Functional Network Connectivity Imprint In Febrile Seizures

Complex febrile seizures (CFS), a subset of paediatric febrile seizures (FS), have been studied for their prognosis, epileptogenic potential and neurocognitive outcome. We evaluated their functional connectivity differences with simple febrile seizures (SFS) in children with recent-onset FS. Resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) datasets of 24 children with recently diagnosed FS (SFS n=11; CFS n=13) were analysed. Functional connectivity (FC) was estimated using time series correlation of seed region to whole brain voxels and network topology was assessed using graph theory measures. Regional connectivity differences were correlated with clinical characteristics (FDR corrected p < 0.05). CFS patients demonstrated increased FC of the bilateral middle temporal pole (MTP), and bilateral thalami when compared to SFS. Network topology study revealed increased clustering coefficient and decreased participation coefficient in basal ganglia and thalamus suggesting an inefficient-unbalanced network topology in patients with CFS. The number of seizure recurrences negatively correlated with the integration of Left Thalamus ( r= -0.58 ) and FC measures of Left MTP to 'Right Supplementary Motor and left Precentral' connectivity (r=-0.53). The FC of Right MTP to Left Amygdala, Putamen, Parahippocampal, and Orbital Frontal Cortex ( r=0.61 ) and FC of Left Thalamus to left Putamen, Pallidum, Caudate, Thalamus Hippocampus and Insula (r 0.55) showed a positive correlation to the duration of the longest seizure. The findings of the current study report altered connectivity in children with CFS proportional to the seizure recurrence and duration. Regardless of the causal/consequential nature, such observations demonstrate the imprint of these disease-defining variables of febrile seizures on the developing brain.

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Functional Network Connectivity Imprint in Febrile Seizures

10.21203/rs.3.rs-294273/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ullas V Acharya ◽

Karthik Kulanthaivelu ◽

Rajanikant Panda ◽

Jitender Saini ◽

Arun K Gupta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Network Connectivity ◽

Febrile Seizures ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Seed Region ◽

Seizure Recurrence ◽

Middle Temporal ◽

Recent Onset ◽

Supplementary Motor Cortex ◽

Central Gyrus

Abstract Complex febrile seizures (CFS), a subset of paediatric febrile seizures (FS), have been studied for their prognosis, epileptogenic potential and neurocognitive outcome. We evaluated their functional connectivity differences with simple febrile seizures (SFS) in children with recent onset FS. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) datasets of 24 children with recently diagnosed FS (SFS-n=11; CFS-n=13) were analysed. Functional connectivity (FC) was estimated using time series correlation of seed region–to-whole-brain-voxels. Regional connectivity differences were correlated with clinical characteristics (corrected p < 0.05). CFS patients demonstrated increased FC of the bilateral middle temporal gyri (MTG), left supplementary cortex when compared to SFS. Decreased FC of the primary sensory areas and Default mode network regions were observed in the CFS. Number of recurrent febrile seizures positively correlated with FC of bilateral MTG and negatively correlated with left Supplementary Motor. Duration of longest febrile seizure correlated positively with connectivity of right MTG and left supplementary motor cortex. It also negatively correlated with connectivity of bilateral post central gyrus and Precuneus. Our findings report altered connectivity in CFS proportional to the seizure recurrence and duration. Regardless of the causal/consequential nature, such observations demonstrate the imprint of these disease-defining variables of febrile seizures on the developing brain.

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Functional Brain Network Topology Discriminates between Patients with Minimally Conscious State and Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm8030306 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 306 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Alberto Cacciola ◽

Antonino Naro ◽

Demetrio Milardi ◽

Alessia Bramanti ◽

Leonardo Malatacca ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Network Topology ◽

Minimally Conscious State ◽

Conscious State ◽

Clustering Coefficient ◽

Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome ◽

Topological Network ◽

Functional Brain Network ◽

Minimally Conscious ◽

Nodal Level

Consciousness arises from the functional interaction of multiple brain structures and their ability to integrate different complex patterns of internal communication. Although several studies demonstrated that the fronto-parietal and functional default mode networks play a key role in conscious processes, it is still not clear which topological network measures (that quantifies different features of whole-brain functional network organization) are altered in patients with disorders of consciousness. Herein, we investigate the functional connectivity of unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) patients from a topological network perspective, by using resting-state EEG recording. Network-based statistical analysis reveals a subnetwork of decreased functional connectivity in UWS compared to in the MCS patients, mainly involving the interhemispheric fronto-parietal connectivity patterns. Network topological analysis reveals increased values of local-community-paradigm correlation, as well as higher clustering coefficient and local efficiency in UWS patients compared to in MCS patients. At the nodal level, the UWS patients showed altered functional topology in several limbic and temporo-parieto-occipital regions. Taken together, our results highlight (i) the involvement of the interhemispheric fronto-parietal functional connectivity in the pathophysiology of consciousness disorders and (ii) an aberrant connectome organization both at the network topology level and at the nodal level in UWS patients compared to in the MCS patients.

