Relationships between Brain Structure and Metabolic Changes in Schizophrenia Patients Treated with Olanzapine: A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study

Introduction. Second-generation antipsychotics treatment is associated with weight gain and metabolic disturbances. Although much research has been done on the topic, the precise mechanisms underlying such side effects are still not well understood.Method. We followed over 16 weeks a group of 17 schizophrenia patients who were treated with olanzapine and monitored biometric, clinical, and metabolic data, including ghrelin and leptin levels. All patients had a structural cerebral magnetic resonance imaging examination during the first week of their followup and at the end of the study.Results. We found positive and negative significant correlations between grey matter volumes of several brain regions and variations of body weight as well as of ghrelin and leptin levels. The right frontal operculum, bilateral precuneus, and bilateral hippocampal regions were found to be significantly associated with those changes.Conclusion. Our results suggest associations between brain structure and metabolic variations in schizophrenia patients taking olanzapine.

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Structural covariance and cortical reorganisation in schizophrenia: a MRI-based morphometric study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291718001010 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (3) ◽

pp. 412-420 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Lena Palaniyappan ◽

Olha Hodgson ◽

Vijender Balain ◽

Sarina Iwabuchi ◽

Penny Gowland ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grey Matter ◽

Early Stage ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Significant Loss ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Morphometric Study ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Structural Covariance ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Functional Defect

AbstractBackgroundIn patients with schizophrenia, distributed abnormalities are observed in grey matter volume. A recent hypothesis posits that these distributed changes are indicative of a plastic reorganisation process occurring in response to a functional defect in neuronal information transmission. We investigated the structural covariance across various brain regions in early-stage schizophrenia to determine if indeed the observed patterns of volumetric loss conform to a coordinated pattern of structural reorganisation.MethodsStructural magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from 40 healthy adults and 41 age, gender and parental socioeconomic status matched patients with schizophrenia. Volumes of grey matter tissue were estimated at the regional level across 90 atlas-based parcellations. Group-level structural covariance was studied using a graph theoretical framework.ResultsPatients had distributed reduction in grey matter volume, with high degree of localised covariance (clustering) compared with controls. Patients with schizophrenia had reduced centrality of anterior cingulate and insula but increased centrality of the fusiform cortex, compared with controls. Simulating targeted removal of highly central nodes resulted in significant loss of the overall covariance patterns in patients compared with controls.ConclusionRegional volumetric deficits in schizophrenia are not a result of random, mutually independent processes. Our observations support the occurrence of a spatially interconnected reorganisation with the systematic de-escalation of conventional ‘hub’ regions. This raises the question of whether the morphological architecture in schizophrenia is primed for compensatory functions, albeit with a high risk of inefficiency.

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Lithium prevents grey matter atrophy in patients with bipolar disorder: an international multicenter study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291719004112 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Franz Hozer ◽

Samuel Sarrazin ◽

Charles Laidi ◽

Pauline Favre ◽

Melissa Pauling ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Type I ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Neuroprotective Effects ◽

History Of ◽

International Multicenter Study ◽

The Right

Abstract Background Lithium (Li) is the gold standard treatment for bipolar disorder (BD). However, its mechanisms of action remain unknown but include neurotrophic effects. We here investigated the influence of Li on cortical and local grey matter (GM) volumes in a large international sample of patients with BD and healthy controls (HC). Methods We analyzed high-resolution T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging scans of 271 patients with BD type I (120 undergoing Li) and 316 HC. Cortical and local GM volumes were compared using voxel-wise approaches with voxel-based morphometry and SIENAX using FSL. We used multiple linear regression models to test the influence of Li on cortical and local GM volumes, taking into account potential confounding factors such as a history of alcohol misuse. Results Patients taking Li had greater cortical GM volume than patients without. Patients undergoing Li had greater regional GM volumes in the right middle frontal gyrus, the right anterior cingulate gyrus, and the left fusiform gyrus in comparison with patients not taking Li. Conclusions Our results in a large multicentric sample support the hypothesis that Li could exert neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects limiting pathological GM atrophy in key brain regions associated with BD.

