Brodmann Area Research Articles

Comparison of Slides and Video Clips as Different Methods for Inducing Emotions: An Electroencephalographic Alpha Modulation Study.

Films, compared with emotional static pictures, represent true-to-life dynamic stimuli that are both ecological and effective in inducing an emotional response given the involvement of multimodal stimulation (i.e., visual and auditory systems). We hypothesized that a direct comparison between the two methods would have shown greater efficacy of movies, compared to standardized slides, in eliciting emotions at both subjective and neurophysiological levels. To this end, we compared these two methods of emotional stimulation in a group of 40 young adults (20 females). Electroencephalographic (EEG) Alpha rhythm (8–12 Hz) was recorded from 64 scalp sites while participants watched (in counterbalanced order across participants) two separate blocks of 45 slides and 45 clips. Each block included three groups of 15 validated stimuli classified as Erotic, Neutral and Fear content. Greater self-perceived arousal was found after the presentation of Fear and Erotic video clips compared with the same slide categories. sLORETA analysis showed a different lateralization pattern: slides induced decreased Alpha power (greater activation) in the left secondary visual area (Brodmann Area, BA, 18) to Erotic and Fear compared with the Neutral stimuli. Instead, video clips elicited reduced Alpha in the homologous right secondary visual area (BA 18) again to both Erotic and Fear contents compared with Neutral ones. Comparison of emotional stimuli showed smaller Alpha power to Erotic than to Fear stimuli in the left precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (BA 7/31) for the slide condition, and in the left superior parietal lobule (BA 7) for the clip condition. This result matched the parallel analysis of the overlapped Mu rhythm (corresponding to the upper Alpha band) and can be interpreted as Mu/Alpha EEG suppression elicited by greater motor action tendency to Erotic (approach motivation) compared to Fear (withdrawal motivation) stimuli. Correlation analysis found lower Alpha in the left middle temporal gyrus (BA 21) associated with greater pleasantness to Erotic slides (r38 = –0.62, p = 0.009), whereas lower Alpha in the right supramarginal/angular gyrus (BA 40/39) was associated with greater pleasantness to Neutral clips (r38 = –0.69, p = 0.012). Results point to stronger emotion elicitation of movies vs. slides, but also to a specific involvement of the two hemispheres during emotional processing of slides vs. video clips, with a shift from the left to the right associative visual areas.

Influence of serial subtraction tasks on transient characteristics of postural control.

We sought to better understand the influence of cognitive perturbations on transient aspects of postural control. Twenty healthy, younger adults had their postural control assessed during eyes open quiet stance. Participants completed three different conditions that either had no cognitive perturbation present, an easy cognitive perturbation (i.e., serial subtraction by ones), or a more difficult cognitive perturbation (i.e., serial subtraction by sevens). All trials finished with 60s of undisturbed eyes open quiet stance, which was the focus of the balance assessment. 95% confidence ellipse area (EA) was calculated for 5-s epochs throughout the trial. The difference in EA from the first epoch after participants started (onset) or stopped (offset) the cognitive task to the last epoch of the trial (i.e., 55-60s after perturbation) was used to characterize transient postural control behavior. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was also used to quantify changes in prefrontal cortex activation during the counting tasks to support interpretation of the transient balance findings. There was a significant effect of condition for transient balance characteristics following a cognitive perturbation (P<0.001), with greater transient increases in postural sway for both difficult (Cohen's d=0.40, P<0.001) and easier (Cohen's d=0.29, P=0.013) cognitive perturbations relative to no cognitive perturbation. The onset of cognitive tasks was also associated with greater transient increases in postural sway than the offset of the cognitive tasks (Cohen's d=0.24, P=0.019). The functional near-infrared spectroscopy data indicated that a significant decrease in deoxygenated hemoglobin was observed for left Brodmann area 46 for both the subtraction by ones (T=-3.97; Benjamini-Hochberg significance value (q)=0.008) and subtraction by sevens (T=-3.11; q=0.036) conditions relative to the baseline condition. The subtraction by sevens condition was also associated with a relative increase in deoxygenated hemoglobin for the right Brodmann area 9 (T=3.36; q=0.026) compared to the subtraction by ones condition. In conclusion, serial subtraction can elicit transient increases in postural sway, with more difficult tasks and the onset of the cognitive-motor challenge exhibiting magnified effects. Additionally, even the cessation of a cognitive task (i.e., serial subtraction) can be associated with lingering perturbing effects on balance control.

