Dose conversion coefficients for humans after oral administration of urea-14C / 中国辐射卫生

Objective To calculate the absorbed doses and conversion coefficients of various organs in humans after oral administration of urea-14C, and to provide a convenient method for evaluating the internal radiation dose caused by ingestion of urea-14C in Chinese population. Methods The Chinese reference human voxel model was imported into the FLUKA software to simulate the absorbed doses to organs under internal exposure to 14C, and to obtain the dose conversion coefficients for oral administration of urea-14C. Results The absorbed dose conversion coefficients for the stomach, colon, bladder, heart, and muscles were 0.029, 0.029, 0.32 (0.24), 0.028, and 0.029 mGy/MBq in negative cases, and 0.079, 0.078, 0.18 (0.15), 0.076, and 0.080 mGy/MBq in positive cases. The committed effective dose coefficients were 0.041 (0.037) mSv/MBq in negative cases and 0.082 (0.081) mSv/MBq in positive cases. Conclusion The dose conversion coefficients obtained in this study can provide important parameters for evaluating the absorbed dose to Chinese population after oral administration of urea-14C.

Study of resting-state functional MRI on immediate effect regulated by acupuncture on acupoints in patients with migraine without aura / 实用放射学杂志

Objective To explore the mechanism of immediate effect regulated by acupuncture on acupoints in patients with migraine without aura(MwoA)during the interictal period.Methods A total of 28 MwoA patients were enrolled and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)were performed at baseline and after acupuncture for 30 minutes.Paired t test was used to compare the differences of regional homogeneity(ReHo)and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity(VMHC)between two groups.Additionally,the correlation between the changes of rs-fMRI indexes and clinical scores was analyzed.Results In MwoA patients after acupuncture for 30 minutes,the mean regional homogeneity(mReHo)was decreased in the right lingual gyrus and right cere-bellum and was increased in the right middle frontal gyrus,while the z transformation voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity(zVMHC)was significantly decreased in the bilateral cuneus compared with baseline.There was no significant correlation between imaging data and clinical scales.Conclusion Patients with MwoA after acupuncture for 30 minutes show abnormal ReHo and VMHC in multiple brain regions,which suggest that the mechanism of immediate effect may act through regulating pain-related brain regions.

Morphological study on gray matter volume changes of short-term withdrawal therapy in patients with alcohol use disorder / 实用放射学杂志

Objective To explore the changes in brain structure after short-term withdrawal therapy in patients with alcohol use disorder(AUD).Methods A total of 28 male patients with AUD were included,and brain MRI scans were performed at the time of enrollment and 2-3 weeks after standardized treatment.The total volume of brain tissue,gray matter,white matter and cerebrospi-nal fluid volume before and after treatment were measured by voxel-based morphometry(VBM)technology,and the gray matter volume of each brain region of the whole brain was measured and statistically analyzed according to the automated anatomical labeling(AAL)template.Results Compared with the baseline data,after 2-3 weeks of standardized treatment,the volume of gray matter in brain tissue increased significantly,and the volume of cerebrospinal fluid decreased significantly.Compared with before treatment,the brain regions with increased gray matter volume in the left hemisphere were distributed in the medial and paracingulate gyrus,central sulcus cover,anterior wedge lobe and insula,and the brain regions with increased gray matter volume in the right hemisphere were distributed in the anterior cingulate gyrus,paracingulate gyrus,central sulcus cover,amygdala,superior temporal gyrus,middle temporal gyrus,transverse temporal gyrus,anterior cuneiformus,posterior central gyrus,superior marginal gyrus,peritaloid cortex and insula.Conclusion Patients with AUD experience some increases in gray matter volume,especially in the prefrontal lobe,after short-term withdrawal therapy.

Advances in MRI studies of brain structure and cerebral blood perfusion in patients with bipolar disorder / 实用医学杂志

Bipolar disorder(BD)is a class of common psychiatric disorders,and its high morbidity,disability,and mortality have attracted widespread attention.However,in clinical practice,the initial accurate diagnosis rate of BD is low and easily misdiagnosed as monophasic depression.Many neuroimaging studies have shown that cortical thickness,gray matter,white matter,and functional activities are altered in some brain regions of BD patients.However,their specific neuroimaging indexes have not been clarified,and the specific pathophysi-ological mechanisms for the onset of BD have not been fully elucidated.Therefore,in this paper,we combed through the recent years of BD patients to study the cortical structure and perfusion of the brain to review the methods in anticipation of more in-depth research at a later stage.

