Inferior Parietal Gyrus Research Articles

Caudate functional networks influence brain structural changes with aging.

Neurogenesis decline with aging may be associated with brain atrophy. Subventricular zone neuron precursor cells possibly modulate striatal neuronal activity via the release of soluble molecules. Neurogenesis decay in the subventricular zone may result in structural alterations of brain regions connected to the caudate, particularly to its medial component. The aim of this study was to investigate how the functional organization of caudate networks relates to structural brain changes with aging. One hundred and fifty-two normal subjects were recruited: 52 young healthy adults (≤35 years old), 42 middle-aged (36 ≤ 60 years old) and 58 elderly subjects (≥60 years old). In young adults, stepwise functional connectivity was used to characterize regions that connect to the medial and lateral caudate at different levels of link-step distances. A statistical comparison between the connectivity of medial and lateral caudate in young subjects was useful to define medial and lateral caudate connected regions. Atrophy of medial and lateral caudate connected regions was estimated in young, middle-aged and elderly subjects using T1-weighted images. Results showed that middle-aged and elderly adults exhibited decreased stepwise functional connectivity at one-link step from the caudate, particularly in the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital brain regions, compared to young subjects. Elderly individuals showed increased stepwise functional connectivity in frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes compared to both young and middle-aged adults. Additionally, elderly adults displayed decreased stepwise functional connectivity compared to middle-aged subjects in specific parietal and subcortical areas. Moreover, in young adults, the medial caudate showed higher direct connectivity to the basal ganglia (left thalamus), superior, middle and inferior frontal and inferior parietal gyri (medial caudate connected region) relative to the lateral caudate. Considering the opposite contrast, lateral caudate showed stronger connectivity to the basal ganglia (right pallidum), orbitofrontal, rostral anterior cingulate and insula cortices (lateral caudate connected region) compared to medial caudate. In elderly subjects, the medial caudate connected region showed greater atrophy relative to the lateral caudate connected region. Brain regions linked to the medial caudate appear to be more vulnerable to aging than lateral caudate connected areas. The adjacency to the subventricular zone may, at least partially, explain these findings. Stepwise functional connectivity analysis can be useful to evaluate the role of the subventricular zone in network disruptions in age-related neurodegenerative disorders.

Functional neuroplasticity of facilitation and interference effects on inhibitory control following 3-month physical exercise in aging

Preservation of executive function, like inhibition, closely links to the quality of life in senior adults. Although neuroimaging literature has shown enhanced inhibitory function followed by aerobic exercise, current evidence implies inconsistent neuroplasticity patterns along different time durations of exercise. Hence, we conducted a 12-week exercise intervention on 12 young and 14 senior volunteers and repeatedly measured the inhibitory functionality of distinct aspects (facilitation and interference effects) using the numerical Stroop task and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Results showcased improved accuracy and reduced reaction times (RT) after 12-week exercise, attributed to frontoparietal and default mode network effects. In young adults, the first phase (0 to six weeks) exercise increased the activation of the right superior medial frontal gyrus, associated with reduced RT in interference, but in the second intervention phase (six to twelve weeks), the decreased activation of the left superior medial frontal gyrus positively correlated with reduced RT in facilitation. In senior adults, the first six-week intervention led to reduced activations of the inferior frontal gyrus, inferior parietal gyrus, and default mode network regions, associated with the reduced RT in interference. Still, in the second intervention phase, only the visual area exhibited increased activity, associated with reduced RT in interference. Except for the distinctive brain plasticity between the two phases of exercise intervention, the between-group comparison also presented that the old group gained more cognitive benefits within the first six weeks of exercise intervention; however, the cognitive improvements in the young group occurred after six weeks of intervention. Limited by the sample size, these preliminary findings corroborated the benefits of aerobic exercise on the inhibitory functions, implying an age × exercise interaction on the brain plasticity for both facilitation and interference.

Changes in Resting-State Networks in Children with Growth Hormone Deficiency.

