Neuroimaging in autism

1998 ◽  
Vol 173 (4) ◽  
pp. 299-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoumitro Deb ◽  
Bill Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Structural Abnormality ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
And Function ◽  
Distressing Condition ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques ◽  
Methodological Difficulties

BackgroundChildhood autism is a developmental disorder with distinctive clinical features and characteristic cognitive deficits. Neuroimaging techniques have been extensively used in the study of autism and related disorders.MethodRecent important literature reported on structural and functional neuroimaging in autism was reviewed and discussed in the context of other neurobiological research findings.ResultsVarious abnormalities of brain structure and function have been proposed, but no focal defect has been reliably demonstrated. Important findings, so far, include increased brain volume, structural abnormality in frontal lobe and corpus callosum in a proportion of autistic individuals. Functional neuroimaging findings emphasised the imbalance in interregional and inter-hemispheric brain metabolism and blood flow as well as abnormality in the anterior cingulate gyrus.ConclusionThe research to date has been hindered by methodological difficulties. However, hypothesis-driven research, particularly involving activation studies and neurotransmitter/neuroreceptor activities, using functional neuroimaging will be very useful in unravelling the enigma associated with this intriguing and distressing condition.

scholarly journals Survivors of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Show Neuropsychiatric Sequelae Measured by Surveys, Neurocognitive Testing, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Preliminary Results

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura M. Hack ◽  
Jacob Brawer ◽  
Megan Chesnut ◽  
Xue Zhang ◽  
Max Wintermark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Neurocognitive Testing ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function

AbstractA significant number of individuals experience physical, cognitive, and mental health symptoms in the months after acute infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This study assessed depressive and anxious symptoms, cognition, and brain structure and function in participants with symptomatic COVID-19 confirmed by PCR testing (n=100) approximately three months following infection, leveraging self-report questionnaires, objective neurocognitive testing, and structural and functional neuroimaging data. Preliminary results demonstrated that over 1/5 of our cohort endorsed clinically significant depressive and/or anxious symptoms, and >40% of participants had cognitive impairment on objective testing across multiple domains, consistent with ‘brain-fog’. While depression and one domain of quality of life (physical functioning) were significantly different between hospitalized and non-hospitalized participants, anxiety, cognitive impairment, and most domains of functioning were not, suggesting that the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection does not necessarily relate to the severity of neuropsychiatric outcomes and impaired functioning in the months after infection. Furthermore, we found that the majority of participants in a subset of our cohort who completed structural and functional neuroimaging (n=15) had smaller olfactory bulbs and sulci in conjunction with anosmia. We also showed that this subset of participants had dysfunction in attention network functional connectivity and ventromedial prefrontal cortex seed-based functional connectivity. These functional imaging dysfunctions have been observed previously in depression and correlated with levels of inflammation. Our results support and extend previous findings in the literature concerning the neuropsychiatric sequelae associated with long COVID. Ongoing data collection and analyses within this cohort will allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the longitudinal relationships between neuropsychiatric symptoms, neurocognitive performance, brain structure and function, and inflammatory and immune profiles.

Genealogy of the Cerebral Subject

Being Brains ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Vidal ◽  
Francisco Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
The Body ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Cerebral Subject ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Function ◽  
Cerebral Self ◽  
The Brain

The first chapter proposes to trace the distant roots of the cerebral subject to the late seventeenth century, and particularly to debates about the seat of the soul, the corpuscularian theory of matter, and John Locke’s philosophy of personal identity. In the wake of Locke, eighteenth century authors began to assert that the brain is the only part of the body we need to be ourselves. In the nineteenth century, this form of deterministic essentialism contributed to motivate research into brain structure and function, and in turn confirmed the brain-personhood nexus. Since then, from phrenology to functional neuroimaging, neuroscientific knowledge and representations have constituted a powerful support for prescriptive outlooks on the individual and society. “Neuroascesis,” as we call the business that sells programs of cerebral self-discipline, is a case in point, which this chapter also examines. It appeals to the brain and neuroscience as bases for its self-help recipes to enhance memory and reasoning, fight depression, anxiety and compulsions, improve sexual performance, achieve happiness, and even establish a direct contact with God. Yet underneath the neuro surface lie beliefs and even concrete instructions that can be traced to nineteenth-century hygiene manuals.

scholarly journals Emerging Trends in Neuroimaging of Epilepsy

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-82
Author(s):  
Neda Bernasconi ◽  
Irene Wang
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques

Neuroimaging techniques, particularly magnetic resonance imaging, yield increasingly sophisticated markers of brain structure and function. Combined with ongoing developments in machine learning, these methods refine our abilities to detect subtle epileptogenic lesions and develop reliable prognostics.

