The Association Between Lentiform Nucleus Function and Cognitive Impairments in Schizophrenia

Introduction: Cognitive decline is the core schizophrenia symptom, which is now well accepted. Holding a role in various aspects of cognition, lentiform nucleus (putamen and globus pallidus) dysfunction contributes to the psychopathology of this disease. However, the effects of lentiform nucleus function on cognitive impairments in schizophrenia are yet to be investigated.Objectives: We aim to detect the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) alterations in patients with schizophrenia, and examine how their behavior correlates in relation to the cognitive impairments of the patients.Methods: All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cognitive assessment (digit span and digit symbol coding tests). Screening of brain regions with significant changes in fALFF values was based on analysis of the whole brain. The data were analyzed between Jun 2020 and Mar 2021. There were no interventions beyond the routine therapy determined by their clinicians on the basis of standard clinical practice.Results: There were 136 patients (75 men and 61 women, 24.1 ± 7.4 years old) and 146 healthy controls (82 men and 64 women, 24.2 ± 5.2 years old) involved in the experiments seriatim. Patients with schizophrenia exhibited decreased raw scores in cognitive tests (p < 0.001) and increased fALFF in the bilateral lentiform nuclei (left: 67 voxels; x = −24, y = −6, z = 3; peak t-value = 6.90; right: 16 voxels; x = 18, y = 0, z = 3; peak t-value = 6.36). The fALFF values in the bilateral lentiform nuclei were positively correlated with digit span-backward test scores (left: r = 0.193, p = 0.027; right: r = 0.190, p = 0.030), and the right lentiform nucleus was positively correlated with digit symbol coding scores (r = 0.209, p = 0.016).Conclusion: This study demonstrates that cognitive impairments in schizophrenia are associated with lentiform nucleus function as revealed by MRI, involving working memory and processing speed.

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Primary Cognitive Factors Impaired after Glioma Surgery and Associated Brain Regions

Behavioural Neurology ◽

10.1155/2020/7941689 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Chiharu Niki ◽

Takatsune Kumada ◽

Takashi Maruyama ◽

Manabu Tamura ◽

Takakazu Kawamata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brain Tumors ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Cognitive Impairments ◽

Digit Span ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Cognitive Factors ◽

Cognitive Tasks ◽

Middle Temporal ◽

Cognitive Component ◽

The Right

Previous studies have shown that cognitive impairments in patients with brain tumors are not severe. However, to preserve the postsurgical QOL of patients with brain tumors, it is important to identify “primary” cognitive functions and associated brain regions that are more vulnerable to cognitive impairments following surgery. The objective of this study was to investigate primary cognitive factors affecting not only simple cognitive tasks but also several other cognitive tasks and associated brain regions. Patients with glioma in the left (n=33) and the right (n=21) hemisphere participated in the study. Seven neuropsychological tasks from five cognitive domains were conducted pre- and 6 months postoperation. Factor analyses were conducted to identify “primary” common cognitive functions affecting the task performance in left and right glioma groups. Next, lesion analyses were performed using voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) to identify critical brain regions related to impairments of the primary cognitive functions. Factor analysis revealed two primary cognitive components in each glioma group. The first cognitive component in the left glioma group affected the digit span forward and backward tasks and concept shifting and the letter-digit substitution tasks. VLSM analysis revealed significant regions from the posterior middle temporal gyri to the supramarginal gyrus. The second cognitive component affected verbal memory, and verbal fluency tasks and VLSM analysis indicated two different significant regions, the medial temporal regions and the middle temporal gyrus to the posterior parietal lobes. The first cognitive component in the right glioma group affected positive and negative factor loadings on the task, such that the positive cognitive component affected only the Stroop color-word task. VLSM related to deficits of the Stroop task revealed significant regions in the anterior medial frontal cortex. On the other hand, the negative component affected concept shifting, word fluency, and digit span forward tasks, and VLSM revealed significant regions in the right inferior frontal cortex. It is suggested that primary cognitive functions related to specific brain regions were possibly affected by glioma resection.

