Emotion recognition and theory of mind are related to gray matter volume of the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia

Abstract Introduction Vulnerability to sleep deprivation (SD) has been attributed to inter-individual trait-like differences in the ability to sustain vigilance and subjective alertness, which may have distinct neurobiological substrates. We have previously shown that reduced suppression of the Default Mode Network (DMN) during a cognitive task was predictive of global vulnerability to SD. However, little is known about vulnerability to mood decrements during SD and the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), we assessed structural differences in gray matter volume (GMV) of a region of the anterior DMN, the medial prefrontal cortex and its association with self-reported mood during 29 hours of SD. Methods 45 healthy participants (23 male; Ages 20-43) underwent 3T structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Within 4 days, participants underwent an overnight SD session (29 hours awake total) which included hourly mood assessments with several visual analog mood scales (VAMS) assessing positive and negative affect. Hourly VAMS data were converted into a comparative metric of percent worsening of mood scores from 19:00 until noon the next day. These scores were averaged to determine a “mood resilience” score, with higher scores indicating greater mood sustainment. Using SPM12, the mean mood resilience scores were correlated with whole-brain gray matter volume, restricted to the medial prefrontal cortex, p<.05, FWE corrected, with a cluster threshold of 137 voxels. Results Overnight mood resilience was significantly correlated with greater grey matter volume in right rostral medial prefrontal cortex (p<.05, corrected; k=137). Conclusion Individuals with greater gray matter volume within a circumscribed region of the right medial prefrontal cortex demonstrated greater resilience to mood degradation over 29 hours of continuous wakefulness. This same region of the brain has been shown to be critical for the passive maintenance of emotions. We speculate that greater GMV could protect against mood decline by better sustaining emotional state during SD. Support Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Young Faculty Award: DARPA-12-12-11-YFA11-FP-029

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The impulsivity behavior is correlated with prefrontal cortex gray matter volume reduction in heroin-dependent individuals

Neuroscience Letters ◽

10.1016/j.neulet.2013.01.019 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 538 ◽

pp. 43-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Ying-wei Qiu ◽

Gui-hua Jiang ◽

Huan-huan Su ◽

Xiao-fei Lv ◽

Jun-zhang Tian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Volume Reduction ◽

Matter Volume

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Social Cognition and Emotional Assessment (SEA) is a Marker of Medial and Orbital Frontal Functions: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study in Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Degeneration

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617712001300 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 972-985 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Maxime Bertoux ◽

Emmanuelle Volle ◽

Aurélie Funkiewiez ◽

Leonardo Cruz de Souza ◽

Delphine Leclercq ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Theory Of Mind ◽

Reversal Learning ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Structural Mri ◽

Voxel Based Morphometry ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Early Stages ◽

Emotional Assessment

AbstractThe aim of this study was to explore the cerebral correlates of functional deficits that occur in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). A specific neuropsychological battery, the Social cognition & Emotional Assessment (SEA; Funkiewiez et al., 2012), was used to assess impaired social and emotional functions in 20 bvFTD patients who also underwent structural MRI scanning. The SEA subscores of theory of mind, reversal-learning tests, facial emotion identification, and apathy evaluation were entered as covariates in a voxel-based morphometry analysis. The results revealed that the gray matter volume in the rostral part of the medial prefrontal cortex [mPFC, Brodmann area (BA) 10] was associated with scores on the theory of mind subtest, while gray matter volume within the orbitofrontal (OFC) and ventral mPFC (BA 11 and 47) was related to the scores observed in the reversal-learning subtest. Gray matter volume within BA 9 in the mPFC was correlated with scores on the emotion recognition subtest, and the severity of apathetic symptoms in the Apathy scale covaried with gray matter volume in the lateral PFC (BA 44/45). Among these regions, the mPFC and OFC cortices have been shown to be atrophied in the early stages of bvFTD. In addition, SEA and its abbreviated version (mini-SEA) have been demonstrated to be sensitive to early impairments in bvFTD (Bertoux et al., 2012). Taken together, these results suggest a differential involvement of orbital and medial prefrontal subregions in SEA subscores and support the use of the SEA to evaluate the integrity of these regions in the early stages of bvFTD. (JINS, 2012, 18, 972–985)

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

10.1101/2020.09.08.288050 ◽

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.

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0307 Gray Matter Volume Correlates of Psychomotor Vigilance Speed During Sleep Deprivation

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.304 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. A116-A116

Author(s):

C E Meinhausen ◽

J R Vanuk ◽

M A Grandner ◽

W D Killgore

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Sleep Deprivation ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Sleep Loss ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Matter Volume ◽

The Right ◽

Psychomotor Vigilance

Abstract Introduction Sleep deprivation has often been associated with decreased cognitive control, including deficits in the ability to sustain attention. Psychomotor vigilance speed slows following a period of fatigue, and can lead to disastrous results in daily life. In order to determine the brain areas correlated with reduced psychomotor vigilance speed, as a result of diminished sleep, a voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed prior to a period of monitored sleep deprivation. The mean speed of response time during the final 17 hours of a 29-hour sleep deprivation was then measured with the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT), a reaction-timed task that measures the speed participants respond to a visual stimulus. Methods 45 healthy individuals (male=23 female=22) between the ages of 20-43 years (M=25.4 SD=5.6) participated in the study. Structural neuroimaging data were collected using a T3 magnetic resonance imaging scanner following a typical night’s sleep. Mean PVT speed was monitored with an hourly 10-minute PVT assessment during a monitored overnight sleep deprivation session. Speed was defined as the reciprocal of reaction time (1/RT). Results PVT speed was negatively correlated with grey matter volume (P<.05 FWE-corrected) in the prefrontal cortex, specifically the right posterior inferior frontal gyrus (p=.030; MNI coordinates = 36, 12, 26). Conclusion Our findings indicate that gray matter within the right posterior inferior frontal gyrus is greater in individuals who are more vulnerable to slowing of PVT responses during an overnight period of sleep deprivation. These findings suggest that inter-individual differences in the ability to sustain psychomotor vigilance during sleep loss may be related to increased gray matter in the right lateral prefrontal cortex and could have implications for understanding the neurobiological substrates of vulnerability and resilience to sleep loss. Support

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