Purpose: Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) refers to the partial or complete lack of growth hormone. Short stature and slow growth are characteristic of patients with GHD. Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested that GHD may cause cognitive and behavioral impairments in patients. Resting-state networks (RSNs) are regions of the brain that exhibit synchronous activity and are closely related to our cognition and behavior. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to explore cognitive and behavioral abnormalities in children with GHD by investigating changes in RSNs. Methods: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data of 26 children with GHD and 15 healthy controls (HCs) were obtained. Independent component analysis was used to identify seven RSNs from rs-fMRI data. Group differences in RSNs were estimated using two-sample t-tests. Correlation analysis was employed to investigate the associations among the areas of difference and clinical measures. Results: Compared with HCs, children with GHD had significant differences in the salience network (SN), default mode network (DMN), language network (LN), and sensorimotor network (SMN). Moreover, within the SN, the functional connectivity (FC) value of the right posterior supramarginal gyrus was negatively correlated with the adrenocorticotropic hormone and the FC value of the left anterior inferior parietal gyrus was positively correlated with insulin-like growth factor 1. Conclusions: These results suggest that alterations in RSNs may account for abnormal cognition and behavior in children with GHD, such as decreased motor function, language withdrawal, anxiety, and social anxiety. These findings provide neuroimaging support for uncovering the pathophysiological mechanisms of GHD in children. Impact statement Children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) generally experience cognitive and behavioral abnormalities. However, there are few neuroimaging studies on children with GHD. Moreover, prior research has not investigated the aberrant brain function in patients with GHD from the perspective of brain functional networks. Therefore, this study employed the independent component analysis method to investigate alterations within seven commonly observed resting-state networks due to GHD. The results showed that children with GHD had significant differences in the salience network, default mode network, language network, and sensorimotor network. This provides neuroimaging support for revealing the pathophysiological mechanisms of GHD in children.

Regional decreases of cortical thickness in major depressive disorder and their correlation with illness duration: a case-control study.

Alterations in brain structure and function in major depressive disorder (MDD) have been identified in a number of studies, but findings regarding cortical thickness were various and inconsistent. Our current study aims to explore the differences in cortical thickness between individuals with MDD and healthy controls (HC) in a Chinese population. We investigated T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 61 participants (31 MDD and 30 HC). The cortical thickness between the two groups and analyzed correlations between cortical thickness and demographic variables in the MDD group for regions with significant between-group differences were conducted. Compared with the HC group, patients with MDD had significantly decreased cortical thickness, in left pars triangularis, left pars orbitalis, left rostral middle frontal gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus, right parahippocampal gyrus, right lingual gyrus, right fusiform and right inferior parietal gyrus. The cortical thickness of left rostral middle frontal gyrus was negatively correlated (r = -0.47, p = 0.028) with the illness duration in patients with MDD. Our study distinguished that cortical thickness decreases in numerous brain regions both in the left and right hemisphere in individuals with MDD, and the negative correlation between the cortical thickness of left rostral middle frontal gyrus illness duration. Our current findings are valuable in providing neural markers to identify MDD and understanding the potential pathophysiology of mood disorders.

Mapping gray and white matter volume abnormalities in early-onset psychosis: an ENIGMA multicenter voxel-based morphometry study

IntroductionRegional gray matter (GM) alterations have been reported in early-onset psychosis (EOP, onset before age 18), but previous studies have yielded conflicting results, likely due to small sample sizes and the different brain regions examined. In this study, we conducted a whole brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis in a large sample of individuals with EOP, using the newly developed ENIGMA-VBM tool.Methods15 independent cohorts from the ENIGMA-EOP working group participated in the study. The overall sample comprised T1-weighted MRI data from 482 individuals with EOP and 469 healthy controls. Each site performed the VBM analysis locally using the standardized ENIGMA-VBM tool. Statistical parametric T-maps were generated from each cohort and meta-analyzed to reveal voxel-wise differences between EOP and healthy controls as well as the individual-based association between GM volume and age of onset, chlorpromazine (CPZ) equivalent dose, and other clinical variables.ResultsCompared with healthy controls, individuals with EOP showed widespread lower GM volume encompassing most of the cortex, with the most marked effect in the left median cingulate (Hedges’ g = 0.55, p = 0.001 corrected), as well as small clusters of lower white matter (WM), whereas no regional GM or WM volumes were higher in EOP. Lower GM volume in the cerebellum, thalamus and left inferior parietal gyrus was associated with older age of onset. Deficits in GM in the left inferior frontal gyrus, right insula, right precentral gyrus and right superior frontal gyrus were also associated with higher CPZ equivalent doses.ConclusionEOP is associated with widespread reductions in cortical GM volume, while WM is affected to a smaller extent. GM volume alterations are associated with age of onset and CPZ equivalent dose but these effects are small compared to case-control differences. Mapping anatomical abnormalities in EOP may lead to a better understanding of the role of psychosis in brain development during childhood and adolescence.

