .0003, Glass’s delta = 0.98) and lower gyrification index in the left frontal middle gyrus (p = .0005, Glass’s delta = 0.67) than controls. The group-by-age interaction effect on the cortical thickness was non-significant. Lower age of initiation of opioid use was associated with larger cortical thickness in the inferior frontal (r = -0.36, p = .002) and anterior cingulate (r = -0.35, p = .003) regions. Duration of OUD negatively correlated with cortical thickness in frontal and occipital areas (r > −.30, p = .004–.007). Conclusion: Cortical abnormalities may stem from altered synaptic pruning and myelination, possibly due to neurodevelopmental aberrations or early opioid exposure.

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are characterized by multifocal and global abnormalities in brain function and connectivity. Only a few studies have examined neuroanatomic correlates of PNES. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is reported in 83% of patients with PNES and may be a key component of PNES pathophysiology. In this study, we included patients with TBI preceding the onset of PNES (TBI-PNES) and TBI without PNES (TBI-only) to identify neuromorphometric abnormalities associated with PNES. Adults diagnosed with TBI-PNES (n=62) or TBI-only (n=59) completed psychological questionnaires and underwent 3-T magnetic resonance imaging. Imaging data were analyzed by voxel- and surface-based morphometry. Voxelwise general linear models computed group differences in gray matter volume, cortical thickness, sulcal depth, fractal dimension (FDf), and gyrification. Statistical models were assessed with permutation-based testing at 5000 iterations with the Threshold-Free Cluster Enhancement toolbox. Logarithmically scaled p-values corrected for multiple comparisons using familywise error were considered significant at p<.05. Post hoc analyses determined the association between structural and psychological measures (p<.05). TBI-PNES participants demonstrated atrophy of the left inferior frontal gyrus and the right cerebellum VIII. Relative to TBI-only, TBI-PNES participants had decreased FDf in the right superior parietal gyrus and decreased sulcal depth in the left insular cortex. Significant clusters were positively correlated with global assessment of functioning scores, and demonstrated varying negative associations with measures of anxiety, depression, somatization, and global severity of symptoms. The diagnosis of PNES was associated with brain atrophy and reduced cortical folding in regions implicated in emotion processing, regulation, and response inhibition. Cortical folds primarily develop during the third trimester of pregnancy and remain relatively constant throughout the remainder of one's life. Thus, the observed aberrations in FDf and sulcal depth could originate early in development. The convergence of environmental, developmental, and neurobiological factors may coalesce to reflect the neuropathophysiological substrate of PNES.

Volumetric brain magnetic resonance imaging analysis in children with obstructive sleep apnea

Regions of interest assessment of prenatal exposure to tobacco on adolescent cortical thickness and sulcal depth.

Cingulate gyrus is a part of the limbic lobe. Anatomically and functionally, the cingulate gyrus is subdivided into four areas: the anterior cingulate cortex, midcingulate cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus, and the retrosplenial part. The variety of autonomic functions, such as regulating heart rate and blood pressure and having a major role in cognitive function, also has a function in emotional cognition. The present study aims to measure cortical thickness and cortical volume in apparently healthy young adult Sudanese. In this cross-sectional study, randomly selected individuals (30 males, 30 females) among the Sudanese population, aged between 20-40 years, and who had normal brain magnetic resonance images were included in the study. All study participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging, and measurements of the cingulate gyrus were assessed using BrainSuite software. Analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 28, and p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant. For the right cingulate gyrus, the mean cortical thickness and cortical volume were 4.0 mm and 20.9 cm3, respectively. The mean cortical thickness and volume in the left cingulate gyrus were 4.0 mm and 22.3 cm3, respectively. The cortical volume of the left cingulate gyrus was statistically significantly larger than the right (p=0.04). The right and left cingulate gyrus cortical volumes of males were significantly larger than that of females (p=0.001), while the cortical thickness showed an insignificant difference (p=0.3). The cortical volume of the cingulate gyrus was not statistically related to age or body mass index. The left cingulate gyrus’s total volume is larger than that of the right cingulate gyrus, and there is no significant difference in cortical thickness. Age and body mass index do not affect cortical volume and thickness.