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Altered Topological Properties of Grey Matter Structural Covariance Networks in Complete Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury Patients: A Graph Theoretical Network Analysis

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2021/8815144 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Wen-Li Wang ◽

Yu-Lin Li ◽

Mou-Xiong Zheng ◽

Xu-Yun Hua ◽

Jia-Jia Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grey Matter ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Age And Gender ◽

Structural Covariance ◽

Clinical Variables ◽

Cord Injury ◽

Network Properties ◽

And Gender ◽

The Right

Purpose. This study is aimed at investigating brain structural changes and structural network properties in complete spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, as well as their relationship with clinical variables. Materials and Methods. Structural MRI of brain was acquired in 24 complete thoracic SCI patients ( 38.50 ± 11.19 years, 22 males) within the first postinjury year, while 26 age- and gender-matched healthy participants ( 38.38 ± 10.63 years, 24 males) were enrolled as control. The voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach and graph theoretical network analysis based on cross-subject grey matter volume- (GMV-) based structural covariance networks (SCNs) were conducted to investigate the impact of SCI on brain structure. Partial correlation analysis was performed to explore the relationship between the GMV of structurally changed brain regions and SCI patients’ clinical variables, including injury duration, injury level, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) scale, Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), after removing the effects of age and gender. Results. Compared with healthy controls, SCI patients showed higher SDS score ( t = 4.392 and p < 0.001 ). In the VBM analysis, significant GMV reduction was found in the left middle frontal cortex, right superior orbital frontal cortex (OFC), and left inferior OFC. No significant difference was found in global network properties between SCI patients and healthy controls. In the regional network properties, significantly higher betweenness centrality (BC) was noted in the right anterior cingulum cortex (ACC) and left inferior OFC and higher nodal degree and efficiency in bilateral middle OFCs, while decreased BC was noted in the right putamen in SCI patients. Only negative correlation was found between GMV of right middle OFC and SDS score in SCI patients ( r = − 0.503 and p = 0.017 ), while no significant correlation between other abnormal brain regions and any of the clinical variables (all p > 0.05 ). Conclusions. SCI patients would experience depressive and/or anxious feelings at the early stage. Their GMV reduction mainly involved psychology-cognition related rather than sensorimotor brain regions. The efficiency of regional information transmission in psychology-cognition regions increased. Greater GMV reduction in psychology region was related with more severe depressive feelings. Therefore, early neuropsychological intervention is suggested to prevent psychological and cognitive dysfunction as well as irreversible brain structure damage.

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Interictal photosensitivity associates with altered brain structure in patients with episodic migraine

Cephalalgia ◽

10.1177/0333102415606080 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 36 (6) ◽

pp. 526-533 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Catherine D Chong ◽

Amaal J Starling ◽

Todd J Schwedt

Keyword(s):

Cortical Thickness ◽

Brain Structure ◽

Functional Neuroimaging ◽

Light Sensitivity ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Episodic Migraine ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

The Right ◽

Episodic Migraineurs ◽

Assessment Questionnaire

Background Migraine attacks manifest with hypersensitivities to light, sound, touch and odor. Some people with migraine have photosensitivity between migraine attacks, suggesting persistent alterations in the integrity of brain regions that process light. Although functional neuroimaging studies have shown visual stimulus induced “hyperactivation” of visual cortex regions in migraineurs between attacks, whether photosensitivity is associated with alterations in brain structure is unknown. Methods Levels of photosensitivity were evaluated using the Photosensitivity Assessment Questionnaire in 48 interictal migraineurs and 48 healthy controls. Vertex-by-vertex measurements of cortical thickness were assessed in 28 people with episodic migraine who had interictal photosensitivity (mean age = 35.0 years, SD = 12.1) and 20 episodic migraine patients without symptoms of interictal photosensitivity (mean age = 36.0 years, SD = 11.4) using a general linear model design. Results Migraineurs have greater levels of interictal photosensitivity relative to healthy controls. Relative to migraineurs without interictal photosensitivity, migraineurs with interictal photosensitivity have thicker cortex in several brain areas including the right lingual, isthmus cingulate and pericalcarine regions, and the left precentral, postcentral and supramarginal regions. Conclusion Episodic migraineurs with interictal photosensitivity have greater cortical thickness in the right parietal-occipital and left fronto-parietal regions, suggesting that persistent light sensitivity is associated with underlying structural alterations.

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Abnormal MRI in a patient with ‘headache with neurological deficits and CSF lymphocytosis (HaNDL)’

Cephalalgia ◽

10.1111/j.1468-2982.2009.01950.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 615-619 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

A Yilmaz ◽

H Kaleagasi ◽

O Dogu ◽

E Kara ◽

A Ozge

Keyword(s):