Comparative Study of Cerebral Volumetric Variations in Patients with Schizophrenia with their Unaffected First-degree Relatives, using Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technique, a Case-control Study

Background and purpose: Schizophrenia (SZH) is a chronic mental disorder affecting the individuals` thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and behaviors. People with SZH may experience a wide range of positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Since there are no laboratory assays for definite SZH diagnosis, the authors aimed to identify the cerebral volumetric variations in SZH patients with the most prevalent positive symptoms as a diagnostic tool. This study selected 15 SZH patients displaying the most prevalent positive symptoms based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria. Assessment tools included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for cognitive impairment, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for symptom evaluation, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WIS) for intelligence assessment. Additionally, 15 Healthy Controls (HC) without cerebral pathologies were recruited. T1w MRI images underwent analysis using Freesurfer software. Data analysis employed Mann-Whitney U and χ² tests, considering p < 0.05 as significant. Results: SZH and HC groups showed no significant differences in age and gender. However, significant (p < 0.05) alterations in Gray Matter (GM) volume were observed in SZH patients compared to HC. In the right hemisphere, several regions exhibited volume reduction, including the Fusiform sulcus, Rostral middle frontal gyrus, isthmus cingulate, Frontal pole, Middle temporal gyrus, Lateral occipital gyrus, and Inferior Parietal gyrus. Notably, the Precentral sulcus and Postcentral gyrus demonstrated volume acceleration. Similarly, in the left hemisphere, various regions showed volume reduction while the Paracentral gyrus indicated volume acceleration, all significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: SZH patients display significant volumetric brain changes, indicating potential for future diagnostic procedures in SZH.

Insomnia-related brain functional correlates in first-episode drug-naïve major depressive disorder revealed by resting-state fMRI.

Insomnia is a common comorbidity symptom in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. Abnormal brain activities have been observed in both MDD and insomnia patients, however, the central pathological mechanisms underlying the co-occurrence of insomnia in MDD patients are still unclear. This study aimed to explore the differences of spontaneous brain activity between MDD patients with and without insomnia, as well as patients with different level of insomnia. A total of 88 first-episode drug-naïve MDD patients including 44 with insomnia (22 with high insomnia and 22 with low insomnia) and 44 without insomnia, as well as 44 healthy controls (HC), were enrolled in this study. The level of depression and insomnia were evaluated by HAMD-17, adjusted HAMD-17 and its sleep disturbance subscale in all subjects. Resting-state functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from all participants and then were preprocessed by the software of DPASF. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) values of brain regions were calculated by the software of REST and were compared. Finally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were conducted to determine the values of abnormal brain regions for identifying MDD patients with insomnia and evaluating the severity of insomnia. Analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences in ReHo values in the left middle frontal gyrus, left pallidum, right superior frontal gyrus, right medial superior frontal gyrus and right rectus gyrus among three groups. Compared with HC, MDD patients with insomnia showed increased ReHo values in the medial superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, triangular inferior frontal gyrus, calcarine fissure and right medial superior frontal gyrus, medial orbital superior frontal gyrus, as well as decreased ReHo values in the left middle occipital gyrus, pallidum and right superior temporal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, middle cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, putamen. MDD patients without insomnia demonstrated increased ReHo values in the left middle frontal gyrus, orbital middle frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus and right triangular inferior frontal gyrus, as well as decreased ReHo values in the left rectus gyrus, postcentral gyrus and right rectus gyrus, fusiform gyrus, pallidum. In addition, MDD patients with insomnia had decreased ReHo values in the left insula when compared to those without insomnia. Moreover, MDD patients with high insomnia exhibited increased ReHo values in the right middle temporal gyrus, and decreased ReHo values in the left orbital superior frontal gyrus, lingual gyrus, right inferior parietal gyrus and postcentral gyrus compared to those with low insomnia. ROC analysis demonstrated that impaired brain region might be helpful for identifying MDD patients with insomnia and evaluating the severity of insomnia. These findings suggested that MDD patients with insomnia had wider abnormalities of brain activities in the prefrontal-limbic circuits including increased activities in the prefrontal cortex, which might be the compensatory mechanism underlying insomnia in MDD. In addition, decreased activity of left insula might be associated with the occurrence of insomnia in MDD patients and decreased activities of the frontal-parietal network might cause more serious insomnia related to MDD.

