scholarly journals The mid-term effects of carotid endarterectomy on cognition and regional neural activity analyzed with the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations technique

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Porcu ◽  
Luigi Cocco ◽  
Riccardo Cau ◽  
Jasjit S. Suri ◽  
Lorenzo Mannelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carotid Endarterectomy ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Asymptomatic Patients ◽  
Cluster Threshold ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations ◽  
Anterior Division ◽  
The Right

Abstract Purpose The study aims to evaluate the mid-term effects of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) on cognition and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) using the Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) technique. Methods In this observational study, patients eligible for CEA were prospectively included. On the same day, within 1 week of the CEA procedure performed and 12 months after the CEA procedure, all patients underwent (i) an MRI examination for rs-fMRI analysis and (ii) a cognitive evaluation using the Italian version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) corrected for age and schooling. Pre-CEA and post-CEA MMSE scores were evaluated using paired sample t-tests, adopting a p-value < 0.05 as statistical threshold. The ALFF technique was used for analyzing the differences between pre-CEA and post-CEA rs-fMRI scans in terms of regional neural activation. This was accomplished by applying non-parametric statistics based on randomization/permutation for cluster-level inferences, adopting a cluster-mass p-value corrected for false discovery < 0.05 for cluster threshold, and a p-uncorrected < 0.01 for the voxel threshold. Results Twenty asymptomatic patients were enrolled. The mean MMSE score resulted improved following CEA procedure (p-value = 0.001). The ALFF analysis identified a single cluster of 6260 voxels of increased regional neural activity following CEA, and no cluster of reduced activity. The majority of voxels covered the right precentral gyrus, the right middle frontal gyrus, and the anterior division of the cingulate gyrus. Conclusion Mid-term cognitive improvements observed after CEA are associated to increased regional neural activity of several cerebral regions.

scholarly journals Altered Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations in Inactive Patients with Nonneuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yu ◽  
Liheng Chen ◽  
Qiaohong Wang ◽  
Lingzhen Hu ◽  
Qiuping Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lupus Erythematosus ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency Oscillations ◽  
Postcentral Gyrus ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations ◽  
The Right

Objective.This study is aimed at investigating the characteristics of the spontaneous brain activity in inactive patients with nonneuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (non-NPSLE). Methods. Thirty-one female inactive patients with non-NPSLE and twenty healthy controls were examined by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI). Three amplitude methods including amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), and percent amplitude of fluctuation (PerAF) (with and without standardization) were applied to evaluate the spontaneous brain activity. The correlation was performed between low-frequency oscillations and clinical and neuropsychological factors in inactive patients with non-NPSLE. Results. Compared to healthy controls, patients with non-NPSLE showed increased standardized ALFF (mALFF) in the left inferior temporal gyrus and left putamen, decreased PerAF in the right postcentral gyrus and bilateral precentral gyrus, and increased standardized PerAF (mPerAF) in the left putamen and decreased mPerAF in the right postcentral gyrus and bilateral precentral gyrus. By standardized fALFF (mfALFF), no significant brain regions were found between the two groups. Correlation analysis revealed significantly positive correlations between glucocorticoid dose and PerAF in the right precentral gyrus and mPerAF in the left putamen, and Complement 3 (C3) and mPerAF in the right postcentral gyrus. There was a significant negative correlation between C3 and mALFF in the left putamen. Conclusion. Abnormal low-frequency oscillations in multiple brain regions were found in inactive patients with non-NPSLE, indicating that the alteration of mALFF, PerAF, and mPerAF in specific brain regions might be an imaging biomarker of brain dysfunction in inactive patients with non-NPSLE.

scholarly journals Effects of aging on brain networks during swallowing: general linear model and independent component analyses

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Woo-Suk Tae ◽  
Sekwang Lee ◽  
Sunyoung Choi ◽  
Sung-Bom Pyun
Keyword(s):  
Linear Model ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
General Linear Model ◽  
Independent Component ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
General Linear ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
The Right

AbstractSwallowing disorders occur more frequently in older adults. However, the effects of the aging process on neural activation when swallowing are unclear. We aimed to identify neural regions activated during swallowing and evaluate changes in neural activation and neural networks with aging. Using a general linear model (GLM) and independent component (IC) analyses, blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals were observed in the lateral precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, anterior insular cortices, supramarginal gyri, and medial frontal gyrus during swallowing. The right thalamus and anterior cingulate gyri were found to be active areas by GLM and IC analyses, respectively. In the correlational analyses, age was negatively correlated with BOLD signals of the lateral precentral gyri, postcentral gyri, and insular cortices in swallowing tasks. Additionally, correlation analyses between ICs of all participants and age revealed negative correlations in the right supramarginal gyrus, both anterior cingulate cortices, putamen, and cerebellum. In the network analysis, the BOLD signal positively correlated with age in the default mode network (DMN), and was negatively correlated in the lateral precentral gyri, postcentral gyri, and insular cortices. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations was significantly decreased in the DMN and increased in swallowing-related areas during swallowing tasks. These results suggest that aging has negative effects on the activation of swallowing-related regions and task-induced deactivation of the DMN. These changes may be used to detect early functional decline during swallowing.

