Region-specific changes in phospholipid metabolism in chronic, medicated schizophrenia

BackgroundMembrane phospholipid abnormalities in people with schizophrenia, measured with 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS), have been previously reported in brain regions involved in this disorder.AimsIn this 4.0 Tesla 31P-MRS study of people with schizophrenia, membrane phospholipid metabolism was examined in brain regions previously inaccessible due to their small volumes.MethodThree-dimensional chemical-shift imaging (3D–CSI) examined 15 cc volumes in 12 brain regions in 11 people with chronic schizophrenia and 11 healthy control volunteers.ResultsGlycerophosphoethanolamine was decreased in the anterior cingulate, right prefrontal cortex and left thalamus, but increased in the left hippocampus and cerebellum in those with schizophrenia. Phosphoethanolamine and glycerophosphocholine were decreased in the right prefrontal region and phosphocholine was decreased in the anterior cingulate. No significant difference in membrane phospholipid levels existed between groups in the parieto-occipital and posterior cingulate regions.ConclusionsAltered membrane phospholipid metabolism was demonstrated in all regions implicated in schizophrenia.

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Brain glutamate in medication-free depressed patients: a proton MRS study at 7 Tesla

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291717003373 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (10) ◽

pp. 1731-1737 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Beata R. Godlewska ◽

Charles Masaki ◽

Ann L. Sharpley ◽

Philip J. Cowen ◽

Uzay E. Emir

Keyword(s):

Basal Ganglia ◽

Occipital Cortex ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

7 Tesla ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Depressed Patients ◽

Water Signal ◽

Significant Difference

BackgroundThe possible role of glutamate in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression is of intense current interest. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) enables the detection of glutamate in the living human brain and meta-analyses of previous MRS studies in depressed patients have suggested that glutamate levels are decreased in anterior brain regions. Nevertheless, at conventional magnetic field strengths [1.5–3 Tesla (T)], it is difficult to separate glutamate from its metabolite and precursor, glutamine, with the two often being measured together as Glx. In contrast, MRS at 7 T allows clear spectral resolution of glutamate and glutamine.MethodWe studied 55 un-medicated depressed patients and 50 healthy controls who underwent MRS scanning at 7 T with voxels placed in anterior cingulate cortex, occipital cortex and putamen (PUT). Neurometabolites were calculated using the unsuppressed water signal as a reference.ResultsCompared with controls, depressed patients showed no significant difference in glutamate in any of the three voxels studied; however, glutamine concentrations in the patients were elevated by about 12% in the PUT (p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe increase in glutamine in PUT is of interest in view of the postulated role of the basal ganglia in the neuropsychology of depression and is consistent with elevated activity in the descending cortical glutamatergic innervation to the PUT. The basal ganglia have rarely been the subject of MRS investigations in depressed patients and further MRS studies of these structures in depression are warranted.

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Focal changes in brain energy and phospholipid metabolism in first-episode schizophrenia

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.184.5.409 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 184 (5) ◽

pp. 409-415 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

J. Eric Jensen ◽

Jodi Miller ◽

Peter C. Williamson ◽

Richard W J. Neufeld ◽

Ravi S. Menon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthy Volunteers ◽

Imaging Techniques ◽

High Energy ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

First Episode ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Membrane Breakdown ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

BackgroundMembrane phospholipid and high-energy abnormalities measured with phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) have been reported in patients with schizophrenia in several brain regions.AimsUsing improved imaging techniques, previously inaccessible brain regions were examined in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and healthy volunteers with 4.0 T 31P-MRS.MethodBrain spectra were collected in vivo from 15 patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 15 healthy volunteers from 15 cm3 effective voxels in the thalamus, cerebellum, hippocampus, anterior/posterior cingulate, prefrontal cortex and parieto-occipital cortex.ResultsPeople with first-episode schizophrenia showed increased levels of glycerophosphocholine in the anterior cingulate. Inorganic phosphate, phosphocreatine and adenosine triphosphate concentrations were also increased in the anterior cingulate in this group.ConclusionsThe increased phosphodiester and high-energy phosphate levels in the anterior cingulate of brains of people with first-episode schizophrenia may indicate neural overactivity in this region during the early stages of the illness, resulting in increased excitotoxic neural membrane breakdown.

