Resting-state functional connectivity, cortical GABA and neuroactive steroids in peripartum and peripartum depressed women: a functional magnetic imaging and resonance study

ABSTRACTPostpartum depression (PPD) is associated with abnormalities in resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) but the underlying neurochemistry is unclear. We hypothesized that peripartum GABAergic neuroactive steroids (NAS) are related to cortical GABA concentrations and RSFC in PPD as compared to healthy comparison women (HCW). To test this, we measured RSFC with fMRI and GABA+/Creatine (Cr) concentrations with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) in the pregenual anterior cingulate (pgACC) and occipital cortices (OCC) and quantified peripartum plasma NAS. We examined between-group differences in RSFC and the relationship between cortical GABA+/Cr concentrations with RSFC. We investigated the relationship between NAS, RSFC and cortical GABA+/Cr concentrations. Within the default mode network (DMN) an area of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) had greater connectivity with the rest of the DMN in PPD (peak voxel: MNI coordinates (2, 58, 32), p=0.002) and was correlated to depression scores (peak HAM-D17 voxel: MNI coordinates (0, 60, 34), p=0.008). pgACC GABA+/Cr correlated positively with DMPFC RSFC in a region spanning the right anterior/posterior insula and right temporal pole (r=+0.661, p=0.000). OCC GABA+/Cr correlated positively with regions spanning both amygdalae (right amygdala: r=+0.522, p=0.000; left amygdala: r=+0.651, p=0.000) as well as superior parietal areas. Plasma allopregnanolone was higher in PPD (p=0.03) and positively correlated with intra DMPFC connectivity (r=+0.548, p=0.000) but not GABA+/Cr. These results provide initial evidence that PPD is associated with altered DMN connectivity; cortical GABA+/Cr concentrations are associated with postpartum RSFC and allopregnanolone is associated with postpartum intra-DMPFC connectivity.

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Resting State Functional Connectivity Predicts Future Changes in Sedentary Behavior

10.1101/2021.01.26.428161 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Timothy P. Morris ◽

Aaron Kucyi ◽

Sheeba Arnold Anteraper ◽

Maiya Rachel Geddes ◽

Alfonso Nieto-Castañon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Supplementary Motor Area ◽

Anterior Insula ◽

Motor Area ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Sedentary Behaviors ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

The Right

AbstractInformation about a person’s available energy resources is integrated in daily behavioral choices that weigh motor costs against expected rewards. It has been posited that humans have an innate attraction towards effort minimization and that executive control is required to overcome this prepotent disposition. With sedentary behaviors increasing at the cost of millions of dollars spent in health care and productivity losses due to physical inactivity-related deaths, understanding the predictors of sedentary behaviors will improve future intervention development and precision medicine approaches. In 64 healthy older adults participating in a 6-month aerobic exercise intervention, we use neuroimaging (resting state functional connectivity), baseline measures of executive function and accelerometer measures of time spent sedentary to predict future changes in objectively measured time spent sedentary in daily life. Using cross-validation and bootstrap resampling, our results demonstrate that functional connectivity between 1) the anterior cingulate cortex and the supplementary motor area and 2) the right anterior insula and the left temporoparietal/temporooccipital junction, predict changes in time spent sedentary, whereas baseline cognitive, behavioral and demographic measures do not. Previous research has shown activation in and between the anterior cingulate and supplementary motor area as well as in the right anterior insula during effort avoidance and tasks that integrate motor costs and reward benefits in effort-based decision making. Our results add important knowledge toward understanding mechanistic associations underlying complex sedentary behaviors.

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Effect of single dose N-acetylcysteine administration on resting state functional connectivity in schizophrenia

Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1007/s00213-019-05382-1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 237 (2) ◽

pp. 443-451 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Grant McQueen ◽

Aderlee Lay ◽

John Lally ◽

Anthony S. Gabay ◽

Tracy Collier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Dose ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Pharmacological Action ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Frontal Pole ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Placebo Condition ◽

