Cortical Volume and Thickness in Youth Several Years After Concussion

2020 ◽  
pp. 088307382096293
Author(s):  
Nikola Zivanovic ◽  
Shane Virani ◽  
Alysha A. Rajaram ◽  
Catherine Lebel ◽  
Keith Owen Yeates ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Cortical Volume ◽  
Brain Morphometry ◽  
Orthopedic Injury ◽  
History Of ◽  
Postconcussion Symptoms

Objective: The long-term effects of pediatric concussion on brain morphometry remain poorly delineated. This study used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate cortical volume and thickness in youth several years after concussion. Methods: Participants aged 8-19 years old with a history of concussion (n = 37) or orthopedic injury (n = 20) underwent MRI, rated their postconcussion symptoms, and completed cognitive testing on average 2.6 years (SD = 1.6) after injury. FreeSurfer was used to obtain cortical volume and thickness measurements as well as determine any significant correlations between brain morphometry, postconcussion symptoms (parent and self-report), and cognitive functioning. Results: No significant group differences were found for either cortical volume or thickness. Youth with a history of concussion had higher postconcussion symptom scores (both parent and self-report Postconcussion Symptom Inventory) than the orthopedic injury group, but symptom ratings did not significantly correlate with cortical volume or thickness. Across both groups, faster reaction time on a computerized neurocognitive test battery (CNS Vital Signs) was associated with a thinner cortex in the left pars triangularis of the inferior frontal gyrus and the left caudal anterior cingulate. Better verbal memory was associated with a thinner cortex in the left rostral middle frontal gyrus. Conclusion: Findings do not support differences in cortical volume or thickness approximately 2.5 years postconcussion in youth, suggesting either long-term cortical recovery or no cortical differences as a result of injury. Further research using a longitudinal study design and larger samples is needed.

Microstructure of the Corpus Callosum Long after Pediatric Concussion

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 763-775
Author(s):  
Maya N. Sohn ◽  
Shane Virani ◽  
Helen L. Carlson ◽  
Shelby MacPhail ◽  
Trevor A. Low ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Corpus Callosum ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Pediatric Concussion ◽  
Orthopedic Injury ◽  
White Matter Microstructure ◽  
History Of

AbstractObjective:The long-term effects of pediatric concussion on white matter microstructure are poorly understood. This study investigated long-term changes in white matter diffusion properties of the corpus callosum in youth several years after concussion.Methods:Participants were 8–19 years old with a history of concussion (n = 36) or orthopedic injury (OI) (n = 21). Mean time since injury for the sample was 2.6 years (SD = 1.6). Participants underwent diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, completed cognitive testing, and rated their post-concussion symptoms. Measures of diffusivity (fractional anisotropy, mean, axial, and radial diffusivity) were extracted from white matter tracts in the genu, body, and splenium regions of the corpus callosum. The genu and splenium tracts were further subdivided into 21 equally spaced regions along the tract and diffusion values were extracted from each of these smaller regions.Results:White matter tracts in the genu, body, and splenium did not differ in diffusivity properties between youth with a history of concussion and those with a history of OI. No significant group differences were found in subdivisions of the genu and splenium after correcting for multiple comparisons. Diffusion metrics did not significantly correlate with symptom reports or cognitive performance.Conclusions:These findings suggest that at approximately 2.5 years post-injury, youth with prior concussion do not have differences in their corpus callosum microstructure compared to youth with OI. Although these results are promising from the perspective of long-term recovery, further research utilizing longitudinal study designs is needed to confirm the long-term effects of pediatric concussion on white matter microstructure.

scholarly journals Illness Severity Moderated Association Between Trait Anxiety and Amygdala-Based Functional Connectivity in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Du ◽  
Hailong Li ◽  
Hongqi Xiao ◽  
Mei Wang ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Illness Severity ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Significant Group

Trait anxiety is considered a vulnerability factor for the development of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The amygdala is related to both trait anxiety and GAD. Thus, we investigated amygdala-based functional connectivity (FC) in drug-naive non-comorbid GAD patients and explored its associations with personality, symptoms, and illness severity. FC analyses using the bilateral amygdala as seeds were performed with resting-state functional MRI data from 38 GAD patients and 20 matched healthy controls (HCs). Clinical characteristics were correlated with FC Z-scores from regions showing significant group differences. Furthermore, moderation analyses were used to explore the conditional effect of illness severity measured by the Clinical Global Impression–Severity (CGI-S) scale on the relationship between FC and trait anxiety. Relative to HCs, GAD patients showed hypoconnectivity between the amygdala and the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), parahippocampal gyrus, and cerebellum and hyperconnectivity between the amygdala and the superior temporal gyrus (STG), insula, and postcentral gyrus. In GAD patients, amygdala–rACC connectivity was negatively associated with symptom severity and trait anxiety, and amygdala–IFG connectivity was positively associated with symptom severity. Moreover, CGI-S scores moderated the negative correlation between trait anxiety and amygdala–rACC FC. We demonstrate that there is extensive amygdala-based network dysfunction in patients with GAD. More importantly, amygdala–rACC connectivity plays a key role in the neural pathology of trait anxiety. Finally, the more severe the illness, the stronger the negative association between trait anxiety and amygdala–rACC FC. Our results emphasize the importance of personalized intervention in GAD.