Altered gray matter volume and resting-state functional connectivity in migraine patients without aura / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To investigate the underlying neuroimaging mechanism of migraine without aura (MwoA) by using methods of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and resting-state functional connectivity (FC).Methods:Twenty-five MwoA patients admitted to Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from September 2020 to June 2023 were recruited as MwoA group, and 22 volunteers were recruited as healthy control (HC) group. Demographic, clinical characteristics, scores of Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) of all subjects were collected; MwoA patients also received Migraine Disability Assessment Questionnaire, Headache Impact Test-6 and headache Visual Analogue Scale assessments. All subjects underwent high-resolution 3D-T 1 and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. The SPM12 software was used to compare the difference in gray matter volume (GMV) between the 2 groups by VBM method. The GRETNA software was adopted to calculate the whole brain FC with anatomical automatic labeling 90 as the regions of interest, and the difference in FC between the 2 groups was statistically analyzed by two-sample t-test. Pearson partial correlation was used to analyze the correlation between brain GMV and FC changes and clinical features and scale scores of MwoA patients. Results:There existed no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in age, gender, education, scores of HAMA, HAMD and MoCA (all P>0.05). Migraine Disability Assessment Questionnaire, Headache Impact Test-6 and headache Visua Analogue Scale scores of MwoA patients were (8.86±4.55), (50.27±6.35) and (6.68±1.73). Compared with the HC group, GMV was significantly decreased in the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG), right cingulate gyrus (CG) and left thalamus in the MwoA group ( P<0.05, false discovery rate corrected). In addition, the MwoA group showed decreased FC between left thalamus and right cuneus, left lingual gyrus (LG) and bilateral precuneus; decreased FC between right thalamus and right cuneus, right LG and right precuneus; decreased FC between right cuneus and left precuneus and right SFG; decreased FC between left LG and bilateral precuneus, decreased FC between right LG and right precuneus and left SFG; decreased FC between left precuneus and bilateral SFG, and between right precuneus and right SFG (edge P<0.001, component P<0.05, network-based statistics correction, interation=2 000). In MwoA patients, the FC (z-value) between left thalamus and right cuneus was negatively correlated with the duration of disease ( r=-0.530, P=0.011). Conclusions:MwoA patients showed decreased GMV in right SFG, CG and left thalamus. In MwoA patients, FC between thalamus and visual network (VN) and default mode network (DMN) was significantly decreased, and FC among VN, DMN and executive control network was significantly decreased. These changes in brain structure and function may be an adaptive change in the central sensitivity and responsiveness to pain stimuli, and may be an important neuroimaging mechanism of MwoA.

Analysis of cerebral gray matter structure in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica / 解剖学报

Objective The volume and cortical thickness of gray matter in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) were compared and analyzed by voxel⁃based morphometry (VBM) and surface⁃based morphometry (SBM), and the differences in the structural changes of gray matter in the two diseases were discussed. Methods A total of 21 MS patients, 16 NMO patients and 19 healthy controls were scanned by routine MRI sequence. The data were processed and analyzed by VBM and SBM method based on the statistical parameter tool SPM12 of Matlab2014a platform and the small tool CAT12 under SPM12. Results Compared with the normal control group (NC), after Gaussian random field (GRF) correction, the gray matter volume in MS group was significantly reduced in left superior occipital, left cuneus, left calcarine, left precuneus, left postcentral, left central paracentral lobule, right cuneus, left middle frontal, left superior frontal and left superior medial frontal (P<0. 05). After family wise error (FWE) correction, the thickness of left paracentral, left superiorfrontal and left precuneus cortex in MS group was significantly reduced (P<0. 05). Compared with the NC group, after GRF correction, the gray matter volume in the left postcentral, left precentral, left inferior parietal, right precentral and right middle frontal in NMO group was significantly increased (P<0. 05). In NMO group, the volume of gray matter in left middle occipital, left superior occipital, left inferior temporal, right middle occipital, left superior frontal orbital, right middle cingulum, left anterior cingulum, right angular and left precuneus were significantly decreased (P<0. 05). Brain regions showed no significant differences in cortical thickness between NMO groups after FWE correction. Compared with the NMO group, after GRF correction, the gray matter volume in the right fusiform and right middle frontal in MS group was increased significantly(P<0. 05). In MS group, the gray matter volume of left thalamus, left pallidum, left precentral, left middle frontal, left middle temporal, right pallidum, left inferior parietal and right superior parietal were significantly decreased (P<0. 05). After FWE correction, the thickness of left inferiorparietal, left superiorparietal, left supramarginal, left paracentral, left superiorfrontal and left precuneus cortex in MS group decreased significantly (P<0. 05). Conclusion The atrophy of brain gray matter structure in MS patients mainly involves the left parietal region, while NMO patients are not sensitive to the change of brain gray matter structure. The significant difference in brain gray matter volume between MS patients and NMO patients is mainly located in the deep cerebral nucleus mass.

