The transition to human fatherhood involves increased brain activation to infant stimuli in regions involved with reward and motivation.

Declarative memories are initially dependent on the hippocampus and become stabilized through the neural reorganization of connections between the medial temporal lobe and neocortex. The exact time-course of these neural changes is not well established, although time-dependent changes in retrieval-related brain function can be detected across relatively short time periods in humans (e.g., hours to months). In a study involving older adults with normal cognition (N = 24), we investigated changes in brain activity and functional connectivity associated with the long-term memory consolidation of verbal material over one month. Participants studied fact-like, three-word sentences at 1-month, 1-week, 1-day, and 1-hour intervals before a recognition memory test inside an MRI scanner. Old/new recognition with confidence ratings and response times were recorded. We examined whole-brain changes in retrieval-related brain activity, as well as functional connectivity of the hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), as memories aged from 1 hour to 1 month. Secondary analyses minimized the effect of confounding factors affected by memory age (i.e., changes in confidence and response time or re-encoding of targets). Memory accuracy, confidence ratings, and response times changed with memory age. A memory age network was identified where retrieval-related brain activity in cortical regions increased or decreased as a function of memory age. Hippocampal brain activity in an anatomical region of interest decreased with memory age. Importantly, these changes in retrieval-related activity were not confounded with changes in activity related to concomitant changes in behavior or encoding. Exploratory analyses of vmPFC functional connectivity as a function of memory age revealed increased connectivity with the posterior parietal cortex, as well as with the vmPFC itself. In contrast, hippocampal functional connectivity with the vmPFC and orbitofrontal cortex decreased with memory age. The observed changes in retrieval-related brain activity and functional connectivity align with the predictions of standard systems consolidation theory. These results suggest that processes consistent with long-term memory consolidation can be identified over short time periods using fMRI, particularly for verbal material.

Previous studies have suggested that both lithium and valproate may decrease phosphoinositol second messenger system (PI-cycle) activity. There is also evidence that dextroamphetamine may increase PI cycle activity. It was previously demonstrated that dextroamphetamine administration in volunteers causes a region and task dependent decrease in brain activation in healthy volunteers. The current study assessed the effect of 14 days pretreatment with lithium and valproate on these dextroamphetamine-induced changes in regional brain activity in healthy volunteers. This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, study in which volunteers received either 1000 mg sodium valproate (n = 12), 900 mg lithium (n = 9) or placebo (n = 12). Functional images were acquired using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while subjects performed three cognitive tasks, a word generation paradigm, a spatial attention task and a working memory task. fMRI was carried out both before and after administration of dextroamphetamine (25 mg). Changes in the number of activated pixels and changes in the magnitude of the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal after dextroamphetamine administration were then determined. In keeping with previous findings dextroamphetamine administration decreased regional brain activation in all three tasks. Pretreatment with lithium attenuated changes in the word generation paradigm and the spatial attention task, while pretreatment with valproate attenuated the changes in the working memory task. These results suggest that both lithium and valproate can significantly attenuate dextroamphetamine-induced changes in brain activity in a task dependent and region specific manner. This is the first human evidence to suggest that both lithium and valproate may have a similar effect on regional brain activation, conceivably via similar effects on PI-cycle activity.

Event Abstract Back to Event Prefrontal cortex and age-related changes in strategic processing Brenda Kirchhoff1* 1 University of Missouri – St. Louis , United States Episodic memory impairments are one of the main cognitive changes associated with healthy and disordered aging. For example, healthy older adults typically remember fewer words following intentional encoding than young adults. Under-and over-recruitment of prefrontal cortex have also been reported during intentional encoding in older adults. There is growing evidence that changes in self-initiated encoding strategy use could play an important role in these age-related memory impairments and alterations in brain activity. Behavioral studies have suggested that older adults are less likely than young adults to spontaneously use effective encoding strategies during intentional encoding. In addition, age-related changes in brain activity during intentional encoding have been reported in prefrontal regions associated with self-initiated use of effective encoding strategies in young adults. To further explore the role that age-related changes in self-initiated encoding strategy use may play in age-related changes in brain activity in prefrontal cortex, we recently conducted a cognitive training study in which older adults were taught to use semantic encoding strategies. Strategy use training substantially improved older adults’ ability to consciously recollect studied words. Older adults reported greater self-initiated use of semantic encoding strategies following cognitive training, and were less likely to report not using any learning strategy. Brain activity in left inferior prefrontal regions increased following cognitive training, and individual differences in training-related changes in brain activity in these regions were associated with individual differences in training-related changes in memory performance.

The Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES) measure sexual excitation and sexual inhibition proneness. We used SIS and SES scores of 62 heterosexual teleiophilic men (Mage 34.3, SD = 9.9) to predict brain activation levels during the presentation of male and female visual sexual stimuli in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Statistical analyses revealed significant correlations. SES and SIS1 scores were positively associated with brain activation in various brain regions during the presentation of both male and female stimuli. SIS2 turned out to be a weaker predictor of brain activation, still revealing one significant correlation in the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex. Significant regions for SES and SIS1 were, among others, primary and supplementary motor areas, the caudate nucleus, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula, and prefrontal areas. Our study can be seen as an exploratory investigation of SIS and SES with means of functional brain imaging. The results provide a promising contribution to the assertion of neurophysiological systems of sexual inhibition and excitation proneness.

We investigated the correlated response of several key traits of Lythrum salicaria L. to water availability gradients in introduced (Iowa, USA) and native (Switzerland, Europe) populations. This was done to investigate whether plants exhibit a shift in life-history strategy during expansion into more stressful habitats during the secondary phase of invasion, as has recently been hypothesized by Dietz and Edwards (Ecology 87(6):1359, 2006). Plants in invaded habitats exhibited a correlated increase in longevity and decrease in overall size in the transition into more stressful mesic habitats. In contrast, plants in the native range only exhibited a decrease in height. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that secondary invasion is taking place in L. salicaria, allowing it to be more successful under the more stressful mesic conditions in the invaded range. If this trend continues, L. salicaria may become a more problematic species in the future.

Background: In chronic stroke, recovery of coordinated reaching is critical to arm function and quality of life. Improvement of motor function can be achieved with intensive rehabilitation even years after stroke, but current methods fall short of restoring normal movement for many stroke survivors. Little is known regarding the change in brain function that is required to improve shoulder/elbow reach function. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize the change in brain activity of bilateral motor-sensory brain regions, which may drive recovery of functional reach. Methods: 22 stroke subjects (>6 months post-stroke) with arm motor deficits were enrolled and treated with intensive arm rehabilitation (5 hours/day, 5 days/week for 12 weeks). Outcome measures were: 1) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a shoulder/elbow reach task (paretic arm), 2) skilled motor function (Arm Motor Assessment Test (AMAT)). fMRI activation (voxel count) was calculated for bilateral sensory-motor control regions. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between the change in brain function and recovery of functional reach. Co-variates included pre-treatment AMAT, age and time-since-stroke. Results: Subject characteristics were: age, 56.3 (±12.8years); 41%, female; and 1.8 (±1.1) years post-stroke. AMAT improved from 1636.63 (±668.41) to 1213.67 (±6643.79) seconds (p<.0001). Regression analyses demonstrated that greater improvement of AMAT score was associated with increase in activation in the ipsilesional primary motor(p=.02), and in the contralesional regions as follows: primary motor(p=0.02), primary sensory(p=0.03), secondary sensory(p=0.03), premotor(p=0.009), supplementary motor(p=0.05), thalamus(p=0.02), putamen(p=0.03) and cerebellum( p=0.009). Conclusions: In chronic stroke, important gain in functional reach is associated with increased activation, not only in the ipsilesional primary motor region, but also in the contralesional motor-sensory regions, which occurred in response to intensive neurorehabilitation. Arm neurorehabilitation methods should be based on principles that engage this brain plasticity, which may drive recovery of arm function.

