Cerebral Glucose Metabolism and Sedation in Brain-injured Patients: A Microdialysis Study.

PubMed

Hertle, Daniel N; Santos, Edgar; Hagenston, Anna M; Jungk, Christine; Haux, Daniel; Unterberg, Andreas W; Sakowitz, Oliver W

2015-07-01

Disturbed brain metabolism is a signature of primary damage and/or precipitates secondary injury processes after severe brain injury. Sedatives and analgesics target electrophysiological functioning and are as such well-known modulators of brain energy metabolism. Still unclear, however, is how sedatives impact glucose metabolism and whether they differentially influence brain metabolism in normally active, healthy brain and critically impaired, injured brain. We therefore examined and compared the effects of anesthetic drugs under both critical (<1 mmol/L) and noncritical (>1 mmol/L) extracellular brain glucose levels. We performed an explorative, retrospective analysis of anesthetic drug administration and brain glucose concentrations, obtained by bedside microdialysis, in 19 brain-injured patients. Our investigations revealed an inverse linear correlation between brain glucose and both the concentration of extracellular glutamate (Pearson r=-0.58, P=0.01) and the lactate/glucose ratio (Pearson r=-0.55, P=0.01). For noncritical brain glucose levels, we observed a positive linear correlation between midazolam dose and brain glucose (P<0.05). For critical brain glucose levels, extracellular brain glucose was unaffected by any type of sedative. These findings suggest that the use of anesthetic drugs may be of limited value in attempts to influence brain glucose metabolism in injured brain tissue.

"[G]azing into the synaptic chasm": the Brain in Beckett's Writing.

PubMed

Kim, Rina

2016-06-01

This paper argues that Samuel Beckett's interest in functions of the brain is not only evidenced in his notebooks, taken from a number of psychology and psycho-physiognomy texts in the early 1930s, but is also explored and expanded in his fiction and drama. This paper investigates Beckett's fascination with the limits of "cerebral consciousness" and the brain's failure to consciously perceive certain bodily modifications especially when processing emotion. Like Antonio Damasio's definition of emotion as essentially the bodily modifications that include chemical changes, Beckett often exploits the idea of emotion as sorely a bodily phenomenon by creating characters who are unable to consciously perceive and process their emotion. For example, when talking about his own weeping, the narrator of The Unnamable attributes the tears to the malfunctioning of the brain, "liquefied brain", denying, displacing or making physical the feeling of sadness. By examining the ways in which Beckett emphasizes a somatic dimension of emotion and its relation to the brain function and perception in his writing, this paper reveals how he explores the idea of the self and extends the idea to what he calls the "impenetrable self" that cannot be consciously recognized. I argue that if, for Joseph LeDoux, the "notion of synapses as points of communication between cells is […] essential to our efforts to understand who we are in terms of brain mechanisms", for Beckett to expose such unconscious biological mechanisms and "gaps" becomes his own artistic challenge.

Law, evolution and the brain: applications and open questions.

PubMed Central

Jones, Owen D

2004-01-01

This paper discusses several issues at the intersection of law and brain science. It focuses principally on ways in which an improved understanding of how evolutionary processes affect brain function and human behaviour may improve law's ability to regulate behaviour. It explores sample uses of such 'evolutionary analysis in law' and also raises questions about how that analysis might be improved in the future. Among the discussed uses are: (i) clarifying cost-benefit analyses; (ii) providing theoretical foundation and potential predictive power; (iii) assessing comparative effectiveness of legal strategies; and (iv) revealing deep patterns in legal architecture. Throughout, the paper emphasizes the extent to which effective law requires: (i) building effective behavioural models; (ii) integrating life-science perspectives with social-science perspectives; (iii) considering the effects of brain biology on behaviours that law seeks to regulate; and (iv) examining the effects of evolutionary processes on brain design. PMID:15590611

Law, evolution and the brain: applications and open questions.

PubMed

Jones, Owen D

2004-11-29

This paper discusses several issues at the intersection of law and brain science. It focuses principally on ways in which an improved understanding of how evolutionary processes affect brain function and human behaviour may improve law's ability to regulate behaviour. It explores sample uses of such 'evolutionary analysis in law' and also raises questions about how that analysis might be improved in the future. Among the discussed uses are: (i) clarifying cost-benefit analyses; (ii) providing theoretical foundation and potential predictive power; (iii) assessing comparative effectiveness of legal strategies; and (iv) revealing deep patterns in legal architecture. Throughout, the paper emphasizes the extent to which effective law requires: (i) building effective behavioural models; (ii) integrating life-science perspectives with social-science perspectives; (iii) considering the effects of brain biology on behaviours that law seeks to regulate; and (iv) examining the effects of evolutionary processes on brain design.

Attentional performance is correlated with the local regional efficiency of intrinsic brain networks.

PubMed

Xu, Junhai; Yin, Xuntao; Ge, Haitao; Han, Yan; Pang, Zengchang; Tang, Yuchun; Liu, Baolin; Liu, Shuwei

2015-01-01

Attention is a crucial brain function for human beings. Using neuropsychological paradigms and task-based functional brain imaging, previous studies have indicated that widely distributed brain regions are engaged in three distinct attention subsystems: alerting, orienting and executive control (EC). Here, we explored the potential contribution of spontaneous brain activity to attention by examining whether resting-state activity could account for individual differences of the attentional performance in normal individuals. The resting-state functional images and behavioral data from attention network test (ANT) task were collected in 59 healthy subjects. Graph analysis was conducted to obtain the characteristics of functional brain networks and linear regression analyses were used to explore their relationships with behavioral performances of the three attentional components. We found that there was no significant relationship between the attentional performance and the global measures, while the attentional performance was associated with specific local regional efficiency. These regions related to the scores of alerting, orienting and EC largely overlapped with the regions activated in previous task-related functional imaging studies, and were consistent with the intrinsic dorsal and ventral attention networks (DAN/VAN). In addition, the strong associations between the attentional performance and specific regional efficiency suggested that there was a possible relationship between the DAN/VAN and task performances in the ANT. We concluded that the intrinsic activity of the human brain could reflect the processing efficiency of the attention system. Our findings revealed a robust evidence for the functional significance of the efficiently organized intrinsic brain network for highly productive cognitions and the hypothesized role of the DAN/VAN at rest.

Resting-State fMRI Activity Predicts Unsupervised Learning and Memory in an Immersive Virtual Reality Environment

PubMed Central

Wong, Chi Wah; Olafsson, Valur; Plank, Markus; Snider, Joseph; Halgren, Eric; Poizner, Howard; Liu, Thomas T.

2014-01-01

In the real world, learning often proceeds in an unsupervised manner without explicit instructions or feedback. In this study, we employed an experimental paradigm in which subjects explored an immersive virtual reality environment on each of two days. On day 1, subjects implicitly learned the location of 39 objects in an unsupervised fashion. On day 2, the locations of some of the objects were changed, and object location recall performance was assessed and found to vary across subjects. As prior work had shown that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measures of resting-state brain activity can predict various measures of brain performance across individuals, we examined whether resting-state fMRI measures could be used to predict object location recall performance. We found a significant correlation between performance and the variability of the resting-state fMRI signal in the basal ganglia, hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, insula, and regions in the frontal and temporal lobes, regions important for spatial exploration, learning, memory, and decision making. In addition, performance was significantly correlated with resting-state fMRI connectivity between the left caudate and the right fusiform gyrus, lateral occipital complex, and superior temporal gyrus. Given the basal ganglia's role in exploration, these findings suggest that tighter integration of the brain systems responsible for exploration and visuospatial processing may be critical for learning in a complex environment. PMID:25286145

Artistic explorations of the brain

PubMed Central

Fetz, Eberhard E.

2012-01-01

The symbiotic relationships between art and the brain begin with the obvious fact that brain mechanisms underlie the creation and appreciation of art. Conversely, many spectacular images of neural structures have remarkable aesthetic appeal. But beyond its fascinating forms, the many functions performed by brain mechanisms provide a profound subject for aesthetic exploration. Complex interactions in the tangled neural networks in our brain miraculously generate coherent behavior and cognition. Neuroscientists tackle these phenomena with specialized methodologies that limit the scope of exposition and are comprehensible to an initiated minority. Artists can perform an end run around these limitations by representing the brain's remarkable functions in a manner that can communicate to a wide and receptive audience. This paper explores the ways that brain mechanisms can provide a largely untapped subject for artistic exploration. PMID:22347178

Molecular investigations of the brain of higher mammals using gyrencephalic carnivore ferrets.

PubMed

Kawasaki, Hiroshi

2014-09-01

The brains of mammals such as carnivores and primates contain developed structures not found in the brains of mice. Uncovering the physiological importance, developmental mechanisms and evolution of these structures using carnivores and primates would greatly contribute to our understanding of the human brain and its diseases. Although the anatomical and physiological properties of the brains of carnivores and primates have been intensively examined, molecular investigations are still limited. Recently, genetic techniques that can be applied to carnivores and primates have been explored, and molecules whose expression patterns correspond to these structures were reported. Furthermore, to investigate the functional importance of these molecules, rapid and efficient genetic manipulation methods were established by applying electroporation to gyrencephalic carnivore ferrets. In this article, I review recent advances in molecular investigations of the brains of carnivores and primates, mainly focusing on ferrets (Mustela putorius furo). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

"Kiss Your Brain": A Closer Look at Flourishing Literacy Gains in Impoverished Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Booker, Keonya C.; Invernizzi, Marcia A.; McCormick, Montana

2007-01-01

This study uses a qualitative methodology to explore the instructional reading practices of high achieving/low-income elementary schools. Extensive interviews and observations were conducted to examine the nature of literacy gains on a statewide reading assessment from fall to spring. Detailed cases studies of four exceptional schools are…

Effect of Long-Term Cannabis Use on Axonal Fibre Connectivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zalesky, Andrew; Solowij, Nadia; Yucel, Murat; Lubman, Dan I.; Takagi, Michael; Harding, Ian H.; Lorenzetti, Valentina; Wang, Ruopeng; Searle, Karissa; Pantelis, Christos; Seal, Marc

2012-01-01

Cannabis use typically begins during adolescence and early adulthood, a period when cannabinoid receptors are still abundant in white matter pathways across the brain. However, few studies to date have explored the impact of regular cannabis use on white matter structure, with no previous studies examining its impact on axonal connectivity. The…

Annotation: Development of Facial Expression Recognition from Childhood to Adolescence--Behavioural and Neurological Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herba, Catherine; Phillips, Mary

2004-01-01

Background: Intact emotion processing is critical for normal emotional development. Recent advances in neuroimaging have facilitated the examination of brain development, and have allowed for the exploration of the relationships between the development of emotion processing abilities, and that of associated neural systems. Methods: A literature…

Test-Retest Reliability of Brain Activation Using the Face-Name Paired-Associates fMRI Task in Patients with Schizophrenia and Healthy Controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louis, Chelsey N.

Schizophrenia is a neurological disorder associated with cognitive impairments, and clinical symptoms of hallucinations and delusions. Recent imaging and behavioral studies have repeatedly shown aberrant brain activity in the hippocampal regions in relation to episodic memory impairments associated with schizophrenia. These findings have warranted further research to elucidate the neural processes associated with episodic memory. Therefore, the current study examined activity in a priori brain regions associated with episodic memory using the face-name paired-associates fMRI task to determine whether there was reliable activation patterns observed in healthy subjects and patients with self-reported schizophrenia. This was evaluated by using ROI analysis and whole brain analysis to examine activity between subjects during a session, and by using Pearson's R correlation coefficients to examine test-retest reliability over time. 30 schizophrenic (SZ) patients and 31 healthy control (HC) volunteers underwent a series of assessments including the fMRI behavioral task, face-name paired-associates task. The tests were conducted twice with a 14-day interval for the subjects. The results indicated no reliable brain activation in the hippocampus between scanning sessions for either the SZ or HC groups. However, distinct activation patterns were observed within sessions for both groups. These patterns were observed in the hippocampus, and regions of the frontal lobe and occipital lobe. Future studies should further explore these brain activity patterns across sessions in SZ patients compared to HC subjects to determine whether these patterns are due to pathological mechanisms associated with schizophrenia.

Coherent activity between brain regions that code for value is linked to the malleability of human behavior

PubMed Central

Cooper, Nicole; Bassett, Danielle S.; Falk, Emily B.

2017-01-01

Brain activity in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) during exposure to persuasive messages can predict health behavior change. This brain-behavior relationship has been linked to areas of MPFC previously associated with self-related processing; however, the mechanism underlying this relationship is unclear. We explore two components of self-related processing – self-reflection and subjective valuation – and examine coherent activity between relevant networks of brain regions during exposure to health messages encouraging exercise and discouraging sedentary behaviors. We find that objectively logged reductions in sedentary behavior in the following month are linked to functional connectivity within brain regions associated with positive valuation, but not within regions associated with self-reflection on personality traits. Furthermore, functional connectivity between valuation regions contributes additional information compared to average brain activation within single brain regions. These data support an account in which MPFC integrates the value of messages to the self during persuasive health messaging and speak to broader questions of how humans make decisions about how to behave. PMID:28240271

Ontogeny of brain and blood serotonin levels in 5-HT receptor knockout mice: potential relevance to the neurobiology of autism.

PubMed

Janusonis, Skirmantas; Anderson, George M; Shifrovich, Ilya; Rakic, Pasko

2006-11-01

The most consistent neurochemical finding in autism has been elevated group mean levels of blood platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin). The origin and significance of this platelet hyperserotonemia remain poorly understood. The 5-HT(1A) receptor plays important roles in the developing brain and is also expressed in the gut, the main source of platelet 5-HT. Post-natal tissue levels of 5-HT, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and tryptophan were examined in the brain, duodenum and blood of 5-HT(1A) receptor-knockout and wild-type mice. At 3 days after birth, the knockout mice had lower mean brain 5-HT levels and normal mean platelet 5-HT levels. Also, at 3 days after birth, the mean tryptophan levels in the brain, duodenum and blood of the knockout mice were around 30% lower than those of the wild-type mice. By 2 weeks after birth, the mean brain 5-HT levels of the knockout mice normalized, but their mean platelet 5-HT levels became 24% higher than normal. The possible causes of these dynamic shifts were explored by examining correlations between central and peripheral levels of 5-HT, 5-HIAA and tryptophan. The results are discussed in relation to the possible role of 5-HT in the ontogeny of autism.

Cannabis, Cigarettes, and Their Co-Occurring Use: Disentangling Differences in Gray Matter Volume

PubMed Central

Jagannathan, Kanchana; Hager, Nathan; Childress, Anna Rose; Rao, Hengyi; Franklin, Teresa R.

2015-01-01

Background: Structural magnetic resonance imaging techniques are powerful tools for examining the effects of drug use on the brain. The nicotine and cannabis literature has demonstrated differences between nicotine cigarette smokers and cannabis users compared to controls in brain structure; however, less is known about the effects of co-occurring cannabis and tobacco use. Methods: We used voxel-based morphometry to examine gray matter volume differences between four groups: (1) cannabis-dependent individuals who do not smoke tobacco (Cs); (2) cannabis-dependent individuals who smoke tobacco (CTs); (3) cannabis-naïve, nicotine-dependent individuals who smoke tobacco (Ts); and (4) healthy controls (HCs). We also explored associations between gray matter volume and measures of cannabis and tobacco use. Results: A significant group effect was observed in the left putamen, thalamus, right precentral gyrus, and left cerebellum. Compared to HCs, the Cs, CTs, and Ts exhibited larger gray matter volumes in the left putamen. Cs also had larger gray matter volume than HCs in the right precentral gyrus. Cs and CTs exhibited smaller gray matter volume than HCs in the thalamus, and CTs and Ts had smaller left cerebellar gray matter volume than HCs. Conclusions: This study extends previous research that independently examined the effects of cannabis or tobacco use on brain structure by including an examination of co-occurring cannabis and tobacco use, and provides evidence that cannabis and tobacco exposure are associated with alterations in brain regions associated with addiction. PMID:26045474

Beyond Molecular Codes: Simple Rules to Wire Complex Brains

PubMed Central

Hassan, Bassem A.; Hiesinger, P. Robin

2015-01-01

Summary Molecular codes, like postal zip codes, are generally considered a robust way to ensure the specificity of neuronal target selection. However, a code capable of unambiguously generating complex neural circuits is difficult to conceive. Here, we re-examine the notion of molecular codes in the light of developmental algorithms. We explore how molecules and mechanisms that have been considered part of a code may alternatively implement simple pattern formation rules sufficient to ensure wiring specificity in neural circuits. This analysis delineates a pattern-based framework for circuit construction that may contribute to our understanding of brain wiring. PMID:26451480

Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hannaford, Carla

This book examines the body's role in learning, by reviewing recent scientific insights into the ways that movement initiates and supports mental processes. Part 1 focuses on the brain and physical development, emphasizing the growth of the body/mind capacities with which we learn. It explores three distinct but interconnected kinds of body/mind…

Early Life Stressors and Genetic Influences on the Development of Bipolar Disorder: The Roles of Childhood Abuse and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Richard T.

2010-01-01

Objectives: Although there is increasing research exploring the psychosocial influences and biological underpinnings of bipolar disorder, relatively few studies have specifically examined the interplay between these factors in the development of this illness. Social-biological models within a developmental psychopathology perspective are necessary…

Functional Connectivity in an fMRI Study of Semantic and Phonological Processes and the Effect of L-Dopa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tivarus, Madalina E.; Hillier, Ashleigh; Schmalbrock, Petra; Beversdorf, David Q.

2008-01-01

We describe an fMRI experiment examining the functional connectivity (FC) between regions of the brain associated with semantic and phonological processing. We wished to explore whether L-Dopa administration affects the interaction between language network components in semantic and phonological categorization tasks, as revealed by FC. We…

Functional Specialization in the Human Brain Estimated By Intrinsic Hemispheric Interaction

PubMed Central

Wang, Danhong; Buckner, Randy L.

2014-01-01

The human brain demonstrates functional specialization, including strong hemispheric asymmetries. Here specialization was explored using fMRI by examining the degree to which brain networks preferentially interact with ipsilateral as opposed to contralateral networks. Preferential within-hemisphere interaction was prominent in the heteromodal association cortices and minimal in the sensorimotor cortices. The frontoparietal control network exhibited strong within-hemisphere interactions but with distinct patterns in each hemisphere. The frontoparietal control network preferentially coupled to the default network and language-related regions in the left hemisphere but to attention networks in the right hemisphere. This arrangement may facilitate control of processing functions that are lateralized. Moreover, the regions most linked to asymmetric specialization also display the highest degree of evolutionary cortical expansion. Functional specialization that emphasizes processing within a hemisphere may allow the expanded hominin brain to minimize between-hemisphere connectivity and distribute domain-specific processing functions. PMID:25209275

Brain Structural Differences between Normal and Obese Adults and their Links with Lack of Perseverance, Negative Urgency, and Sensation Seeking.

PubMed

Wang, Haifeng; Wen, Baohong; Cheng, Jingliang; Li, Hongpeng

2017-01-16

In order to examine the difference in brain structure between obese and normal weight individuals, and to explore the relationship between the neuroanatomical changes and impulsivity traits, this study used a voxel-based morphometry method to examine gray matter (GM) volume alterations related to impulsive personality traits in obese individuals relative to normal weight. Eighty adults that completed the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale were analyzed. Possible GM volume alterations were first analyzed at the whole brain level, and then the relationship between regional GM volume differences and UPPS-P scores were examined in selected regions of interest. Reduced GM volumes were found in the frontal and limbic regions in the obese group compared to normal weight individuals. In the normal weight group, lack of perseverance was negatively correlated with GM volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, and negative urgency was negatively correlated with GM volume in the insula. In the obese group, sensation seeking was negatively correlated with GM volume in the left amygdala and right pallidum. These findings might improve our understanding of the relationship between lack of perseverance, negative urgency, and sensation seeking and body weight fluctuations.

Brain Structural Differences between Normal and Obese Adults and their Links with Lack of Perseverance, Negative Urgency, and Sensation Seeking

PubMed Central

Wang, Haifeng; Wen, Baohong; Cheng, Jingliang; Li, Hongpeng

2017-01-01

In order to examine the difference in brain structure between obese and normal weight individuals, and to explore the relationship between the neuroanatomical changes and impulsivity traits, this study used a voxel-based morphometry method to examine gray matter (GM) volume alterations related to impulsive personality traits in obese individuals relative to normal weight. Eighty adults that completed the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale were analyzed. Possible GM volume alterations were first analyzed at the whole brain level, and then the relationship between regional GM volume differences and UPPS-P scores were examined in selected regions of interest. Reduced GM volumes were found in the frontal and limbic regions in the obese group compared to normal weight individuals. In the normal weight group, lack of perseverance was negatively correlated with GM volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, and negative urgency was negatively correlated with GM volume in the insula. In the obese group, sensation seeking was negatively correlated with GM volume in the left amygdala and right pallidum. These findings might improve our understanding of the relationship between lack of perseverance, negative urgency, and sensation seeking and body weight fluctuations. PMID:28091559

Morphological and electrophysiological examination of olfactory sensory neurons during the early developmental prolarval stage of the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus L

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zielinski, B.S.; Fredricks, Keith; McDonald, R.; Zaidi, A.U.

