scholarly journals Creating Colored Letters: Familial Markers of Grapheme–Color Synesthesia in Parietal Lobe Activation and Structure

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1239-1252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olympia Colizoli ◽  
Jaap M. J. Murre ◽  
H. Steven Scholte ◽  
Romke Rouw
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
The Family ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Right ◽  
First Time

Perception is inherently subjective, and individual differences in phenomenology are well illustrated by the phenomenon of synesthesia (highly specific, consistent, and automatic cross-modal experiences, in which the external stimulus corresponding to the additional sensation is absent). It is unknown why some people develop synesthesia and others do not. In the current study, we tested whether neural markers related to having synesthesia in the family were evident in brain function and structure. Relatives of synesthetes (who did not have any type of synesthesia themselves) and matched controls read specially prepared books with colored letters for several weeks and were scanned before and after reading using magnetic resonance imaging. Effects of acquired letter–color associations were evident in brain activation. Training-related activation (while viewing black letters) in the right angular gyrus of the parietal lobe was directly related to the strength of the learned letter–color associations (behavioral Stroop effect). Within this obtained angular gyrus ROI, the familial trait of synesthesia related to brain activation differences while participants viewed both black and colored letters. Finally, we compared brain structure using voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging to test for group differences and training effects. One cluster in the left superior parietal lobe had significantly more coherent white matter in the relatives compared with controls. No evidence for experience-dependent plasticity was obtained. For the first time, we present evidence suggesting that the (nonsynesthete) relatives of grapheme–color synesthetes show atypical grapheme processing as well as increased brain connectivity.

scholarly journals Cross-sex hormone treatment and own-body perception: behavioral and brain connectivity profiles

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Behzad S. Khorashad ◽  
Amirhossein Manzouri ◽  
Jamie D. Feusner ◽  
Ivanka Savic
Keyword(s):  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Hormone Treatment ◽  
Sex Hormone ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Body Perception ◽  
Functional Connections ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Superior Parietal Cortex

AbstractReferrals for gender dysphoria (GD), characterized by a distressful incongruence between gender identity and at-birth assigned sex, are steadily increasing. The underlying neurobiology, and the mechanisms of the often-beneficial cross-sex hormone treatment are unknown. Here, we test hypothesis that own body perception networks (incorporated in the default mode network—DMN, and partly in the salience network—SN), are different in trans-compared with cis-gender persons. We also investigate whether these networks change with cross-sex hormone treatment. Forty transmen (TrM) and 25 transwomen (TrW) were scanned before and after cross-sex hormone institution. We used our own developed Body Morph test (BM), to assess the perception of own body as self. Fifteen cisgender persons were controls. Within and between-group differences in functional connectivity were calculated using independent components analysis within the DMN, SN, and motor network (a control network). Pretreatment, TrM and TrW scored lower “self” on the BM test than controls. Their functional connections were weaker in the anterior cingulate-, mesial prefrontal-cortex (mPFC), precuneus, the left angular gyrus, and superior parietal cortex of the DMN, and ACC in the SN “Self” identification and connectivity in the mPFC in both TrM and TrW increased from scan 1 to 2, and at scan 2 no group differences remained. The neurobiological underpinnings of GD seem subserved by cerebral structures composing major parts of the DMN.

Neural Underpinnings of Numerical and Spatial Cognition: An fMRI Meta-Analysis of Brain Regions Associated with Symbolic Number, Arithmetic, and Mental Rotation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Hawes ◽  
H Moriah Sokolowski ◽  
Chuka Bosah Ononye ◽  
Daniel Ansari
Keyword(s):  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Number Representation ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
The Right ◽  
Symbolic Number