Morphological changes of cerebral gray matter in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 using fractal dimension analysis.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), or Machado-Joseph disease, presents as a cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome (CCAS) and represents the predominant SCA genotype in Taiwan. Beyond cerebellar involvement, SCA3 patients exhibit cerebral atrophy. While prior neurodegenerative disease studies relied on voxel-based morphometry (VBM) for brain atrophy assessment, its qualitative nature limits individual and region-specific evaluations. To address this, we employed fractal dimension (FD) analysis to quantify cortical complexity changes in SCA3 patients. We examined 50 SCA3 patients and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC), dividing MRI cerebral gray matter (GM) into 68 auto-anatomical subregions. Using three-dimensional FD analysis, we identified GM atrophy manifestations in SCA3 patients. Results revealed lateral atrophy symptoms in the left frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes, and fewer symptoms in the right hemisphere's parietal and occipital lobes. Focal areas of atrophy included regions previously identified in SCA3 studies, alongside additional regions with decreased FD values. Bilateral postcentral gyrus and inferior parietal gyrus exhibited pronounced atrophy, correlating with Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) scores and disease duration. Notably, the most notable focal areas were the bilateral postcentral gyrus and the left superior temporal gyrus, serving as imaging biomarkers for SCA3. Our study enhances understanding of regional brain atrophy in SCA3, corroborating known clinical features while offering new insights into disease progression.

Aberrant brain functional hubs and causal effective connectivity in menstrually-related and non-menstrually-related migraine without aura.

Menstrual migraine without aura (MRM) is common in female migraineurs and is closely related to cerebral functional abnormalities. However, whether the whole brain networks and directional functional connectivity of MRM patients are altered remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to detect the alterations of resting-state functional networks and directional functional connectivity between MRM and non-menstrual migraine without aura (NMM) patients using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with degree centrality (DC) and Granger causality analysis (GCA) methods. In this retrospective and cross-sectional study, 45 MRM and 40 NMM patients (matched in age, gender, and years of education) were recruited in the study between May 2018 and June 2022. All participants had undergone resting-state fMRI scanning at the Neurology and Pain Outpatient Department of Nanjing First Hospital. Their brain functions were analyzed in terms of DC and GCA, with the significant threshold at voxel level P<0.01 and cluster level P<0.05, Gaussian random field corrected. Correlation analysis was adopted to assess the relationships between the fMRI results and clinical features (P<0.05, Bonferroni corrected). Compared with those in the NMM group, MRM patients showed decreased DC in the right insula (T=-4.253). Using the right insula as the seed region, patients with MRM demonstrated enhanced effective connectivity from the right insula to the ipsilateral middle temporal gyrus (T=4.138) and contralateral superior temporal gyrus (T=3.523). Furthermore, the MRM group also showed decreased effective connectivity from several brain regions to the right insula, which included the right inferior occipital gyrus (T=-4.498), left middle frontal gyrus (T=-4.879), right precuneus (T=-4.644), and left inferior parietal gyrus (T=-4.113). The average Self-rating Anxiety Scale score of the MRM group was significantly higher than that of the NMM group [P=0.032, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.363-7.761]. In the MRM group, disease duration was negatively correlated with the mean value of DC in right insula (r=-0.428, P=0.01). The present research demonstrated that patients with MRM have disruption in insula resting-state functional networks. Disrupted networks contained regions associated with cognitive processes, emotional perception, and migraine attack in MRM patients. These results may improve our comprehension of the neuromechanism of menstrually-related migraine.

Abnormalities of brain structure and function in cervical spondylosis: a multi-modal voxel-based meta-analysis.