Abnormal gray matter volume of MRI in the somatic symptoms of depression / 中国神经精神疾病杂志

Objective To explore specific magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)features of somatic symptoms in depression by comparing the differences of brain gray matter volume in depression patients with and without somatic symptoms using voxel-based morphometry(VBM).Methods A total of 52 depression patients were recruited and divided into somatic and no somatic symptoms group according to the patient health questionnaire-15 score(＞9 and≤9,respectively).Forty gender-age-matched healthy volunteers were recruited as the control group.All subjects underwent MRI scanning.Imaging data were analyzed to explore the differences in brain gray matter between groups using VBM.Results Compared with control group,gray matter volume increased in the right superior temporal gyrus,and decreased in the right inferior orbitofrontal gyrus,right inferior temporal gyrus,left inferior orbitofrontal gyrus,and left superior temporal gyrus for depressive patients with somatic symptoms(P＜0.001);gray matter volume increased in the right middle temporal gyrus,and decreased in the right superior temporal gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus for depressive patients without somatic symptoms(P＜0.001).Only the volume in the right tongue and left cingulate gyrus increased in depressive patients with somatic symptoms compared with that in patients without somatic symptoms(P＜0.01).Conclusion VBM-MRI has demonstrated increased volume in the tongue and cingulate gyrus in the somatic symptoms of depression.

Changes in brain gray matter volume in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after radiotherapy in long-term follow-up

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the changes in gray matter in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with normal hearing (Group 1) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with hearing loss (Group 2) after radiotherapy using voxel-based morphological analysis and to analyze the relationship with the radiation doses of the temporal lobe. Methods 21 patients in Group 1, 14 patients in Group 2, and 21 healthy volunteers were selected. All participants underwent an otologic examination and three-dimensional magnetization preparatory rapid acquisition gradient echo sequence scan. The correlation between the variation of whole brain gray matter volume and the doses of the temporal lobe was analyzed by Data Processing & Analysis for Brain Imaging software. Results Compared with the normal control group, the brain areas with reduced gray matter volume in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after radiotherapy were mainly in the left posterior cerebellar lobe (T = −8.797), left insular lobe (T = −7.96), and the right insular lobe (T = −6.632). Compared to Group 1, the brain areas of Group 2 patients with reduced gray matter volume were mainly in the left superior temporal gyrus (T = −2.366), left olfactory bulb (T = −2.52), left Rolandic operculum (T = −2.431), and right olfactory bulb (T = −3.100). Compared with Group 1, the brain areas of Group 2 patients with increased gray matter volume were mainly in the left calcarine sulcus (T = 3.425) and right calcarine sulcus (T = 3.169). There were no correlations between the changes of brain gray matter volume and the radiation doses of the temporal lobe in both Group 1 and Group 2. Conclusions The radiotherapy may cause the changes of brain areas associated with cognitive function in nasopharyngeal carcinoma in a long-term follow-up. At the same time, nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with the radiation-induced hearing loss had abnormal gray matter volumes in the auditory center and other sensory centers. Our findings might provide new understanding into the pathogenesis of radiation-induced brain damage in normal-appearing brain tissue. Yet this exploratory study should be taken with caution.

