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Objective To explore the differences of regional homogeneity(ReHo)between overweight and normal weight male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)during rest and their correlations with clinical features.Methods Twenty-five untreated male overweight T2DM(OW-T2DM)patients,25 untreated male normal weight T2DM(NW-T2DM)patients and 25 healthy controls(HC)were enrolled.The brain structure and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)data were collected from all subjects.The brain structure and rs-fMRI data were preprocessed,and ReHo values of all brain regions were calculated for all subjects.ReHo values were compared among three groups and between groups respectively via the methods of one-way analysis of variance and two-sample t-test.To address the problem of multiple comparisons,the method of AlphaSim was performed(the threshold was set at P<0.005,the number of voxel clusters was>12).In addition,Pearson correlation analysis was performed to explore the relationships between ReHo values of the abnormal brain regions and clinical features in patients.Results(1)The brain regions showed differences of ReHo values among three groups were mainly distributed in the right hemisphere,including the superior parietal gyrus,superior marginal gyrus and superior occipital gyrus;(2)Compared with HC,NW-T2DM patients showed significantly decreased ReHo values in the right medial superior frontal gyrus,right middle cingulate gyrus and left anterior cingulate gyrus;(3)Compared with HC,OW-T2DM patients showed significantly decreased ReHo values in the bilateral postcentral gyrus and bilateral middle cingulate gyrus;(4)Compared with NW-T2DM patients,OW-T2DM patients showed significantly decreased ReHo values in the right superior parietal gyrus,right superior occipital gyrus and left cuneus;(5)ReHo values of the right medial superior frontal gyrus and right superior parietal gyrus were negatively correlated with hemoglobinA1c(HbA1c)level and body mass index(BMI),respectively,in all patients.Conclusion The occurrence of T2DM in male patients may lead to the declined activity of brain regions located in the default mode network(DMN),while overweight may further lead to decreased brain activity within the attention and visual recognition network in male T2DM patients.
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Objective To investigate the immediate brain effect of acupuncture at Fengchi using amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation(ALFF)and functional connectivity by the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)in patients with posterior circulation ischemia vertigo(PCIV).Methods Twenty patients with PCIV were enrolled.The dizziness handicap inventory(DHI)was used to evaluate the severity of vertigo.The patients were randomly divided into acupuncture group and sham acupoint acupuncture group.Rs-fMRI scan was performed before and after acupuncture.MATLAB-based DPABI 6.1 software was used to analyze rs-fMRI data.Correlation analysis was used between the altered ALFF values and DHI scores.The regions of altered ALFF were taken as seeds to analyze functional connectivity.Results Compared with the sham acupoint acupuncture group,the increased ALFF values were mainly located on the left precuneus,left superior frontal gyrus and left caudate nucleus after acupuncture in the acupuncture group;the decreased ALFF values were mainly located on the left cerebellum and right inferior occipital gyrus.The ALFF value of the left superior frontal gyrus was negatively correlated with the DHI score(P=0.04).The increased functional connectivity was mainly found between left precuneus and the right middle frontal gyrus,the right superior frontal gyrus,the decreased functional connectivity was mainly found between left precuneus and the bilateral paracentral lobule and right cerebellum.Conclusion The ALFF value and functional connectivity are different before and after acupuncture,indicating that the vestibular network,visual and motor brain regions functional activities are changed after needling at Fengchi,which may be the brain functional basis of Fengchi for vertigo in PCIV.