scholarly journals The protective impact of education on brain structure and function in Alzheimer’s Disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanqiu Zhu ◽  
Xiaoshu Li ◽  
Xiaohu Li ◽  
Haibao Wang ◽  
Meiqin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function

Abstract Background: The Cognitive Reserve (CR) theory posits that brains with higher reserve can cope with more cerebral damage to minimize clinical manifestations. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of education (CR proxy) on brain structure and function in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients and in cognitively healthy elderly (HC) individuals.Methods: Fifty-seven AD patients, 57 aMCI patients and 48 HCs were included to investigate the relationships between education years and gray matter volume (GMV), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC) in brain regions to show associations with both structure and function. Taking the severity of the disease into account, we further assessed the relationships in AD stratified analyses.Results: In AD group, the GMV of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and ReHo in the left inferior temporal cortex (ITC) were inversely associated with education years, after adjustment for age, sex, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and total intracranial volume or head motion parameters. Seed-based FC analyses revealed that education years were negatively correlated with the FC between the left anterior ITC and left mid frontal cortex as well as right superior frontal cortex and right angular gyrus. Stratified analyses results indicated that this negative relation between education and GMV, ReHo, FC was mainly present in mild AD, which was attenuated in moderate AD and aMCI groups.Conclusions: Our results support the CR theory, and suggest that CR may be protective against AD related brain pathology at the early stage of clinical dementia. These findings could provide the locus of CR-related functional brain mechanisms and a specific time-window for therapeutic interventions to help AD patients to cope better with the brain pathological damage by increasing CR.

Neural Basis of Apathy

2021 ◽  
pp. 174-190
Author(s):  
Ingrid Agartz ◽  
Lynn Mørch-Johnsen
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
White Matter Microstructure ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function

This chapter introduces structural neuroimaging methods and presents results from brain imaging studies of the clinical apathy syndrome in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and stroke, and also in schizophrenia, today considered a neurodevelopmental disease. The main method used has been magnetic resonance imaging, which also holds many innovative possibilities for future development. Scientific studies so far have pointed to structural differences in frontal, striatal, anterior cingulate, and parietal brain regions, and of white matter microstructure and connectivity changes as being involved in the apathy syndrome. No single circuit connected to apathy has so far been identified. Brain structure and function, studied at the systems network level, and integrative multimodal imaging approaches, which combine different high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance diffusion, and positron emission tomography techniques, can be helpful in resolving future questions.

scholarly journals A cognitive neurobiological account of deception: evidence from functional neuroimaging

2004 ◽  
Vol 359 (1451) ◽  
pp. 1755-1762 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Zeki ◽  
O. R. Goodenough ◽  
Sean A. Spence ◽  
Mike D. Hunter ◽  
Tom F. D. Farrow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Forensic Practice ◽  
Tactical Deception ◽  
Detection Of Deception ◽  
Experimental Protocols ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques

An organism may use misinformation, knowingly (through deception) or unknowingly (as in the case of camouflage), to gain advantage in a competitive environment. From an evolutionary perspective, greater tactical deception occurs among primates closer to humans, with larger neocortices. In humans, the onset of deceptive behaviours in childhood exhibits a developmental trajectory, which may be regarded as ‘normal’ in the majority and deficient among a minority with certain neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g. autism). In the human adult, deception and lying exhibit features consistent with their use of ‘higher’ or ‘executive’ brain systems. Accurate detection of deception in humans may be of particular importance in forensic practice, while an understanding of its cognitive neurobiology may have implications for models of ‘theory of mind’ and social cognition, and societal notions of responsibility, guilt and mitigation. In recent years, functional neuroimaging techniques (especially functional magnetic resonance imaging) have been used to study deception. Though few in number, and using very different experimental protocols, studies published in the peer-reviewed literature exhibit certain consistencies. Attempted deception is associated with activation of executive brain regions (particularly prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices), while truthful responding has not been shown to be associated with any areas of increased activation (relative to deception). Hence, truthful responding may comprise a relative ‘baseline’ in human cognition and communication. The subject who lies may necessarily engage ‘higher’ brain centres, consistent with a purpose or intention (to deceive). While the principle of executive control during deception remains plausible, its precise anatomy awaits elucidation.

