The Indirect Effect of Age Group on Switch Costs via Gray Matter Volume and Task-Related Brain Activity

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.

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Enhanced Gray Matter Volume Compensates for Decreased Brain Activity in the Ocular Motor Area in Children with Anisometropic Amblyopia

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2020/8060869 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Weizhao Lu ◽

Xueliang Yu ◽

Lisheng Zhao ◽

Yanli Zhang ◽

Feng Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽

Anisometropic Amblyopia ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Visual Spatial ◽

The Right ◽

The Relationship

Purpose.Anisometropic amblyopia usually occurs during early childhood and results in monocular visual deficit. Recent neuroimaging studies have demonstrated structural and functional alterations in pediatric anisometropic amblyopia (PAA) patients. However, the relationship between structural and functional alterations remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between structural and functional alterations in PAA patients. Materials and Methods. Eighteen PAA patients and 14 healthy children underwent a multimodal MRI scanning including T1WI and functional MRI (fMRI). Voxel-based morphometry was used to assess structural alterations between PAA patients and healthy children. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) was used to investigate changes in local spontaneous brain activity in the enrolled subjects. Correlations between structural, functional alterations, and clinical information were analyzed in the PAA group. Results. Compared with healthy children, PAA patients exhibited significantly reduced ReHo of spontaneous brain activity in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) and right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and increased gray matter volume in the right lobules 4 and 5 of the cerebellum. The gray matter volume of the right lobules 4 and 5 of the cerebellum was negatively correlated with the ReHo values of the right MFG. Conclusions. Our findings may suggest that PAA patients experience structural and functional abnormalities in brain regions related to oculomotor and visual-spatial information. In addition, the increased gray matter volume may compensate the decreased brain activity in the oculomotor regions, which reflects compensatory or neural plasticity in PAA patients.

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Left caudal middle frontal gray matter volume mediates the effect of age on self-initiated elaborative encoding strategies

Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.10.004 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 106 ◽

pp. 341-349 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Robyn A. Husa ◽

Brian A. Gordon ◽

Madison M. Cochran ◽

Madison Bertolin ◽

Danielle N. Bond ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Encoding Strategies ◽

Effect Of Age

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Gray Matter and Regional Brain Activity Abnormalities in Subclinical Hypothyroidism

Frontiers in Endocrinology ◽

10.3389/fendo.2021.582519 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yang Zhang ◽

Yaqiong Yang ◽

Bo Tao ◽

Qingguo Lv ◽

Su Lui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gray Matter ◽

Subclinical Hypothyroidism ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Brain Areas ◽

Matter Volume ◽

Regional Brain ◽

Regional Brain Activity ◽

Left Middle

BackgroundSubclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) brain structure and resting state of functional activity have remained unexplored.PurposeTo investigate gray matter volume (GMV) and regional brain activity with the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) in subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) patients before and after treatment.Material and MethodsWe enrolled 54 SCH and 41 age-, sex-, and education-matched controls. GMV and fALFF of SCH were compared with controls and between pre- and post-treatment within SCH group. Correlations of GMV and fALFF in SCH with thyroid function status and mood scales were assessed by multiple linear regression analysis.ResultsCompared to controls, GMV in SCH was significantly decreased in Orbital part of inferior frontal, superior frontal, pre-/postcentral, inferior occipital, and temporal pole gyrus. FALFF values in SCH were significantly increased in right angular, left middle frontal, and left superior frontal gyrus. After treatment, there were no significant changes in GMV and the local brain function compared to pre-treatment, however the GMV and fALFF of the defective brain areas were improved. Additionally, decreased values of fALFF in left middle frontal gyrus were correlated with increased mood scales.ConclusionIn this study we found that patients with SCH, the gray matter volume in some brain areas were significantly reduced, and regional brain activity was significantly increased. After treatment, the corresponding structural and functional deficiencies had a tendency for improvement. These changes may reveal the neurological mechanisms of mood disorder in SCH patients.

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