Using fMRI, the acupuncture studies related with modifying disease process in patients still stay in the beginning, whereas the physiological response to acupuncture has been published abundantly. In this study, we reviewed acupuncture studies performed in patient and reported the changes of brain activity using fMRI. Only randomized controlled studies were included. We systemically searched PubMed and EMBASE and extracted data by two independent researchers. We also performed an ALE-meta analysis to investigate significant brain responses of acupuncture. Fifteen studies were finally included in our review. The studies were performed in stroke, carpal tunnel syndrome, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, lumbar disc herniation, Parkinson’s disease (PD) and mild cognitive impairment. The common changes of brain activity by acupuncture were identified in the sensory system and insular cortex, whereas other brain regions showed heterogeneous activity according to each disease status. Meta-analysis indicated the different brain responses between verum and sham acupuncture were found in the frontal lobe (BA 6) in the brain disorders such as stroke and PD and the parietal lobe (BA 40), insula (BA 13), limbic lobe (BA 23) and occipital lobe (BA 18) in the pain related disease. However, the correlations between the changes of clinical symptoms and brain activities are limited. Some specific changes of brain activities induced by acupuncture can be detective through patient imaging studies. However, it was difficult to draw an obvious conclusion due to the heterogeneity of the diseases and the interventions. Further well-designed patient centered fMRI studies considering clinical points are required.

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in functional connectivity and regional brain activity between and within the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and executive control network (ECN) among individuals with disorders of consciousness (DOC) in the conditions of minimally conscious state (MCS) and vegetative-state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS). Twenty-five VS/UWS patients, 14 MCS patients, and 30 healthy individuals as normal control, completed resting-state fMRI scans. ROI-wise functional connectivity and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) were implemented to examine group differences. All ROI-wise and fALFF analyses masks were identified from the triple-network model. ROI-wise analyses indicated significantly decreased functional connectivity between posterior cingulate cortex (DMN)-left anterior insula (SN), right anterior insula (SN)-left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (ECN), and right anterior insula (SN)-right amygdala (SN) in VS/UWS patients compared to MCS patients. Moreover, fALFF were observed reduced in the triple-network across all DOC patients, and as the clinical manifestations of DOC deteriorated from MCS to VS/UWS, fALFF in dorsal DMN, anterior/posterior SN, and left ECN became significantly reduced. Moreover, a positive correlation between fALFF of the left ECN and Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) total scores was found across all DOC patients. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the underlying neural mechanism of functional connectivity and regional brain activity in DOC patients, and this triple-network model provides new connectivity pattern changes that may be integrated in future diagnostic tools based on the neural signatures of conscious states.

BackgroundIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional disease of the gastrointestinal tract. The current study aimed to examine the association between visceral hypersensitivity in IBS and cortical activation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and to elucidate the role of psychological factors in the pathogenesis of IBS.MethodsThe present study included 31 patients with IBS and 20 healthy controls. Cerebral function was assessed using fMRI. During imaging, a Sengstaken-Blakemore tube was placed within the rectum approximately 10 cm from the anus, following which gas was rapidly injected into the airbag using a 150-ml syringe. Images were obtained at 40 ml, 80 ml, and 120 ml of expansion. Psychological status was evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).ResultsAnxiety and depression scores were higher among patients with IBSthan among controls (both P < 0.05), although scores in both groups were below the level of clinical diagnosis. Brain activation in regions of interest (parietal areas, prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, anterior cingulate cortex, insular cortex, and thalamus) increased along with increases in rectal balloon dilation, except in women with IBS and patients with disease duration less than 5 years. Furthermore, region of interest (ROI) activation (such as the parietal region, prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, anterior cingulate cortex, insular cortex, and thalamus) differed significantly between the 40-ml and 120-ml conditions, and between the 80-ml and 120-ml conditions (P < 0.05), among patients with IBS with anxiety or depression scores less than 9 points.ConclusionsOverall, our findings indicate that changes in brain activation due to changes in rectal balloon distension can be objectively and accurately measured using fMRI. Although our results indicated that visceral hypersensitivity during IBS is associated with changes in cortical activation, further studies utilizing larger sample sizes are required to more fully elucidate the association between psychological factors and visceral hypersensitivity in IBS.

