scholarly journals Investigating rapid effects of motor training on the brain's gray matter volume: a magnetic resonance imaging study with repeated testing

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arian Jafari ◽  
Bo Jenner
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Motor Training ◽  
Repeated Testing ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Matter Volume

Recent MRI studies have shown that training can cause apparent gray matter volume (GMV) increases in task-relevant brain regions within hours or even minutes. The present study examined rapid plasticity in the context of motor training, at temporal resolutions of two minutes as well as roughly one hour. Twenty-five healthy volunteers practised performing a complex finger tapping task (FTT) while inside an MRI scanner. Previous research on FTT was used to define a priori region of interest PMCROI in the primary motor cortex. GMV in PMCROI was analyzed during rest and training at three time points: beginning, middle, and end of scan. We found an increase in GMV during rest compared to training at end of scan, indicating a potential delayed training effect. Post hoc analyses of the sensorimotor network resulted in comparable effects which did not survive correction. No significant differences in training GMV between the three time points were found in PMCROI. To our knowledge, no previous study has reported changes in GMV in such a short time period (120 seconds). Future research should continue investigations with high temporal resolution to explore a potential delay in rapid effects of training on GMV.

Sleep Duration, Sleep Apnea, and Gray Matter Volume

2021 ◽  
pp. 089198872098891
Author(s):  
Regina Eun Young Kim ◽  
Robert Douglas Abbott ◽  
Soriul Kim ◽  
Robert Joseph Thomas ◽  
Chang-Ho Yun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Apnea ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Bootstrap Sampling ◽  
Matter Volume

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sleep duration on brain structures in the presence versus absence of sleep apnea in middle-aged and older individuals. The study investigated a population-based sample of 2,560 individuals, aged 49-80 years. The presence of sleep apnea and self-reported sleep duration were examined in relation to gray matter volume (GMV) in total and lobar brain regions. We identified ranges of sleep duration associated with maximal GMV using quadratic regression and bootstrap sampling. A significant quadratic association between sleep duration and GMV was observed in total and lobar brain regions of men with sleep apnea. In the fully adjusted model, optimal sleep durations associated with peak GMV between brain regions ranged from 6.7 to 7.0 hours. Shorter and longer sleep durations were associated with lower GMV in total and 4 sub-regions of the brain in men with sleep apnea.

scholarly journals SLC25A24 gene methylation and gray matter volume in females with and without conduct disorder: an exploratory epigenetic neuroimaging study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Farrow ◽  
Andreas G. Chiocchetti ◽  
Jack C. Rogers ◽  
Ruth Pauli ◽  
Nora M. Raschle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Conduct Disorder ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Chromosome 1 ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

AbstractConduct disorder (CD), a psychiatric disorder characterized by a repetitive pattern of antisocial behaviors, results from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. The clinical presentation of CD varies both according to the individual’s sex and level of callous-unemotional (CU) traits, but it remains unclear how genetic and environmental factors interact at the molecular level to produce these differences. Emerging evidence in males implicates methylation of genes associated with socio-affective processes. Here, we combined an epigenome-wide association study with structural neuroimaging in 51 females with CD and 59 typically developing (TD) females to examine DNA methylation in relation to CD, CU traits, and gray matter volume (GMV). We demonstrate an inverse pattern of correlation between CU traits and methylation of a chromosome 1 region in CD females (positive) as compared to TD females (negative). The identified region spans exon 1 of the SLC25A24 gene, central to energy metabolism due to its role in mitochondrial function. Increased SLC25A24 methylation was also related to lower GMV in multiple brain regions in the overall cohort. These included the superior frontal gyrus, prefrontal cortex, and supramarginal gyrus, secondary visual cortex and ventral posterior cingulate cortex, which are regions that have previously been implicated in CD and CU traits. While our findings are preliminary and need to be replicated in larger samples, they provide novel evidence that CU traits in females are associated with methylation levels in a fundamentally different way in CD and TD, which in turn may relate to observable variations in GMV across the brain.

scholarly journals Association between cytomegalovirus infection, reduced gray matter volume, and resting-state functional hypoconnectivity in major depressive disorder: a replication and extension