Double Blind

Abstract Rationale There is interest in employing N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in the treatment of schizophrenia, but investigations of the functional signatures of its pharmacological action are scarce. Objectives The aim of this study was to identify the changes in resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) that occur following administration of a single dose of NAC in patients with schizophrenia. A secondary aim was to examine whether differences in rs-FC between conditions were mediated by glutamate metabolites in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Methods In a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, 20 patients with schizophrenia had two MRI scans administered 7 days apart, following oral administration of either 2400 mg NAC or placebo. Resting state functional fMRI (rsfMRI) assessed the effect of NAC on rs-FC within the default mode network (DMN) and the salience network (SN). Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to measure Glx/Cr (glutamate plus glutamine, in ratio to creatine) levels in the ACC during the same scanning sessions. Results Compared to the placebo condition, the NAC condition was associated with reduced within the DMN and SN, specifically between the medial pre-frontal cortex to mid frontal gyrus, and ACC to frontal pole (all p < 0.04). There were no significant correlations between ACC Glx/Cr and rs-FC in either condition (p > 0.6). Conclusions These findings provide preliminary evidence that NAC can reduce medial frontal rs-FC in schizophrenia. Future studies assessing the effects of NAC on rs-FC in early psychosis and on repeated administration in relation to efficacy would be of interest.

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O2.2. EVALUATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GLUTAMATE AND BRAIN CONNECTIVITY IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC-NAïVE FIRST EPISODE PATIENTS – A COMBINED MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY AND RESTING STATE FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY MRI STUDY

Schizophrenia Bulletin ◽

10.1093/schbul/sbaa028.007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S4-S4

Author(s):

Jose Maximo ◽

Frederic Briend ◽

William Armstrong ◽

Nina Kraguljac ◽

Adrienne Lahti

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Group Differences ◽

First Episode ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

Functional Connectivity Mri

Abstract Background Schizophrenia is thought to be a disorder of brain dysconnectivity. An imbalance between cortical excitation/inhibition is also implicated, but the link between these abnormalities remains unclear. The present study used resting state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to investigate how measurements of glutamate + glutamine (Glx) in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) relate to rs-fcMRI in medication-naïve first episode psychosis (FEP) subjects compared to healthy controls (HC). Based on our previous findings, we hypothesized that in HC would show correlations between Glx and rs-fMRI in the salience and default mode network, but these relationships would be altered in FEP. Methods Data from 53 HC (age = 24.70 ±6.23, 34M/19F) and 60 FEP (age = 24.08 ±6.29, 38M/22F) were analyzed. To obtain MRS data, a voxel was placed in the ACC (PRESS, TR/TE = 2000/80ms). Metabolite concentrations were quantified with respect to internal water using the AMARES algorithm in jMRUI. rs-fMRI data were processed using a standard preprocessing pipeline in the CONN toolbox. BOLD signal from a priori brain regions of interest from posterior cingulate cortex (default mode network, DMN), anterior cingulate cortex (salience network, SN), and right posterior parietal cortex (central executive network, CEN) were extracted and correlated with the rest of the brain to measure functional connectivity (FC). Group analyses were performed on Glx, FC, and Glx-FC interactions while controlling for age, gender, and motion when applicable. FC and Glx-FC analyses were performed using small volume correction [(p < 0.01, threshold-free cluster enhancement corrected (TFCE)]. Results No significant between-group differences were found in Glx concentration in the ACC [F(1, 108) = 0.34, p = 0.56], but reduced FC was found on each network in FEP compared to HC (pTFCE corrected). Group Glx-FC interactions were found in the form of positive correlations between Glx and FC in DMN and SN in the HC group, but not in FEP; and negative correlations in CEN in HC, but not in FEP. Discussion While we did not find significant group differences in ACC Glx measurements, ACC Glx modulated FC differentially in FEP and HC. Positive correlations between Glx and FC were found in the SN and DMN, suggesting long range modulation of the two networks in HC, but not in FEP. Additionally, negative correlations between Glx and FC were found in CEN in HC, but not in FEP. Overall, these results suggest that even in the absence of group differences in Glx concentration, the long-range modulation of these 3 networks by ACC Glx is altered in FEP.

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An Exploratory Study on Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Individuals with Disorganized Attachment: Evidence for Key Regions in Amygdala and Hippocampus

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11111539 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 1539

Author(s):

Gianluca Cruciani ◽

Maddalena Boccia ◽

Vittorio Lingiardi ◽

Guido Giovanardi ◽

Pietro Zingaretti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽

Functional Coupling ◽

Brain Abnormalities ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Posterior Portion ◽