2005-01-01

This study examined olfactory sensory neuron morphology and physiological responsiveness in newly hatched sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus L. These prolarvae hatch shortly after neural tube formation, and stay within nests for approximately 18 days, before moving downstream to silty areas where they burrow, feed and pass to the larval stage. To explore the possibility that the olfactory system is functioning during this prolarval stage, morphological and physiological development of olfactory sensory neurons was examined. The nasal cavity contained an olfactory epithelium with ciliated olfactory sensory neurons. Axons formed aggregates in the basal portion of the olfactory epithelium and spanned the narrow distance between the olfactory epithelium and the brain. The presence of asymmetric synapses with agranular vesicles within fibers in the brain, adjacent to the olfactory epithelium suggests that there was synaptic connectivity between olfactory sensory axons and the brain. Neural recordings from the surface of the olfactory epithelium showed responses following the application of L-arginine, taurocholic acid, petromyzonol sulfate (a lamprey migratory pheromone), and water conditioned by conspecifics. These results suggest that lampreys may respond to olfactory sensory input during the prolarval stage. ?? 2006 Springer Science + Business Media, LLC.

Start Smart! Building Brain Power in the Early Years.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schiller, Pam

Noting current brain development research, this book offers simple, straightforward ways to boost children's brain power with active exploration, repetition, sensory exploration, laughter, and more. The chapters describe how and why the brain develops and explain how parents can give their children the best foundation for future learning.…

Visual Exploration of Genetic Association with Voxel-based Imaging Phenotypes in an MCI/AD Study

PubMed Central

Kim, Sungeun; Shen, Li; Saykin, Andrew J.; West, John D.

2010-01-01

Neuroimaging genomics is a new transdisciplinary research field, which aims to examine genetic effects on brain via integrated analyses of high throughput neuroimaging and genomic data. We report our recent work on (1) developing an imaging genomic browsing system that allows for whole genome and entire brain analyses based on visual exploration and (2) applying the system to the imaging genomic analysis of an existing MCI/AD cohort. Voxel-based morphometry is used to define imaging phenotypes. ANCOVA is employed to evaluate the effect of the interaction of genotypes and diagnosis in relation to imaging phenotypes while controlling for relevant covariates. Encouraging experimental results suggest that the proposed system has substantial potential for enabling discovery of imaging genomic associations through visual evaluation and for localizing candidate imaging regions and genomic regions for refined statistical modeling. PMID:19963597

Soul searching: a brief history of the mind/body debate in the neurosciences.

PubMed

Dolan, Brian

2007-01-01

Anatomical and physiological understandings of the structure and function of the brain have worked to establish it as the "seat of the soul." As an organ of reflection, meditation, and memory, the brain becomes synonymous with what defines the "self" through the existence of consciousness--of mind. Thus, the brain has been associated with a range of transcendent concepts--the soul, spirit, mind, and consciousness--that all relate in fundamental ways to each other both in terms of their perceived location within the brain and because of the way each works ultimately to define the person to whom the brain belongs. In this article, the author provides a brief exploration of how interrelated these categories have been when seen in the context of ancient, Renaissance, early modern, and modern philosophical and medical concerns; how the brain has variously been perceived as home to these intimate states of being; and how practitioners from the neurosciences have reflected on these questions. The author provides novel insights into the interrelationships of philosophy, theology, and medicine by examining these issues through the lens of the history of neuroscience.

Neurocognitive Basis of Racial Ingroup Bias in Empathy.

PubMed

Han, Shihui

2018-05-01

Racial discrimination in social behavior, although disapproved of by many contemporary cultures, has been widely reported. Because empathy plays a key functional role in social behavior, brain imaging researchers have extensively investigated the neurocognitive underpinnings of racial ingroup bias in empathy. This research has revealed consistent evidence for increased neural responses to the perceived pain of same-race compared with other-race individuals in multiple brain regions and across multiple time-windows. Researchers have also examined neurocognitive, sociocultural, and environmental influences on racial ingroup bias in empathic neural responses, as well as explored possible interventions to reduce racial ingroup bias in empathic brain activity. These findings have important implications for understanding racial ingroup favoritism in social behavior and for improving interracial communication. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Awake surgery between art and science. Part II: language and cognitive mapping

PubMed Central

Talacchi, Andrea; Santini, Barbara; Casartelli, Marilena; Monti, Alessia; Capasso, Rita; Miceli, Gabriele

Summary Direct cortical and subcortical stimulation has been claimed to be the gold standard for exploring brain function. In this field, efforts are now being made to move from intraoperative naming-assisted surgical resection towards the use of other language and cognitive tasks. However, before relying on new protocols and new techniques, we need a multi-staged system of evidence (low and high) relating to each step of functional mapping and its clinical validity. In this article we examine the possibilities and limits of brain mapping with the aid of a visual object naming task and various other tasks used to date. The methodological aspects of intraoperative brain mapping, as well as the clinical and operative settings, were discussed in Part I of this review. PMID:24139658

Spatial learning, monoamines and oxidative stress in rats exposed to 900 MHz electromagnetic field in combination with iron overload.

PubMed

Maaroufi, Karima; Had-Aissouni, Laurence; Melon, Christophe; Sakly, Mohsen; Abdelmelek, Hafedh; Poucet, Bruno; Save, Etienne

2014-01-01

The increasing use of mobile phone technology over the last decade raises concerns about the impact of high frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) on health. More recently, a link between EMF, iron overload in the brain and neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases has been suggested. Co-exposure to EMF and brain iron overload may have a greater impact on brain tissues and cognitive processes than each treatment by itself. To examine this hypothesis, Long-Evans rats submitted to 900 MHz exposure or combined 900 MHz EMF and iron overload treatments were tested in various spatial learning tasks (navigation task in the Morris water maze, working memory task in the radial-arm maze, and object exploration task involving spatial and non spatial processing). Biogenic monoamines and metabolites (dopamine, serotonin) and oxidative stress were measured. Rats exposed to EMF were impaired in the object exploration task but not in the navigation and working memory tasks. They also showed alterations of monoamine content in several brain areas but mainly in the hippocampus. Rats that received combined treatment did not show greater behavioral and neurochemical deficits than EMF-exposed rats. None of the two treatments produced global oxidative stress. These results show that there is an impact of EMF on the brain and cognitive processes but this impact is revealed only in a task exploiting spontaneous exploratory activity. In contrast, there are no synergistic effects between EMF and a high content of iron in the brain. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Factors impacting sense of community among adults with brain injury.

PubMed

Ditchman, Nicole; Chan, Fong; Haak, Christopher; Easton, Amanda B

2017-05-01

Despite increasing interest in examining community outcomes following disability, sense of community (SOC) has received relatively no attention in the rehabilitation literature. SOC refers to feelings of belonging and attachment one has for a community and is of particular relevance for people with brain injury who are at increased risk of social isolation. The aim of this study was to investigate factors contributing to SOC for individuals with brain injury. Members from 2 brain injury associations (n = 98) participated in this survey-based study. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to explore demographic, disability-related, community and social participation variables' impact on SOC with regard to one's town or city. Follow-up mediation analyses were conducted to explore relationships among social self-efficacy, support network, neighboring behavior, and SOC. Findings indicated that disability-related and community variables accounted for over 40% of the variance in SOC. Size of social support network was the only significant independent contributor to SOC variance. Follow-up analyses provided support for (a) the partial mediating effect of social support network size on the relationship between social self-efficacy and SOC, and (b) the mediating effect of neighboring behavior on the relationship between social self-efficacy and social support network size. Findings from this study highlight the particular importance of self-efficacy, social support, and neighboring behaviors in promoting SOC for people with brain injury. Recommendations are provided to advance research efforts and inform intervention approaches to improve the felt experience of community among people with brain injury. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Hemodynamic Response to Featural Changes in the Occipital and Inferior Temporal Cortex in Infants: A Preliminary Methodological Exploration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilcox, Teresa; Bortfeld, Heather; Woods, Rebecca; Wruck, Eric; Boas, David A.

2008-01-01

Over the past 30 years researchers have learned a great deal about the development of object processing in infancy. In contrast, little is understood about the neural mechanisms that underlie this capacity, in large part because there are few techniques available to measure brain functioning in human infants. The present research examined the…

Investigating the Microstructural Correlation of White Matter in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Dean, Douglas C; Travers, Brittany G; Adluru, Nagesh; Tromp, Do P M; Destiche, Daniel J; Samsin, Danica; Prigge, Molly B; Zielinski, Brandon A; Fletcher, P Thomas; Anderson, Jeffrey S; Froehlich, Alyson L; Bigler, Erin D; Lange, Nicholas; Lainhart, Janet E; Alexander, Andrew L

2016-06-01

White matter microstructure forms a complex and dynamical system that is critical for efficient and synchronized brain function. Neuroimaging findings in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suggest this condition is associated with altered white matter microstructure, which may lead to atypical macroscale brain connectivity. In this study, we used diffusion tensor imaging measures to examine the extent that white matter tracts are interrelated within ASD and typical development. We assessed the strength of inter-regional white matter correlations between typically developing and ASD diagnosed individuals. Using hierarchical clustering analysis, clustering patterns of the pairwise white matter correlations were constructed and revealed to be different between the two groups. Additionally, we explored the use of graph theory analysis to examine the characteristics of the patterns formed by inter-regional white matter correlations and compared these properties between ASD and typical development. We demonstrate that the ASD sample has significantly less coherence in white matter microstructure across the brain compared to that in the typical development sample. The ASD group also presented altered topological characteristics, which may implicate less efficient brain networking in ASD. These findings highlight the potential of graph theory based network characteristics to describe the underlying networks as measured by diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and furthermore indicates that ASD may be associated with altered brain network characteristics. Our findings are consistent with those of a growing number of studies and hypotheses that have suggested disrupted brain connectivity in ASD.

Investigating the Microstructural Correlation of White Matter in Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Travers, Brittany G.; Adluru, Nagesh; Tromp, Do P.M.; Destiche, Daniel J.; Samsin, Danica; Prigge, Molly B.; Zielinski, Brandon A.; Fletcher, P. Thomas; Anderson, Jeffrey S.; Froehlich, Alyson L.; Bigler, Erin D.; Lange, Nicholas; Lainhart, Janet E.; Alexander, Andrew L.

2016-01-01

Abstract White matter microstructure forms a complex and dynamical system that is critical for efficient and synchronized brain function. Neuroimaging findings in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suggest this condition is associated with altered white matter microstructure, which may lead to atypical macroscale brain connectivity. In this study, we used diffusion tensor imaging measures to examine the extent that white matter tracts are interrelated within ASD and typical development. We assessed the strength of inter-regional white matter correlations between typically developing and ASD diagnosed individuals. Using hierarchical clustering analysis, clustering patterns of the pairwise white matter correlations were constructed and revealed to be different between the two groups. Additionally, we explored the use of graph theory analysis to examine the characteristics of the patterns formed by inter-regional white matter correlations and compared these properties between ASD and typical development. We demonstrate that the ASD sample has significantly less coherence in white matter microstructure across the brain compared to that in the typical development sample. The ASD group also presented altered topological characteristics, which may implicate less efficient brain networking in ASD. These findings highlight the potential of graph theory based network characteristics to describe the underlying networks as measured by diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and furthermore indicates that ASD may be associated with altered brain network characteristics. Our findings are consistent with those of a growing number of studies and hypotheses that have suggested disrupted brain connectivity in ASD. PMID:27021440

BDNF-Deficient Mice Show Reduced Psychosis-Related Behaviors Following Chronic Methamphetamine.

PubMed

Manning, Elizabeth E; Halberstadt, Adam L; van den Buuse, Maarten

2016-04-01

One of the most devastating consequences of methamphetamine abuse is increased risk of psychosis. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor has been implicated in both psychosis and neuronal responses to methamphetamine. We therefore examined persistent psychosis-like behavioral effects of methamphetamine in brain-derived neurotrophic factor heterozygous mice. Mice were chronically treated with methamphetamine from 6 to 9 weeks of age, and locomotor hyperactivity to an acute D-amphetamine challenge was tested in photocell cages after a 2-week withdrawal period. Methamphetamine-treated wild-type mice, but not brain-derived neurotrophic factor heterozygous mice, showed locomotor sensitization to acute 3mg/kg D-amphetamine. Qualitative analysis of exploration revealed tolerance to D-amphetamine effects on entropy in methamphetamine-treated brain-derived neurotrophic factor heterozygous mice, but not wild-type mice. Chronic methamphetamine exposure induces contrasting profiles of behavioral changes in wild-type and brain-derived neurotrophic factor heterozygous mice, with attenuation of behaviors relevant to psychosis in methamphetamine-treated brain-derived neurotrophic factor heterozygous mice. This suggests that brain-derived neurotrophic factor signalling changes may contribute to development of psychosis in methamphetamine users. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

Brain Functional Connectivity in Small Cell Lung Cancer Population after Chemotherapy Treatment: an ICA fMRI Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bromis, K.; Kakkos, I.; Gkiatis, K.; Karanasiou, I. S.; Matsopoulos, G. K.

2017-11-01

Previous neurocognitive assessments in Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) population, highlight the presence of neurocognitive impairments (mainly in attention processing and executive functioning) in this type of cancer. The majority of these studies, associate these deficits with the Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation (PCI) that patients undergo in order to avoid brain metastasis. However, there is not much evidence exploring cognitive impairments induced by chemotherapy in SCLC patients. For this reason, we aimed to investigate the underlying processes that may potentially affect cognition by examining brain functional connectivity in nineteen SCLC patients after chemotherapy treatment, while additionally including fourteen healthy participants as control group. Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is a functional connectivity measure aiming to unravel the temporal correlation between brain regions, which are called brain networks. We focused on two brain networks related to the aforementioned cognitive functions, the Default Mode Network (DMN) and the Task-Positive Network (TPN). Permutation tests were performed between the two groups to assess the differences and control for familywise errors in the statistical parametric maps. ICA analysis showed functional connectivity disruptions within both of the investigated networks. These results, propose a detrimental effect of chemotherapy on brain functioning in the SCLC population.

The views of patients with brain cancer about palliative care: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Vierhout, M; Daniels, M; Mazzotta, P; Vlahos, J; Mason, W P; Bernstein, M

2017-12-01

Palliative care, a specialty aimed at providing optimal care to patients with life-limiting and chronic conditions, has several benefits. Although palliative care is appropriate for neurosurgical conditions, including brain cancer, few studies have examined the views of brain cancer patients about palliative care. We aimed to explore the thoughts of brain cancer patients about palliative care, their opinions about early palliative care, and their preferred care setting. Semi-structured interviews and the qualitative research methodologies of grounded theory were used to explore perceptions of palliative care on the part of 39 brain cancer outpatients. Seven overarching actions emerged: ■Patients would prefer to receive palliative care in the home.■Increased time with caregivers and family are the main appeals of home care.■Patients express dissatisfaction with brief and superficial interactions with health care providers.■Patients believe that palliative care can contribute to their emotional well-being.■Patients are open to palliative care if they believe that it will not diminish optimism.■There is a preconceived idea that palliative care is directly linked to active dying, and that supposed link generates fear in some patients.■Patients prefer to be educated about palliative care as an option early in their illness, even if they are fearful of it. Overall, when educated about the true meaning of palliative care, most patients express interest in accessing palliative care services. Although the level of fear concerning palliative care varies in patients, most recognize the associated benefits.

Cannabis, Cigarettes, and Their Co-Occurring Use: Disentangling Differences in Gray Matter Volume.

PubMed

Wetherill, Reagan R; Jagannathan, Kanchana; Hager, Nathan; Childress, Anna Rose; Rao, Hengyi; Franklin, Teresa R

2015-06-04

Structural magnetic resonance imaging techniques are powerful tools for examining the effects of drug use on the brain. The nicotine and cannabis literature has demonstrated differences between nicotine cigarette smokers and cannabis users compared to controls in brain structure; however, less is known about the effects of co-occurring cannabis and tobacco use. We used voxel-based morphometry to examine gray matter volume differences between four groups: (1) cannabis-dependent individuals who do not smoke tobacco (Cs); (2) cannabis-dependent individuals who smoke tobacco (CTs); (3) cannabis-naïve, nicotine-dependent individuals who smoke tobacco (Ts); and (4) healthy controls (HCs). We also explored associations between gray matter volume and measures of cannabis and tobacco use. A significant group effect was observed in the left putamen, thalamus, right precentral gyrus, and left cerebellum. Compared to HCs, the Cs, CTs, and Ts exhibited larger gray matter volumes in the left putamen. Cs also had larger gray matter volume than HCs in the right precentral gyrus. Cs and CTs exhibited smaller gray matter volume than HCs in the thalamus, and CTs and Ts had smaller left cerebellar gray matter volume than HCs. This study extends previous research that independently examined the effects of cannabis or tobacco use on brain structure by including an examination of co-occurring cannabis and tobacco use, and provides evidence that cannabis and tobacco exposure are associated with alterations in brain regions associated with addiction. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

Creatine as a booster for human brain function. How might it work?

PubMed

Rae, Caroline D; Bröer, Stefan

2015-10-01

Creatine, a naturally occurring nitrogenous organic acid found in animal tissues, has been found to play key roles in the brain including buffering energy supply, improving mitochondrial efficiency, directly acting as an anti-oxidant and acting as a neuroprotectant. Much of the evidence for these roles has been established in vitro or in pre-clinical studies. Here, we examine the roles of creatine and explore the current status of translation of this research into use in humans and the clinic. Some further possibilities for use of creatine in humans are also discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brain Modulyzer: Interactive Visual Analysis of Functional Brain Connectivity

DOE PAGES

Murugesan, Sugeerth; Bouchard, Kristopher; Brown, Jesse A.; ...

2016-05-09

Here, we present Brain Modulyzer, an interactive visual exploration tool for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans, aimed at analyzing the correlation between different brain regions when resting or when performing mental tasks. Brain Modulyzer combines multiple coordinated views—such as heat maps, node link diagrams, and anatomical views—using brushing and linking to provide an anatomical context for brain connectivity data. Integrating methods from graph theory and analysis, e.g., community detection and derived graph measures, makes it possible to explore the modular and hierarchical organization of functional brain networks. Providing immediate feedback by displaying analysis results instantaneously while changing parametersmore » gives neuroscientists a powerful means to comprehend complex brain structure more effectively and efficiently and supports forming hypotheses that can then be validated via statistical analysis. In order to demonstrate the utility of our tool, we also present two case studies—exploring progressive supranuclear palsy, as well as memory encoding and retrieval« less

Brain Modulyzer: Interactive Visual Analysis of Functional Brain Connectivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Murugesan, Sugeerth; Bouchard, Kristopher; Brown, Jesse A.

Here, we present Brain Modulyzer, an interactive visual exploration tool for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans, aimed at analyzing the correlation between different brain regions when resting or when performing mental tasks. Brain Modulyzer combines multiple coordinated views—such as heat maps, node link diagrams, and anatomical views—using brushing and linking to provide an anatomical context for brain connectivity data. Integrating methods from graph theory and analysis, e.g., community detection and derived graph measures, makes it possible to explore the modular and hierarchical organization of functional brain networks. Providing immediate feedback by displaying analysis results instantaneously while changing parametersmore » gives neuroscientists a powerful means to comprehend complex brain structure more effectively and efficiently and supports forming hypotheses that can then be validated via statistical analysis. In order to demonstrate the utility of our tool, we also present two case studies—exploring progressive supranuclear palsy, as well as memory encoding and retrieval« less

Abnormal Brain Dynamics Underlie Speech Production in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Pang, Elizabeth W; Valica, Tatiana; MacDonald, Matt J; Taylor, Margot J; Brian, Jessica; Lerch, Jason P; Anagnostou, Evdokia

2016-02-01

A large proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have speech and/or language difficulties. While a number of structural and functional neuroimaging methods have been used to explore the brain differences in ASD with regards to speech and language comprehension and production, the neurobiology of basic speech function in ASD has not been examined. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a neuroimaging modality with high spatial and temporal resolution that can be applied to the examination of brain dynamics underlying speech as it can capture the fast responses fundamental to this function. We acquired MEG from 21 children with high-functioning autism (mean age: 11.43 years) and 21 age- and sex-matched controls as they performed a simple oromotor task, a phoneme production task and a phonemic sequencing task. Results showed significant differences in activation magnitude and peak latencies in primary motor cortex (Brodmann Area 4), motor planning areas (BA 6), temporal sequencing and sensorimotor integration areas (BA 22/13) and executive control areas (BA 9). Our findings of significant functional brain differences between these two groups on these simple oromotor and phonemic tasks suggest that these deficits may be foundational and could underlie the language deficits seen in ASD. © 2015 The Authors Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Autism Research.