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Longitudinal changes in brain metabolites in healthy subjects and patients with first episode psychosis (FEP): a 7-Tesla MRS study

10.1101/2020.08.25.267419 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Min Wang ◽

Peter B. Barker ◽

Nicola Cascella ◽

Jennifer M. Coughlin ◽

Gerald Nestadt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adulthood ◽

Brain Regions ◽

First Episode Psychosis ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

7 Tesla ◽

First Episode ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Invasive Approach ◽

Longitudinal Changes ◽

Episode Psychosis

AbstractObjective7 Tesla (T) longitudinal magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) offers a precise measurment of metabolic levels in human brain via a non-invasive approach. Studying longitudinal changes in neurometabolites could help identify trait and state markers for diseases and understand inconsistent findings from different researchers due to differences in the age of study participants and duration of illness. This study is the first to report novel longitudinal patterns in young adulthood from both physiological and pathological viewpoints using 7T MRS.MethodsUtilizing a four-year longitudinal cohort with 38 first episode psychosis (FEP) patients (onset within 2 years) and 48 healthy controls (HC), the authors examined the annual percentage changes of 9 neurometabolites in 5 brain regions.ResultsBoth FEP patients and HC subjects were found to have significant longitudinal reductions in glutamate (Glu) in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Only FEP patients were found to have a significant decrease over time in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), myo-inositol (mI), and total choline (tCho: phosphocholine plus glycerophosphocholine) in the ACC. Uniquely, glutathione (GSH) was found to have a near zero annual percentage change in both FEP patients and HC subjects in all 5 brain regions over a four-year timespan in young adulthood.ConclusionsGSH could be a trait marker for diagnostic applications at least in young adulthood. Glu, GABA, NAA, mI, and tCho in the ACC are associated with the patient’s status and could be state markers for mechanistic studies of psychotic disorders, including those for progressive pathological changes and medication effects in young adulthood.

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Exploring Cortical Attentional System by Using fMRI during a Continuous Perfomance Test

Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience ◽

10.1155/2010/329213 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2010 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

M. G. Tana ◽

E. Montin ◽

S. Cerutti ◽

A. M. Bianchi

Keyword(s):

Performance Test ◽

Continuous Performance Test ◽

Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Brain Network ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Visual Object ◽

Bold Response ◽

Object Processing ◽

The Right

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed in eight healthy subjects to identify the localization, magnitude, and volume extent of activation in brain regions that are involved in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response during the performance of Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT). An extensive brain network was activated during the task including frontal, temporal, and occipital cortical areas and left cerebellum. The more activated cluster in terms of volume extent and magnitude was located in the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Analyzing the dynamic trend of the activation in the identified areas during the entire duration of the sustained attention test, we found a progressive decreasing of BOLD response probably due to a habituation effect without any deterioration of the performances. The observed brain network is consistent with existing models of visual object processing and attentional control and may serve as a basis for fMRI studies in clinical populations with neuropsychological deficits in Conners' CPT performance.

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Neuronal Substrates Underlying Performance Variability in Well-Trained Skillful Motor Task in Humans

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2016/1245259 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Nobuaki Mizuguchi ◽

Shintaro Uehara ◽

Satoshi Hirose ◽

Shinji Yamamoto ◽

Eiichi Naito

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Motor Skill ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Motor Task ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Cerebellar Hemisphere ◽

Intensive Training ◽

Performance Variability ◽

The Right

Motor performance fluctuates trial by trial even in a well-trained motor skill. Here we show neural substrates underlying such behavioral fluctuation in humans. We first scanned brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging while healthy participants repeatedly performed a 10 s skillful sequential finger-tapping task. Before starting the experiment, the participants had completed intensive training. We evaluated task performance per trial (number of correct sequences in 10 s) and depicted brain regions where the activity changes in association with the fluctuation of the task performance across trials. We found that the activity in a broader range of frontoparietocerebellar network, including the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), anterior cingulate and anterior insular cortices, and left cerebellar hemisphere, was negatively correlated with the task performance. We further showed in another transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) experiment that task performance deteriorated, when we applied anodal tDCS to the right DLPFC. These results indicate that fluctuation of brain activity in the nonmotor frontoparietocerebellar network may underlie trial-by-trial performance variability even in a well-trained motor skill, and its neuromodulation with tDCS may affect the task performance.

