Aberrant Visual-Related Networks in Familial Cortical Myoclonic Tremor with Epilepsy

Abstract In familial cortical myoclonic tremor with epilepsy, photic stimulation can trigger visual-related symptoms and induce a photoparoxysmal response on electroencephalography. This is known as photosensitivity. To explore the mechanism of prominent visual-related symptoms and photosensitivity in patients with genetically confirmed familial cortical myoclonic tremor with epilepsy type 1, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data and electroencephalography data were collected from 31 patients carrying the heterozygous pathogenic intronic pentanucleotide (TTTCA)n insertion in the sterile alpha motif domain-containing 12 gene and from 52 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Results: (1) Both regional homogeneity and degree centrality values in the bilateral calcarine sulcus were significantly increased in patients compared with HCs. (2) When the calcarine sulcus area with increased regional homogeneity was taken as a seed, increased functional connectivity values were observed in the right precentral gyrus, while decreased functional connectivity values were observed in the right superior frontal gyrus and right inferior parietal lobule. (3) independent component analysis showed increased connectivity in the left calcarine sulcus inside the medial visual network. (4) Correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlation between regional homogeneity values and frequency of seizure, and photoparoxysmal response grades were positively correlated with the severity of cortical tremor and duration of epilepsy. The findings provide strong evidence for the interpretation of visual-related symptoms and photosensitivity in familial cortical myoclonic tremor with epilepsy and may also relate to other epilepsy syndromes with photosensitivity. We speculate the significant functional change in primary visual cortex probably an imaging biomarker for the disease.

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Shared and specific patterns of dynamic functional connectivity variability of striato-cortical circuitry in unmedicated bipolar and major depressive disorders

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291720002378 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Guanmao Chen ◽

Pan Chen ◽

JiaYing Gong ◽

Yanbin Jia ◽

Shuming Zhong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Depressive Disorders ◽

Ventral Striatum ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Dynamic Functional Connectivity ◽

Cortical Circuitry ◽

The Right ◽

Brain Functional Connectivity

Abstract Background Accumulating studies have found structural and functional abnormalities of the striatum in bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, changes in intrinsic brain functional connectivity dynamics of striato-cortical circuitry have not been investigated in BD and MDD. This study aimed to investigate the shared and specific patterns of dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) variability of striato-cortical circuitry in BD and MDD. Methods Brain resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from 128 patients with unmedicated BD II (current episode depressed), 140 patients with unmedicated MDD, and 132 healthy controls (HCs). Six pairs of striatum seed regions were selected: the ventral striatum inferior (VSi) and the ventral striatum superior (VSs), the dorsal-caudal putamen (DCP), the dorsal-rostral putamen (DRP), and the dorsal caudate and the ventral-rostral putamen (VRP). The sliding-window analysis was used to evaluate dFC for each seed. Results Both BD II and MDD exhibited increased dFC variability between the left DRP and the left supplementary motor area, and between the right VRP and the right inferior parietal lobule. The BD II had specific increased dFC variability between the right DCP and the left precentral gyrus compared with MDD and HCs. The MDD had increased dFC variability between the left VSi and the left medial prefrontal cortex compared with BD II and HCs. Conclusions The patients with BD and MDD shared common dFC alteration in the dorsal striatal-sensorimotor and ventral striatal-cognitive circuitries. The patients with MDD had specific dFC alteration in the ventral striatal-affective circuitry.

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Changes in Regional Homogeneity of Medication-Free Major Depressive Disorder Patients With Different Onset Ages

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.713614 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Zijian Zhang ◽

Yayun Chen ◽

Wei Wei ◽

Xiao Yang ◽

Yajing Meng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Depressive Disorder ◽

Late Onset ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Regional Homogeneity ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Major Depressive ◽

The Right ◽

Left Middle

Background: Neurobiological mechanisms underlying the development of major depressive disorder (MDD) may differ depending on onset ages. Our aim was to determine whether regional homogeneity (ReHo) changes in early-onset depression (EOD) and late-onset depression (LOD) are different, which could also delineate EOD and LOD.Methods: Ninety-one MDD patients and 115 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected. The ReHo comparison was conducted using analysis of variance.Results: Compared with HCs, MDD patients showed decreased ReHo in the left precentral gyrus and the left middle cingulum area, and increased ReHo in the left middle orbital frontal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus. Compared with LOD patients, young HC separately, EOD patients had significantly increased ReHo in the right inferior frontal triangular gyrus and the left postcentral gyrus. However, compared with young HC, EOD patients showed decreased ReHo in the right superior frontal gyrus/supplementary motor area and the right medial frontal gyrus. ReHo in the right inferior frontal triangular gyrus was negatively correlated with the severity of cognitive disturbance in LOD patients (r = −0.47, p = 0.002), but not in EOD patients (r = 0.21, p = 0.178).Conclusion: MDD patients with different onset ages may have different pathophysiological mechanisms; the EOD patients had more abnormal ReHo than LOD patients in the prefrontal lobe, especially the right inferior frontal triangular gyrus.

