Associations among body mass index, working memory performance, gray matter volume, and brain activation in healthy children.

To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the association between poorer working memory performance and higher body mass index (BMI) in children. We employed structural-(sMRI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a 2-back working memory task to examine brain abnormalities and their associations with BMI and working memory performance in 232 children with overweight/obesity (OW/OB) and 244 normal weight children (NW) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development dataset. OW/OB had lower working memory accuracy, which was associated with higher BMI. They showed smaller gray matter (GM) volumes in the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG_L), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, medial orbital frontal cortex, and medial superior frontal gyrus, which were associated with lower working memory accuracy. During the working memory task, OW/OB relative to NW showed weaker activation in the left superior temporal pole, amygdala, insula, and bilateral caudate. In addition, caudate activation mediated the relationship between higher BMI and lower working memory accuracy. Higher BMI is associated with smaller GM volumes and weaker brain activation in regions involved with working memory. Task-related caudate dysfunction may account for lower working memory accuracy in children with higher BMI.

Reduction in grey matter volume and its correlation with clinical symptoms in Chinese boys with low functioning autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported changes within grey matter (GM) volume in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, little is known about GM volume changes and the relation with symptom severity in Chinese boys with low functioning autism spectrum disorder (LFASD). METHOD: GM volume was analysed using SPM 8 and compared between 16 boys with LFASD as well as 16 typically developing (TD) boys (using REST 1.8). Additionally, the correlation between GM volume and clinical symptoms was analysed, using subscales within the Autism Behaviour Checklist (ABC). RESULTS: The comparison showed a reduced volume of GM in 11 clusters in the boys with LFASD (i.e., the left inferior frontal gyrus, orbital part; right superior temporal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, dorsolateral; precuneus and postcentral; bilateral rectus and middle temporal gyrus) and 1 area with increased GM volume (right caudate) compared to the TD group. Additionally, the GM volume of the left inferior frontal gyrus, orbital part was negatively correlated with the Social subscale score of the ABC (r = -0.765, P = 0.002), and the GM volume of the left Rectus was negatively associated with the Language, Body concept and Self-care subscale scores and the total score on the ABC(r = -0.624, P = 0.023; r = -0.657, P = 0.011; r = -0.618, P = 0.025; r = -0.625, P = 0.022). Further, the GM volume of the right Caudate was negatively correlated with the Sensory subscale on the ABC (r = -0.593, P = 0.033). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the current study's findings display that the GM volume was widely reduced in Chinese boys with LFASD compared to TD boys and negatively correlated with the clinical symptoms, indicating a possible pathological mechanism of LFASD.

Effects of Obesity, Blood Pressure, and Blood Metabolic Biomarkers on Grey Matter Brain Healthcare Quotient: A Large Cohort Study of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Brain Screening System in Japan.

This study investigated the relationship between grey matter (GM) volume and blood biomarkers, blood pressure, and obesity. We aimed to elucidate lifestyle factors that promote GM volume loss. A total of 1799 participants underwent the brain dock as a medical checkup. Data regarding blood pressure, obesity measurements, and standard blood biomarkers were obtained. Further, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including high-resolution T1-weighted imaging, was performed. We calculated the grey matter brain healthcare quotient (GM-BHQ), which represents GM volume as a deviation value. After adjusting for confounding variables, multiple regression analysis revealed that body mass index (BMI) (b = −0.28, p < 0.001), gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GTP) (b = −0.01, p = 0.16), and fasting blood glucose (b = −0.02, p = 0.049) were significantly correlated with GM-BHQ. Although the current cross-sectional study cannot determine a cause-and-effect relationship, elevated BMI, γ-GTP, and fasting blood glucose could promote GM volume loss.

Transcallosal Fiber Disruption and its Relationship with Corresponding Gray Matter Alteration in Patients with Diffuse Axonal Injury.

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is characterized by diffuse white matter (WM) disruption caused by shearing forces acting on the brain. Cortical atrophy can be accompanied by WM disruption, which is assumed to reflect the loss of neuron cell bodies in gray matter (GM) regions adjacent to disrupted WM. It remains unclear whether WM disruption leads to regional GM alteration in DAI. The aim of the present study was to assess WM disruption and corresponding GM alterations in patients with DAI using a connectome-based approach. Twenty-four patients and 24 healthy controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Deterministic fiber tracking was conducted to investigate structural connectivity between the corpus callosum (CC) and each pre-defined regional cortical area. We calculated 85 × 85 connectivity matrices for fractional anisotropy (FA). Group comparisons were conducted to identify abnormal connectivity in patients. Further, the regional cortical volume of each connectivity matrix was compared between patients and controls. Finally, correlation analyses between the matrices and regional cortical volumes were performed within the patient group. Connectome analyses revealed that, compared with controls, patients exhibited a FA reduction in connectivity via CC to 32 cortical regions including the frontal, parietal, and occipital cortices. Among these regions, GM volume was reduced in 19 of 32 regions. There were no significant correlations between WM disruption in which abnormal connectivity was identified and the corresponding GM alterations. These results suggest that GM pathology is, at least in part, independent of the corresponding WM damage in DAI.

