Smaller hypothalamic subregion with paraventricular nucleus in patients with panic disorderSasaki, Ryo; Asami, Takeshi; Takaishi, Masao; Nakamura, Ryota; Roppongi, Tomohide; Yoshimi, Asuka; Hishimoto, Akitoyo
doi: 10.1007/s11682-023-00834-xpmid: 38376715
In panic disorder (PD), functional disturbance of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis has been considered. However, in neuroimaging studies of PD, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland are poorly studied.We investigated the volume of PD patients’ hypothalamus and pituitary gland, enrolling 38 PD patients and 38 healthy controls. Severity of PD was mild to moderate according to the Panic Disorder Severity Scale, and the illness duration was relatively short (median = 2.8 years). The hypothalamus’ gray matter was automatically extracted and segmented, whereas the pituitary gland was manually traced. Regarding the hypothalamus, the paraventricular nucleus (PVH), which produces the corticotropin-releasing hormone, was of interest.The volumes of the pituitary and the bilateral anterior-superior hypothalamic subunits, where the PVH would be located, were compared by the multiple regression analyses controlling for age and intracranial content volume. To compensate for limitation in the abovementioned segmentation and analyses, the voxel-based morphometry with small volume correction (VBM–SVC) targeting the whole hypothalamus was also performed.The multiple regression analyses did not find significant effect of PD diagnosis on the volumes. However, in the VBM–SVC analysis, volume reduction of the PVH was suggested in PD even when patients who experienced PD for ≥ 3 years were excluded [peak coordinate (x, y, z = -2, 3, -8), FWE-corrected P = .022 (cluster-level) and 0.003 (peak-level), voxel size = 63]. Our results suggested structural alteration of the PVH in PD patients for the first time, indicating importance of the HPA-axis in PD pathology.
Structural and functional changes following brain surgery in pediatric patients with intracranial space-occupying lesionsGuan, Xueyi; Zheng, Wenjian; Fan, Kaiyu; Han, Xu; Hu, Bohan; Li, Xiang; Yan, Zihan; Lu, Zheng; Gong, Jian
doi: 10.1007/s11682-023-00799-xpmid: 38376714
We explored the structural and functional changes of the healthy hemisphere of the brain after surgery in children with intracranial space-occupying lesions. We enrolled 32 patients with unilateral intracranial space-occupying lesions for brain imaging and cognitive assessment. Voxel-based morphometry and surface-based morphometry analyses were used to investigate the structural images of the healthy hemisphere. Functional images were analyzed using regional homogeneity, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations, and fractional-amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations. Voxel-based morphometry and surface-based morphometry analysis used the statistical model built into the CAT 12 toolbox. Paired t-tests were used for functional image and cognitive test scores. For structural image analysis, we used family-wise error correction of peak level (p < 0.05), and for functional image analysis, we use Gaussian random-field theory correction (voxel p < 0.001, cluster p < 0.05). We found an increase in gray matter volume in the healthy hemisphere within six months postoperatively, mainly in the frontal lobe. Regional homogeneity and fractional-amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations also showed greater functional activity in the frontal lobe. The results of cognitive tests showed that psychomotor speed and motor speed decreased significantly after surgery, and reasoning increased significantly after surgery. We concluded that in children with intracranial space-occupying lesions, the healthy hemisphere exhibits compensatory structural and functional effects within six months after surgery. This effect occurs mainly in the frontal lobe and is responsible for some higher cognitive compensation. This may provide some guidance for the rehabilitation of children after brain surgery.
Association between patent foramen ovale and migraine: evidence from a resting-state fMRI studyTang, Yusha; Sun, Huaiqiang; Plummer, Chris; Vogrin, Simon J; Li, Hua; Li, Yajiao; Chen, Lei
doi: 10.1007/s11682-024-00868-9pmid: 38381323
A relationship between migraine without aura (MO) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been observed, but the neural basis underlying this relationship remains elusive. Utilizing independent component analysis via functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined functional connectivity (FC) within and across networks in 146 patients with MO (75 patients with and 71 patients without PFO) and 70 healthy controls (35 patients each with and without PFO) to elucidate the individual effects of MO and PFO, as well as their interaction, on brain functional networks. The main effect of PFO manifested exclusively in the FC among the visual, auditory, default mode, dorsal attention and salience networks. Furthermore, the interaction effect between MO and PFO was discerned in brain clusters of the left frontoparietal network and lingual gyrus network, as well as the internetwork FC between the left frontoparietal network and the default mode network (DMN), the occipital pole and medial visual networks, and the dorsal attention and salience networks. Our findings suggest that the presence of a PFO shunt in patients with MO is accompanied by various FC changes within and across networks. These changes elucidate the intricate mechanisms linked to PFO-associated migraines and provide a basis for identifying novel noninvasive biomarkers.