Associations between mental wellbeing and fMRI neural bases underlying responses to positive emotion in a twin sample

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Haeme R.P. Park ◽  
Miranda R. Chilver ◽  
Arthur Montalto ◽  
Javad Jamshidi ◽  
Peter R. Schofield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Activity ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background Although mental wellbeing has been linked with positive health outcomes, including longevity and improved emotional and cognitive functioning, studies examining the underlying neural mechanisms of both subjective and psychological wellbeing have been sparse. We assessed whether both forms of wellbeing are associated with neural activity engaged during positive and negative emotion processing and the extent to which this association is driven by genetics or environment. Methods We assessed mental wellbeing in 230 healthy adult monozygotic and dizygotic twins using a previously validated questionnaire (COMPAS-W) and undertook functional magnetic resonance imaging during a facial emotion viewing task. We used linear mixed models to analyse the association between COMPAS-W scores and emotion-elicited neural activation. Univariate twin modelling was used to evaluate heritability of each brain region. Multivariate twin modelling was used to compare twin pairs to assess the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to this association. Results Higher levels of wellbeing were associated with greater neural activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, localised in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), in response to positive emotional expressions of happiness. Univariate twin modelling showed activity in the IFG to have 20% heritability. Multivariate twin modelling suggested that the association between wellbeing and positive emotion-elicited neural activity was driven by common variance from unique environment (r = 0.208) rather than shared genetics. Conclusions Higher mental wellbeing may have a basis in greater engagement of prefrontal neural regions in response to positive emotion, and this association may be modifiable by unique life experiences.

scholarly journals Dynamic Altered Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruiping Zheng ◽  
Yuan Chen ◽  
Yu Jiang ◽  
Mengmeng Wen ◽  
Bingqian Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Posterior Lobe ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Drug Naïve ◽  
The Right

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) has demonstrated abnormalities of static intrinsic brain activity measured by amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF). Recent studies regarding the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) have found the brain activity is inherently dynamic over time. Little is known, however, regarding the temporal dynamics of local neural activity in MDD. Here, we investigated whether temporal dynamic changes in spontaneous neural activity are influenced by MDD.Methods: We recruited 81 first-episode, drug-naive MDD patients and 64 age-, gender-, and education-matched healthy controls who underwent rs-fMRI. A sliding-window approach was then adopted for the estimation of dynamic ALFF (dALFF), which was used to measure time-varying brain activity and then compared between the two groups. The relationship between altered dALFF variability and clinical variables in MDD patients was also analyzed.Results: MDD patients showed increased temporal variability (dALFF) mainly focused on the bilateral thalamus, the bilateral superior frontal gyrus, the right middle frontal gyrus, the bilateral cerebellum posterior lobe, and the vermis. Furthermore, increased dALFF variability values in the right thalamus and right cerebellum posterior lobe were positively correlated with MDD symptom severity.Conclusions: The overall results suggest that altered temporal variability in corticocerebellar–thalamic–cortical circuit (CCTCC), involved in emotional, executive, and cognitive, is associated with drug-naive, first-episode MDD patients. Moreover, our study highlights the vital role of abnormal dynamic brain activity in the cerebellar hemisphere associated with CCTCC in MDD patients. These findings may provide novel insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of MDD.

scholarly journals Changes in resting-state measures of prostate cancer patients exposed to androgen deprivation therapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Plata-Bello ◽  
Ana Plata-Bello ◽  
Yaiza Pérez-Martín ◽  
David López-Curtis ◽  
Silvia Acosta-López ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Androgen Deprivation Therapy ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Androgen Deprivation ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
The Right