scholarly journals Development and validation of a motivational persistence scale

Psihologija ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ticu Constantin ◽  
Andrei Holman ◽  
Maria Hojbotă
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Divergent Validity ◽  
Canonical Correlations ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Specific Goal ◽  
Convergent And Divergent Validity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Development And Validation

The main goal of our research was to develop a new measure of persistence and to assess its construct validity and psychometric proprieties. First, we discuss the history of the psychological construct of persistence, defined here as the tendency to remain engaged in specific goal-related activities, despite difficulties, obstacles, fatigue, prolonged frustration or low perceived feasibility. The developed scale, measuring motivational persistence, contains three-factors: long-term purposes pursuing, current purposes pursuing and recurrence of unattained purposes. The results of the two validation studies conducted, employing both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, advocate the hypothesized structure. Also, the Pearson and canonical correlations between the three factors of the new self-report scale and other three related measures (and their factors) indicate good levels of convergent and divergent validity of the new scale.

What drives MRI-measured cortical atrophy in multiple sclerosis?

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1280-1290 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Popescu ◽  
R Klaver ◽  
P Voorn ◽  
Y Galis-de Graaf ◽  
DL Knol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Cortical Atrophy ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Mri Imaging ◽  
Cortical Volume ◽  
Axonal Pathology ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri

Background: Cortical atrophy, assessed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is an important outcome measure in multiple sclerosis (MS) studies. However, the underlying histopathology of cortical volume measures is unknown. Objective: We investigated the histopathological substrate of MRI-measured cortical volume in MS using combined post-mortem imaging and histopathology. Methods: MS brain donors underwent post-mortem whole-brain in-situ MRI imaging. After MRI, tissue blocks were systematically sampled from the superior and inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and superior temporal gyrus. Histopathological markers included neuronal, axonal, synapse, astrocyte, dendrite, myelin, and oligodendrocyte densities. Matched cortical volumes from the aforementioned anatomical regions were measured on the MRI, and used as outcomes in a nested prediction model. Results: Forty-five tissue blocks were sampled from 11 MS brain donors. Mean age at death was 68±12 years, post-mortem interval 4±1 hours, and disease duration 35±15 years. MRI-measured regional cortical volumes varied depending on anatomical region. Neuronal density, neuronal size, and axonal density were significant predictors of GM volume. Conclusions: In patients with long-standing disease, neuronal and axonal pathology are the predominant pathological substrates of MRI-measured cortical volume in chronic MS.

Differences in neural response to extinction recall in young adults with or without history of behavioral inhibition

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomer Shechner ◽  
Nathan A. Fox ◽  
Jamie A. Mash ◽  
Johanna M. Jarcho ◽  
Gang Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Behavioral Inhibition ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Manifest Anxiety

AbstractBehavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperament identified in early childhood that is associated with risk for anxiety disorders, yet only about half of behaviorally inhibited children manifest anxiety later in life. We compared brain function and behavior during extinction recall in a sample of nonanxious young adults characterized in childhood with BI (n = 22) or with no BI (n = 28). Three weeks after undergoing fear conditioning and extinction, participants completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging extinction recall task assessing memory and threat differentiation for conditioned stimuli. While self-report and psychophysiological measures of differential conditioning and extinction were similar across groups, BI-related differences in brain function emerged during extinction recall. Childhood BI was associated with greater activation in subgenual anterior cingulate cortex in response to cues signaling safety. This pattern of results may reflect neural correlates that promote resilience against anxiety in a temperamentally at-risk population.

scholarly journals The Neural Substrates of Recognition Memory for Verbal Information: Spanning the Divide between Short- and Long-term Memory

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 978-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley R. Buchsbaum ◽  
Aarthi Padmanabhan ◽  
Karen Faith Berman
Keyword(s):  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Memory Research ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
History Of ◽  
Short And Long Term

One of the classic categorical divisions in the history of memory research is that between short-term and long-term memory. Indeed, because memory for the immediate past (a few seconds) and memory for the relatively more remote past (several seconds and beyond) are assumed to rely on distinct neural systems, more often than not, memory research has focused either on short- (or “working memory”) or on long-term memory. Using an auditory–verbal continuous recognition paradigm designed for fMRI, we examined how the neural signatures of recognition memory change across an interval of time (from 2.5 to 30 sec) that spans this hypothetical division between short- and long-term memory. The results revealed that activity during successful auditory–verbal item recognition in inferior parietal cortex and the posterior superior temporal lobe was maximal for early lags, whereas, conversely, activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus increased as a function of lag. Taken together, the results reveal that as the interval between item repetitions increases, there is a shift in the distribution of memory-related activity that moves from posterior temporo-parietal cortex (lags 1–4) to inferior frontal regions (lags 5–10), indicating that as time advances, the burden of recognition memory is increasingly placed on top–down retrieval mechanisms that are mediated by structures in inferior frontal cortex.