Previous neuroimaging studies have revealed structural and functional brain abnormalities in patients with cervical spondylosis (CS). However, the results are divergent and inconsistent. Therefore, the present study conducted a multi-modal meta-analysis to investigate the consistent structural and functional brain alterations in CS patients. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in five databases to retrieve relevant resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), structural MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies that measured brain functional and structural differences between CS patients and healthy controls (HCs). Separate and multimodal meta-analyses were implemented, respectively, by employing Anisotropic Effect-size Signed Differential Mapping software. 13 rs-fMRI studies that used regional homogeneity, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and fractional ALFF, seven voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies and one DTI study were finally included in the present research. However, no studies on surface-based morphometry (SBM) analysis were included in this research. Due to the insufficient number of SBM and DTI studies, only rs-fMRI and VBM meta-analyses were conducted. The results of rs-fMRI meta-analysis showed that compared to HCs, CS patients demonstrated decreased regional spontaneous brain activities in the right lingual gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus (MTG), left inferior parietal gyrus and right postcentral gyrus (PoCG), while increased activities in the right medial superior frontal gyrus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus and right precuneus. VBM meta-analysis detected increased GMV in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) and right paracentral lobule (PCL), while decreased GMV in the left supplementary motor area and left MTG in CS patients. The multi-modal meta-analysis revealed increased GMV together with decreased regional spontaneous brain activity in the left PoCG, right STG and PCL among CS patients. This meta-analysis revealed that compared to HCs, CS patients had significant alterations in GMV and regional spontaneous brain activity. The altered brain regions mainly included the primary visual cortex, the default mode network and the sensorimotor area, which may be associated with CS patients' symptoms of sensory deficits, blurred vision, cognitive impairment and motor dysfunction. The findings may contribute to understanding the underlying pathophysiology of brain dysfunction and provide references for early diagnosis and treatment of CS. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, CRD42022370967.

Cognition and motion dysfunction-associated brain functional network disruption in diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated extensive brain functional alterations in cognitive and motor functional areas in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), suggesting potential alterations in large-scale brain networks related to DPN and associated cognition and motor dysfunction. In this study, using resting-state functional connectivity (FC) and graph theory computational approaches, we investigated the topological disruptions of brain functional networks in 28 DPN, 43 T2DM without DPN (NDPN), and 32 healthy controls (HCs) and examined the correlations between altered network topological metrics and cognitive/motor function parameters in T2DM. For global topology, NDPN exhibited a significantly decreased shortest path length compared with HCs, suggesting increased efficient global integration. For regional topology, DPN and NDPN had separated topological reorganization of functional hubs compared with HCs. In addition, DPN showed significantly decreased nodal efficiency (Enodal ), mainly in the bilateral superior occipital gyrus (SOG), right cuneus, middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and left inferior parietal gyrus (IPL), compared with NDPN, whereas NDPN showed significantly increased Enodal compared with HCs. Intriguingly, in T2DM patients, the Enodal of the right SOG was significantly negatively correlated with Toronto Clinical Scoring System scores, while the Enodal of the right postcentral gyrus (PoCG) and MTG were significantly positively correlated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores. Conclusively, DPN and NDPN patients had segregated disruptions in the brain functional network, which were related to cognition and motion dysfunctions. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for understanding the neurophysiological mechanism of DPN and its effective prevention and treatment in T2DM.

Changes of regional brain activity following Tuina therapy for patients with painful cervical spondylosis: a resting-state fMRI study.

The effectiveness of Tuina therapy has been confirmed in treating pain of patients with cervical spondylosis (CS), however, its therapeutic mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to observe the changes of regional brain activity following Tuina therapy in patients with painful CS based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data. A total of 27 patients with CS and 27 healthy subjects (HCs) were enrolled in this study. All patients received Tuina therapy every 2 days for 2 weeks. The clinical manifestations of patients were evaluated by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) before and after treatment. In addition, rs-fMRI data were collected and preprocessed in all patients before and after treatment, as well as HCs. HCs underwent a 1-time rs-fMRI scan, whereas CS patients underwent 2-times of rs-fMRI scan. The measure of regional homogeneity (ReHo) was calculated and compared between groups. Finally, relationships between altered brain regions and clinical characteristics were evaluated by Pearson's correlation analysis. After Tuina therapy, VAS and NDI scores of patients decreased. Before treatment, CS patients showed higher ReHo values in the left middle temporal gyrus, left thalamus, right anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus, left inferior parietal gyrus and lower ReHo values in the right gyrus rectus when compared with HCs. After treatment, CS patients exhibited higher ReHo values in the left inferior temporal gyrus, right anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus, left inferior parietal gyrus and lower ReHo values in the right rectus gyrus when compared with HCs. CS patients after treatment demonstrated higher ReHo values in the left inferior occipital gyrus when compared with those before treatment. Positive correlations were found between ReHo values of the right rectus gyrus and VAS, NDI scores in CS patients before treatment. Differences of VAS scores between before and after treatment were negatively correlated with ReHo values of the left inferior temporal gyrus in CS patients after treatment. This study demonstrated the presence of asynchronous activity in certain brain regions in CS patients, which might be associated with pain and cervical spine dysfunction. Tuina therapy might modulate asynchronous activity of abnormal brain regions, which might contribute to the effectiveness of Tuina therapy in alleviating pain and cervical spine dysfunction in CS patients.

