Left Hippocampus Research Articles

Characterizing Multivariate Regional Hubs for Schizophrenia Classification, Sex Differences, and Brain Age Estimation Using Explainable AI

Purpose This study aimed to investigate multivariate regional patterns for schizophrenia (SZ) classification, sex differences, and brain age by utilizing structural MRI, demographics, and explainable artificial intelligence (AI). Methods Various AI models were employed, and the outperforming model was identified for SZ classification, sex differences, and brain age predictions. For the SZ and sex classification tasks, support vector classifier (SVC), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and deep learning neural network (DL) models were compared. In the case of regression-based brain age prediction, Lasso regression (LR), Ridge regression (RR), support vector regression (SVR), and DL models were compared. For each regression or classification task, the optimal model was further integrated with the Shapley additive explanations (SHAP), and significant multivariate brain regional patterns were identified. Results Our results demonstrated that the DL model outperformed other models in SZ classification, sex differences, and brain age predictions. We then integrated outperforming DL model with SHAP, and this integrated DL-SHAP model was used to identify the individualized multivariate regional patterns associated with each prediction. Using the DL-SHAP approach, we found that individuals with SZ had anatomical changes, particularly in the left pallidum, left posterior insula, left hippocampus, and left putamen regions, and such changes associated with SZ were different between female and male patients. Finally, we further applied the DL-SHAP method to brain age prediction and suggested important brain regions related to aging in health controls (HC) and SZ processes. Conclusion This study systematically utilized predictive modeling and novel explainable AI approaches and identified the complex multivariate brain regions involved with SZ classification, sex differences, and brain aging, thereby building a deeper understanding of neurobiological mechanisms involved in the disease, offering new insights into future SZ diagnosis and treatments, and laying the foundation for the development of precision medicine.

Investigating Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Expression and Cell Morphology in a Rat Brain Following Exposure to a Weak Electromagnetic Field and Nitric Oxide Modulation During Development

Background/Objectives: Nitric oxide (NO) and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have been reported to influence central nervous system (CNS) function and organization. This study explores the effects of NO modulation and EMF exposure on neurodevelopment and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression and cell morphology, extending the prior work on perinatal EMF exposure in Wistar rats. Methods: Rats were perinatally exposed to water, 1 g/L L-arginine (LA), or 0.5 g/L N-methylarginine (NMA), along with a 7 Hz square-wave EMF at intensities of 0 nT, ≤50 nT, or 500 nT, starting three days before birth and continuing for 14 days postnatally. GFAP expression and cell morphology were analyzed via immunohistochemistry in regions including the hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, and cortex. Results: Significant changes in GFAP morphology and expression are observed. A main EMF effect emerged in the right ventromedial hypothalamus, where the branch length of GFAP-expressing cells increased in EMF-exposed groups compared to the controls [t(32) = −2.52, p = 0.017]. In the hippocampus, LA exposure decreased GFAP expression in the right dentate gyrus compared to water controls [t(23) = 2.37, p = 0.027]. A sex-specific EMF effect was detected in the left CA2 hippocampus, where males exposed to EMF showed significant differences from unexposed males [t(15) = −2.90, p = 0.011]. Conclusions: These findings reveal complex interactions between EMF exposure, sex, and NO modulation, with region-specific effects on GFAP expression in the developing rat brain.

Progressive gray matter alterations in the Meige's syndrome and across sub-types.

Progressive gray matter alterations in the Meige's syndrome and across sub-types.

Brain-thyroid crosstalk: 18F-FDG-PET/MRI evidence in patients with follicular thyroid adenomas.

Brain-thyroid crosstalk: 18F-FDG-PET/MRI evidence in patients with follicular thyroid adenomas.

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Hippocampal Segmentation and Its Diagnostic Value for Alzheimer's Disease: A Meta-analysis.

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Hippocampal Segmentation and Its Diagnostic Value for Alzheimer's Disease: A Meta-analysis.

The effect of radiation dose to the brain on early self-reported cognitive function in brain and head-and-neck cancer patients.

The effect of radiation dose to the brain on early self-reported cognitive function in brain and head-and-neck cancer patients.

