Brain Areas Research Articles (Page 1)

Ketamine antidepressant effects go beyond immediate receptor action, involving lasting transcriptional and epigenomic changes that support its rapid, long-lasting benefits. The present systematic review synthesized existing preclinical and clinical evidence on the epigenetic mechanisms of ketamine in the treatment of depression. A comprehensive search of three electronic databases was conducted through April 2025. Of 264 records screened, 18 studies met inclusion criteria most of which were preclinical. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD420251063429). Most preclinical studies (n = 7) consistently showed that ketamine may modulate histone acetylation and methylation, boosting transcription of neuroplasticity-related genes. Six studies implicated non-coding RNAs - particularly microRNAs - in sustaining antidepressant effects. Five studies reported that ketamine reversed promoter hypermethylation in genes linked to synaptic signaling and stress, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor, restoring their expression. These effects were strongest in brain areas key to emotional regulation, like the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens. Indirect epigenetic mechanisms have been implicated in the regulation of circadian clock and inflammatory genes. Ketamine may exert multilayered epigenetic modulation, leading to the reactivation of key neuroplasticity pathways. Although preclinical findings were strong, limited human data highlighted the need for translational studies to determine the clinical relevance of these mechanisms.

Abstract Acupuncture can restore normal physiological function by regulating the viscera, improving blood circulation, harmonizing the Yin and Yang, regulating the qi, benefiting the brain, and calming the mind to aid sleep. Acupuncture, as either an alternative or complementary treatment, can improve primary insomnia (PI) and significantly improve sleep quality. Various acupuncture methods have been used, including filiform needling, electroacupuncture, auricular acupuncture, scalp acupuncture, and acupoint embedding. Acupuncture treatment for PI regulates central neurotransmitters, hypothalamus secretion, melatonin-mediated biological clock regulation, and insomnia-related hormones to improve sleep quality. The design models, intervention characteristics, and clinical outcomes of various acupuncture procedures were analyzed. The main mechanisms of effect were summarized from a neuroimaging perspective by analyzing the results of different imaging methods. Functional magnetic resonance imaging indicators of multiple brain areas responsible for psychological, cognitive, and executive control were correlated with improvements in thinking and sleep symptoms after treatment. These were associated with an increase in the low-frequency oscillation amplitude in specific brain regions, such as the superior frontal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, and right dorsal anterior cingulate, as well as an increase in the ratio of low-frequency amplitude in the inferior gyrus and double-border superior gyrus. In addition, the therapy has been observed to improve regional homogeneity and reduce Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores in the superior frontal gyrus, right auxiliary motor area, right dorsal anterior, and middle cingulate gyrus. Moreover, acupuncture may immediately modulate the default mode network, which could be the central mechanism underlying PI treatment. A single imaging index is insufficient to define the pathophysiological processes linking insomnia with cognitive impairment. Acupuncture is indicated for the treatment of PI.

Localized 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a powerful tool in pre-clinical and clinical neurological research, offering non-invasive insight into neurochemical composition in localized brain regions. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are increasingly being utilized as models in neurological disorder research, providing valuable insights into disease mechanisms. However, the small size of the zebrafish brain and limited MRS sensitivity at low magnetic fields hinder comprehensive neurochemical analysis of localized brain regions. Here, we investigate the potential of ultra-high-field (UHF) MR systems, particularly 28.2 T, for this purpose. This present study pioneers the application of localized 1H spectroscopy in zebrafish brain at 28.2 T. Point resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) sequence parameters were optimized to reduce the impact of chemical shift displacement error and to enable molecular level information from distinct brain regions. Optimized parameters included gradient strength, excitation frequency, echo time, and voxel volume specifically targeting the 0–4.5 ppm chemical shift regions. Exceptionally high-resolution cerebral metabolite spectra were successfully acquired from localized regions of the zebrafish brain in voxels as small as 125 nL, allowing for the identification and quantification of major brain metabolites with remarkable spectral clarity, including lactate, myo-inositol, creatine, alanine, glutamate, glutamine, choline (phosphocholine + glycerol-phospho-choline), taurine, aspartate, N-acetylaspartyl-glutamate (NAAG), N-acetylaspartate (NAA), and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The unprecedented spatial resolution achieved in a small model organism enabled detailed comparisons of the neurochemical composition across distinct zebrafish brain regions, including the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. This level of precision opens exciting new opportunities to investigate how specific diseases in zebrafish models influence the neurochemical composition of specific brain areas.

"Trimetazidine Protects against Doxorubicin-induced Chemobrain in Rats: Insights into Energy Imbalance and Neuroinflammation".