Neural and Cognitive Underpinnings of Counterintuitive Science and Math Reasoning in Adolescence.

Reasoning about counterintuitive concepts in science and math is thought to require suppressing naive theories, prior knowledge, or misleading perceptual cues through inhibitory control. Neuroimaging research has shown recruitment of pFC regions during counterintuitive reasoning, which has been interpreted as evidence of inhibitory control processes. However, the results are inconsistent across studies and have not been directly compared with behavior or brain activity during inhibitory control tasks. In this fMRI study, 34 adolescents (aged 11-15 years) answered science and math problems and completed response inhibition tasks (simple and complex go/no-go) and an interference control task (numerical Stroop). Increased BOLD signal was observed in parietal (Brodmann's area 40) and prefrontal (Brodmann's area 8, 45/47) cortex regions in counterintuitive problems compared with control problems, where no counterintuitive reasoning was required, and in two parietal clusters when comparing correct counterintuitive reasoning to giving the incorrect intuitive response. There was partial overlap between increases in BOLD signal in the complex response inhibition and interference control tasks and the science and math contrasts. However, multivariate analyses suggested overlapping neural substrates in the parietal cortex only, in regions typically associated with working memory and visuospatial attentional demands rather than specific to inhibitory control. These results highlight the importance of using localizer tasks and a range of analytic approach to investigate to what extent common neural networks underlie performance of different cognitive tasks and suggests visuospatial attentional skills may support counterintuitive reasoning in science and math.

Mapping the Integration of Sensory Information across Fingers in Human Sensorimotor Cortex.

The integration of somatosensory signals across fingers is essential for dexterous object manipulation. Previous experiments suggest that this integration occurs in neural populations in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). However, the integration process has not been fully characterized, as previous studies have mainly used 2-finger stimulation paradigms. Here, we addressed this gap by stimulating all 31 single- and multifinger combinations. We measured population-wide activity patterns evoked during finger stimulation in human S1 and primary motor cortex (M1) using 7T fMRI in female and male participants. Using multivariate fMRI analyses, we found clear evidence of unique nonlinear interactions between fingers. In Brodmann area (BA) 3b, interactions predominantly occurred between pairs of neighboring fingers. In BA 2, however, we found equally strong interactions between spatially distant fingers, as well as interactions between finger triplets and quadruplets. We additionally observed strong interactions in the hand area of M1. In both M1 and S1, these nonlinear interactions did not reflect a general suppression of overall activity, suggesting instead that the interactions we observed reflect rich, nonlinear integration of sensory inputs from the fingers. We suggest that this nonlinear finger integration allows for a highly flexible mapping from finger sensory inputs to motor responses that facilitates dexterous object manipulation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Processing of somatosensory information in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) is essential for dexterous object manipulation. To successfully handle an object, the sensorimotor system needs to detect complex patterns of haptic information, which requires the nonlinear integration of sensory inputs across multiple fingers. Using multivariate fMRI analyses, we characterized brain activity patterns evoked by stimulating all single- and multifinger combinations. We report that progressively stronger multifinger interactions emerge in posterior S1 and in the primary motor cortex (M1), with interactions arising between inputs from neighboring and spatially distant fingers. Our results suggest that S1 and M1 provide the neural substrate necessary to support a flexible mapping from sensory inputs to motor responses of the hand.