How changes in brain activity and connectivity are associated with motor performance in people with MS.

Different types of physical training can lead to changes in brain activity and function, and these changes can vary depending on the type of training. However, it remains unclear whether there are commonalities in how different types of training affect brain activity and function. The purpose of this study is to compare the brain activity states of professional athletes with those of ordinary university students and to explore the relationship between training and differences in brain activity states. This study primarily utilizes resting-state MRI and the degree centrality metric to investigate spontaneous brain activity in 86 high-level athletes with extensive training and 74 age- and gender-matched nonathletes. Additionally, a correlation analysis between brain activity in relevant regions and years of training was conducted. The analysis revealed that, compared to nonathletes, high-level athletes exhibited reduced activity in the Calcarine (a visual area) and Middle Temporal Gyrus. Furthermore, changes in the activity of the Calcarine and Middle Temporal Gyrus were significantly correlated with the number of years of professional training. The study results indicate that long-term physical training is associated with changes in brain activity in athletes, providing insights into the neural mechanisms underlying behavioral performance in professional athletes.

29. Changes in brain activation after therapeutic stimulation using Vojta therapy: Controlled study

Injections of [14C]-deoxyglucose ([14C]DG) were used to study rates of local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) in control cats and cats subjected to concussive brain injury produced by a fluid-percussion device. Studies in separate groups of animals demonstrated that the injury level selected produced transient behavioral suppression probably associated with traumatic disturbances of consciousness. LCGU was sampled near the site of fluid-percussion injury and more caudally in pontine regions. Histopathologic studies examined the possibility of hemorrhage, contusion, or breakdown of the blood-brain barrier in regions within which LCGU was calculated. These studies yielded analyses indicating that (1) the [14C]DG technique can be applied usefully to infer changes in regional levels of brain activity after concussion, (2) concussive injury produces changes in brain function that differ reliably across various regions of the central nervous system and may include both depression and focal activation of specific brain sites. Data are discussed that suggest that changes in brain activity in specific regions indicated by changes in LCGU could contribute to acute neurologic disturbances after concussion including unconsciousness.

Separation from loved ones commonly leads to grief reactions. In some individuals, grief can evolve into a major depressive episode. The brain regions involved in grief have not been specifically studied. The authors studied brain activity in women actively grieving a recent romantic relationship breakup. It was hypothesized that while remembering their ex-partner, subjects would have altered brain activity in regions identified in sadness imaging studies: the cerebellum, anterior temporal cortex, insula, anterior cingulate, and prefrontal cortex. Nine right-handed women whose romantic relationship ended within the preceding 4 months were studied. Subjects were scanned using blood-oxygen-level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging while they alternated between recalling a sad, ruminative thought about their loved one (grief state) and a neutral thought about a different person they knew an equally long time. Acute grief (grief minus neutral state) was associated with increased group activity in posterior brain regions, including the cerebellum, posterior brainstem, and posterior temporoparietal and occipital brain regions. Decreased activity was more prominent anteriorly and on the left and included the anterior brainstem, thalamus, striatum, temporal cortex, insula, and dorsal and ventral anterior cingulate/prefrontal cortex. When a more lenient statistical threshold for regions of interest was used, additional increases were found in the lateral temporal cortex, supragenual anterior cingulate/medial prefrontal cortex, and right inferomedial dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, all of which were adjacent to spatially more prominent decreases. In nearly all brain regions showing brain activity decreases with acute grief, activity decreases were greater in women reporting higher grief levels over the past 2 weeks. During acute grief, subjects showed brain activity changes in the cerebellum, anterior temporal cortex, insula, anterior cingulate, and prefrontal cortex, consistent with the hypothesis. Subjects with greater baseline grief showed greater decreases in all these regions except for the cerebellum. Further imaging studies are needed to understand the relationship between normal sadness, grief, and depression.

Adaptations in reward-related behaviors and mesolimbic dopamine function during motherhood and the postpartum period