Where and under what conditions do spatial and numerical skills converge and diverge in the brain? To address this question, we conducted a meta-analysis of brain regions associated with basic symbolic number processing, arithmetic, and mental rotation. We used Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to construct quantitative meta-analytic maps synthesizing results from 86 neuroimaging papers (~ 30 studies/cognitive process). All three cognitive processes were found to activate bilateral parietal regions in and around the intraparietal sulcus (IPS); a finding consistent with shared processing accounts. Numerical and arithmetic processing were associated with overlap in the left angular gyrus, whereas mental rotation and arithmetic both showed activity in the middle frontal gyri. These patterns suggest regions of cortex potentially more specialized for symbolic number representation and domain-general mental manipulation, respectively. Additionally, arithmetic was associated with unique activity throughout the fronto-parietal network and mental rotation was associated with unique activity in the right superior parietal lobe. Overall, these results provide new insights into the intersection of numerical and spatial thought in the human brain.

Structural ‘connectomic’ alterations in the limbic system of multiple sclerosis patients with major depression

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 1003-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Nigro ◽  
Luca Passamonti ◽  
Roberta Riccelli ◽  
Nicola Toschi ◽  
Federico Rocca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Major Depression ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Connectivity Patterns ◽  
The Right ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Background: Major depression (MD) is a common psychiatric disorder in multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite the negative impact of MD on the quality of life of MS patients, little is known about its underlying brain mechanisms. Objective: We studied the whole-brain connectivity patterns that were associated with MD in MS. Alterations were mainly expected within limbic circuits. Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging data were collected in 20 MS patients with MD, 22 non-depressed MS patients and 16 healthy controls. We used deterministic tractography and graph analysis to study the white-matter connectivity patterns that characterized MS patients with MD. Results: We found that MD in MS was associated with increased local path length in the right hippocampus and right amygdala. Further analyses revealed that these effects were driven by an increased shortest distance between both the right hippocampus and right amygdala and a series of regions including the dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, sensory-motor cortices and supplementary motor area. Conclusion: Our data provide strong support for neurobiological accounts positing that MD in MS is mediated by abnormal ‘communications’ within limbic circuits. We also found evidence that MD in MS may be linked with connectivity alterations at the limbic-motor interface, a group of regions that translates emotions into survival-oriented behaviors.

scholarly journals Right ventricular crypts in a myocardial bridge: Relevance to surgical relief

2020 ◽  
Vol 2019 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdi Yacoub ◽  
Mohamed Nagy ◽  
Hatem Hosny ◽  
Ramy Doss ◽  
Ahmed Afifi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Coronary Artery ◽  
Multimodality Imaging ◽  
Hypertensive Heart Disease ◽  
Myocardial Bridge ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Thin Walled ◽  
The Right ◽  
First Time

Crypts are very thin walled invaginations from the cavity of the left ventricle into the compact myocardium. With the advent and increased application of multimodality imaging, crypts are being increasingly identified in both normal individuals and patients, with various conditions including HCM, before and after the development of LV hypertrophy, LV non-compaction and hypertensive heart disease. to date crypts have not been described in the right ventricle. We here describe for the first time, RV crypts which were extending into a myocardial bridge, in a patient with HCM and dynamic obstruction of the LAD coronary artery. We also document and discuss the serious complications which can arise from crypts, and highlight the importance of preoperative identification of crypts. Further studies are required to determine the fetal origin of crypts and their clinical significance

scholarly journals Vernacular, which means? Semantic remarks as side notes on the main topic of the conference

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Rytel
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Vernacular Architecture ◽  
Main Topic ◽  
Monumental Architecture ◽  
The Family ◽  
Household Members ◽  
The Right ◽  
Art And Architecture ◽  
First Time ◽  
Latin Term