Understanding the mechanisms of familiar voice-identity recognition in the human brain.

PubMed

Maguinness, Corrina; Roswandowitz, Claudia; von Kriegstein, Katharina

2018-03-31

Humans have a remarkable skill for voice-identity recognition: most of us can remember many voices that surround us as 'unique'. In this review, we explore the computational and neural mechanisms which may support our ability to represent and recognise a unique voice-identity. We examine the functional architecture of voice-sensitive regions in the superior temporal gyrus/sulcus, and bring together findings on how these regions may interact with each other, and additional face-sensitive regions, to support voice-identity processing. We also contrast findings from studies on neurotypicals and clinical populations which have examined the processing of familiar and unfamiliar voices. Taken together, the findings suggest that representations of familiar and unfamiliar voices might dissociate in the human brain. Such an observation does not fit well with current models for voice-identity processing, which by-and-large assume a common sequential analysis of the incoming voice signal, regardless of voice familiarity. We provide a revised audio-visual integrative model of voice-identity processing which brings together traditional and prototype models of identity processing. This revised model includes a mechanism of how voice-identity representations are established and provides a novel framework for understanding and examining the potential differences in familiar and unfamiliar voice processing in the human brain. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection and mapping of delays in early cortical folding derived from in utero MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habas, Piotr A.; Rajagopalan, Vidya; Scott, Julia A.; Kim, Kio; Roosta, Ahmad; Rousseau, Francois; Barkovich, A. James; Glenn, Orit A.; Studholme, Colin

2011-03-01

Understanding human brain development in utero and detecting cortical abnormalities related to specific clinical conditions is an important area of research. In this paper, we describe and evaluate methodology for detection and mapping of delays in early cortical folding from population-based studies of fetal brain anatomies imaged in utero. We use a general linear modeling framework to describe spatiotemporal changes in curvature of the developing brain and explore the ability to detect and localize delays in cortical folding in the presence of uncertainty in estimation of the fetal age. We apply permutation testing to examine which regions of the brain surface provide the most statistical power to detect a given folding delay at a given developmental stage. The presented methodology is evaluated using MR scans of fetuses with normal brain development and gestational ages ranging from 20.57 to 27.86 weeks. This period is critical in early cortical folding and the formation of the primary and secondary sulci. Finally, we demonstrate a clinical application of the framework for detection and localization of folding delays in fetuses with isolated mild ventriculomegaly.

Characterizing and Differentiating Brain State Dynamics via Hidden Markov Models

PubMed Central

Ou, Jinli; Xie, Li; Jin, Changfeng; Li, Xiang; Zhu, Dajiang; Jiang, Rongxin; Chen, Yaowu

2014-01-01

Functional connectivity measured from resting state fMRI (R-fMRI) data has been widely used to examine the brain’s functional activities and has been recently used to characterize and differentiate brain conditions. However, the dynamical transition patterns of the brain’s functional states have been less explored. In this work, we propose a novel computational framework to quantitatively characterize the brain state dynamics via hidden Markov models (HMMs) learned from the observations of temporally dynamic functional connectomics, denoted as functional connectome states. The framework has been applied to the R-fMRI dataset including 44 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients and 51 normal control (NC) subjects. Experimental results show that both PTSD and NC brains were undergoing remarkable changes in resting state and mainly transiting amongst a few brain states. Interestingly, further prediction with the best-matched HMM demonstrates that PTSD would enter into, but could not disengage from, a negative mood state. Importantly, 84 % of PTSD patients and 86 % of NC subjects are successfully classified via multiple HMMs using majority voting. PMID:25331991

Infant Visual Attention and Object Recognition

PubMed Central

Reynolds, Greg D.

2015-01-01

This paper explores the role visual attention plays in the recognition of objects in infancy. Research and theory on the development of infant attention and recognition memory are reviewed in three major sections. The first section reviews some of the major findings and theory emerging from a rich tradition of behavioral research utilizing preferential looking tasks to examine visual attention and recognition memory in infancy. The second section examines research utilizing neural measures of attention and object recognition in infancy as well as research on brain-behavior relations in the early development of attention and recognition memory. The third section addresses potential areas of the brain involved in infant object recognition and visual attention. An integrated synthesis of some of the existing models of the development of visual attention is presented which may account for the observed changes in behavioral and neural measures of visual attention and object recognition that occur across infancy. PMID:25596333

Social networking sites use and the morphology of a social-semantic brain network.

PubMed

Turel, Ofir; He, Qinghua; Brevers, Damien; Bechara, Antoine

2017-09-30

Social lives have shifted, at least in part, for large portions of the population to social networking sites. How such lifestyle changes may be associated with brain structures is still largely unknown. In this manuscript, we describe two preliminary studies aimed at exploring this issue. The first study (n = 276) showed that Facebook users reported on increased social-semantic and mentalizing demands, and that such increases were positively associated with people's level of Facebook use. The second study (n = 33) theorized on and examined likely anatomical correlates of such changes in demands on the brain. Findings indicated that the grey matter volumes of the posterior parts of the bilateral middle and superior temporal, and left fusiform gyri were positively associated with the level of Facebook use. These results provided preliminary evidence that grey matter volumes of brain structures involved in social-semantic and mentalizing tasks may be linked to the extent of social networking sites use.

Decoding brain cancer dynamics: a quantitative histogram-based approach using temporal MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Mu; Hall, Lawrence O.; Goldgof, Dmitry B.; Russo, Robin; Gillies, Robert J.; Gatenby, Robert A.

2015-03-01

Brain tumor heterogeneity remains a challenge for probing brain cancer evolutionary dynamics. In light of evolution, it is a priority to inspect the cancer system from a time-domain perspective since it explicitly tracks the dynamics of cancer variations. In this paper, we study the problem of exploring brain tumor heterogeneity from temporal clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Our goal is to discover evidence-based knowledge from such temporal imaging data, where multiple clinical MRI scans from Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients are generated during therapy. In particular, we propose a quantitative histogram-based approach that builds a prediction model to measure the difference in histograms obtained from pre- and post-treatment. The study could significantly assist radiologists by providing a metric to identify distinctive patterns within each tumor, which is crucial for the goal of providing patient-specific treatments. We examine the proposed approach for a practical application - clinical survival group prediction. Experimental results show that our approach achieved 90.91% accuracy.

Brain networks, structural realism, and local approaches to the scientific realism debate.

PubMed

Yan, Karen; Hricko, Jonathon

2017-08-01

We examine recent work in cognitive neuroscience that investigates brain networks. Brain networks are characterized by the ways in which brain regions are functionally and anatomically connected to one another. Cognitive neuroscientists use various noninvasive techniques (e.g., fMRI) to investigate these networks. They represent them formally as graphs. And they use various graph theoretic techniques to analyze them further. We distinguish between knowledge of the graph theoretic structure of such networks (structural knowledge) and knowledge of what instantiates that structure (nonstructural knowledge). And we argue that this work provides structural knowledge of brain networks. We explore the significance of this conclusion for the scientific realism debate. We argue that our conclusion should not be understood as an instance of a global structural realist claim regarding the structure of the unobservable part of the world, but instead, as a local structural realist attitude towards brain networks in particular. And we argue that various local approaches to the realism debate, i.e., approaches that restrict realist commitments to particular theories and/or entities, are problematic insofar as they don't allow for the possibility of such a local structural realist attitude. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hyper-hippocampal glycogen induced by glycogen loading with exhaustive exercise.

PubMed

Soya, Mariko; Matsui, Takashi; Shima, Takeru; Jesmin, Subrina; Omi, Naomi; Soya, Hideaki

2018-01-19

Glycogen loading (GL), a well-known type of sports conditioning, in combination with exercise and a high carbohydrate diet (HCD) for 1 week enhances individual endurance capacity through muscle glycogen supercompensation. This exercise-diet combination is necessary for successful GL. Glycogen in the brain contributes to hippocampus-related memory functions and endurance capacity. Although the effect of HCD on the brain remains unknown, brain supercompensation occurs following exhaustive exercise (EE), a component of GL. We thus employed a rat model of GL and examined whether GL increases glycogen levels in the brain as well as in muscle, and found that GL increased glycogen levels in the hippocampus and hypothalamus, as well as in muscle. We further explored the essential components of GL (exercise and/or diet conditions) to establish a minimal model of GL focusing on the brain. Exercise, rather than a HCD, was found to be crucial for GL-induced hyper-glycogen in muscle, the hippocampus and the hypothalamus. Moreover, EE was essential for hyper-glycogen only in the hippocampus even without HCD. Here we propose the EE component of GL without HCD as a condition that enhances brain glycogen stores especially in the hippocampus, implicating a physiological strategy to enhance hippocampal functions.

Decoding power-spectral profiles from FMRI brain activities during naturalistic auditory experience.

PubMed

Hu, Xintao; Guo, Lei; Han, Junwei; Liu, Tianming

2017-02-01

Recent studies have demonstrated a close relationship between computational acoustic features and neural brain activities, and have largely advanced our understanding of auditory information processing in the human brain. Along this line, we proposed a multidisciplinary study to examine whether power spectral density (PSD) profiles can be decoded from brain activities during naturalistic auditory experience. The study was performed on a high resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset acquired when participants freely listened to the audio-description of the movie "Forrest Gump". Representative PSD profiles existing in the audio-movie were identified by clustering the audio samples according to their PSD descriptors. Support vector machine (SVM) classifiers were trained to differentiate the representative PSD profiles using corresponding fMRI brain activities. Based on PSD profile decoding, we explored how the neural decodability correlated to power intensity and frequency deviants. Our experimental results demonstrated that PSD profiles can be reliably decoded from brain activities. We also suggested a sigmoidal relationship between the neural decodability and power intensity deviants of PSD profiles. Our study in addition substantiates the feasibility and advantage of naturalistic paradigm for studying neural encoding of complex auditory information.

Aberrant Global and Regional Topological Organization of the Fractional Anisotropy-weighted Brain Structural Networks in Major Depressive Disorder

PubMed Central

Chen, Jian-Huai; Yao, Zhi-Jian; Qin, Jiao-Long; Yan, Rui; Hua, Ling-Ling; Lu, Qing

2016-01-01

Background: Most previous neuroimaging studies have focused on the structural and functional abnormalities of local brain regions in major depressive disorder (MDD). Moreover, the exactly topological organization of networks underlying MDD remains unclear. This study examined the aberrant global and regional topological patterns of the brain white matter networks in MDD patients. Methods: The diffusion tensor imaging data were obtained from 27 patients with MDD and 40 healthy controls. The brain fractional anisotropy-weighted structural networks were constructed, and the global network and regional nodal metrics of the networks were explored by the complex network theory. Results: Compared with the healthy controls, the brain structural network of MDD patients showed an intact small-world topology, but significantly abnormal global network topological organization and regional nodal characteristic of the network in MDD were found. Our findings also indicated that the brain structural networks in MDD patients become a less strongly integrated network with a reduced central role of some key brain regions. Conclusions: All these resulted in a less optimal topological organization of networks underlying MDD patients, including an impaired capability of local information processing, reduced centrality of some brain regions and limited capacity to integrate information across different regions. Thus, these global network and regional node-level aberrations might contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of MDD from the view of the brain network. PMID:26960371

The Neuropathology of Obesity: Insights from Human Disease

PubMed Central

Lee, Edward B.; Mattson, Mark P.

2013-01-01

Obesity, a pathologic state defined by excess adipose tissue, is a significant public health problem as it affects a large proportion of individuals and is linked with increased risk for numerous chronic diseases. Obesity is the result of fundamental changes associated with modern society including overnutrition and sedentary lifestyles. Proper energy homeostasis is dependent on normal brain function as the master metabolic regulator which integrates peripheral signals, modulates autonomic outflow and controls feeding behavior. Therefore, many human brain diseases are associated with obesity. This review explores the neuropathology of obesity by examining brain diseases which either cause or are influenced by obesity. First, several genetic and acquired brain diseases are discussed as a means to understand the central regulation of peripheral metabolism. These diseases range from monogenetic causes of obesity (leptin deficiency, MC4R deficiency, Bardet-Biedl syndrome and others) to complex neurodevelopmental disorders (Prader-Willi syndrome and Sim1 deficiency) and neurodegenerative conditions (frontotemporal dementia and Gourmand’s syndrome) and serve to highlight the central regulatory mechanisms which have evolved to maintain energy homeostasis. Next, to examine the effect of obesity on the brain, chronic neuropathologic conditions (epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease) are discussed as examples of obesity leading to maladaptive processes which exacerbate chronic disease. Thus obesity is associated with multiple pathways including abnormal metabolism, altered hormonal signaling and increased inflammation which act in concert to promote downstream neuropathology. Finally, the effect of anti-obesity interventions is discussed in terms of brain structure and function. Together, understanding human diseases and anti-obesity interventions leads to insights into the bidirectional interaction between peripheral metabolism and central brain function, highlighting the need for continued clinicopathologic and mechanistic studies of the neuropathology of obesity. PMID:24096619

A novel fMRI paradigm suggests that pedaling-related brain activation is altered after stroke

PubMed Central

Promjunyakul, Nutta-on; Schmit, Brian D.; Schindler-Ivens, Sheila M.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure pedaling-related brain activation in individuals with stroke and age-matched controls. We also sought to identify stroke-related changes in brain activation associated with pedaling. Fourteen stroke and 12 control subjects were asked to pedal a custom, MRI-compatible device during fMRI. Subjects also performed lower limb tapping to localize brain regions involved in lower limb movement. All stroke and control subjects were able to pedal while positioned for fMRI. Two control subjects were withdrawn due to claustrophobia, and one control data set was excluded from analysis due to an incidental finding. In the stroke group, one subject was unable to enter the gantry due to excess adiposity, and one stroke data set was excluded from analysis due to excessive head motion. Consequently, 81% of subjects (12/14 stroke, 9/12 control) completed all procedures and provided valid pedaling-related fMRI data. In these subjects, head motion was ≤3 mm. In both groups, brain activation localized to the medial aspect of M1, S1, and Brodmann’s area 6 (BA6) and to the cerebellum (vermis, lobules IV, V, VIII). The location of brain activation was consistent with leg areas. Pedaling-related brain activation was apparent on both sides of the brain, with values for laterality index (LI) of –0.06 (0.20) in the stroke cortex, 0.05 (±0.06) in the control cortex, 0.29 (0.33) in the stroke cerebellum, and 0.04 (0.15) in the control cerebellum. In the stroke group, activation in the cerebellum – but not cortex – was significantly lateralized toward the damaged side of the brain (p = 0.01). The volume of pedaling-related brain activation was smaller in stroke as compared to control subjects. Differences reached statistical significance when all active regions were examined together [p = 0.03; 27,694 (9,608) μL stroke; 37,819 (9,169) μL control]. When individual regions were examined separately, reduced brain activation volume reached statistical significance in BA6 [p = 0.04; 4,350 (2,347) μL stroke; 6,938 (3,134) μL control] and cerebellum [p = 0.001; 4,591 (1,757) μL stroke; 8,381 (2,835) μL control]. Regardless of whether activated regions were examined together or separately, there were no significant between-group differences in brain activation intensity [p = 0.17; 1.30 (0.25)% stroke; 1.16 (0.20)% control]. Reduced volume in the stroke group was not observed during lower limb tapping and could not be fully attributed to differences in head motion or movement rate. There was a tendency for pedaling-related brain activation volume to increase with increasing work performed by the paretic limb during pedaling (p = 0.08, r = 0.525). Hence, the results of this study provide two original and important contributions. First, we demonstrated that pedaling can be used with fMRI to examine brain activation associated with lower limb movement in people with stroke. Unlike previous lower limb movements examined with fMRI, pedaling involves continuous, reciprocal, multijoint movement of both limbs. In this respect, pedaling has many characteristics of functional lower limb movements, such as walking. Thus, the importance of our contribution lies in the establishment of a novel paradigm that can be used to understand how the brain adapts to stroke to produce functional lower limb movements. Second, preliminary observations suggest that brain activation volume is reduced during pedaling post-stroke. Reduced brain activation volume may be due to anatomic, physiology, and/or behavioral differences between groups, but methodological issues cannot be excluded. Importantly, brain action volume post-stroke was both task-dependent and mutable, which suggests that it could be modified through rehabilitation. Future work will explore these possibilities. PMID:26089789

Cystic Echinococcosis: A Rare Case of Brain Localization.

PubMed

Baradan Bagheri, Ali; Zibaei, Mohammad; Tayebi Arasteh, Mehdi

2017-01-01

Although Hydatid disease eradicated in many countries, it is still widespread in communities where agriculture is dominant. Cystic hydatidosis is significant public health problem in the regions with endemic echinococcosis. The hydatid cysts tend to form mostly in the liver or lung. Brain involvement is very rare. In the present report, we describe magnetic resonance imaging findings in an 18-yr-old male with cerebral echinococcosis, in Shahid Madani Hospital, Karaj, Iran in 2015. The patient, presented with headache, hemiparesis, impairment of speech, vomiting, and nausea. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and surgical exploration proved a cyst in the superior portion of left temporal lobe. Pathological examination showed it to be a solitary primary cerebral hydatid cyst.

Challenges and new strategies for therapeutic peptide delivery to the CNS.

PubMed

McGowan, Jeremy Wd; Bidwell, Gene L; Vig, Parminder Js

2015-07-01

Therapeutic peptides represent a largely untapped resource in medicine today, especially in the central nervous system. Despite their ease of design and remarkably high target specificity, it is difficult to deliver them beyond the blood-brain barrier or into the required intracellular compartments. In addition, the instability of these peptides in vivo precludes their use to combat the symptoms of numerous neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease and spinocerebellar ataxia. In this review, we aim to characterize recent advances in the delivery of therapeutic peptides to the central nervous system past the blood-brain barrier and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the examined methods as well as explore new potential directions.

Exploring the Infant Social Brain: What's Going on in There?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meltzoff, Andrew N.; Kuhl, Patricia K.

2016-01-01

Advances in neuroscience allow researchers to uncover new information about the social brain in infancy and early childhood. In this article we present state-of-the-art findings about brain functioning during the first 3 years of life that underscore how important social interactions are to early learning. We explore learning opportunities that…

"Shared Destiny": The Dynamics of Relationships in Families of Patients With Brain Injury.

PubMed

Segev, Einav; Levinger, Miriam; Hochman, Yael

2018-01-01

This qualitative research focused on the relationships between family members of patients with acquired brain injury (ABI). The aim was to explore the dynamics between caregivers of the family member with a brain injury during rehabilitation hospitalization, and the relationships between them and the rest of the extended family. Twenty semistructured interviews were conducted with family members. In each family, the spouse of the patient and another family member involved in caregiving were interviewed. The importance of the relationships between family members during rehabilitation hospitalization justifies the examination undertaken in this research. Findings point at the change that took place in the relationships between family members because of the need to cope with a relative's injury. It is possible that direct intervention in the dynamics of the relationship, especially between the family of origin and the nuclear family of the injured person, can benefit extended families in coping with the crisis.

Erotic and disgust-inducing pictures--differences in the hemodynamic responses of the brain.

PubMed

Stark, Rudolf; Schienle, Anne; Girod, Cornelia; Walter, Bertram; Kirsch, Peter; Blecker, Carlo; Ott, Ulrich; Schäfer, Axel; Sammer, Gebhard; Zimmermann, Mark; Vaitl, Dieter

2005-09-01

The aim of this fMRI study was to explore brain structures that are involved in the processing of erotic and disgust-inducing pictures. The stimuli were chosen to trigger approach and withdrawal tendencies, respectively. By adding sadomasochistic (SM) scenes to the design and examining 12 subjects with and 12 subjects without sadomasochistic preferences, we introduced a picture category that induced erotic pleasure in one sample and disgust in the other sample. Since we also presented neutral pictures, all subjects viewed pictures of four different categories: neutral, disgust-inducing, erotic, and SM erotic pictures. The analysis indicated that several brain structures are commonly involved in the processing of disgust-inducing and erotic pictures (occipital cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, and the amygdala). The ventral striatum was specifically activated when subjects saw highly sexually arousing pictures. This indicates the involvement of the human reward system during the processing of visual erotica.

Why size matters: differences in brain volume account for apparent sex differences in callosal anatomy: the sexual dimorphism of the corpus callosum.

