fMRI Evidence of Acupoints Specificity in Two Adjacent Acupoints

Objectives. Acupoint specificity is the foundation of acupuncture treatment. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the acupoint specificity exists in two adjacent acupoints.Design and Setting. Two adjacent real acupoints, LR3 (Taichong) and ST44 (Neiting), and a nearby nonacupoint were selected. Thirty-three health volunteers were divided into three groups in random order, and each group only received acupuncture at one of the three points. While they received acupuncture, fMRI scan was performed.Results. The common cerebral activated areas responding to LR3 and ST44 included the contralateral primary somatosensory area (SI) and ipsilateral cerebellum. Acupuncture at LR3 specifically activated contralateral middle occipital gyrus, ipsilateral medial frontal gyrus, superior parietal lobe, middle temporal gyrus, rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), lentiform nucleus, insula, and contralateral thalamus. Stimulation at ST44 selectively activated ipsilateral secondary somatosensory area (SII), contralateral middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, lingual gyrus, lentiform nucleus, and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC).Conclusions. Acupuncture at adjacent acupoints elicits distinct cerebral activation patterns, and those specific patterns might be involved in the mechanism of the specific therapeutic effects of different acupoints.

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Osteopathy modulates brain–heart interaction in chronic pain patients: an ASL study

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-83893-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Francesco Cerritelli ◽

Piero Chiacchiaretta ◽

Francesco Gambi ◽

Raoul Saggini ◽

Mauro Gianni Perrucci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parietal Lobe ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Lentiform Nucleus ◽

Left Posterior ◽

Posterior Insula

AbstractIn this study we used a combination of measures including regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and heart rate variability (HRV) to investigate brain–heart correlates of longitudinal baseline changes of chronic low back pain (cLBP) after osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). Thirty-two right-handed patients were randomised and divided into 4 weekly session of OMT (N = 16) or Sham (N = 16). Participants aged 42.3 ± 7.3 (M/F: 20/12) with cLBP (duration: 14.6 ± 8.0 m). At the end of the study, patients receiving OMT showed decreased baseline rCBF within several regions belonging to the pain matrix (left posterior insula, left anterior cingulate cortex, left thalamus), sensory regions (left superior parietal lobe), middle frontal lobe and left cuneus. Conversely, rCBF was increased in right anterior insula, bilateral striatum, left posterior cingulate cortex, right prefrontal cortex, left cerebellum and right ventroposterior lateral thalamus in the OMT group as compared with Sham. OMT showed a statistically significant negative correlation between baseline High Frequency HRV changes and rCBF changes at T2 in the left posterior insula and bilateral lentiform nucleus. The same brain regions showed a positive correlation between rCBF changes and Low Frequency HRV baseline changes at T2. These findings suggest that OMT can play a significant role in regulating brain–heart interaction mechanisms.

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When honest people cheat, and cheaters are honest: Cognitive control processes override our moral default

10.1101/2020.01.23.907634 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sebastian P.H. Speer ◽

Ale Smidts ◽

Maarten A.S. Boksem

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Control ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Neural Mechanism ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Temporoparietal Junction ◽

Self Image ◽

Trial Basis

AbstractEvery day, we are faced with the conflict between the temptation to cheat for financial gains and maintaining a positive image of ourselves as being a ‘good person’. While it has been proposed that cognitive control is needed to mediate this conflict between reward and our moral self-image, the exact role of cognitive control in (dis)honesty remains elusive. Here, we identify this role, by investigating the neural mechanism underlying cheating. We developed a novel task which allows for inconspicuously measuring spontaneous cheating on a trial-by-trial basis in the MRI scanner. We found that activity in the Nucleus Accumbens promotes cheating, particularly for individuals who cheat a lot, while a network consisting of Posterior Cingulate Cortex, Temporoparietal Junction and Medial Prefrontal Cortex promotes honesty, particularly in individuals who are generally honest. Finally, activity in areas associated with Cognitive Control (Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Inferior Frontal Gyrus) helped dishonest participants to be honest, whereas it promoted cheating for honest participants. Thus, our results suggest that cognitive control is not needed to be honest or dishonest per se, but that it depends on an individual’s moral default.

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Functional MRI Investigation of Ultrasound Stimulation at ST 36

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2020/6794013 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Yarui Wei ◽

Ling Mei ◽

Xiaojing Long ◽

Xiaoxiao Wang ◽

Yanjun Diao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Block Design ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Activation Patterns ◽

Lentiform Nucleus ◽

Ultrasound Stimulation ◽

Postcentral Gyrus ◽

The Brain

Background. Clinical and experimental data suggest that ultrasound stimulation (US) at acupoints can produce similar effective treatment compared to manual acupuncture (MA). Although the brain activation to MA at acupoints is investigated by numerous studies, the brain activation to US at acupoints remains unclear. Methods. In the present work, we employed task state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore the human brain’s activation to US and MA at ST 36 (Zusanli) which is one of the most commonly used acupoints in acupuncture-related studies. 16 healthy subjects underwent US and MA procedures in an interval of more than one week. On-off block design stimulation was used for the recording of fMRI-related brain patterns. Results. Both US and MA at ST 36 produced activations in somatosensory and limbic/paralimbic regions (postcentral gyrus, insula, middle prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex). Only US at ST 36 produced a significant signal increase in the inferior parietal lobule and decrease in the posterior cingulate cortex, whereas MA at ST 36 produced a significant signal increase in the lentiform nucleus and cerebellum. Conclusions. Our results indicate that US may be a possible noninvasive alternative method to MA due to its similar activation patterns.