AbstractThe aim of the present work is to describe the differences in rs-fMRI measures (Amplitude of low frequency fluctuations [ALFF], Regional Homogeneity [ReHo] and Functional Connectivity [FC]) between patients exposed to Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and a control group. Forty-nine ADT patients and fifteen PC-non-ADT patients (Controls) were included in the study. A neuropsychological evaluation and a resting-state fMRI was performed to evaluate differences in ALFF and ReHo. Region of interest (ROI) analysis was also performed. ROIs were selected among those whose androgen receptor expression (at RNA-level) was the highest. FC analysis was performed using the same ROIs. Higher ALFF in frontal regions and temporal regions was identified in Controls than in ADT patients. In the ROI analysis, higher activity for Controls than ADT patients was shown in the left inferior frontal gyrus and in the left precentral gyrus. Lower ALFF in the right hippocampus and the lateral geniculate nucleus of the right thalamus was identified for Controls than ADT patients. Higher ReHo was observed in Controls in the left parietal-occipital area. Finally, ADT patients presented an increase of FC in more regions than Controls. These differences may reflect an impairment in brain functioning in ADT users.

Characteristics of temporal dynamics of intrinsic brain activity in unmedicated bipolar disorder with suicidality

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 1115-1124
Author(s):  
Jiaying Gong ◽  
Guanmao Chen ◽  
Mengyao Zhou ◽  
Yanbin Jia ◽  
Shuming Zhong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Suicidal Attempt ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Posterior Cingulate ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations ◽  
The Right

Background: Bipolar disorder is associated with a high risk of suicide. Routine neuroimaging examination exhibited that bipolar disorder with suicidality was associated with brain structural and functional changes. However, the alterations of brain dynamics have still remained elusive. Purpose: To investigate the alterations of brain dynamics in unmedicated bipolar disorder II depression with suicidality and predict the severity of suicidality. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 106 bipolar disorder II participants (20 with suicidal attempt, 35 with suicidal ideation, 51 without suicidal ideation) and 50 healthy controls who underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging between February 2016 and December 2017. We first used sliding window analysis to evaluate the dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations. Then, we predicted the severity of suicidality using a multivariate regression model. Results: One-way analysis of covariance revealed that the dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in the right temporal pole, inferior temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus and the bilateral precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex was significantly different among the four groups. Post hoc pairwise comparisons revealed that dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations was remarkably decreased in the bilateral precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex in the three bipolar disorder II groups compared with that in healthy controls group. Increased dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations was found in the right superior temporal gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus in the suicidal attempt group compared with that in the other groups, and in the right temporal pole in the suicidal attempt group compared with that in the suicidal ideation and healthy controls groups. Importantly, these temporal variabilities could be used to predict the severity of suicidality ( r = 0.330, p = 0.036), whereas static amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations couldn’t ( r = –0.050, p = 0.532). Conclusion: Our findings indicated that alterations of temporal variability in the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex are such a common feature of bipolar disorder patients. Besides, the severity of suicidality could be predicted by the dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations abnormalities rather than static amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations abnormalities, which is the first evidence of dynamic brain alterations in bipolar disorder patients with suicidality. The proposed predictive model may be advantageous for clinical applications.

scholarly journals Mild inflammation causes a reduction in resting-state amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation in healthy adult males

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 239821282094935
Author(s):  
Kristian Stefanov ◽  
John McLean ◽  
Becky Allan ◽  
Jonathan Cavanagh ◽  
Rajeev Krishnadas
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Mood States ◽  
Profile Of Mood States ◽  
Blood Oxygen ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level ◽  
Lower Amplitude ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations ◽  
The Right

Systemic inflammation has been associated with negative mood states and human sickness behaviour. Previous studies have shown an association between systemic inflammation and changes in task-related blood-oxygen-level-dependent activity and functional connectivity within large-scale networks. However, no study has examined the effect of inflammation on the magnitude of blood-oxygen-level-dependent low-frequency fluctuations at rest. We used a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design to randomise 20 male subjects (aged 20–50 years) to receive either a Salmonella typhi vaccine or a placebo saline injection at two separate sessions. All participants underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance scan and a measure of inflammation (interleukin 6) and mood (Profile of Mood States) 3 h after injection. We compared the whole brain amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations between the vaccine and placebo conditions using a repeated measures design. Vaccine condition was associated with greater interleukin 6 levels (p < 0.001). Vaccine condition was also associated with lower amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in the right and left frontal pole, superior frontal gyrus, paracingulate gyrus (Cluster 1) and the right mid and inferior frontal gyrus (Cluster 2) (p < 0.001, false discovery rate corrected). Lower amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations pertaining to first cluster correlated with greater total Profile of Mood States score (worse mood) (r = −0.38; p = 0.04). These results imply possible excitation/inhibition imbalance mechanisms during inflammation that may be a relevant target in psychiatric disease, especially mood disorders.