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BACKGROUND:Current studies have shown that electronic moxibustion can improve memory function in amnestic mild cognitive impairment;however,its mechanism of action needs to be further investigated.The atrophy of hippocampal volume and impairment of functional connectivity are important imaging markers of amnestic mild cognitive impairment.Whether electronic moxibustion can regulate the volume of hippocampal subregion of partients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment is worth studying. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of electronic moxibustion on the volume of hippocampal subregions in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. METHODS:Forty patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment were recruited from April 1,2018 to January 31,2019 at the community service centers around the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University(Baoan Hospital of Southern Medical University),Shenzhen,China.They were randomly divided into treatment group(n=20)and control group(n=20).The treatment group was treated with electronic moxibustion of regulating the mind and benefiting the intelligence,while the control group was treated with placebo moxibustion.Moxibustion was given at 45 oC,20 minutes each time,once a day,5 times a week,for 8 weeks in total.Memory evaluation using Rivermead behavioral memory test and magnetic resonance imaging scanning for detecting the hippocampal subregion volume were performed for each patient before and after treatment,and cognitive function of each patient was assessed using Montreal cognitive assessment and mini-mental state examination.Correlation of hippocampal subregion volumes with scores on each scale was analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After treatment,the volumes of the left parasubiculum and the left hippocampal-amygdala migrating area increased in the treatment group but decreased in the control group,and there was a significant difference between the two groups(P＜0.05).Compared with the pre-treatment data,the Rivermead behavioral memory test,Montreal cognitive assessment,and mini-mental state examination scores were significantly higher in the treatment group after treatment(P＜0.05),while there was no significant change in the three scale scores in the control group after treatment(P＞0.05).The three scale scores were higher in the treatment group than in the control group after treatment(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that the changes in the volume of the left parasubiculum was significantly and positively correlated with the Rivermead behavioral memory test scale score in the treatment group(r=0.418,P=0.014).To conclude,electronic moxibustion can improve memory in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment,and the mechanism may be the regulation of structural plasticity in hippocampal subregions.
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BACKGROUND:Olfactory dysfunction is an early biological marker of various diseases.However,the neuroimaging mechanism by which olfactory dysfunction occurs following cerebral small vessel disease is unclear. OBJECTIVE:To explore the different neuroimaging mechanisms of olfactory function regulation in patients with cerebral small vessel disease and Parkinson's disease,and explore the potential application value of olfactory function assessment in patients with cerebral small vessel disease. METHODS:Neuropsychological and olfactory tests,high-resolution structural magnetic resonance and resting-state functional magnetic resonance data were collected in 80 patients with cerebral small vessel disease,44 healthy controls and 29 patients with Parkinson's disease.DPABI,SPM12 and SPSS were used to analyze and compare the amplitude of low frequency fluctuation,regional homogeneity and functional connectivity values between the cerebral small vessel disease,control and Parkinson's disease groups.Correlations between the significantly altered resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging measures and olfactory and cognitive scores were evaluated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the control group,low-frequency fluctuation amplitude of the right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus and the regional homogeneity of the left wedge leaf were significantly reduced in the cerebral small vessel disease and Parkinson's disease groups.The right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus and the left cuneiform lobe are the seed points.Compared with the Parkinson's disease group,the functional connectivity values of the right anterior cunei,inferior temporal gyrus,anterior central gyrus and dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus,left posterior central gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus were significantly enhanced in the control and cerebral small vessel disease groups.The left cuneiform lobe was the seed point.Compared with the control group,the functional connectivity of the left lingual gyrus was significantly weakened in the cerebral small vessel disease and Parkinson's disease groups.The functional connectivity values of the left middle temporal gyrus and the right posterior central gyrus were enhanced in the control group compared with the cerebral small vessel disease and Parkinson's disease group,and that was enhanced in the cerebral small vessel disease group compared with the Parkinson's disease group.Correlation analysis showed that the olfactory score and cognitive score were positively correlated in the cerebral small vessel disease group,and the regional homogeneity of the left wedge lobe was negatively correlated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale score,while the functional connectivity of left wedge lobe-left middle temporal gyrus in the Parkinson's disease group was positively correlated with the olfactory recognition score,and the functional connectivity values of the left wedge lobe-left posterior central gyrus and left wedge lobe-left lingual gyrus were positively correlated with the olfactory identification score and the total olfactory score,respectively.The regulation of olfactory function in patients with cerebral small vessel disease has a different neuroimaging mechanism from that of olfactory dysfunction in patients with Parkinson's disease.The olfactory function of patients with cerebral small vessel disease is related to cognitive function.It is speculated that the olfactory function following cerebral small vessel disease is a secondary change of brain dysfunction,while olfactory dysfunction following Parkinson's disease is directly caused by abnormal function of olfactory-related brain areas.Olfactory function assessment in patients with cerebral small vessel disease has potential application in predicting cognitive function.