PubMed

Luders, Eileen; Toga, Arthur W; Thompson, Paul M

2014-01-01

Numerous studies have demonstrated a sexual dimorphism of the human corpus callosum. However, the question remains if sex differences in brain size, which typically is larger in men than in women, or biological sex per se account for the apparent sex differences in callosal morphology. Comparing callosal dimensions between men and women matched for overall brain size may clarify the true contribution of biological sex, as any observed group difference should indicate pure sex effects. We thus examined callosal morphology in 24 male and 24 female brains carefully matched for overall size. In addition, we selected 24 extremely large male brains and 24 extremely small female brains to explore if observed sex effects might vary depending on the degree to which male and female groups differed in brain size. Using the individual T1-weighted brain images (n=96), we delineated the corpus callosum at midline and applied a well-validated surface-based mesh-modeling approach to compare callosal thickness at 100 equidistant points between groups determined by brain size and sex. The corpus callosum was always thicker in men than in women. However, this callosal sex difference was strongly determined by the cerebral sex difference overall. That is, the larger the discrepancy in brain size between men and women, the more pronounced the sex difference in callosal thickness, with hardly any callosal differences remaining between brain-size matched men and women. Altogether, these findings suggest that individual differences in brain size account for apparent sex differences in the anatomy of the corpus callosum. © 2013.

Why Size Matters: Differences in Brain Volume Account for Apparent Sex Differences in Callosal Anatomy

PubMed Central

Luders, Eileen; Toga, Arthur W.; Thompson, Paul M.

2013-01-01

Numerous studies have demonstrated a sexual dimorphism of the human corpus callosum. However, the question remains if sex differences in brain size, which typically is larger in men than in women, or biological sex per se account for the apparent sex differences in callosal morphology. Comparing callosal dimensions between men and women matched for overall brain size may clarify the true contribution of biological sex, as any observed group difference should indicate pure sex effects. We thus examined callosal morphology in 24 male and 24 female brains carefully matched for overall size. In addition, we selected 24 extremely large male brains and 24 extremely small female brains to explore if observed sex effects might vary depending on the degree to which male and female groups differed in brain size. Using the individual T1-weighted brain images (n=96), we delineated the corpus callosum at midline and applied a well-validated surface-based mesh-modeling approach to compare callosal thickness at 100 equidistant points between groups determined by brain size and sex. The corpus callosum was always thicker in men than in women. However, this callosal sex difference was strongly determined by the cerebral sex difference overall. That is, the larger the discrepancy in brain size between men and women, the more pronounced the sex difference in callosal thickness, with hardly any callosal differences remaining between brain-size matched men and women. Altogether, these findings suggest that individual differences in brain size account for apparent sex differences in the anatomy of the corpus callosum. PMID:24064068

Long-term administration of Greek Royal Jelly decreases GABA concentration in the striatum and hypothalamus of naturally aged Wistar male rats.

PubMed

Pyrzanowska, Justyna; Wawer, Adriana; Joniec-Maciejak, Ilona; Piechal, Agnieszka; Blecharz-Klin, Kamilla; Graikou, Konstantia; Chinou, Ioanna; Widy-Tyszkiewicz, Ewa

2018-05-14

Royal Jelly (RJ) is a unique substance obtained from bees that has been used widely in European and Asian traditional medicine for its potential to prevent signs of aging through its antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hypercholesterolemic properties. We recently reported an enhancement in spatial memory along with changes in monoaminergic transmission in aged rats after chronic RJ administration. Here, we aim to further explore the action of RJ on central nervous system activity by examining levels of amino acids in selected brain structures of aged male Wistar rats following 2-months of Greek RJ administration. RJ powder was previously chemically characterized and given orally (50 or 100 mg of powder/kg b.w./day) by gastric gavage. The concentrations of amino acids (alanine, aspartic acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamic acid, histidine and taurine) in the brain regions examined (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum and hypothalamus) were quantified using HPLC. We also examined basic biochemical parameters of renal and hepatic activity, as damage of these organs could potentially explain the changes in brain function and behavior. Upon biochemical examination, a decrease in the concentration of gamma-aminobutyric acid was observed in both the striatum and hypothalamus. Liver and kidney functions were not changed by chronic RJ-administration. Our results provide insight toward understanding the mechanism of action of RJ and its effects on neurotransmission in the central nervous system. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inulin supplementation during gestation mitigates acrylamide-induced maternal and fetal brain oxidative dysfunctions and neurotoxicity in rats.

PubMed

Krishna, Gokul; Muralidhara

2015-01-01

Accumulating evidence suggests that the developing brain is more susceptible to a variety of chemicals. Recent studies have shown a link between the enteric microbiota and brain function. While supplementation of non-digestible oligosaccharides during pregnancy has been demonstrated to positively influence human health mediated through stimulation of beneficial microbiota, our understanding on their neuromodulatory propensity is limited. In the present study, our primary focus was to examine whether supplementation of inulin (a well known fructan) during gestation can abrogate acrylamide (ACR)-induced oxidative impairments and neurotoxicity in maternal and fetal brain of rats. Initially, in a dose-determinative study, we recapitulated the impact of ACR exposure during gestation days (GD 6-19) on gestational parameters, extent of oxidative impairments in brain (maternal/fetal), cholinergic function and neurotoxicity. Subsequently, pregnant rats orally (gavage) administered with inulin (IN, 2 g/kg/day in two equal installments) supplements during gestation days (GD 0-19) were exposed to ACR (200 ppm) in drinking water. IN supplements significantly attenuated ACR-induced changes in exploratory activity (reduced open field exploration) measured on GD 14. Further, IN restored the placental weights among ACR exposed dams. Analysis of biochemical markers revealed that IN supplements effectively offset ACR associated oxidative stress not only in the maternal brain, but in the fetal brain as well. Elevated levels of protein carbonyls in maternal brain regions were completely normalized with IN supplements. More importantly, IN supplements significantly augmented the number of Bifidobacteria in the cecum of ACR rats which correlated well with the neurorestorative effect as evidenced by restored dopamine levels in the maternal cortex and fetal brain acetylcholinesterase activity among ACR-exposed dams. Further, IN supplements also conferred significant protection against mitochondrial dysfunction induced by ACR in both milieus. Although the precise mechanism/s by which IN supplements during pregnancy attenuate ACR induced neurotoxic impact merits further investigations, we hypothesize that it may mediate through enhanced enteric microbiota and abrogation of oxidative stress. Further, our study provides an experimental approach to explore the neuroprotective role of prebiotic oligosaccharides during pregnancy in reducing the adverse impact of developmental neurotoxicants. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Functional connectivity abnormalities and associated cognitive deficits in fetal alcohol Spectrum disorders (FASD).

PubMed

Wozniak, Jeffrey R; Mueller, Bryon A; Mattson, Sarah N; Coles, Claire D; Kable, Julie A; Jones, Kenneth L; Boys, Christopher J; Lim, Kelvin O; Riley, Edward P; Sowell, Elizabeth R

2017-10-01

Consistent with well-documented structural and microstructural abnormalities in prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), recent studies suggest that functional connectivity (FC) may also be disrupted. We evaluated whole-brain FC in a large multi-site sample, examined its cognitive correlates, and explored its potential to objectively identify neurodevelopmental abnormality in individuals without definitive dysmorphic features. Included were 75 children with PAE and 68 controls from four sites. All participants had documented heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. All underwent a formal evaluation of physical anomalies and dysmorphic facial features. MRI data were collected using modified matched protocols on three platforms (Siemens, GE, and Philips). Resting-state FC was examined using whole-brain graph theory metrics to characterize each individual's connectivity. Although whole-brain FC metrics did not discriminate prenatally-exposed from unexposed overall, atypical FC (> 1 standard deviation from the grand mean) was significantly more common (2.7 times) in the PAE group vs. In a subset of 55 individuals (PAE and controls) whose dysmorphology examination could not definitively characterize them as either Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or non-FAS, atypical FC was seen in 27 % of the PAE group, but 0 % of controls. Across participants, a 1 % difference in local network efficiency was associated with a 36 point difference in global cognitive functioning. Whole-brain FC metrics have potential to identify individuals with objective neurodevelopmental abnormalities from prenatal alcohol exposure. When applied to individuals unable to be classified as FAS or non-FAS from dysmorphology alone, these measures separate prenatally-exposed from non-exposed with high specificity.

Cognitive Decline in Patients with Chronic Hydrocephalus and Normal Aging: ‘Growing into Deficits’

PubMed Central

de Beer, Marlijn H.; Scheltens, Philip

2016-01-01

Background/Aim To explore the theory of ‘growing into deficits’, a concept known from developmental neurology, in a series of cases with chronic hydrocephalus (CH). Methods Patients were selected from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort and underwent extensive dementia screening. Results Twelve patients with CH were selected, in whom Alzheimer's disease was considered unlikely, based on biomarker information and follow-up. Mean Mini-Mental State Examination score was 24 (range 7-30). Most patients were functioning on a level of mild dementia [Clinical Dementia Rating score of 0.5 in 8/11 (66.7%) patients]. On neuropsychological examination, memory and executive functions, as well as processing speed were most frequently impaired. Conclusion In our opinion, the theory of ‘growing into deficits’ shows a parallel with the clinical course of CH and normal aging when Alzheimer's disease was considered very unlikely, because most of these patients were functioning well for a very large part of their lives. The altered cerebrospinal fluid dynamics might make the brain more vulnerable to aging-related changes, leading to a faster cognitive decline in CH patients compared to healthy subjects, especially in case of concomitant brain damage such as traumatic brain injury or meningitis. PMID:27920793

Arterial Spin Labeling Magnetic Resonance Perfusion for Traumatic Brain Injury: Technical Challenges and Potentials.

PubMed

Andre, Jalal B

2015-10-01

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussion, is a public health concern, as it affects over 1.7 million persons in the United States per year. Yet, the diagnosis of TBI, particularly mild TBI (mTBI), can be controversial, as neuroimaging findings can be sparse on conventional magnetic resonance and computed tomography examinations, and when present, often poorly correlate with clinical signs and symptoms. Furthermore, the discussion of TBI, concussion, and head impact exposure is immediately complicated by the many differing opinions of what constitutes each, their respective severities, and how the underlying biomechanics of the inciting head impact might alter the distribution, severity, and prognosis of the underlying brain injury. Advanced imaging methodologies hold promise in improving the sensitivity and detectability of associated imaging biomarkers that might better correlate with patient outcome and prognostication, allowing for improved triage and therapeutic guidance in the setting of TBI, particularly in mTBI. This work will examine the defining symptom complex associated with mTBI and explore changes in cerebral blood flow measured by arterial spin labeling, as a potential imaging biomarker for TBI, and briefly correlate these observations with findings identified by single photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography imaging.

The neurobiology of the stress-resistant brain

PubMed Central

FLESHNER, MONIKA; MAIER, STEVEN F.; LYONS, DAVID M.; RASKIND, MURRAY A.

2012-01-01

The 2010 Neurobiology of Stress Workshop brought together scientists from all over the world to share and discuss their results from studies examining the consequences of acute, repeated, and chronic stressor exposure on health and disease. Session IV entitled “The neurobiology of the stress-resistant brain” explored how we can intervene to promote stress resistance and stress resilience. Four scientists, who explore this topic from unique and convergent perspectives, presented their experimental results derived from studies in rat (Fleshner and Maier), non-human primates (Lyons), and human (Raskind). Summaries of each presentation, supporting publications, and overall take-home messages from the session are presented. PMID:21790482

Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers and Reserve Variables as Predictors of Future "Non-Cognitive" Outcomes of Alzheimer's Disease.

PubMed

Ingber, Adam P; Hassenstab, Jason; Fagan, Anne M; Benzinger, Tammie L S; Grant, Elizabeth A; Holtzman, David M; Morris, John C; Roe, Catherine M

2016-01-01

The influence of reserve variables and Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers on cognitive test performance has been fairly well-characterized. However, less is known about the influence of these factors on "non-cognitive" outcomes, including functional abilities and mood. We examined whether cognitive and brain reserve variables mediate how AD biomarker levels in cognitively normal persons predict future changes in function, mood, and neuropsychiatric behavior. Non-cognitive outcomes were examined in 328 individuals 50 years and older enrolled in ongoing studies of aging and dementia at the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC). All participants were cognitively normal at baseline (Clinical Dementia Rating [CDR] 0), completed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and structural neuroimaging studies within one year of baseline, and were followed for an average of 4.6 annual visits. Linear mixed effects models explored how cognitive reserve and brain reserve variables mediate the relationships between AD biomarker levels and changes in function, mood, and neuropsychiatric behavior in cognitively normal participants. Education levels did not have a significant effect on predicting non-cognitive decline. However, participants with smaller brain volumes exhibited the worst outcomes on measures of mood, functional abilities, and behavioral disturbance. This effect was most pronounced in individuals who also had abnormal CSF biomarkers. The findings suggest that brain reserve plays a stronger, or earlier, role than cognitive reserve in protecting against non-cognitive impairment in AD.

Electrical stimulation of the insular region attenuates nicotine-taking and nicotine-seeking behaviors.

PubMed

Pushparaj, Abhiram; Hamani, Clement; Yu, Wilson; Shin, Damian S; Kang, Bin; Nobrega, José N; Le Foll, Bernard

2013-03-01

Pharmacological inactivation of the granular insular cortex is able to block nicotine-taking and -seeking behaviors in rats. In this study, we explored the potential of modulating activity in the insular region using electrical stimulation. Animals were trained to self-administer nicotine (0.03 mg/kg per infusion) under a fixed ratio-5 (FR-5) schedule of reinforcement followed by a progressive ratio (PR) schedule. Evaluation of the effect of stimulation in the insular region was performed on nicotine self-administration under FR-5 and PR schedules, as well on reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behavior induced by nicotine-associated cues or nicotine-priming injections. The effect of stimulation was also examined in brain slices containing insular neurons. Stimulation significantly attenuated nicotine-taking, under both schedules of reinforcement, as well as nicotine-seeking behavior induced by cues and priming. These effects appear to be specific to nicotine-associated behaviors, as stimulation did not have any effect on food-taking behavior. They appear to be anatomically specific, as stimulation surrounding the insular region had no effect on behavior. Stimulation of brain slices containing the insular region was found to inactivate insular neurons. Our results suggest that deep brain stimulation to modulate insular activity should be further explored.

Graph Theoretical Analysis Reveals: Women's Brains Are Better Connected than Men's.

PubMed

Szalkai, Balázs; Varga, Bálint; Grolmusz, Vince

2015-01-01

Deep graph-theoretic ideas in the context with the graph of the World Wide Web led to the definition of Google's PageRank and the subsequent rise of the most popular search engine to date. Brain graphs, or connectomes, are being widely explored today. We believe that non-trivial graph theoretic concepts, similarly as it happened in the case of the World Wide Web, will lead to discoveries enlightening the structural and also the functional details of the animal and human brains. When scientists examine large networks of tens or hundreds of millions of vertices, only fast algorithms can be applied because of the size constraints. In the case of diffusion MRI-based structural human brain imaging, the effective vertex number of the connectomes, or brain graphs derived from the data is on the scale of several hundred today. That size facilitates applying strict mathematical graph algorithms even for some hard-to-compute (or NP-hard) quantities like vertex cover or balanced minimum cut. In the present work we have examined brain graphs, computed from the data of the Human Connectome Project, recorded from male and female subjects between ages 22 and 35. Significant differences were found between the male and female structural brain graphs: we show that the average female connectome has more edges, is a better expander graph, has larger minimal bisection width, and has more spanning trees than the average male connectome. Since the average female brain weighs less than the brain of males, these properties show that the female brain has better graph theoretical properties, in a sense, than the brain of males. It is known that the female brain has a smaller gray matter/white matter ratio than males, that is, a larger white matter/gray matter ratio than the brain of males; this observation is in line with our findings concerning the number of edges, since the white matter consists of myelinated axons, which, in turn, roughly correspond to the connections in the brain graph. We have also found that the minimum bisection width, normalized with the edge number, is also significantly larger in the right and the left hemispheres in females: therefore, the differing bisection widths are independent from the difference in the number of edges.

Graph Theoretical Analysis Reveals: Women’s Brains Are Better Connected than Men’s

PubMed Central

Szalkai, Balázs; Varga, Bálint; Grolmusz, Vince

2015-01-01

Deep graph-theoretic ideas in the context with the graph of the World Wide Web led to the definition of Google’s PageRank and the subsequent rise of the most popular search engine to date. Brain graphs, or connectomes, are being widely explored today. We believe that non-trivial graph theoretic concepts, similarly as it happened in the case of the World Wide Web, will lead to discoveries enlightening the structural and also the functional details of the animal and human brains. When scientists examine large networks of tens or hundreds of millions of vertices, only fast algorithms can be applied because of the size constraints. In the case of diffusion MRI-based structural human brain imaging, the effective vertex number of the connectomes, or brain graphs derived from the data is on the scale of several hundred today. That size facilitates applying strict mathematical graph algorithms even for some hard-to-compute (or NP-hard) quantities like vertex cover or balanced minimum cut. In the present work we have examined brain graphs, computed from the data of the Human Connectome Project, recorded from male and female subjects between ages 22 and 35. Significant differences were found between the male and female structural brain graphs: we show that the average female connectome has more edges, is a better expander graph, has larger minimal bisection width, and has more spanning trees than the average male connectome. Since the average female brain weighs less than the brain of males, these properties show that the female brain has better graph theoretical properties, in a sense, than the brain of males. It is known that the female brain has a smaller gray matter/white matter ratio than males, that is, a larger white matter/gray matter ratio than the brain of males; this observation is in line with our findings concerning the number of edges, since the white matter consists of myelinated axons, which, in turn, roughly correspond to the connections in the brain graph. We have also found that the minimum bisection width, normalized with the edge number, is also significantly larger in the right and the left hemispheres in females: therefore, the differing bisection widths are independent from the difference in the number of edges. PMID:26132764

Relationship between brain lesion characteristics and communication in preschool children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Coleman, Andrea; Fiori, Simona; Weir, Kelly A; Ware, Robert S; Boyd, Roslyn N

2016-11-01

MRI shows promise as a prognostic tool for clinical findings such as gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy(CP), however the relationship with communication skills requires exploration. To examine the relationship between the type and severity of brain lesion on MRI and communication skills in children with CP. 131 children with CP (73 males(56%)), mean corrected age(SD) 28(5) months, Gross Motor Functional Classification System distribution: I=57(44%), II=14(11%), III=19(14%), IV=17(13%), V=24(18%). Children were assessed on the Communication and Symbolic Behavioral Scales Developmental Profile (CSBS-DP) Infant-Toddler Checklist. Structural MRI was analysed with reference to type and semi-quantitative assessment of the severity of brain lesion. Children were classified for motor type, distribution and GMFCS. The relationships between type/severity of brain lesion and communication ability were analysed using multivariable tobit regression. Children with periventricular white matter lesions had better speech than children with cortical/deep grey matter lesions (β=-2.6, 95%CI=-5.0, -0.2, p=0.04). Brain lesion severity on the semi-quantitative scale was related to overall communication skills (β=-0.9, 95%CI=-1.4, -0.5, p<0.001). Motor impairment better accounted for impairment in overall communication skills than brain lesion severity. Structural MRI has potential prognostic value for communication impairment in children with CP. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS?: This is the first paper to explore important aspects of communication in relation to the type and severity of brain lesion on MRI in a representative cohort of preschool-aged children with CP. We found a relationship between the type of brain lesion and communication skills, children who had cortical and deep grey matter lesions had overall communication skills>1 SD below children with periventricular white matter lesions. Children with more severe brain lesions on MRI had poorer overall communication skills. Children with CP born at term had poorer communication than those born prematurely and were more likely to have cortical and deep grey matter lesions. Gross motor function better accounted for overall communication skills than the type of brain lesion or brain lesion severity. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

No improvement of neuronal metabolism in the reperfusion phase with melatonin treatment after hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in the neonatal rat.

PubMed

Berger, Hester R; Morken, Tora Sund; Vettukattil, Riyas; Brubakk, Ann-Mari; Sonnewald, Ursula; Widerøe, Marius

2016-01-01

Mitochondrial impairment is a key feature underlying neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury and melatonin is potentially neuroprotective through its effects on mitochondria. In this study, we have used (1) H and (13) C NMR spectroscopy after injection of [1-(13) C]glucose and [1,2-(13) C]acetate to examine neuronal and astrocytic metabolism in the early reperfusion phase after unilateral HI brain injury in 7-day-old rat pups, exploring the effects of HI on mitochondrial function and the potential protective effects of melatonin on brain metabolism. One hour after hypoxia-ischemia, astrocytic metabolism was recovered and glycolysis was normalized, whereas mitochondrial metabolism in neurons was clearly impaired. Pyruvate carboxylation was also lower in both hemispheres after HI. The transfer of glutamate from neurons to astrocytes was higher whereas the transfer of glutamine from astrocytes to neurons was lower 1 h after HI in the contralateral hemisphere. Neuronal metabolism was equally affected in pups treated with melatonin (10 mg/kg) immediately after HI as in vehicle treated pups indicating that the given dose of melatonin was not capable of protecting the neuronal mitochondria in this early phase after HI brain injury. However, any beneficial effects of melatonin might have been masked by modulatory effects of the solvent dimethyl sulfoxide on cerebral metabolism. Neuronal and astrocytic metabolism was examined by (13) C and (1) H NMR spectroscopy in the early reperfusion phase after unilateral hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and melatonin treatment in neonatal rats. One hour after hypoxia-ischemia astrocytic mitochondrial metabolism had recovered and glycolysis was normalized, whereas mitochondrial metabolism in neurons was impaired. Melatonin treatment did not show a protective effect on neuronal metabolism. © 2015 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Study protocol: imaging brain development in the Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study (iCATS).