Functional Connectivity, Physical Activity, and Behavioral Abnormality in Patients with Vascular Cognitive Impairment

Purpose of the research: Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (NPSs) can negatively impact the survival and quality of life in Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI) patients. Physical Activity (PA) has been shown to reduce NPSs in dementia patients, possibly by influencing synaptic plasticity. This study investigates the relationship between NPSs, Default Mode Network (DMN), and PA in patients with VCI. Methods: The study included 42 VCI patients. Functional Connectivity (FC) within the DMN and neurobehavioral performance was assessed. NPSs were categorized. The severity of Hyperactivity and Behavioral Symptoms (HBS) was quantified using a Hyperactivity and Behavioral Composite Score (HBCS). Patients’ PA levels were measured using Fitbit Charge 2. Principal results: After accounting for disease severity, increased FC between the left Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PCC) seed and the right inferior parietal gyrus was linked to more severe HBS. There was an inverse correlation between HBCS and average step counts per day (steps/d) as well as average distance per day (km/d). This suggests that higher levels of PA were associated with less severe HBS. HBCS was also inversely correlated with steps/d and km/d, reinforcing the idea that increased PA was linked to reduced symptom severity. Major conclusions: The study concludes that increased FC within the DMN is associated with more severe HBS in VCI patients. Greater levels of PA (measured by step counts and distance) were associated with a reduction in the severity of HBS. This suggests that FC within the DMN may play a role in the modulation of HBS by PA in VCI patients.

Commonalities and distinctions between the type 2 diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and multimodal neuroimaging meta-analysis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are aging related diseases with high incidence. Because of the correlation of incidence rate and some possible mechanisms of comorbidity, the two diseases have been studied in combination by many researchers, and even some scholars call AD type 3 diabetes. But the relationship between the two is still controversial. This study used seed-based d mapping software to conduct a meta-analysis of the whole brain resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) study, exploring the differences in amplitude low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) between patients (AD or T2DM) and healthy controls (HCs), and searching for neuroimaging evidence that can explain the relationship between the two diseases. The final study included 22 datasets of ALFF and 22 datasets of CBF. The results of T2DM group showed that ALFF increased in both cerebellum and left inferior temporal gyrus regions, but decreased in left middle occipital gyrus, right inferior occipital gyrus, and left anterior central gyrus regions. In the T2DM group, CBF increased in the right supplementary motor area, while decreased in the middle occipital gyrus and inferior parietal gyrus. The results of the AD group showed that the ALFF increased in the right cerebellum, right hippocampus, and right striatum, while decreased in the precuneus gyrus and right superior temporal gyrus. In the AD group, CBF in the anterior precuneus gyrus and inferior parietal gyrus decreased. Multimodal analysis within a disease showed that ALFF and CBF both decreased in the occipital lobe of the T2DM group and in the precuneus and parietal lobe of the AD group. In addition, there was a common decrease of CBF in the right middle occipital gyrus in both groups. Based on neuroimaging evidence, we believe that T2DM and AD are two diseases with their respective characteristics of central nervous activity and cerebral perfusion. The changes in CBF between the two diseases partially overlap, which is consistent with their respective clinical characteristics and also indicates a close relationship between them. PROSPERO [CRD42022370014].

Distinct functional patterns in child and adolescent bipolar and unipolar depression during emotional processing.

Accumulating evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging studies supported brain dysfunction during emotional processing in bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, child and adolescent BD and MDD could display different activation patterns, which have not been fully understood. This study aimed to investigate common and distinct activation patterns of pediatric BD (PBD) and MDD (p-MDD) during emotion processing using meta-analytic approaches. Literature search identified 25 studies, contrasting 252 PBD patients, and 253 healthy controls (HCs) as well as 311 p-MDD patients and 263 HCs. A total of nine meta-analyses were conducted pulling PBD and p-MDD experiments together and separately. The results revealed that PBD and p-MDD showed distinct patterns during negative processing. PBD patients exhibited activity changes in bilateral precuneus, left inferior parietal gyrus, left angular gyrus, and right posterior cingulate cortex while p-MDD patients showed functional disruptions in the left rectus, left triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus, left orbital frontal cortex, left insula, and left putamen. In conclusion, the activity changes in PBD patients were mainly in regions correlated with emotion perception while the dysfunction among p-MDD patients was in the fronto-limbic circuit and reward-related regions in charge of emotion appraisal and regulation.