Mapping prodromal psychosis: A critical review of neuroimaging studies

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Fusar-Poli ◽  
P. McGuire ◽  
S. Borgwardt
Keyword(s):  
Brain Structure ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Functional Markers ◽  
Dynamic Changes ◽  
Prodromal Phase ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Clinical Benefits ◽  
And Function ◽  
Occupational Function ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques

AbstractThe onset of schizophrenia is usually preceded by a prodromal phase characterized by functional decline and subtle prodromal symptoms, which include attenuated psychotic phenomena, cognitive deterioration and a decline in socio-occupational function. Preventive interventions during this phase are of great interest because of the impressive clinical benefits. However, available psychopathological criteria employed to define a high risk state for psychosis have low validity and specificity. Consequently there is an urgent need of reliable neurocognitive markers linked to the pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie schizophrenia. Neuroimaging techniques have rapidly developed into a powerful tool in psychiatry as they provide an unprecedented opportunity for the investigation of brain structure and function. This review shows that neuroimaging studies of the prodromal phases of psychosis have the potentials to identify core structural and functional markers of an impending risk to psychosis and to clarify the dynamic changes underlying transition to psychosis and to address significant correlations between brain structure or function and prodromal psychopathology. Additionally, neurochemical methods can address the key role played by neurotransmitters such as dopamine and glutamate during the psychosis onset. To conclude, multimodal neuroimaging may ultimately clarify the neurobiology of the prodromal phases by the integration of functional, structural and neurochemical findings.

scholarly journals The protective impact of education on brain structure and function in Alzheimer’s disease

BMC Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanqiu Zhu ◽  
Xiaoshu Li ◽  
Xiaohu Li ◽  
Haibao Wang ◽  
Meiqin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Intracranial Volume ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function

Abstract Background The Cognitive Reserve (CR) theory posits that brains with higher reserve can cope with more cerebral damage to minimize clinical manifestations. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of education (CR proxy) on brain structure and function in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients and in cognitively healthy elderly (HC) individuals. Methods Fifty-seven AD patients, 57 aMCI patients and 48 HCs were included to investigate the relationships between education years and gray matter volume (GMV), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC) in brain regions to show associations with both structure and function. Taking the severity of the disease into account, we further assessed the relationships in AD stratified analyses. Results In AD group, the GMV of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and ReHo in the left inferior temporal cortex (ITC) were inversely associated with education years, after adjustment for age, sex, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and total intracranial volume or head motion parameters. Seed-based FC analyses revealed that education years were negatively correlated with the FC between the left anterior ITC and left mid frontal cortex as well as right superior frontal cortex and right angular gyrus. Stratified analyses results indicated that this negative relation between education and GMV, ReHo, FC was mainly present in mild AD, which was attenuated in moderate AD and aMCI groups. Conclusions Our results support the CR theory, and suggest that CR may be protective against AD related brain pathology at the early stage of clinical dementia. These findings could provide the locus of CR-related functional brain mechanisms and a specific time-window for therapeutic interventions to help AD patients to cope better with the brain pathological damage by increasing CR.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic and Experiential Influences on the Neurobiology of Language Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1229-1238
Author(s):  
Rachel R. Romeo
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Early Experiences ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Development Of Language ◽  
And Function ◽  
Genetically Determined

Purpose The process by which young children acquire language is an incredible feat subserved by neurobiological language circuitry. Although the foundations of brain structure and function are genetically determined, children's experiences during sensitive periods in early life have a significant influence on the development of language systems. The purpose of this review is to provide practitioners with a comprehensive summary of foundational and recent research on the ways that children's early experiences—both favorable and adverse—may influence the neuroanatomy and neurophysiology underlying language development. A specific focus is given to the burgeoning neuroimaging evidence of relationships between socioeconomic status and brain development, as well as to emerging research on proximal experiences that may serve as the direct mechanisms by which socioeconomic status influences language development. Conclusion Findings from the neuroscience field have direct implications for practice in speech-language pathology. Specifically, clinicians can have immense influence on crafting supportive language environments during windows of maximal neural influence, both via direct intervention and parent coaching. Practical suggestions are provided for translating research findings to practice.

scholarly journals Early Prediction of Cognitive Deficits After Traumatic Brain Injury Based on AD-Like Patterns of Neurodegeneration

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 372-373
Author(s):  
Alexander Maher ◽  
Kenneth Rostowsky ◽  
Nikhil Chaudhari ◽  
Nahian Chowdhury ◽  
Elliot Jacobs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
And Function ◽  
And Diffusion

Abstract Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are frequently followed by persistent brain alterations and by cognitive sequalae, especially in older adults. Although mild TBI (mTBI) is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the extent to which the two conditions are related remains largely unexplored. Using structural, functional and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we have identified AD-like post-traumatic neurodegeneration patterns that accurately prognosticate cognitive decline after geriatric mTBI. Our results indicate that these features involve cortical regions and circuitry mediating memory and executive function, and that AD neurodegeneration has key structural and functional similarities to post-traumatic neurodegradation. Using machine learning of such similarities, we have accurately forecast the severity of chronic cognitive deficits after geriatric mTBI based on acute neuroimaging measures. Our findings demonstrate that AD-like alterations in brain structure and function observed early after injury can predict post-traumatic mild cognitive impairment, which is itself strongly associated with AD risk.

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