The link between resting-state functional connectivity and cognition in MS patients

Objective: The objective of this paper is to explore differences in resting-state functional connectivity between cognitively impaired and preserved multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Methods: Sixty MS patients and 18 controls were assessed with the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRB-N). A global Z score of the BRB-N was obtained and allowed us to classify MS patients as cognitively impaired and cognitively preserved ( n = 30 per group). Functional connectivity was assessed by independent component analysis of resting-state networks (RSNs) related to cognition: the default mode network, left and right frontoparietal and salience network. Between-group differences were evaluated and a regression analysis was performed to describe relationships among cognitive status, functional connectivity and radiological variables. Results: Compared to cognitively preserved patients and healthy controls, cognitively impaired patients showed a lesser degree of functional connectivity in all RSNs explored. Cognitively preserved patients presented less connectivity than the control group in the left frontoparietal network. Global Z scores were positively and negatively correlated with brain parenchymal fraction and lesion volume, respectively. Conclusion: Decreased cognitive performance is accompanied by reduced resting state functional connectivity and directly related to brain damage. These results support the use of connectivity as a powerful tool to monitor and predict cognitive impairment in MS patients.

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Motor Sequences - Separating The Sequence From The Motor. A longitudinal rsfMRI Study

10.1101/2021.02.09.430495 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

ATP Jäger ◽

JM Huntenburg ◽

SA Tremblay ◽

U Schneider ◽

S Grahl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Motor Learning ◽

Resting State ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Control Group ◽

Motor Execution ◽

Motor Sequence ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Fast Learning ◽

Slow Learning

AbstractIn motor learning, sequence-specificity, i.e. the learning of specific sequential associations, has predominantly been studied using task-based fMRI paradigms. However, offline changes in resting state functional connectivity after sequence-specific motor learning are less well understood. Previous research has established that plastic changes following motor learning can be divided into stages including fast learning, slow learning and retention. A description of how resting state functional connectivity after sequence-specific motor sequence learning (MSL) develops across these stages is missing. This study aimed to identify plastic alterations in whole-brain functional connectivity after learning a complex motor sequence by contrasting an active group who learned a complex sequence with a control group who performed a control task matched for motor execution. Resting state fMRI and behavioural performance were collected in both groups over the course of 5 consecutive training days and at follow-up after 12 days to encompass fast learning, slow learning, overall learning and retention. Between-group interaction analyses showed sequence-specific increases in functional connectivity during fast learning in the sensorimotor territory of the internal segment of right globus pallidus (GPi), and sequence-specific decreases in right supplementary motor area (SMA) in overall learning. We found that connectivity changes in key regions of the motor network including the superior parietal cortex (SPC) and primary motor cortex (M1) were not a result of sequence-specific learning but were instead linked to motor execution. Our study confirms the sequence-specific role of SMA and GPi that has previously been identified in online task-based learning studies in humans and primates, and extends it to resting state network changes after sequence-specific MSL. Finally, our results shed light on a timing-specific plasticity mechanism between GPi and SMA following MSL.

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Parental Education, Ethnicity, and Functional Connectivity between Nucleus Accumbens and Frontoparietal Network

10.5772/intechopen.101335 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shervin Assari

Keyword(s):

Nucleus Accumbens ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Parental Education ◽

Black People ◽

Right Hemisphere ◽

Latino Youth ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Frontoparietal Network

While studies have indicated an association between socioeconomic status (SES) and neuroimaging measures, weaker SES effects are shown for Blacks than Whites. This is, in part, due to processes such as stratification, racism, minoritization, and othering of Black people in the United States. However, less is known about Latino youth. This study had two aims: First, to test the association between parental education and the right and left nucleus accumbens (NAcc) resting-state functional connectivity with the frontoparietal network (FPN) in children; and second, to investigate ethnic heterogeneity in this association. This cross-sectional study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We analyzed the resting-state functional connectivity data (rsFC) of 10,840 US preadolescents who were between 9 and 10 years old. The main outcomes were the NAcc resting-state functional connectivity with FPN separately calculated for right and left hemispheres. Parental education was our independent variable. Family structure, sex, and age were covariates. Furthermore, ethnicity (Latino vs. non-Latino) was regarded as the moderator. We used mixed-effects regression for data analysis with and without interaction terms between parental education and ethnicity. Most participants (n = 8690; 80.2%) were non-Latino and 2150 (19.8%) were Latino. Parental education was associated with higher right and left NAcc resting-state functional connectivity with FPN. Ethnicity showed statistically significant interactions with parental education, suggesting that the positive associations between parental education and right and left NAcc resting-state functional connectivity with FPN were different in non-Latino and Latino children. For right hemisphere, we found significantly stronger and for left hemisphere, we found significantly weaker association for Latino compared with non-Latino preadolescents. Preadolescents’ NAcc resting-state functional connectivity with FPN depends on the intersections of ethnicity, parental education, and laterality.

