scholarly journals Altered Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations in Inactive Patients with Nonneuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yu ◽  
Liheng Chen ◽  
Qiaohong Wang ◽  
Lingzhen Hu ◽  
Qiuping Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lupus Erythematosus ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency Oscillations ◽  
Postcentral Gyrus ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations ◽  
The Right

Objective.This study is aimed at investigating the characteristics of the spontaneous brain activity in inactive patients with nonneuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (non-NPSLE). Methods. Thirty-one female inactive patients with non-NPSLE and twenty healthy controls were examined by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI). Three amplitude methods including amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), and percent amplitude of fluctuation (PerAF) (with and without standardization) were applied to evaluate the spontaneous brain activity. The correlation was performed between low-frequency oscillations and clinical and neuropsychological factors in inactive patients with non-NPSLE. Results. Compared to healthy controls, patients with non-NPSLE showed increased standardized ALFF (mALFF) in the left inferior temporal gyrus and left putamen, decreased PerAF in the right postcentral gyrus and bilateral precentral gyrus, and increased standardized PerAF (mPerAF) in the left putamen and decreased mPerAF in the right postcentral gyrus and bilateral precentral gyrus. By standardized fALFF (mfALFF), no significant brain regions were found between the two groups. Correlation analysis revealed significantly positive correlations between glucocorticoid dose and PerAF in the right precentral gyrus and mPerAF in the left putamen, and Complement 3 (C3) and mPerAF in the right postcentral gyrus. There was a significant negative correlation between C3 and mALFF in the left putamen. Conclusion. Abnormal low-frequency oscillations in multiple brain regions were found in inactive patients with non-NPSLE, indicating that the alteration of mALFF, PerAF, and mPerAF in specific brain regions might be an imaging biomarker of brain dysfunction in inactive patients with non-NPSLE.

scholarly journals Investigation of changes in the activity and function of dry eye-associated brain regions using the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations(ALFF)method

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tie Sun ◽  
Hui-Ye Shu ◽  
Jie-Li Wu ◽  
Ting Su ◽  
Yu-Ji Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dry Eye ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Middle Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations

Objective: The local characteristics of spontaneous brain activity in patients with dry eye (DE) and its relationship with clinical characteristics were evaluated using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) method. Methods: A total of 27 patients with DE (10 males and 17 females) and 28 healthy controls (HCs) (10 males and 18 females) were recruited, matched according to sex, age, weight, and height, classified into the DE and HC groups, and examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Spontaneous brain activity changes were recorded using ALFF technology. Data were recorded and plotted on the receiver operating characteristic curve, reflecting changes in activity in different brain areas. Finally, Pearson correlation analysis was used to calculate the potential relationship between spontaneous brain activity abnormalities in multiple brain regions and clinical features in patients with DE. GraphPad Prism 8 (GraphPad Software, Inc.) was used to analyze the linear correlation between the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and ALFF value. Results: Compared with HCs, the ALFF values of patients with DE were decreased in the right middle frontal gyrus/right inferior orbitofrontal cortex, left triangle inferior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and right superior frontal gyrus. In contrast, the ALFF value of patients with DE was increased in the left calcarine. Conclusion: There are significant fluctuations in the ALFF value of specific brain regions in patients with DE versus HCs. This corroborates previous evidence showing that the symptoms of ocular surface damage in patients with DE are related to dysfunction in specific brain areas.

scholarly journals White matter of perinatally HIV infected older youths shows low frequency fluctuations that may reflect glial cycling

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj K. Sarma ◽  
Amrita Pal ◽  
Margaret A. Keller ◽  
Tamara Welikson ◽  
Joseph Ventura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cerebral White Matter ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Latent Hiv ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain

AbstractIn perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV) children, neurodevelopment occurs in the presence of HIV-infection, and even with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) the brain can be a reservoir for latent HIV. Consequently, patients often demonstrate long-term cognitive deficits and developmental delay, which may be reflected in altered functional brain activity. Our objective was to examine brain function in PHIV on cART by quantifying the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo). Further, we studied ALFF and ReHo changes with neuropsychological performance and measures of immune health including CD4 count and viral loads in the HIV-infected youths. We found higher ALFF and ReHo in cerebral white matter in the medial orbital lobe for PHIV (N = 11, age mean ± sd = 22.5 ± 2.9 years) compared to controls (N = 16, age = 22.5 ± 3.0 years), with age and gender as co-variates. Bilateral cerebral white matter showed increased spontaneous regional activity in PHIV compared to healthy controls. No brain regions showed lower ALFF or ReHo in PHIV compared to controls. Higher log10 viral load was associated with higher ALFF and ReHo in PHIV in bilateral cerebral white matter and right cerebral white matter respectively after masking the outcomes intrinsic to the brain regions that showed significantly higher ALFF and ReHo in the PHIV compared to the control. Reductions in social cognition and abstract thinking in PHIV were correlated with higher ALFF at the left cerebral white matter in the left medial orbital gyrus and higher ReHo at the right cerebral white matter in the PHIV patients. Although neuroinflammation and associated neuro repair were not directly measured, the findings support their potential role in PHIV impacting neurodevelopment and cognition.

Altered brain network centrality in patients with trigeminal neuralgia: a resting-state fMRI study

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-Wen Zhu ◽  
You Chen ◽  
Ying-Xin Gong ◽  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Wen-Feng Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trigeminal Neuralgia ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Degree Centrality ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Postcentral Gyrus ◽  
The Right

Background Neuroimaging studies revealed that trigeminal neuralgia was related to alternations in brain anatomical function and regional function. However, the functional characteristics of network organization in the whole brain is unknown. Purpose The aim of the present study was to analyze potential functional network brain-activity changes and their relationships with clinical features in patients with trigeminal neuralgia via the voxel-wise degree centrality method. Material and Methods This study involved a total of 28 trigeminal neuralgia patients (12 men, 16 women) and 28 healthy controls matched in sex, age, and education. Spontaneous brain activity was evaluated by degree centrality. Correlation analysis was used to examine the correlations between behavioral performance and average degree centrality values in several brain regions. Results Compared with healthy controls, trigeminal neuralgia patients had significantly higher degree centrality values in the right lingual gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, left paracentral lobule, and bilateral inferior cerebellum. Receiver operative characteristic curve analysis of each brain region confirmed excellent accuracy of the areas under the curve. There was a positive correlation between the mean degree centrality value of the right postcentral gyrus and VAS score (r = 0.885, P < 0.001). Conclusions Trigeminal neuralgia causes abnormal brain network activity in multiple brain regions, which may be related to underlying disease mechanisms.

Altered Cerebellum Spontaneous Activity in juvenile Autism Spectrum Disorders Associated with Cognitive Functions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinglun Li ◽  
Xiu Chen ◽  
Ruwen Zheng ◽  
Ai Chen ◽  
Yan Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Mechanistic Basis ◽  
Normal Controls

Abstract BackgroundAutism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a neurodevelopment disorder. The cerebellum has been reported to be one of the key regions involved in ASD. However, the associations between the cerebellum and clinical traits remain unclear. MethodsHere we performed Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) analysis to detect the alterations of brain spontaneous activity in ASDs and explore the associations between spontaneous brain activity and clinical traits. ResultsCompared with normal controls, cerebellum crus 2 showed significantly weaker average ALFF values. Other regions such as left cerebellum 6, cerebellum vermis 4 5, putamen, SMA and thalamus showed increased mean ALFF values. In ASD patients with SRS total score T above 59, the mean ALFF values of cerebellum vermis 4 5 was significantly correlated with SRS total score T (r=0.175, P=0.031), SRS cognition score T (r=0.169, P=0.036) and SRS motivation score T (r=0.176, P=0.028).ConclusionsThese findings were not observed in other brain regions and in normal controls. Our study suggests a role of cerebellum in cognitive impairments in ASD and supports a mechanistic basis for the targeted treatment of ASD disorders.Trial registrationNot applicable.

scholarly journals Regional homogeneity of intrinsic brain activity related to the main alexithymia dimensions

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. e000003
Author(s):  
Han Dai ◽  
Li Mei ◽  
Mei Minjun ◽  
Sun Xiaofei
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Occipital Lobe ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Regional Homogeneity ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Lingual Gyrus ◽  
Postcentral Gyrus ◽  
Intrinsic Brain Activity