Decreased spontaneous brain activity in the dorsal visual pathway in age-related macular degeneration patients revealed by fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual loss in the developed world and damages the central retina. Growing evidences demonstrated that AMD patients were associated with brain structure changes in visual pathway. However, it remains unknown whether alterations of spontaneous brain activity changes occur in AMD patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of central vision loss on spontaneous brain activity in AMD patients. Seventeen AMD patients and 17 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state MRI scans. The fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFFs) was applied to investigate the spontaneous brain activity changes in AMD patients. Compared with HC group, AMD patients showed significant decreased fALFF values in the right calcarine/cuneus (brodmann area 17,8) and right superior parietal lobule (brodmann area 7). Our results showed that AMD patients had decreased brain activities in the dorsal visual pathway, which offer important insights into the neural mechanisms of central visual field defect in AMD patients.

Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans in patients with alcohol use disorder.

Diminished uptake of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been observed in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) but little statistical contrast of the regional brain deficits has been undertaken. This study examined prefrontal cortex inter-regional Brodmann area differences to delineate patterns associated with behavioral, neurotransmitter, and general toxicity hypotheses of cerebral involvement in AUD. We obtained data from FDG positron emission tomography (PET) and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for 87 patients with AUD and 41 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Patients were alcohol dependent and had negative breathalyzer tests at the time of imaging. They were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory, Alcohol Urge Questionnaire, Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale, Spielberger State/Trait Anxiety Scale, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, and the Drinker Inventory of Consequences (DrInC). PET images were co-registered to MRI and both voxel×voxel statistical mapping and stereotaxic regions of interest were obtained. Compared with healthy volunteers, patients with AUD had lower relative metabolic rates in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes, localizable most prominently to the dorsolateral and nearly all orbital prefrontal cortex, superior temporal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule. In contrast, metabolic rates in the medial orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex, and the subcortical structures (thalamus, cerebellum, ventral striatum, and the dorsal raphe nucleus) in patients were significantly greater. The severity of alcohol-related consequences as assessed by the DrInC scale was most highly associated with lower metabolism in the caudate, dorsolateral prefrontal, frontopolar, and anteroposterior cingulate cortex. Despite widespread metabolic abnormalities, decreases in AUD were most marked in frontal executive areas, consistent with diminished impulse control, and increases were most prominent in the striatum and cingulate areas, consistent with a suppressed reward system.

Overlap between Central and Peripheral Transcriptomes in Parkinson's Disease but Not Alzheimer's Disease.

Most neurodegenerative disorders take decades to develop, and their early detection is challenged by confounding non-pathological ageing processes. Therefore, the discovery of genes and molecular pathways in both peripheral and brain tissues that are highly predictive of disease evolution is necessary. To find genes that influence Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) pathogenesis, human RNA-Seq transcriptomic data from Brodmann Area 9 (BA9) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), whole blood (WB), and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were analysed using a combination of differential gene expression and a random forest-based machine learning algorithm. The results suggest that there is little overlap between PD and AD, and the AD brain signature is unique mainly compared to blood-based samples. Moreover, the AD-BA9 was characterised by changes in ‘nervous system development’ with Myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2C (Mef2C), encoding a transcription factor that induces microglia activation, a prominent feature. The peripheral AD transcriptome was associated with alterations in ‘viral process’, and FYN, which has been previously shown to link amyloid-beta and tau, was the prominent feature. However, in the absence of any overlap with the central transcriptome, it is unclear whether peripheral FYN levels reflect AD severity or progression. In PD, central and peripheral signatures are characterised by anomalies in ‘exocytosis’ and specific genes related to the SNARE complex, including Vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2), Syntaxin 1A (STX1A), and p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1). This is consistent with our current understanding of the physiological role of alpha-synuclein and how alpha-synuclein oligomers compromise vesicle docking and neurotransmission. Overall, the results describe distinct disease-specific pathomechanisms, both within the brain and peripherally, for the two most common neurodegenerative disorders.