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The correlation between fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation-based resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and facial emotion recognition ability in patients with first-episode schizophrenia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-919680/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Qijie Kuang ◽

Yi Liu ◽

Sumiao Zhou ◽

Taiyong Bi ◽

Lin Mi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotion Recognition ◽

Resting State ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Facial Emotion ◽

First Episode ◽

The Right ◽

First Episode Schizophrenia

Abstract Our aim was to analyse the correlation between the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and facial emotion recognition (FER) ability in patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FSZ). A total of 28 patients with FSZ and 33 healthy controls (HCs) completed visual search tasks for FER ability. Regions of interest (ROIs) related to facial emotion were obtained from a previous meta-analysis. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to understand the correlation between fALFF and FER ability. Our results indicated that the patients performed worse than the HCs in the accuracy performances of happy FER and fearful FER. The previous meta-analysis results showed that the brain regions related to FER included the bilateral amygdala (AMY)/hippocampus (HIP), right fusiform gyrus (FFG), and right supplementary motor area (SMA). Pearson correlation showed that the fALFF of the right FFG was associated with high-load fearful FER accuracy (r = -0.43, p = 0.022). Multiple regression analysis showed that the fALFF of the right FFG was an independent contributor to fearful FER accuracy. Our study indicates that FER ability is correlated with resting-state intrinsic activity in brain regions related to facial emotion, which may provide a reference for the study of FER in schizophrenia.

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A Resting-State Functional MRI Study in Patients with Vestibular Migraine During Interictal Period

10.21203/rs.3.rs-74789/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shuqing Wang ◽

Haiping Wang ◽

Xuejun Liu ◽

Wenjing Yan ◽

Minghui Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Mri ◽

Resting State ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Region Of Interest ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Vestibular Migraine ◽

Lingual Gyrus ◽

The Right ◽

Mri Study

Abstract AimTo evaluate the spontaneous neuronal activities and the changes of brain functional network in patients with vestibular migraine (VM) using resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) during the interictal period.MethodsThree groups included 18 patients with VM, 21 patients with MWoA and 21 HCs underwent the scanning of the resting-state fMRI. First, brain regions with significant differentia of amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) values were obtained. Secondly, functional connectivity (FC) analysis was performed in the brain region(s) with the most significant differentia of ALFF values which was defined as region of interest (ROI).Results(1) Compared with healthy volunteers, patients with VM and patients with MWoA showed significant ALFF decrease in the right putamen (P<0.05), and significant ALFF increase in the right lingual gyrus (P<0.05). What’s more, compared with patients with MWoA, patients with VM showed significant ALFF increase in the right lingual gyrus (P<0.05). In addition, we found that ALFF values in the right putamen of patients with VM were negatively correlated with the duration of migraine and the frequency of migraine attacks (P<0.05). (2) Compared with HCs, patients with VM showed significant FC increase among the cerebellum, the left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus and the right putamen (P<0.05) but significant decrease among the left median cingulate, paracingulate gyri and the right putamen (P<0.05). Compared with patients with MWoA, patients with VM showed significant FC increase between the cerebellum and the right putamen (P<0.05) but significant FC decrease among the left median cingulate, paracingulate gyri and the right putamen (P<0.05).ConclusionThere are functional abnormalities in nociceptive, vestibular and visual cortex regions in patients with VM during the interictal period.