BackgroundAlexithymia is a multidimensional personality construct.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the neuronal correlates of each alexithymia dimension by examining the regional homogeneity (ReHo) of intrinsic brain activity in a resting situation.MethodsFrom university freshmen, students with alexithymia and non-alexithymia were recruited. Their alexithymic traits were assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20. The ReHo was examined using a resting-state functional MRI approach.ResultsThis study suggests significant group differences in ReHo in multiple brain regions distributed in the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe and insular cortex. However, only the ReHo in the insula was positively associated with difficulty identifying feelings, a main dimension of alexithymia. The ReHo in the lingual gyrus, precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus was positively associated with difficulty describing feelings in participants with alexithymia. Lastly, the ReHo in the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC_R) was negatively related to the externally oriented thinking style of participants with alexithymia.ConclusionIn conclusion, these results suggest that the main dimensions of alexithymia are correlated with specific brain regions’ function, and the role of the insula, lingual gyrus, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus and DMPFC_R in the neuropathology of alexithymia should be further investigated.

scholarly journals Altered Spontaneous Neural Activity and Functional Connectivity in Parkinson’s Disease With Subthalamic Microlesion

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bei Luo ◽  
Yue Lu ◽  
Chang Qiu ◽  
Wenwen Dong ◽  
Chen Xue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Precentral Gyrus

BackgroundTransient improvement in motor symptoms are immediately observed in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) after an electrode has been implanted into the subthalamic nucleus (STN) for deep brain stimulation (DBS). This phenomenon is known as the microlesion effect (MLE). However, the underlying mechanisms of MLE is poorly understood.PurposeWe utilized resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to evaluate changes in spontaneous brain activity and networks in PD patients during the microlesion period after DBS.MethodOverall, 37 PD patients and 13 gender- and age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited for this study. Rs-MRI information was collected from PD patients three days before DBS and one day after DBS, whereas the HCs group was scanned once. We utilized the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method in order to analyze differences in spontaneous whole-brain activity among all subjects. Furthermore, functional connectivity (FC) was applied to investigate connections between other brain regions and brain areas with significantly different ALFF before and after surgery in PD patients.ResultRelative to the PD-Pre-DBS group, the PD-Post-DBS group had higher ALFF in the right putamen, right inferior frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus and lower ALFF in right angular gyrus, right precuneus, right posterior cingulate gyrus (PCC), left insula, left middle temporal gyrus (MTG), bilateral middle frontal gyrus and bilateral superior frontal gyrus (dorsolateral). Functional connectivity analysis revealed that these brain regions with significantly different ALFF scores demonstrated abnormal FC, largely in the temporal, prefrontal cortices and default mode network (DMN).ConclusionThe subthalamic microlesion caused by DBS in PD was found to not only improve the activity of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit, but also reduce the activity of the DMN and executive control network (ECN) related brain regions. Results from this study provide new insights into the mechanism of MLE.

scholarly journals Altered Local Brain Amplitude of Fluctuations in Patients With Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei Huang ◽  
Xing-Hua Luan ◽  
Zhou Xie ◽  
Meng-Ting Li ◽  
Sheng-Di Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myotonic Dystrophy ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 ◽  
Myotonic Dystrophy Type ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations

This study is aimed at investigating the characteristics of the spontaneous brain activity in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). A total of 18 patients with DM1 and 18 healthy controls (HCs) were examined by resting-state functional MRI. Combined methods include amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFFs), the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFFs), and Wavelet transform-based ALFFs (Wavelet-ALFFs) with standardization, percent amplitude of fluctuation (PerAF) with/without standardization were applied to evaluate the spontaneous brain activity of patients with DM1. Compared with HCs, patients with DM1 showed decreased ALFFs and Wavelet-ALFFs in the bilateral precuneus (PCUN), angular gyrus (ANG), inferior parietal, but supramarginal and angular gyri (IPL), posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG), superior frontal gyrus, medial (SFGmed), middle occipital gyrus (MOG), which were mainly distributed in the brain regions of default mode network (DMN). Decreased ALFFs and Wavelet-ALFFs were also seen in bilateral middle frontal gyrus (MFG), inferior frontal gyrus, opercular part (IFGoperc), which were the main components of the executive control network (ECN). Patients with DM1 also showed decreased fALFFs in SFGmed.R, the right anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri (ACGR), bilateral MFG. Reduced PerAF in bilateral PCUN, ANG, PCG, MOG, and IPLL as well as decreased PerAF without standardization in PCUNR and bilateral PCG also existed in patients with DM1. In conclusion, patients with DM1 had decreased activity in DMN and ECN with increased fluctuations in the temporal cortex and cerebellum. Decreased brain activity in DMN was the most repeatable and reliable with PCUN and PCG being the most specific imaging biomarker of brain dysfunction in patients with DM1.