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Objective To study the brain functional connectivity(FC)changes in patients with normal tension glau-coma(NTG)and healthy volunteers using FC technique of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)based on V1 region seed point(ROI),so as to explore the pathogenesis and early diagnosis of NTG.Methods Fourteen NTG patients(NTG group)who met the inclusion criteria and 14 healthy controls(HCs group)were enrolled.The clinical data of all subjects were collected,and rs-fMRI was performed in both groups.The magnetic resonance data was pre-pro-cessed by software,and bilateral A1 regions were taken as the ROI to analyze their correction with the whole brain voxel time series and obtain the FC value between the ROI and the whole brain by comparison of FC values in resting state be-tween the groups.Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between FC value in the brain regions with significant differences with the ROI and clinical variables in the NTG group.Results Compared with the subjects in the HCs group,there were no statistically significant differences in age,gender,body weight,cup-disc ratio and 24 h mean intraocular pressure of patients in the NTG group(all P＞0.05),and there were statistically significant differences in the best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)of both eyes and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness(RNFLT)(all P＜0.05).The Pearson correlation analysis showed that FC value of the brain regions with abnormal FC to V1 region were cor-related with RNFLT in the NTG group(P＜0.05).ROI1-left superior frontal gyrus,ROI1-right superior frontal gyrus,ROI2-left cingulate gyrus and ROI2-right middle frontal gyrus were significantly positively correlated with RNFLT(all P＜0.05).Compared with the HCs group,the brain regions with reduced FC to the right ROI in the NTG group were the left superior frontal gyrus and right superior frontal gyrus;the brain regions with reduced FC to the left ROI were the left cingulate gyrus and right middle frontal gyrus.Conclusion Compared to healthy individuals,NTG patients have significant changes in the functional connections between certain specific brain regions and V1 region,including bilateral superior frontal gyrus,left cingulate gyrus,and middle frontal gyrus.The changes in brain functional activity may be caused by visual dysfunction caused by NTG,leading to functional impairment of the visual and cognitive emotion processing brain regions,which may be one of the potential neuropathological mechanisms in NTG patients.
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Objective To explore the effects of cognitive reserve on brain networks based on rest state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rsfMRI).Methods Firstly,7 973 healthy middle-aged and elderly individuals were selected for rsfMRI images at UK Biobank(UKB),and 21 resting-state networks were obtained through group independent component analysis.Secondly,the parameters of network node efficiency,shortest path length and node degree centrality were extracted using graph theory analysis.Finally,four indicators of resting-state networks including activeness,network node efficiency,node shortest path length and node degree centrality were compared and analyzed,whose relationships with five cognitive reserve proxies such as education level,early fluid intelligence,sports,leisure activities and socialization level.Results The education level,early fluid intelligence and sports,and the activity correlated positively with the activeness of multi resting-state networks and the node efficiency and node degree centrality of most of cognitive control networks and default mode networks,while negatively with the shortest path length of most of cognitive control networks and default mode networks.Leisure activities,socialization level and sports had negative correlations with the activeness of the resting-state network,and had little effects on the overall topological properties of the functional network.Conclusion Resting-state networks may be affected positively by education level,early fluid intelligence and sports,while negatively by two cognitive reserve proxies including leisure activities and socialization level.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(1):1-8]
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Objective:To explore the interaction effects on brain activity between the smoking addiction and weight status by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.Methods:Retrospective analysis of clinical data and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were analyzed from 99 recruited subjects from January 2019 to December 2021. All participants were divided into four groups: overweight smokers ( n=24), normal-weight smokers ( n=28), overweight non-smokers ( n=19), and normal weight non-smokers ( n=28). Calculate regional homogeneity (ReHo) to reflect the internal brain activity of the subjects. Two-way ANOVA was used to detect the interaction effects between smoking addiction and overweight on ReHo by SPM12 software, correcting for age, years of education and head motion. Results:The interaction effect between smoking addiction and overweight on ReHo was significant in right superior frontal gyrus(x, y, z=15, 9, 60)(GRF corrected, Pvoxel<0.005, Pcluster<0.05). The ReHo value in the right superior frontal gyrus of overweight smokers was significantly higher than that of normal weight smokers ( t=3.768, P<0.001, Bonferroni corrected). The ReHo values in the right superior frontal gyrus of overweight non-smokers were significantly lower than those of normal weight non-smokers ( t=-3.242, P=0.002, Bonferroni corrected). The ReHo values in the right superior frontal gyurs of normal-weight smokers were significantly lower than those of normal weight non-smokers( t=-3.540, P=0.001, Bonferroni corrected). The ReHo values in the right superior frontal gyrus of overweight smokers were significantly higher than those of overweight non-smokers ( t=3.392, P=0.002, Bonferroni corrected). Correlation analyses showed that the strengthen ReHo value in right superior frontal gyrus was positively associated with pack-year in smoking addicts( r=0.387, P=0.007, Bonferroni corrected). Conclusion:Smoking addiction and overweight have an antagonistic effect on brain activity in the right superior frontal gyrus, which may provide potential therapeutic targets for individuals with comorbidity of smoking addiction and overweight.