PubMed

Simmons, Julian G; Whittle, Sarah L; Patton, George C; Dudgeon, Paul; Olsson, Craig; Byrne, Michelle L; Mundy, Lisa K; Seal, Marc L; Allen, Nicholas B

2014-04-30

Puberty is a critical developmental phase in physical, reproductive and socio-emotional maturation that is associated with the period of peak onset for psychopathology. Puberty also drives significant changes in brain development and function. Research to date has focused on gonadarche, driven by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, and yet increasing evidence suggests that the earlier pubertal stage of adrenarche, driven by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, may play a critical role in both brain development and increased risk for disorder. We have established a unique cohort of children who differ in their exposure to adrenarcheal hormones. This presents a unique opportunity to examine the influence of adrenarcheal timing on brain structural and functional development, and subsequent health outcomes. The primary objective of the study is to explore the hypothesis that patterns of structural and functional brain development will mediate the relationship between adrenarcheal timing and indices of affect, self-regulation, and mental health symptoms collected across time (and therefore years of development). Children were recruited based upon earlier or later timing of adrenarche, from a larger cohort, with 128 children (68 female; M age 9.51 years) and one of their parents taking part. Children completed brain MRI structural and functional sequences, provided saliva samples for adrenarcheal hormones and immune biomarkers, hair for long-term cortisol levels, and completed questionnaires, anthropometric measures and an IQ test. Parents completed questionnaires reporting on child behaviour, development, health, traumatic events, and parental report of family environment and parenting style. This study, by examining the neurobiological and behavioural consequences of relatively early and late exposure to adrenarche, has the potential to significantly impact our understanding of pubertal risk processes.

Brain control and information transfer.

PubMed

Tehovnik, Edward J; Chen, Lewis L

2015-12-01

In this review, we examine the importance of having a body as essential for the brain to transfer information about the outside world to generate appropriate motor responses. We discuss the context-dependent conditioning of the motor control neural circuits and its dependence on the completion of feedback loops, which is in close agreement with the insights of Hebb and colleagues, who have stressed that for learning to occur the body must be intact and able to interact with the outside world. Finally, we apply information theory to data from published studies to evaluate the robustness of the neuronal signals obtained by bypassing the body (as used for brain-machine interfaces) versus via the body to move in the world. We show that recording from a group of neurons that bypasses the body exhibits a vastly degraded level of transfer of information as compared to that of an entire brain using the body to engage in the normal execution of behaviour. We conclude that body sensations provide more than just feedback for movements; they sustain the necessary transfer of information as animals explore their environment, thereby creating associations through learning. This work has implications for the development of brain-machine interfaces used to move external devices.

Functional brain networks associated with eating behaviors in obesity.

PubMed

Park, Bo-Yong; Seo, Jongbum; Park, Hyunjin

2016-03-31

Obesity causes critical health problems including diabetes and hypertension that affect billions of people worldwide. Obesity and eating behaviors are believed to be closely linked but their relationship through brain networks has not been fully explored. We identified functional brain networks associated with obesity and examined how the networks were related to eating behaviors. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained for 82 participants. Data were from an equal number of people of healthy weight (HW) and non-healthy weight (non-HW). Connectivity matrices were computed with spatial maps derived using a group independent component analysis approach. Brain networks and associated connectivity parameters with significant group-wise differences were identified and correlated with scores on a three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ) describing restraint, disinhibition, and hunger eating behaviors. Frontoparietal and cerebellum networks showed group-wise differences between HW and non-HW groups. Frontoparietal network showed a high correlation with TFEQ disinhibition scores. Both frontoparietal and cerebellum networks showed a high correlation with body mass index (BMI) scores. Brain networks with significant group-wise differences between HW and non-HW groups were identified. Parts of the identified networks showed a high correlation with eating behavior scores.

Brain-based Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiss, Ruth Palombo

2000-01-01

Discusses brain research and how new imaging technologies allow scientists to explore how human brains process memory, emotion, attention, patterning, motivation, and context. Explains how brain research is being used to revise learning theories. (JOW)

Retinopathy of prematurity and brain damage in the very preterm newborn.

PubMed

Allred, Elizabeth N; Capone, Antonio; Fraioli, Anthony; Dammann, Olaf; Droste, Patrick; Duker, Jay; Gise, Robert; Kuban, Karl; Leviton, Alan; O'Shea, T Michael; Paneth, Nigel; Petersen, Robert; Trese, Michael; Stoessel, Kathleen; Vanderveen, Deborah; Wallace, David K; Weaver, Grey

2014-06-01

To explain why very preterm newborns who develop retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) appear to be at increased risk of abnormalities of both brain structure and function. A total of 1,085 children born at <28 weeks' gestation had clinically indicated retinal examinations and had a developmental assessment at 2 years corrected age. Relationships between ROP categories and brain abnormalities were explored using logistic regression models with adjustment for potential confounders. The 173 children who had severe ROP, defined as prethreshold ROP (n = 146) or worse (n = 27) were somewhat more likely than their peers without ROP to have brain ultrasound lesions or cerebral palsy. They were approximately twice as likely to have very low Bayley Scales scores. After adjusting for risk factors common to both ROP and brain disorders, infants who developed severe ROP were at increased risk of low Bayley Scales only. Among children with prethreshold ROP, exposure to anesthesia was not associated with low Bayley Scales. Some but not all of the association of ROP with brain disorders can be explained by common risk factors. Most of the increased risks of very low Bayley Scales associated with ROP are probably not a consequence of exposure to anesthetic agents. Copyright © 2014 American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Training your brain to be more creative: brain functional and structural changes induced by divergent thinking training.

PubMed

Sun, Jiangzhou; Chen, Qunlin; Zhang, Qinglin; Li, Yadan; Li, Haijiang; Wei, Dongtao; Yang, Wenjing; Qiu, Jiang

2016-10-01

Creativity is commonly defined as the ability to produce something both novel and useful. Stimulating creativity has great significance for both individual success and social improvement. Although increasing creative capacity has been confirmed to be possible and effective at the behavioral level, few longitudinal studies have examined the extent to which the brain function and structure underlying creativity are plastic. A cognitive stimulation (20 sessions) method was used in the present study to train subjects and to explore the neuroplasticity induced by training. The behavioral results revealed that both the originality and the fluency of divergent thinking were significantly improved by training. Furthermore, functional changes induced by training were observed in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and posterior brain regions. Moreover, the gray matter volume (GMV) was significantly increased in the dACC after divergent thinking training. These results suggest that the enhancement of creativity may rely not only on the posterior brain regions that are related to the fundamental cognitive processes of creativity (e.g., semantic processing, generating novel associations), but also on areas that are involved in top-down cognitive control, such as the dACC and DLPFC. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3375-3387, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Media representations of early human development: protecting, feeding and loving the developing brain.

PubMed

O'Connor, Cliodhna; Joffe, Helene

2013-11-01

The public profile of neurodevelopmental research has expanded in recent years. This paper applies social representations theory to explore how early brain development was represented in the UK print media in the first decade of the 21st century. A thematic analysis was performed on 505 newspaper articles published between 2000 and 2010 that discussed early brain development. Media coverage centred around concern with 'protecting' the prenatal brain (identifying threats to foetal neurodevelopment), 'feeding' the infant brain (indicating the patterns of nutrition that enhance brain development) and 'loving' the young child's brain (elucidating the developmental significance of emotionally nurturing family environments). The media focused almost exclusively on the role of parental action in promoting optimal neurodevelopment, rarely acknowledging wider structural, cultural or political means of supporting child development. The significance of parental care was intensified by deterministic interpretations of critical periods, which implied that inappropriate parental input would produce profound and enduring neurobiological impairments. Neurodevelopmental research was also used to promulgate normative judgements concerning the acceptability of certain gender roles and family contexts. The paper argues that media representations of neurodevelopment stress parental responsibility for shaping a child's future while relegating the contributions of genetic or wider societal factors, and examines the consequences of these representations for society and family life. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Depletion of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 reduces brain serotonin and impairs the running-induced neurogenic response.

PubMed

Klempin, Friederike; Mosienko, Valentina; Matthes, Susann; Villela, Daniel C; Todiras, Mihail; Penninger, Josef M; Bader, Michael; Santos, Robson A S; Alenina, Natalia

2018-04-20

Physical exercise induces cell proliferation in the adult hippocampus in rodents. Serotonin (5-HT) and angiotensin (Ang) II are important mediators of the pro-mitotic effect of physical activity. Here, we examine precursor cells in the adult brain of mice lacking angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 2, and explore the effect of an acute running stimulus on neurogenesis. ACE2 metabolizes Ang II to Ang-(1-7) and is essential for the intestinal uptake of tryptophan (Trp), the 5-HT precursor. In ACE2-deficient mice, we observed a decrease in brain 5-HT levels and no increase in the number of BrdU-positive cells following exercise. Targeting the Ang II/AT1 axis by blocking the receptor, or experimentally increasing Trp/5-HT levels in the brain of ACE2-deficient mice, did not rescue the running-induced effect. Furthermore, mice lacking the Ang-(1-7) receptor, Mas, presented a normal neurogenic response to exercise. Our results identify ACE2 as a novel factor required for exercise-dependent modulation of adult neurogenesis and essential for 5-HT metabolism.

Brain Imaging and Behavioral Outcome in Traumatic Brain Injury.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigler, Erin D.

1996-01-01

This review explores the cellular pathology associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its relation to neurobehavioral outcomes, the relationship of brain imaging findings to underlying pathology, brain imaging techniques, various image analysis procedures and how they relate to neuropsychological testing, and the importance of brain imaging…

Infant visual attention and object recognition.

PubMed

Reynolds, Greg D

2015-05-15

This paper explores the role visual attention plays in the recognition of objects in infancy. Research and theory on the development of infant attention and recognition memory are reviewed in three major sections. The first section reviews some of the major findings and theory emerging from a rich tradition of behavioral research utilizing preferential looking tasks to examine visual attention and recognition memory in infancy. The second section examines research utilizing neural measures of attention and object recognition in infancy as well as research on brain-behavior relations in the early development of attention and recognition memory. The third section addresses potential areas of the brain involved in infant object recognition and visual attention. An integrated synthesis of some of the existing models of the development of visual attention is presented which may account for the observed changes in behavioral and neural measures of visual attention and object recognition that occur across infancy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Early brain magnetic resonance imaging can predict short and long-term outcomes after organophosphate poisoning in a rat model.

PubMed

Shrot, Shai; Tauber, Maya; Shiyovich, Arthur; Milk, Nadav; Rosman, Yossi; Eisenkraft, Arik; Kadar, Tamar; Kassirer, Michael; Cohen, Yoram

2015-05-01

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a sensitive modality for demonstrating in vivo alterations in brain structure and function after acute organophosphate (OP) poisoning. The goals of this study were to explore early imaging findings in organophosphate-poisoned animals, to assess the efficacy of centrally acting antidotes and to find whether early MR findings can predict post-poisoning cognitive dysfunction. Sprague-Dawley rats were poisoned with the agricultural OP paraoxon and were treated with immediate atropine and obidoxime (ATOX) to reduce acute mortality caused by peripheral inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. Animals were randomly divided into three groups based on the protocol of centrally acting antidotal treatment: group 1 - no central antidotal treatment (n=10); group 2 - treated with midazolam (MID) at 30 min after poisoning (n=9), group 3 - treated with a combination of MID and scopolamine (SCOP) at 30 min after poisoning (n=9) and controls (n=6). Each animal had a brain MR examination 3 and 24 h after poisoning. Each MR examination included the acquisition of a T2 map and a single-voxel (1)H MR spectroscopy (localized on the thalami, to measure total creatine [Cr], N-acetyl-aspartate [NAA] and cholines [Cho] levels). Eleven days after poisoning each animal underwent a Morris water maze to assess hippocampal learning. Eighteen days after poisoning, animals were euthanized, and their brains were dissected, fixed and processed for histology. All paraoxon poisoned animals developed generalized convulsions, starting within a few minutes following paraoxon injection. Brain edema was maximal on MR imaging 3 h after poisoning. Both MID and MID+SCOP prevented most of the cortical edema, with equivalent efficacy. Brain metabolic dysfunction, manifested as decreased NAA/Cr, appeared in all poisoned animals as early as 3h after exposure (1.1 ± 0.07 and 1.42 ± 0.05 in ATOX and control groups, respectively) and remained lower compared to non-poisoned animals even 24h after poisoning. MID and MID+SCOP prevented much of the 3h NAA/Cr decrease (1.22 ± 0.05 and 1.32 ± 0.1, respectively). Significant correlations were found between imaging findings (brain edema and spectroscopic changes) and clinical outcomes (poor learning, weight loss and pathological score) with correlation coefficients of 0.4-0.75 (p<0.05). MR imaging is a sensitive modality to explore organophosphate-induced brain damage. Delayed treatment with midazolam with or without scopolamine provides only transient neuroprotection with some advantage in adding scopolamine. Early imaging findings were found to correlate with clinical consequences of organophosphate poisoning and could be potentially used in the future to predict long-term prognosis of poisoned casualties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fumarate decreases edema volume and improves functional outcome after experimental stroke.

PubMed

Clausen, Bettina Hjelm; Lundberg, Louise; Yli-Karjanmaa, Minna; Martin, Nellie Anne; Svensson, Martina; Alfsen, Maria Zeiler; Flæng, Simon Bertram; Lyngsø, Kristina; Boza-Serrano, Antonio; Nielsen, Helle H; Hansen, Pernille B; Finsen, Bente; Deierborg, Tomas; Illes, Zsolt; Lambertsen, Kate Lykke

2017-09-01

Oxidative stress and inflammation exacerbate tissue damage in the brain after ischemic stroke. Dimethyl-fumarate (DMF) and its metabolite monomethyl-fumarate (MMF) are known to stimulate anti-oxidant pathways and modulate inflammatory responses. Considering these dual effects of fumarates, we examined the effect of MMF treatment after ischemic stroke in mice. Permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) was performed using adult, male C57BL/6 mice. Thirty minutes after pMCAO, 20mg/kg MMF was administered intravenously. Outcomes were evaluated 6, 24 and 48h after pMCAO. First, we examined whether a bolus of MMF was capable of changing expression of kelch-like erythroid cell-derived protein with CNC homology-associated protein 1 (Keap1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf)2 in the infarcted brain. Next, we studied the effect of MMF on functional recovery. To explore mechanisms potentially influencing functional changes, we examined infarct volumes, edema formation, the expression of heat shock protein (Hsp)72, hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor 2 (Hcar2), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the infarcted brain using real-time PCR and Western blotting. Concentrations of a panel of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IFNγ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, TNF) were examined in both the infarcted brain tissue and plasma samples 6, 24 and 48h after pMCAO using multiplex electrochemoluminiscence analysis. Administration of MMF increased the protein level of Nrf2 6h after pMCAO, and improved functional outcome at 24 and 48h after pMCAO. MMF treatment did not influence infarct size, however reduced edema volume at both 24 and 48h after pMCAO. MMF treatment resulted in increased Hsp72 expression in the brain 6h after pMCAO. Hcar2 mRNA levels increased significantly 24h after pMCAO, but were not different between saline- and MMF-treated mice. MMF treatment also increased the level of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in the brain and plasma 6h after pMCAO, and additionally reduced the level of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-12p70 in the brain at 24 and 48h after pMCAO. A single intravenous bolus of MMF improved sensory-motor function after ischemic stroke, reduced edema formation, and increased the levels of the neuroprotective protein Hsp72 in the brain. The early increase in IL-10 and reduction in IL-12p70 in the brain combined with changes in systemic cytokine levels may also contribute to the functional recovery after pMCAO. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Brain Drain: A Child's Brain on Poverty. Poverty Fact Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Damron, Neil

2015-01-01

"Brain Drain: A Child's Brain on Poverty," released in March 2015 and prepared by intern Neil Damron, explores the brain's basic anatomy and recent research findings suggesting that poverty affects the brain development of infants and young children and the potential lifelong effects of the changes. The sheet draws from a variety of…

Disruption of White Matter Integrity in Adult Survivors of Childhood Brain Tumors: Correlates with Long-Term Intellectual Outcomes.

PubMed

King, Tricia Z; Wang, Liya; Mao, Hui

2015-01-01

Although chemotherapy and radiation treatment have contributed to increased survivorship, treatment-induced brain injury has been a concern when examining long-term intellectual outcomes of survivors. Specifically, disruption of brain white matter integrity and its relationship to intellectual outcomes in adult survivors of childhood brain tumors needs to be better understood. Fifty-four participants underwent diffusion tensor imaging in addition to structural MRI and an intelligence test (IQ). Voxel-wise group comparisons of fractional anisotropy calculated from DTI data were performed using Tract Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) on 27 survivors (14 treated with radiation with and without chemotherapy and 13 treated without radiation treatment on average over 13 years since diagnosis) and 27 healthy comparison participants. Whole brain white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) differences were explored between each group. The relationships between IQ and FA in the regions where statistically lower FA values were found in survivors were examined, as well as the role of cumulative neurological factors. The group of survivors treated with radiation with and without chemotherapy had lower IQ relative to the group of survivors without radiation treatment and the healthy comparison group. TBSS identified white matter regions with significantly different mean fractional anisotropy between the three different groups. A lower level of white matter integrity was found in the radiation with or without chemotherapy treated group compared to the group without radiation treatment and also the healthy control group. The group without radiation treatment had a lower mean FA relative to healthy controls. The white matter disruption of the radiation with or without chemotherapy treated survivors was positively correlated with IQ and cumulative neurological factors. Lower long-term intellectual outcomes of childhood brain tumor survivors are associated with lower white matter integrity. Radiation and adjunct chemotherapy treatment may play a role in greater white matter disruption. The relationships between white matter integrity and IQ, as well as cumulative neurological risk factors exist in young adult survivors of childhood brain tumors.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers and Reserve Variables as Predictors of Future “Non-Cognitive” Outcomes of Alzheimer’s Disease

PubMed Central

Ingber, Adam P.; Hassenstab, Jason; Fagan, Anne M.; Benzinger, Tammie L.S.; Grant, Elizabeth A.; Holtzman, David M.; Morris, John C.; Roe, Catherine M.

2016-01-01

Background The influence of reserve variables and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers on cognitive test performance has been fairly well-characterized. However, less is known about the influence of these factors on “non-cognitive” outcomes, including functional abilities and mood. Objective We examined whether cognitive and brain reserve variables mediate how AD biomarker levels in cognitively normal persons predict future changes in function, mood, and neuropsychiatric behavior. Methods Non-cognitive outcomes were examined in 328 individuals 50 years and older enrolled in ongoing studies of aging and dementia at the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC). All participants were cognitively normal at baseline (Clinical Dementia Rating [CDR] 0), completed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and structural neuroimaging studies within one year of baseline, and were followed for an average of 4.6 annual visits. Linear mixed effects models explored how cognitive reserve and brain reserve variables mediate the relationships between AD biomarker levels and changes in function, mood, and neuropsychiatric behavior in cognitively normal participants. Results Education levels did not have a significant effect on predicting non-cognitive decline. However, participants with smaller brain volumes exhibited the worst outcomes on measures of mood, functional abilities, and behavioral disturbance. This effect was most pronounced in individuals who also had abnormal CSF biomarkers. Conclusions The findings suggest that brain reserve plays a stronger, or earlier, role than cognitive reserve in protecting against non-cognitive impairment in AD. PMID:27104893

A longitudinal examination of positive changes in quality-of-life after traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Gould, Kate R; Ponsford, Jennie L

2015-01-01

Most studies of quality-of-life (QoL) after traumatic brain injury (TBI) reveal a largely negative picture, yet some survivors show positive changes (PC). Understanding PC in QoL may assist clinicians in facilitating post-injury adjustment. This study aimed to prospectively explore changes in QoL from pre- to post-injury, identify those with PC and examine predictive and associated factors. Ninety-five participants, recruited from consecutive admissions to a rehabilitation hospital, were prospectively assessed at least once over the first 4 years post-injury. Measures of QoL, psychiatric disorders, coping style and psychosocial outcome were administered at each assessment. Participants' mean QoL was in the average range pre-injury and at follow-up. A third demonstrated PC post-injury, which tended to remain stable. PC participants tended to rate their relatives as of greater importance than other participants, but did not rate their health as high. Group membership was not predicted by pre-injury demographic or injury factors, but it was significantly associated with psychosocial and functional outcome. Even after a significant brain injury, some individuals show sustained improved QoL. Factors such as lack of 'good old days' bias and increased value placed on family may have important clinical utility.