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haixia Zheng ◽  
Bart N. Ford ◽  
Rayus Kuplicki ◽  
Kaiping Burrows ◽  
Peter W. Hunt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Affective Processing ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Matter Volume

AbstractHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a neurotropic herpes virus known to cause neuropathology in patients with impaired immunity. Previously, we reported a reduction in the gray matter volume (GMV) of several brain regions in two independent samples of participants who were seropositive for HCMV (HCMV+) compared to matched participants who were seronegative for HCMV (HCMV−). In addition to an independent replication of the GMV findings, this study aimed to examine whether HCMV+ was associated with differences in resting-state functional connectivity (rsfMRI-FC). After balancing on 11 clinical/demographic variables using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), GMV and rsfMRI-FC were obtained from 99 participants with major depressive disorder (MDD) who were classified into 42 HCMV+ and 57 HCMV− individuals. Relative to the HCMV− group, the HCMV+ group showed a significant reduction of GMV in nine cortical regions. Volume reduction in the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex (standardized beta coefficient (SBC) = −0.32, [95%CI, −0.62 to −0.02]) and the left pars orbitalis (SBC = −0.34, [95%CI, −0.63 to −0.05]) in the HCMV+ group was also observed in the previous study. Regardless of the parcellation method or analytical approach, relative to the HCMV− group, the HCMV+ group showed hypoconnectivity between the hubs of the sensorimotor network (bilateral postcentral gyrus) and the hubs of the salience network (bilateral insula) with effect sizes ranging from SBC = −0.57 to −0.99. These findings support the hypothesis that a positive HCMV serostatus is associated with altered connectivity of regions that are important for stress and affective processing and further supports a possible etiological role of HCMV in depression.

scholarly journals Reduced gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex and thalamus as a function of mild depressive symptoms: a voxel-based morphometric analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (13) ◽  
pp. 2833-2843 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Webb ◽  
M. Weber ◽  
E. A. Mundy ◽  
W. D. S. Killgore
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Dimensional Approach ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Conjunction Analysis

BackgroundStudies investigating structural brain abnormalities in depression have typically employed a categorical rather than dimensional approach to depression [i.e. comparing subjects with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-defined major depressive disorder (MDD)v. healthy controls]. The National Institute of Mental Health, through their Research Domain Criteria initiative, has encouraged a dimensional approach to the study of psychopathology as opposed to an over-reliance on categorical (e.g. DSM-based) diagnostic approaches. Moreover, subthreshold levels of depressive symptoms (i.e. severity levels below DSM criteria) have been found to be associated with a range of negative outcomes, yet have been relatively neglected in neuroimaging research.MethodTo examine the extent to which depressive symptoms – even at subclinical levels – are linearly related to gray matter volume reductions in theoretically important brain regions, we employed whole-brain voxel-based morphometry in a sample of 54 participants.ResultsThe severity of mild depressive symptoms, even in a subclinical population, was associated with reduced gray matter volume in the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, thalamus, superior temporal gyrus/temporal pole and superior frontal gyrus. A conjunction analysis revealed concordance across two separate measures of depression.ConclusionsReduced gray matter volume in theoretically important brain regions can be observed even in a sample that does not meet DSM criteria for MDD, but who nevertheless report relatively elevated levels of depressive symptoms. Overall, these findings highlight the need for additional research using dimensional conceptual and analytic approaches, as well as further investigation of subclinical populations.

scholarly journals Alterations of Regional Spontaneous Brain Activity and Gray Matter Volume in the Blind

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aili Jiang ◽  
Jing Tian ◽  
Rui Li ◽  
Yong Liu ◽  
Tianzi Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Visual Deprivation ◽  
Onset Age ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Visual Areas ◽  
High Level