Нейрофизиологическое исследование речевой функции у лиц, перенесших легкую форму COVID-19

Establishing a link between the objective research data and the thought process is one of the major issues of modern neurophysiology. The study was aimed to find an opportunity to perform objective analysis of the causes of cognitive impairment in individuals having a history of mild novel coronavirus infection by solving the inverse EEG problem. A total of 38 COVID-19 survivors were assessed, who had returned to work. The control group included 33 healthy individuals. EEG was recorded using a 128-channel system with an average reference. The data obtained were subjected to the EEG microstate segmentation and converted using the algorithm for solving the inverse EEG problem implemented in the sLORETA software package. In individuals with no history of COVID-19 being in a state of relaxed wakefulness, the component of rhythmic activity within Brodmann area 47, responsible for perception and realization of music, was found in all classes of EEG microstates (0.01 &lt; p &lt; 0.05; χ2-test). Auditory-speech load was characterized by rhythmic activity within areas 22, 23, 37, 39, 40, 44, 45, and 47. In individuals having a history of novel coronavirus infection being in a state of relaxed wakefulness, rhythmic activity within areas 22, 37, 39, 40 was detected. Under auditory-speech load, there was rhythmic activity within areas 37, 39, and 41 (p &lt; 0.05; χ2-test). Thus, alterations in realization of speech function in the form of the disordered sequence of switching on the main language centers were revealed in COVID-19 survivors.

Increased Cerebellar Gray Matter Volume in Athletes: A Voxel-Wise Coordinate-Based Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis study was to investigate distinct brain structural characteristics in athletes as compared with those in non-athletes by quantifying regional gray matter (GM) volume changes using voxel-based morphometry analysis based on a whole-brain approach.Methods: The systematic literature search was conducted from November 1, 2020 to October 18, 2021 via the two search engines including the PubMed and Web of Science. We included 13 studies that reported GM volume data in 229 athletes as compared 219 non-athletes based on the whole-brain analysis with specific three-dimensional coordinates in a standard stereotactic space. Thus, we performed a coordinate-based meta-analysis using the seed-based d mapping via permutation of subject images methods.Result: The coordinate-based meta-analysis reported that the athletes significantly reveal greater regional GM volume across right cerebellar lobules IV–V and Brodmann area 37 regions than those in the non-athletes with minimal levels of heterogeneity and publication bias between the included studies. The subgroup analyses show that greater GM volume for athletes in closed-skill sports appeared across the right cerebellar hemispheric lobules VIII and the right cingulum than those for non-athletes.Conclusion: These cumulative findings from multiple brain imaging studies suggest potential brain plasticity evidence in the athletes who experienced extensive motor training.

Regional and Sex-Specific Alterations in the Visual Cortex of Individuals With Psychosis Spectrum Disorders

BackgroundImpairments of the visual system are implicated in psychotic disorders. However, studies exploring visual cortex (VC) morphology in this population are limited. Using data from the Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes consortium, we examined VC structure in psychosis probands and their first-degree relatives (RELs), sex differences in VC measures, and their relationships with cognitive and peripheral inflammatory markers. MethodsCortical thickness, surface area, and volume of the primary (Brodmann area 17/V1) and secondary (Brodmann area 18/V2) visual areas and the middle temporal (V5/MT) region were quantified using FreeSurfer version 6.0 in psychosis probands (n = 530), first-degree RELs (n = 544), and healthy control subjects (n = 323). Familiality estimates were determined for probands and RELs. General cognition, response inhibition, and emotion recognition functions were assessed. Systemic inflammation was measured in a subset of participants. ResultsPsychosis probands demonstrated significant area, thickness, and volume reductions in V1, V2, and MT, and their first-degree RELs demonstrated area and volume reductions in MT compared with control subjects. There was a higher degree of familiality for VC area than thickness. Area and volume reductions in V1 and V2 were sex dependent, affecting only female probands in a regionally specific manner. Reductions in some VC regions were correlated with poor general cognition, worse response inhibition, and increased C-reactive protein levels. ConclusionsThe visual cortex is a site of significant pathology in psychotic disorders, with distinct patterns of area and thickness changes, sex-specific and regional effects, potential contributions to cognitive impairments, and association with C-reactive protein levels.