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment （CRCI） of breast cancer based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging （rs-fMRI）. MethodTwenty-five patients with CRCI of breast cancer were included and treated with the acupuncture based on the method of regulating qi and blood， nourishing mind and benefiting intelligence； the selected acupoints included Zusanli （ST 36， bilateral）， Xuehai （SP 10， bilateral）， Tanzhong （CV 17）， Zhongwan （CV 12）， Qihai （CV 6）， Baihui （GV 20）， Fengfu （GV 16， bilateral）， Xinshu （BL 15， bilateral）， Tongli （HT 5， bilateral）， Zhaohai （KI 6， bilateral）， Yixi （BL 45， bilateral） twice a week， each time interval of 2-3 days， for 8 weeks. The scores of Montreal Cognitive Assessment （MoCA）， Mini-mental State Examination （MMSE）， European Cancer Research and Treatment Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire （EORTC QLQ-C30） were compared before and after acupuncture， and the effectiveness were evaluated by MoCA scale. The patients received rs-fMRI before and after treatment， and used low-frequency oscillation amplitude and functional connectivity （FC） analysis to extract the mean zALFF values of regions of interest such as bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus， bilateral hippocampus， bilateral amygdala， bilateral temporal pole middle temporal gyrus， and bilateral temporal pole supramarginal gyrus for comparison， and used the brain regions with statistically significant differences in the pre- and post-treatment zALFF values as the seed points for the seed-point-based FC Analysis. Correlation analyses were performed between the imaging metrics and the clinical scales. ResultsTwenty-four patients with CRCI of breast cancer completed treatment and follow-up. The zALFF values of the left hippocampus， left amygdala， and left temporal pole temporal gyrus in patients' rs-fMRI decreased after treatment （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， and left temporal pole temporal gyrus and right posterior cerebellar lobe FC were elevated （t = -5.169）， and MoCA scale total scores and visuospatial and executive， naming， and delayed recall cognitive scores， MMSE scale total scores， and EORTC QLQ-C30 scale mood scores were significantly higher （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The total effective rate of MoCA was 58.33%. The difference in zALFF values of the left temporal pole middle temporal gyrus before and after treatment was negatively correlated with the MoCA total score （r= -0.499， P = 0.015）， as well as the difference in abstract function （r = -0.498， P = 0.016）. ConclusionThe acupuncture method of regulating qi and blood， nourishing mind and benefiting intelligence can improve the cognitive function of breast cancer patients with CRCI， and its mechanism may be related to improving the functional activities of hippocampus， amygdala and temporal lobe， as well as the functional connections of left temporal pole-temporal middle gyrus and right posterior cerebellar lobe.
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【Objective】 To explore the correlation between abnormal thalamic functional connectivity (FC) and memory loss in maintenance hemodialysis patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). 【Methods】 An auditory verbal learning test (AVLT-H) was conducted on 22 patients with ESRD and 28 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HC) to evaluate memory function. After that, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were gathered, and a whole-brain FC analysis centered on the thalamus was executed to discern variations in thalamic FC between the two groups. Finally, Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses were carried out. 【Results】 Compared to the HC group, the ESRD group exhibited notably lower scores in IR-S (P=0.002), SR-S (P<0.001), and LR-S (P=0.005). Concurrently, the ESRD group demonstrated diminished FC of the right thalamus with the left superior frontal gyrus, the left parietal lobule, the right suproccipital gyrus, the right anterior cuneus, and the right middle frontal gyrus (P<0.05, TFCE correction). Additionally, reduced FC were observed between the left thalamus and the left gyrus rectus, the left parietal lobule, and the right parietal lobule in the ESRD group (P<0.05, TFCE correction). Moreover, the FC values between the left thalamus and the left gyrus rectus in the ESRD group displayed significant negative correlations with IR-S (r=-0.499), SR-S (r=-0.458), and LR-S (r=-0.455) (all P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 Memory impairment is evident in ESRD patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis, and it appears to be intricately linked to anomalous FC within the left thalamus and the left gyrus rectus. These findings offer potential imaging markers for monitoring memory dysfunction in individuals with ESRD.