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Cognitive correlates of cerebellar resting-state functional connectivity in Parkinson disease

Neurology ◽

10.1212/wnl.0000000000008754 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 94 (4) ◽

pp. e384-e396 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Baijayanta Maiti ◽

Jonathan M. Koller ◽

Abraham Z. Snyder ◽

Aaron B. Tanenbaum ◽

Scott A. Norris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Parkinson Disease ◽

Resting State ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Association Cortex ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Clinical Dementia Rating ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Global Cognition

ObjectiveTo investigate in a cross-sectional study the contributions of altered cerebellar resting-state functional connectivity (FC) to cognitive impairment in Parkinson disease (PD).MethodsWe conducted morphometric and resting-state FC-MRI analyses contrasting 81 participants with PD and 43 age-matched healthy controls using rigorous quality assurance measures. To investigate the relationship of cerebellar FC to cognitive status, we compared participants with PD without cognitive impairment (Clinical Dementia Rating [CDR] scale score 0, n = 47) to participants with PD with impaired cognition (CDR score ≥0.5, n = 34). Comprehensive measures of cognition across the 5 cognitive domains were assessed for behavioral correlations.ResultsThe participants with PD had significantly weaker FC between the vermis and peristriate visual association cortex compared to controls, and the strength of this FC correlated with visuospatial function and global cognition. In contrast, weaker FC between the vermis and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was found in the cognitively impaired PD group compared to participants with PD without cognitive impairment. This effect correlated with deficits in attention, executive functions, and global cognition. No group differences in cerebellar lobular volumes or regional cortical thickness of the significant cortical clusters were observed.ConclusionThese results demonstrate a correlation between cerebellar vermal FC and cognitive impairment in PD. The absence of significant atrophy in cerebellum or relevant cortical areas suggests that this could be related to local pathophysiology such as neurotransmitter dysfunction.

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The altered right frontoparietal network functional connectivity in migraine and the modulation effect of treatment

Cephalalgia ◽

10.1177/0333102416641665 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 161-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Zhengjie Li ◽

Lei Lan ◽

Fang Zeng ◽

Nikos Makris ◽

Jiwon Hwang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Effective Treatment ◽

Resting State ◽

Sham Acupuncture ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Frontoparietal Network ◽

Coping Process

Aims This study aims to investigate the resting-state functional connectivity (rs-fc) of the right frontoparietal network (rFPN) between migraineurs and healthy controls (HCs) in order to determine how the rFPN rs-fc can be modulated by effective treatment. Methods One hundred patients and 46 matched HCs were recruited. Migraineurs were randomized to verum acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and waiting list groups. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected before and after longitudinal treatments. Independent component analysis was applied in the data analysis. Results We found that migraineurs showed decreased rs-fc between the rFPN and bilateral precuneus compared with HCs. After treatments (real and sham), rFPN rs-fc with the precuneus was significantly reduced. This reduction was associated with headache intensity relief. In order to explore the role of the precuneus in acupuncture modulation, we performed a seed-based rs-fc analysis using the precuneus as a seed and found that the precuneus rs-fc with the bilateral rostral anterior cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was significantly enhanced after treatment. Conclusion Our results suggest that migraineurs are associated with abnormal rFPN rs-fc. An effective treatment, such as acupuncture, may relieve symptoms by strengthening the cognitive adaptation/coping process. Elucidation of the adaptation/coping mechanisms may open up a new window for migraine management.

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Meditation-State Functional Connectivity (msFC): Strengthening of the Dorsal Attention Network and Beyond

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2012/680407 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Brett Froeliger ◽

Eric L. Garland ◽

Rachel V. Kozink ◽

Leslie A. Modlin ◽

Nan-Kuei Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Control Group ◽

Meditation Practice ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

Resting State Networks ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Attention Network ◽

Dorsal Attention Network ◽

Meditation Experience

Meditation practice alters intrinsic resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in the default mode network (DMN). However, little is known regarding the effects of meditation on other resting-state networks. The aim of current study was to investigate the effects of meditation experience and meditation-state functional connectivity (msFC) on multiple resting-state networks (RSNs). Meditation practitioners (MPs) performed two 5-minute scans, one during rest, one while meditating. A meditation naïve control group (CG) underwent one resting-state scan. Exploratory regression analyses of the relations between years of meditation practice and rsFC and msFC were conducted. During resting-state, MP as compared to CG exhibited greater rsFC within the Dorsal Attention Network (DAN). Among MP, meditation, as compared to rest, strengthened FC between the DAN and DMN and Salience network whereas it decreased FC between the DAN, dorsal medial PFC, and insula. Regression analyses revealed positive correlations between the number of years of meditation experience and msFC between DAN, thalamus, and anterior parietal sulcus, whereas negative correlations between DAN, lateral and superior parietal, and insula. These findings suggest that the practice of meditation strengthens FC within the DAN as well as strengthens the coupling between distributed networks that are involved in attention, self-referential processes, and affective response.