Type and timing of childhood maltreatment and reduced visual cortex volume in children and adolescents with reactive attachment disorder.

Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is a severe social functioning disorder associated with early childhood maltreatment where the child displays emotionally withdrawn/inhibited behaviors toward caregivers. Brain regions develop at different rates and regions undergoing rapid change may be particularly vulnerable during these times to stressors or adverse experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of type and timing of childhood adversities on structural alterations in regional gray matter (GM) volume in maltreated children with RAD. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging datasets were obtained for children and adolescents with RAD (n = 21; mean age = 12.76 years) and typically developing (TD) control subjects (n = 22; mean age = 12.95 years). Structural images were analyzed using a whole-brain voxel-based morphometry approach and the type and timing of maltreatment, which may be more strongly associated with structural alterations, was assessed using random forest regression with conditional inference trees. Our findings revealed that there is a potential sensitive period between 5 and 7 years of age for GM volume reduction of the left primary visual cortex (BA17) due to maltreatment. We also found that the number of types of maltreatment had the most significant effect on GM volume reduction and that the second most significant variable was exposure to neglect. The present study provides the first evidence showing that type and timing of maltreatment have an important role in inducing structural abnormalities in children and adolescents with RAD.

Cerebral gray matter volume reduction in subcortical vascular mild cognitive impairment patients and subcortical vascular dementia patients, and its relation with cognitive deficits.

INTRODUCTION: Subcortical vascular mild cognitive impairment (svMCI) is the predementia stage of subcortical vascular dementia (SVaD). The aim of this research is to explore and compare cerebral gray matter (GM) volume reduction in svMCI patients and SVaD patients, and to investigate the relationship between cerebral GM volume reduction and cognitive deficits. METHODS: Thirty one svMCI patients, 29 SVaD patients, and 31 healthy controls were recruited in our research. They conducted neuropsychological tests and brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. To detect cerebral GM volume reduction in svMCI patients and SVaD patients, we used statistical parametric mapping 8-voxel-based morphometry 8 (SPM8-VBM8) method to analyze MRI data. To detect the relationship between cerebral GM volume reduction and cognitive deficits, multiple linear regression analysis was used. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, svMCI patients showed cerebral GM volume reduction in hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus, insula and superior temporal gyrus. Compared with healthy controls, SVaD patients exhibited more atrophy which encompasses all of these areas plus anterior and middle cingulate, inferior temporal gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, and superior frontal gyrus. In svMCI patients, cerebral GM volume reduction correlated with memory loss, attention dysfunction, and language dysfunction; in SVaD patients, besides those cognitive deficits, cerebral GM volume reduction correlated with more cognitive impairments, including executive dysfunction, neuropsychiatric symptom, and depression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings prove that both svMCI patients and SVaD patients exhibit cerebral GM volume reduction and there may exist a hierarchy between svMCI and SVaD, and cerebral GM volume reduction in both svMCI patients and SVaD patients correlates with cognitive deficits, which can help us understand the mechanism of cognitive impairments in svMCI patients and SVaD patients, and diagnose SVaD at its early stage.

Rumination mediates the relationship between structural variations in ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and sensitivity to negative life events.

Individuals have different levels of stress sensitivity. An individual's predisposition to experience negative life events (NLEs) may make him/her more vulnerable to a series of psychopathological and physical diseases. However, the neuroanatomical correlates of individual differences in sensitivity to NLEs remain unknown. In this study, voxel-based morphometry was used to identify the gray matter (GM) associations of individual differences in sensitivity to NLEs measured by adolescent self-rating life events checklist. Results showed that there was a positive association between individual NLEs sensitivity and regional GM volume (rGMV) in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). GM was mostly evident in the left frontal operculum and a small part of the left middle frontal gyrus. This region was thought to play an important role in introception. Importantly, our study revealed that rumination served as a mediator between the rGMV of the VLPFC and individual NLEs sensitivity. These findings suggest that people with greater VLPFC might be more inclined to ruminate and the ruminative response style might make them more sensitive to NLEs.