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Objective:To explore the correlations of brain network functional connectivity (FC) alterations with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathological biomarkers in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).Methods:A total of 39 patients with cognitive impairment, admitted to Department of Neurology, Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University from January 2020 to December 2022 were recruited; 23 patients were with AD and 16 with non-AD. Clinical data were compared between the 2 groups. Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data were collected, and FC differences between brain networks and FC differences within brain networks were compared by independent component analysis. Correlations of FC differences between brain networks and FC differences within brain networks with concentrations of β-amyloid protein 1-42 (Aβ 1-42) and Tau protein in CSF were analyzed. Results:Compared with the non-AD group, AD group had significantly lower Aβ 1-42 in CSF ( P<0.05). Compared with those in the non-AD group, FC alterations between the left frontoparietal network (lFPN) and anterior default mode network (aDMN) and between the visual network (VN) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), as well as FC alterations in lFPN, were significantly increased in AD group ( P<0.05). Compared with those in the non-AD group, FC alterations between lFPN and cerebellar network (CEN), and FC alterations in aDMN, sensorimotor network (SMN) and VN were significantly decreased in AD group ( P<0.05). In AD group, FC in SMN was positively correlated with total Tau and phosphorylated-Tau181 in CSF ( P<0.05); FC between VN and PCC was positively correlated with total Tau in CSF ( P<0.05). CSF Aβ 1-42 was positively correlated with FC alterations in aDMN and VN, but negatively correlated with FC in FPN ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In AD patients, characteristic changes in FC within and between multiple brain networks are noted, which are related to changes of Tau protein and Aβ 1-42 in CSF.
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Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an emerging neuroimaging tool that reflects the activity and function of brain neurons by monitoring changes in brain oxygen metabolism based on the neurovascular coupling mechanism. It is non-invasive and convenient, especially suitable for monitoring neonatal brain function. This article provides a comprehensive review of research related to the developmental patterns of brain networks concerning language, music, and emotions in neonates using fNIRS. It also covers brain network imaging in neonatal care, resting-state brain network connectivity patterns, and characteristics of brain functional imaging in disease states of neonates using fNIRS.
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Infant, Newborn , Humans , Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Emotions , Language , TechnologyABSTRACT
Introduction: Seed-based analysis has shown that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) can modulate the dysfunctional brain network in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the voxel-based neuropsychological mechanism of taVNS on patients with first-episode MDD is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of an 8-week course of taVNS on patients with first-episode MDD. Methods: Twenty-two patients with first-episode MDD accepted an 8-week course of taVNS treatment. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans were performed before and after treatment. Voxel-based analyses were performed to characterize spontaneous brain activity. Healthy controls (n=23) were recruited to minimize test-retest effects. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to ascertain treatment-related changes. Then, correlations between changes in brain activity and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)/Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) remission rate were estimated. Results: Significant group-by-time interactions on voxel-based analyses were observed in the inferior ventral striatum (VSi) and precuneus. Post-hoc analyses showed that taVNS inhibited higher brain activity in the VSi, while upregulating it in the precuneus. Functional connectivity (FC) between the VSi and precuneus decreased. Positive correlations were found between the HAM-D remission rate and changes in brain activity in the VSi. Conclusion: taVNS reduced the FC between VSi and precuneus by normalizing the abnormal spontaneous brain activity of VSi in first-episode MDD patients.