Structural changes of the frontal cortex in depressed mice are associated with decreased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the changes in gray matter volume in depressive-like mice and explore the possible mechanism.@*METHODS@#Twenty-four 6-week-old C57 mice were randomized equally into control group and model group, and the mice in the model group were subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stimulation (CUMS) for 35 days. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed to examine structural changes of the grey matter volume in depressive-like mice. The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the grey matter of the mice was detected using Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the control mice, the mice with CUMS showed significantly decreased central walking distance in the open field test (P < 0.05) and increased immobile time in forced swimming test (P < 0.05). Magnetic resonance imaging showed that the volume of the frontal cortex was significantly decreased in CUMS mice (P < 0.001, when the mass level was greater than or equal to 10 756, the FDRc was corrected with P=0.05). Western blotting showed that the expression of mature BDNF in the frontal cortex was significantly decreased in CUMS mice (P < 0.05), and its expression began to decrease after the exposure to CUMS as shown by immunofluorescence staining. The volume of different clusters obtained by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis was correlated with the expression level of mature BDNF detected by Western blotting (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The decrease of frontal cortex volume after CUMS is related with the reduction of mature BDNF expression in the frontal cortex.

Monte Carlo simulation-based dose calculation for organs under accidental radiation exposure in flaw detection / 中国辐射卫生

Objective To calculate the doses and their dose conversion coefficients for the personnel whose organs were under accidental exposure to three types of X-ray machines and two γ radiation sources, and to provide a simple method for rapid estimation of accidental doses. Methods The radiation source models of X-ray machines and two γ sources were established with the FLUKA simulation software and a Chinese reference voxel phantom was imported. The organ absorbed dose, dose conversion coefficient between organ absorbed dose and air Kerma, and conversion coefficient between organ absorbed dose and radiation source were calculated for a simulated scenario where the personnel were under antero-posterior exposure to radiation sources 1 meter away. Results For the lungs, heart, muscles, soft tissue, liver, skin, and brain, the conversion coefficient between organ absorbed dose and air Kerma was 0.30-1.19 (Gy/Gy). For X-ray machines, the conversion coefficient between organ absorbed dose and output for the six organs ranged from 6.12 × 10−3 to 2.90 × 10−2 Gy·m2/(mA·min). For γ radiation sources, the conversion coefficient between organ absorbed dose and activity for the six organs ranged from 1.12 × 10−8 to 7.01 × 10−8 Gy·m2/(GBq·s). Conclusion The conversion coefficient between organ absorbed dose and air Kerma and the conversion coefficient between organ absorbed dose and output or activity of a flaw detector can provide important dosimetric parameters for rapid assessment of similar radiation accidents.

Brain iron deposition increases in the bilateral substantia nigra of patients with medication-overuse headache: a quantitative susceptibility mapping analysis / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate iron accumulation level over the whole brain and explore the possible neuromechanism of medication-overuse headache (MOH) using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM).@*METHODS@#Thirty-seven MOH patients and 27 normal control subjects were enrolled in the study for examinations with both a multiecho gradient echo magnetic resonance (MR) sequence and brain high resolution structural imaging. A voxel-based analysis was performed to detect the brain regions with altered iron deposition, and the quantitative susceptibility mapping values of the positive brain regions were extracted. Correlation analysis was performed between the susceptibility values and the clinical variables of the patients.@*RESULTS@#In patients with MOH, increased susceptibility values were found mainly in the bilateral substantia nigra (SN) (MNI coordinate: 8, -18, -14; -6, -16, -14) as compared with the normal control subjects (P < 0.001), but these alterations in iron deposition were not significantly correlated with the clinical variables of the patients (P > 0.05). The susceptibility value in the left SN had an area under curve (AUC) of 0.734, and at the cut-off value of 0.077, its diagnostic sensitivity was 72.97% and its specificity was 70.37% for distinguishing MOH from normal controls; The susceptibility value in the right SN had an AUC of 0.699 with a diagnostic sensitivity of 72.97% and a specificity of 62.96% at the cut-off value of 0.084.@*CONCLUSION@#Increased iron deposition occurs in the bilateral SN of MOH patients, which provides a new insight into the mechanism of mesocorticolimbic dopamine system dysfunction in MOH. QSM technique can be used as a non-invasive means for quantitative analysis of brain iron deposition in migraine neuroimaging.