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White matter of perinatally HIV infected older youths shows low frequency fluctuations that may reflect glial cycling

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82587-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Manoj K. Sarma ◽

Amrita Pal ◽

Margaret A. Keller ◽

Tamara Welikson ◽

Joseph Ventura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Cerebral White Matter ◽

Frequency Fluctuations ◽

And Gender ◽

Latent Hiv ◽

The Right ◽

The Brain

AbstractIn perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV) children, neurodevelopment occurs in the presence of HIV-infection, and even with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) the brain can be a reservoir for latent HIV. Consequently, patients often demonstrate long-term cognitive deficits and developmental delay, which may be reflected in altered functional brain activity. Our objective was to examine brain function in PHIV on cART by quantifying the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo). Further, we studied ALFF and ReHo changes with neuropsychological performance and measures of immune health including CD4 count and viral loads in the HIV-infected youths. We found higher ALFF and ReHo in cerebral white matter in the medial orbital lobe for PHIV (N = 11, age mean ± sd = 22.5 ± 2.9 years) compared to controls (N = 16, age = 22.5 ± 3.0 years), with age and gender as co-variates. Bilateral cerebral white matter showed increased spontaneous regional activity in PHIV compared to healthy controls. No brain regions showed lower ALFF or ReHo in PHIV compared to controls. Higher log10 viral load was associated with higher ALFF and ReHo in PHIV in bilateral cerebral white matter and right cerebral white matter respectively after masking the outcomes intrinsic to the brain regions that showed significantly higher ALFF and ReHo in the PHIV compared to the control. Reductions in social cognition and abstract thinking in PHIV were correlated with higher ALFF at the left cerebral white matter in the left medial orbital gyrus and higher ReHo at the right cerebral white matter in the PHIV patients. Although neuroinflammation and associated neuro repair were not directly measured, the findings support their potential role in PHIV impacting neurodevelopment and cognition.

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Osteopathy modulates brain–heart interaction in chronic pain patients: an ASL study

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-83893-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Francesco Cerritelli ◽

Piero Chiacchiaretta ◽

Francesco Gambi ◽

Raoul Saggini ◽

Mauro Gianni Perrucci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parietal Lobe ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Lentiform Nucleus ◽

Left Posterior ◽

Posterior Insula

AbstractIn this study we used a combination of measures including regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and heart rate variability (HRV) to investigate brain–heart correlates of longitudinal baseline changes of chronic low back pain (cLBP) after osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). Thirty-two right-handed patients were randomised and divided into 4 weekly session of OMT (N = 16) or Sham (N = 16). Participants aged 42.3 ± 7.3 (M/F: 20/12) with cLBP (duration: 14.6 ± 8.0 m). At the end of the study, patients receiving OMT showed decreased baseline rCBF within several regions belonging to the pain matrix (left posterior insula, left anterior cingulate cortex, left thalamus), sensory regions (left superior parietal lobe), middle frontal lobe and left cuneus. Conversely, rCBF was increased in right anterior insula, bilateral striatum, left posterior cingulate cortex, right prefrontal cortex, left cerebellum and right ventroposterior lateral thalamus in the OMT group as compared with Sham. OMT showed a statistically significant negative correlation between baseline High Frequency HRV changes and rCBF changes at T2 in the left posterior insula and bilateral lentiform nucleus. The same brain regions showed a positive correlation between rCBF changes and Low Frequency HRV baseline changes at T2. These findings suggest that OMT can play a significant role in regulating brain–heart interaction mechanisms.

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Capturing Neuroplastic Changes after iTBS in Patients with Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Pilot fMRI Study

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11111451 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 1451

Author(s):

Shuo Xu ◽

Qing Yang ◽

Mengye Chen ◽

Panmo Deng ◽

Ren Zhuang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Parietal Lobe ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Post Stroke ◽

