scholarly journals Rajyoga Meditation Experience Induces Enhanced Positive Thoughts and Alters Gray Matter Volume of Brain Regions: A Cross-sectional Study

Mindfulness ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramesh Babu M G ◽  
Rajagopal Kadavigere ◽  
Prakashini Koteshwara ◽  
Brijesh Sathian ◽  
Kiranmai S. Rai
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Morphometric Analysis ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Structural Mri ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Volume Changes ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Left Posterior ◽  
Meditation Experience ◽  
The Right

Abstract Objectives Many studies on various meditation types have reported regional gray matter volume changes using voxel-based morphometric analysis of structural MRI, but there are no studies done on structural MRI of Rajyoga meditators. The objective of the present study is to analyze and compare gray matter volume changes of brain regions in meditators and non-meditators and further study the effects of meditation experience on alterations in various brain regions. These regions were then correlated and compared to positive thought scores of participants. Methods Forty participants in each group (closely matched for age, gender, and handedness) were selected after obtaining their informed consent, and voxel-based morphometric analysis was carried out using their structural MRI scans. Results On voxel-wise comparison of the brain scans, meditators were observed to have significantly higher global gray matter volume and significant regional gray matter volume increases in the right superior frontal gyrus, left inferior orbitofrontal cortex, left inferior parietal gyrus, left posterior cerebellum, left middle temporal gyrus, bilateral precuneus, and cuneus. Additionally, long-term meditators particularly had significantly higher positive thinking scores compared to non-meditators. On multiple regression analysis, gray matter volume of the left superior parietal gyrus and left inferior parietal gyrus had a positive association, whereas the left posterior cerebellum had a negative association with hours of meditation experience. With the positive thoughts score, a significant relationship was found in the right superior temporal gyrus in meditators. Conclusions These findings indicate that Rajyoga meditation experience/practice enhances gray matter volume of specific brain regions and positive thoughts.

scholarly journals Daily and Intermittent Smoking Decrease Gray Matter Volume and Concentrations of Glutamate, Creatine, Myo-Inositol and N-acetylaspartate in the Prefrontal Cortex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Faulkner ◽  
Susanna Lucini Paioni ◽  
Petya Kozhuharova ◽  
Natasza Orlov ◽  
David J. Lythgoe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Structural Mri ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
The Right

AbstractCigarette smoking is still the largest contributor to disease and death worldwide. Successful cessation is hindered by decreases in prefrontal glutamate concentrations and gray matter volume due to daily smoking. Because non-daily, intermittent smoking also contributes greatly to disease and death, understanding whether infrequent tobacco use is associated with reductions in prefrontal glutamate concentrations and gray matter volume may aid public health. Eighty-five young participants (41 non-smokers, 24 intermittent smokers, 20 daily smokers, mean age ~23 years old), underwent 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the medial prefrontal cortex, as well as structural MRI to determine whole-brain gray matter volume. Compared to non-smokers, both daily and intermittent smokers exhibited lower concentrations of glutamate, creatine, N-acetylaspartate and myo-inositol in the medial prefrontal cortex, and lower gray matter volume in the right inferior frontal gyrus; these measures of prefrontal metabolites and structure did not differ between daily and intermittent smokers. Finally, medial prefrontal metabolite concentrations and right inferior frontal gray matter volume were positively correlated, but these relationships were not influenced by smoking status. This study provides the first evidence that both daily and intermittent smoking are associated with low concentrations of glutamate, creatine, N-acetylaspartate and myo-inositol, and low gray matter volume in the prefrontal cortex. Future tobacco cessation efforts should not ignore potential deleterious effects of intermittent smoking by considering only daily smokers. Finally, because low glutamate concentrations hinder cessation, treatments that can normalize tonic levels of prefrontal glutamate, such as N-acetylcysteine, may help intermittent and daily smokers to quit.

scholarly journals Emotional Awareness in Schizophrenia Is Associated With Gray Matter Volume of Right Precuneus

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Jáni ◽  
Zora Kikinis ◽  
Jan Lošák ◽  
Ofer Pasternak ◽  
Filip Szczepankiewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Emotional Awareness ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
The Right

