Robust hierarchically organized whole-brain patterns of dysconnectivity in schizophrenia spectrum disorders observed after personalized intrinsic network topography.

BACKGROUND: Spatial patterns of brain functional connectivity can vary substantially at the individual level. Applying cortical surface-based approaches with individualized rather than group templates may accelerate the discovery of biological markers related to psychiatric disorders. We investigated cortico-subcortical networks from multi-cohort data in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) and healthy controls (HC) using individualized connectivity profiles. METHODS: We utilized resting-state and anatomical MRI data from n = 406 participants (n = 203 SSD, n = 203 HC) from four cohorts. Functional timeseries were extracted from previously defined intrinsic network subregions of the striatum, thalamus, and cerebellum as well as 80 cortical regions of interest, representing six intrinsic networks using (1) volume-based approaches, (2) a surface-based group atlas approaches, and (3) Personalized Intrinsic Network Topography (PINT). RESULTS: The correlations between all cortical networks and the expected subregions of the striatum, cerebellum, and thalamus were increased using a surface-based approach (Cohen's D volume vs. surface 0.27-1.00, all p < 10-6 ) and further increased after PINT (Cohen's D surface vs. PINT 0.18-0.96, all p < 10-4 ). In SSD versus HC comparisons, we observed robust patterns of dysconnectivity that were strengthened using a surface-based approach and PINT (Number of differing pairwise-correlations: volume: 404, surface: 570, PINT: 628, FDR corrected). CONCLUSION: Surface-based and individualized approaches can more sensitively delineate cortical network dysconnectivity differences in people with SSDs. These robust patterns of dysconnectivity were visibly organized in accordance with the cortical hierarchy, as predicted by computational models.

Investigating COVID-19 Vaccine Communication and Misinformation on TikTok: Cross-sectional Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for reliable information, especially around vaccines. Vaccine hesitancy is a growing concern and a great threat to broader public health. The prevalence of social media within our daily lives emphasizes the importance of accurately analyzing how health information is being disseminated to the public. TikTok is of particular interest, as it is an emerging social media platform that young adults may be increasingly using to access health information. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine and describe the content within the top 100 TikToks trending with the hashtag #covidvaccine. Methods: The top 250 most viewed TikToks with the hashtag #covidvaccine were batch downloaded on July 1, 2021, with their respective metadata. Each TikTok was subsequently viewed and encoded by 2 independent reviewers. Coding continued until 100 TikToks could be included based on language and content. Descriptive features were recorded including health care professional (HCP) status of creator, verification of HCP status, genre, and misinformation addressed. Primary inclusion criteria were any TikToks in English with discussion of a COVID-19 vaccine. Results: Of 102 videos included, the median number of plays was 1,700,000, with median shares of 9224 and 62,200 followers. Upon analysis, 14.7% (15/102) of TikToks included HCPs, of which 80% (12/102) could be verified via social media or regulatory body search; 100% (15/15) of HCP-created TikToks supported vaccine use, and overall, 81.3% (83/102) of all TikToks (created by either a layperson or an HCP) supported vaccine use. Conclusions: As the pandemic continues, vaccine hesitancy poses a threat to lifting restrictions, and discovering reasons for this hesitancy is important to public health measures. This study summarizes the discourse around vaccine use on TikTok. Importantly, it opens a frank discussion about the necessity to incorporate new social media platforms into medical education, so we might ensure our trainees are ready to engage with patients on novel platforms.

Combined Aerobic Exercise and Neurofeedback Lead to Improved Task-Relevant Intrinsic Network Synchrony.

Lifestyle interventions such as exercise and mindfulness training have the potential to ameliorate mental health symptoms and restore dysregulated intrinsic connectivity network (ICN) dynamics, seen in many psychopathologies. Multiple lifestyle interventions, in combination, may interact synergistically for enhanced benefits. While the impacts of lifestyle interventions on subjective measures of mood are well-documented, their impacts on ICN dynamics are not well-established. In this study, we assessed the validity of EEG-derived measures of ICN dynamics as potential markers of mood disorders, by tracking ICN dynamics and mood symptoms through the course of a longitudinal exercise intervention. Specifically, we investigated the separate and combined effects of aerobic exercise and mindfulness-like neurofeedback training on task-linked ICN dynamics of the default mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN), and salience network (SN). Participants were assigned pseudo-randomly into four experimental conditions-Control, Running, Neurofeedback, and Combined, performing the corresponding intervention for 16 sessions across 8 weeks. Intervention-linked changes in ICN dynamics were studied using EEG-based neuroimaging scans before and after the 8-week intervention, during which participants performed multiple blocks of autobiographical memory recall (AM) and working memory (WM) trials, designed to activate the DMN and CEN, respectively, and to activate the SN in conjunction with the task-appropriate network. The EEG-based features for classification of the three core networks had been identified in our prior research from simultaneously recorded EEG and fMRI during the same AM and WM tasks. We categorized participants as "responders" or "non-responders" based on whether the exercise intervention increased their aerobic capacity (VO2-max) (Running/Combined group), and/or neurofeedback increased the percentage time spent in the calm mindfulness state (Neurofeedback/Combined group). In responders, compared to each intervention alone, the combined exercise-neurofeedback intervention resulted in a more healthy CEN-SN synchrony pattern. Interestingly, non-responders to neurofeedback exhibited a maladaptive pattern of persistent, task-inappropriate DMN-SN synchrony which we speculate could be linked to depressive rumination. Furthermore, the CEN-SN synchrony at baseline predicted NFB response with up to 80% accuracy, demonstrating the potential utility of such network-based biomarkers in personalizing intervention plans.

A longitudinal multi-scanner multimodal human neuroimaging dataset.

Human neuroimaging has led to an overwhelming amount of research into brain function in healthy and clinical populations. However, a better appreciation of the limitations of small sample studies has led to an increased number of multi-site, multi-scanner protocols to understand human brain function. As part of a multi-site project examining social cognition in schizophrenia, a group of "travelling human phantoms" had structural T1, diffusion, and resting-state functional MRIs obtained annually at each of three sites. Scan protocols were carefully harmonized across sites prior to the study. Due to scanner upgrades at each site (all sites acquired PRISMA MRIs during the study) and one participant being replaced, the end result was 30 MRI scans across 4 people, 6 MRIs, and 4 years. This dataset includes multiple neuroimaging modalities and repeated scans across six MRIs. It can be used to evaluate differences across scanners, consistency of pipeline outputs, or test multi-scanner harmonization approaches.