Background It is unclear whether the alterations in neural oscillations in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are specific to different frequency bands. We applied the regional homogeneity (ReHo) approach to examine intrinsic functional connectivity variations in various frequency bands in AUD patients. Methods Thirty-three AUD patients and 29 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this study. The ReHo values in six frequency bands (conventional frequency band, 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) were calculated and compared between the two groups. The performance of the ReHo on distinguishing AUD patients from HCs was examined using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The correlation of functional changes in the network and alcohol dependence was evaluated. Results Decreased ReHo values were detected in two frequency bands, and the areas of decreased ReHo values were mainly located in the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and right middle frontal gyrus (MFG); the diagnostic efficiency of the ReHo differences in brain areas was respectively 0.876 and 0.868, with sensitivities of 90.0% and 76.7% and specificities of 70.0% and 86.7%. The clinical scale scores were not significantly correlated with the ReHo values in specific brain areas. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that the widespread abnormal brain activity in AUD patients is characterized by distinct patterns of neural oscillatory power across multiple frequency bands. This exploration may provide an objective imaging basis for understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms of AUD.

Humans are skilled at recognizing everyday objects from pictures, even if we have never encountered the depicted object in real life. But if we have encountered an object, how does that real-world experience affect the representation of its photographic image in the human brain? We developed a paradigm that involved brief real-world manual exploration of everyday objects prior to the measurement of brain activity with fMRI while viewing pictures of those objects (40 human participants, 28 female). We found that while object-responsive regions in lateral occipital and ventral temporal cortex contained robust visual representations of specific objects, those representations were not modulated by this brief real-world exploration. However, there was an effect of visual experience in object-responsive regions in the form of repetition suppression of the BOLD response over repeated presentations of the object images. Real-world experience with an object produced foci of increased activation in medial parietal and posterior cingulate cortex, regions that have previously been associated with the encoding and retrieval of remembered items in explicit memory paradigms. Our discovery that these regions are engaged during spontaneous recognition of real-world objects from their 2D image demonstrates that modulation of activity in medial regions by familiarity is neither stimulus nor task-specific. Overall, our results support separable coding in the human brain of the visual appearance of an object from the associations gained via real-world experience. The richness of object representations beyond their photographic image has important implications for understanding object recognition in the human brain and in computational models.Significance statement Humans and computers can both identify objects from pictures with ease (e.g. "a mug"). Yet unlike computers, humans spend much of their day physically interacting with familiar three-dimensional objects. Thus, our knowledge of objects is multifaceted and extends beyond their visual characteristics. Using brain imaging, we found that medial parietal cortical regions are preferentially engaged when people view photographs depicting objects they had previously manually explored. In contrast, visual brain areas contained robust representations of individual objects that were invariant across different photographs of the same object, but were not modulated by brief real-world experience. Together, our results suggest that an object's visual appearance is coded separately in the human brain from any associations developed via real-world experience.

While 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET supports increased neuronal activity in tinnitus, synaptic density abnormalities via synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) imaging remain unexplored. This study used 18F-SynVesT-1 PET to evaluate SV2A changes in tinnitus patients and compared them to 18F-FDG patterns. 28 tinnitus patients (acute/chronic) and 24 healthy controls underwent MRI and static PET with both 18F-SynVesT-1 and 18F-FDG. Standardized uptake values (SUV/SUVr) were calculated, followed by brain network analysis and EEG microstate assessment. Correlations with clinical features were examined. Lesions in the brain of chronic tinnitus patients had increased 18F-SynVesT-1 uptake compared with controls, corresponding to high metabolism detected by 18F-FDG PET. The patients revealed increased SV2A uptake of 14 brain areas, whereas the left inferior frontal gyrus showed decreased SV2A uptake. However, acute tinnitus patient results revealed a decreased synaptic density in five brain areas as compared to that of HCs. 18F-SynVesT-1 uptake had a more broaden pattern of induction than 18F-FDG in tinnitus lesions (P < 0.05). SUVR of these two imaging agents were positively correlated in insula lobe. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) scores negatively correlated with synaptic density in limbic regions. Brain network anaylsis showed that network connectivity was enhanced in tinnitus, highest acutely. Microstate analysis of EEG showed conserved microstate alternation. This first direct evidence demonstrates chronic tinnitus involves synaptic density elevation, while acute phase shows reduction, indicating bidirectional synaptic remodeling. 18F-SynVesT-1 outperforms 18F-FDG in detecting tinnitus-linked synaptic reorganization, with abnormality extent correlating to symptom severity, suggesting novel therapeutic targets for synaptic modulation.

Congenital amusia is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting musical ability. Previous studies have demonstrated that music reward sensitivity has both functional and structural bases. However, the nature of music reward sensitivity and its neural underpinnings in amusia remains unclear. This study combined the Barcelona Music Reward Questionnaire and magnetic resonance imaging to investigate resting-state functional and structural correlates of music reward sensitivity in individuals with amusia. Behavioral results indicate individuals with amusia exhibit reduced sensitivity to music, including social rewards, mood regulation, emotional evocation, sensorimotor processing, and music seeking. Brain imaging revealed abnormalities in several classic cognitive and reward-related functional and structural brain areas. Specifically, individuals with amusia have abnormal resting-state functional activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) along with altered functional and structural connectivity between the IFG and the striatum. Notably, reduced sensorimotor sensitivity to music in amusia is associated with increased resting-state functional activity in the IFG and enhanced structural connectivity between the IFG and nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Furthermore, the function of the IFG appears to influence the sensorimotor sensitivity via the IFG-NAcc structural connectivity in amusia. These findings suggest the cognitive system and its interactions with the reward system play crucial roles in developmental music disorder.