P 84 Altered sensorimotor integration of afferent inhibition in patients with complex regional pain syndrome

Introduction: The complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition which frequently results in sensorimotor dysfunction of the affected limb. With respect to pathophysiology an impaired interaction in sensorimotor cortex has been hypothesized 1 . Sensorimotor interactions can be assessed through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that is preceded by an electrical stimulation of peripheral motor or sensory nerves (short/ long afferent inhibition; SAI/LAI). Previous studies revealed only minor alterations of LAI using peripheral motor stimulation in CRPS 2 . This study uses a more comprehensive assessment of SAI and LAI, induced by motor and sensory peripheral stimulation, to assess interaction of the sensorimotor system in CRPS. Methods : 13 unilateral upper limb affected patients with CRPS (9 females, 54 ± 17.8 years) and 11 controls (HCs; 8 females, 52± 18.3 years) received TMS on either hemisphere. SAI and LAI were induced by a motor (m_) or sensory (s_) median nerve stimulation preceded by TMS with 20ms (m_SAI) and 200ms (m_LAI) or 23ms (s_SAI) and 203ms (s_LAI), respectively 3 . Twenty paired and single TMS stimuli were randomly applied for each condition. Results: Pain levels were 5.1±1.5/10 at rest and 7.4±2.1/10 during movements. ANOVA revealed a significant group effect for patients vs. HCs on the affected side (F=2.2, p=0.048). Post hoc tests were corrected for multiple comparisons and showed reduced inhibition in patients after sensory stimulation (s_SAI: t=-2.51, p=0.04; s_LAI: t=-2.53 p=0.038) and motor stimulation with ISI 200ms (m_LAI: t=-2.62, p=0.032). Afferent sensorimotor inhibition was lower in patients with longer disease duration (r=-0.66, p=0.014). Discussion: We demonstrate altered sensorimotor integration of afferent inhibition in CRPS. Since afferent inhibition after sensory stimulation is thought to be mediated via interconnections especially between Brodmann area 3b of somatosensory and the motor cortex, our results complement existing literature about maladaptive cortical plasticity of these regions in CRPS 4,5 . Impairment in LAI, that is thought to involve higher-order somatosensory cortical areas and the posterior parietal cortex is in line with existing literature on chronic pain 2,4 . Future longitudinal investigation should evaluate intra- and intercortical sensorimotor integration systematically in CRPS to better understand their impact in development of sensorimotor symptoms. Literature: 1 Harris AJ. Cortical origins of pathological pain. Lancet 1999. 2 Morgante et al. Normal sensorimotor plasticity in complex regional pain syndrome with fixed posture of the hand. Mov Disord. 2017. 3 Sailer A, et al. Brain. 2003. 4 Chen et al. Modulation of motor cortex excitability by median nerve and digit stimulation. Exp Brain Res. 1999. 5 Pfannmöller et al. Investigations on maladaptive plasticity in the sensorimotor cortex of unilateral upper limb CRPS I patients. RNN. 2019.