Behavioural ratings of self-regulatory mechanisms and driving behaviour after an acquired brain injury.

PubMed

Rike, Per-Ola; Ulleberg, Pål; Schultheis, Maria T; Lundqvist, Anna; Schanke, Anne-Kristine

2014-01-01

To explore whether measurements of self-regulatory mechanisms and cognition predict driving behaviour after an acquired brain injury (ABI). Consecutive follow-up study. At baseline participants included 77 persons with stroke and 32 persons with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), all of whom completed a multidisciplinary driving assessment (MDA). A follow-up cohort of 34 persons that succeeded the MDA was included. Baseline measurements: Neuropsychological tests and measurements of self-regulatory mechanisms (BRIEF-A and UPPS Impulsive Behaviour Scale), driving behaviour (DBQ) and pre-injury driving characteristics (mileage, compensatory driving strategies and accident rates). Follow-up measurements: Post-injury driving characteristics were collected by mailed questionnaires from the participants who succeeded the MDA. A MDA, which included a medical examination, neuropsychological testing and an on-road driving test, was considered in the decision for or against granting a driver's license. Self-regulatory mechanisms and driving behaviour were examined for research purposes only. At baseline, self-regulatory mechanisms were significantly associated to aberrant driving behaviour, but not with neuropsychological data or with the outcome of the on-road driving test. Aspects of self-regulation were associated to driving behaviour at follow-up. It is recommended that self-regulatory measurements should regularly be considered in the driving assessments after ABI.

Enhancement of cognitive and neural functions through complex reasoning training: evidence from normal and clinical populations

PubMed Central

Chapman, Sandra B.; Mudar, Raksha A.

2014-01-01

Public awareness of cognitive health is fairly recent compared to physical health. Growing evidence suggests that cognitive training offers promise in augmenting cognitive brain performance in normal and clinical populations. Targeting higher-order cognitive functions, such as reasoning in particular, may promote generalized cognitive changes necessary for supporting the complexities of daily life. This data-driven perspective highlights cognitive and brain changes measured in randomized clinical trials that trained gist reasoning strategies in populations ranging from teenagers to healthy older adults, individuals with brain injury to those at-risk for Alzheimer's disease. The evidence presented across studies support the potential for Gist reasoning training to strengthen cognitive performance in trained and untrained domains and to engage more efficient communication across widespread neural networks that support higher-order cognition. The meaningful benefits of Gist training provide compelling motivation to examine optimal dose for sustained benefits as well as to explore additive benefits of meditation, physical exercise, and/or improved sleep in future studies. PMID:24808834

Fertile bodies, immature brains?: A genealogical critique of neuroscientific claims regarding the adolescent brain and of the global fight against adolescent motherhood.

PubMed

Koffman, Ofra

2015-10-01

This article presents a critique of neuroscientific claims regarding the adolescent brain and the suggestion that adolescent motherhood disrupts the healthy development of the mother and her child. It does so by presenting a genealogical investigation of the conceptualisation of 'adolescence' in Western psychology and the emergence of the problematization of 'adolescent motherhood'. This examination reveals that antecedents to neuroscientific claims regarding adolescent immaturity, impulsivity and instability were articulated by psychologists throughout the first half of the 20th century. However, up until the 1960s there was no problematization of 'adolescent motherhood' per se and adolescent mothers were only discussed as part of the concern with 'unwed mothers'. Exploring the continuities and shifts in assertions regarding adolescence, this article highlights the complex history of some of the notions currently found in neuroscience. In doing so it aims to contribute to a growing body of critical literature questioning the universality of neuroscientific findings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deep Brain Stimulation of the Memory Circuit: Improving Cognition in Alzheimer's Disease.

PubMed

Posporelis, Sotirios; David, Anthony S; Ashkan, Keyoumars; Shotbolt, Paul

2018-05-26

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective invasive treatment for a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Neurosurgically implanted electrodes deliver stimulation of pre-programmed amplitude, frequency, and pulse width within deep brain structures; those settings can be adjusted at a later stage according to individual needs for optimal response. This results in variable effects dependent on the targeted region. An established treatment for movement disorders, the effectiveness of DBS in dementia remains under investigation. Translational studies have uncovered a pro-cognitive effect mediated by changes on cellular as well as network level. Several groups have attempted to examine the benefits of DBS in Alzheimer's disease; differences in inclusion criteria and methodology make generalization of results difficult. This review aims to summarize all completed and ongoing human studies of DBS in Alzheimer's disease. The results are classified by targeted anatomical structure. Future directions, as well as economical and ethical arguments, are explored in the final section.

From brain to neuro: the brain research association and the making of British neuroscience, 1965-1996.

PubMed

Abi-Rached, Joelle M

2012-01-01

This article explores the short history of "neuroscience" as a discipline in its own right as opposed to the much longer past of the brain sciences. It focuses on one historical moment, the formation of the first British "neuroscience" society, the Brain Research Association (BRA), renamed in 1996 to the British Neuroscience Association (BNA). It outlines the new thinking brought about by this new science of brain, mind, and behavior, it sketches the beginnings of the BRA and the institutionalization of neuroscience in the British context, and it further explores the ambiguous relation the association had towards some of the ethical, social, and political implications of this new area of research.

Post-traumatic growth following acquired brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Grace, Jenny J.; Kinsella, Elaine L.; Muldoon, Orla T.; Fortune, Dónal G.

2015-01-01

The idea that acquired brain injury (ABI) caused by stroke, hemorrhage, infection or traumatic insult to the brain can result in post-traumatic growth (PTG) for individuals is increasingly attracting psychological attention. However, PTG also attracts controversy as a result of ambiguous empirical findings. The extent that demographic variables, injury factors, subjective beliefs, and psychological health are associated with PTG following ABI is not clear. Consequently, this systematic review and meta-analysis explores the correlates of variables within these four broad areas and PTG. From a total of 744 published studies addressing PTG in people with ABI, eight studies met inclusion criteria for detailed examination. Meta-analysis of these studies indicated that growth was related to employment, longer education, subjective beliefs about change post-injury, relationship status, older age, longer time since injury, and lower levels of depression. Results from homogeneity analyses indicated significant inter-study heterogeneity across variables. There is general support for the idea that people with ABI can experience growth, and that various demographics, injury-related variables, subjective beliefs and psychological health are related to growth. The contribution of social integration and the forming of new identities post-ABI to the experience of PTG is explored. These meta-analytic findings are however constrained by methodological limitations prevalent in the literature. Clinical and research implications are discussed with specific reference to community and collective factors that enable PTG. PMID:26321983

Electrodynamics and radiofrequency antenna concepts for human magnetic resonance at 23.5 T (1 GHz) and beyond.

PubMed

Winter, Lukas; Niendorf, Thoralf

2016-06-01

This work investigates electrodynamic constraints, explores RF antenna concepts and examines the transmission fields (B 1 (+) ) and RF power deposition of dipole antenna arrays for (1)H magnetic resonance of the human brain at 1 GHz (23.5 T). Electromagnetic field (EMF) simulations are performed in phantoms with average tissue simulants for dipole antennae using discrete frequencies [300 MHz (7.0 T) to 3 GHz (70.0 T)]. To advance to a human setup EMF simulations are conducted in anatomical human voxel models of the human head using a 20-element dipole array operating at 1 GHz. Our results demonstrate that transmission fields suitable for (1)H MR of the human brain can be achieved at 1 GHz. An increase in transmit channel density around the human head helps to enhance B 1 (+) in the center of the brain. The calculated relative increase in specific absorption rate at 23.5 versus 7.0 T was below 1.4 (in-phase phase setting) and 2.7 (circular polarized phase setting) for the dipole antennae array. The benefits of multi-channel dipole antennae at higher frequencies render MR at 23.5 T feasible from an electrodynamic standpoint. This very preliminary finding opens the door on further explorations that might be catalyzed into a 20-T class human MR system.

Mood state and cerebral metabolism in persons with age-associated memory impairment.

PubMed

Cherrier, M M; Small, G W; Komo, S; La Rue, A

1997-12-30

People undergoing medical procedures sometimes experience feelings that may influence the results. In this study, we explore the relationship between changes in mood state self-ratings and cerebral glucose metabolism during positron emission tomography (PET) in persons with age-associated memory impairment (mean age 59.4 +/- 9.8 years). Brain regions of interest involved in both mood and memory were examined. Mood ratings of increased boredom correlated significantly with mesial temporal and parietal asymmetry and decreased parietal metabolism. Mood ratings of increased fatigue correlated with basal ganglia asymmetry and the right basal ganglia and left mesial temporal metabolism. These findings suggest that subjective mood state changes during PET may influence metabolism in brain regions implicated in emotion and memory function in people with age-related memory complaints.

Attachment Security in Infancy: A Preliminary Study of Prospective Links to Brain Morphometry in Late Childhood

PubMed Central

Leblanc, Élizabel; Dégeilh, Fanny; Daneault, Véronique; Beauchamp, Miriam H.; Bernier, Annie

2017-01-01

A large body of longitudinal research provides compelling evidence for the critical role of early attachment relationships in children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. It is expected that parent–child attachment relationships may also impact children’s brain development, however, studies linking normative caregiving experiences and brain structure are scarce. To our knowledge, no study has yet examined the associations between the quality of parent–infant attachment relationships and brain morphology during childhood. The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate the prospective links between mother–infant attachment security and whole-brain gray matter (GM) volume and thickness in late childhood. Attachment security toward the mother was assessed in 33 children when they were 15 months old. These children were then invited to undergo structural magnetic resonance imaging at 10–11 years of age. Results indicated that children more securely attached to their mother in infancy had larger GM volumes in the superior temporal sulcus and gyrus, temporo-parietal junction, and precentral gyrus in late childhood. No associations between attachment security and cortical thickness were found. If replicated, these results would suggest that a secure attachment relationship and its main features (e.g., adequate dyadic emotion regulation, competent exploration) may influence GM volume in brain regions involved in social, cognitive, and emotional functioning through experience-dependent processes. PMID:29312029

Characterizing dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and its relationship with dynamic functional connectivity: An application to schizophrenia.

PubMed

Fu, Zening; Tu, Yiheng; Di, Xin; Du, Yuhui; Pearlson, G D; Turner, J A; Biswal, Bharat B; Zhang, Zhiguo; Calhoun, V D

2017-09-20

The human brain is a highly dynamic system with non-stationary neural activity and rapidly-changing neural interaction. Resting-state dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) has been widely studied during recent years, and the emerging aberrant dFC patterns have been identified as important features of many mental disorders such as schizophrenia (SZ). However, only focusing on the time-varying patterns in FC is not enough, since the local neural activity itself (in contrast to the inter-connectivity) is also found to be highly fluctuating from research using high-temporal-resolution imaging techniques. Exploring the time-varying patterns in brain activity and their relationships with time-varying brain connectivity is important for advancing our understanding of the co-evolutionary property of brain network and the underlying mechanism of brain dynamics. In this study, we introduced a framework for characterizing time-varying brain activity and exploring its associations with time-varying brain connectivity, and applied this framework to a resting-state fMRI dataset including 151 SZ patients and 163 age- and gender matched healthy controls (HCs). In this framework, 48 brain regions were first identified as intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) using group independent component analysis (GICA). A sliding window approach was then adopted for the estimation of dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (dALFF) and dFC, which were used to measure time-varying brain activity and time-varying brain connectivity respectively. The dALFF was further clustered into six reoccurring states by the k-means clustering method and the group difference in occurrences of dALFF states was explored. Lastly, correlation coefficients between dALFF and dFC were calculated and the group difference in these dALFF-dFC correlations was explored. Our results suggested that 1) ALFF of brain regions was highly fluctuating during the resting-state and such dynamic patterns are altered in SZ, 2) dALFF and dFC were correlated in time and their correlations are altered in SZ. The overall results support and expand prior work on abnormalities of brain activity, static FC (sFC) and dFC in SZ, and provide new evidence on aberrant time-varying brain activity and its associations with brain connectivity in SZ, which might underscore the disrupted brain cognitive functions in this mental disorder. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationships among measures of balance, gait, and community integration in people with brain injury.

PubMed

Perry, Susan B; Woollard, Jason; Little, Susan; Shroyer, Kathleen

2014-01-01

To examine the relationship among measures of gait, balance, and community integration in adults with brain injury. Two rehabilitation hospitals. Thirty-four community-dwelling individuals with brain injury, aged 18 to 61 years (mean = 32 years), who were able to walk at least 12 m independently or with supervision. Mean time post-brain injury was 52 ± 44 months. Cross-sectional study. Community Balance and Mobility Scale, Dynamic Gait Index, Ten-Meter Walk Test for gait speed, and the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ). Mean balance and gait scores were as follows: 54 ± 26 of 96 on the Community Balance and Mobility Scale; 19 ± 5 of 24 on the Dynamic Gait Index; and gait speed of 1.36 ± 0.88 m/s. Mean score on the CIQ was 16 ± 5 of 29. Correlations between the balance/gait measures and the total CIQ score ranged from 0.21 to 0.30 and were not significant. All 3 balance/gait measures correlated significantly with the CIQ Productivity subscale (range = 0.38-0.52). The ability of people with brain injury to engage in work/school/volunteer activity may be reduced by impairments in balance and mobility. Future research should explore this relationship and determine whether interventions that improve balance and mobility result in improved community productivity.

Head circumference, atrophy, and cognition: implications for brain reserve in Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Perneczky, R; Wagenpfeil, S; Lunetta, K L; Cupples, L A; Green, R C; Decarli, C; Farrer, L A; Kurz, A

2010-07-13

Clinical and epidemiologic studies suggest that patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) with larger head circumference have better cognitive performance at the same level of brain pathology than subjects with smaller head circumference. A total of 270 patients with AD participating in the Multi-Institutional Research in Alzheimer's Genetic Epidemiology (MIRAGE) study underwent cognitive testing, APOE genotyping, and MRI of the brain in a cross-sectional study. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between cerebral atrophy, as a proxy for AD pathology, and level of cognitive function, adjusting for age, duration of AD symptoms, gender, head circumference, APOE genotype, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, major depression, and ethnicity. An interaction term between atrophy and head circumference was introduced to explore if head circumference modified the association between cerebral atrophy and cognition. There was a significant inverse association between atrophy and cognitive function, and a significant interaction between atrophy and head circumference. With greater levels of atrophy, cognition was higher for individuals with greater head circumference. This study suggests that larger head circumference is associated with less cognitive impairment in the face of cerebral atrophy. This finding supports the notion that head circumference (and presumably brain size) offers protection against AD symptoms through enhanced brain reserve.

Altered expression of zonula occludens-2 precedes increased blood-brain barrier permeability in a murine model of fulminant hepatic failure.

PubMed

Shimojima, Naoki; Eckman, Christopher B; McKinney, Michael; Sevlever, Daniel; Yamamoto, Satoshi; Lin, Wenlang; Dickson, Dennis W; Nguyen, Justin H

2008-01-01

Brain edema secondary to increased blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability is a lethal complication in fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). Intact tight junctions (TJ) between brain capillary endothelial cells are critical for normal BBB function. However, the role of TJ in FHF has not been explored. We hypothesized that alterations in the composition of TJ proteins would result in increased BBB permeability in FHF. In this study, FHF was induced in C57BL/6J mice by using azoxymethane. BBB permeability was assessed with sodium fluorescein. Expression of TJ proteins was determined by Western blot, and their cellular distribution was examined using immunofluorescent microscopy. Comatose FHF mice had significant cerebral sodium fluorescein extravasation compared with control and precoma FHF mice, indicating increased BBB permeability. Western blot analysis showed a significant decrease in zonula occludens (ZO)-2 expression starting in the precoma stage. Immunofluorescent microscopy showed a significantly altered distribution pattern of ZO-2 in isolated microvessels from precoma FHF mice. These changes were more prominent in comatose FHF animals. Significant alterations in ZO-2 expression and distribution in the tight junctions preceded the increased BBB permeability in FHF mice. These results suggest that ZO-2 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of brain edema in FHF.

Task by stimulus interactions in brain responses during Chinese character processing.

PubMed

Yang, Jianfeng; Wang, Xiaojuan; Shu, Hua; Zevin, Jason D

2012-04-02

In the visual word recognition literature, it is well understood that various stimulus effects interact with behavioral task. For example, effects of word frequency are exaggerated and effects of spelling-to-sound regularity are reduced in the lexical decision task, relative to reading aloud. Neuroimaging studies of reading often examine effects of task and stimulus properties on brain activity independently, but potential interactions between task demands and stimulus effects have not been extensively explored. To address this issue, we conducted lexical decision and symbol detection tasks using stimuli that varied parametrically in their word-likeness, and tested for task by stimulus class interactions. Interactions were found throughout the reading system, such that stimulus selectivity was observed during the lexical decision task, but not during the symbol detection task. Further, the pattern of stimulus selectivity was directly related to task difficulty, so that the strongest brain activity was observed to the most word-like stimuli that required "no" responses, whereas brain activity to words, which elicit rapid and accurate "yes" responses were relatively weak. This is in line with models that argue for task-dependent specialization of brain regions, and contrasts with the notion of task-independent stimulus selectivity in the reading system. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Autonomous Circuitry for Substrate Exploration in Freely Moving Drosophila Larvae

PubMed Central

Berni, Jimena; Pulver, Stefan R.; Griffith, Leslie C.; Bate, Michael

2014-01-01

Summary Background Many organisms, from bacteria to human hunter-gatherers, use specialized random walk strategies to explore their environment. Such behaviors are an efficient stratagem for sampling the environment and usually consist of an alternation between straight runs and turns that redirect these runs. Drosophila larvae execute an exploratory routine of this kind that consists of sequences of straight crawls, pauses, turns, and redirected crawls. Central pattern generating networks underlying rhythmic movements are distributed along the anteroposterior axis of the nervous system. The way in which the operation of these networks is incorporated into extended behavioral routines such as substrate exploration has not yet been explored. In particular, the part played by the brain in dictating the sequence of movements required is unknown. Results We report the use of a genetic method to block synaptic activity acutely in the brain and subesophageal ganglia (SOG) of larvae during active exploratory behavior. We show that the brain and SOG are not required for the normal performance of an exploratory routine. Alternation between crawls and turns is an intrinsic property of the abdominal and/or thoracic networks. The brain modifies this autonomous routine during goal-directed movements such as those of chemotaxis. Nonetheless, light avoidance behavior can be mediated in the absence of brain activity solely by the sensorimotor system of the abdomen and thorax. Conclusions The sequence of movements for substrate exploration is an autonomous capacity of the thoracic and abdominal nervous system. The brain modulates this exploratory routine in response to environmental cues. PMID:22940472

The Lateralizer: A Tool for Students to Explore the Divided Brain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Motz, Benjamin A.; James, Karin H.; Busey, Thomas A.

2012-01-01

Despite a profusion of popular misinformation about the left brain and right brain, there are functional differences between the left and right cerebral hemispheres in humans. Evidence from split-brain patients, individuals with unilateral brain damage, and neuroimaging studies suggest that each hemisphere may be specialized for certain cognitive…

A Needs Assessment of Brain Death Education in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowships.

PubMed

Ausmus, Andrew M; Simpson, Pippa M; Zhang, Liyun; Petersen, Tara L

2018-04-12

To assess the current training in brain death examination provided during pediatric critical care medicine fellowship. Internet-based survey. United States pediatric critical care medicine fellowship programs. Sixty-four pediatric critical care medicine fellowship program directors and 230 current pediatric critical care medicine fellows/recent graduates were invited to participate. Participants were asked demographic questions related to their fellowship programs, training currently provided at their fellowship programs, previous experience with brain death examinations (fellows/graduates), and perceptions regarding the adequacy of current training. Twenty-nine program directors (45%) and 91 current fellows/graduates (40%) responded. Third-year fellows reported having performed a median of five examinations (interquartile range, 3-6). On a five-point Likert scale, 93% of program directors responded they "agree" or "strongly agree" that their fellows receive enough instruction on performing brain death examinations compared with 67% of fellows and graduates (p = 0.007). The responses were similar when asked about opportunity to practice brain death examinations (90% vs 54%; p < 0.001). In a regression tree analysis, number of brain death examinations performed was the strongest predictor of trainee satisfaction. Both fellows and program directors preferred bedside demonstration or simulation as educational modalities to add to the fellowship curriculum. Pediatric critical care medicine fellows overall perform relatively few brain death examinations during their training. Pediatric critical care medicine fellows and program directors disagree in their perceptions of the current training in brain death examination, with fellows perceiving a need for increased training. Both program directors and fellows prefer additional training using bedside demonstration or simulation. Since clinical exposure to brain death examinations is variable, adding simulated brain death examinations to the pediatric critical care medicine fellowship curriculum could help standardize the experience.