scholarly journals White matter of perinatally HIV infected older youths shows low frequency fluctuations that may reflect glial cycling

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj K. Sarma ◽  
Amrita Pal ◽  
Margaret A. Keller ◽  
Tamara Welikson ◽  
Joseph Ventura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cerebral White Matter ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Latent Hiv ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain

AbstractIn perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV) children, neurodevelopment occurs in the presence of HIV-infection, and even with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) the brain can be a reservoir for latent HIV. Consequently, patients often demonstrate long-term cognitive deficits and developmental delay, which may be reflected in altered functional brain activity. Our objective was to examine brain function in PHIV on cART by quantifying the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo). Further, we studied ALFF and ReHo changes with neuropsychological performance and measures of immune health including CD4 count and viral loads in the HIV-infected youths. We found higher ALFF and ReHo in cerebral white matter in the medial orbital lobe for PHIV (N = 11, age mean ± sd = 22.5 ± 2.9 years) compared to controls (N = 16, age = 22.5 ± 3.0 years), with age and gender as co-variates. Bilateral cerebral white matter showed increased spontaneous regional activity in PHIV compared to healthy controls. No brain regions showed lower ALFF or ReHo in PHIV compared to controls. Higher log10 viral load was associated with higher ALFF and ReHo in PHIV in bilateral cerebral white matter and right cerebral white matter respectively after masking the outcomes intrinsic to the brain regions that showed significantly higher ALFF and ReHo in the PHIV compared to the control. Reductions in social cognition and abstract thinking in PHIV were correlated with higher ALFF at the left cerebral white matter in the left medial orbital gyrus and higher ReHo at the right cerebral white matter in the PHIV patients. Although neuroinflammation and associated neuro repair were not directly measured, the findings support their potential role in PHIV impacting neurodevelopment and cognition.

scholarly journals Is there any difference in the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations between first episode major depressive disorder patients and subclinical depressive subjects?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Xie ◽  
Xiuhang Ruan ◽  
Guoqing Zhang ◽  
Yuting Li ◽  
E Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Visual Recognition ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Fusiform Gyrus ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background To explore the differences in the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) at the whole-brain level between young adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) and those with Subclinical depression (SD). Methods Thirty-nine first-episode MDD patients, 30 SD subjects, and 37 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. All participants underwent resting-state fMRI (Rs-fMRI) scans on a 3T MR scanner. We used the fALFF to explore spontaneous neuronal activity between groups. Results Significant differences in the fALFF were observed among the three groups. Compared with the HCs, an increased fALFF was found in the left cerebellum in MDD patients. When MDD patients were compared with SD subjects, we observed increased fALFF values in the bilateral fusiform gyrus and decreased fALFF values in the right inferior frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, left cuneus and right precuneus. Compared with the HCs, the SD group demonstrated increased fALFF values in the precuneus. Additionally, a positive correlated was revealed between the fALFF values and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA)score in the right fusiform gyrus in MDD patients. Moreover, the fALFF value were negatively correlated with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score in the right inferior frontal gyrus and with the age in the left fusiform gyrus in SD subjects. Conclusions Our findings suggest that alterations of cognitive and executive networks, default mode networks and visual recognition circuits may contribute to the different neural mechanisms between MDD and SD in young adult subjects.

scholarly journals Altered Intrinsic Coupling between Functional Connectivity Density and Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation in Mild Cognitive Impairment with Depressive Symptoms

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaozheng Liu ◽  
Jiuzun Chen ◽  
Bangli Shen ◽  
Gang Wang ◽  
Jiapeng Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Functional Connectivity Density ◽  
The Right ◽  
Insight Into

Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that major depressive disorder increases the risk of dementia in older individuals with mild cognitive impairment. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the intrinsic coupling patterns between the amplitude and synchronisation of low-frequency brain fluctuations using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and the functional connectivity density (FCD) in 16 patients who had mild cognitive impairment with depressive symptoms (D-MCI) (mean age: 69.6 ± 6.2 years) and 18 patients with nondepressed mild cognitive impairment (nD-MCI) (mean age: 72.1 ± 9.7 years). Coupling was quantified as the correlations between the ALFF values and their associated FCDs. The results showed that the ALFF values in the D-MCI group were higher in the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and lower in the right precentral gyrus (preCG), and the FCD values were higher in the left medial temporal gyrus (MTG) than those in the nD-MCI group. Further, correlation analyses demonstrated that, in the D-MCI group, the mPFC was negatively correlated with the MTG. These findings may relate to the characteristics of mood disorders in patients with MCI, and they offer further insight into the neuropathophysiology of MCI with depressive symptoms.

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