Dissociative identity state-dependent working memory in dissociative identity disorder: a controlled functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Memory function is at the core of the psychopathology of dissociative identity disorder (DID), but little is known about its psychobiological correlates. This study aims to investigate whether memory function in DID differs between dissociative identity states. Behavioural data and neural activation patterns were assessed in 92 sessions during an n-back working memory task. Participants were people with genuine diagnosed DID (n = 14), DID-simulating controls (n = 16) and a paired control group (post-traumatic stress disorder (n = 16), healthy controls (n = 16)). Both DID groups participated as authentic or simulated neutral and trauma-related identity states. Reaction times and errors of omission were analysed with repeated measures ANOVA. Working memory neural activation (main working memory and linear load) was investigated for effects of identity state, participant group and their interaction. Identity state-dependent behavioural performance and neural activation was found. DID simulators made fewer errors of omission than those with genuine DID. Regarding the prefrontal parietal network, main working memory in the left frontal pole and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 44) was activated in all three simulated neutral states, and in trauma-related identity states of DID simulators, but not those with genuine DID or post-traumatic stress disorder; for linear load, trauma-related identity states of those with genuine DID did not engage the parietal regions. Behavioural performance and neural activation patterns related to working memory in DID are dependent on the dissociative identities involved. The narrowed consciousness of trauma-related identity states, with a proneness to re-experiencing traumatising events, may relate to poorer working memory functioning.

Resting-State Electroencephalography and P300 Evidence: Age-Related Vestibular Loss as a Risk Factor Contributes to Cognitive Decline.

Background:In recent years, there have been several meaningful advances in the understanding of the cognitive effects of vestibular loss. However, there has not yet been an investigation exploring the early biomarkers of preclinical cognitive decline in individuals with age-related vestibular loss.Objective:We aim to explore the “early biomarkers” of preclinical cognitive decline based on altered cortical activity (resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) and P300) with a multichannel EEG system in individuals with age-related vestibular loss.Method:This is a case-control study. A total of 21 patients with age-related vestibular loss (66.50±5.79 years, 13 [62% ] females), 19 patients with cognitive decline (68.42±5.82 years, 13 [68% ] females), and 21 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited. All participants underwent a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests, audio-vestibular evaluations, resting-state EEG and P300 recordings.Results:Significant visuo-spatial, executive, and attention hypofunction were observed in the age-related vestibular group, reflected by decreased subscale scores. Reduced gamma functional connectivity between the right cuneus (Brodmann area 19, BA19) and the left superior parietal gyrus (BA7) was observed in both the age-related vestibular group and the cognitive impairment group. Smaller P300 amplitudes were observed in the age-related vestibular group (1.43±3.69μV) and cognitive impairment group (1.15±4.24μV) than in the healthy control group (3.97±2.38μV).Conclusion:Decreased P300 amplitude and functional connectivity between the right BA19 and the left BA7 were “early biomarkers” observed in individuals with age-related vestibular loss; these biomarkers may contribute to visuospatial, executive, and attention hypofunction.

Epigenetic Signatures of Smoking in Five Brain Regions.

(1) Background: Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) in peripheral blood have repeatedly found associations between tobacco smoking and aberrant DNA methylation (DNAm), but little is known about DNAm signatures of smoking in the human brain, which may contribute to the pathophysiology of addictive behavior observed in chronic smokers. (2) Methods: We investigated the similarity of DNAm signatures in matched blood and postmortem brain samples (n = 10). In addition, we performed EWASs in five brain regions belonging to the neurocircuitry of addiction: anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), Brodmann Area 9, caudate nucleus, putamen, and ventral striatum (n = 38–72). (3) Results: cg15925993 within the LOC339975 gene was epigenome-wide significant in the ACC. Of 16 identified differentially methylated regions, two (PRSS50 and LINC00612/A2M-AS1) overlapped between multiple brain regions. Functional enrichment was detected for biological processes related to neuronal development, inflammatory signaling and immune cell migration. Additionally, our results indicate the association of the well-known AHRR CpG site cg05575921 with smoking in the brain. (4) Conclusion: The present study provides further evidence of the strong relationship between aberrant DNAm and smoking.