Before And After ◽

Mri Scans ◽

The Right

Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) is a high-efficiency transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) paradigm that has been applied to post-stroke aphasia (PSA). However, its efficacy mechanisms have not been clarified. This study aimed to explore the immediate effects of iTBS of the primary motor cortex (M1) of the affected hemisphere, on the functional activities and connectivity of the brains of PSA patients. A total of 16 patients with aphasia after stroke received iTBS with 800 pulses for 300 s. All patients underwent motor, language, and cognitive assessments and resting-state functional MRI scans immediately before and after the iTBS intervention. Regional, seed-based connectivity, and graph-based measures were used to test the immediate functional effects of the iTBS intervention, including the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF), degree centrality (DC), and functional connectivity (FC) of the left M1 area throughout the whole brain. The results showed that after one session of iTBS intervention, the fALFF, DC, and FC values changed significantly in the patients’ brains. Specifically, the DC values were significantly higher in the right middle frontal gyrus and parts of the left parietal lobe (p < 0.05), while fALFF values were significantly lower in the right medial frontal lobe and parts of the left intracalcarine cortex (p < 0.05), and the strength of the functional connectivity between the left M1 area and the left superior frontal gyrus was reduced (p < 0.05). Our findings provided preliminary evidences that the iTBS on the ipsilesional M1 could induce neural activity and functional connectivity changes in the motor, language, and other brain regions in patients with PSA, which may promote neuroplasticity and functional recovery.

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Abnormal MRI in a patient with ‘headache with neurological deficits and CSF lymphocytosis (HaNDL)’

Cephalalgia ◽

10.1111/j.1468-2982.2009.01950.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 615-619 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

A Yilmaz ◽

H Kaleagasi ◽

O Dogu ◽

E Kara ◽

A Ozge

Keyword(s):

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Neurological Deficits ◽

Hemiplegic Migraine ◽

Headache Episode ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

The Right ◽

Similar Imaging

A 27-year-old woman was admitted to the Emergency Department with right upper-extremity numbness and mild weakness followed by a bifrontal throbbing headache for 30 min, which was similar to a headache lasting for 12 h that had occurred 3 days ago. Laboratory tests were unremarkable except for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lymphocytic pleocytosis. On the following day, a headache episode with left hemiparesis and hemihypoaesthesia, left hemifield visio-spatial inattention, anosagnosia and confusion recurred. The headache was diagnosed as headache and neurological deficits with cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis (HaNDL) syndrome according to the criteria of the second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders. Simultaneously performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed swelling of the grey matter, CSF enhancement in the sulci of the right temporal and occipital regions and hypoperfusion of the same brain regions. During the following 10 days two more similar episodes recurred and during the ensuing 12 months the patient remained headache free. Neuroimaging findings of the HaNDL syndrome are always thought as virtually normal. MRI abnormalities in our patient have not been reported in HaNDL syndrome previously, although they have been reported in hemiplegic migraine patients before. The findings in our case suggest that hemiplegic migraine and HaNDL syndrome may share a common pathophysiological pathway resulting in similar imaging findings and neurological symptoms.

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The gut microbiome is associated with brain structure and function in schizophrenia

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-89166-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shijia Li ◽

Jie Song ◽

Pengfei Ke ◽

Lingyin Kong ◽

Bingye Lei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiome ◽

Brain Structure ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Structure And Function ◽

Brain Structure And Function ◽

The Right ◽

And Function

AbstractThe effect of the gut microbiome on the central nervous system and its possible role in mental disorders have received increasing attention. However, knowledge about the relationship between the gut microbiome and brain structure and function is still very limited. Here, we used 16S rRNA sequencing with structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and resting-state functional (rs-fMRI) to investigate differences in fecal microbiota between 38 patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and 38 demographically matched normal controls (NCs) and explored whether such differences were associated with brain structure and function. At the genus level, we found that the relative abundance of Ruminococcus and Roseburia was significantly lower, whereas the abundance of Veillonella was significantly higher in SZ patients than in NCs. Additionally, the analysis of MRI data revealed that several brain regions showed significantly lower gray matter volume (GMV) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) but significantly higher amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation in SZ patients than in NCs. Moreover, the alpha diversity of the gut microbiota showed a strong linear relationship with the values of both GMV and ReHo. In SZ patients, the ReHo indexes in the right STC (r = − 0.35, p = 0.031, FDR corrected p = 0.039), the left cuneus (r = − 0.33, p = 0.044, FDR corrected p = 0.053) and the right MTC (r = − 0.34, p = 0.03, FDR corrected p = 0.052) were negatively correlated with the abundance of the genus Roseburia. Our results suggest that the potential role of the gut microbiome in SZ is related to alterations in brain structure and function. This study provides insights into the underlying neuropathology of SZ.