On the relationship between head circumference, brain size, prenatal long-chain PUFA/5-methyltetrahydrofolate supplementation and cognitive abilities during childhood.

PubMed

Catena, Andrés; Martínez-Zaldívar, Cristina; Diaz-Piedra, Carolina; Torres-Espínola, Francisco J; Brandi, Pilar; Pérez-García, Miguel; Decsi, Tamás; Koletzko, Berthold; Campoy, Cristina

2017-03-29

Head circumference in infants has been reported to predict brain size, total grey matter volume (GMV) and neurocognitive development. However, it is unknown whether it has predictive value on regional and subcortical brain volumes. We aimed to explore the relationship between several head circumference measurements since birth and distributions of GMV and subcortical volumes at later childhood. We examined seventy-four, Caucasian, singleton, term-born infants born to mothers randomised to receive fish oil and/or 5-methyltetrahydrofolate or placebo prenatal supplementation. We assessed head circumference at birth and at 4 and 10 years of age and cognitive abilities at 7 years of age. We obtained brain MRI at 10 years of age, on which we performed voxel-based morphometry, cortical surface extraction and subcortical segmentation. Analyses were controlled for sex, age, height, weight, family status, laterality and total intracranial volume. Prenatal supplementation did not affect head circumference at any age, cognitive abilities or total brain volumes. Head circumference at 4 years presented the highest correlation with total GMV, white matter volume and brain surface area, and was also strongly associated with GMV of frontal, temporal and occipital areas, as well as with caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen and thalamus volumes. As relationships between brain volumes in childhood and several outcomes extend into adulthood, we have found that ages between 0 and 4 years as the optimal time for brain growth; postnatal factors might have the most relevant impact on structural maturation of certain cortical areas and subcortical nuclei, independent of prenatal supplementation.

Influence of Dexamethasone on O-(2-[18F]-Fluoroethyl)-L-Tyrosine Uptake in the Human Brain and Quantification of Tumor Uptake.

PubMed

Stegmayr, Carina; Stoffels, Gabriele; Kops, Elena Rota; Lohmann, Philipp; Galldiks, Norbert; Shah, Nadim J; Neumaier, Bernd; Langen, Karl-Josef

2018-05-29

O-(2-[ 18 F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine ([ 18 F]FET) is an established positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for brain tumor imaging. This study explores the influence of dexamethasone therapy on [ 18 F]FET uptake in the normal brain and its influence on the maximum and mean tumor-to-brain ratio (TBR). [ 18 F]FET PET scans of 160 brain tumor patients were evaluated (80 dexamethasone treated, 80 untreated; each group with 40 men/40 women). The standardized uptake value of [ 18 F]FET uptake in the normal brain (SUV brain ) in the different groups was compared. Nine patients were examined repeatedly with and without dexamethasone therapy. SUV brain of [ 18 F]FET uptake was significantly higher in dexamethasone-treated patients than in untreated patients (SUV brain 1.33 ± 0.1 versus 1.06 ± 0.16 in male and 1.45 ± 0.25 versus 1.31 ± 0.28 in female patients). Similar results were observed in patients with serial PET scans. Furthermore, compared to men, a significantly higher SUV brain was found in women, both with and without dexamethasone treatment. There were no significant differences between the different groups for TBR max and TBR mean , which could have been masked by the high standard deviation. In a patient with a stable brain metastasis investigated twice with and without dexamethasone, the TBR max and the biological tumor volume (BTV) decreased considerably after dexamethasone due to an increased SUV brain . Dexamethasone treatment appears to increase the [ 18 F]FET uptake in the normal brain. An effect on TBR max , TBR mean , and BTV cannot be excluded which should be considered especially for treatment monitoring and the estimation of BTV using [ 18 F]FET PET.

Effects of training strategies implemented in a complex videogame on functional connectivity of attentional networks.

PubMed

Voss, Michelle W; Prakash, Ruchika Shaurya; Erickson, Kirk I; Boot, Walter R; Basak, Chandramallika; Neider, Mark B; Simons, Daniel J; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele; Kramer, Arthur F

2012-01-02

We used the Space Fortress videogame, originally developed by cognitive psychologists to study skill acquisition, as a platform to examine learning-induced plasticity of interacting brain networks. Novice videogame players learned Space Fortress using one of two training strategies: (a) focus on all aspects of the game during learning (fixed priority), or (b) focus on improving separate game components in the context of the whole game (variable priority). Participants were scanned during game play using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), both before and after 20 h of training. As expected, variable priority training enhanced learning, particularly for individuals who initially performed poorly. Functional connectivity analysis revealed changes in brain network interaction reflective of more flexible skill learning and retrieval with variable priority training, compared to procedural learning and skill implementation with fixed priority training. These results provide the first evidence for differences in the interaction of large-scale brain networks when learning with different training strategies. Our approach and findings also provide a foundation for exploring the brain plasticity involved in transfer of trained abilities to novel real-world tasks such as driving, sport, or neurorehabilitation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of neural mechanisms of conflict and error processing during childhood: implications for self-regulation.

PubMed

Checa, Purificación; Castellanos, M C; Abundis-Gutiérrez, Alicia; Rosario Rueda, M

2014-01-01

Regulation of thoughts and behavior requires attention, particularly when there is conflict between alternative responses or when errors are to be prevented or corrected. Conflict monitoring and error processing are functions of the executive attention network, a neurocognitive system that greatly matures during childhood. In this study, we examined the development of brain mechanisms underlying conflict and error processing with event-related potentials (ERPs), and explored the relationship between brain function and individual differences in the ability to self-regulate behavior. Three groups of children aged 4-6, 7-9, and 10-13 years, and a group of adults performed a child-friendly version of the flanker task while ERPs were registered. Marked developmental changes were observed in both conflict processing and brain reactions to errors. After controlling by age, higher self-regulation skills are associated with smaller amplitude of the conflict effect but greater amplitude of the error-related negativity. Additionally, we found that electrophysiological measures of conflict and error monitoring predict individual differences in impulsivity and the capacity to delay gratification. These findings inform of brain mechanisms underlying the development of cognitive control and self-regulation.

Experimental microembolism induces localized neuritic pathology in guinea pig cerebrum

PubMed Central

Li, Jian-Ming; Cai, Yan; Liu, Fei; Yang, La; Hu, Xia; Patrylo, Peter R.; Cai, Huaibin; Luo, Xue-Gang; Xiao, Dong; Yan, Xiao-Xin

2015-01-01

Microbleeds are a common finding in aged human brains. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), neuritic plaques composed of β-amyloid (Aβ) deposits and dystrophic neurites occur frequently around cerebral vasculature, raising a compelling question as to whether, and if so, how, microvascular abnormality and amyloid/neuritic pathology might be causally related. Here we used a guinea pig model of cerebral microembolism to explore a potential inductive effect of vascular injury on neuritic and amyloid pathogenesis. Brains were examined 7-30 days after experimental microvascular embolization occupying ~0.5% of total cortical area. Compared to sham-operated controls, glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity was increased in the embolized cerebrum, evidently around intracortical vasculature. Swollen/sprouting neurites exhibiting increased reactivity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase, parvalbumin, vesicular glutamate transporter 1 and choline acetyltransferase appeared locally in the embolized brains in proximity to intracortical vasculature. The embolization-induced swollen/sprouting neurites were also robustly immunoreactive for β-amyloid precursor protein and β-secretase-1, the substrate and initiating enzyme for Aβ genesis. These experimental data suggest that microvascular injury can induce multisystem neuritic pathology associated with an enhanced amyloidogenic potential in wild-type mammalian brain. PMID:25871402

Experimental microembolism induces localized neuritic pathology in guinea pig cerebrum.

PubMed

Li, Jian-Ming; Cai, Yan; Liu, Fei; Yang, La; Hu, Xia; Patrylo, Peter R; Cai, Huaibin; Luo, Xue-Gang; Xiao, Dong; Yan, Xiao-Xin

2015-05-10

Microbleeds are a common finding in aged human brains. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), neuritic plaques composed of β-amyloid (Aβ) deposits and dystrophic neurites occur frequently around cerebral vasculature, raising a compelling question as to whether, and if so, how, microvascular abnormality and amyloid/neuritic pathology might be causally related. Here we used a guinea pig model of cerebral microembolism to explore a potential inductive effect of vascular injury on neuritic and amyloid pathogenesis. Brains were examined 7-30 days after experimental microvascular embolization occupying ~0.5% of total cortical area. Compared to sham-operated controls, glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity was increased in the embolized cerebrum, evidently around intracortical vasculature. Swollen/sprouting neurites exhibiting increased reactivity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase, parvalbumin, vesicular glutamate transporter 1 and choline acetyltransferase appeared locally in the embolized brains in proximity to intracortical vasculature. The embolization-induced swollen/sprouting neurites were also robustly immunoreactive for β-amyloid precursor protein and β-secretase-1, the substrate and initiating enzyme for Aβ genesis. These experimental data suggest that microvascular injury can induce multisystem neuritic pathology associated with an enhanced amyloidogenic potential in wild-type mammalian brain.

Development of neural mechanisms of conflict and error processing during childhood: implications for self-regulation

PubMed Central

Checa, Purificación; Castellanos, M. C.; Abundis-Gutiérrez, Alicia; Rosario Rueda, M.

2014-01-01

Regulation of thoughts and behavior requires attention, particularly when there is conflict between alternative responses or when errors are to be prevented or corrected. Conflict monitoring and error processing are functions of the executive attention network, a neurocognitive system that greatly matures during childhood. In this study, we examined the development of brain mechanisms underlying conflict and error processing with event-related potentials (ERPs), and explored the relationship between brain function and individual differences in the ability to self-regulate behavior. Three groups of children aged 4–6, 7–9, and 10–13 years, and a group of adults performed a child-friendly version of the flanker task while ERPs were registered. Marked developmental changes were observed in both conflict processing and brain reactions to errors. After controlling by age, higher self-regulation skills are associated with smaller amplitude of the conflict effect but greater amplitude of the error-related negativity. Additionally, we found that electrophysiological measures of conflict and error monitoring predict individual differences in impulsivity and the capacity to delay gratification. These findings inform of brain mechanisms underlying the development of cognitive control and self-regulation. PMID:24795676

BrainLiner: A Neuroinformatics Platform for Sharing Time-Aligned Brain-Behavior Data

PubMed Central

Takemiya, Makoto; Majima, Kei; Tsukamoto, Mitsuaki; Kamitani, Yukiyasu

2016-01-01

Data-driven neuroscience aims to find statistical relationships between brain activity and task behavior from large-scale datasets. To facilitate high-throughput data processing and modeling, we created BrainLiner as a web platform for sharing time-aligned, brain-behavior data. Using an HDF5-based data format, BrainLiner treats brain activity and data related to behavior with the same salience, aligning both behavioral and brain activity data on a common time axis. This facilitates learning the relationship between behavior and brain activity. Using a common data file format also simplifies data processing and analyses. Properties describing data are unambiguously defined using a schema, allowing machine-readable definition of data. The BrainLiner platform allows users to upload and download data, as well as to explore and search for data from the web platform. A WebGL-based data explorer can visualize highly detailed neurophysiological data from within the web browser, and a data-driven search feature allows users to search for similar time windows of data. This increases transparency, and allows for visual inspection of neural coding. BrainLiner thus provides an essential set of tools for data sharing and data-driven modeling. PMID:26858636

Generating and measuring photochemical changes inside the brain using optical fibers: exploring stroke.

PubMed

Tsiminis, Georgios; Klarić, Thomas S; Schartner, Erik P; Warren-Smith, Stephen C; Lewis, Martin D; Koblar, Simon A; Monro, Tanya M

2014-11-01

We report here on the development of a method for inducing a stroke in a specific location within a mouse brain through the use of an optical fiber. By capturing the emitted fluorescence signal generated using the same fiber it is possible to monitor photochemical changes within the brain in real-time, and directly measure the concentration of the stroke-inducing dye, Rose Bengal, at the infarct site. This technique reduces the requirement for post-operative histology to determine if a stroke has successfully been induced within the animal, and therefore opens up the opportunity to explore the recovery of the brain after the stroke event.

Mesoscale brain explorer, a flexible python-based image analysis and visualization tool.

PubMed

Haupt, Dirk; Vanni, Matthieu P; Bolanos, Federico; Mitelut, Catalin; LeDue, Jeffrey M; Murphy, Tim H

2017-07-01

Imaging of mesoscale brain activity is used to map interactions between brain regions. This work has benefited from the pioneering studies of Grinvald et al., who employed optical methods to image brain function by exploiting the properties of intrinsic optical signals and small molecule voltage-sensitive dyes. Mesoscale interareal brain imaging techniques have been advanced by cell targeted and selective recombinant indicators of neuronal activity. Spontaneous resting state activity is often collected during mesoscale imaging to provide the basis for mapping of connectivity relationships using correlation. However, the information content of mesoscale datasets is vast and is only superficially presented in manuscripts given the need to constrain measurements to a fixed set of frequencies, regions of interest, and other parameters. We describe a new open source tool written in python, termed mesoscale brain explorer (MBE), which provides an interface to process and explore these large datasets. The platform supports automated image processing pipelines with the ability to assess multiple trials and combine data from different animals. The tool provides functions for temporal filtering, averaging, and visualization of functional connectivity relations using time-dependent correlation. Here, we describe the tool and show applications, where previously published datasets were reanalyzed using MBE.

Gestational Age and Neonatal Brain Microstructure in Term Born Infants: A Birth Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Broekman, Birit F. P.; Wang, Changqing; Li, Yue; Rifkin-Graboi, Anne; Saw, Seang Mei; Chong, Yap-Seng; Kwek, Kenneth; Gluckman, Peter D.; Fortier, Marielle V.; Meaney, Michael J.; Qiu, Anqi

2014-01-01

Objective Understanding healthy brain development in utero is crucial in order to detect abnormal developmental trajectories due to developmental disorders. However, in most studies neuroimaging was done after a significant postnatal period, and in those studies that performed neuroimaging on fetuses, the quality of data has been affected due to complications of scanning during pregnancy. To understand healthy brain development between 37–41 weeks of gestational age, our study assessed the in utero growth of the brain in healthy term born babies with DTI scanning soon after birth. Methods A cohort of 93 infants recruited from maternity hospitals in Singapore underwent diffusion tensor imaging between 5 to 17 days after birth. We did a cross-sectional examination of white matter microstructure of the brain among healthy term infants as a function of gestational age via voxel-based analysis on fractional anisotropy. Results Greater gestational age at birth in term infants was associated with larger fractional anisotropy values in early developing brain regions, when corrected for age at scan. Specifically, it was associated with a cluster located at the corpus callosum (corrected p<0.001), as well as another cluster spanning areas of the anterior corona radiata, anterior limb of internal capsule, and external capsule (corrected p<0.001). Conclusions Our findings show variation in brain maturation associated with gestational age amongst ‘term’ infants, with increased brain maturation when born with a relatively higher gestational age in comparison to those infants born with a relatively younger gestational age. Future studies should explore if these differences in brain maturation between 37 and 41 weeks of gestational age will persist over time due to development outside the womb. PMID:25535959

A Single Primary Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury in a Rodent Model Causes Cell-Type Dependent Increase in Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate Oxidase Isoforms in Vulnerable Brain Regions.

PubMed

Rama Rao, Kakulavarapu V; Iring, Stephanie; Younger, Daniel; Kuriakose, Matthew; Skotak, Maciej; Alay, Eren; Gupta, Raj K; Chandra, Namas

2018-06-12

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) is a leading cause of morbidity in soldiers on the battlefield and in training sites with long-term neurological and psychological pathologies. Previous studies from our laboratory demonstrated activation of oxidative stress pathways after blast injury, but their distribution among different brain regions and their impact on the pathogenesis of bTBI have not been explored. The present study examined the protein expression of two isoforms: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase 1 and 2 (NOX1, NOX2), corresponding superoxide production, a downstream event of NOX activation, and the extent of lipid peroxidation adducts of 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE) to a range of proteins. Brain injury was evaluated 4 h after the shock-wave exposure, and immunofluorescence signal quantification was performed in different brain regions. Expression of NOX isoforms displayed a differential increase in various brain regions: in hippocampus and thalamus, there was the highest increase of NOX1, whereas in the frontal cortex, there was the highest increase of NOX2 expression. Cell-specific analysis of changes in NOX expression with respect to corresponding controls revealed that blast resulted in a higher increase of NOX1 and NOX 2 levels in neurons compared with astrocytes and microglia. Blast exposure also resulted in increased superoxide levels in different brain regions, and such changes were reflected in 4HNE protein adduct formation. Collectively, this study demonstrates that primary blast TBI induces upregulation of NADPH oxidase isoforms in different regions of the brain parenchyma and that neurons appear to be at higher risk for oxidative damage compared with other neural cells.

Allen Brain Atlas: an integrated spatio-temporal portal for exploring the central nervous system

PubMed Central

Sunkin, Susan M.; Ng, Lydia; Lau, Chris; Dolbeare, Tim; Gilbert, Terri L.; Thompson, Carol L.; Hawrylycz, Michael; Dang, Chinh

2013-01-01

The Allen Brain Atlas (http://www.brain-map.org) provides a unique online public resource integrating extensive gene expression data, connectivity data and neuroanatomical information with powerful search and viewing tools for the adult and developing brain in mouse, human and non-human primate. Here, we review the resources available at the Allen Brain Atlas, describing each product and data type [such as in situ hybridization (ISH) and supporting histology, microarray, RNA sequencing, reference atlases, projection mapping and magnetic resonance imaging]. In addition, standardized and unique features in the web applications are described that enable users to search and mine the various data sets. Features include both simple and sophisticated methods for gene searches, colorimetric and fluorescent ISH image viewers, graphical displays of ISH, microarray and RNA sequencing data, Brain Explorer software for 3D navigation of anatomy and gene expression, and an interactive reference atlas viewer. In addition, cross data set searches enable users to query multiple Allen Brain Atlas data sets simultaneously. All of the Allen Brain Atlas resources can be accessed through the Allen Brain Atlas data portal. PMID:23193282

Multimodal MRI and cognitive function in patients with breast cancer prior to adjuvant treatment--the role of fatigue.

PubMed

Menning, Sanne; de Ruiter, Michiel B; Veltman, Dick J; Koppelmans, V; Kirschbaum, Clemens; Boogerd, Willem; Reneman, Liesbeth; Schagen, Sanne B

2015-01-01

An increasing body of literature indicates that chemotherapy (ChT) for breast cancer (BC) is associated with adverse effects on the brain. Recent research suggests that cognitive and brain function in patients with BC may already be compromised before the start of chemotherapy. This is the first study combining neuropsychological testing, patient-reported outcomes, and multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine pretreatment cognition and various aspects of brain function and structure in a large sample. Thirty-two patients with BC scheduled to receive ChT (pre-ChT+), 33 patients with BC not indicated to undergo ChT (pre-ChT-), and 38 no-cancer controls (NCs) were included. The examination consisted of a neuropsychological test battery, self-reported aspects of psychosocial functioning, and multimodal MRI. Patients with BC reported worse scores on several aspects of quality of life, such as higher levels of fatigue and stress. However, cortisol levels were not elevated in the patient groups compared to the control group. Overall cognitive performance was lower in the pre-ChT+ and the pre-ChT- groups compared to NC. Further, patients demonstrated prefrontal hyperactivation with increasing task difficulty on a planning task compared to NC, but not during a memory task. White matter integrity was lower in both patient groups. No differences in regional brain volume and brain metabolites were found. The cognitive and imaging data converged to show that symptoms of fatigue were associated with the observed abnormalities; the observed differences were no longer significant when fatigue was accounted for. This study suggests that cancer-related psychological or biological processes may adversely impact cognitive functioning and associated aspects of brain structure and function before the start of adjuvant treatment. Our findings stress the importance to further explore the processes underlying the expression of fatigue and to study whether it has a contributory role in subsequent treatment-related cognitive decline.