451 Unique Gray Matter Volume Differences in Bilingual Children with Reading Disability

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Developmental dyslexia is a common reading disability (RD) which negatively impacts academic success. To address the role of early language experience on RD, we tested if the reported differences in gray matter volume (GMV) in RD also manifests in poor readers with a bilingual language background. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We studied 54 Spanish-English Bilingual Typical Readers with Oral Reading Recognition Test (ORRT) scores above 100 (avg. =113 ± 10), 51 Spanish-English Bilinguals with RD with ORRT scores below 92 (avg. =84 ± 7), 54 English Monolingual Typical Readers with ORRT scores above 100 (avg. =113 ± 10) and 51 English Monolinguals with RD with ORRT scores below 92 (avg. =84 ± 7) from the Adolescent Brain &amp; Cognitive Development Study. All groups had an average age of 12 ± 0.7 years and were matched for sex and self-ratings of English ability. Structural magnetic resonance images were analyzed using Voxel-Based Morphometry and the bilingual and monolingual groups were separately compared in two-sample t-tests (p &lt; 0.05). RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Monolinguals with RD had less GMV than the Monolingual Typical Readers in the right supramarginal gyrus (Brodmanns Area (BA) 40; MNI Coordinates: 69, -27, 39) (p=0.011) similar to the right superior temporal finding reported in the existing literature. However, a comparison of Bilinguals with RD and Bilingual Typical Readers did not show any GMV differences in superior temporal regions. Instead, our Bilinguals with RD had less GMV compared to the Spanish-English Bilingual Typical Readers in the right superior frontal gyrus (BA 11; MNI Coordinates: 21, 44, -24) extending to the middle frontal gyrus (BA 10) (p = 0.014). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings suggest that the neuroanatomical bases of RD in Spanish-English Bilingual children are not the same as those observed for monolinguals, and biological models developed in monolinguals cannot be generalized. This has implications for diagnoses and treatment of RD in bilinguals.

Visual Tract Degradation in Bilateral Normal-Tension Glaucoma-Cortical Thickness Maps and Volumetric Study of Visual Pathway Areas.

The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in the central visual pathways during the early and advanced stages of bilateral normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). Methods: The studied groups constituted patients with bilateral normal-tension glaucoma of the same stage (n = 45) and age-matched healthy volunteers (n = 17). All patients underwent ophthalmic examination and examination on a 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Scanner (Optima 360, GE Healthcare). Volume and cortical thickness analyses were performed using the open-source automated software package FreeSurfer. Results: There was a significant difference in lateral geniculate nuclei volume between the control and advanced glaucoma groups in the right hemisphere (p = 0.03) and in the left hemisphere between the early and advanced glaucoma patients (p = 0.026). The optic chiasm volume differed significantly between the control and advanced NTG groups (p = 0.0003) and between early and advanced glaucoma patients (p = 0.004). Mean cortical thickness analysis revealed a significant increase in values in the advanced glaucoma group in the right Brodmann area 17 (BA17) (p = 0.007) and right BA18 (p = 0.049) as compared to early NTG. In the left BA18 area, the mean thickness of the cortex in the early glaucoma group was significantly lower than in the control group (p = 0.03). Conclusions: The increase in the grey matter thickness in the V1 region with more-advanced glaucoma stages may reflect compensatory hypertrophy. Additionally, the regions of the brain early affected during glaucoma with reduced thickness were the right lateral occipital gyrus and left lingual gyrus. The most prominent change during the course of glaucoma was the increase in grey matter thickness in the right cuneus.

Differential expression of HTR2A and MAOA genes in the prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus of suicide victims from Mexican population

ObjectiveThe main aim of the current study was to investigate whether the expression levels of the HTR2A and MAOA genes are altered in the postmortem brain of suicide victims from Mexican population. MethodsOn the basis of a case– control study, we examined the expression levels of HTR2A and MAOA genes in the postmortem prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 8/9) and hypothalamus (ventromedial nucleus) tissues from 20 suicide victims and 20 control subjects from a Mexican population. Gene-expression profile quantification was carried out by qPCR and determined by the 2-ΔΔCt method. ResultsIn suicide victims, the expression levels of the HTR2A gene were significantly higher in the prefrontal cortex. In contrast, the expression of the MAOA gene in the hypothalamus of the suicide victims was significantly higher than in the control subjects. These results were consistent regardless of age, sex, postmortem interval, or pH of brain tissue. ConclusionThe evidence suggests that the pattern of differential expression of HTR2A and MAOA genes in the brain may be involved in suicide, providing a possible molecular basis for the brain abnormalities in suicide victims.