Achievement Goal–Directed Mechanism Connecting Conscientiousness to Inefficacy: Evidence From Resting‐State fMRI

ABSTRACTInefficacy plays a crucial role in the manifestation of burnout, leading to various adverse outcomes for employees and organizations. Although previous studies have empirically demonstrated that individuals with high conscientiousness are less prone to experiencing inefficacy, this relationship remains undertheorized. Leveraging the theory of purposeful work behavior and the organizational cognitive neuroscience perspective, we provide a novel theoretical framework and develop a neurological index representing the achievement goal–directed mechanism connecting conscientiousness to inefficacy among employees. We conducted a survey involving 201 full‐time working adults from diverse organizations, measuring their brains through structural MRI and resting‐state fMRI. The results reveal that a neurological index indicative of the achievement goal–directed mechanism—specifically, resting‐state functional connectivity of the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex with the left hippocampus (RSFC of MPFC‐HC)—was negatively associated with inefficacy and positively associated with conscientiousness. Importantly, mediation analysis establishes that this neurological index partially mediates the relationship between conscientiousness and inefficacy. These findings carry significant theoretical and practical implications for addressing inefficacy in the workplace.

Longitudinal automated brain volumetry versus expert visual assessment of atrophy progression on MRI: an exploratory study

Automated tools have been proposed to quantify brain volume for suspected dementia diagnoses. However, their robustness in longitudinal, real-life cohorts remains unexplored. This exploratory study examined if expert visual assessment (EVA) of atrophy progression is reflected by automated volumetric analyses (AVA) on sequential MR-imaging. We analyzed a random subset of 20 patients with two consecutive 3D T1-weighted examinations (median follow-up 4.0 years, LQ-UQ: 2.1–5.2, range: 0.2–10). Thirteen (65%) with cognitive decline, the remaining with other neuropsychiatric diseases. EVA was performed by two blinded neuroradiologists using a 3 or 5-point Likert scale for atrophy progression (scores ± 0–2: no, probable and certain progression or decrease, respectively) in dementia-relevant brain regions (frontal-, parietal-, temporal lobes, hippocampi, ventricles). Differences of AVA-volumes were normalized to baseline (delta). Inter-rater agreement of EVA scores was excellent (κ = 0.92). AVA-delta and EVA showed significant global associations for the right hippocampus (pKW = 0.035), left temporal lobe (pKW = 0.0092), ventricle volume (pKW = 0.0091) and a weak association for the parietal lobe (pKW = 0.067). Post hoc testing revealed additional significant link for the left hippocampus (pWSRT = 0.039). In conclusion, the associations between volumetric deltas and EVA of atrophy progression showed promising results for certain brain regions. However, AVA-deltas exhibited unexpected variance, highlighting the need for caution and expert visual confirmation, particularly when scanners or acquisition protocols vary during follow-ups. Therefore, further validation, ideally in large prospective cohorts, is necessary before AVA can be recommended for routine clinical implementation in longitudinal follow-ups.

Cigarette Smoking is Associated with Levels of the Serotonin Transporter in the Brain: A [11C]DASB PET Study

Abstract Background Preclinical work suggests that chronic nicotine/tobacco use is associated with reductions in serotonin within the hippocampus, yet no research has yet shown an association of smoking behaviours and alterations in brain serotonin in humans in vivo. Methods We therefore analysed existing [11C]DASB-PET data from the Cimbi Database to compare availability of the serotonin transporter (SERT) in the hippocampus, midbrain (including the raphe) and neocortex of 60 healthy non-smokers, 15 ex-smokers and 11 current smokers who also provided blood samples for determination of plasma tryptophan load. Because SERT availability is considered to be negatively associated with extracellular serotonin levels, we hypothesized that current smokers would exhibit greater SERT availability than ex-smokers and non-smokers. Results There was a significant main effect of group on serotonin transporter binding (DASB BPND) values in the bilateral and left hippocampus, and a trend towards such in the right hippocampus. Post-hoc ANOVAs revealed that current smokers exhibited greater hippocampal DASB BPND than both non-smokers and ex-smokers, whilst the latter two groups did not differ. There were no group effects on DASB BPND within the midbrain or global neocortex. Finally, there was no significant group effect on plasma tryptophan load. Conclusions This study provides the first in vivo evidence that current smoking may be associated with elevated hippocampal SERT binding – possibly reflecting lower synaptic serotonin concentrations, and that this change may normalize following smoking cessation.

Morphometric evaluation of the human hippocampus and hippocampal subfield volume characteristics by VolBrain/HIPS.

