Large-scale exploration of whole-brain structural connectivity in anorexia nervosa: alterations in the connectivity of frontal and subcortical networks

AbstractBackgroundAnorexia nervosa (AN) is characterised by disturbances in cognition and behaviour surrounding eating and weight, which may relate to the structural connectivity of the brain that supports effective information processing and transfer.MethodsDiffusion-weighted MRI data acquired from female patients with AN (n = 148) and female healthy controls (HC; n = 119), aged 12-40 years, were combined across five cross-sectional studies. Probabilistic tractography was completed, and full cortex connectomes describing streamline counts between 84 brain regions generated and harmonised. The network-based statistic tested between-group differences in connectivity strength of brain subnetworks. Whole-brain connectivity of brain regions was indexed using graph theory tools, and compared between groups using multiple linear regression. Associations between structural connectivity variables that differed between groups, and illness severity markers, were explored amongst AN patients using multiple linear regression. Statistical models included age, motion, and study as covariates.OutcomesThe network-based statistic indicated AN patients, relative to HC, had reduced connectivity in a network comprising subcortical regions and greater connectivity between frontal cortical regions (p < 0.05, FWE corrected). Graph theory analyses supported reduced connectivity of subcortical regions, and greater connectivity of left occipital cortex, in patients relative to HC (p < 0.05, permutation corrected). Reduced subcortical network connectivity was associated with lower BMI among the AN group.InterpretationStructural differences in subcortical and cortical networks are present in AN, and may reflect illness mechanisms.FundingGlobal Foundation for Eating Disorders; Klarman Family Foundation; Translating Duke Health Initiative; NIMH (MH099388, MH076195, MH110445, MH105452, MH079397, MH113737).

Download Full-text

Pairwise maximum entropy model explains the role of white matter structure in shaping emergent co-activation states

Communications Biology ◽

10.1038/s42003-021-01700-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Arian Ashourvan ◽

Preya Shah ◽

Adam Pines ◽

Shi Gu ◽

Christopher W. Lynn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Maximum Entropy ◽

Large Scale ◽

Structural Connectivity ◽

Quantitative Relationship ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Maximum Entropy Model ◽

Entropy Model ◽

Activation Patterns ◽

Co Activation

AbstractA major challenge in neuroscience is determining a quantitative relationship between the brain’s white matter structural connectivity and emergent activity. We seek to uncover the intrinsic relationship among brain regions fundamental to their functional activity by constructing a pairwise maximum entropy model (MEM) of the inter-ictal activation patterns of five patients with medically refractory epilepsy over an average of ~14 hours of band-passed intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings per patient. We find that the pairwise MEM accurately predicts iEEG electrodes’ activation patterns’ probability and their pairwise correlations. We demonstrate that the estimated pairwise MEM’s interaction weights predict structural connectivity and its strength over several frequencies significantly beyond what is expected based solely on sampled regions’ distance in most patients. Together, the pairwise MEM offers a framework for explaining iEEG functional connectivity and provides insight into how the brain’s structural connectome gives rise to large-scale activation patterns by promoting co-activation between connected structures.

Download Full-text

On the structural connectivity of large-scale models of brain networks at cellular level

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-83759-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Giuseppe Giacopelli ◽

Domenico Tegolo ◽

Emiliano Spera ◽

Michele Migliore

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Brain Networks ◽

Structural Connectivity ◽

Network Models ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Cellular Level ◽

Scale Model ◽

Mathematical Framework ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

Experimental Findings

AbstractThe brain’s structural connectivity plays a fundamental role in determining how neuron networks generate, process, and transfer information within and between brain regions. The underlying mechanisms are extremely difficult to study experimentally and, in many cases, large-scale model networks are of great help. However, the implementation of these models relies on experimental findings that are often sparse and limited. Their predicting power ultimately depends on how closely a model’s connectivity represents the real system. Here we argue that the data-driven probabilistic rules, widely used to build neuronal network models, may not be appropriate to represent the dynamics of the corresponding biological system. To solve this problem, we propose to use a new mathematical framework able to use sparse and limited experimental data to quantitatively reproduce the structural connectivity of biological brain networks at cellular level.