Regional Homogeneity of the Left Posterior Cingulate Gyrus May Be a Potential Imaging Biomarker of Manic Episodes in First-Episode, Drug-Naive Bipolar Disorder.

Abnormal brain networks with emotional response in bipolar disorder (BD). However, there have been few studies on the local consistency between manic episodes in drug-naive first-episode BD patients and healthy controls (HCs). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of neural activity values analyzed by Regional Homogeneity (ReHo). Thirty-seven manic episodes in first-episode, drug-naive BD patients and 37 HCs participated in resting-state functional magnetic resonance rescanning and scale estimation. Reho and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve methods were used to analyze the imaging data. Support vector machine (SVM) method was used to analyze ReHo in different brain regions. Compared to HCs, ReHo increased in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG.L), posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG), inferior parietal gyrus, and bilateral angular gyrus, and decreased in the left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus in target group. The ROC results showed that the ReHo value of the left PCG could discriminate the target group from the HCs, and the AUC was 0.8766. In addition, the results of the support vector machine show that the increase in ReHo value in the left PCG can effectively discriminate the patients from the controls, with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 86.02%, 86.49%, and 81.08%, respectively. The increased activity of the left PCG may contribute new evidence of participation in the pathophysiology of manic episodes in first-episode, drug-naive BD patients. The Reho value of the left posterior cingulate gyrus may be a potential neuroimaging biomarker to discriminate target group from HCs.

Dysregulated neural activity between the thalamus and cerebral cortex mediates cortical reorganization in cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Neuroimaging research has revealed significant changes in brain structure and function in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy(CSM). The thalamus plays a crucial role in this process, although its mechanisms of action remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate whether spinal cord compression leads to alterations in the functional connectivity between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex, and to determine if such changes are associated with structural and functional remodeling of the brain in patients with CSM, and to identify potential neuroimaging biomarkers for classification. The study included 40 patients with CSM and 34 healthy controls(HCs) who underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) and structural MRI scans. Brain structural and functional metrics were quantified using functional connectivity(FC), fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations(fALFF), surface-based morphometry(SBM), and independent component analysis(ICA) based on functional and structural MRI. Patients with CSM exhibited significantly reduced fALFF in the bilateral lateral lingual gyrus, bilateral calcarine fissure, left precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus, left middle and superior occipital gyrus, left superior marginal gyrus, left inferior parietal gyrus, and right Rolandic operculum. ICA results revealed weakened functional connectivity between the sensorimotor network (SMN) and the left and right frontoparietal network(FPN), and lateral visual network (lVN), along with decreased connectivity between lVN and rFPN, and increased connectivity between lFPN and rFPN. Patients with CSM also had decreased sulcus depth in the bilateral insula, left precentral and postcentral gyrus, and right lingual gyrus and calcarine fissure. Furthermore, cervical spondylotic myelopathy patients showed decreased functional connectivity between the left ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPL) of the thalamus and the right middle occipital gyrus (MOG). Finally,multimodal neuroimaging with support vector machine(SVM) classified patients with CSM and healthy controls with 86.00% accuracy. Our study revealed that the decrease in functional connectivity between the thalamus and cortex mediated by spinal cord compression leads to structural and functional reorganization of the cortex. Features based on neuroimaging markers have the potential to become neuroimaging biomarkers for CSM.

Structural and functional changes in the brain after chronic complete thoracic spinal cord injury

This study aimed to investigate whether brain anatomical structures and functional network connectivity are altered after chronic complete thoracic spinal cord injury (cctSCI) and to determine how these changes impact clinical outcomes. Structural and resting-state functional MRI was performed for 19 cctSCI patients (18 for final statistics) and 19 healthy controls. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to assess gray matter volume (GMV) with differences between cctSCI patients and controls. VBM results were used as seeds for whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) analysis. The relationship between brain changes and clinical variables was investigated. Compared with those of the control group, the left triangular inferior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, orbital inferior frontal gyrus, precuneus and parietal superior gyrus volumes of SCI patients decreased, while the left superior frontal gyrus and supplementary motor area volumes increased. Additionally, when the regions with increased GMV were used as seeds, the FC of the parahippocampus and thalamus increased. Subsequent partial correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between FC and total sensorimotor score based on the ASIA criteria (p = 0.001, r = 0.746). Overall, the structural and functional changes in the brain after cctSCI occurred in some visual and cognitive areas and sensory or motor control areas. These findings aid in improving our understanding of the underlying brain injury mechanisms and the subsequent structural and functional reorganization to reveal potential therapeutic targets and track treatment outcomes.