Changes of brain structure in patients with myasthenia gravis using voxel-based morphological analysis and their correlation with cognitive impairment / 中华神经医学杂志

Objective:To analyze whether patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) have cognitive impairment and changes of brain structure, and explore the possible mechanisms of cognitive impairment in MG patients from the perspective of brain structure.Methods:Twenty-eight patients with MG admitted to Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from July 2019 to December 2021 were selected as MG group, and 30 family members from MG patients or healthy subjects who underwent physical examination in Physical Examination Center during the same period were selected as healthy control group. Neuropsychological test was used to evaluate the cognitive function. VBM was used to analyze the changes of brain structure on structural MRI (sMRI). Correlations of gray matter volumes of different brain regions with cognitive function between the two groups were analyzed.Results:Compared with the healthy control group, the MG group had significantly decreased scores of Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Clock Painting Test (CDT), and Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), and significantly decreased Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) immediate memory and delayed memory scores, while statistically increased time consuming in Making Track Test Part A (TMT-A), and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) scores ( P<0.05). Compared with healthy control group, MG group had significantly decreased gray matter volumes of the left orbital superior frontal gyrus, right orbital middle frontal gyrus, right triangular inferior frontal gyrus, left insula, left middle frontal gyrus, right superior limbic gyrus, right anterior cingulate gyrus, right lateral cingulate gyrus, left medial cingulate gyrus, left lateral cingulate gyrus, left medial superior frontal gyrus, and left dorsalateral superior frontal gyrus ( P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that gray matter volume in the left insula was negatively correlated with time consuming in Stroop Color-Word Test-A ( r=-0.407, P=0.035). Conclusion:Patients with MG may have cognitive decline and gray matter cortical atrophy of some brain regions, and brain areas with gray matter cortical atrophy correspond to areas of cognitive impairment.

Brain structural changes in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder: a voxel-based morphometry study / 中华神经医学杂志

Objective:To explore the brain structural changes in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after traffic accident.Methods:Forty-six patients with PTSD (PTSD group) who received treatment in Psychology Department, Second People's Hospital of Guangdong Province from January 2021 to June 2022 after traffic accidents and 49 gender- and age-matched normal healthy subjects (control group) were selected; all subjects underwent MRI 3D-T1WI structural imaging of the whole brain. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to detect the volume differences of the gray matter between the two groups. The correlations of volumes of the gray matter in PTSD group which was different from that in the control group with Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) were analyzed.Results:Compared with control group, patients in PTSD group had significantly decreased gray matter volumes in the left hippocampus, left postcentral gyrus and right superior frontal gyrus ( P<0.001, adjusted GRF); no regions with increased gray matter volumes were noted. The gray matter volume in the left postcentral gyrus was negatively correlated with CAPS scores in PTSD patients ( r=-0.443, P=0.002); the gray matter volumes in other brain regions with differences were not correlated with CAPS, PCL-C or HAMD scores ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Structural changes of the left hippocampus, left postcentral gyrus and right superior frontal gyrus are observed in PTSD patients caused by traffic accidents, and the gray matter volume of left postcentral gyrus is related to severity of PTSD clinical symptoms.

Gray matter changes in primary glossopharyngeal neuralgia: a voxel-based morphometry study / 中华神经医学杂志

Objective:To explore the pathogenesis of glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) in central nervous system from perspective of brain morphology.Methods:A prospective study was performed. Twenty-seven patients with right primary GPN admitted to Department of Neurosurgery, People's Hospital of Peking University from April 2019 to June 2023 and 27 healthy subjects (controls) matched with age, gender, dominant hand, and education level during the same period were recruited. These patients were divided into GPN with neurovascular compression group ( n=18) and GPN without neurovascular compression ( n=9) based on intraoperative presence of neurovascular compression. SPM8 software based on Matlab R2017b programming platform and VBM8 toolbox were used to process the whole-brain high-resolution 3D-T1 brain structural image data of the participants and analyze the differences in the gray matter volume of each brain region between the 2 groups. Pearson correlation was applied to analyze the correlations of gray matter volumes in brain regions enjoying significant difference with baseline data and pain characteristics of these GPN patients. Results:Compared with controls, patients with GPN had significantly reduced gray matter volumes in the left anterior cingulate gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, transverse temporal gyrus, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, right insula, thalamus, inferior parietal lobule, precentral gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, and inferior temporal gyrus ( P<0.05, FDR corrected). Compared with GPN patients with neurovascular compression, GPN patients without neurovascular compression had significantly reduced gray matter volume in the bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus ( P<0.05, FDR corrected). Changes of gray matter volume in the right insula were negatively correlated with disease duration of GPN patients ( r=-0.521, P=0.005). Conclusion:GPN patients have extensive gray matter atrophy in the brain, which may play an essential role in GPN development and maintenance.