Download Full-text

Musculoskeletal symptoms, psychosocial factors and work ability in Brazilian labor justice workers

Work ◽

10.3233/wor-213524 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Fauzi El Kadri Filho ◽

Tha&ıs Moreira São-João ◽

Neusa Maria Costa Alexandre ◽

Sergio Roberto de Lucca ◽

Cristiane Helena Gallasch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Multiple Linear Regression ◽

Psychosocial Factors ◽

Work Ability ◽

Multiple Linear Regression Model ◽

Female Gender ◽

Musculoskeletal Symptoms ◽

Judicial Process ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Important Relationship

BACKGROUND: The implementation of the electronic judicial process (PJe) in recent years is associated with an increase in workload and stricter control through productivity targets in the Brazilian labor judiciary. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relations between musculoskeletal symptoms, psychosocial factors and work ability in civil servants of a labor justice body in the context of the PJe. METHODS: A cross-sectional exploratory study with a quantitative approach involving 449 workers. Sociodemographic, occupational and related data were collected through questionnaires validated in the Brazilian context. Data analysis was conducted by descriptive and inferential statistics: Mann-Whitney test, Spearman’s correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: There was a correlation between musculoskeletal symptoms and psychosocial factors (p < 0.05), as well as between both musculoskeletal symptoms and psychosocial factors with reduced work ability (p < 0.05). The multiple linear regression model pointed to the female gender and the dimensions “demands”, “control” and “peer support” as related to the musculoskeletal symptoms. CONCLUSION: We highlight the importance of a broader approach, involving psychosocial factors in preventive actions related to musculoskeletal disorders considering the important relationship with work ability.

Download Full-text

Isotonic quadriceps endurance is better associated with daily physical activity than quadriceps strength and power in COPD: an international multicentre cross-sectional trial

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-90758-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Erik Frykholm ◽

Sarah Gephine ◽

Didier Saey ◽

Arthur Lemson ◽

Peter Klijn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Linear Regression ◽

Multiple Linear Regression ◽

Regression Models ◽

Sedentary Time ◽

Quadriceps Strength ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Quadriceps Function ◽

Multiple Linear Regression Models

AbstractKnowledge about modifiable determinants of daily physical activity (PA) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is crucial to design effective PA interventions. The present study aimed to determine the contribution of quadriceps strength, power and endurance to daily PA in COPD. Additionally, for quadriceps endurance, we also aimed to determine to what extent the association varies according to the mode of movement (isotonic, isometric, or isokinetic). Using a multicentre cross-sectional trial design we determined the contribution of quadriceps function to daily PA (steps, sedentary time and time spent doing moderate-to-very-vigorous physical activity [MVPA]) using bivariate and partial Pearson correlation analysis (r) and multiple linear regression models (ΔR2). Pre-determined controlling factors were sex, age, body mass index (BMI), COPD-assessment test, forced expiratory volume in one second in percent of the predicted value (FEV1pred), and distance walked on the 6-minute walk test. Eighty-one patients with COPD (mean ± SD: age 67 ± 8 years, FEV1pred 57 ± 19%, daily steps 4968 ± 3319, daily sedentary time 1016 ± 305 min, and MVPA time 83 ± 45 min) were included. Small to moderate bivariate correlations (r = .225 to .452, p < .05) were found between quadriceps function and measures of PA. The best multiple linear regression models explained 38–49% of the variance in the data. Isotonic endurance was the only muscle contributor that improved all PA models; daily steps (ΔR2 = .04 [relative improvement 13%] p = .026), daily sedentary time (ΔR2 = .07 [23%], p = .005) and MVPA-minutes (ΔR2 = .08 [20%], p = .001). Isotonic endurance was also independently associated with most PA variables, even when controlling for strength, power or isometric-isokinetic endurance properties of the muscle (r = .246 to .384, p < .05). In contrast, neither strength, power, isometric-or isokinetic endurance properties of the muscle was independently associated with PA measures when controlling for isotonic endurance (r = .037 to .219, p > .05). To conclude, strength, power, and endurance properties of the quadriceps were low to moderately associated with PA in patients with COPD. Isotonic quadriceps endurance was the only quadriceps property that was independently associated with the different measures of PA after controlling for a basic set of known determinants of PA, quadriceps strength or power, or isometric or isokinetic quadriceps endurance. Future longitudinal studies should investigate its potential as a modifiable determinant of PA.

Download Full-text

Increased hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal drive is associated with decreased appetite and hypoactivation of food-motivation neurocircuitry in anorexia nervosa

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/eje-13-0433 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 169 (5) ◽

pp. 639-647 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Elizabeth A Lawson ◽

Laura M Holsen ◽

Rebecca DeSanti ◽

McKale Santin ◽

Erinne Meenaghan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anorexia Nervosa ◽

Visual Processing ◽

Serum Cortisol ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Food Motivation ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal ◽