Visual deprivation can induce alterations of regional spontaneous brain activity (RSBA). However, the effects of onset age of blindness on the RSBA and the association between the alterations of RSBA and brain structure are still unclear in the blind. In this study, we performed resting-state functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging on 50 sighted controls and 91 blind subjects (20 congenitally blind, 27 early blind, and 44 late blind individuals). Compared with the sighted control, we identified increased RSBA in the blind in primary and high-level visual areas and decreased RSBA in brain regions which are ascribed to sensorimotor and salience networks. In contrast, blind subjects exhibited significantly decreased gray matter volume (GMV) in the visual areas, while they exhibited significantly increased GMV in the sensorimotor areas. Moreover, the onset age of blindness was negatively correlated with the GMV of visual areas in blind subjects, whereas it exerted complex influences on the RSBA. Finally, significant negative correlations were shown between RSBA and GMV values. Our results demonstrated system-dependent, inverse alterations in RSBA and GMV after visual deprivation. Furthermore, the onset age of blindness has different effects on the reorganizations in RSBA and GMV.

scholarly journals Emotional Awareness in Schizophrenia Is Associated With Gray Matter Volume of Right Precuneus

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Jáni ◽  
Zora Kikinis ◽  
Jan Lošák ◽  
Ofer Pasternak ◽  
Filip Szczepankiewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Emotional Awareness ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
The Right

Objectives: We assessed the relationship between emotional awareness (e.g., the ability to identify and differentiate our own feelings and feelings of others) and regional brain volumes in healthy and in schizophrenia groups.Methods: Magnetic resonance images of 29 subjects with schizophrenia and 33 matched healthy controls were acquired. Brain gray matter was parcellated using FreeSurfer and 28 regions of interest associated with emotional awareness were analyzed. All participants were assessed using the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS) of Self and of Other. LEAS scores were correlated with gray matter volume for each hemisphere on the 14 brain regions of the emotional awareness network.Results: Individuals with schizophrenia showed decreased emotional awareness on both LEAS Self and LEAS Other compared to healthy controls. There were no statistically significant between-group differences in gray matter volumes of the emotional awareness network. The performance on LEAS Other correlated negatively with right precuneus gray matter volume only in the schizophrenia group.Conclusion: Our findings suggest a relationship between gray matter volume of the right precuneus and deficits in understanding of emotional states of others in schizophrenia.

scholarly journals Functional Activation-Informed Structural Changes during Stroke Recovery: A Longitudinal MRI Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Zhiyuan Wu ◽  
Lin Cheng ◽  
Guo-Yuan Yang ◽  
Shanbao Tong ◽  
Junfeng Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Stroke Recovery ◽  
Functional Reorganization ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Mri Study

Objective. Neuroimaging studies revealed the functional reorganization or the structural changes during stroke recovery. However, previous studies did not combine the functional and structural information and the results might be affected by heterogeneous lesion. This study aimed to investigate functional activation-informed structural changes during stroke recovery. Methods. MRI data of twelve stroke patients were collected at four consecutive time points during the first 3 months after stroke onset. Functional activation during finger-tapping task was used to inform the analysis of structural changes of activated brain regions. Correlation between structural changes in motor-related activated brain regions and motor function recovery was estimated. Results. The averaged gray matter volume (aGMV) of contralesional activated brain regions and laterality index of gray matter volume (LIGMV) increased during stroke recovery, and LIGMV was positively correlated with Fugl-Meyer Index (FMI) at initial stage after stroke. The aGMV of bilateral activated brain regions was negatively correlated with FMI during the stroke recovery. Conclusion. This study demonstrated that combining the stroke-induced functional reorganization and structural change provided new insights into the underlying innate plasticity process during stroke recovery. Significance. This study proposed a new approach to integrate functional and structural information for investigating the innate plasticity after stroke.

scholarly journals Effects of 24-Week Exergame Intervention on the Gray Matter Volume of Different Brain Structures in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Single-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 2436
Author(s):  
Juan Luis Leon-Llamas ◽  
Santos Villafaina ◽  
Alvaro Murillo-Garcia ◽  
Francisco Javier Dominguez-Muñoz ◽  
Narcis Gusi
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Peak Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Left And Right