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Neurochemical Correlates of Brain Atrophy in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Cortical Thickness Study

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci10060395 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 395

Author(s):

Paola Feraco ◽

Salvatore Nigro ◽

Luca Passamonti ◽

Alessandro Grecucci ◽

Maria Eugenia Caligiuri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Cortical Thickness ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Pain Modulation ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Cingulate Gyrus ◽

Concentration Dependent Manner ◽

The Right

(1) Background: Recently, a series of clinical neuroimaging studies on fibromyalgia (FM) have shown a reduction in cortical volume and abnormally high glutamate (Glu) and glutamate + glutamine (Glx) levels in regions associated with pain modulation. However, it remains unclear whether the volumetric decreases and increased Glu levels in FM are related each other. We hypothesized that higher Glu levels are related to decreases in cortical thickness (CT) and volume in FM patients. (2) Methods: Twelve females with FM and 12 matched healthy controls participated in a session of combined 3.0 Tesla structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single-voxel MR spectroscopy focused on the thalami and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices (VLPFC). The thickness of the cortical and subcortical gray matter structures and the Glu/Cr and Glx/Cr ratios were estimated. Statistics included an independent t-test and Spearman’s test. (3) Results: The Glu/Cr ratio of the left VLPFC was negatively related to the CT of the left inferior frontal gyrus (pars opercularis (p = 0.01; r = −0.75) and triangularis (p = 0.01; r = −0.70)). Moreover, the Glx/Cr ratio of the left VLPFC was negatively related to the CT of the left middle anterior cingulate gyrus (p = 0.003; r = −0.81). Significantly lower CTs in FM were detected in subparts of the cingulate gyrus on both sides and in the right inferior occipital gyrus (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Our findings are in line with previous observations that high glutamate levels can be related, in a concentration-dependent manner, to the morphological atrophy described in FM patients.

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First and Second Language Patterns of Brain Activation in Korean Layrngeal Contrasts

Korean Linguistics ◽

10.1075/kl.14.01hp ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 1-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Haeil Park ◽

Gregory Iverson

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Occipital Lobe ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Second Language Speakers ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Native Speakers Of English ◽

Specific Activities ◽

The Right ◽

The Brain

Abstract. This study aims to localize the brain regions involved in the apprehension of Korean laryngeal contrasts and to investigate whether the Internal Model advanced by Callan et al. (2004) extends to first versus second language perception of these unique three-way laryngeal distinctions. The results show that there is a significant difference in activation between native and second-language speakers, consistent with the findings of Callan et al. Specific activities unique to younger native speakers of Korean relative to native speakers of English were seen in the cuneus (occipital lobe) and the right middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann Area [BA] 10), areas of the brain associated with pitch perception. The current findings uphold Silva's (2006) conclusion that the laryngeal contrasts of Korean are increasingly distinguished less by VOT differences than by their effect on pitch in the following vowel. A subsequent experiment was conducted to establish whether more traditional, older native speakers of Korean who still make clear VOT distinctions also activate both the cuneus and BA 10 in the same task. Preliminary results indicate that they do not, whereas speakers with overlapping VOT distinctions do show intersecting activations in these areas, thus corroborating Silva's claim of emergent pitch sensitivity in the Korean laryngeal system.