Cortisol Levels ◽

The Relationship

ObjectiveCorticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH)-mediated hypercortisolemia has been demonstrated in anorexia nervosa (AN), a psychiatric disorder characterized by food restriction despite low body weight. While CRH is anorexigenic, downstream cortisol stimulates hunger. Using a food-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm, we have demonstrated hypoactivation of brain regions involved in food motivation in women with AN, even after weight recovery. The relationship between hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation and appetite and the association with food-motivation neurocircuitry hypoactivation are unknown in AN. We investigated the relationship between HPA activity, appetite, and food-motivation neurocircuitry hypoactivation in AN.DesignCross-sectional study of 36 women (13 AN, ten weight-recovered AN (ANWR), and 13 healthy controls (HC)).MethodsPeripheral cortisol and ACTH levels were measured in a fasting state and 30, 60, and 120 min after a standardized mixed meal. The visual analog scale was used to assess homeostatic and hedonic appetite. fMRI was performed during visual processing of food and non-food stimuli to measure the brain activation pre- and post-meal.ResultsIn each group, serum cortisol levels decreased following the meal. Mean fasting, 120 min post-meal, and nadir cortisol levels were high in AN vs HC. Mean postprandial ACTH levels were high in ANWR compared with HC and AN subjects. Cortisol levels were associated with lower fasting homeostatic and hedonic appetite, independent of BMI and depressive symptoms. Cortisol levels were also associated with between-group variance in activation in the food-motivation brain regions (e.g. hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, orbitofrontal cortex, and insula).ConclusionsHPA activation may contribute to the maintenance of AN by the suppression of appetitive drive.

Download Full-text

Prevalence of asymptomatic hyperuricemia and its association with prediabetes, dyslipidemia and subclinical inflammation markers among young healthy adults in Qatar

BMC Endocrine Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12902-022-00937-4 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yasemin Al Shanableh ◽

Yehia Y. Hussein ◽

Abdul Haseeb Saidwali ◽

Maryam Al-Mohannadi ◽

Budoor Aljalham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Uric Acid ◽

Linear Regression ◽

Multiple Linear Regression ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Uric Acid Level ◽

Acid Level ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Subclinical Inflammation ◽

Cross Sectional

Abstract Aim The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of asymptomatic hyperuricemia in Qatar and to examine its association with changes in markers of dyslipidemia, prediabetes and subclinical inflammation. Methods A cross-sectional study of young adult participants aged 18 - 40 years old devoid of comorbidities collected between 2012 and 2017. Exposure was defined as uric acid level, and outcomes were defined as levels of different blood markers. De-identified data were collected from Qatar Biobank. T-tests, correlation tests and multiple linear regression were all used to investigate the effects of hyperuricemia on blood markers. Statistical analyses were conducted using STATA 16. Results The prevalence of asymptomatic hyperuricemia is 21.2% among young adults in Qatar. Differences between hyperuricemic and normouricemic groups were observed using multiple linear regression analysis and found to be statistically and clinically significant after adjusting for age, gender, BMI, smoking and exercise. Significant associations were found between uric acid level and HDL-c p = 0.019 (correlation coefficient -0.07 (95% CI [-0.14, -0.01]); c-peptide p = 0.018 (correlation coefficient 0.38 (95% CI [0.06, 0.69]) and monocyte to HDL ratio (MHR) p = 0.026 (correlation coefficient 0.47 (95% CI [0.06, 0.89]). Conclusions Asymptomatic hyperuricemia is prevalent among young adults and associated with markers of prediabetes, dyslipidemia, and subclinical inflammation.

Download Full-text

Kinerja Karyawan Industri Manufaktur Perkayuan Kaitannya dengan Kelelahan Kerja (Burnout) dan Disiplin Kerja.

Strategic : Jurnal Pendidikan Manajemen Bisnis ◽

10.17509/strategic.v17i1.17533 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 22

Author(s):

Muhammad Taufik S Gunawan ◽

Sumiyati Sumiyati ◽

Masharyono Masharyono

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Linear Regression ◽

Multiple Linear Regression ◽

Significant Influence ◽

Employee Performance ◽

Survey Methods ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Analysis Technique ◽

Measurement Tools ◽

One Year

Objective of this research is to determine the effect of burnout and work discipline on employee performance. This research was conducted in a span of less than one year, so the research design used was a cross-sectional method. This study uses a descriptive and verification approach with explanatory survey methods. A total of 100 respondents were selected as samples using probability sampling. The research questionnaire is used as a research instrument to collect data from respondents, and the data analysis technique used is multiple linear regression. The findings of this research is work fatigue (burnout) and work discipline have a significant influence on employee performance. Differences found in objects and research methods, population and research samples, research periods, measurement tools and research results, and sources of theory from foreign journals and foreign books

Download Full-text

Large-scale functional coactivation patterns reflect the structural connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience ◽