Objectives: We assessed the relationship between emotional awareness (e.g., the ability to identify and differentiate our own feelings and feelings of others) and regional brain volumes in healthy and in schizophrenia groups.Methods: Magnetic resonance images of 29 subjects with schizophrenia and 33 matched healthy controls were acquired. Brain gray matter was parcellated using FreeSurfer and 28 regions of interest associated with emotional awareness were analyzed. All participants were assessed using the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS) of Self and of Other. LEAS scores were correlated with gray matter volume for each hemisphere on the 14 brain regions of the emotional awareness network.Results: Individuals with schizophrenia showed decreased emotional awareness on both LEAS Self and LEAS Other compared to healthy controls. There were no statistically significant between-group differences in gray matter volumes of the emotional awareness network. The performance on LEAS Other correlated negatively with right precuneus gray matter volume only in the schizophrenia group.Conclusion: Our findings suggest a relationship between gray matter volume of the right precuneus and deficits in understanding of emotional states of others in schizophrenia.

scholarly journals Transcriptomic Signatures Associated With Gray Matter Volume Changes in Patients With Functional Constipation

2022 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wangli Cai ◽  
Yujing Zhou ◽  
Lidi Wan ◽  
Ruiling Zhang ◽  
Ting Hua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Functional Constipation ◽  
Gastrointestinal Disorder ◽  
Structural Mri ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Brain Atlas ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Matter Volume

Functional constipation, which belongs to the functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID), is a common disease and significantly impacts daily life. FGID patients have been progressively proven with functional and structural alterations in various brain regions, but whether and how functional constipation affects the brain gray matter volume (GMV) remains unclear; besides, which genes are associated with the GMV changes in functional constipation is largely unknown. On account of the structural MRI image from the 30 functional constipation patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs), GMV analysis showed that functional constipation patients had significantly decreased GMV in the right orbital prefrontal cortex (OFC), left precentral gyrus (PreG), and bilateral thalamus (THA). Correlation analysis showed that the self-rating depressive scale, patient assessment of constipation quality of life (PAC-QOL), and Wexner constipation scores were negatively correlated with GMV of the OFC and negative correlations between PAC-QOL score and GMV of the bilateral THA. Based on the Allen Human Brain Atlas, a cross-sample spatial correlation was conducted and found that 18 genes’ expression values showed robust correlations with GMV changes in functional constipation patients. These outcomes highlight our recognition of the transcriptional features related to GMV changes in functional constipation and could be regarded as candidates to detect biological mechanisms of abnormality in functional constipation patients.

scholarly journals T182. DIAGNOSIS INDEPENDENT SYNDROME RELATED GRAY MATTER VOLUME CHANGES IN A LARGE TRANSDIAGNOSTIC COHORT: RESULTS FROM THE FOR2107 STUDY

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S301-S301
Author(s):  
Frederike Stein ◽  
Gunnar Lemmer ◽  
Simon Schmitt ◽  
Katharina Brosch ◽  
Tina Meller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Peak Level ◽  
Volume Changes ◽  
Brain Images ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Thought Disorders ◽  
Brain Correlates ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background More than a century of research on the neurobiological underpinnings of the Major Psychoses (Schizophrenia SZ, Bipolar Disorder BD, Major Depressive Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder SZA) has been unable to identify diagnostic “markers”. An alternative approach is to study dimensional psychopathological syndromes that cut across categorical diagnoses. Brain imaging studies on the correlates of syndromes are thus far restricted to one diagnosis, however it is unclear, whether structural brain correlates of syndromes are the same across diagnoses. Previously, we have identified 7 syndromes in n=811 patients suffering from major psychoses, applying a confirmatory factor analysis, including depressed mood, negative symptoms, delusions, formal thought disorders, hallucinations, mania and increased appetite. The aim of the current study was to identify gray matter volume correlates of these syndromes across the major psychoses. Methods We tested the association of the above 7 psychopathological factors with whole brain GMV (voxel-based morphometry) in a sample of n=713 patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for MDD (n=550), BD (n=79), SZ (n=51) and SZA (n=33) (www.for2107.de). T1 weighted brain images were acquired at a 3-Tesla MRI. Images were pre-processed as implemented in the Cat12 (SPM12) toolbox. We performed multiple regression analyses for each factor separately and used the family wise error correction (FWE) to correct for multiple comparisons. Additionally, we tested if local VBM associations were driven by one diagnosis extracting the beta-volumes of the clusters and then comparing the subgroups using ANCOVA. Results The delusion factor was negatively correlated with gray matter volume in the left inferior temporal gyrus/fusiform gyrus (k=138 voxels, x/y/z=-48/-58/-15, t=5.23, p<.05 FWE peak level) and the left amygdala/hippocampus (k=23 voxels, x/y/z=-15/-12/-12, t=4.84, p<.05 FWE peak level). The hallucinatory syndrome was negatively correlated with volume in the right thalamus proper (k=54 voxels, x/y/z=8/-4/-2, t=4.9, p<.05 FWE peak level). Extraction of the beta-volumes revealed no effect of diagnosis (delusions (F (3,708) p=.54; hallucinations (F (3,708) p=.542). Discussion Volume changes underlying psychopathological syndromes are independent of diagnosis. We could confirm previous results from much smaller studies which have restricted themselves to single diagnoses or case control designs. Our findings open a new avenue for neurobiological research of the major psychoses, using syndrome based, dimensional approaches rather than DSM or ICD diagnoses.