Correlation between cognitive function and resting-state interhemispheric voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity in patients with chronic schizophrenia / 四川精神卫生

BackgroundCognitive impairment， a core clinical feature of schizophrenia， is considered to be associated with the aberrant functional connectivity in patients with schizophrenia， whereas previous studies on the characteristics of cognitive impairment in patients with chronic schizophrenia and its correlation with interhemispheric voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity （VMHC） are somewhat inadequate. ObjectiveTo investigate the characteristics of cognitive impairment in patients with chronic schizophrenia who are clinically stable on their antipsychotic medication， and to explore its correlation with resting-state interhemispheric VMHC， so as to provide theoretical basis for the identification of neurobiological mechanism possibly responsible for cognitive impairment in chronic schizophrenia. MethodsA total of 15 patients with chronic schizophrenia who met the criteria of the International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10） and hospitalized in Suzhou Guangji Hospital from January 2021 to December 2022 were included. Another 15 healthy community-dwelling individuals were concurrently recruited. All participants were requested to complete the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale （PANSS）， Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status （RBANS） and resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging （rs-fMRI） scanning to evaluate their mental symptoms， cognitive function and interhemispheric functional connectivity. The rs-fMRI data were analyzed with VMHC method. Then Pearson correlation analysis was performed to examine the correlation between VMHC values of regions of interest and scores of RBANS and PANSS within patient group. ResultsPatient group obtained lower scores than control group based on RBANS immediate memory， visuospatial/constructional， language， attention and total score， with statistically significant differences （t=-2.853， -2.107， -5.576， -7.108， -5.354， P<0.05 or 0.01）. The VMHC values of left superior occipital gyrus （t=-5.188， P<0.05） and right cuneus （t=-5.188， P<0.05） in patient group were lower than those in control group， with statistical difference. Correlation analysis denoted that the VMHC values of left superior occipital gyrus （r=0.612， P=0.015） and right cuneus （r=0.612， P=0.015） were positively correlated with visuospatial/constructional index score in RBANS. ConclusionThe resting-state VMHC is abnormal in left superior occipital gyrus and right cuneus of patients with chronic schizophrenia， and yields a correlation with the visuospatial/constructional performance of patients. ［Funded by Suzhou Science and Technology Development Plan Project （number， SKJYD2021131； SKJY2021143）］

Correlation between gray matter volume changes and cognitive impairment in cerebral small vessel disease based on 7.0T magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based morphometry analysis / 中国脑血管病杂志

Objective To explore the correlation between changes of gray matter volume and related cognitive impairment domains in patients with cognitive impairment of cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD)based on 7.0T magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and voxel-based morphometry(VBM).Methods All subjects were recruited from the study on Correlation between Cerebral Deep Medullary Vein Morphology and Cognitive Impairment due to Cerebral Small Vessel Disease(registration No.:ChiCTR2100045136)from September 2021 to June 2023.We retrospectively enrolled CSVD patients with cognitive impairment as CSVD group and healthy controls with matched age,gender and education level as control group according to inclusion and exclusion criteria.Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA)scale(Beijing version)score＜26 was divided into cognitive impairment.All subjects was assessed with MoCA,digit span test(DST),digit symbol substitution test(DSST),trail making test-A(TMT-A),verbal fluency test(VFT),Boston naming test(BNT)and auditory verbal learning test(AVLT).All subjects underwent 7.0T brain MRI scan to acquire T1-weighted three-dimensional magnetization prepared 2 rapid gradient echo(T1WI-MP2RAGE)for VBM analysis.General data and above cognitive function scores were compared between 2 groups.VBM analysis was used to compare the gray matter volume(GMV)between 2 groups and get mean GMV of significant brain regions of CSVD to explore the correlation between regions and cognitive function scores.Results(1)There were 18 individuals in control group,aged 55-70 years,and 19 individuals in CSVD group,aged 57-75 years.There was no significant difference in age,gender,education,body mass index,history of coronary heart disease,history of hyperlipidemia,smoking,drinking,total cholesterol,triglyceride,low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein between the two groups(all P＞0.05).But the proportion of hypertension and diabetes history in the CSVD group was higher than control group,and there were significant differences between the two groups(12/19 vs.5/18,7/19 vs.0;all P＜0.05).(2)The scores of MoCA scale(22.0[20.0,23.0]vs.27.0[26.0,28.0],Z=-5.242),DSST(18±9 vs.40±4,t=5.212),DST(10.6±2.5 vs.13.9±2.0,t=4.364),VFT(38±11 vs.47±8,t=3.224),AVLT-immediate memory(13±3 vs.21±4,t=6.877),AVLT-short delay recall(3.4±2.5 vs.6.9±2.2,t=4.555)and BNT(22.7±3.6 vs.27.0±2.1,t=4.357)in CSVD group were lower than those in the control group.The time taken to complete TMT-A in CSVD group was longer than the control group(93.00[76.04,125.69]s vs.29.77[25.75,40.97]s,Z=-4.832).The difference of the above between two group was statistically significant(all P＜0.01).(3)Brain parenchymal fraction in CSVD group was lower than control group,and there was significant difference between two group([78.2±4.3]％vs.[80.9±3.7]％,t=2.079,P＜0.05).VBM analysis showed that gray matter volume of right inferior temporal gyrus(rITG)and right Crus 2 of cerebellar hemisphere(rCERCRU2)in CSVD group was significantly lower than control group(both P＜0.05 and corrected by false discovery rate).(4)Partial correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between gray matter volume in rITG and AVLT-short delay recall score(r=0.543,P=0.036).Conclusions CSVD patients with cognitive impairment had gray matter atrophy in rITG and rCERCRU2 and the gray matter volume in rITG was correlated with delayed memory impairment.The results of this study need to be further verified.