The term vernacular referring to art and architecture was used for the first time in England in the middle of the nineteenth century. Numerous definitions have been created since the first Conference on Vernacular Architecture in Plovdiv in 1975. Still none of them defines the term utterly. Discrepancies in its interpretations could also be seen in attempts to translate the term coined in English and deriving from Latin. The right meaning of the term vernacular architecture shall be searched in its linguistics – etymology and semantics. In some works on vernacular architecture there are references to a word derivation - the primary Latin term verna. The word describes a slave born in a house of their master – well-known, familiar to all household members, trustworthy, close, but at the same time meaningless (faceless), withdrawn, ‘invisible’, someone who belongs in fact neither to the household nor to the family. One might say vernacular architecture does not look up to itself in the mirror; its attribute is self-unconsciousness. Architecture remains vernacular – anonymous, day-to-day, satisfying the most basic needs, becoming increasingly better with generations in models recognisable by their users – as long as it is not tempted by interpreting sophisticated, modern models of monumental architecture; as long as it does not compete to be distinctive. And maybe therefore in this regard it is architecture without an architect.

scholarly journals Temporoparietal Connectivity Within Default Mode Network Associates With Clinical Improvements in Schizophrenia Following Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Hu ◽  
Huan Huang ◽  
Yuchao Jiang ◽  
Xiong Jiao ◽  
Jie Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Default Mode Network ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Default Mode ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Mental Symptoms ◽  
Mri Scans ◽  
Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
The Right

Although modified electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been reported to be effective for the treatment of schizophrenia (SCZ), its action mechanism is unclear. To elucidate the underlying ECT mechanisms of SCZ, this study used a longitudinal cohort including 21 SCZ patients receiving only antipsychotics (DSZ group) and 21 SCZ patients receiving a regular course of ECT combining with antipsychotics (MSZ group) for 4 weeks. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at baseline (t1) and follow-up (t2) time points. A matched healthy control (HC) group included 23 individuals who were only scanned at baseline. Functional connectivity (FC) within the default mode network (DMN) was evaluated before and after ECT. Significant interaction of the group over time was found in FC between angular gyrus (AG) and middle temporal gyrus (MTG). Post-hoc analysis showed a significantly enhanced FC of left AG(AG.L) and right MTG (MTG.R) in the MSZ group relative to the DSZ group. In addition, the right AG (AG.R) showed significantly enhanced FC between MTG.R and left MTG (MTG.L) after ECT in the MSZ group, but no in the DSZ group. In particular, the FCs change in AG.L-MTG.R and AG.R-MTG.R were positively correlated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) negative score reduction. Furthermore, the FC change in AG.L-MTG.R was also positively correlated with the PANSS general psychopathology score reduction. These findings confirmed a potential relationship between ECT inducing hyperconnectivity within DMN and improvements in symptomatology of SCZ, suggesting that ECT controls mental symptoms by regulating the temporoparietal connectivity within DMN.

Mathematics and TMS

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Rusconi ◽  
Carlo Umiltà
Keyword(s):  
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Mathematical Cognition ◽  
Mental Number Line ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Relationship

This article introduces the relationship between mathematical cognition and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The mental number line is located in the parietal lobe. Studies employing TMS have explored issues related to the mental number line. This article reviews the studies centered on the magnitude code. The results show that even though the parietal activation is nearly always present in both hemispheres, it is often asymmetric, being greater in the right hemisphere when quantification of nonverbal and nonsymbolic material is required. Neuropsychological studies confirm the relation between the magnitude code and the parietal lobe. The extent to which number-related processes are number specific, and the extent to which they overlap with other aspects of spatial or magnitude representation, is currently a burgeoning area of research. Current work is aimed to disrupt numerical processes and observe concomitant changes in brain activation.

Sex Differences in Anatomical Rich-Club and Structural–Functional Coupling in the Human Brain Network

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuo Zhao ◽  
Gongshu Wang ◽  
Ting Yan ◽  
Jie Xiang ◽  
Xuexue Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Parahippocampal Gyrus ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Rich Club ◽  
The Right

Abstract Structural and functional differences between the brains of female and male adults have been well documented. However, potential sex differences in the patterns of rich-club organization and the coupling between their structural connectivity (SC) and functional connectivity (FC) remain to be determined. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging techniques were combined to examine sex differences in rich-club organization. Females had a stronger SC-FC coupling than males. Moreover, stronger SC-FC coupling in the females was primarily located in feeder connections and non–rich-club nodes of the left inferior frontal gyrus and inferior parietal lobe and the right superior frontal gyrus and superior parietal gyrus, whereas higher coupling strength in males was primarily located in rich-club connections and rich-club node of the right insula, and non-rich-club nodes of the left hippocampus and the right parahippocampal gyrus. Sex-specific patterns in correlations were also shown between SC-FC coupling and cognitive function, including working memory and reasoning ability. The topological changes in rich-club organization provide novel insight into sex-specific effects on white matter connections that underlie a potential network mechanism of sex-based differences in cognitive function.