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Neurological Deficits ◽

Hemiplegic Migraine ◽

Headache Episode ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

The Right ◽

Similar Imaging

A 27-year-old woman was admitted to the Emergency Department with right upper-extremity numbness and mild weakness followed by a bifrontal throbbing headache for 30 min, which was similar to a headache lasting for 12 h that had occurred 3 days ago. Laboratory tests were unremarkable except for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lymphocytic pleocytosis. On the following day, a headache episode with left hemiparesis and hemihypoaesthesia, left hemifield visio-spatial inattention, anosagnosia and confusion recurred. The headache was diagnosed as headache and neurological deficits with cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis (HaNDL) syndrome according to the criteria of the second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders. Simultaneously performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed swelling of the grey matter, CSF enhancement in the sulci of the right temporal and occipital regions and hypoperfusion of the same brain regions. During the following 10 days two more similar episodes recurred and during the ensuing 12 months the patient remained headache free. Neuroimaging findings of the HaNDL syndrome are always thought as virtually normal. MRI abnormalities in our patient have not been reported in HaNDL syndrome previously, although they have been reported in hemiplegic migraine patients before. The findings in our case suggest that hemiplegic migraine and HaNDL syndrome may share a common pathophysiological pathway resulting in similar imaging findings and neurological symptoms.

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Lower regional grey matter in alcohol use disorders: evidence from a voxel-based meta-analysis

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-021-03244-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lei Li ◽

Hua Yu ◽

Yihao Liu ◽

Ya-jing Meng ◽

Xiao-jing Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Middle Frontal Gyrus ◽

Cingulate Gyrus ◽

Whole Brain ◽

Mapping Approach ◽

The Right ◽

Left Middle

Abstract Background Previous research using whole-brain neuroimaging techniques has revealed structural differences of grey matter (GM) in alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients. However, some of the findings diverge from other neuroimaging studies and require further replication. The quantity of relevant research has, thus far, been limited and the association between GM and abstinence duration of AUD patients has not yet been systematically reviewed. Methods The present research conducted a meta-analysis of voxel-based GM studies in AUD patients published before Jan 2021. The study utilised a whole brain-based d-mapping approach to explore GM changes in AUD patients, and further analysed the relationship between GM deficits, abstinence duration and individual differences. Results The current research included 23 studies with a sample size of 846 AUD patients and 878 controls. The d-mapping approach identified lower GM in brain regions including the right cingulate gyrus, right insula and left middle frontal gyrus in AUD patients compared to controls. Meta-regression analyses found increasing GM atrophy in the right insula associated with the longer mean abstinence duration of the samples in the studies in our analysis. GM atrophy was also found positively correlated with the mean age of the samples in the right insula, and positively correlated with male ratio in the left middle frontal gyrus. Conclusions GM atrophy was found in the cingulate gyrus and insula in AUD patients. These findings align with published meta-analyses, suggesting they are potential deficits for AUD patients. Abstinence duration, age and gender also affect GM atrophy in AUD patients. This research provides some evidence of the underlying neuroanatomical nature of AUD.

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The gut microbiome is associated with brain structure and function in schizophrenia

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-89166-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shijia Li ◽

Jie Song ◽

Pengfei Ke ◽

Lingyin Kong ◽

Bingye Lei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiome ◽

Brain Structure ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Structure And Function ◽

Brain Structure And Function ◽

The Right ◽

And Function

AbstractThe effect of the gut microbiome on the central nervous system and its possible role in mental disorders have received increasing attention. However, knowledge about the relationship between the gut microbiome and brain structure and function is still very limited. Here, we used 16S rRNA sequencing with structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and resting-state functional (rs-fMRI) to investigate differences in fecal microbiota between 38 patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and 38 demographically matched normal controls (NCs) and explored whether such differences were associated with brain structure and function. At the genus level, we found that the relative abundance of Ruminococcus and Roseburia was significantly lower, whereas the abundance of Veillonella was significantly higher in SZ patients than in NCs. Additionally, the analysis of MRI data revealed that several brain regions showed significantly lower gray matter volume (GMV) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) but significantly higher amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation in SZ patients than in NCs. Moreover, the alpha diversity of the gut microbiota showed a strong linear relationship with the values of both GMV and ReHo. In SZ patients, the ReHo indexes in the right STC (r = − 0.35, p = 0.031, FDR corrected p = 0.039), the left cuneus (r = − 0.33, p = 0.044, FDR corrected p = 0.053) and the right MTC (r = − 0.34, p = 0.03, FDR corrected p = 0.052) were negatively correlated with the abundance of the genus Roseburia. Our results suggest that the potential role of the gut microbiome in SZ is related to alterations in brain structure and function. This study provides insights into the underlying neuropathology of SZ.

