Voxel-Based Morphometry Analysis of Gray Matter on Quran Memorizers

Introduction: The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. Robust and vigorous daily activities may cause changes to the brain structure. Huffaz, individuals who memorise the Quran undergo intensive memorization training which may lead to structural changes in specific regions of the brain. Materials and method: This study looked at possible change that occurred on gray matter by characterising the textual memorization of brain structure using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). It involves voxel-by-voxel comparison of gray matter intensity of the MRI images. Forty-seven subjects (23 huffaz, 24 non-huffaz) aged between 21-25 years were voluntarily recruited. Subjects were scanned by 3 Tesla MRI system. Images were then re-aligned according to standardised Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) coordinates. The MRIs were then segmented into gray matter, white matter and cerebrospinal fluid. Independent sample t-test was performed between the two groups. Results: No significant difference was found between the brain region of the huffaz and non-huffaz with appropriate corrections for family-wise error (FWE) at a threshold of p = 0.05. However, with a more lenient criteria (p = 0.001, uncorrected, cluster size = 50 mm3 ), we found that gray matter volume in Brodmann Area 6 and Brodmann Area 7 of the huffaz were significantly higher than the non-huffaz group. Conclusion: VBM is not sensitive enough to detect complex anatomical differences between huffaz and non-huffaz with the current sample size. Future study to explore possible image processing tools that can measure subtle structural change in human brain is warranted.

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PECULIARITIES OF STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN BRAIN OF PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION, HYPOTHYROIDISM AND DURING THE COMORBID COURSE OF THESE TWO DISEASES

Актуальні проблеми сучасної медицини Вісник Української медичної стоматологічної академії ◽

10.31718/2077-1096.20.4.67 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 67-71

Author(s):

M.I. Lesiv ◽

V.A. Hryb

Keyword(s):

Frontal Lobe ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Structural Parameters ◽

Control Group ◽

Group Iii ◽

Average Value ◽

Group I ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Brain

This article presents the investigation of structural parameters of the brain in 67 patients aged 47.23 ± 2.64 years, whose duration of the disease was 13.27 ± 0.75 (from 2 to 19) years. The control group included 18 healthy individuals of the same age (47.84 ± 0.36 years), whose selection was carried out based on the anamnesis and the absence of hypothyroidism and hypertension. According to the data we discussed in our previous publications, during neuropsychological testing we registered memory deterioration in patients with hypertension assessed by the test for learning 10 words according to the method proposed by A.R. Luria (p <0.05), as well as serial counting by the Matisse scale (p <0.05). The patients with hypothyroidism were found as demonstrating attention deficiency (p <0.05) by applying the method of "Selectivity of attention" (G. Munsterberg test). For more detailed assessment, we used Schulte tables, the result of which demonstrates the state of the domain of the patient's executive functions and proves the instability of attention. The analysis of the results showed that taking into account the interaction between hypertension and hypothyroidism, the most affected cognitive domains were memory and attention, respectively (p <0.05). To diagnose cognitive and mnestic disorders of all groups, we used MR imaging, measured the transverse dimensions of the medial, lateral (temporal horn) and vertical perihippocampal spaces, and evaluated the volume of gray matter (cortex) of the frontal lobe of the brain in 3 zones. The measurements were performed in the right and left hemispheres. There was a significant increase in the indices of the medial and upper perihippocampal right and left in the patients in group III compared with the groups I and II. The lateral perihypocampal index did not differ significantly in the three groups (p> 0.05). Thus, taking into account the interaction of factors (hypertension and hypothyroidism), the patients were found to have an increase in perihippocampal indices (p> 0.05). Based on the data in table 2, in the patients of group I the average value of the frontal lobe was 634.06 ± 10.92. In the patients of group II, the average value of the frontal lobe was 638.6 ± 7.82, and in the patients of group III, the average value of the frontal lobe was 601.3 ± 3,325. There was no statistically significant difference between groups I and II (p = 0.05). But groups I and III demonstrated statistically significant difference between the indicators (p <0.05). We also found a statistically significant difference between groups II and III (p <0.05). Thus, in patients with hypertension, hypothyroidism and hypertension with concomitant hypothyroidism, an increase in perihippocampal indices, a decrease in the volume of gray matter (cortex) of the frontal lobe of the brain (right and left), significantly exceeded possible (involutional or otherwise). Thus, the results of the study indicate that in cases of isolated hypertension, hypothyroidism, and in the comorbidity of hypertension and hypothyroidism, there has been detected a significant acceleration of atrophic processes.

