36.7 Glutamatergic Metabolites and Their Relationship With Grey Matter Volume in the Prefrontal Cortex: A Comparison Between NMDA Receptor Encephalitis and Schizophrenia

BackgroundSchizophrenia is a complex mental disorder with high heritability and polygenic inheritance. Multimodal neuroimaging studies have also indicated that abnormalities of brain structure and function are a plausible neurobiological characterisation of schizophrenia. However, the polygenic effects of schizophrenia on these imaging endophenotypes have not yet been fully elucidated.AimsTo investigate the effects of polygenic risk for schizophrenia on the brain grey matter volume and functional connectivity, which are disrupted in schizophrenia.MethodGenomic and neuroimaging data from a large sample of Han Chinese patients with schizophrenia (N = 509) and healthy controls (N = 502) were included in this study. We examined grey matter volume and functional connectivity via structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. Using the data from a recent meta-analysis of a genome-wide association study that comprised a large number of Chinese people, we calculated a polygenic risk score (PGRS) for each participant.ResultsThe imaging genetic analysis revealed that the individual PGRS showed a significantly negative correlation with the hippocampal grey matter volume and hippocampus–medial prefrontal cortex functional connectivity, both of which were lower in the people with schizophrenia than in the controls. We also found that the observed neuroimaging measures showed weak but similar changes in unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia.ConclusionsThese findings suggested that genetically influenced brain grey matter volume and functional connectivity may provide important clues for understanding the pathological mechanisms of schizophrenia and for the early diagnosis of schizophrenia.

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Altered heartbeat perception sensitivity associated with brain structural alterations in generalised anxiety disorder

General Psychiatry ◽

10.1136/gpsych-2019-100057 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. e100057 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hui Li ◽

Bin Zhang ◽

Qiang Hu ◽

Lanlan Zhang ◽

Yi Jin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Generalised Anxiety Disorder ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Heartbeat Perception

BackgroundPalpitation is a common complaint in generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). Brain imaging studies have investigated the neural mechanism of heartbeat perception in healthy volunteers. This study explored the neuroanatomical differences of altered heartbeat perception in patients with GAD using structural MRI.AimsBased on the strong somatic-interoceptive symptoms in GAD, we explored the regional structural brain abnormalities involved in heartbeat perception in patients with GAD.MethodsThis study was applied to the a priori regions using neuroanatomical theories of heartbeat perception, including the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, supplementary motor area and prefrontal cortex. A total of 19 patients with GAD and 19 healthy control subjects were enrolled. We used the FMRIB Software Library voxel-based morphometry software for estimating the grey matter volume of these regions of interest and analysed the correlation between heartbeat perception sensitivity and the volume of abnormal grey matter.ResultsPatients with GAD showed a significantly decreased volume of grey matter in their left medial prefrontal cortex, right orbital frontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex. The grey matter volume of the left medial prefrontal cortex negatively correlated with heartbeat perception sensitivity in patients with GAD.ConclusionsIt should be the first study that shows heartbeat perception is associated with brain structure in GAD. Our findings suggest that the frontal region may play an important role in aberrant heartbeat perception processing in patients with GAD, and this may be an underlying mechanism resulting in the abnormal cardiovascular complaints in GAD. This is hypothesised as a ‘top-down’ deficiency, especially in the medial prefrontal cortex. This will provide the foundation for a more targeted region for neuromodulation intervention in the future.

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Relationship between depression, prefrontal creatine and grey matter volume

Journal of Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1177/02698811211050550 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 026988112110505

Author(s):

Paul Faulkner ◽

Susanna Lucini Paioni ◽

Petya Kozhuharova ◽

Natasza Orlov ◽

David J Lythgoe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Well Being ◽

Future Research ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Whole Brain ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

Matter Volume

Background: Depression and low mood are leading contributors to disability worldwide. Research indicates that clinical depression may be associated with low creatine concentrations in the brain and low prefrontal grey matter volume. Because subclinical depression also contributes to difficulties in day-to-day life, understanding the neural mechanisms of depressive symptoms in all individuals, even at a subclinical level, may aid public health. Methods: Eighty-four young adult participants completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) to quantify severity of depression, anxiety and stress, and underwent 1H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of the medial prefrontal cortex and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine whole-brain grey matter volume. Results/outcomes: DASS depression scores were negatively associated (a) with concentrations of creatine (but not other metabolites) in the prefrontal cortex and (b) with grey matter volume in the right superior medial frontal gyrus. Medial prefrontal creatine concentrations and right superior medial frontal grey matter volume were positively correlated. DASS anxiety and DASS stress scores were not related to prefrontal metabolite concentrations or whole-brain grey matter volume. Conclusions/interpretations: This study provides preliminary evidence from a representative group of individuals who exhibit a range of depression levels that prefrontal creatine and grey matter volume are negatively associated with depression. While future research is needed to fully understand this relationship, these results provide support for previous findings, which indicate that increasing creatine concentrations in the prefrontal cortex may improve mood and well-being.

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Structural abnormalities in gyri of the prefrontal cortex in individuals with schizophrenia and their unaffected siblings

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.109.067314 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 196 (2) ◽

pp. 150-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Michael P. Harms ◽

Lei Wang ◽

Carolina Campanella ◽

Kristina Aldridge ◽

Amanda J. Moffitt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Familial Risk ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Genetic Contribution ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Structural Abnormalities

BackgroundThe relatives of individuals with schizophrenia exhibit deficits of overall frontal lobe volume, consistent with a genetic contribution to these deficits.AimsTo quantify the structure of gyral-defined subregions of prefrontal cortex in individuals with schizophrenia and their siblings.MethodGrey matter volume, cortical thickness, and surface area of the superior, middle and inferior frontal gyri were measured in participants with schizophrenia and their unaffected (non-psychotic) siblings (n = 26 pairs), and controls and their siblings (n = 40 pairs).ResultsGrey matter volume was reduced in the middle and inferior frontal gyri of individuals with schizophrenia, relative to controls. However, only inferior frontal gyrus volume was also reduced in the unaffected siblings of those with schizophrenia, yielding a volume intermediate between their affected siblings and controls.ConclusionsThe structure of subregions of the prefrontal cortex may be differentially influenced by genetic factors in schizophrenia, with inferior frontal gyrus volume being most related to familial risk.