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Effects of the DRD4 −521 C/T SNP on Local Neural Activity and Functional Connectivity in Children With ADHD

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.785464 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Huan Zhang ◽

Binrang Yang ◽

Gang Peng ◽

Linlin Zhang ◽

Diangang Fang

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Brain Function ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Regional Homogeneity ◽

Frequency Fluctuation ◽

Behavioral Performance ◽

Superior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Middle Occipital Gyrus ◽

The Right

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) −521 C/T single-nucleotide polymorphism on brain function among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to evaluate whether brain function is associated with behavioral performance among this demographic.Methods: Using regional homogeneity, fractional amplitude low-frequency fluctuation, and functional connectivity as measurement indices, we compared differences in resting-state brain function between 34 boys with ADHD in the TT homozygous group and 37 boys with ADHD in the C-allele carrier group. The Conners' Parent Rating Scale, the SNAP-IV Rating Scale, the Stroop Color Word Test, the go/no-go task, the n-back task, and the working memory index within the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition were selected as comparative indicators in order to test effects on behavioral performance.Results: We found that TT homozygotes had low behavioral performance as compared with C-allele carriers. The regional homogeneity for TT homozygotes decreased in the right middle occipital gyrus and increased in the right superior frontal gyrus as compared with C-allele carriers. In addition, the right middle occipital gyrus and the right superior frontal gyrus were used as the seeds of functional connectivity, and we found that the functional connectivity between the right middle occipital gyrus and the right cerebellum decreased, as did the functional connectivity between the right superior frontal gyrus and the angular gyrus. No statistically significant differences were observed in the respective brain regions when comparing the fractional amplitudes for low-frequency fluctuation between the two groups. Correlation analyses demonstrated that the fractional amplitude low-frequency fluctuation in the precentral gyrus for TT homozygotes were statistically significantly correlated with working memory.Conclusions: We found differing effects of DRD4 −521 C/T polymorphisms on brain function among boys with ADHD. These findings promote our understanding of the genetic basis for neurobiological differences observed among children with ADHD, but they must be confirmed in larger samples.

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Abnormal regional homogeneity and its relationship with symptom severity in cervical dystonia: a rest state fMRI study

BMC Neurology ◽

10.1186/s12883-021-02079-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shubao Wei ◽

Chunhui Lu ◽

Xiuqiong Chen ◽

Lu Yang ◽

Jing Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Symptom Severity ◽

Cervical Dystonia ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Regional Homogeneity ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Cingulate Gyrus ◽

Rest State ◽

Rest State Fmri ◽

Crus I ◽

The Right

Abstract Background Although several brain networks play important roles in cervical dystonia (CD) patients, regional homogeneity (ReHo) changes in CD patients have not been clarified. We investigated to explore ReHo in CD patients at rest and analyzed its correlations with symptom severity as measured by Tsui scale. Methods A total of 19 CD patients and 21 gender-, age-, and education-matched healthy controls underwent fMRI scans at rest state. Data were analyzed by ReHo method. Results Patients showed increased ReHo in the right cerebellum crus I and decreased ReHo in the right superior medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Moreover, the right precentral gyrus, right insula, and bilateral middle cingulate gyrus also showed increased ReHo values. A significantly positive correlation was observed between ReHo value in the right cerebellum crus I and symptom severity (p < 0.05). Conclusions Our investigation suggested abnormal ReHo existed in brain regions of the “pain matrix” and salience network (the right insula and bilateral middle cingulate gyrus), the motor network (the right precentral gyrus), the cerebellum and MPFC and further highlighted the significance of these networks in the pathology of CD.