Neural correlates of ethnic minority position and risk for psychosis

2020 ◽  
pp. 470-475
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Selten ◽  
Jan Booij ◽  
Bauke Buwalda ◽  
Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Stress ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Social Defeat ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
History Of Childhood ◽  
Psychosis Risk ◽  
History Of ◽  
Brain Changes ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Hypothesis

It is likely that the chronic stress of social defeat or exclusion contributes to the increased psychosis risk among members of ethnic minorities. Is this idea compatible with the dopamine or neurodevelopmental hypothesis, two dominant hypotheses with regard to pathogenesis? Defeated animals show clear evidence of dopamine sensitization. As for humans, one study showed elevated striatal dopamine function in migrants and their children. Other studies have shown this in other excluded groups, namely, adults with hearing impairment and individuals with a history of childhood trauma. Of note, the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex may play a major role in the processing of social stress and regulates dopaminergic areas implicated in stress sensitization. The authors are not aware of studies in humans that examined whether (proxies for) social exclusion contribute(s) to structural brain changes present at psychosis onset. Animal studies, however, reported that long-term isolation may lead to reductions in brain volume and that social defeat can reduce neurogenesis.

scholarly journals Susceptibility-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of Microbleeds in Pediatric Concussion

2021 ◽  
pp. 088307382110029
Author(s):  
Shane Virani ◽  
Alexander Barton ◽  
Bradley G. Goodyear ◽  
Keith Owen Yeates ◽  
Brian L. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Cerebral Microbleeds ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Pediatric Concussion ◽  
Orthopedic Injury ◽  
Symptom Ratings ◽  
History Of

Objective: The long-term consequences of pediatric concussion on brain structure are poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the presence and clinical significance of cerebral microbleeds several years after pediatric concussion. Methods: Children and adolescents 8-19 years of age with either a history of concussion (n = 35), or orthopedic injury (n = 20) participated. Mean time since injury for the sample was 30.4 months (SD = 19.6). Participants underwent susceptibility-weighted imaging, rated their depression and postconcussion symptoms, and completed cognitive testing. Parents of participants also completed symptom ratings for their child. Hypointensities in susceptibility-weighted images indicative of cerebral microbleeds were calculated as a measure of hypointensity burden. Results: Hypointensity burden did not differ significantly between participants with a history of concussion and those with a history of orthopedic injury. Depression ratings (self and parent report), postconcussion symptom ratings (self and parent report), and cognitive performance did not significantly correlate with hypointensity burden in the concussion group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that at approximately 2.5 years postinjury, children and adolescents with prior concussion do not have a greater amount of cerebral microbleeds compared to those with orthopedic injury. Future research should use longitudinal study designs and investigate children with persistent postconcussive symptoms to gain better insight into the long-term effects of concussion on cerebral microbleeds.

scholarly journals Acute mental health responses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill M. Newby ◽  
Kathleen O’Moore ◽  
Samantha Tang ◽  
Helen Christensen ◽  
Kate Faasse
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Anxiety ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Prior History ◽  
Mental Health Diagnosis ◽  
History Of ◽  
Health Diagnosis

AbstractThe acute and long-term mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are unknown. The current study examined the acute mental health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in 5070 adult participants in Australia, using an online survey administered during the peak of the outbreak in Australia (27th March to 7th April 2020). Self-report questionnaires examined COVID-19 fears and behavioural responses to COVID-19, as well as the severity of psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress), health anxiety, contamination fears, alcohol use, and physical activity. 78% of respondents reported that their mental health had worsened since the outbreak, one quarter (25.9%) were very or extremely worried about contracting COVID-19, and half (52.7%) were worried about family and friends contracting COVID-19. Uncertainty, loneliness and financial worries (50%) were common. Rates of elevated psychological distress were higher than expected, with 62%, 50%, and 64% of respondents reporting elevated depression, anxiety and stress levels respectively, and one in four reporting elevated health anxiety in the past week. Participants with self-reported history of a mental health diagnosis had significantly higher distress, health anxiety, and COVID-19 fears than those without a prior mental health diagnosis. Demographic (e.g., non-binary or different gender identity; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status), occupational (e.g., being a carer or stay at home parent), and psychological (e.g., perceived risk of contracting COVID-19) factors were associated with distress. Results revealed that precautionary behaviours (e.g., washing hands, using hand sanitiser, avoiding social events) were common, although in contrast to previous research, higher engagement in hygiene behaviours was associated with higher stress and anxiety levels. These results highlight the serious acute impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of respondents, and the need for proactive, accessible digital mental health services to address these mental health needs, particularly for those most vulnerable, including people with prior history of mental health problems. Longitudinal research is needed to explore long-term predictors of poor mental health from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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