Heterochely and laterality in Kingsleya castrensis Pedraza, Martinelli-Filho & Magalhães, 2015 (Decapoda, Pseudothelphusidae)

Crustaceana ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
José E. Martinelli Filho ◽  
Thuareag M. Trindade Dos Santos ◽  
Marcelo Petracco ◽  
Renata C. De Lima-Gomes ◽  
Célio U. Magalhães
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Neotropical Region ◽  
Aggressive Display ◽  
Territorial Behaviour ◽  
Freshwater Crab ◽  
Allometric Growth ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Right ◽  
Behavioural Aspects ◽  
First Time

Abstract Crabs of the family Pseudothelphusidae are restricted to the Neotropical region and new species are described every year. They are threatened by habitat loss and knowledge of this family is almost limited to taxonomy and faunal surveys. Here, we investigate the presence of heterochely and laterality in Kingsleya castrensis, as a tool to infer ecological and behavioural aspects. Since most Pseudothelphusidae were described from a few individuals only, some aspects of morphological variation, sexual dimorphism, heterochely and laterality are confirmed herein for the first time for a species of Kingsleya. The sizes of dactylus and propodus of males, as well as the allometric growth of both sides of the chelipeds, were significantly larger and higher, respectively, when compared to females. The right side was significantly longer than the left and both sexes displayed right-handedness. These results are similar to those from other freshwater crab families, and provide a clue to a possible aggressive, display, and territorial behaviour in K. castrensis.

Fiber Dissection and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Tractography Study of the Temporoparietal Fiber Intersection Area

2012 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. ons87-ons98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Martino ◽  
Rousinelle da Silva-Freitas ◽  
Hugo Caballero ◽  
Enrique Marco de Lucas ◽  
Juan A. García-Porrero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Posterior Portion ◽  
Parietal Lobes ◽  
Intersection Area ◽  
Horizontal Portion ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Tractography

Abstract Background: Lesion studies and recent surgical series report important sequelae when the inferior parietal lobe and posterior temporal lobe are damaged. Millions of axons cross through the white matter underlying these cortical areas; however, little is known about the complex organization of these connections. Objective: To analyze the subcortical anatomy of a specific region within the parietal and temporal lobes where 7 long-distances tracts intersect, ie, the temporoparietal fiber intersection area (TPFIA). Methods: Four postmortem human hemispheres were dissected, and 4 healthy hemispheres were analyzed through the use of diffusion tensor imaging-based tractography software. The different tracts that intersect at the posterior temporal and parietal lobes were isolated, and the relations with the surrounding structures were analyzed. Results: Seven tracts pass through the TPFIA: horizontal portion of the superior longitudinal fasciculus, arcuate fasciculus, middle longitudinal fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, optic radiations, and tapetum. The TPFIA was located deep to the angular gyrus, posterior portion of the supramarginal gyrus, and posterior portion of the superior, middle, and inferior temporal gyri. Conclusion: The TPFIA is a critical neural crossroad; it is traversed by 7 white matter tracts that connect multiple areas of the ipsilateral and contralateral hemisphere. It is also a vulnerable part of the network in that a lesion within this area will produce multiple disconnections. This is valuable information when a surgical approach through the parieto-temporo-occipital junction is planned. To decrease surgical risks, a detailed diffusion tensor imaging tractography reconstruction of the TPFIA should be performed, and intraoperative electric stimulation should be strongly considered.

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