scholarly journals Investigation of changes in the activity and function of dry eye-associated brain regions using the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations(ALFF)method

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tie Sun ◽  
Hui-Ye Shu ◽  
Jie-Li Wu ◽  
Ting Su ◽  
Yu-Ji Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dry Eye ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Middle Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations

Objective: The local characteristics of spontaneous brain activity in patients with dry eye (DE) and its relationship with clinical characteristics were evaluated using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) method. Methods: A total of 27 patients with DE (10 males and 17 females) and 28 healthy controls (HCs) (10 males and 18 females) were recruited, matched according to sex, age, weight, and height, classified into the DE and HC groups, and examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Spontaneous brain activity changes were recorded using ALFF technology. Data were recorded and plotted on the receiver operating characteristic curve, reflecting changes in activity in different brain areas. Finally, Pearson correlation analysis was used to calculate the potential relationship between spontaneous brain activity abnormalities in multiple brain regions and clinical features in patients with DE. GraphPad Prism 8 (GraphPad Software, Inc.) was used to analyze the linear correlation between the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and ALFF value. Results: Compared with HCs, the ALFF values of patients with DE were decreased in the right middle frontal gyrus/right inferior orbitofrontal cortex, left triangle inferior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and right superior frontal gyrus. In contrast, the ALFF value of patients with DE was increased in the left calcarine. Conclusion: There are significant fluctuations in the ALFF value of specific brain regions in patients with DE versus HCs. This corroborates previous evidence showing that the symptoms of ocular surface damage in patients with DE are related to dysfunction in specific brain areas.

scholarly journals Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations on Alzheimer’s disease with depression: evidence from resting-state fMRI

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. e100147
Author(s):  
Yuzhu Mu ◽  
Yumei Li ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Zhongxiang Ding ◽  
Mei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Middle Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Superior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations ◽  
Left Middle

BackgroundThe prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) comorbid with depression is common. However, the mechanisms of AD with depression remain unclear.AimsTo investigate the regional alterations of brain activity of AD with depression in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).Methods154 patients with AD who met the inclusion criteria were recruited from the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital from October 2014 to October 2016. According to whether the core symptoms of depression were present, patients were divided into two groups, 22 patients with AD with depression (AD-D) and 52 patients with AD without depression (AD-nD). The amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) was compared between two groups by performing independent-samples t-test.ResultsCompared with the AD-D group, increased ALFF values in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus and left inferior frontal gyrus were observed in the AD-nD group. The brain activity in the AD-nD group in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus and the left inferior frontal gyrus was higher than the AD-D group.ConclusionsResting-state brain functional alterations may be closely bound up with the pathophysiologic features of patients with AD with depressive symptoms.

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.

Altered Cerebellum Spontaneous Activity in juvenile Autism Spectrum Disorders Associated with Cognitive Functions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinglun Li ◽  
Xiu Chen ◽  
Ruwen Zheng ◽  
Ai Chen ◽  
Yan Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Mechanistic Basis ◽  
Normal Controls

Abstract BackgroundAutism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a neurodevelopment disorder. The cerebellum has been reported to be one of the key regions involved in ASD. However, the associations between the cerebellum and clinical traits remain unclear. MethodsHere we performed Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) analysis to detect the alterations of brain spontaneous activity in ASDs and explore the associations between spontaneous brain activity and clinical traits. ResultsCompared with normal controls, cerebellum crus 2 showed significantly weaker average ALFF values. Other regions such as left cerebellum 6, cerebellum vermis 4 5, putamen, SMA and thalamus showed increased mean ALFF values. In ASD patients with SRS total score T above 59, the mean ALFF values of cerebellum vermis 4 5 was significantly correlated with SRS total score T (r=0.175, P=0.031), SRS cognition score T (r=0.169, P=0.036) and SRS motivation score T (r=0.176, P=0.028).ConclusionsThese findings were not observed in other brain regions and in normal controls. Our study suggests a role of cerebellum in cognitive impairments in ASD and supports a mechanistic basis for the targeted treatment of ASD disorders.Trial registrationNot applicable.

scholarly journals Abnormal Baseline Brain Activity in Patients with Pulsatile Tinnitus: A Resting-State fMRI Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lv Han ◽  
Liu Zhaohui ◽  
Yan Fei ◽  
Li Ting ◽  
Zhao Pengfei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Pulsatile Tinnitus ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
The Brain

Numerous investigations studying the brain functional activity of the tinnitus patients have indicated that neurological changes are important findings of this kind of disease. However, the pulsatile tinnitus (PT) patients were excluded in previous studies because of the totally different mechanisms of the two subtype tinnitus. The aim of this study is to investigate whether altered baseline brain activity presents in patients with PT using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) technique. The present study used unilateral PT patients (n=42) and age-, sex-, and education-matched normal control subjects (n=42) to investigate the changes in structural and amplitude of low-frequency (ALFF) of the brain. Also, we analyzed the relationships between these changes with clinical data of the PT patients. Compared with normal controls, PT patients did not show any structural changes. PT patients showed significant increased ALFF in the bilateral precuneus, and bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and decreased ALFF in multiple occipital areas. Moreover, the increased THI score and PT duration was correlated with increased ALFF in precuneus and bilateral IFG. The abnormalities of spontaneous brain activity reflected by ALFF measurements in the absence of structural changes may provide insights into the neural reorganization in PT patients.