Background: Exergame-induced changes in the volume of brain gray matter have not been studied in fibromyalgia (FM). This study evaluates the effects of a 24-week exergame-based intervention on the gray matter volume of different brain structures in patients with FM through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: A total of 25 FM patients completed 24 weeks of intervention program, and another 25 FM patients did not receive any intervention. T1-weighted MRI was used to assess brain volume, and FreeSurfer software was used to segment the brain regions. Results: No significant effects on gray matter volume of different structures and total gray matter were found. Conclusions: FM patients did not show significant changes in gray matter brain volume between the control and experimental groups after 24 weeks. FM patients showed significant relationships between peak oxygen consumption (pVO2) and the left and right regions of the hippocampus and the left and right regions of the amygdala.

scholarly journals Transcriptomic Signatures Associated With Gray Matter Volume Changes in Patients With Functional Constipation

2022 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wangli Cai ◽  
Yujing Zhou ◽  
Lidi Wan ◽  
Ruiling Zhang ◽  
Ting Hua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Functional Constipation ◽  
Gastrointestinal Disorder ◽  
Structural Mri ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Brain Atlas ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Matter Volume

Functional constipation, which belongs to the functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID), is a common disease and significantly impacts daily life. FGID patients have been progressively proven with functional and structural alterations in various brain regions, but whether and how functional constipation affects the brain gray matter volume (GMV) remains unclear; besides, which genes are associated with the GMV changes in functional constipation is largely unknown. On account of the structural MRI image from the 30 functional constipation patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs), GMV analysis showed that functional constipation patients had significantly decreased GMV in the right orbital prefrontal cortex (OFC), left precentral gyrus (PreG), and bilateral thalamus (THA). Correlation analysis showed that the self-rating depressive scale, patient assessment of constipation quality of life (PAC-QOL), and Wexner constipation scores were negatively correlated with GMV of the OFC and negative correlations between PAC-QOL score and GMV of the bilateral THA. Based on the Allen Human Brain Atlas, a cross-sample spatial correlation was conducted and found that 18 genes’ expression values showed robust correlations with GMV changes in functional constipation patients. These outcomes highlight our recognition of the transcriptional features related to GMV changes in functional constipation and could be regarded as candidates to detect biological mechanisms of abnormality in functional constipation patients.

scholarly journals Childhood trauma is associated with reduced frontal gray matter volume: a large transdiagnostic structural MRI study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Marieke J. H. Begemann ◽  
Maya J. L. Schutte ◽  
Edwin van Dellen ◽  
Lucija Abramovic ◽  
Marco P. Boks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Psychiatric Morbidity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Brain Morphology ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum

Abstract Background Childhood trauma increases risk for psychopathology and cognitive impairment. Prior research mainly focused on the hippocampus and amygdala in single diagnostic categories. However, other brain regions may be impacted by trauma as well, and effects may be independent of diagnosis. This cross-sectional study investigated cortical and subcortical gray matter volume in relation to childhood trauma severity. Methods We included 554 participants: 250 bipolar-I patients, 84 schizophrenia-spectrum patients and 220 healthy individuals without a psychiatric history. Participants filled in the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Anatomical T1 MRI scans were acquired at 3T, regional brain morphology was assessed using Freesurfer. Results In the total sample, trauma-related gray matter reductions were found in the frontal lobe (β = −0.049, p = 0.008; q = 0.048), this effect was driven by the right medial orbitofrontal, paracentral, superior frontal regions and the left precentral region. No trauma-related volume reductions were observed in any other (sub)cortical lobes nor the hippocampus or amygdala, trauma-by-group (i.e. both patient groups and healthy subjects) interaction effects were absent. A categorical approach confirmed a pattern of more pronounced frontal gray matter reductions in individuals reporting multiple forms of trauma and across quartiles of cumulative trauma scores. Similar dose−response patterns were revealed within the bipolar and healthy subgroups, but did not reach significance in schizophrenia-spectrum patients. Conclusions Findings show that childhood trauma is linked to frontal gray matter reductions, independent of psychiatric morbidity. Our results indicate that childhood trauma importantly contributes to the neurobiological changes commonly observed across psychiatric disorders. Frontal volume alterations may underpin affective and cognitive disturbances observed in trauma-exposed individuals.

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