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Developmental brain structural atypicalities in autism: A voxel-based morphometry analysis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1066676/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hui Wang ◽

Zeng-Hui Ma ◽

Ling-Zi Xu ◽

Liu Yang ◽

Zhao-Zheng Ji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Age Groups ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Inferior Parietal Lobule ◽

Voxel Based Morphometry ◽

Whole Brain ◽

Autism Group ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Parietal Lobule

Abstract Background Accumulating structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI) studies have showed atypicalities in developmental changes of structural regional brain in autism, with largely inconsistent results. Methods The current study investigated the brain structural abnormal features of autistic individuals aged 6~30 years. We included 52 autism individuals and 50 age, gender, and IQ matched typically developing individuals (TD), who were divided into three groups: childhood (6-12 years old), adolescent (13-18 years old) and adulthood (19-30 years old). Whole brain volume and Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM) analyses were employed on the sMRI data collected from our participants. Results We found no significant difference in the volume of whole brain, gray matter and white matter between autism and TD groups of the three age groups. For VBM analyses, the volumes of gray matter in right superior temporal gyrus and right inferior parietal lobule in children autism group were smaller than those in TD group; the volume of gray matter in left inferior parietal lobule in adolescent autism group was larger than that in TD group; the volume of gray matter in right middle occipital gyrus in adult autism group was larger than that in TD group, and the gray matter in left posterior cingulate gyrus was smaller than that in TD group. Conclusions Findings suggest autism individuals showed different atypical brain regions of gray matter volume in childhood, adolescent, and adulthood relative to their normal peers respectively, indiciating that it is essential to take developmental perspectives into consideration when exploring brain structural abnormalities in autism.

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The relationship between gray matter changes in schizophrenia patients and the number of psychotic episodes

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(11)72657-8 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (S2) ◽

pp. 952-952

Author(s):

G. Rubeša ◽

R. Antulov ◽

A. Ružić Baršic ◽

J. Lerga ◽

D. Miletić

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Statistical Parametric Mapping ◽

Brodmann Area ◽

Mapping Technique ◽

Brodmann Areas ◽

And Gender ◽

The Right ◽

The Relationship

IntroductionA significant amount of evidence from structural brain imaging studies provide new insights into the neuroanatomical basis of schizophrenia.ObjectivesTo investigate whole brain gray matter (GM) differences between schizophrenia patients grouped according to the number of psychotic episodes and normal controls (NC).AimTo determine regions of GM differences in schizophrenia patients grouped according to the number of psychotic episodes.MethodsA group of 53 schizophrenia patients (23 with up to 3 psychotic episodes, 15 with 4 to 6 and 15 with 7 or more psychotic episodes) and 35 age and gender matched NC were included. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) is an adaptation of the statistical parametric mapping technique that allows investigators to quantitatively examine brain structural changes. VBM data of schizophrenia patients divided into 3 groups: up to 3, 4 to 6 and 7 or more episodes were compared with NC.ResultsPatients with up to 3 episodes had reduced gray matter volume (GMV) in the right claustrum, right Brodmann areas 6 and 13 and left Brodmann area 10, patients with 4 to 6 episodes in left Brodmann areas 25, 35 and 37 and in right Brodmann area 13, and those with 7 or more episodes showed decreased GMV in left substantia nigra and left Brodmann area 10 compared with NC.ConclusionGMV reduction in schizophrenia varies depending on the number of psychotic episodes. The affection of different brain areas indicates separated neurobiological mechanisms underlying the stage and the progression of illness.

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Accelerating Structural Degeneration in Temporal Regions and Their Effects on Cognition in Aging of MCI Patients

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhz090 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 326-338

Author(s):

Xin Li ◽

Jianan Xia ◽

Chao Ma ◽

Kewei Chen ◽

Kai Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Brain Structure ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Memory And Attention ◽

Age Related ◽

Preclinical Ad ◽

Brain Imaging Data ◽

The Brain

Abstract Age is the major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, there is limited evidence about MCI-specific aging-related simultaneous changes of the brain structure and their impact on cognition. We analyzed the brain imaging data from 269 subjects (97 MCI patients and 172 cognitively normal [CN] elderly) using voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics procedures to explore the special structural pattern during aging. We found that the patients with MCI showed accelerated age-related reductions in gray matter volume in the left planum temporale, thalamus, and posterior cingulate gyrus. The similar age×group interaction effect was found in the fractional anisotropy of the bilateral parahippocampal cingulum white matter tract, which connects the temporal regions. Importantly, the age-related temporal gray matter and white matter alterations were more significantly related to performance in memory and attention tasks in MCI patients. The accelerated degeneration patterns in the brain structure provide evidence for different neural mechanisms underlying aging in MCI patients. Temporal structural degeneration may serve as a potential imaging marker for distinguishing the progression of the preclinical AD stage from normal aging.