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Alterations of Regional Homogeneity in the Mild and Moderate Stages of Parkinson’s Disease

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnagi.2021.676899 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

Author(s):

Junli Li ◽

Haiyan Liao ◽

Tianyu Wang ◽

Yuheng Zi ◽

Lin Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽

Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Regional Homogeneity ◽

Neural Function ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Orbital Gyrus ◽

The Right

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate alterations in regional homogeneity (ReHo) in early Parkinson’s disease (PD) at different Hoehn and Yahr (HY) stages and to demonstrate the relationships between altered brain regions and clinical scale scores.Methods: We recruited 75 PD patients, including 43 with mild PD (PD-mild; HY stage: 1.0–1.5) and 32 with moderate PD (PD-moderate; HY stage: 2.0–2.5). We also recruited 37 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects as healthy controls (HC). All subjects underwent neuropsychological assessments and a 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance scanning. Regional homogeneity of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals was used to characterize regional cerebral function. Correlative relationships between mean ReHo values and clinical data were then explored.Results: Compared to the HC group, the PD-mild group exhibited increased ReHo values in the right cerebellum, while the PD-moderate group exhibited increased ReHo values in the bilateral cerebellum, and decreased ReHo values in the right superior temporal gyrus, the right Rolandic operculum, the right postcentral gyrus, and the right precentral gyrus. Reho value of right Pre/Postcentral was negatively correlated with HY stage. Compared to the PD-moderate group, the PD-mild group showed reduced ReHo values in the right superior orbital gyrus and the right rectus, in which the ReHo value was negatively correlated with cognition.Conclusion: The right superior orbital gyrus and right rectus may serve as a differential indicator for mild and moderate PD. Subjects with moderate PD had a greater scope for ReHo alterations in the cortex and compensation in the cerebellum than those with mild PD. PD at HY stages of 2.0–2.5 may already be classified as Braak stages 5 and 6 in terms of pathology. Our study revealed the different patterns of brain function in a resting state in PD at different HY stages and may help to elucidate the neural function and early diagnosis of patients with PD.

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Abnormal regional homogeneity and its relationship with symptom severity in cervical dystonia: A rest state fMRI study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-40820/v3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shubao Wei ◽

Chunhui Lu ◽

Xiuqiong Chen ◽

Lu Yang ◽

Jing Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Symptom Severity ◽

Cervical Dystonia ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Regional Homogeneity ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Cingulate Gyrus ◽

Rest State ◽

Rest State Fmri ◽

Crus I ◽

The Right

Abstract Background: Although several brain networks play important roles in cervical dystonia (CD) patients, regional homogeneity (ReHo) changes in CD patients have not been clarified. We investigated to explore ReHo in CD patients at rest and analyzed its correlations with symptom severity as measured by Tsui scale.Methods: A total of 19 CD patients and 21 gender-, age-, and education-matched healthy controls underwent fMRI scans at rest state. Data were analyzed by ReHo method.Results: Patients showed increased ReHo in the right cerebellum crus I and decreased ReHo in the right superior medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Moreover, the right precentral gyrus, right insula, and bilateral middle cingulate gyrus also showed increased ReHo values. A significantly positive correlation was observed between ReHo value in the right cerebellum crus I and symptom severity (p < 0.05).Conclusions: Our investigation suggested abnormal ReHo existed in brain regions of the "pain matrix" and salience network (the right insula and bilateral middle cingulate gyrus), the motor network (the right precentral gyrus), the cerebellum and MPFC and further highlighted the significance of these networks in the pathology of CD.

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Abnormal regional homogeneity and its relationship with symptom severity in cervical dystonia: A rest state fMRI study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-40820/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shubao Wei ◽

Chunhui Lu ◽

Xiuqiong Chen ◽

Lu Yang ◽

Jing Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Symptom Severity ◽

Cervical Dystonia ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Regional Homogeneity ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Cingulate Gyrus ◽

Rest State ◽

Rest State Fmri ◽

Crus I ◽

The Right

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Abnormal Regional Homogeneity and Its Relationship with Symptom Severity in Cervical Dystonia: A Rest State fMRI Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-40820/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shubao Wei ◽

Chunhui Lu ◽

Xiuqiong Chen ◽

Lu Yang ◽

Jing Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Symptom Severity ◽

Cervical Dystonia ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Regional Homogeneity ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Cingulate Gyrus ◽

Rest State ◽

Rest State Fmri ◽

Crus I ◽

The Right

Abstract Background: Although several brain networks play important roles in cervical dystonia (CD) patients, regional homogeneity (ReHo) changes in CD patients have not been clarified. We investigated to explore ReHo in CD patients at rest and analyzed its correlations with symptom severity as measured by Tsui scale.Methods: A total of 19 CD patients and 21 gender-, age-, and education-matched healthy controls underwent fMRI scans at rest state. Data were analyzed by ReHo method.Results: Patients showed increased ReHo in the right cerebellum crus I and decreased ReHo in the right superior medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Moreover, the right precentral gyrus, right insula, and bilateral middle cingulate gyrus also showed increased ReHo values. A significantly positive correlation was observed between ReHo value in the right cerebellum crus I and symptom severity (p < 0.05).Conclusions: Our investigation suggested abnormal ReHo existed in brain regions of default mode network (i.e. the cerebellum and MPFC), the motor network (the right precentral gyrus) and imbic system (the right insula and bilateral middle cingulate gyrus) and further highlighted the significance of these networks in the pathophysiology of CD.

