Correlated gene expression and anatomical communication support synchronized brain activity in the mouse functional connectome

AbstractCognition and behavior depend on synchronized intrinsic brain activity which is organized into functional networks across the brain. Research has investigated how anatomical connectivity both shapes and is shaped by these networks, but not how anatomical connectivity interacts with intra-areal molecular properties to drive functional connectivity. Here, we present a novel linear model to explain functional connectivity in the mouse brain by integrating systematically obtained measurements of axonal connectivity, gene expression, and resting state functional connectivity MRI. The model suggests that functional connectivity arises from synergies between anatomical links and inter-areal similarities in gene expression. By estimating these interactions, we identify anatomical modules in which correlated gene expression and anatomical connectivity cooperatively, versus distinctly, support functional connectivity. Along with providing evidence that not all genes equally contribute to functional connectivity, this research establishes new insights regarding the biological underpinnings of coordinated brain activity measured by BOLD fMRI.

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The Brain Resting-State Functional Connectivity Underlying Violence Proneness: Is It a Reliable Marker for Neurocriminology? A Systematic Review

Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.3390/bs9010011 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 11 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ángel Romero-Martínez ◽

Macarena González ◽

Marisol Lila ◽

Enrique Gracia ◽

Luis Martí-Bonmatí ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Effective Treatment ◽

Resting State ◽

Brain Structures ◽

Prevention Programs ◽

Angular Gyrus ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Treatment And Prevention ◽

Reliable Marker ◽

The Brain

Introduction: There is growing scientific interest in understanding the biological mechanisms affecting and/or underlying violent behaviors in order to develop effective treatment and prevention programs. In recent years, neuroscientific research has tried to demonstrate whether the intrinsic activity within the brain at rest in the absence of any external stimulation (resting-state functional connectivity; RSFC) could be employed as a reliable marker for several cognitive abilities and personality traits that are important in behavior regulation, particularly, proneness to violence. Aims: This review aims to highlight the association between the RSFC among specific brain structures and the predisposition to experiencing anger and/or responding to stressful and distressing situations with anger in several populations. Methods: The scientific literature was reviewed following the PRISMA quality criteria for reviews, using the following digital databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, Psicodoc, and Dialnet. Results: The identification of 181 abstracts and retrieval of 34 full texts led to the inclusion of 17 papers. The results described in our study offer a better understanding of the brain networks that might explain the tendency to experience anger. The majority of the studies highlighted that diminished RSFC between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala might make people prone to reactive violence, but that it is also necessary to contemplate additional cortical (i.e. insula, gyrus [angular, supramarginal, temporal, fusiform, superior, and middle frontal], anterior and posterior cingulated cortex) and subcortical brain structures (i.e. hippocampus, cerebellum, ventral striatum, and nucleus centralis superior) in order to explain a phenomenon as complex as violence. Moreover, we also described the neural pathways that might underlie proactive violence and feelings of revenge, highlighting the RSFC between the OFC, ventral striatal, angular gyrus, mid-occipital cortex, and cerebellum. Conclusions. The results from this synthesis and critical analysis of RSFC findings in several populations offer guidelines for future research and for developing a more accurate model of proneness to violence, in order to create effective treatment and prevention programs.

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Gene Expression Patterns- a new journal in the Brain Research series

Brain Research ◽

10.1016/s0006-8993(01)02665-8 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 906 (1-2) ◽

pp. xiv

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Brain Research ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Gene Expression Patterns ◽

The Brain

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Gene Expression Patterns–a new journal in the Brain Research series

Developmental Brain Research ◽

10.1016/s0165-3806(02)00286-9 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 133 (1) ◽

pp. vi

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Brain Research ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Gene Expression Patterns ◽

The Brain

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Associations Between Neighborhood Disadvantage, Resting-State Functional Connectivity, and Behavior in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study: Moderating Role of Positive Family and School Environments

Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.02.649 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 89 (9) ◽

pp. S259-S260

Author(s):