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Meta-analysis of cortical thickness abnormalities in medication-free patients with major depressive disorder

Neuropsychopharmacology ◽

10.1038/s41386-019-0563-9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 45 (4) ◽

pp. 703-712 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Qian Li ◽

Youjin Zhao ◽

Ziqi Chen ◽

Jingyi Long ◽

Jing Dai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Depressive Disorder ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Temporal Cortex ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽

Major Depressive

Abstract Alterations in cortical thickness have been identified in major depressive disorder (MDD), but findings have been variable and inconsistent. To date, no reliable tools have been available for the meta-analysis of surface-based morphometric (SBM) studies to effectively characterize what has been learned in previous studies, and drug treatments may have differentially impacted findings. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies that explored cortical thickness in medication-free patients with MDD, using a newly developed meta-analytic mask compatible with seed-based d mapping (SDM) meta-analytic software. We performed the meta-regression to explore the effects of demographics and clinical characteristics on variation in cortical thickness in MDD. Fifteen studies describing 529 patients and 586 healthy controls (HCs) were included. Medication-free patients with MDD, relative to HCs, showed a complex pattern of increased cortical thickness in some areas (posterior cingulate cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex) and decreased cortical thickness in others (gyrus rectus, orbital segment of the superior frontal gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus). Most findings in the whole sample analysis were confirmed in a meta-analysis of studies recruiting medication-naive patients. Using the new mask specifically developed for SBM studies, this SDM meta-analysis provides evidence for regional cortical thickness alterations in MDD, mainly involving increased cortical thickness in the default mode network and decreased cortical thickness in the orbitofrontal and temporal cortex.

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Cognitive control increases honesty in cheaters but cheating in those who are honest

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2003480117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (32) ◽

pp. 19080-19091 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sebastian P. H. Speer ◽

Ale Smidts ◽

Maarten A. S. Boksem

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Control ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Neural Mechanism ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Temporoparietal Junction ◽

Self Image ◽

Trial Basis

Every day, we are faced with the conflict between the temptation to cheat for financial gains and maintaining a positive image of ourselves as being a “good person.” While it has been proposed that cognitive control is needed to mediate this conflict between reward and our moral self-image, the exact role of cognitive control in (dis)honesty remains elusive. Here we identify this role, by investigating the neural mechanism underlying cheating. We developed a task which allows for inconspicuously measuring spontaneous cheating on a trial-by-trial basis in the MRI scanner. We found that activity in the nucleus accumbens promotes cheating, particularly for individuals who cheat a lot, while a network consisting of posterior cingulate cortex, temporoparietal junction, and medial prefrontal cortex promotes honesty, particularly in individuals who are generally honest. Finally, activity in areas associated with cognitive control (anterior cingulate cortex and inferior frontal gyrus) helped dishonest participants to be honest, whereas it enabled cheating for honest participants. Thus, our results suggest that cognitive control is not needed to be honest or dishonest per se but that it depends on an individual’s moral default.

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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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Serum Vitamin D and Cingulate Cortex Thickness in Older Adults: Quantitative MRI of the Brain

Current Alzheimer Research ◽

10.2174/1567205016666191113124356 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (11) ◽

pp. 1063-1071 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gonzague Foucault ◽

Guillaume T Duval ◽

Romain Simon ◽

Olivier Beauchet ◽

Mickael Dinomais ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Vitamin D ◽

Brain Mri ◽

Serum Vitamin ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Vitamin D Insufficiency ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Posterior Cingulate ◽

Significant Difference

Background: Vitamin D insufficiency is associated with brain changes, and cognitive and mobility declines in older adults. Method: Two hundred and fifteen Caucasian older community-dwellers (mean±SD, 72.1±5.5years; 40% female) received a blood test and brain MRI. The thickness of perigenual anterior cingulate cortex, midcingulate cortex and posterior cingulate cortex was measured using FreeSurfer from T1-weighted MR images. Age, gender, education, BMI, mean arterial pressure, comorbidities, use of vitamin D supplements or anti-vascular drugs, MMSE, GDS, IADL, serum calcium and vitamin B9 concentrations, creatinine clearance were used as covariables. Results: Participants with vitamin D insufficiency (n=80) had thinner total cingulate thickness than the others (24.6±1.9mm versus 25.3±1.4mm, P=0.001); a significant difference found for all 3 regions. Vitamin D insufficiency was cross-sectionally associated with a decreased total cingulate thickness (β=- 0.49, P=0.028). Serum 25OHD concentration correlated positively with the thickness of perigenual anterior (P=0.011), midcingulate (P=0.013) and posterior cingulate cortex (P=0.021). Conclusion: Vitamin D insufficiency was associated with thinner cingulate cortex in the studied sample of older adults. These findings provide insight into the pathophysiology of cognitive and mobility declines in older adults with vitamin D insufficiency.