In the literature, research often utilizes digital segmentation methods like VolBrain, aiding in anatomical understanding. However, racial and population-specific differences remain unclear but may be important for clinical interpretation. We seek to enhance clinical perspectives by providing normative data and insights into hippocampal morphology, potentially advancing diagnostic and prognostic methodologies in neurological disorders. We think that it is necessary to discuss the reported asymmetry data by VolBrain. There might be inaccuracies or inconsistencies in how asymmetry is measured and reported. MRIs of the 138 healthy individuals (66 females, 72 males) were included. The VolBrain-HIPS pipeline was preferred for automatic segmentation. Alternative methods were recruited, including the total hippocampal volume for the adjustment of the volumetric data. Asymmetry index was accepted as the indicator of the magnitude of the asymmetry and negative asymmetry index data was positivized. Gender and side comparisons of the hippocampal data were presented not only for absolute measurement but also for the adjusted volumetric data. Comparisons for the magnitude of the asymmetry were carried out as well as the regression modeling based on age and gender. Hippocampus-adjusted volume information should also be considered when analyzing VolBrain data and making clinical or anatomical decisions. The asymmetry data produced by VolBrain should be considered as a magnitude scale of the asymmetry in individuals with right or left dominant hippocampus or hippocampus subfield. Alternative significant regression models were introduced to observe how the volumetric numerical composition of the hippocampus subfields changes with age.

Deep learning-based hippocampus asymmetry assessment for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis.

The symmetry of the brain hippocampus may be disrupted by natural aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, clinical studies on hippocampus asymmetry are limited to subjective visual evaluation and rough volume measurements, lacking quantitative standards. This paper proposes a quantitative assessment method of the hippocampus asymmetry based on deep learning, named DeepHAA (Deep Learning-based Hippocampus Asymmetry Assessment). The DeepHAA model extracts feature representations of left and right hippocampus structures in MRI images and achieved feature fusion through a cross-attention mechanism. A quantitative assessment method is proposed based on the distance between the multimodal embedding of the input sample and the reference embeddingspace. The experimental dataset of this paper included MRI scans of 199 subjects, including 53 normal cognition (NC), 71 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 33 Alzheimer's disease (AD). The experimental results show that DeepHAA model can effectively identify and distinguish the NC, MCI, andAD. The proposed deep learning method integrates asymmetric information about hippocampus structure into the diagnosis of AD and has potential clinical applicationvalue.

Fetal Fornix-Hippocampus Complex and Hippocampus Height Measurements Between 18 and 24 Weeks of Gestation and the Effect of Maternal Iron Deficiency Anemia.

To construct nomograms for both sides of the fetal fornix-hippocampus complex (FHC) length and hippocampus height between 18 + 0 and 23 + 6 weeks of gestation using two-dimensional sonography. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of laterality, fetal sex, and maternal iron deficiency anemia on these measurements. This was a prospective cross-sectional study of 223 singleton pregnancies between 18 + 0 and 23 + 6 weeks of gestation. The FHC length and hippocampus height were measured on both sides in the parasagittal cranial plane of the fetus by 2D ultrasonography. Measurements from 30 women with iron deficiency anemia, out of 223 patients, were compared to those of normal controls. Nomograms for FHC length and hippocampus height were constructed, showing a strong correlation with gestational age. No significant differences were found between the right and left side FHC lengths or hippocampus heights (p > 0.05), nor between male and female fetuses (p > 0.05). The FHC lengths (p > 0.05) and hippocampus heights (p > 0.05) of fetuses in anemic and non-anemic pregnancies also showed no significant differences. 2D ultrasound morphology of the fetal hippocampus and fornix during the second trimester is not significantly different between pregnancies with iron deficiency anemia and nonanemic women.

Impairment of white matter microstructure and structural network in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Impairment of white matter microstructure and structural network in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

A Cross Sectional and Longitudinal Assessment of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Brain Functional Connectivity in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Cerebrovascular Disease and Parkinson Disease.