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 Altered spontaneous activity in the frontal gyrus in dry eye: a resting-state functional MRI study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kang Yu ◽  
Yu Guo ◽  
Qian-Ming Ge ◽  
Ting Su ◽  
Wen-Qing Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dry Eye ◽  
Roc Analysis ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Depressive Mood ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Middle Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Superior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis study investigated neurologic changes in patients with dry eye (DE) by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and to used regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis to clarify the relationship between these changes and clinical features of DE. A total of 28 patients with DE and 28 matched healthy control (HC) subjects (10 males and 18 females in each group) were enrolled. fMRI scans were performed in both groups. We carried out ReHo analysis to assess differences in neural activity between the 2 groups, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the performance of ReHo values of specific brain areas in distinguishing DE patients from HCs. The relationship between average ReHo values and clinical characteristics was assessed by correlation analysis. ReHo values of the middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and superior frontal gyrus were significantly lower in DE patients compared to HCs. The ROC analysis showed that ReHo value had high accuracy in distinguishing between DE patients and HCs (P < 0.0001). The ReHo values of the middle frontal gyrus and dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus were correlated to disease duration (P < 0.05). Symptoms of ocular surface injury in DE patients are associated with dysfunction in specific brain regions, which may underlie the cognitive impairment, psychiatric symptoms, and depressive mood observed in DE patients. The decreased ReHo values of some brain gyri in this study may provide a reference for clinical diagnosis and determination of treatment efficacy.

scholarly journals Altered Spontaneous Neural Activity and Functional Connectivity in Parkinson’s Disease With Subthalamic Microlesion

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bei Luo ◽  
Yue Lu ◽  
Chang Qiu ◽  
Wenwen Dong ◽  
Chen Xue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Precentral Gyrus

BackgroundTransient improvement in motor symptoms are immediately observed in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) after an electrode has been implanted into the subthalamic nucleus (STN) for deep brain stimulation (DBS). This phenomenon is known as the microlesion effect (MLE). However, the underlying mechanisms of MLE is poorly understood.PurposeWe utilized resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to evaluate changes in spontaneous brain activity and networks in PD patients during the microlesion period after DBS.MethodOverall, 37 PD patients and 13 gender- and age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited for this study. Rs-MRI information was collected from PD patients three days before DBS and one day after DBS, whereas the HCs group was scanned once. We utilized the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method in order to analyze differences in spontaneous whole-brain activity among all subjects. Furthermore, functional connectivity (FC) was applied to investigate connections between other brain regions and brain areas with significantly different ALFF before and after surgery in PD patients.ResultRelative to the PD-Pre-DBS group, the PD-Post-DBS group had higher ALFF in the right putamen, right inferior frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus and lower ALFF in right angular gyrus, right precuneus, right posterior cingulate gyrus (PCC), left insula, left middle temporal gyrus (MTG), bilateral middle frontal gyrus and bilateral superior frontal gyrus (dorsolateral). Functional connectivity analysis revealed that these brain regions with significantly different ALFF scores demonstrated abnormal FC, largely in the temporal, prefrontal cortices and default mode network (DMN).ConclusionThe subthalamic microlesion caused by DBS in PD was found to not only improve the activity of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit, but also reduce the activity of the DMN and executive control network (ECN) related brain regions. Results from this study provide new insights into the mechanism of MLE.

scholarly journals Altered Local Brain Amplitude of Fluctuations in Patients With Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei Huang ◽  
Xing-Hua Luan ◽  
Zhou Xie ◽  
Meng-Ting Li ◽  
Sheng-Di Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myotonic Dystrophy ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 ◽  
Myotonic Dystrophy Type ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations

This study is aimed at investigating the characteristics of the spontaneous brain activity in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). A total of 18 patients with DM1 and 18 healthy controls (HCs) were examined by resting-state functional MRI. Combined methods include amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFFs), the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFFs), and Wavelet transform-based ALFFs (Wavelet-ALFFs) with standardization, percent amplitude of fluctuation (PerAF) with/without standardization were applied to evaluate the spontaneous brain activity of patients with DM1. Compared with HCs, patients with DM1 showed decreased ALFFs and Wavelet-ALFFs in the bilateral precuneus (PCUN), angular gyrus (ANG), inferior parietal, but supramarginal and angular gyri (IPL), posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG), superior frontal gyrus, medial (SFGmed), middle occipital gyrus (MOG), which were mainly distributed in the brain regions of default mode network (DMN). Decreased ALFFs and Wavelet-ALFFs were also seen in bilateral middle frontal gyrus (MFG), inferior frontal gyrus, opercular part (IFGoperc), which were the main components of the executive control network (ECN). Patients with DM1 also showed decreased fALFFs in SFGmed.R, the right anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri (ACGR), bilateral MFG. Reduced PerAF in bilateral PCUN, ANG, PCG, MOG, and IPLL as well as decreased PerAF without standardization in PCUNR and bilateral PCG also existed in patients with DM1. In conclusion, patients with DM1 had decreased activity in DMN and ECN with increased fluctuations in the temporal cortex and cerebellum. Decreased brain activity in DMN was the most repeatable and reliable with PCUN and PCG being the most specific imaging biomarker of brain dysfunction in patients with DM1.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document