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A Higher Grey Matter Density in the Amygdala and Midbrain Is Associated with Persistent Pain Following Total Knee Arthroplasty

Pain Medicine ◽

10.1093/pm/pnaa227 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (12) ◽

pp. 3393-3400

Author(s):

Gwyn N Lewis ◽

Karolina A Wartolowska ◽

Rosalind S Parker ◽

Sheena Sharma ◽

David A Rice ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Total Knee Arthroplasty ◽

Knee Arthroplasty ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Persistent Pain ◽

Matter Density ◽

Grey Matter Density ◽

Total Knee ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

The Right

Abstract Objective The development of persistent pain following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is common, but its underlying mechanisms are unknown. The goal of the study was to assess brain grey matter structure and its correlation with function of the nociceptive system in people with good and poor outcomes following TKA. Subjects Thirty-one people with LOW_PAIN (<3/10 on the numerical ratings scale [NRS]) at six months following TKA and 15 people with HIGH_PAIN (≥3/10 on the NRS) were recruited into the study. Methods Grey matter in key brain areas related to nociception was analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Nociceptive facilitatory and inhibitory processes were evaluated using quantitative sensory testing (QST). QST scores and grey matter density in prespecified brain regions were compared between the LOW_PAIN and HIGH_PAIN groups. Regression analyses were used to analyze the associations between the grey matter and QST scores. Results There were no between-group differences in QST measures. In the VBM analysis, the HIGH_PAIN group had a higher grey matter density in the right amygdala, right nucleus accumbens, and in the periaqueductal grey (PAG), but lower grey matter density in the dorsal part of the left caudate nucleus. Grey matter density in the right amygdala and PAG correlated positively with temporal summation of pain. Conclusions Persistent pain at six months after TKA is associated with a higher grey matter density in the regions involved in central sensitization and pain-related fear, which may contribute to the development of persistent pain after surgery.

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The Gut Microbiome Was Associated With Brain Structure and Function in Schizophrenia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-181659/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shijia Li ◽

Jie Song ◽

Pengfei Ke ◽

Lingyin Kong ◽

Bingye Lei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiome ◽

Brain Structure ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Structure And Function ◽

Brain Structure And Function ◽

The Right ◽

And Function

Abstract The effects of the gut microbiome on the central nervous system and its possible role in mental disorders have received increasing attention. However, our knowledge about the relationship between the gut microbiome and brain structure and function is still very limited. Here, we leveraged 16S rRNA sequencing with structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and resting-state functional (rs-fMRI) to investigate differences in fecal microbiota between 38 patients with schizophrenia (SZs) and 38 demographically matched normal controls (NCs) and explored whether such differences were associated with brain structure and function. At the genus level, we found that the relative abundance of Ruminococcus and Roseburia was significantly lower, whereas the abundance of Veillonella was increased in SZs compared to NCs. Additionally, the MRI results revealed that several brain regions showed lower gray matter volume (GMV) and regional homogeneity (ReHo), but increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in SZs than in NCs. Statistical analyses were performed to explore the associations between microbial shifts and brain structure and function. Alpha diversity of gut microbiota showed a strong linear relationship with GMV and ReHo. Moreover, we found that lower ReHo indexes in the right STC (r = -0.35, p = 0.031, FDR corrected p = 0.039), the left cuneus (r = -0.33, p = 0.044, FDR corrected p = 0.053) and the right MTC (r = -0.34, p = 0.03, FDR corrected p = 0.052) were negatively correlated with a lower abundance of the genus Roseburia. This study suggests that the potential role of the gut microbiome in schizophrenia (SZ) is related to the alteration of brain structure and function, suggesting a new direction for studying the pathology of SZ.

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Altered Brain Structure and Spontaneous Functional Activity in Children With Concomitant Strabismus

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnhum.2021.777762 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaohui Yin ◽

Lingjun Chen ◽

Mingyue Ma ◽

Hong Zhang ◽

Ming Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cortical Thickness ◽

Brain Structure ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Angular Gyrus ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Examination ◽

Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Concomitant Strabismus

Strabismus occurs in about 2% of children and may result in amblyopia or lazy eyes and loss of depth perception. However, whether/how long-term strabismus shapes the brain structure and functions in children with concomitant strabismus (CS) is still unclear. In this study, a total of 26 patients with CS and 28 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging examination. The cortical thickness and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) were calculated to assess the structural and functional plasticity in children with CS. Compared with HCs group, patients with CS showed increased cortical thickness in the precentral gyrus and angular gyrus while decreased cortical thickness in the left intraparietal sulcus, parieto-occipital sulcus, superior and middle temporal gyrus, right ventral premotor cortex, anterior insula, orbitofrontal cortex, and paracentral lobule. Meanwhile, CS patients exhibited increased ALFF in the prefrontal cortex and superior temporal gyrus, and decreased ALFF in the caudate and hippocampus. These results show that children with CS have abnormal structure and function in brain regions subserving eye movement, controls, and high-order cognitive functions. Our findings revealed the structural and functional abnormalities induced by CS and may provide new insight into the underlying neural mechanisms for CS.

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