Divyangana Rakesh ◽

Caio Seguin ◽

Andrew Zalesky ◽

Vanessa Cropley ◽

Sarah Whittle

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Development ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Neighborhood Disadvantage ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

School Environments ◽

And Behavior ◽

Moderating Role

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Gene Expression Patterns- a new journal in the Brain Research series

Brain Research Reviews ◽

10.1016/s0165-0173(01)00053-4 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. vi

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Brain Research ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Gene Expression Patterns ◽

The Brain

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Gene Expression Patterns- a new journal in the Brain Research series

Brain Research Reviews ◽

10.1016/s0165-0173(01)00074-1 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. xii

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Brain Research ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Gene Expression Patterns ◽

The Brain

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Beyond the low frequency fluctuations morning and evening differences in human brain

10.31219/osf.io/pkrjs ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Magdalena Fafrowicz ◽

Bartosz Bohaterewicz ◽

Anna Ceglarek ◽

Monika Cichocka ◽

Koryna Lewandowska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Human Performance ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Basic Mechanism ◽

Time Of Day ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Circadian Typology

Human performance, alertness, and most biological functions express rhythmic fluctuations across a 24-hour-period. This phenomenon is believed to originate from differences in both circadian and homeostatic sleep-wake regulatory processes. Interactions between these processes result in time-of-day modulations of behavioral performance as well as brain activity patterns. Although the basic mechanism of the 24-hour clock is conserved across evolution, there are interindividual differences in the timing of sleep-wake cycles, subjective alertness and functioning throughout the day. The study of circadian typology differences has increased during the last few years, especially research on extreme chronotypes, which provide a unique way to investigate the effects of sleep-wake regulation on cerebral mechanisms. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we assessed the influence of chronotype and time-of-day on resting-state functional connectivity. 29 extreme morning- and 34 evening-type participants underwent two fMRI sessions: about one hour after wake-up time (morning) and about ten hours after wake-up time (evening), scheduled according to their declared habitual sleep-wake pattern on a regular working day. Analysis of obtained neuroimaging data disclosed only an effect of time of day on resting-state functional connectivity; there were different patterns of functional connectivity between morning and evening sessions. The results of our study showed no differences between extreme morning-type and evening-type individuals. We demonstrate that circadian and homeostatic influences on the resting-state functional connectivity have a universal character, unaffected by circadian typology.

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Computerized physical and cognitive training improves the functional architecture of the brain in adults with Down syndrome: A network science EEG study

Network Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/netn_a_00177 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-21

Author(s):

Alexandra Anagnostopoulou ◽

Charis Styliadis ◽

Panagiotis Kartsidis ◽

Evangelia Romanopoulou ◽

Vasiliki Zilidou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Down Syndrome ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Cognitive Training ◽

Resting State ◽

Network Architecture ◽

Right Hemisphere ◽

Random Network ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Hierarchical Organization ◽

The Brain

Understanding the neuroplastic capacity of people with Down syndrome (PwDS) can potentially reveal the causal relationship between aberrant brain organization and phenotypic characteristics. We used resting-state EEG recordings to identify how a neuroplasticity-triggering training protocol relates to changes in the functional connectivity of the brain’s intrinsic cortical networks. Brain activity of 12 PwDS before and after a 10-week protocol of combined physical and cognitive training was statistically compared to quantify changes in directed functional connectivity in conjunction with psychosomatometric assessments. PwDS showed increased connectivity within the left hemisphere and from left-to-right hemisphere, as well as increased physical and cognitive performance. Our findings reveal a strong adaptive neuroplastic reorganization as a result of the training that leads to a less-random network with a more pronounced hierarchical organization. Our results go beyond previous findings by indicating a transition to a healthier, more efficient, and flexible network architecture, with improved integration and segregation abilities in the brain of PwDS. Resting-state electrophysiological brain activity is used here for the first time to display meaningful relationships to underlying Down syndrome processes and outcomes of importance in a translational inquiry. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04390321.

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