Cingulate gyrus is a part of the limbic lobe. Anatomically and functionally, the cingulate gyrus is subdivided into four areas: the anterior cingulate cortex, midcingulate cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus, and the retrosplenial part. The variety of autonomic functions, such as regulating heart rate and blood pressure and having a major role in cognitive function, also has a function in emotional cognition. The present study aims to measure cortical thickness and cortical volume in apparently healthy young adult Sudanese. In this cross-sectional study, randomly selected individuals (30 males, 30 females) among the Sudanese population, aged between 20-40 years, and who had normal brain magnetic resonance images were included in the study. All study participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging, and measurements of the cingulate gyrus were assessed using BrainSuite software. Analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 28, and p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant. For the right cingulate gyrus, the mean cortical thickness and cortical volume were 4.0 mm and 20.9 cm3, respectively. The mean cortical thickness and volume in the left cingulate gyrus were 4.0 mm and 22.3 cm3, respectively. The cortical volume of the left cingulate gyrus was statistically significantly larger than the right (p=0.04). The right and left cingulate gyrus cortical volumes of males were significantly larger than that of females (p=0.001), while the cortical thickness showed an insignificant difference (p=0.3). The cortical volume of the cingulate gyrus was not statistically related to age or body mass index. The left cingulate gyrus’s total volume is larger than that of the right cingulate gyrus, and there is no significant difference in cortical thickness. Age and body mass index do not affect cortical volume and thickness.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with high risk of suicide, but the biological underpinnings of suicidality in MDD patients are far from conclusive. Previous neuroimaging studies using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) demonstrated that depressed individuals with suicidal thoughts or behaviors exhibit specific cortical structure alterations. To complement VBM findings, surface-based morphometry (SBM) can provide more details into gray matter structure, including the cortical complexity, cortical thickness and sulcal depth for brain images. This study aims to use SBM to investigate cortical morphology alterations to obtain evidence for neuroanatomical alterations in depressed patients with suicidality. Here, 3D T1-weighted MR images of brain from 39 healthy controls, 40 depressed patients without suicidality (patient controls), and 39 with suicidality (suicidal groups) were analyzed based on SBM to estimate the fractal dimension, gyrification index, sulcal depth, and cortical thickness using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox. Correlation analyses were performed between clinical data and cortical surface measurements from patients. Surface-based morphometry showed decreased sulcal depth in the parietal, frontal, limbic, occipital and temporal regions and decreased fractal dimension in the frontal regions in depressed patients with suicidality compared to both healthy and patient controls. Additionally, in patients with depression, the sulcal depth of the left caudal anterior cingulate cortex was negatively correlated with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores. Depressed patients with suicidality had abnormal cortical morphology in some brain regions within the default mode network, frontolimbic circuitry and temporal regions. These structural deficits may be associated with the dysfunction of emotional processing and impulsivity control. This study provides insights into the underlying neurobiology of the suicidal brain.

SUMMARYNeuronal oscillations are suggested to play an important role in auditory working memory (WM), but their contribution to content-specific representations has remained unclear. Here, we measure magnetoencephalography during a retro-cueing task with parametric ripple-sound stimuli, which are spectrotemporally similar to speech but resist non-auditory memory strategies. Using machine learning analyses, with rigorous between-subject cross-validation and non-parametric permutation testing, we show that memorized sound content is strongly represented in phase-synchronization patterns between subregions of auditory and frontoparietal cortices. These phase-synchronization patterns predict the memorized sound content steadily across the studied maintenance period. In addition to connectivity-based representations, there are indices of more local, “activity silent” representations in auditory cortices, where the decoding accuracy of WM content significantly increases after task-irrelevant “impulse stimuli.” Our results demonstrate that synchronization patterns across auditory sensory and association areas orchestrate neuronal coding of auditory WM content. This connectivity-based coding scheme could also extend beyond the auditory domain.