Functional connectivity disruption of insular subregions in the cirrhotic patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathyLin, Hong-Yu; Huang, Hui-Wei; Dong, Qiu-Yi; Cai, Li-Min; Chen, Hua-Jun
doi: 10.1007/s11682-024-00866-xpmid: 38407737
We investigated abnormal functional connectivity (FC) patterns of insular subregions in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and examined their relationships with cognitive dysfunction using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We collected resting-state fMRI data in 54 patients with cirrhosis [20 with MHE and 34 without MHE (NHE)] and 25 healthy controls. After defining six subregions of insula, we mapped whole-brain FC of the insular subregions and identified FC differences through three groups. FC of the insular subregions was correlated against clinical parameters (including venous blood ammonia level, Child-Pugh score, and cognitive score). The discrimination performance between the MHE and NHE groups was evaluated by performing a classification analysis using the FC index. Across three groups, the observed FC differences involved four insular subregions, including the left-ventral anterior insula, left-dorsal anterior insula, right-dorsal anterior insula, and left-posterior insula (P < 0.05 with false discovery rate correction). Moreover, the FC of these four insular subregions progressively attenuated from NHE to MHE. In addition, hypoconnectivity of insular subregions was correlated with the poor neuropsychological performance and the evaluated blood ammonia levels in patients (P < 0.05 with Bonferroni correction). The FC of insular subregions yielded moderate discriminative value between the MHE and NHE groups (AUC = 0.696–0.809). FC disruption of insular subregions is related to worse cognitive performance in MHE. This study extended our understanding about the neurophysiology of MHE and may assist for its diagnosis.
Neuroticism and openness exhibit an anti-correlation pattern to dissociable default mode network: using resting connectivity and structural equation modeling analysisZhi, Shengwen; Zhao, Wentao; Huang, Yifei; Li, Yue; Wang, Xiao; Li, Jing; Liu, Sha; Xu, Yong
doi: 10.1007/s11682-024-00869-8pmid: 38409462
The default mode network (DMN) can be subdivided into ventral and dorsalsubsystems, which serve affective cognition and mental sense construction,respectively. An internally dissociated pattern of anti-correlations was observedbetween these two subsystems. Although numerous studies on neuroticism and opennesshave demonstrated the neurological functions of the DMN, little is known aboutwhether different subsystems and hubs regions within the network are engaged indifferent functions in response to the two traits. We recruited 223 healthyvolunteers in this study and collected their resting-state functional magneticresonance imaging (fMRI) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory scores. We used independentcomponent analysis (ICA) to obtain the DMN, before further decomposing it into theventral and dorsal subsystems. Then, the network coherence of hubs regions withinsubsystems was extracted to construct two structural equation models (SEM) toexplore the relationship between neuroticism and openness traits and DMN. Weobserved that the ventral DMN could significantly predict positive openness andnegative neuroticism. The dorsal DMN was diametrically opposed. Additionally, themedial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and middle temporal gyrus (MTG), both of which arecore hubs of the subnetworks within the DMN, are significantly positively correlatedwith neuroticism and openness. These findings may point to a biological basis thatneuroticism and openness are engaged in opposite mechanisms and support thehypothesis about the functional dissociation of the DMN.
The relationship between blast-related mild traumatic brain injury and executive function is moderated by white matter integrityO’Brien, Molly C.; Disner, Seth G.; Davenport, Nicholas D.; Sponheim, Scott R.
doi: 10.1007/s11682-024-00864-zpmid: 38448704
Blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (BR mTBI) is a critical research area in recent combat veterans due to increased prevalence of survived blasts. Post-BR mTBI outcomes are highly heterogeneous and defining neurological differences may help in discrimination and prediction of cognitive outcomes. This study investigates whether white matter integrity, measured with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), could influence how remote BR mTBI history is associated with executive control. The sample included 151 Veterans from the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center who were administered a clinical/TBI assessment, neuropsychological battery, and DTI scan as part of a larger battery. From previous research, six white matter tracts were identified as having a putative relationship with blast severity: the cingulum, hippocampal cingulum, corticospinal tract, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus and uncinate. Fractional anisotropy (FA) of the a priori selected white matter tracts and report of BR mTBI were used as predictors of Trail-Making Test B (TMT-B) performance in a multiple linear regression model. Statistical analysis revealed that FA of the hippocampal cingulum moderated the association between report of at least one BR mTBI and poorer TMT-B performance (p < 0.008), such that lower FA value was associated with worse TMT-B outcomes in individuals with BR mTBI. No significant moderation existed for other selected tracts, and the effect was not observed with predictors aside from history of BR mTBI. Investigation at the individual-tract level may lead to a deeper understanding of neurological differences between blast-related and non-blast related injuries.
Interleukin-6 is correlated with amygdala volume and depression severity in adolescents and young adults with first-episode major depressive disorderChen, Yingying; Xia, Xiaodi; Zhou, Zheyi; Yuan, Meng; Peng, Yadong; Liu, Ying; Tang, Jinxiang; Fu, Yixiao
doi: 10.1007/s11682-024-00871-0pmid: 38467915
Inflammatory mechanisms may play crucial roles in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), and cytokine concentrations are correlated with brain alterations. Adolescents and young adults with MDD have higher recurrence and suicide rates than adults, but there has been limited research on the underlying mechanisms. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential correlations among cytokines, depression severity, and the volumes of the amygdala, hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens in Han Chinese adolescents and young adults with first-episode MDD. Nineteen patients with MDD aged 10–21 years were enrolled from the Psychiatry Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, along with 18 age-matched healthy controls from a local school. We measured the concentrations of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 in the peripheral blood, along with the volumes of the amygdala, hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens, as determined by magnetic resonance imaging. We observed that patients with MDD had higher concentrations of IL-6 and a trend towards reduced left amygdala and bilateral hippocampus volumes than healthy controls. Additionally, the concentration of IL-6 was correlated with the left amygdala volume and depression severity, while the left hippocampus volume was correlated with depression severity. This study suggests that inflammation is an underlying neurobiological change and implies that IL-6 could serve as a potential biomarker for identifying early stage MDD in adolescents and young adults.