Mild Behavioral Impairment (MBI) is characterized by later-life emergent and persistent neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in older adults without dementia, serving as a potential precursor to various forms of dementia. This study explores the association between NPS and functional connectivity (FC) of the default mode network (DMN), executive control network (ECN), and salience network (SN) across three cohorts: mild cognitive impairment due to AD (MCI), cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and Parkinson's disease (PD). Additionally, the effect of CNS medication on NPS-FC associations was explored. Participants were recruited from the Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative (ONDRI). NPS were evaluated using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q). We used dual regression to generate subject-specific whole-brain FC maps of the DMN, ECN, and SN. Using permutation testing we examined the association between NPS scores and FC maps at baseline (n=349) and over a 2-year period (n=225), controlling for age, sex, and years of education. A post-hoc linear model was used to assess the effect of CNS medication on each significant NPI-FC association within each group. In the MCI group (n=73), baseline disturbed nighttime behavior was positively correlated with functional connectivity (FC) between the anterior sensorimotor network. Longitudinally (n=46), appetite changes were positively associated with FC between the anterior SN and fusiform gyrus. Disinhibition and apathy correlated with FC between the posterior SN and DMN. In the CVD group (n=144), baseline anxiety was negatively associated with FC within the DMN and between the right ECN and DMN in the left hippocampus. Longitudinally (n=99), agitation/aggression changes were negatively associated with FC between the right ECN and left anterior cerebellum. Irritability, the most common symptom in both MCI and CVD, did not have identifiable neural correlates, possibly due to its complexity or analysis limitations. In the PD group (n=132), baseline disturbed nighttime behavior was positively associated with FC between the right ECN and DMN in the precuneus and left ECN and fusiform gyrus. Longitudinally (n=80), changes in nighttime behavior correlated with FC between the left ECN and DMN in the precuneus. CNS medications had no effect on NPI-FC associations in the MCI group. In the CVD group, the absence of CNS medications was linked to decreased right ECN FC. In the PD group, Parkinson's medications changed the direction of the NPI night-time score-FC correlation at both baseline and the 2-year assessment, with higher scores associated with reduced left ECN FC in medicated individuals. In conclusion, our study highlights the critical role of the DMN, ECN, and SN in processing neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) across MCI, CVD, and PD populations. We found significant associations between NPS and functional connectivity (FC) within and between these networks. MCI and PD showed positive associations with FC, particularly for disturbed nighttime behavior, while CVD exhibited negative associations, notably with anxiety and agitation. Although irritability was common in both MCI and CVD groups, its neural correlates remain unclear, emphasizing the need for further investigation. These findings support existing literature and pave the way for targeted therapeutic approaches, such as brain stimulation, to alleviate NPS. Additionally, the complex role of CNS medications in modulating NPS and FC warrants further investigation.

Effects of gaming content from social media on individuals with internet gaming disorder: an fMRI study.

Internet gaming disorder is an increasing public health problem due to the widespread availability of online gaming. Social media platforms drive this trend by enabling gameplay sharing and increasing user engagement, potentially reinforcing addictive gaming behaviors. Understanding how gaming content exposure on social media affects brain activity in individuals with internet gaming disorder is crucial. This study aimed to investigate gaming content neural responses on social media in individuals with internet gaming disorder using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We aimed to determine differences in activation patterns that contribute to understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of internet gaming disorder by examining brain activity in these individuals and comparing it to healthy controls. Additionally, we investigated the association of brain activity with clinical characteristics (internet gaming disorder severity and illness duration). The participants with internet gaming disorder demonstrated increased bilateral orbitofrontal cortex, bilateral hippocampus, left precuneus, and right superior temporal gyrus activation in response to gaming-related cues on social media compared to healthy controls. Additionally, internet gaming disorder severity and illness duration correlated with left hippocampus activation levels. These results improve our understanding of how gaming-related content on social media affects individuals with internet gaming disorder. Our findings provide valuable information into the neurobiological features of internet gaming disorder and help develop effective treatment interventions.

Association of impaired olfactory identification with prevalent mild cognitive impairment and regional brain atrophy: the Hisayama Study.

To investigate the association of olfactory identification ability with both the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and regional brain atrophy in a community-dwelling older population. A total of 1293 participants without dementia aged 65 years or older underwent a Japanese version of the 4-Item Pocket Smell Test, an assessment of cognitive function, and brain magnetic resonance imaging scanning in 2017-2018. Regional gray matter volumes (GMVs) and white matter lesions volume (WMLV) were estimated using FreeSurfer software. The association of impaired olfactory identification with the presence of MCI and regional GMVs or WMLV was estimated by logistic regression analysis and ANCOVA, respectively. We also assessed the association between impaired olfactory identification and GMVs without regions of interest, using a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis. Participants with impaired olfactory identification had a significantly higher likelihood of MCI than those without (odds ratio, 1.99 [95% confidence interval, 1.36-2.91]). In the FreeSurfer analysis, participants with impaired olfactory identification had significantly lower GMVs in the entorhinal cortex, inferior temporal gyrus, amygdala, thalamus, hippocampus, and cingulate gyrus, and higher WMLV than those without. The VBM analysis also showed that impaired olfactory identification was significantly associated with lower volume of the left entorhinal cortex, left amygdala, left hippocampus, bilateral thalami, and bilateral subcallosal areas. Our findings suggest that cognitive function and brain changes may need to be evaluated in older individuals with impaired olfactory identification, which may reflect the extent of neurodegeneration, WMLV, and subsequent cognitive impairment.