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Local GABA concentration is related to network-level resting functional connectivity

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.01465 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Cited By ~ 86

Author(s):

Charlotte J Stagg ◽

Velicia Bachtiar ◽

Ugwechi Amadi ◽

Christel A Gudberg ◽

Andrei S Ilie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Network Connectivity ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Resting State Networks ◽

Inhibitory Neurotransmitter ◽

Motor Network

Anatomically plausible networks of functionally inter-connected regions have been reliably demonstrated at rest, although the neurochemical basis of these ‘resting state networks’ is not well understood. In this study, we combined magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and resting state fMRI and demonstrated an inverse relationship between levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA within the primary motor cortex (M1) and the strength of functional connectivity across the resting motor network. This relationship was both neurochemically and anatomically specific. We then went on to show that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), an intervention previously shown to decrease GABA levels within M1, increased resting motor network connectivity. We therefore suggest that network-level functional connectivity within the motor system is related to the degree of inhibition in M1, a major node within the motor network, a finding in line with converging evidence from both simulation and empirical studies.

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Multiple overlapping dynamic patterns of the visual sensory network in schizophrenia

10.1101/2020.12.21.423535 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mohammad S.E Sendi ◽

Godfrey D Pearlson ◽

Daniel H Mathalon ◽

Judith M Ford ◽

Adrian Preda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Visual Processing ◽

Information Transfer ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Visual Learning ◽

Network Connectivity ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Connectivity Pattern ◽

Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽

Middle Temporal

Although visual processing impairments have been explored in schizophrenia (SZ), their underlying neurobiology of the visual processing impairments has not been widely studied. Also, while some research has hinted at differences in information transfer and flow in SZ, there are few investigations of the dynamics of functional connectivity within visual networks. In this study, we analyzed resting-state fMRI data of the visual sensory network (VSN) in 160 healthy control (HC) subjects and 151 SZ subjects. We estimated 9 independent components within the VSN. Then, we calculated the dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) using the Pearson correlation. Next, using k-means clustering, we partitioned the dFNCs into five distinct states, and then we calculated the portion of time each subject spent in each state, that we termed the occupancy rate (OCR). Using OCR, we compared HC with SZ subjects and investigated the link between OCR and visual learning in SZ subjects. Besides, we compared the VSN functional connectivity of SZ and HC subjects in each state. We found that this network is indeed highly dynamic. Each state represents a unique connectivity pattern of fluctuations in VSN FNC, and all states showed significant disruption in SZ. Overall, HC showed stronger connectivity within the VSN in states. SZ subjects spent more time in a state in which the connectivity between the middle temporal gyrus and other regions of VNS is highly negative. Besides, OCR in a state with strong positive connectivity between middle temporal gyrus and other regions correlated significantly with visual learning scores in SZ.

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The effect of global signal regression on DCM estimates of noise and effective connectivity from resting state fMRI

10.1101/634063 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Hannes Almgren ◽

Frederik Van de Steen ◽

Adeel Razi ◽

Karl Friston ◽

Daniele Marinazzo

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Effective Connectivity ◽

Network Connectivity ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Measurement Noise ◽

Resting State Networks ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Global Signal ◽

Leibler Divergence

AbstractThe influence of the global BOLD signal on resting state functional connectivity in fMRI data remains a topic of debate, with little consensus. In this study, we assessed the effects of global signal regression (GSR) on effective connectivity within and between resting-state networks – as estimated with dynamic causal modelling (DCM) for resting state fMRI (rsfMRI). DCM incorporates a forward (generative) model that quantifies the contribution of different types of noise (including global measurement noise), effective connectivity, and (neuro)vascular processes to functional connectivity measurements. DCM analyses were applied to two different designs; namely, longitudinal and cross-sectional designs. In the modelling of longitudinal designs, we included four extensive longitudinal resting state fMRI datasets with a total number of 20 subjects. In the analysis of cross-sectional designs, we used rsfMRI data from 361 subjects from the Human Connectome Project. We hypothesized that (1) GSR would have no discernible impact on effective connectivity estimated with DCM, and (2) GSR would be reflected in the parameters representing global measurement noise. Additionally, we performed comparative analyses of the informative value of data with and without GSR. Our results showed negligible to small effects of GSR on connectivity within small (separately estimated) RSNs. For between-network connectivity, we found two important effects: the effect of GSR on between-network connectivity (averaged over all connections) was negligible to small, while the effect of GSR on individual connections was non-negligible. Contrary to our expectations, we found either no effect (in the longitudinal designs) or a non-specific (cross-sectional design) effect of GSR on parameters representing (global) measurement noise. Data without GSR were found to be more informative than data with GSR; however, in small resting state networks the precision of posterior estimates was greater using data after GSR. In conclusion, GSR is a minor concern in DCM studies; however, individual between-network connections (as opposed to average between-network connectivity) and noise parameters should be interpreted quantitatively with some caution. The Kullback-Leibler divergence of the posterior from the prior, together with the precision of posterior estimates, might offer a useful measure to assess the appropriateness of GSR, when nuancing data features in resting state fMRI.