scholarly journals Altered Spontaneous Brain Activity Related to Neurologic Dysfunction in Patients With Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengmeng Feng ◽  
Hongwei Wen ◽  
Haotian Xin ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Changhu Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Vessel Disease ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Cerebral Small Vessel Disease ◽  
Small Vessel ◽  
Clinical Parameters ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Roc Curve Analysis ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Vessel Disease ◽  
The Right

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) encompasses several diseases affecting the small arteries, arterioles, venules, and capillaries of the brain and refers to several pathological processes and etiologies. Neuroimaging is considered the gold standard for detecting CSVD, which can present diverse features on MRI. Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) in CSVD have been demonstrated to play a synergistic role in both cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative pathology. Considering previous studies on brain structural abnormalities in CSVD, in the present study, we aimed to explore altered spontaneous brain activity among CSVD patients using amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), fractional ALFF (fALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) methods based on resting-state functional MRI. In this study, we recruited 24 CSVD patients with CMBs (CSVD-c), 42 CSVD patients without CMBs (CSVD-n) and 36 healthy controls from outpatient clinics in Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong First Medical University between September 2018 and June 2019. All subjects underwent 3-T MRI, including blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) and susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI). Anatomic structures were segmented, ALFF/fALFF values were calculated, and ReHo maps were generated. Further statistical analysis was applied to study the difference in ALFF/fALFF/ReHo among the three groups and the association between ALFF/fALFF/ReHo changes in different brain regions and clinical characteristics. Twenty-four CSVD-c patients (age: 67.54 ± 6.00 years, 10 females), 42 CSVD-n patients (age: 66.33 ± 5.25 years, 22 females) and 36 healthy subjects (age: 64.14 ± 8.57 years, 19 females) were evaluated. Compared with controls, the CSVD-c group showed significantly increased ALFF values in the right insula, putamen and left precuneus; decreased fALFF values in the right precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus; and increased ReHo values in the left precuneus, fusiform gyrus, right supplementary motor area (SMA), and superior frontal gyrus. Notably, the mean ALFF values of the right insula and putamen were not only significantly related to all clinical parameters but also demonstrated the best performance in Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. These findings reveal CSVD-c patients have dysfunctions in the default mode network, sensorimotor network and frontoparietal network, which may implicate the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms of intrinsic brain activity. The correlation between altered spontaneous neuronal activity and clinical parameters provides early useful diagnostic biomarkers for CSVD.

scholarly journals Altered Spontaneous Brain Activity Patterns and Functional Connectivity in Adults With Intermittent Exotropia: A Resting-State fMRI Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueying He ◽  
Jie Hong ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
Yanan Guo ◽  
Ting Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Intermittent Exotropia ◽  
Parietal Lobule ◽  
The Right ◽  
Left Middle

The purpose of this study is to investigate brain functional changes in patients with intermittent exotropia (IXT) by analyzing the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of brain activity and functional connectivity (FC) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). There were 26 IXT patients and 22 age-, sex-, education-, and handedness-matched healthy controls (HCs) enrolled who underwent rs-fMRI. The ALFF, fractional ALFF (fALFF) values in the slow 4 and slow 5 bands, and FC values were calculated and compared. The correlations between ALFF/fALFF values in discrepant brain regions and clinical features were evaluated. Compared with HCs, ALFF/fALFF values were significantly increased in the right angular gyrus (ANG), supramarginal gyrus (SMG), inferior parietal lobule (IPL), precentral gyrus (PreCG), and the bilateral inferior frontal gyri (IFG), and decreased in the right precuneus gyrus (PCUN), left middle occipital gyrus (MOG), and postcentral gyrus (PoCG) in IXT patients. The Newcastle Control Test score was negatively correlated with ALFF values in the right IFG (r = −0.738, p &lt; 0.001). The duration of IXT was negatively correlated with ALFF values in the right ANG (r = −0.457, p = 0.049). Widespread increases in FC were observed between brain regions, mainly including the right cuneus (CUN), left superior parietal lobule (SPL), right rolandic operculum (ROL), left middle temporal gyrus (MTG), left IFG, left median cingulate gyrus (DCG), left PoCG, right PreCG, and left paracentral gyrus (PCL) in patients with IXT. No decreased FC was observed. Patients with IXT exhibited aberrant intrinsic brain activities and FC in vision- and eye movement-related brain regions, which extend current understanding of the neuropathological mechanisms underlying visual and oculomotor impairments in IXT patients.

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