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Diffusion kurtosis imaging of white matter in bipolar disorder

10.1101/2021.02.01.21250951 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vina M Goghari ◽

Mavis Kusi ◽

Mohammed K Shakeel ◽

Clare Beasley ◽

Szabolcs David ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

White Matter ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging ◽

Simple Diffusion ◽

Spherical Deconvolution ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

The Right ◽

Diffusion Kurtosis

AbstractObjectivesWhite matter pathology is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder (BD). However, most studies of white matter in BD have used the simple diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) model, which has several limitations. DTI studies have reported heterogenous results, leading to a lack of consensus about the extent and location of white matter alterations. Here, we applied two advanced diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to investigate white matter microstructure in BD.MethodsTwenty-five patients with BD and 24 controls comparable for age and sex were included in the study. Whole-brain voxel-based analysis (VBA) and a network-based connectivity approach using constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD)-tractography were used to assess group differences in diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and DTI metrics.ResultsVBA showed lower mean kurtosis in the corona radiata and posterior association fibers in BD following threshold-free cluster enhancement. Regional differences in connectivity were indicated by lower mean kurtosis and kurtosis anisotropy in streamlines traversing the temporal and occipital lobes, and lower mean axial kurtosis in the right cerebellar, thalamo-subcortical pathways in BD. Significant differences were not seen in the DTI metrics following FDR- correction.ConclusionsDifferences between BD and controls were observed in DKI metrics in multiple brain regions, indicating altered connectivity across cortical, subcortical and cerebellar areas. DKI was more sensitive than DTI at detecting these differences, suggesting that DKI is useful for investigating white matter in BD.

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Havana Syndrome Among Canadian Diplomats: Brain Imaging Reveals Acquired Neurotoxicity

10.1101/19007096 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alon Friedman ◽

Cynthia Calkin ◽

Amanda Adams ◽

Guillermo Aristi Suarez ◽

Tim Bardouille ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Brain Imaging ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Serum Cholinesterase ◽

Cognitive Assessments ◽

Course Of Action ◽

Before And After ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

Global Affairs ◽

The Right

AbstractBACKGROUNDIn late 2016, US diplomats stationed in Havana began presenting with a variety of neurological manifestations that proved difficult to diagnose. Though previous studies suggested a likely association with brain injury, the mechanism of injury, brain regions involved, and etiology remained unknown.METHODSWe conducted a multimodal study examining 26 Canadian diplomats and their family members, the majority of whom presented with symptoms similar to their American counterparts while residing in Havana. Assessments included a medical history, self-reported symptom questionnaires, cognitive assessments, blood tests, and brain imaging assessments (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG)). Individuals showing signs of brain injury underwent further neurological, visual, and audio-vestibular assessments. Eight participants were tested both before and after living in Havana.RESULTSOur assessment documents multiple functional and structural impairments, including significant spatial memory impairment, abnormal brain-stem evoked potentials, degradation of fibre tracts in the fornix and posterior corpus callosum, blood-brain barrier injury to the right basal forebrain and anterior insula, and abnormal paroxysmal slowing events of cortical activity. Subsequent mass-spectrometry and blood analyses documented reduced serum cholinesterase activity and the presence of organophosphates (Temephos) and pyrethroid metabolites (3-phenoxybenzoic acid or 3-BPA).CONCLUSIONSOur findings confirm brain injury, specify the regions involved, and raise the hypothesis of overexposure to cholinesterase inhibitors as a plausible etiology. If correct, our hypothesis bears public health ramifications (see Discussion) and suggests a course of action for reducing exposure in the future.FUNDINGGlobal Affairs Canada.

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