The Right

Studies comparing organized (O) and unresolved/disorganized (UD) attachment have consistently shown structural and functional brain abnormalities, although whether and how attachment patterns may affect resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) is still little characterized. Here, we investigated RSFC of temporal and limbic regions of interest for UD attachment. Participants’ attachment was classified via the Adult Attachment Interview, and all participants underwent clinical assessment. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 11 UD individuals and seven matched O participants during rest. A seed-to-voxel analysis was performed, including the anterior and the posterior cingulate cortex, the bilateral insula, amygdala and hippocampus as seed regions. No group differences in the clinical scales emerged. Compared to O, the UD group showed lower RSFC between the left amygdala and the left cerebellum (lobules VIII), and lower functional coupling between the right hippocampus and the posterior portion of the right middle temporal gyrus. Moreover, UD participants showed higher RSFC between the right amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex. Our findings suggest RSFC alterations in regions associated with encoding of salient events, emotion processing, memories retrieval and self-referential processing in UD participants, highlighting the potential role of attachment experiences in shaping brain abnormalities also in non-clinical UD individuals.

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The Association Between Resting State Functional Connectivity and the Trait of Impulsivity and Suicidal Ideation in Young Depressed Patients With Suicide Attempts

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.567976 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Jun Cao ◽

Xiaorong Chen ◽

Jianmei Chen ◽

Ming Ai ◽

Yao Gan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Depressed Patients ◽

History Of ◽

The Right ◽

Left Middle

Suicide is a leading cause of death among youth and is strongly associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the neurobiological underpinnings of suicidal behaviour and the identification of risk for suicide in young depressed patients are not yet well-understood. In this study, we used a seed-based correlation analysis to investigate the differences in resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in depressed youth with or without a history of suicide attempts and healthy controls (HCs). Suicidal attempters (ATT group, n = 35), non-suicide attempters (NAT group, n = 18), and HCs exhibited significantly different RSFC patterns with the left superior prefrontal gyrus (L-SFG) and left middle prefrontal gyrus (L-MFG) serving as the regions of interest (ROIs). The ATT group showed decreased RSFC of the left middle frontal gyrus with the left superior parietal gyrus compared to the NAT and HC groups. Decreased RSFC between the left superior frontal gyrus and the right anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) was found in the ATT group compared to the NAT and HC groups. Furthermore, the left prefrontal-parietal connectivity was associated with suicidal ideation and levels of impulsivity, but RSFC of the left prefrontal cortex with the rACC was correlated exclusively with impulsivity levels and was not related to suicidal ideation in the ATT group. Our results demonstrated that altered RSFC of the prefrontal-parietal and prefrontal-rACC regions was associated with suicide attempts in depressed youth, and state-related deficits in their interconnectivity may contribute to traits, such as cognitive impairments and impulsivity to facilitate suicidal acts. Our findings suggest that the neural correlates of suicidal behaviours might be dissociable from those related to the severity of current suicidal ideation. Neural circuits underlying suicide attempts differ from those that underlie suicidal ideation.

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Inferior Frontal Gyrus-Based Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Medium Dispositional Use of Reappraisal Strategy

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.681859 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Wenjuan Li ◽

Ke Xie ◽

Ronald K. Ngetich ◽

Junjun Zhang ◽

Zhenlan Jin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Parietal Lobe ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

The Relationship

The previous neuroimaging functional connectivity analyses have indicated that the association between the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and other brain regions results in better emotion regulation in reappraisal tasks. However, no study has explored the relationship between IFG-based resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and the dispositional use of reappraisal strategy. Therefore, the present study examined the potential associations between rsFC patterns of both left and right IFG and dispositional reappraisal use. One hundred healthy participants completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) acquisition. An approach of the seed-based rsFC analysis was recruited to estimate the functional connectivity maps of bilateral IFG with other brain regions, and the reappraisal scores from the ERQ were then correlated with the functional maps. Our findings showed that IFG-based rsFC was positively correlated with dispositional reappraisal only in the range of 4 to 5.5 points [medium reappraisal group (MRG)]. Specifically, medium dispositional reappraisal was positively correlated with rsFC between left/right IFG and bilateral temporal gyrus. Besides, medium dispositional reappraisal was positively correlated with rsFC between left IFG and bilateral superior parietal lobe (SPL), middle cingulate cortex (MCC), and right insula, as well as between right IFG and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In conclusion, these results indicate that bilateral IFG plays an important role in the medium use of the reappraisal strategy.