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GP.02 Resting state functional connectivity: a biomarker for pre-operative cognitive function and cognitive outcome following surgery in patients with diffuse glioma

Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques ◽

10.1017/cjn.2017.61 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (S2) ◽

pp. S7-S7

Author(s):

S Lang ◽

I Gaxiola-Valdez ◽

L Partlo ◽

B Goodyear ◽

J Kelly ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Cognitive Outcome ◽

Patient Specific ◽

Diffuse Glioma ◽

Neuropsychological Outcome ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Post Surgery

Background: Resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) in the fronto-parietal network (FPN) has been associated with cognitive ability. For this reason, it was hypothesized that RSFC connectivity of the FPN would be related to cognition in patients with diffuse glioma. To assess this relationship, pre-operative cognitive status was correlated to patient specific connectivity within the FPN. Further, we assessed whether RSFC could predict neuropsychological outcome following surgery Methods: Sixteen patients with diffuse glioma underwent neuropsychological assessment and pre-operative task and resting state fMRI. Thirteen had post-operative cognitive assessment at one-month post-surgery. RSFC in a subject-specific FPN was correlated with pre- and post-operative cognitive scores. Results: Higher connectivity within the FPN was associated with lower composite cognitive scores, while higher connectivity of the parietal node of the tumor-affected hemisphere was associated with lower fluid cognition but not crystallized cognition. Higher connectivity values between the parietal node of the healthy hemisphere and the rest of the FPN was associated with better neuropsychological outcome one month after surgery. Conclusions: RSFC between key nodes of the FPN is associated with cognitive performance in patients with diffuse glioma and is a promising biomarker for cognitive outcome following surgery.

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Disrupted Functional Connectivity Within and Between Resting-State Networks in the Subacute Stage of Post-stroke Aphasia

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.746264 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Chao Zhang ◽

Yingying Xia ◽

Tao Feng ◽

Ke Yu ◽

Haiyan Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Brain Network ◽

Lesion Volume ◽

Focal Lesions ◽

Verbal Comprehension ◽

Post Stroke ◽

Subacute Stage ◽

Frontoparietal Network ◽

The Relationship

Background: Post-stroke aphasia (PSA) results from brain network disorders caused by focal stroke lesions. However, it still remains largely unclear whether the impairment is present in intra- and internetwork functional connectivity (FC) within each resting-state network (RSN) and between RSNs in the subacute stage of PSA.Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the resting-state FC within and between RSNs in patients with PSA and observe the relationships between FC alterations and Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) measures.Methods: A total of 20 individuals with subacute PSA and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited for functional MRI (fMRI) scanning, and only patients with PSA underwent WAB assessment. Independent component analysis was carried out to identify RSNs. Two-sample t-tests were used to calculate intra- and internetwork FC differences between patients with PSA and HCs. The results were corrected for multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate (FDR correction, p < 0.05). Partial correlation analysis was performed to observe the relationship between FC and WAB scores with age, gender, mean framewise displacement, and lesion volume as covariates (p < 0.05).Results: Compared to HCs, patients with PSA showed a significant increase in intranetwork FC in the salience network (SN). For internetwork FC analysis, patients showed a significantly increased coupling between left frontoparietal network (lFPN) and SN and decreased coupling between lFPN and right frontoparietal network (rFPN) as well as between lFPN and posterior default mode network (pDMN) (FDR correction, p < 0.05). Finally, a significant positive correlation was found between the intergroup difference of FC (lFPN-rFPN) and auditory-verbal comprehension (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Altered FC was revealed within and between multiple RSNs in patients with PSA at the subacute stage. Reduced FC between lFPN and rFPN was the key element participating in language destruction. These findings proved that PSA is a brain network disorder caused by focal lesions; besides, it may improve our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of patients with PSA at the subacute stage.