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Higher impulsivity and lower grey matter volume in the bilateral prefrontal cortex in long-term abstinent individuals with severe methamphetamine use disorder

Drug and Alcohol Dependence ◽

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108040 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 212 ◽

pp. 108040

Author(s):

Shucai Huang ◽

Yuanyuan Dai ◽

Changcun Zhang ◽

Chen Yang ◽

Qiuping Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Methamphetamine Use ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Methamphetamine Use Disorder

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The relationship of symptom dimensions and grey matter volume in a transdiagnostic cohort: Results from the DFG FOR2107

10.1055/s-0039-1679161 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

F Stein ◽

G Lemmer ◽

S Schmitt ◽

K Brosch ◽

E Fischer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grey Matter ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Symptom Dimensions ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

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Social cognition and brain organization in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus)

10.1093/oso/9780198728511.003.0014 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

William D. Hopkins ◽

Cheryl D. Stimpson ◽

Chet C. Sherwood

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Social Behaviour ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Species Differences ◽

Pan Paniscus ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Evolutionary Models ◽

Brain Organization ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Cognition Sociale

Bonobos and chimpanzees are two closely relates species of the genus Pan, yet they exhibit marked differences in anatomy, behaviour and cognition. For this reason, comparative studies on social behaviour, cognition and brain organization between these two species provide important insights into evolutionary models of human origins. This chapter summarizes studies on socio-communicative competencies and social cognition in chimpanzees and bonobos from the authors’ laboratory in comparison to previous reports. Additionally, recent data on species differences and similarities in brain organization in grey matter volume and distribution is presented. Some preliminary findings on microstructural brain organization such as neuropil space and cellular distribution in key neurotransmitters and neuropeptides involved in social behaviour and cognition is presented. Though these studies are in their infancy, the findings point to potentially important differences in brain organization that may underlie bonobo and chimpanzees’ differences in social behaviour, communication and cognition. Les bonobos et les chimpanzés sont deux espèces du genus Pan prochement liées, néanmoins ils montrent des différences anatomiques, comportementales et cognitives marquées. Pour cette raison, les études comparatives sur le comportement social, la cognition et l’organisation corticale entre ces deux espèces fournissent des idées sur les modèles évolutionnaires des origines humaines. Dans ce chapitre, nous résumons des études sur les compétences socio-communicatives et la cognition sociale chez les chimpanzés et les bonobos de notre laboratoire en comparaison avec des rapports précédents. En plus, nous présentons des données récentes sur les différences et similarités d’organisation corticale du volume et distribution de la matière grise entre espèces. Nous présentons plus de résultats préliminaires sur l’organisation corticale microstructurale comme l’espace neuropile et la division cellulaire dans des neurotransmetteurs clés et les neuropeptides impliqués dans le comportement social et la cognition. Bien que ces études sont dans leur enfance, les résultats montrent des différences d’organisation corticale importantes qui sont à la base des différences de comportement social, la communication et la cognition entre les bonobos et les chimpanzés.

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Modelling the cascade of biomarker changes in GRN-related frontotemporal dementia

Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry ◽

10.1136/jnnp-2020-323541 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. jnnp-2020-323541

Author(s):

Jessica L Panman ◽

Vikram Venkatraghavan ◽

Emma L van der Ende ◽

Rebecca M E Steketee ◽

Lize C Jiskoot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Frontotemporal Dementia ◽

Disease Severity ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Clinical Stage ◽

Data Driven ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Mutation Carriers ◽

Individual Disease

ObjectiveProgranulin-related frontotemporal dementia (FTD-GRN) is a fast progressive disease. Modelling the cascade of multimodal biomarker changes aids in understanding the aetiology of this disease and enables monitoring of individual mutation carriers. In this cross-sectional study, we estimated the temporal cascade of biomarker changes for FTD-GRN, in a data-driven way.MethodsWe included 56 presymptomatic and 35 symptomatic GRN mutation carriers, and 35 healthy non-carriers. Selected biomarkers were neurofilament light chain (NfL), grey matter volume, white matter microstructure and cognitive domains. We used discriminative event-based modelling to infer the cascade of biomarker changes in FTD-GRN and estimated individual disease severity through cross-validation. We derived the biomarker cascades in non-fluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) and behavioural variant FTD (bvFTD) to understand the differences between these phenotypes.ResultsLanguage functioning and NfL were the earliest abnormal biomarkers in FTD-GRN. White matter tracts were affected before grey matter volume, and the left hemisphere degenerated before the right. Based on individual disease severities, presymptomatic carriers could be delineated from symptomatic carriers with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 96.1%. The estimated disease severity strongly correlated with functional severity in nfvPPA, but not in bvFTD. In addition, the biomarker cascade in bvFTD showed more uncertainty than nfvPPA.ConclusionDegeneration of axons and language deficits are indicated to be the earliest biomarkers in FTD-GRN, with bvFTD being more heterogeneous in disease progression than nfvPPA. Our data-driven model could help identify presymptomatic GRN mutation carriers at risk of conversion to the clinical stage.

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