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Functional Connectivity of Hippocampal CA3 Predicts Neurocognitive Aging via CA1–Frontal Circuit

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhaa008 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (8) ◽

pp. 4297-4305 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Xia Liang ◽

Li-Ming Hsu ◽

Hanbing Lu ◽

Jessica A Ash ◽

Peter R Rapp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Network Connectivity ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Cognitive Outcome ◽

Spatial Learning And Memory ◽

Aged Rats ◽

Age Related ◽

Effects Of Aging

Abstract The CA3 and CA1 principal cell fields of the hippocampus are vulnerable to aging, and age-related dysfunction in CA3 may be an early seed event closely linked to individual differences in memory decline. However, whether the differential vulnerability of CA3 and CA1 is associated with broader disruption in network-level functional interactions in relation to age-related memory impairment, and more specifically, whether CA3 dysconnectivity contributes to the effects of aging via CA1 network connectivity, has been difficult to test. Here, using resting-state fMRI in a group of aged rats uncontaminated by neurodegenerative disease, aged rats displayed widespread reductions in functional connectivity of CA3 and CA1 fields. Age-related memory deficits were predicted by connectivity between left CA3 and hippocampal circuitry along with connectivity between left CA1 and infralimbic prefrontal cortex. Notably, the effects of CA3 connectivity on memory performance were mediated by CA1 connectivity with prefrontal cortex. We additionally found that spatial learning and memory were associated with functional connectivity changes lateralized to the left CA3 and CA1 divisions. These results provide novel evidence that network-level dysfunction involving interactions of CA3 with CA1 is an early marker of poor cognitive outcome in aging.

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Resting-state brain function in schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar probands and their first-degree relatives

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s003329171400110x ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 97-108 ◽

Cited By ~ 70

Author(s):

S. Lui ◽

L. Yao ◽

Y. Xiao ◽

S. K. Keedy ◽

J. L. Reilly ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Network Connectivity ◽

Orbital Frontal Cortex ◽

Cortical Networks ◽

First Degree Relatives ◽

Family Associations ◽

Brain Functional Connectivity ◽

Psychotic Bipolar Disorder

BackgroundSchizophrenia (SCZ) and psychotic bipolar disorder (PBD) share considerable overlap in clinical features, genetic risk factors and co-occurrence among relatives. The common and unique functional cerebral deficits in these disorders, and in unaffected relatives, remain to be identified.MethodA total of 59 healthy controls, 37 SCZ and 57 PBD probands and their unaffected first-degree relatives (38 and 28, respectively) were studied using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI). Regional cerebral function was evaluated by measuring the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF). Areas with ALFF alterations were used as seeds in whole-brain functional connectivity analysis. We then tested whether abnormalities identified in probands were present in unaffected relatives.ResultsSCZ and PBD probands both demonstrated regional hypoactivity in the orbital frontal cortex and cingulate gyrus, as well as abnormal connectivity within striatal-thalamo-cortical networks. SCZ probands showed greater and more widely distributed ALFF alterations including the thalamus and bilateral parahippocampal gyri. Increased parahippocampal ALFF was related to positive symptoms and cognitive deficit. PBD patients showed uniquely increased functional connectivity between the thalamus and bilateral insula. Only PBD relatives showed abnormal connectivity within striatal-thalamo-cortical networks seen in both proband groups.ConclusionsThe present findings reveal a common pattern of deficits in frontostriatal circuitry across SCZ and PBD, and unique regional and functional connectivity abnormalities that distinguish them. The abnormal network connectivity in PBD relatives that was present in both proband groups may reflect genetic susceptibility associated with risk for psychosis, but within-family associations of this measure were not high.