scholarly journals In Vivo Structural and Functional Abnormalities of the Striatums Is Related to Decreased Astrocytic BDNF in Itpr2-/- Mice Exhibiting Depressive-Like Behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Shanmei Zeng ◽  
Kai Liu ◽  
Jingyu Zhang ◽  
Chunhui Chen ◽  
Yihua Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Specific Pattern ◽  
Brain Abnormalities ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Secondary Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
The Right

Background. Previous researches indicate that Itpr2-/- mice (inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 2 knockout mice) show depressive-like symptoms; however, little is known regarding the in vivo neurobiological effect of Itpr2 as well as the specific pattern of brain abnormalities in Itpr2-/- mice. Methods/Materials. First, behavioral tests, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and resting-state functional MRI were performed on Itpr2-/- mice and matched healthy controls. Voxel-based morphometry and seed-based voxel-wise functional connectivity (FC) were, respectively, calculated to assess the gray matter volume and the functional activities of the brain in vivo. Second, the sample of relevant changed brain regions was extracted to detect the expression of BDNF. Finally, to further validate the relationship between Itpr2 deficiency and the observed brain abnormalities, we performed Western blotting to detect the expression of pro-BDNF and mBDNF in Itpr2-/- C8-D1A (a type of astrocyte). Results. Compared with controls, Itpr2-/- mice showed depressive-like behaviors as well as significantly lower gray matter volume in striatums mainly, periaqueductal GM, and the right frontoparietal cortices as well as lower striatal-hippocampal and striatal-right parietal cortex (mainly for the primary and secondary somatosensory cortex) FC. Moreover, decreased expression of mBDNF was found in both sample tissues of the striatum in Itpr2-/- mice and Itpr2-/- C8-D1A. Conclusion. By combining biochemistry and MR analyses, this study provides evidences to support that the Itpr2-related neuropathological effect is possibly mediated by the striatal abnormality associated with dysfunctional astrocytes in Itpr2-/- mice in vivo, thus may help us better understand underlying mechanisms of Itpr2 deficiency as well as its relation to depressive-like behavior.

Reproducibility of Brain Volume Changes in Longitudinal Voxel-Based Morphometry Between Non-Accelerated and Accelerated Magnetic Resonance Imaging

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Hidemasa Takao ◽  
Shiori Amemiya ◽  
Osamu Abe ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Voxel Based Morphometry ◽  
Volume Changes ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Healthy Elderly

Background: Scan acceleration techniques, such as parallel imaging, can reduce scan times, but reliability is essential to implement these techniques in neuroimaging. Objective: To evaluate the reproducibility of the longitudinal changes in brain morphology determined by longitudinal voxel-based morphometry (VBM) between non-accelerated and accelerated magnetic resonance images (MRI) in normal aging, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: Using data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) 2 database, comprising subjects who underwent non-accelerated and accelerated structural T1-weighted MRI at screening and at a 2-year follow-up on 3.0 T Philips scanners, we examined the reproducibility of longitudinal gray matter volume changes determined by longitudinal VBM processing between non-accelerated and accelerated imaging in 50 healthy elderly subjects, 54 MCI patients, and eight AD patients. Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) maps differed among the three groups. The mean ICC was 0.72 overall (healthy elderly, 0.63; MCI, 0.75; AD, 0.63), and the ICC was good to excellent (0.6–1.0) for 81.4%of voxels (healthy elderly, 64.8%; MCI, 85.0%; AD, 65.0%). The differences in image quality (head motion) were not significant (Kruskal–Wallis test, p = 0.18) and the within-subject standard deviations of longitudinal gray matter volume changes were similar among the groups. Conclusion: The results indicate that the reproducibility of longitudinal gray matter volume changes determined by VBM between non-accelerated and accelerated MRI is good to excellent for many regions but may vary between diseases and regions.