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Impact of self-designed Ningxin Anshen Decoction on the resting-state network functional connectivity in patients with mild to moderate generalized anxiety disorders: a Clinical Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.17931 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Wenjing He ◽

Hang Xiong ◽

Jiangshan Fang ◽

Hao Gu ◽

Rongjuan Guo

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

The Self ◽

Control Group ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Before And After ◽

Generalized Anxiety Disorders ◽

Hamilton Anxiety Scale ◽

The Right

BACKGROUND Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a persistent chronic excessive anxiety that is hard to control. Our previous study indicated that self-designed Ningxin Anshen Formula (NXAS) was effective to improve the symptoms and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) of mild to moderate GAD patients. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the imapct of self-designed NXAS on the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in patients with mild to moderate GAD and explore the potential mechanisms. METHODS A total of 61 patients diagnosed with mild to moderate GAD were recruited and divided into two groups: NXAS group (n=31) and placebo group (n=30). Before and after treatment, the RSFC was examined by resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI), the anxiety was assessed with HAMA, and the independent component analysis (ICA) was used to analyze the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC). The correlation between HAMA score and abnormal RSFC was further evaluated. RESULTS The default mode network (DMN) showed evident RSFC interaction in the PCUN in both groups before and after therapy. The salience network (SN) showed obvious RSFC interaction in the bilateral gyrus frontalis inferiors and bilateral gyri temporalis superiors before and after therapy. In the NXAS group, the RSFC interction reduced significantly in the left gyrus frontalis inferior, but remained unchanged in the right gyrus frontalis inferior and bilateral gyri temporalis superiors after therapy. In the control group, the RSFC interaction increased dramatically after treatment. In addition, the abnormal RSFC had no relationship with HAMA score. CONCLUSIONS The self-designed NXAS can increase the RSFC in the PUCN on DMN and reduce RSFC in the orbIFG.L on SN to exert anti-anxiety effect. CLINICALTRIAL The study was registered on the Clinical Trials (NO. ChiCTR-OCC-12002329).

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Classifying multiple sclerosis patients on the basis of SDMT performance using machine learning

Multiple Sclerosis Journal ◽

10.1177/1352458520958362 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 107-116

Author(s):

Korhan Buyukturkoglu ◽

Dana Zeng ◽

Srinidhi Bharadwaj ◽

Ceren Tozlu ◽

Enricomaria Mormina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

Mean Diffusivity ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Lesion Volume ◽

Cognitive Changes ◽

Final Model ◽

Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Objective: To build a model to predict cognitive status reflecting structural, functional, and white matter integrity changes in early multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: Based on Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) performance, 183 early MS patients were assigned “lower” or “higher” performance groups. Three-dimensional (3D)-T2, T1, diffusion weighted, and resting-state magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were acquired in 3T. Using Random Forest, five models were trained to classify patients into two groups based on 1—demographic/clinical, 2—lesion volume/location, 3—local/global tissue volume, 4—local/global diffusion tensor imaging, and 5—whole-brain resting-state-functional-connectivity measures. In a final model, all important features from previous models were concatenated. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values were calculated to evaluate classifier performance. Results: The highest AUC value (0.90) was achieved by concatenating all important features from neuroimaging models. The top 10 contributing variables included volumes of bilateral nucleus accumbens and right thalamus, mean diffusivity of left cingulum-angular bundle, and functional connectivity among hubs of seven large-scale networks. Conclusion: These results provide an indication of a non-random brain pattern mostly compromising areas involved in attentional processes specific to patients who perform worse in SDMT. High accuracy of the final model supports this pattern as a potential neuroimaging biomarker of subtle cognitive changes in early MS.

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Bedside functional monitoring of the dynamic brain connectivity in human neonates

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-21387-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jerome Baranger ◽

Charlie Demene ◽

Alice Frerot ◽

Flora Faure ◽

Catherine Delanoë ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Brain Connectivity ◽

Preterm Neonates ◽

Control Group ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Very Preterm ◽

Fine Grain ◽

Term Newborns ◽

Human Neonates

AbstractClinicians have long been interested in functional brain monitoring, as reversible functional losses often precedes observable irreversible structural insults. By characterizing neonatal functional cerebral networks, resting-state functional connectivity is envisioned to provide early markers of cognitive impairments. Here we present a pioneering bedside deep brain resting-state functional connectivity imaging at 250-μm resolution on human neonates using functional ultrasound. Signal correlations between cerebral regions unveil interhemispheric connectivity in very preterm newborns. Furthermore, fine-grain correlations between homologous pixels are consistent with white/grey matter organization. Finally, dynamic resting-state connectivity reveals a significant occurrence decrease of thalamo-cortical networks for very preterm neonates as compared to control term newborns. The same method also shows abnormal patterns in a congenital seizure disorder case compared with the control group. These results pave the way to infants’ brain continuous monitoring and may enable the identification of abnormal brain development at the bedside.

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