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Role of the Nucleus Basalis as a Key Network Node in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Neurology ◽

10.1212/wnl.0000000000011523 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 96 (9) ◽

pp. e1334-e1346 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hernán F.J. González ◽

Saramati Narasimhan ◽

Graham W. Johnson ◽

Kristin E. Wills ◽

Kevin F. Haas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy ◽

Temporal Lobe ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Clustering Coefficient ◽

Nucleus Basalis ◽

Core Network ◽

Neurocognitive Deficits ◽

Network Nodes ◽

Healthy Control

ObjectiveTo determine whether the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) may be a key network structure of altered functional connectivity in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), we examined fMRI with network-based analyses.MethodsWe acquired resting-state fMRI in 40 adults with TLE and 40 matched healthy control participants. We calculated functional connectivity of NBM and used multiple complementary network-based analyses to explore the importance of NBM in TLE networks without biasing our results by our approach. We compared patients to controls and examined associations of network properties with disease metrics and neurocognitive testing.ResultsWe observed marked decreases in connectivity between NBM and the rest of the brain in patients with TLE (0.91 ± 0.88, mean ± SD) vs controls (1.96 ± 1.13, p < 0.001, t test). Larger decreases in connectivity between NBM and fronto-parietal-insular regions were associated with higher frequency of consciousness-impairing seizures (r = −0.41, p = 0.008, Pearson). A core network of altered nodes in TLE included NBM ipsilateral to the epileptogenic side and bilateral limbic structures. Furthermore, normal community affiliation of ipsilateral NBM was lost in patients, and this structure displayed the most altered clustering coefficient of any node examined (3.46 ± 1.17 in controls vs 2.23 ± 0.93 in patients). Abnormal connectivity between NBM and subcortical arousal community was associated with modest neurocognitive deficits. Finally, a logistic regression model incorporating connectivity properties of ipsilateral NBM successfully distinguished patients from control datasets with moderately high accuracy (78%).ConclusionsThese results suggest that while NBM is rarely studied in epilepsy, it may be one of the most perturbed network nodes in TLE, contributing to widespread neural effects in this disabling disorder.

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Affective Modulation after High-Intensity Exercise Is Associated with Prolonged Amygdalar-Insular Functional Connectivity Increase

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2020/7905387 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Angelika Schmitt ◽

Neeraj Upadhyay ◽

Jason Anthony Martin ◽

Sandra Rojas Vega ◽

Heiko Klaus Strüder ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Positive Affect ◽

High Intensity ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

High Intensity Exercise ◽

Seed Region ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Significant Interaction Effect ◽

Exercise Interventions

Acute moderate exercise has been shown to induce prolonged changes in functional connectivity (FC) within affect and reward networks. The influence of different exercise intensities on FC has not yet been explored. Twenty-five male athletes underwent 30 min of “low”- (35%<lactate threshold (LT)) and “high”- (20%>LT) intensity exercise bouts on a treadmill. Resting-state fMRI was acquired at 3 Tesla before and after exercise, together with the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). Data of 22 subjects (3 dropouts) were analyzed using the FSL feat pipeline and a seed-to-network-based analysis with the bilateral amygdala as the seed region for determining associated FC changes in the “emotional brain.” Data were analyzed using a repeated measures ANOVA. Comparisons between pre- and post-exercise were analyzed using a one-sample t-test, and a paired t-test was used for the comparison between “low” and “high” exercise conditions (nonparametric randomization approach, results reported at p<0.05). Both exercise interventions induced significant increases in the PANAS positive affect scale. There was a significant interaction effect of amygdalar FC to the right anterior insula, and this amygdalar-insular FC correlated significantly with the PANAS positive affect scale (r=0.47, p=0.048) in the “high”-intensity exercise condition. Our findings suggest that mood changes after exercise are associated with prolonged alterations in amygdalar-insular FC and occur in an exercise intensity-dependent manner.

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Shared functional connectivity between the dorso-medial and dorso-ventral streams in macaques

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-75219-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

R. Stefan Greulich ◽

Ramina Adam ◽

Stefan Everling ◽

Hansjörg Scherberger

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Motor Cortex ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Rhesus Macaques ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Network Connectivity ◽

Insular Cortex ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Related Information

Abstract Manipulation of an object requires us to transport our hand towards the object (reach) and close our digits around that object (grasp). In current models, reach-related information is propagated in the dorso-medial stream from posterior parietal area V6A to medial intraparietal area, dorsal premotor cortex, and primary motor cortex. Grasp-related information is processed in the dorso-ventral stream from the anterior intraparietal area to ventral premotor cortex and the hand area of primary motor cortex. However, recent studies have cast doubt on the validity of this separation in separate processing streams. We investigated in 10 male rhesus macaques the whole-brain functional connectivity of these areas using resting state fMRI at 7-T. Although we found a clear separation between dorso-medial and dorso-ventral network connectivity in support of the two-stream hypothesis, we also found evidence of shared connectivity between these networks. The dorso-ventral network was distinctly correlated with high-order somatosensory areas and feeding related areas, whereas the dorso-medial network with visual areas and trunk/hindlimb motor areas. Shared connectivity was found in the superior frontal and precentral gyrus, central sulcus, intraparietal sulcus, precuneus, and insular cortex. These results suggest that while sensorimotor processing streams are functionally separated, they can access information through shared areas.

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