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Impaired Effective Functional Connectivity of the Sensorimotor Network in Interictal Episodic Migraineurs Without Aura

10.21203/rs.3.rs-39331/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Heng-Le Wei ◽

Jing Chen ◽

Yu-Chen Chen ◽

Yu-Sheng Yu ◽

Xi Guo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Resting State ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Angular Gyrus ◽

Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽

Causality Analysis ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Sensorimotor Network ◽

The Right ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (Rs-fMRI) has confirmed sensorimotor network (SMN) dysfunction in migraine without aura (MwoA). However, the underlying mechanisms of SMN causal functional connectivity in MwoA remain unclear. We aimed to explore the association between clinical characteristics and effective functional connectivity in SMN, in interictal patients who have MwoA.Methods: We used Rs-fMRI to acquire imaging data in forty episodic patients with MwoA in the interictal phase and thirty-four healthy controls (HCs). Independent component analysis was used to profile the distribution of SMN and calculate the different SMN activity between the two groups. Subsequently, Granger causality analysis was used to analyze the effective causal connectivity between the SMN and other brain regions.Results: Compared to the HCs, MwoA patients showed higher activity in the bilateral postcentral gyri (PoCG) and supplementary motor areas, but lower activity in left Rolandic operculum/insula. Moreover, MwoA patients showed significantly causal connectivity from the SMN to the left calcarine sulcus, left middle temporal gyrus, right angular gyrus and right precuneus. There was also significant causal connectivity from the left calcarine sulcus, left inferior orbitofrontal cortex, right cuneus, right putamen and left inferior parietal lobule to the SMN. In the interictal period, there was positive correlation between the activity of the left PoCG and headache frequency (r = 0.410, p = 0.013), but negative correlation between the activity of the right PoCG and the impact of headache (r = -0.397, p = 0.016). In addition, the disease duration was directly proportional to the connectivity strength from the left PoCG to the right angular gyrus (r = 0.418, p = 0.011), and from the right PoCG to the left calcarine sulcus (r = 0.377, p = 0.023).Conclusions: These differential, resting-state functional activities of the SMN in episodic MwoA may contribute to the understanding of migraine-related intra- and internetwork imbalances associated with nociceptive regulation and chronification.

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Aberrant Interhemispheric Functional Connectivity in Diabetic Retinopathy Patients

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.792264 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Song Wan ◽

Wen Qing Xia ◽

Yu Lin Zhong

Keyword(s):

Diabetic Retinopathy ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Default Mode Network ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽

Coordination Pattern ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Default Mode ◽

Sensorimotor Network ◽

Visual Network

Background: Accumulating lines of evidence demonstrated that diabetic retinopathy (DR) patients trigger abnormalities in brain’s functional connectivity (FC), whereas the alterations of interhemispheric coordination pattern occurring in DR are not well understood. Our study was to investigate alterations of interhemispheric coordination in DR patients.Methods: Thirty-four DR individuals (19 males and 15 females: mean age: 52.97 ± 8.35 years) and 37 healthy controls (HCs) (16 males and 21 females; mean age: 53.78 ± 7.24 years) were enrolled in the study. The voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) method was conducted to investigate the different interhemispheric FC between two groups. Then, the seed-based FC method was applied to assess the different FCs with region of interest (ROI) in the brain regions of decreased VMHC between two groups.Results: Compared with HC groups, DR groups showed decreased VMHC values in the bilateral middle temporal gyrus (MTG), lingual/calcarine/middle occipital gyrus (LING/CAL/MOG), superior temporal gyrus (STG), angular (ANG), postcentral gyrus (PosCG), inferior parietal lobule (IPL), and precentral gyrus (PreCG). Meanwhile, altered FC includes the regions of auditory network, visual network, default mode network, salience network, and sensorimotor network. Moreover, a significant positive correlation was observed between the visual acuity-oculus dexter (OD) and zVMHC values in the bilateral LING/CAL/MOG (r = 0.551, p = 0.001), STG (r = 0.426, p = 0.012), PosCG (r = 0.494, p = 0.003), and IPL (r = 0.459, p = 0.006) in DR patients.Conclusion: Our results highlighted that DR patients were associated with substantial impairment of interhemispheric coordination in auditory network, visual network, default mode network, and sensorimotor network. The VMHC might be a promising therapeutic target in the intervention of brain functional dysfunction in DR patients.

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