10.1093/scan/nsaa132 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dale T Tovar ◽

Robert S Chavez

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Large Scale ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Structural Connectivity ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Machine Learning Techniques ◽

Affective Processing ◽

Affective Neuroscience ◽

Psychological Phenomena

Abstract The medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is among the most consistently implicated brain regions in social and affective neuroscience. Yet, this region is also highly functionally heterogeneous across many domains and has diverse patterns of connectivity. The extent to which the communication of functional networks in this area is facilitated by its underlying structural connectivity fingerprint is critical for understanding how psychological phenomena are represented within this region. In the current study, we combined diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and probabilistic tractography with large-scale meta-analysis to investigate the degree to which the functional co-activation patterns of the MPFC is reflected in its underlying structural connectivity. Using unsupervised machine learning techniques, we compared parcellations between the two modalities and found congruence between parcellations at multiple spatial scales. Additionally, using connectivity and coactivation similarity analyses, we found high correspondence in voxel-to-voxel similarity between each modality across most, but not all, subregions of the MPFC. These results provide evidence that meta-analytic functional coactivation patterns are meaningfully constrained by underlying neuroanatomical connectivity and provide convergent evidence of distinct subregions within the MPFC involved in affective processing and social cognition.

Download Full-text

Fear of falling in older adults living at home: associated factors

Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP ◽

10.1590/s1980-220x2016223703215 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 51 (0) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Luciano Magalhães Vitorino ◽

Carla Araujo Bastos Teixeira ◽

Eliandra Laís Vilas Boas ◽

Rúbia Lopes Pereira ◽

Naiana Oliveira dos Santos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Linear Regression ◽

Multiple Linear Regression ◽

Older Adult ◽

Linear Models ◽

Fear Of Falling ◽

Multiple Linear Regression Model ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Modifiable Factors ◽

At Home

Abstract OBJECTIVE To identify the factors associated with the fear of falling in the older adultliving at home. METHOD Cross-sectional study with probabilistic sampling of older adultenrolled in two Family Health Strategies (FHS). The fear of falling was measured by the Brazilian version of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International and by a household questionnairethat contained the explanatory variables. Multiple Linear Regression using the stepwise selection technique and the Generalized Linear Models were used in the statistical analyses. RESULTS A total of170 older adultsparticipated in the research, 85 from each FHS. The majority (57.1%) aged between 60 and 69; 67.6% were female; 46.1% fell once in the last year. The majority of the older adults(66.5%) had highfear of falling. In the final multiple linear regression model, it was identified that a higher number of previous falls, female gender, older age, and worse health self-assessment explained 37% of the fear of falling among the older adult. CONCLUSION The findings reinforce the need to assess the fear of falling among the older adultliving at home, in conjunction with the development and use ofstrategies based on modifiable factors by professionalsto reduce falls and improve health status, which may contribute to the reduction of the fear of falling among the older adult.

Download Full-text

Cancer Patients Enrolled in a Smoking Cessation Clinical Trial: Characteristics and Correlates of Smoking Rate and Nicotine Dependence

Journal of Addiction ◽

10.1155/2018/2438161 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Andrew Miele ◽

Morgan Thompson ◽

Nancy C. Jao ◽

Ravi Kalhan ◽

Frank Leone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Linear Regression ◽

Multiple Linear Regression ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Nicotine Dependence ◽

Smoking Rate ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Management Interventions ◽

Seeking Behavior ◽

Sectional Analysis

Introduction. A substantial proportion of cancer patients continue to smoke after their diagnosis but few studies have evaluated correlates of nicotine dependence and smoking rate in this population, which could help guide smoking cessation interventions. Aim. This study evaluated correlates of smoking rate and nicotine dependence among 207 cancer patients. Methods. A cross-sectional analysis using multiple linear regression evaluated disease, demographic, affective, and tobacco-seeking correlates of smoking rate and nicotine dependence. Smoking rate was assessed using a timeline follow-back method. The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence measured levels of nicotine dependence. Results. A multiple linear regression predicting nicotine dependence showed an association with smoking to alleviate a sense of addiction from the Reasons for Smoking scale and tobacco-seeking behavior from the concurrent choice task (p<.05), but not with affect measured by the HADS and PANAS (p>.05). Multiple linear regression predicting prequit showed an association with smoking to alleviate addiction (p<.05). ANOVA showed that Caucasian participants reported greater rates of smoking compared to other races. Conclusions. The results suggest that behavioral smoking cessation interventions that focus on helping patients to manage tobacco-seeking behavior, rather than mood management interventions, could help cancer patients quit smoking.

Download Full-text