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Objective:Childhood traumatic experiences greatly influenced the brain network activities of patients with depression,and there is an urgent need to explore the temporal dynamics for these changes.This study aims to investigate the abnormalities of resting-state electroencephalogram(EEG)microstates in eye-open state of depressed adolescents and to explore the correlations between their EEG microstates and the childhood traumatic experience. Methods:Using resting-state EEG microstate analysis,we explored the temporal dynamics of brain activity in patients with adolescent depression.This study selected 66 adolescents with depression as a patient group,and 27 healthy adolescents as a healthy control group.A modified k-means clustering algorithm was used to classify the 64-channel resting-state EEG data into different microstates.Independent sample t-tests were used to compare the microstate parameters between the 2 groups and further assciations between these parameters and childhood traumatic experience in patients were explored via using Spearman correlation. Results:In this study,significant differences were observed in the occurrence and transition probabilities of EEG microstates between the healthy control and the patient group.Notably,there was a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05)in the occurrence of microstate A across 2 groups,exhibiting a negative correlation with the emotional abuse component within the childhood trauma scores(Spearman's rho=-0.31,P=0.013).Furthermore,patient-specific,non-random transitions from microstate B to A(Spearman's rho=-0.30,P=0.015)and C to A(Spearman's rho=-0.31,P=0.013)were inversely associated with the scores of emotional abuse factors from childhood trauma in the patient group,showing statistically significant differences when comparing to the healthy controls(P＜0.05).Upon stratification into quartiles based on the emotional abuse factor scores,the occurrence of microstate A,as well as the transition rates from microstates B to A and C to A,retained statistical significance following adjustment for multiple comparisons(all P＜0.05). Conclusion:The abnormal temporal dynamics in brain networks of adolescents with depression are linked to childhood emotional abuse.Those who have suffered severe emotional abuse may show greater impairments in the brain's visual and central executive networks.EEG microstate analysis could be a potential tool for detecting adolescent depression with severe childhood trauma.
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Objective Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to explore the effects of oxcarbazepine on auditory cortex function in patients with epilepsy.Methods 21 patients with epilepsy treated with oxcarbazepine and twenty-one patients with epilepsy who matched age and gender but did not treat with oxcarbazepine were collected.Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation(ALFF)and re-gional homogeneity(ReHo)were used to compare the differences in the functional activity of the auditory cortex between the two groups.Results Compared with the patients without oxcarbazepine,the patients with oxcarbazepine had higher ALFF values in the right superior temporal gyrus,bilateral middle temporal gyrus and visual union cortex,and lower ALFF values in the bilateral orbitofrontal area and infe-rior temporal gyrus,the patients with oxcarbazepine had higher ReHo values in right superior temporal gyrus,bilateral middle temporal gy-rus,orbitofrontal area,and left visual union cortex,and lower ReHo values in bilateral superior temporal gyrus,inferior temporal gyrus and right middle temporal gyrus.In the same cross-sectional area,ALFF and ReHo values were enhanced in the right superior temporal gyrus,right cingulate gyrus,right somatosensory cortex and left visual union cortex,while ALFF and ReHo values were weakened in the bilateral inferior temporal gyrus.However,there was no significant difference in ALFF and ReHo values of bilateral transverse temporal gyrus and transverse temporal sulcus between the two groups.Conclusion Oxcarbazepine may affect auditory cortex function in patients with epilepsy,and it mainly acts on the secondary auditory cortex or regulates the excitatory balance of the auditory network.
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Objective To explore the functional connectivity characteristics and intensity of brain network in depression at rest.Methods Patients with major depressive disorder(MDD)and healthy controls(HCs)underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging.The total brain degree centrality(DC)of the two groups was calculated to assess the functional connection strength.Support vector machine(SVM)method was used to investigate whether abnormal DC value can recognize MDD.Results A total of 26 patients and 37 controls were included in the analysis.Compared to HCs,MDD group showed decreased DC value in the left middle frontal gyrus(t=-4.98,P＜0.05,GRF corrected)and increased DC value in the right middle temporal gyrus(t=5.02,P＜0.05,GRF corrected),right parahippocampal gyrus(t=4.80,P＜0.05,GRF corrected),and right posterior cerebellar gyrus(t=4.98,P＜0.05,GRF corrected).Additionally,no significant correlations were found between abnormal DC values and clinical variables(i.e.,17-item Hamilton depression scale and Beck depression scale scores)in MDD group(P＞0.05).SVM analysis showed that decreased DC value in the left middle frontal gyrus might be used to distinguish MDD group from HCs with an accuracy of 84.13%,a specificity of 81.08%,and a sensitivity of 88.46%,the area under the operational characteristic curve is 0.87.Conclusions Altered DC values in the left middle frontal gyrus and right middle temporal gyrus,right parahippocampal gyrus,right posterior cerebellum may contribute to the pathophysiology of MDD.The change of functional connection strength of the left medial frontal gyrus may be helpful for the recognition of MDD.