Cortical thickness is related to working memory performance after non-invasive brain stimulation

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) probing the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been shown to have little effect on working memory. The variability of NIBS responses might be explained by inter-subject brain anatomical variability. We investigated whether baseline cortical brain thickness of regions of interest was associated with working memory performance after NIBS by performing a secondary analysis of previously published research. Structural magnetic resonance imaging data were analyzed from healthy subjects who received transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), and placebo. Twenty-two participants were randomly assigned to receive all the interventions in a random order. The working memory task was conducted after the end of each NIBS session. Regions of interest were the bilateral DLPFC, medial prefrontal cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex. Overall, 66 NIBS sessions were performed. Findings revealed a negative significant association between cortical thickness of the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and reaction time for both tDCS (left: P=0.045, right: P=0.037) and iTBS (left: P=0.007, right: P=0.007) compared to placebo. A significant positive association was found for iTBS and posterior cingulate cortex (P=0.03). No association was found for accuracy. Our findings provide the first evidence that individual cortical thickness of healthy subjects might be associated with working memory performance following different NIBS interventions. Therefore, cortical thickness could explain - to some extent - the heterogeneous effects of NIBS probing the DLPFC.

Changes of gray matter volume and brain functional connectivity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder comorbid with oppositional defiant disorder / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To analyze the changes of gray matter volume and resting-state functional connectivity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comorbid with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).Methods:A total of 22 ADHD comorbid with ODD children (ADHD-ODD group, n=22) were selected from a public-assess resting-state fMRI ADHD cohort, namely, ADHD-200.Meanwhile, 22 age- and sex- matched ADHD children without ODD (ADHD group, n=22) and 22 healthy children(control group, n=22) were also included.T1-weighted MRI and resting-state fMRI scans were performed on all of the participants.The voxel-based morphometric (VBM) method was used to compare the volume of gray matter in three groups.The gray matter with aberrant volume was set as the region of interest(ROI) for mapping the functional connectivity of the whole brain.For comparison of gray matter volumes, one-way ANOVA and two-sample t-test analysis were applied, while two-sample t-test analysis was used for comparison of functional connectivity. Results:Compared with the control group, ADHD-ODD group showed decreased gray matter volume in the left cerebellum anterior lobe (MNI coordinate: x, y, z=-19.5, -42, -18) and right cerebellum anterior lobe (MNI coordinate: x, y, z=19.5, -39, -21). The left cerebellum anterior lobe showed increased functional connectivity with left superior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus (MNI coordinate: x, y, z=-24, 19, 43), right superior frontal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus (MNI coordinate: x, y, z=30, 9, 45) and bilateral precuneus, posterior cingulate gyrus(MNI coordinate: x, y, z=-6, -35, 24). Compared with the ADHD group, ADHD-ODD group showed decreased gray matter volume in the right cerebellum anterior lobe (MNI coordinate: x, y, z=19.5, -37.5, -22.5). The right cerebellum anterior lobe showed increased functional connectivity with bilateral superior frontal gyrus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus, bilateral medial frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus and posterior cingulate gyrus(MNI coordinate: x, y, z=18, -12, 42), bilateral cuneus, bilateral lingual gyrus(MNI coordinate: x, y, z=9, -87, 27).Conclusion:ADHD comorbid with ODD children show decreased cerebellum volume and excessive functional connectivity with several brain regions of the cerebral hemispheres, which may be one of the neuropathological bases of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disorders.