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Correlation between Traits of Emotion-Based Impulsivity and Intrinsic Default-Mode Network Activity

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2017/9297621 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Jizheng Zhao ◽

Dardo Tomasi ◽

Corinde E. Wiers ◽

Ehsan Shokri-Kojori ◽

Şükrü B. Demiral ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brain Activity ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Network Activity ◽

High Risk Behaviors ◽

Posterior Cingulate ◽

Healthy Humans ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal

Negative urgency (NU) and positive urgency (PU) are implicated in several high-risk behaviors, such as eating disorders, substance use disorders, and nonsuicidal self-injury behavior. The current study aimed to explore the possible link between trait of urgency and brain activity at rest. We assessed the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal in 85 healthy volunteers. Trait urgency measures were related to ALFF in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ventral and dorsal medial frontal cortex, anterior cingulate, and posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus. In addition, trait urgency measures showed significant correlations with the functional connectivity of the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus seed with the thalamus and midbrain region. These findings suggest an association between intrinsic brain activity and impulsive behaviors in healthy humans.

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Cerebral Activity Changes in Different Traditional Chinese Medicine Patterns of Psychogenic Erectile Dysfunction Patients

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2015/503536 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Qi Liu ◽

Peihai Zhang ◽

Junjie Pan ◽

Zhengjie Li ◽

Jixin Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Erectile Dysfunction ◽

Chinese Medicine ◽

Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Parahippocampal Gyrus ◽

Cerebral Activity ◽

The Right

Background.Pattern differentiation is the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). This study aims to investigate the differences in cerebral activity in ED patients with different TCM patterns.Methods.27 psychogenic ED patients and 27 healthy subjects (HS) were enrolled in this study. Each participant underwent an fMRI scan in resting state. The fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) was used to detect the brain activity changes in ED patients with different patterns.Results.Compared to HS, ED patients showed an increased cerebral activity in bilateral cerebellum, insula, globus pallidus, parahippocampal gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and middle cingulate cortex (MCC). Compared to the patients with liver-qi stagnation and spleen deficiency pattern (LSSDP), the patients with kidney-yang deficiency pattern (KDP) showed an increased activity in bilateral brainstem, cerebellum, hippocampus, and the right insula, thalamus, MCC, and a decreased activity in bilateral putamen, medial frontal gyrus, temporal pole, and the right caudate nucleus, OFC, anterior cingulate cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex (P<0.005).Conclusions.The ED patients with different TCM patterns showed different brain activities. The differences in cerebral activity between LSSDP and KDP were mainly in the emotion-related regions, including prefrontal cortex and cingulated cortex.

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Framing and Self-Responsibility Modulate Brain Activities in Decision Escalation

10.21203/rs.2.24818/v4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ting-Peng Liang ◽

Yuwen Li ◽

Nai-Shing Yen ◽

Ofir Turel ◽

Sen-Mou Hsu

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Contextual Factors ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Two Factors ◽

Human Decision

Abstract Background: Escalation of commitment is a common bias in human decision making. The present study examined (1) differences in neural recruitment for escalation and de-escalation decisions of prior investments, and (2) how the activations of these brain networks are modulated by two factors that are often argued to modulate the behavior: (i) self-responsibility, and (ii) framing of the success probabilities. Results: Imaging data were obtained from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) applied to 29 participants. A whole-brain analysis was conducted to compare brain activations between conditions. ROI analysis, then, was used to examine if these significant activations were modulated by two contextual factors. Finally, mediation analysis was applied to explore how the contextual factors affect escalation decisions through brain activations. The findings showed that (1) escalation decisions are faster than de-escalation decisions, (2) the corresponding network of brain regions recruited for escalation (anterior cingulate cortex, insula and precuneus) decisions differs from this recruited for de-escalation decisions (inferior and superior frontal gyri), (3) the switch from escalation to de-escalation is primarily frontal gyri dependent, and (4) activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, insula and precuneus were further increased in escalation decisions, when the outcome probabilities of the follow-up investment were positively framed; and activation in the inferior and superior frontal gyri in de-escalation decisions were increased when the outcome probabilities were negatively framed. Conclusions: Escalation and de-escalation decisions recruit different brain regions. Framing of possible outcomes as negative leads to escalation decisions through recruitment of the inferior frontal gyrus. Responsibility for decisions affects escalation decisions through recruitment of the superior (inferior) gyrus, when the decision is framed positively (negatively).

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