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Hippocampal resting-state functional connectivity with the mPFC and DLPFC moderates and mediates the association between education level and memory function in subjective cognitive decline

Brain Science Advances ◽

10.26599/bsa.2021.9050013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 124-140

Author(s):

Shurui Xu ◽

Qianqian Sun ◽

Ming Li ◽

Jia Luo ◽

Guiyan Cai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Digit Span ◽

Memory Function ◽

Education Level ◽

Subjective Cognitive Decline ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

The Right ◽

The Relationship

Objective: This study aims to determine the relationship between education level, memory function, and hippocampus functional and structural alterations in subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Methods: Seventy-five participants with SCD were divided into high education (HE) and low education (LE) level groups. A Wechsler Memory Scale–Chinese Revision test and functional and structural MRI were performed within 1 week after participant recruitment. The bilateral hippocampus resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC), gray matter volume (GMV) of brain regions identified by rsFC analysis, and moderating and mediating effects were assessed. Results: Compared with the LE group, HE individuals showed 1) higher memory quotient (MQ) and Digit Span subscore, 2) decreased hippocampal rsFC with the right medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and 3) increased GMV in the right mPFC and DLPFC. The bilateral hippocampus–right DLPFC rsFC significantly associated with the MQ and the bilateral hippocampus–right mPFCrsFC with the Digit Span subscore in each group. The bilateral hippocampus–right DLPFC rsFC moderated the relationship between the education level and MQ. The bilateral hippocampus–right mPFC rsFC mediated the relationship between the education level and Digit Span subscore in all subjects. Conclusion: The hippocampal rsFC with the right mPFC and DLPFC contributes to the education level effect on memory function in SCD.

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Resting-State Functional Connectivity Signatures of Apathy in Community-Living Older Adults

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnagi.2021.691710 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

Author(s):

Jung Yun Jang ◽

S. Duke Han ◽

Belinda Yew ◽

Anna E. Blanken ◽

Shubir Dutt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽

Resting State ◽

Neural Mechanism ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

The Right

Apathy predicts poor outcomes in older adults, and its underlying neural mechanism needs further investigation. We examined the association between symptoms of apathy and functional connectivity (FC) in older adults without stroke or dementia. Participants included 48 individuals (mean age = 70.90) living independently in the community, who underwent resting-state fMRI and completed the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES). Seed-to-voxel analysis (cluster-level p-FDR <0.05, voxel threshold p < 0.001) tested the association between AES scores and the whole-brain FC of brain regions involved in reward- and salience-related processing. We found that AES scores were negatively associated with FC of the right insula cortex and right anterior temporal regions (124 voxels, t = −5.10) and FC of the left orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate regions (160 voxels, t = −5.45), and were positively associated with FC of the left orbitofrontal cortex and left lateral prefrontal (282 voxels, t = 4.99) and anterior prefrontal (123 voxels, t = 4.52) regions. These findings suggest that apathy in older adults may reflect disruptions in neural connectivity involved in reward- and salience-related processing.

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Resting-state Functional Connectivity of the Right Temporoparietal Junction Relates to Belief Updating and Reorienting during Spatial Attention

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_01543 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (6) ◽

pp. 1130-1141

Author(s):

Anne-Sophie Käsbauer ◽

Paola Mengotti ◽

Gereon R. Fink ◽

Simone Vossel

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Cognitive Processing ◽

Resting State ◽

Prior Information ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Belief Updating ◽

Temporoparietal Junction ◽

Right Temporoparietal Junction ◽

The Right

Although multiple studies characterized the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ), little is known about the link between rTPJ rsFC and cognitive functions. Given a putative involvement of rTPJ in both reorienting of attention and the updating of probabilistic beliefs, this study characterized the relationship between rsFC of rTPJ with dorsal and ventral attention systems and these two cognitive processes. Twenty-three healthy young participants performed a modified location-cueing paradigm with true and false prior information about the percentage of cue validity to assess belief updating and attentional reorienting. Resting-state fMRI was recorded before and after the task. Seed-based correlation analysis was employed, and correlations of each behavioral parameter with rsFC before the task, as well as with changes in rsFC after the task, were assessed in an ROI-based approach. Weaker rsFC between rTPJ and right intraparietal sulcus before the task was associated with relatively faster updating of the belief that the cue will be valid after false prior information. Moreover, relatively faster belief updating, as well as faster reorienting, were related to an increase in the interhemispheric rsFC between rTPJ and left TPJ after the task. These findings are in line with task-based connectivity studies on related attentional functions and extend results from stroke patients demonstrating the importance of interhemispheric parietal interactions for behavioral performance. The present results not only highlight the essential role of parietal rsFC for attentional functions but also suggest that cognitive processing during a task changes connectivity patterns in a performance-dependent manner.

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