Alterations of regional homogeneity and interhemispheric voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity in patients with methamphetamine dependence / 中华神经医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the differences of spontaneous neural activity and functional connectivity between bilateral symmetrical voxels in the local brain regions at resting-state of methamphetamine (MA) dependent patients and healthy controls (HCs).Methods:Forty-six MA-dependent patients, admitted to and received drug rehabilitation treatment for the first time in our hospital from February 2014 to October 2019, and 46 HCs matched with age, gender and education level during the same period were enrolled in this study. The resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data of these subjects were collected; the static and dynamic regional homogeneity (ReHo, d-ReHo) and static and dynamic voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC, d-VMHC) were used to evaluate MA-related alterations of brain spontaneous activity and interhemispheric functional connectivity. The correlations of brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) scores with above values in the brain regions with significant inter-group differences were analyzed.Results:As compared with the HCs, the MA-dependent patients had significantly decreased ReHo in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC), and significantly increased d-ReHo in the left mOFC, left middle frontal gyrus, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, left precentral gyrus and left postcentral gyrus ( P<0.05). As compared with the HCs, the MA-dependent patients had significantly decreased VMHC in the bilateral mOFC, precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus ( P<0.05). The ReHo, VMHC, d-ReHo, and d-VMHC were not significantly correlated with total scores and each factor scores of BPRS, and total dose of MA (after removing outliers) in MA-dependent patients ( P>0.05). Conclusion:During resting state, MA-dependent patients show obvious abnormalities in the coordination and stability of spontaneous neural activity and the coordination of interhemispheric activity in local brain regions, especially in the mOFC; abnormal ReHo, d-ReHo and VMHC in left mOFC may be important neuroimaging biomarkers for MA-dependence.

Role of coping styles in development of post-traumatic stress disorder in patients lost their only child: a brain structure study / 中华神经医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of coping style on the gray matter volume in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who lost their only child, and the mediating role of gray matter volume in evaluating the influence of coping style in clinical symptoms of these parents.Methods:A total of 57 parents with PTSD (PTSD group) and 162 parents without PTSD (non-PTSD group) who lost their only child from September 2016 to March 2017 were enrolled from Jiangsu Province, China. Brain MRI data at resting state were collected. Voxel-based multiple regression analysis was performed to confirm the brain areas in which coping style main effect, diagnosis main effect and their interaction had significant influences in gray matter volumes. Correlations among gray matter volume of brain areas related to coping style, coping style scale scores, and clinician-administered PTSD scale (CAPS) scores were analyzed. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the mediating role of gray matter volume in the influence of coping style in clinical symptoms of parents lost their only child.Results:(1) The coping style main effect did not significantly influence the gray matter volume in all subjects, and the diagnosis main effect had significant influence in gray matter volume in the right lingual gyrus; their interaction had significant influence in gray matter volume in the right peritalar fissure cortex and lingual gyrus. The positive coping style in the PTSD group had significant influence in the gray matter volumes of the right peritalar fissure cortex and lingual gyrus. (2) In the PTSD group, the scores of positive coping style were positively correlated with the gray matter volumes of the right talus fissure and the lingual gyrus ( P<0.05); the scores of positive coping style, and the gray matter volumes of the right talus fissure and the lingual gyrus were negatively correlated with scores of CAPS-C 5 and CAPS-C ( P<0.05). (3) In the PTSD group, positive coping style can positively predict the gray matter volumes of the right talus fissure and the lingual gyrus; the gray matter volumes of the right talus fissure and the lingual gyrus can negatively predict the avoidance-related symptoms. Conclusion:Positive coping style has influence in the gray matter volumes of the right talar fissure and lingual gyrus of PTSD patients lost their only child; and less positive coping style may affect the brain areas related to visual information processing, thus aggravating avoidance-related symptoms of PTSD patients.