Neural basis underlying the relation between internet addiction tendency and sleep quality: The intrinsic default-mode network connectivity pathways

Internet addiction (IA) tendency is considered an addictive behavior that results from excessive Internet use, and severely affecting an individual's physical health, emotion, and sleep. Although previous studies indicated that IA tendency was negatively correlated with sleep quality, the underlying neural basis of this relationship remained unclear. To address this issue, we utilized resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analysis to identify the neural pathways of the relationship between IA tendency and sleep quality. The behavioral results indicated a positive correlation between these two factors. And RSFC results revealed that IA tendency was positively related to the strength of functional connectivity within the default-mode network (DMN), including the right precuneus-left middle temporal gyrus (rPrcu-lMTG), the left anterior cingulate-left superior frontal gyrus (lAC-lSFG), and the left inferior parietal lobe-left medial superior frontal gyrus (lIPL-lMSFG). More importantly, mediation analysis demonstrated that IA tendency could mediate the relationship between these functional couplings and sleep quality. In conclusion, our findings suggest that intrinsic DMN connectivity may be an important neural pathways underlying the effects of IA tendency on sleep quality, and provide neural evidence for understanding the relationship between IA tendency and sleep quality.

54 The Influence of Sex on Cognitive Control Performance and Frontoparietal Network Integrity in First-Episode Psychosis

Objective:Cognitive deficits in first-episode psychosis (FEP) are well documented, particularly aspects of cognitive control, which is one of the primary hypothesized functions of the frontoparietal network (FPN). The clinical features of psychotic disorders are known to differ between men and women, but little work has systematically studied neurobiological differences between the sexes, particularly in FEP. The current study aimed to examine sexual dimorphisms in structural integrity of the frontoparietal network (FPN) and its role in cognitive control in FEP.Participants and Methods:A total of 111 FEP patients (68 male, 43 female) and 55 healthy control participants (35 male, 20 female) from the Human Connectome Project for Early Psychosis underwent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological testing were included in the study. Regions of interest (ROIs) included: left and right superior frontal gyrus, left and right middle frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, left and right inferior parietal gyrus, right caudate and left thalamus. Using high-dimensional brain mapping procedures, surface shape of the caudate and thalamus was characterized using Large Deformation Diffeomorphic Metric Mapping, and cortical thickness of frontal and parietal regions was estimated using the FreeSurfer toolkit. Cognitive control was assessed using the Fluid Cognition Composite score from the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. Multivariate ANOVA models tested group differences, separated by sex, in cortical thickness ROIs, in addition to a whole-brain vertex-wise analysis. Vertex-wise statistical surface t-maps evaluated differences in subcortical surface shape, and Pearson correlations tested relationships between brain regions and Fluid Cognition performance.Results:Results of deep brain region comparisons between schizophrenia males (SCZM) and schizophrenia females (SCZF) groups revealed significant outward deformation at the tail of the right caudate and significant inward deformation along the dorsal aspects of the right caudate. Additionally, significant inward deformation in multiple nuclei of the left thalamus were revealed. Significant negative relationships between Fluid Cognition and the left superior/middle frontal gyrus (r = -0.24, p = 0.05) in the male FEP group were observed. Additionally, significant positive relationships between Fluid Cognition and left inferior frontal gyrus (r = 0.35, p = 0.02) and left inferior parietal gyrus (r = 0.35, p = 0.02) in the female FEP group were found.Conclusions:Overall, findings revealed significant brain differences of the FPN in deep-brain structures only, including abnormal caudal and thalamic shape, in male FEP compared to female FEP, providing evidence of the importance to examine sex differences in deep-brain regions at the first episode. Differential brain relationships with cognitive control also highlight sex-specific presentations that may aid in clinical management and further characterization of the illness in early stages.