The gray matter volume of the right insula mediates the relationship between symptoms of depression/anxiety and sleep quality among college students

2019 ◽  
pp. 135910531986997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huazhan Yin ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Dan Li ◽  
Lu Xiao ◽  
Mei Cheng
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigated the neuroanatomical basis of the association between depression/anxiety and sleep quality among 370 college students. The results showed that there was a significant correlation between sleep quality and depression/anxiety. Moreover, mediation results showed that the gray matter volume of the right insula mediated the relationship between depression/anxiety and sleep quality, which suggested that depression/anxiety may affect sleep quality through the right insula volume. These findings confirmed a strong link between sleep quality and depression/anxiety, while highlighting the volumetric variation in the right insula associated with emotional processing, which may play a critical role in improving sleep quality.

Sleep Duration, Sleep Apnea, and Gray Matter Volume

2021 ◽  
pp. 089198872098891
Author(s):  
Regina Eun Young Kim ◽  
Robert Douglas Abbott ◽  
Soriul Kim ◽  
Robert Joseph Thomas ◽  
Chang-Ho Yun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Apnea ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Bootstrap Sampling ◽  
Matter Volume

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sleep duration on brain structures in the presence versus absence of sleep apnea in middle-aged and older individuals. The study investigated a population-based sample of 2,560 individuals, aged 49-80 years. The presence of sleep apnea and self-reported sleep duration were examined in relation to gray matter volume (GMV) in total and lobar brain regions. We identified ranges of sleep duration associated with maximal GMV using quadratic regression and bootstrap sampling. A significant quadratic association between sleep duration and GMV was observed in total and lobar brain regions of men with sleep apnea. In the fully adjusted model, optimal sleep durations associated with peak GMV between brain regions ranged from 6.7 to 7.0 hours. Shorter and longer sleep durations were associated with lower GMV in total and 4 sub-regions of the brain in men with sleep apnea.

scholarly journals SLC25A24 gene methylation and gray matter volume in females with and without conduct disorder: an exploratory epigenetic neuroimaging study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Farrow ◽  
Andreas G. Chiocchetti ◽  
Jack C. Rogers ◽  
Ruth Pauli ◽  
Nora M. Raschle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Conduct Disorder ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Chromosome 1 ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

AbstractConduct disorder (CD), a psychiatric disorder characterized by a repetitive pattern of antisocial behaviors, results from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. The clinical presentation of CD varies both according to the individual’s sex and level of callous-unemotional (CU) traits, but it remains unclear how genetic and environmental factors interact at the molecular level to produce these differences. Emerging evidence in males implicates methylation of genes associated with socio-affective processes. Here, we combined an epigenome-wide association study with structural neuroimaging in 51 females with CD and 59 typically developing (TD) females to examine DNA methylation in relation to CD, CU traits, and gray matter volume (GMV). We demonstrate an inverse pattern of correlation between CU traits and methylation of a chromosome 1 region in CD females (positive) as compared to TD females (negative). The identified region spans exon 1 of the SLC25A24 gene, central to energy metabolism due to its role in mitochondrial function. Increased SLC25A24 methylation was also related to lower GMV in multiple brain regions in the overall cohort. These included the superior frontal gyrus, prefrontal cortex, and supramarginal gyrus, secondary visual cortex and ventral posterior cingulate cortex, which are regions that have previously been implicated in CD and CU traits. While our findings are preliminary and need to be replicated in larger samples, they provide novel evidence that CU traits in females are associated with methylation levels in a fundamentally different way in CD and TD, which in turn may relate to observable variations in GMV across the brain.

scholarly journals Attentional bias to threat and gray mater volume morphology in high anxious individuals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Carlson ◽  
Lin Fang
Keyword(s):  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Brain Morphology ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
The Right

AbstractIn a sample of highly anxious individuals, the relationship between gray matter volume brain morphology and attentional bias to threat was assessed. Participants performed a dot-probe task of attentional bias to threat and gray matter volume was acquired from whole brain structural T1-weighted MRI scans. The results replicate previous findings in unselected samples that elevated attentional bias to threat is linked to greater gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, middle frontal gyrus, and striatum. In addition, we provide novel evidence that elevated attentional bias to threat is associated with greater gray matter volume in the right posterior parietal cortex, cerebellum, and other distributed regions. Lastly, exploratory analyses provide initial evidence that distinct sub-regions of the right posterior parietal cortex may contribute to attentional bias in a sex-specific manner. Our results illuminate how differences in gray matter volume morphology relate to attentional bias to threat in anxious individuals. This knowledge could inform neurocognitive models of anxiety-related attentional bias to threat and targets of neuroplasticity in anxiety interventions such as attention bias modification.

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