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Objective To assess the alterations of negative functional connectivity(FC),its relationship with clinical symptoms,and its potential value in schizophrenia(SZ).Methods Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)data were acquired from patients with SZ and healthy controls(HC).For each participant,the whole brain image was first divided into 272 regions and then the FC between each pair of these regions was calculated using Pearson's correlation coefficient.Group-level negative FCs were identified using permutation test for each group.Each of the identified negative FCs was then compared between patients and controls to identify the altered negative FCs.Then,Spearman rank correlation was adopted to examine the relationship between the altered negative FCs and clinical variables.Finally,to evaluate the diagnostic value of negative FC in SZ,a multivariate pattern analysis(MVPA)was performed to distinguish between SZ and HC based on negative FCs.Results Ninety-one patients with SZ and 91 HC were included in this study,and 207 negative FCs in total were identified.Among the identified 207 negative FCs,12(constituting 5.80％of the total 207 negative FCs)were significantly altered in SZ compared with HC(Bonferroni correction,P<0.05),of which 11 were significantly decreased(i.e.,closer to 0)in SZ.The correlation analyses identified 2 significant associations-one was between a negative FC and the total score of the psychotic symptoms rating scales-auditory hallucinations(r=-0.24,P=0.02)and the other was between a negative FC and the weighted total score of the scale for the assessment of thought,language,and communication(r=0.26,P=0.01).Furthermore,the model for distinguishing between SZ and HC based on negative FCs achieved a classification accuracy of 72.6％that was significantly higher than chance-level accuracy(permutation test,P<0.001).Conclusion Negative FCs are altered in patients with SZ.Given that negative FCs are associated with clinical symptoms,thus they may serve as an imaging biomarker for assisting the diagnosis of SZ.
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Objective To explore the features of frontotemporal lobes'resting-state functional connectivity(rsFC)in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders(ASD)based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS)and to explore the possible neurological markers for early identification of ASD.Methods Sixty-three preschool ASD children and 72 typical development(TD)children were enrolled.Selected bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC),bilateral premotor cortex(PMC),and bilateral temporal lobe(TL)cortex as the regions of interest(ROI).Changes of Oxyhemoglobin in the 6 ROIs in resting-state were measured by using functional near-infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS).Compared the frontotemporal rsFC strength and calculate the laterality index(LI)between two groups.Results Compared with the TD group,rsFC strength was significantly lower in the ASD group(P<0.05),and the differences existed mainly within the left ROIs(0.21±0.11 vs.0.32±0.18),right ROIs(0.16±0.16 vs.0.30±0.14),bilateral DLPFCs(0.20±0.14 vs.0.39±0.17;0.15±0.13 vs.0.36±0.13),bilateral TLs(0.15±0.14 vs.0.28±0.17;0.14±0.15 vs.0.31±0.17),and between the 10 groups of ROIs-ROIs(including right DLPFC-left DLPFC,right DLPFC-right PMC,right DLPFC-left PMC,right DLPFC-right TL,right DLPFC-left TL,left DLPFC-right PMC,left DLPFC-left PMC,left DLPFC-right TL,left DLPFC-left TL,right TL-left TL).There were a significant differences in the rsFC's laterality index of DLPFC and whole-brain between the two groups(t=2.002,P=0.047;t=3.003,P=0.003),and the ASD group showed left-lateralized connectivity.Conclusion Frontotemporal lobe's resting-state functional connectivity is abnormal in preschool children with ASD,characterized by low short-range functional connectivity of bilateral DLPFCs and TLs,low long-range functional connectivity associated with DLPFCs,and left-lateralized connectivity.