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Voxel-based correlation of 18F-THK5351 accumulation and gray matter volume in the brain of cognitively normal older adults

EJNMMI Research ◽

10.1186/s13550-019-0552-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yoko Shigemoto ◽

Daichi Sone ◽

Miho Ota ◽

Norihide Maikusa ◽

Masayo Ogawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Cognitively Normal ◽

Matter Volume ◽

The Brain

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Gray-Matter Expansion of Social Brain Networks in Individuals High in Public Self-Consciousness

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11030374 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 374

Author(s):

Tomoyo Morita ◽

Minoru Asada ◽

Eiichi Naito

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Brain Networks ◽

Japanese Version ◽

Brain Regions ◽

The Self ◽

Social Brain ◽

Default Mode ◽

Public Self Consciousness

Self-consciousness is a personality trait associated with an individual’s concern regarding observable (public) and unobservable (private) aspects of self. Prompted by previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, we examined possible gray-matter expansions in emotion-related and default mode networks in individuals with higher public or private self-consciousness. One hundred healthy young adults answered the Japanese version of the Self-Consciousness Scale (SCS) questionnaire and underwent structural MRI. A voxel-based morphometry analysis revealed that individuals scoring higher on the public SCS showed expansions of gray matter in the emotion-related regions of the cingulate and insular cortices and in the default mode network of the precuneus and medial prefrontal cortex. In addition, these gray-matter expansions were particularly related to the trait of “concern about being evaluated by others”, which was one of the subfactors constituting public self-consciousness. Conversely, no relationship was observed between gray-matter volume in any brain regions and the private SCS scores. This is the first study showing that the personal trait of concern regarding public aspects of the self may cause long-term substantial structural changes in social brain networks.

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Reproducibility of Brain Volume Changes in Longitudinal Voxel-Based Morphometry Between Non-Accelerated and Accelerated Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-210596 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Hidemasa Takao ◽

Shiori Amemiya ◽

Osamu Abe ◽

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Elderly Subjects ◽

Voxel Based Morphometry ◽

Volume Changes ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Healthy Elderly

Background: Scan acceleration techniques, such as parallel imaging, can reduce scan times, but reliability is essential to implement these techniques in neuroimaging. Objective: To evaluate the reproducibility of the longitudinal changes in brain morphology determined by longitudinal voxel-based morphometry (VBM) between non-accelerated and accelerated magnetic resonance images (MRI) in normal aging, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: Using data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) 2 database, comprising subjects who underwent non-accelerated and accelerated structural T1-weighted MRI at screening and at a 2-year follow-up on 3.0 T Philips scanners, we examined the reproducibility of longitudinal gray matter volume changes determined by longitudinal VBM processing between non-accelerated and accelerated imaging in 50 healthy elderly subjects, 54 MCI patients, and eight AD patients. Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) maps differed among the three groups. The mean ICC was 0.72 overall (healthy elderly, 0.63; MCI, 0.75; AD, 0.63), and the ICC was good to excellent (0.6–1.0) for 81.4%of voxels (healthy elderly, 64.8%; MCI, 85.0%; AD, 65.0%). The differences in image quality (head motion) were not significant (Kruskal–Wallis test, p = 0.18) and the within-subject standard deviations of longitudinal gray matter volume changes were similar among the groups. Conclusion: The results indicate that the reproducibility of longitudinal gray matter volume changes determined by VBM between non-accelerated and accelerated MRI is good to excellent for many regions but may vary between diseases and regions.

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Moderating Effect of Insulin Resistance on the Relationship between Gray Matter Volumes and Cognitive Function

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm7110413 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (11) ◽

pp. 413 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jiyeon Lee ◽

Jihyeon Kim ◽

Seong Shin ◽

Soowon Park ◽

Dong Yoon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Insulin Resistance ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Gray Matter ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Volume Loss ◽

Matter Volume

Background: It is controversial whether exposure to insulin resistance accelerates cognitive deterioration. The present study aimed to investigate the association between insulin resistance and gray matter volume loss to predict the cognitive decline. Methods: We recruited 160 participants (78 with Alzheimer’s disease and 82 without Alzheimer’s disease). Insulin resistance, regional gray matter volume, and cognitive function were assessed. A hierarchical moderated multiple regression (MMR) model was used to determine any associations among insulin resistance, structural changes in the brain, and cognitive decline. Results: The volumes of 7 regions in the gray matter were negatively related to insulin resistance in Alzheimer’s disease (p =0.032). Hierarchical MMR analysis indicated that insulin resistance did not directly affect the cognitive decline but moderated the cognitive decline through the decrease in gray matter volume in the key brain regions, i.e., inferior orbitofrontal gyrus (left), middle cingulate gyrus (right), hippocampus (right), and precuneus (right) (p < 0.05 in each case). Conclusion: Insulin resistance appears to exacerbate the cognitive decline associated with several gray matter volume loss.

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