Targeted sequencing approach: Comprehensive analysis of DNA methylation and gene expression across blood and brain regions in suicide victims

Objectives Epigenetic mechanisms are involved in regulation of many pathologies, including suicidal behaviour. However, the factors through which epigenetics affect suicidal behaviour are not fully understood. Methods We analysed DNA methylation of eight neuropsychiatric genes (NR3C1, SLC6A4, HTR1A, TPH2, SKA2, MAOA, GABRA1, and NRIP3) in brain regions (hippocampus, insula, amygdala, Brodmann area 46) and blood of 25 male suicide victims and 28 male control subjects, using bisulphite next-generation sequencing. Results Comparing mean methylation values, notable changes were observed in NR3C1 (insula p-value = 0.05), HTR1A (insula p-value < 0.001, blood p-value = 0.001), SKA2 (insula p-value = 0.03, blood p-value = 0.016), MAOA (blood p-value < 0.001), GABRA1 (insula p-value = 0.05, blood p-value = 0.024) and NRIP3 (hippocampus p-value = 0.001, insula p-value = 0.002, amygdala p-value = 0.014). Comparing methylation pattern between blood and brain, similarity was observed between blood and insula for HTR1A. Gene expression analysis in hippocampus revealed changes in expression of NR3C1 (p-value = 0.049), SLC6A4 (p-value = 0.017) and HTR1A (p-value = 0.053). Conclusions Results provide an insight into the altered state of DNA methylation in suicidal behaviour. Epigenetic differences could therefore affect suicidal behaviour in both previously known and in novel neuropsychiatric candidate genes.

Frontopolar Cortex Specializes for Manipulation of Structured Information.

We present a review of the literature on the function of frontopolar cortex from the last 20 years, then support conclusions from it by presenting an original empirical study. Considerable research has focused in the last decade on a hierarchical organization of cognitive function in the frontal lobes, with simple motor response mapping occurring in the posterior areas of the frontal lobes, and increasingly abstract responses involving increasingly anterior regions. The frontopolar cortex (FPC), Brodmann's Area 10, is most often found to be recruited by the most abstract varieties of processing. We discuss the nature of abstractness or complexity by which these hierarchical schemes are defined. We then report our study whose results suggest that the anterior frontal lobe is not specialized for processing and responding about the most abstract information, but is recruited when one must manipulate relationally complex information. Simply encoding or maintaining abstract or complex information is accomplished by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). In the course of everyday reasoning, we must manipulate, rearrange, juxtapose, or restructure complex information. The ability to do this with complex information allows humans to navigate complex problems or situations better than higher primates. It permits the production of novel, complex solutions to complex challenges. Our results suggest that it is the frontal pole which is recruited when such manipulation and restructuring of represented information is needed.

Beyond body maps: Information content of specific body parts is distributed across the somatosensory homunculus.

SummaryThe homunculus in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) is famous for its body part selectivity, but this dominant feature may eclipse other representational features, e.g., information content, also relevant for S1 organization. Using multivariate fMRI analysis, we ask whether body part information content can be identified in S1 beyond its primary region. Throughout S1, we identify significant representational dissimilarities between body parts but also subparts in distant non-primary regions (e.g., between the hand and the lips in the foot region and between different face parts in the foot region). Two movements performed by one body part (e.g., the hand) could also be dissociated well beyond its primary region (e.g., in the foot and face regions), even within Brodmann area 3b. Our results demonstrate that information content is more distributed across S1 than selectivity maps suggest. This finding reveals underlying information contents in S1 that could be harnessed for rehabilitation and brain-machine interfaces.