Cerebral lesions in the central pain matrix are associated with headache in multiple sclerosis

Headache is very frequent in multiple sclerosis. However, the question whether headache is just coincidental or may be secondary due to inflammatory cerebral multiple sclerosis lesions is yet to be clarified. This study intended to evaluate the distribution of cerebral lesion sites and the potential presence of specific lesion clusters in patients with multiple sclerosis and comorbid headache using voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM). Patients with multiple sclerosis and headache were prospectively identified and included in a university neurological center between 2017 and 2023. Only patients with headache onset after first manifestation of multiple sclerosis were included. Demographic and clinical data were assessed, and lesion volumes calculated. Cerebral lesion sites were correlated voxel-wise with presence and absence of headache using non-parametric permutation testing. A cohort of multiple sclerosis patients served as controls for the VLSM-analysis. 48 multiple sclerosis patients with headache were included, as well as 92 controls without headache. Of the 48 patients with headache, 39 (81%) were female and nine (19%) were male. Mean age was significantly higher in headache patients than in controls (51 + / − 11 vs. 42 + / − 11 years, p < 0.05). EDSS, disease duration and lesion volumes did not significantly differ between both groups. Lesion overlap of all patients demonstrated a distribution of white matter lesions consistently in all subcortical brain areas. The VLSM-analysis showed associations between headache and lesion clusters in the left insula, left hippocampus and right thalamus. In our study, multiple sclerosis lesions in the left insula, left hippocampus and right thalamus were associated with headache in multiple sclerosis patients. The data therefore indicates that headache in multiple sclerosis may, in a proportion of patients, result from lesions in the central nervous systems’ pain processing network.Trial registration: No. 93_17 B, Ethics committee of the University Hospital Erlangen-Nürnberg.

Differential Functional Connectivity of Frontolimbic Circuit During Symptom Provocation in Distinct Symptom Profiles of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Connectivité fonctionnelle différentielle du circuit frontolimbique durant la provocation de symptômes dans des profils symptomatiques distincts du trouble obsessionnel-compulsif.

BackgroundEmotional processing deficits and frontolimbic dysfunction have been observed in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with inconsistent evidence possibly due to symptom heterogeneity. We compared the functional activation and connectivity patterns of the frontolimbic structures during symptom provocation between patients with distinct symptom profiles of OCD.MethodsThirty-seven symptomatic OCD subjects were recruited and categorized based on predominant symptom profiles to contamination/washing symptom group (OCD-C, n = 19) and taboo thoughts group (OCD-T, n = 18), along with 17 healthy controls (HCs). All subjects were evaluated with comprehensive clinical assessments and functional magnetic resonance imaging while appraising personalized disorder-specific stimuli with contrasting neutral stimuli as part of an individualized symptom provocation task. Region of interest analyses and task-dependent seed-to-voxel connectivity of the frontolimbic circuit were compared between the groups, with correction employed for multiple comparisons.ResultsOCD-C subjects had decreased task-dependent mean activation of the left amygdala (adjusted mean difference = 13.48, p= 0.03) and right hippocampus (adjusted mean difference = 13.48, p = 0.04) compared to HC. Task-modulated functional connectivity analyses revealed that OCD-C had decreased connectivity of the right hippocampus with bilateral supplementary motor cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus (T = -5.11, p = 0.04); right insula with left cerebellum (T = -5.47, p = 0.02); and left insula with inferior temporal gyrus (T = -6.27, p = 0.03) than HC. OCD-T subjects had greater connectivity of right insula with left cerebellum (T = 6.64, p < 0.001) than OCD-C and increased connectivity of medial frontal cortex with right lateral occipital cortex (T = 5.08, p < 0.001) than HC.ConclusionsContamination-related symptoms were associated with decreased activation and connectivity of amygdala and hippocampus during symptom provocation, while the taboo thoughts were associated with increased connectivity of the insular cortex and medial frontal cortex. These findings suggest that distinct neurobiological markers may underlie the clinical heterogeneity of OCD.