In the cerebellum, climbing fibers (CFs) provide instructive signals for supervised learning at parallel fiber to Purkinje cell synapses. It has not been tested so far whether CF signaling may also influence plasticity in other brain areas. Here, we show that optogenetic CF activation suppresses potentiation of whisker responses in L2/3 pyramidal cells in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) of awake mice that is observed after repeated whisker stimulation. Using two-photon imaging and chemogenetics, we find that CFs control plasticity by modulating SST- and VIP positive interneurons in S1 cortex. Transsynaptic labeling identifies zona incerta (ZI) to thalamic posterior medial nucleus projections as a pathway for cerebellar output reaching S1 cortex. Chemogenetic inhibition of PV-positive neurons in the ZI prevents CF co-activation effects, identifying the ZI as a critical relay. Our findings demonstrate that CFs impact sensory signal processing and plasticity in S1 cortex and thus may convey instructive signals.

Visuo-spatial functions mediate the association between cortical thickness of fronto-parietal areas and social processing abilities in congenital atypical development.

ABSTRACTCajal–Retzius (CR) cells are glutamatergic neurons that transiently populate the most superficial layer of the isocortex and allocortex during development, serving an essential role during both prenatal and early postnatal brain development. Notably, these cells disappear from most cortical areas by postnatal day 14 but persist for much longer in the hippocampus. We developed a novel intersectional genetic labeling approach for CR cells that captures almost all of the TRP73‐positive CR cells throughout the isocortex and allocortex. This intersectional strategy offers several advantages over previous methods commonly used for CR cell targeting. Here, we applied this new CR cell‐labeling strategy to investigate the distribution and persistence of CR cells throughout the whole mouse brain at four different postnatal ages. We observed that the initial CR cell density and the rate of their disappearance vary substantially across different brain areas during development. Strikingly, we observed variation in cell death rate even between adjacent cortical subregions: comparing the medial and the lateral entorhinal cortex, the former retains a high density of CR cells for several months in contrast to the latter. Our results present a necessary revision of the phenomenon of CR cell persistence, showing that, in addition to the hippocampus, several other cortical areas maintain a high density of these cells beyond the first 2 postnatal weeks.

Effect of 24-h and 36-h acute total sleep deprivation on human attention: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis.

Motor imagery and self-recognition from actions.

Disentangling nature and nurture: Exploring the genetic background of depressive symptoms in the absence of recent stress exposure using a GWAS approach.

Mapping of projection of sprouting neuron in neonate and adult mice after pyramidotomy.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies in children and adolescents with depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Brain histaminergic system: An emerging target for the treatment of feeding and eating-related disorders.

Brain tumor-related epilepsy (BTRE) is a common and debilitating symptom of central nervous system (CNS) tumors. The epileptogenic zone, defined as cortex responsible for seizure generation, is located at the peritumoral region for most tumors, and lower-grade intrinsic brain tumors have the highest seizure incidence. Surgery is often the most effective treatment for the reduction in seizures in BTRE. However, surgical decisions have historically often been made exclusively for oncologic reasons, with less emphasis on seizure control. Surgical approaches for all tumor types are reviewed, highlighting relevant risk factors. Adjunctive tools during surgery, such as intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG), may help identify and remove surrounding brain areas which are epileptogenic. Minimally invasive surgery is also gaining traction, given its utility in treating seizures deep-seated tumors. This review explores epileptogenic brain tumors, surgery for BTRE, and emerging strategies to better achieve seizure control.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that leads to memory loss, cognitive decline, and behavioral changes, without a known cure. Neuroimages are often collected alongside the covariates at baseline to forecast the prognosis of the patients. Identifying regions of interest within the neuroimages associated with disease progression is thus of significant clinical importance. One major complication in such analysis is that the domain of the brain area in neuroimages is irregular. Another complication is that the time to AD is interval-censored, as the event can only be observed between two revisit time points. To address these complications, we propose to model the imaging predictors via bivariate splines over triangulation and incorporate the imaging predictors in a flexible class of semiparametric transformation models. The regions of interest can then be identified by maximizing a penalized likelihood. A computationally efficient expectation-maximization algorithm is devised for parameter estimation. An extensive simulation study is conducted to evaluate the finite-sample performance of the proposed method. An illustration with the AD Neuroimaging Initiative dataset is provided.

Gadolinium-ceria hybrid system enables synergistic alleviation of oxidative stress and metabolic thrombo-inflammation for efficient ischemic stroke treatment.