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The Association between DRD3 Ser9Gly Polymorphism and Depression Severity in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson s Disease ◽

10.1155/2019/1642087 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yan Zhi ◽

Yongsheng Yuan ◽

Qianqian Si ◽

Min Wang ◽

Yuting Shen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Resting State ◽

Brain Function ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Potential Effect ◽

Analysis Of Covariance ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Right

More and more evidence suggests that dopamine receptor D3 gene (DRD3) plays an important role in the clinical manifestations and the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). DRD3 Ser9Gly polymorphism is the most frequently studied variant point. Our aim was to investigate the potential effect of DRD3 Ser9Gly polymorphism on modulating resting-state brain function and associative clinical manifestations in PD patients. We consecutively recruited 61 idiopathic PD patients and 47 healthy controls (HC) who were evaluated by clinical scales, genotyped for variant Ser9Gly in DRD3, and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Based on DRD3 Ser9Gly polymorphism, PD patients and HCs were divided into four subgroups. Then, two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was applied to investigate main effects and interactions of PD and DRD3 Ser9Gly polymorphism on the brain function via amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) approach. The association between DRD3 Ser9Gly-modulated significantly different brain regions, and clinical manifestations were detected by Spearman’s correlations. PD patients exhibited decreased ALFF values in the right inferior occipital gyrus, lingual gyrus, and fusiform gyrus. A significant difference in the interaction of “groups × genotypes” was observed in the right medial frontal gyrus. The ALFF value of the cluster showing significant interactions was positively correlated with HAMD-17 scores (r=0.489, p=0.011) and anhedonia scores (r=0.512, p=0.008) in PD patients with the Ser/Gly or Gly/Gly genotypes. Therefore, D3 gene Ser9Gly polymorphism might be associated with the severity of depression characterized by anhedonia in PD patients.

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Lithium prevents grey matter atrophy in patients with bipolar disorder: an international multicenter study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291719004112 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Franz Hozer ◽

Samuel Sarrazin ◽

Charles Laidi ◽

Pauline Favre ◽

Melissa Pauling ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Type I ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Neuroprotective Effects ◽

History Of ◽

International Multicenter Study ◽

The Right

Abstract Background Lithium (Li) is the gold standard treatment for bipolar disorder (BD). However, its mechanisms of action remain unknown but include neurotrophic effects. We here investigated the influence of Li on cortical and local grey matter (GM) volumes in a large international sample of patients with BD and healthy controls (HC). Methods We analyzed high-resolution T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging scans of 271 patients with BD type I (120 undergoing Li) and 316 HC. Cortical and local GM volumes were compared using voxel-wise approaches with voxel-based morphometry and SIENAX using FSL. We used multiple linear regression models to test the influence of Li on cortical and local GM volumes, taking into account potential confounding factors such as a history of alcohol misuse. Results Patients taking Li had greater cortical GM volume than patients without. Patients undergoing Li had greater regional GM volumes in the right middle frontal gyrus, the right anterior cingulate gyrus, and the left fusiform gyrus in comparison with patients not taking Li. Conclusions Our results in a large multicentric sample support the hypothesis that Li could exert neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects limiting pathological GM atrophy in key brain regions associated with BD.

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Using Brain Imaging to Extract the Structure of Complex Events at the Rational Time Band

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn.2008.20108 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 20 (9) ◽

pp. 1624-1636 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

John R. Anderson ◽

Yulin Qin

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Human Mind ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Physical Universe ◽

Fmri Study ◽

Prefrontal Region ◽

Complex Events ◽

Motor Region ◽

Time Band

A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was performed in which participants performed a complex series of mental calculations that spanned about 2 min. An Adaptive Control of Thought—Rational (ACT-R) model [Anderson, J. R. How can the human mind occur in the physical universe? New York: Oxford University Press, 2007] was developed that successfully fit the distribution of latencies. This model generated predictions for the fMRI signal in six brain regions that have been associated with modules in the ACT-R theory. The model's predictions were confirmed for a fusiform region that reflects the visual module, for a prefrontal region that reflects the retrieval module, and for an anterior cingulate region that reflects the goal module. In addition, the only significant deviations to the motor region that reflects the manual module were anticipatory hand movements. In contrast, the predictions were relatively poor for a parietal region that reflects an imaginal module and for a caudate region that reflects the procedural module. Possible explanations of these poor fits are discussed. In addition, exploratory analyses were performed to find regions that might correspond to the predictions of the modules.

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