Association of Diet and Waist-to-Hip Ratio With Brain Connectivity and Memory in Aging

Epidemiological studies suggest that lifestyle factors are associated with risk of dementia. However, few studies have examined the association of diet and waist to hip ratio (WHR) with hippocampus connectivity and cognitive health. To ascertain how longitudinal changes in diet quality and WHR during midlife are associated with hippocampal connectivity and cognitive function in later life. This cohort study analyzed data from participants in the Whitehall II Study at University College London (study inception: 1985) and Whitehall II Imaging Substudy at the University of Oxford (data collection: 2012-2016). Healthy participants from the Whitehall II Imaging Study with a mean age of 48 years at baseline to 70 years at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were included if they had information on diet from at least 1 wave, information on WHR from at least 2 waves, and good-quality MRI scans. Study analyses were completed from October 2019 to November 2024. Diet quality was measured in participants(mean age, 48 years at baseline to 60 years) using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 score, which was assessed 3 times across 11 years. WHR was measured 5 times over 21 years in participants aged 48 to 68 years. White matter structural connectivity assessed using diffusion tensor imaging, hippocampal functional connectivity assessed using resting-state functional MRI, and cognitive performance measures. Brain imaging and cognitive tests were performed at a mean (SD) age of 70 (5) years. The final diet quality sample comprised 512 participants (403 males [78.7%]; mean [SD] age, 47.8 [5.2] years), and the final WHR sample included 664 participants (532 males [80.1%]; mean [SD] age, 47.7 [5.1] years). Better diet quality in midlife and from midlife to late life was associated with higher hippocampal functional connectivity to the occipital lobe and cerebellum (left hippocampus: 9176 mm3, P < .05; left hippocampus and to the right cerebellum: 136 mm3, P = .04) and better white matter integrity as measured by higher fractional anisotropy (FA; 19 432 mm3, P < .05) and lower diffusivity (mean diffusivity [MD]: 5560 mm3, P < .05; axial diffusivity [AD]: 2600 mm3, P < .045; AD in fornix: β [SE] = 0.26 [0.11], false discovery rate-corrected P = .02). Higher WHR in midlife was associated with higher MD and radial diffusivity (covering 26.4% [333 088 mm3, P < .001] and 23.1% [291 888 mm3, P < .05], respectively, of the total white matter tracts in the cingulum and superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculus) and lower FA in the corticospinal tract (covering 4.9% of the white matter skeleton), including the inferior longitudinal fasciculus and cingulum (61 272 mm3, P < .05). Associations between midlife WHR, working memory, and executive function were partially mediated by diffusivity (eg, digit span was mediated by global FA: β = -2.96-03; 95% CI, -5.56-03 to -1.01-03; P < .001). This cohort study found that healthier diets and lower WHR throughout midlife were associated with better brain and cognitive health in older age. The findings suggest that interventions to improve diet and manage central obesity might be most effective between ages 48 and 70 years.

Personal Goal-Related Mental Time Travel and Its Association With Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Individuals With High Schizotypal Traits.

Mental time travel (MTT) is a crucial ability for daily life. Personal goal-related MTT events has stronger phenomenological characteristics than personal goal-unrelated ones, ie, the "personal goal-advantage effect". However, it remains unclear whether this effect is impacted in individuals with high schizotypal traits (HST) and the neural correlates of this effect have yet to be elucidated. The present study aimed to fill these knowledge gaps. We hypothesized that HST would show a reduced "personal goal-advantage effect" in MTT and would exhibit altered relationships with resting-state functional connectivity. In Study 1, 37 HST and 40 individuals with low schizotypal traits (LST) were recruited. Participants generated MTT events with personal goal-related and personal goal-unrelated cues. In Study 2, 39 HST and 38 LST were recruited, they completed the same behavioral task and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. Both Study 1 and Study 2 revealed that HST exhibited reduced "personal goal-advantage effect" on MTT specificity. Moreover, Study 2 showed that compared with LST, HST exhibited altered association between the "personal goal-advantage effect" and functional connectivity (ie, between the right precuneus and the left postcentral gyrus and "personal goal-advantage effect" on emotional valence, between the left hippocampus and the right temporal fusiform gyrus and "personal goal-advantage effect" on emotional intensity). These findings suggest that HST exhibit a reduced "personal goal-advantage effect" in MTT specificity and altered neural correlates related to this effect. The "personal goal-advantage effect" may be a potential target for intervention in HST.