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Objectives:To investigate the predictive effect of regional homogeneity (ReHo) from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in acute phase on memory function of chronic phage in ischemic stroke patients and the effects of residual learning (REL) on the predictive performance of machine learning models.Methods:From June 2019 to June 2021, rs-fMRI data of one-week after stroke (acute phase) were collected from 35 first-time ischemic stroke patients, and their memory scores were assessed by the Rey auditory verbal learning test (RAVLT) at 6 months after stroke (chronic phase). Using ReHo from rs-fMRI data in acute phase of ischemic stroke patients, the support vector regression (SVR) and the REL-based SVR (REL-SVR) were constructed to predict the patients’ memory scores at 6 months after stroke, and the performance of the two models was compared using Pearson correlation coefficient.Results:Based on the ReHo from acute phase, the correlation coefficient between the predicted values and the true scores from the SVR model was r=0.524, P=0.001, while the correlation coefficient obtained by the REL-SVR model was r=0.671, P<0.001. Brain regions with relatively higher weights such as Temporal_Pole_Mid_R (weight value: 1.03), Temporal_Mid_R(weight value: 1.03), Temporal_Inf_R (weight value: 1.03), Occipital_Mid_R (weight value: 0.57), Frontal_Mid_L (weight value: 0.32), Frontal_Sup_Medial_L (weight value: 0.53), SupraMarginal_L (weight value: 1.54), Calcarine_L (weight value: 0.65), Lingual_L (weight value: 0.58), Cuneus_L (weight value: 0.65), Precuneus_L (weight value: 0.83), cerebellum(weight value>1.0) made larger contributions to the prediction model. Conclusions:ReHo in the acute-phase can effectively predict memory in the chronic phase of ischemic stroke patients. Furthermore, REL can improve the performance of the traditional SVR model and achieve higher predictive accuracy.
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Objective:To investigate the alterations of brain resting-state functional connectivity in patients with leukoaraiosis(LA), and to explore its neuropathological mechanism of cognitive dysfunction.Methods:From August 2022 to February 2023, 28 patients with LA(LA group) and 30 gender, age and education level matched normal controls(NC group) in Jiangsu Shengze Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University were prospectively recruited.Mini mental state examination, trail-making test, and Stroop color-word test were used to evaluate the cognitive function of participants, rs-fMRI images were processed by DPABI V6.1 based on MATLAB R2022a.Voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity(VMHC) values were calculated and two-sample t test were performed to compare the differences in local brain activity between the two groups.The brain regions with significant differences were selected as the seeds to calculate the functional connectivity(FC) values of the whole brain, and Pearson correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the correlation between the FC values and neuropsychological scores. Results:The VMHC values of the calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex(CAL) (x=±18, y=-63, z=15), postcentral gyrus(PoCG) (x=±39, y=-27, z=48), lingual gyrus(LING) (x=±12, y=-51, z=-6), middle occipital gyrus(x=±27, y=-75, z=24) and insula(x=±36, y=6, z=3) in the LA group were lower than those in the NC group( P<0.05). The seed points FC results showed, FC values between right CAL(CAL.R) and bilateral precuneus(PCUN), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC.R) and right temporal_mid were reduced in the LA group( P<0.05); FC values between PoCG.R and left CAL, left temporal_mid and right LING were reduced too( P<0.05). Additionally, the FC value in the LA group between CAL.R and DLPFC.R was negatively correlated with the Stroop C score( r=-0.39, P<0.05). The FC value in LA group and NC group between CAL.R and DLPFC.R was negatively correlated with the Stroop C score( r=-0.48, P<0.001)and also negatively correlated with the trail making test B(TMT-B) score( r=-0.40, P<0.01), and the FC value between CAL.R and PCUN.L was negatively correlated with the TMT-B score( r=-0.45, P<0.001). Conclusion:Desynchronized interhemispheric functional connectivity and abnormal cortical circuit functional connectivity were probably associated with the underlying neural mechanisms of cognitive impairment in LA.
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Objective:To explore differences of resting brain regional homogeneity (ReHo) between patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and their siblings.Methods:From January to December 2013, the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of 87 patients with MDD and 21 healthy siblings were collected.DPABI v5.1 software was used to preprocess the resting-state fMRI data, and ReHo maps of each subject was obtained. A two-sample t-test was used to compare differences between the patients with MDD and their siblings in ReHo values throughout the brain. ReHo values within the significant brain regions were extracted out, and used to calculate Spearman correlation with the total score of 17-items Hamilton depression rating scale(HAMD-17) in the patients with MDD and their siblings respectively.The software of SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results:The patients with MDD exhibited lower ReHo values in the precuneus extending to the posterior cingulate cortex (PCu/PCC) compared with their siblings (cluster-size=126 voxel, cluster-level PFDR=0.033; MNI: x=-4, y=-58, z=38, t=4.30). ReHo values of the PCu/PCC in patient with MDD were positively correlated with the severity of depressive symptoms ( r=0.255, P=0.021). Conclusion:Compared with the siblings, local brain activity of the PCu/PCC in the patients with MDD was decreased, and related to the severity of depressive symptoms. It is helpful to further reveal the intrinsic neural mechanism of MDD.