Effects of Ecballium elaterium on brain in a rat model of sepsis-associated encephalopathy

PubMed Central

Arslan, Demet; Ekinci, Aysun; Arici, Akgul; Bozdemir, Eda; Akil, Esref; Ozdemir, Hasan Huseyin

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Despite recent advances in antibiotic therapy, sepsis remains a major clinical challenge in intensive care units. Here we examined the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of Ecballium elaterium (EE) on brain, and explored its therapeutic potential in an animal model of sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) [induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)]. Thirty rats were divided into three groups of 10 each: control, sepsis, and treatment. Rats were subjected to CLP except for the control group, which underwent laparatomy only. The treatment group received 2.5 mg/kg EE while the sepsis group was administered by saline. Twenty-four hours after laparotomy, animals were sacrificied and the brains were removed. Brain homogenates were prepared to assess interleukin 1beta (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and total oxidant status (TOS). Brain tissue sections were stained by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) to semi-quantitatively examine the histopathologic changes such as neuron degeneration, pericellular/perivascular edema and inflammatory cell infiltration in the cerebral cortex. We found a statistically significant reduction in brain tissue homogenate levels of TNF-α 59.5 ± 8.4/50.2 ± 6.2 (p = 0.007) and TOS 99.3 ± 16.9/82.3 ± 7.8 (p = 0.01) in rats treated with EE; although interleukin 6 levels were increased in the treatment group compared to the sepsis group, this was not statistically significant. Neuronal damage (p = 0.00), pericellular/perivascular edema and inflammatory cell infiltration (p = 0.001) were also significantly lower in the treatment group compared to those in the sepsis group. These data suggest that Ecballium elaterium contains some components that exert protective effects against SAE in part by attenuating accumulation of proinflammatory cytokines, which may be important contributors to its anti-inflammatory effects during sepsis. PMID:28859554

Using Drawings of the Brain Cell to Exhibit Expertise in Neuroscience: Exploring the Boundaries of Experimental Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hay, David B.; Williams, Darren; Stahl, Daniel; Wingate, Richard J.

2013-01-01

This paper explores the research perspective of neuroscience by documenting the brain cell (neuron) drawings of undergraduates, trainee scientists, and leading neuroscience researchers in a single research-intensive university. Qualitative analysis, drawing-sorting exercises, and hierarchical cluster analysis are used to answer two related…

Eclectic perspectives on the psychology of aphasia.

PubMed

Tanner, Dennis C

2003-01-01

This article explores the psychological changes that occur in patients who have suffered a stroke with resulting aphasia and examines the adjustments necessary to help the patient cope. The eclectic approach described in this paper examines the psychology of aphasia from three perspectives: effects of brain injury, psychological defenses and coping styles, and responses to loss. Depression, anxiety attacks, ego restriction, crying, euphoria, denial, anger, and a host of other psychological reactions can accompany stroke, sometimes causing health care personnel to feel overwhelmed by these psychological concomitants in their patients. This paper is intended as a guide to understanding the significant psychological adjustments many patients must undergo. Current information is provided to assist in evaluating and treating these patients.

Sign Language and the Brain: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Ruth; MacSweeney, Mairead; Waters, Dafydd

2008-01-01

How are signed languages processed by the brain? This review briefly outlines some basic principles of brain structure and function and the methodological principles and techniques that have been used to investigate this question. We then summarize a number of different studies exploring brain activity associated with sign language processing…

(1)H NMR-based metabonomics revealed protective effect of Naodesheng bioactive extract on ischemic stroke rats.

PubMed

Luo, Lan; Zhen, Lifeng; Xu, Yatao; Yang, Yongxia; Feng, Suxiang; Wang, Shumei; Liang, Shengwang

2016-06-20

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the world. However, current therapies are limited. Naodesheng, a widely used traditional Chinese medicine prescription, has shown a good clinical curative effect on ischemic stroke. Also, Naodesheng has been suggested to have neuroprotective effect on focal cerebral ischemia rats, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of Naodesheng bioactive extract on the metabolic changes in brain tissue, plasma and urine induced by cerebral ischemia perfusion injury, and explore the possible metabolic mechanisms by using a (1)H NMR-based metabonomics approach. A middle cerebral artery occlusion rat model was established and confirmed by the experiments of neurobehavioral abnormality evaluation, brain tissue TTC staining and pathological examination. The metabolic changes in brain tissue, plasma and urine were then assessed by a (1)H NMR technique combined with multivariate statistical analysis method. These NMR data showed that cerebral ischemia reperfusion induced great metabolic disorders in brain tissue, plasma and urine metabolisms. However, Naodesheng bioactive extract could reverse most of the imbalanced metabolites. Meanwhile, it was found that both the medium and high dosages of Naodesheng bioactive extract were more effective on the metabolic changes than the low dosage, consistent with histopathological assessments. These results revealed that Naodesheng had protective effect on ischemic stroke rats and the underlying mechanisms involved multiple metabolic pathways, including energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, oxidative stress and inflammatory injury. The present study could provide evidence that metabonomics revealed its capacity to evaluate the holistic efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine and explore the underlying mechanisms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Talent in the taxi: a model system for exploring expertise

PubMed Central

Woollett, Katherine; Spiers, Hugo J.; Maguire, Eleanor A.

2009-01-01

While there is widespread interest in and admiration of individuals with exceptional talents, surprisingly little is known about the cognitive and neural mechanisms underpinning talent, and indeed how talent relates to expertise. Because many talents are first identified and nurtured in childhood, it can be difficult to determine whether talent is innate, can be acquired through extensive practice or can only be acquired in the presence of the developing brain. We sought to address some of these issues by studying healthy adults who acquired expertise in adulthood. We focused on the domain of memory and used licensed London taxi drivers as a model system. Taxi drivers have to learn the layout of 25 000 streets in London and the locations of thousands of places of interest, and pass stringent examinations in order to obtain an operating licence. Using neuropsychological assessment and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, we addressed a range of key questions: in the context of a fully developed brain and an average IQ, can people acquire expertise to an exceptional level; what are the neural signatures, both structural and functional, associated with the use of expertise; does expertise change the brain compared with unskilled control participants; does it confer any cognitive advantages, and similarly, does it come at a cost to other functions? By studying retired taxi drivers, we also consider what happens to their brains and behaviour when experts stop using their skill. Finally, we discuss how the expertise of taxi drivers might relate to the issue of talent and innate abilities. We suggest that exploring talent and expertise in this manner could have implications for education, rehabilitation of patients with cognitive impairments, understanding individual differences and possibly conditions such as autism where exceptional abilities can be a feature. PMID:19528024

Eye-gaze independent EEG-based brain-computer interfaces for communication.

PubMed

Riccio, A; Mattia, D; Simione, L; Olivetti, M; Cincotti, F

2012-08-01

The present review systematically examines the literature reporting gaze independent interaction modalities in non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) for communication. BCIs measure signals related to specific brain activity and translate them into device control signals. This technology can be used to provide users with severe motor disability (e.g. late stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); acquired brain injury) with an assistive device that does not rely on muscular contraction. Most of the studies on BCIs explored mental tasks and paradigms using visual modality. Considering that in ALS patients the oculomotor control can deteriorate and also other potential users could have impaired visual function, tactile and auditory modalities have been investigated over the past years to seek alternative BCI systems which are independent from vision. In addition, various attentional mechanisms, such as covert attention and feature-directed attention, have been investigated to develop gaze independent visual-based BCI paradigms. Three areas of research were considered in the present review: (i) auditory BCIs, (ii) tactile BCIs and (iii) independent visual BCIs. Out of a total of 130 search results, 34 articles were selected on the basis of pre-defined exclusion criteria. Thirteen articles dealt with independent visual BCIs, 15 reported on auditory BCIs and the last six on tactile BCIs, respectively. From the review of the available literature, it can be concluded that a crucial point is represented by the trade-off between BCI systems/paradigms with high accuracy and speed, but highly demanding in terms of attention and memory load, and systems requiring lower cognitive effort but with a limited amount of communicable information. These issues should be considered as priorities to be explored in future studies to meet users' requirements in a real-life scenario.

Eye-gaze independent EEG-based brain-computer interfaces for communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riccio, A.; Mattia, D.; Simione, L.; Olivetti, M.; Cincotti, F.

2012-08-01

The present review systematically examines the literature reporting gaze independent interaction modalities in non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) for communication. BCIs measure signals related to specific brain activity and translate them into device control signals. This technology can be used to provide users with severe motor disability (e.g. late stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); acquired brain injury) with an assistive device that does not rely on muscular contraction. Most of the studies on BCIs explored mental tasks and paradigms using visual modality. Considering that in ALS patients the oculomotor control can deteriorate and also other potential users could have impaired visual function, tactile and auditory modalities have been investigated over the past years to seek alternative BCI systems which are independent from vision. In addition, various attentional mechanisms, such as covert attention and feature-directed attention, have been investigated to develop gaze independent visual-based BCI paradigms. Three areas of research were considered in the present review: (i) auditory BCIs, (ii) tactile BCIs and (iii) independent visual BCIs. Out of a total of 130 search results, 34 articles were selected on the basis of pre-defined exclusion criteria. Thirteen articles dealt with independent visual BCIs, 15 reported on auditory BCIs and the last six on tactile BCIs, respectively. From the review of the available literature, it can be concluded that a crucial point is represented by the trade-off between BCI systems/paradigms with high accuracy and speed, but highly demanding in terms of attention and memory load, and systems requiring lower cognitive effort but with a limited amount of communicable information. These issues should be considered as priorities to be explored in future studies to meet users’ requirements in a real-life scenario.

The neural control of singing

PubMed Central

Zarate, Jean Mary

2013-01-01

Singing provides a unique opportunity to examine music performance—the musical instrument is contained wholly within the body, thus eliminating the need for creating artificial instruments or tasks in neuroimaging experiments. Here, more than two decades of voice and singing research will be reviewed to give an overview of the sensory-motor control of the singing voice, starting from the vocal tract and leading up to the brain regions involved in singing. Additionally, to demonstrate how sensory feedback is integrated with vocal motor control, recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research on somatosensory and auditory feedback processing during singing will be presented. The relationship between the brain and singing behavior will be explored also by examining: (1) neuroplasticity as a function of various lengths and types of training, (2) vocal amusia due to a compromised singing network, and (3) singing performance in individuals with congenital amusia. Finally, the auditory-motor control network for singing will be considered alongside dual-stream models of auditory processing in music and speech to refine both these theoretical models and the singing network itself. PMID:23761746

Self-directed exploration provides a Ncs1-dependent learning bonus

PubMed Central

Mun, Ho-Suk; Saab, Bechara J.; Ng, Enoch; McGirr, Alexander; Lipina, Tatiana V.; Gondo, Yoichi; Georgiou, John; Roder, John C.

2015-01-01

Understanding the mechanisms of memory formation is fundamental to establishing optimal educational practices and restoring cognitive function in brain disease. Here, we show for the first time in a non-primate species, that spatial learning receives a special bonus from self-directed exploration. In contrast, when exploration is escape-oriented, or when the full repertoire of exploratory behaviors is reduced, no learning bonus occurs. These findings permitted the first molecular and cellular examinations into the coupling of exploration to learning. We found elevated expression of neuronal calcium sensor 1 (Ncs1) and dopamine type-2 receptors upon self-directed exploration, in concert with increased neuronal activity in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and area CA3, as well as the nucleus accumbens. We probed further into the learning bonus by developing a point mutant mouse (Ncs1P144S/P144S) harboring a destabilized NCS-1 protein, and found this line lacked the equivalent self-directed exploration learning bonus. Acute knock-down of Ncs1 in the hippocampus also decoupled exploration from efficient learning. These results are potentially relevant for augmenting learning and memory in health and disease, and provide the basis for further molecular and circuit analyses in this direction. PMID:26639399

Revisiting the continuum hypothesis: toward an in-depth exploration of executive functions in korsakoff syndrome.

PubMed

Brion, Mélanie; Pitel, Anne-Lise; Beaunieux, Hélène; Maurage, Pierre

2014-01-01

Korsakoff syndrome (KS) is a neurological state mostly caused by alcohol-dependence and leading to disproportionate episodic memory deficits. KS patients present more severe anterograde amnesia than Alcohol-Dependent Subjects (ADS), which led to the continuum hypothesis postulating a progressive increase in brain and cognitive damages during the evolution from ADS to KS. This hypothesis has been extensively examined for memory but is still debated for other abilities, notably executive functions (EF). EF have up to now been explored by unspecific tasks in KS, and few studies explored their interactions with memory. Exploring EF in KS by specific tasks based on current EF models could thus renew the exploration of the continuum hypothesis. This paper will propose a research program aiming at: (1) clarifying the extent of executive dysfunctions in KS by tasks focusing on specific EF subcomponents; (2) determining the differential EF deficits in ADS and KS; (3) exploring EF-memory interactions in KS with innovative tasks. At the fundamental level, this exploration will test the continuum hypothesis beyond memory. At the clinical level, it will propose new rehabilitation tools focusing on the EF specifically impaired in KS.

Revisiting the Continuum Hypothesis: Toward an In-Depth Exploration of Executive Functions in Korsakoff Syndrome

PubMed Central

Brion, Mélanie; Pitel, Anne-Lise; Beaunieux, Hélène; Maurage, Pierre

2014-01-01

Korsakoff syndrome (KS) is a neurological state mostly caused by alcohol-dependence and leading to disproportionate episodic memory deficits. KS patients present more severe anterograde amnesia than Alcohol-Dependent Subjects (ADS), which led to the continuum hypothesis postulating a progressive increase in brain and cognitive damages during the evolution from ADS to KS. This hypothesis has been extensively examined for memory but is still debated for other abilities, notably executive functions (EF). EF have up to now been explored by unspecific tasks in KS, and few studies explored their interactions with memory. Exploring EF in KS by specific tasks based on current EF models could thus renew the exploration of the continuum hypothesis. This paper will propose a research program aiming at: (1) clarifying the extent of executive dysfunctions in KS by tasks focusing on specific EF subcomponents; (2) determining the differential EF deficits in ADS and KS; (3) exploring EF-memory interactions in KS with innovative tasks. At the fundamental level, this exploration will test the continuum hypothesis beyond memory. At the clinical level, it will propose new rehabilitation tools focusing on the EF specifically impaired in KS. PMID:25071526

Viral infection leading to brain dysfunction: more prevalent than appreciated?

PubMed Central

van den Pol, Anthony N.

2009-01-01

Virus infections of the brain can lead to transient or permanent neurologic or psychiatric dysfunction. Some of the complexities in establishing the causal role of viruses in brain disease are explored here. PMID:19840542

Basic and functional effects of transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES)-An introduction.

PubMed

Yavari, Fatemeh; Jamil, Asif; Mosayebi Samani, Mohsen; Vidor, Liliane Pinto; Nitsche, Michael A

2018-02-01

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been gaining increased popularity in human neuroscience research during the last years. Among the emerging NIBS tools is transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), whose main modalities are transcranial direct, and alternating current stimulation (tDCS, tACS). In tES, a small current (usually less than 3mA) is delivered through the scalp. Depending on its shape, density, and duration, the applied current induces acute or long-lasting effects on excitability and activity of cerebral regions, and brain networks. tES is increasingly applied in different domains to (a) explore human brain physiology with regard to plasticity, and brain oscillations, (b) explore the impact of brain physiology on cognitive processes, and (c) treat clinical symptoms in neurological and psychiatric diseases. In this review, we give a broad overview of the main mechanisms and applications of these brain stimulation tools. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial Neglect Hinders Success of Inpatient Rehabilitation in Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Retrospective Study.

PubMed

Chen, Peii; Ward, Irene; Khan, Ummais; Liu, Yan; Hreha, Kimberly

2016-06-01

Background Current knowledge about spatial neglect and its impact on rehabilitation mostly originates from stroke studies. Objective To examine the impact of spatial neglect on rehabilitation outcome in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods The retrospective study included 156 consecutive patients with TBI (73 women; median age = 69.5 years; interquartile range = 50-81 years) at an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF). We examined whether the presence of spatial neglect affected the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores, length of stay, or discharge disposition. Based on the available medical records, we also explored whether spatial neglect was associated with tactile sensation or muscle strength asymmetry in the extremities and whether specific brain injuries or lesions predicted spatial neglect. Results In all, 30.1% (47 of 156) of the sample had spatial neglect. Sex, age, severity of TBI, or time postinjury did not differ between patients with and without spatial neglect. In comparison to patients without spatial neglect, patients with the disorder stayed in IRF 5 days longer, had lower FIM scores at discharge, improved slower in both Cognitive and Motor FIM scores, and might have less likelihood of return home. In addition, left-sided neglect was associated with asymmetric strength in the lower extremities, specifically left weaker than the right. Finally, brain injury-induced mass effect predicted left-sided neglect. Conclusions Spatial neglect is common following TBI, impedes rehabilitation progress in both motor and cognitive domains, and prolongs length of stay. Future research is needed for linking specific traumatic injuries and lesioned networks to spatial neglect and related impairment. © The Author(s) 2015.

Prion Disease Induces Alzheimer Disease-Like Neuropathologic Changes

PubMed Central

Tousseyn, Thomas; Bajsarowicz, Krystyna; Sánchez, Henry; Gheyara, Ania; Oehler, Abby; Geschwind, Michael; DeArmond, Bernadette; DeArmond, Stephen J.

2016-01-01

We examined the brains of 266 patients with prion diseases (PrionD) and found that 46 (17%) had Alzheimer disease (AD)-like changes. To explore potential mechanistic links between PrionD and AD, we exposed human brain aggregates (Hu BrnAggs) to brain homogenate from a patient with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and found that the neurons in the Hu BrnAggs produced many β-amyloid (β42) inclusions, whereas uninfected, control-exposed Hu BrnAggs did not. Western blots of 20-pooled CJD-infected BrnAggs verified higher Aβ42 levels than controls. We next examined the CA1 region of the hippocampus from 14 patients with PrionD and found that 5 patients had low levels of scrapie-associated prion protein (PrPSc), many Aβ42 intraneuronal inclusions, low APOE-4, and no significant nerve cell loss. Seven patients had high levels of PrPSc, low Aβ42, high APOE-4 and 40% nerve cell loss, suggesting that APOE-4 and PrPSc together cause neuron loss in PrionD. There were also increased levels of hyperphosphorylated tau protein (Hτ) and Hτ-positive neuropil threads and neuron bodies in both PrionD and AD groups. The brains of 6 age-matched control patients without dementia did not contain Aβ42 deposits; however, there were rare Hτ-positive threads in 5 controls and 2 controls had a few Hτ-positive nerve cell bodies. We conclude that PrionD may trigger biochemical changes similar to AD and suggest that PrionD are diseases of PrPSc, Aβ42, APOE-4 and abnormal tau. PMID:26226132

The Potential of Systems Thinking in Teacher Reform as Theorized for the Teaching Brain Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Vanessa

2013-01-01

The teaching brain is a dynamic system that is in constant interaction with the learning brain. If we fail to explore the teaching brain we will continue to design educational reform policies that ignore the most important lens in the classroom: the teachers'. Master teachers recognize their perspective and leverage their teaching brains to embody…

Limitations on the developing preterm brain: impact of periventricular white matter lesions on brain connectivity and cognition.

PubMed

Pavlova, Marina A; Krägeloh-Mann, Ingeborg

2013-04-01

Brain lesions to the white matter in peritrigonal regions, periventricular leukomalacia, in children who were born prematurely represent an important model for studying limitations on brain development. The lesional pattern is of early origin and bilateral, that constrains the compensatory potential of the brain. We suggest that (i) topography and severity of periventricular lesions may have a long-term predictive value for cognitive and social capabilities in preterm birth survivors; and (ii) periventricular lesions may impact cognitive and social functions by affecting brain connectivity, and thereby, the dissociable neural networks underpinning these functions. A further pathway to explore is the relationship between cerebral palsy and cognitive outcome. Restrictions caused by motor disability may affect active exploration of surrounding and social participation that may in turn differentially impinge on cognitive development and social cognition. As an outline for future research, we underscore sex differences, as the sex of a preterm newborn may shape the mechanisms by which the developing brain is affected.

Cortical thickness correlates of psychotic experiences: examining the effect of season of birth using a genetically informative design.

PubMed

Córdova-Palomera, A; Alemany, S; Falcón, C; Bargalló, N; Goldberg, X; Crespo-Facorro, B; Nenadic, I; Fañanás, L

2014-09-01

Season of birth has been shown to influence risk for several neuropsychiatric diseases. Furthermore, it has been suggested that season of birth modifies a number of brain morphological traits. Since cortical thickness alterations have been reported across some levels of the psychosis-spectrum, this study was aimed at i) assessing the scarcely explored relationship between cortical thickness and severity of subclinical psychotic experiences (PEs) in healthy subjects, and ii) evaluating the potential impact of season of birth in the preceding thickness-PEs relationship. As both PEs and brain cortical features are heritable, the current work used monozygotic twins to separately evaluate familial and unique environmental factors. High-resolution structural MRI scans of 48 twins (24 monozygotic pairs) were analyzed to estimate cortical thickness using FreeSurfer. They were then examined in relation to PEs, accounting for the effects of birth season; putative differential relationships between PEs and cortical thickness depending on season of birth were also tested. Current results support previous findings indicative of cortical thickening in healthy individuals with high psychometrically assessed psychosis scores, probably in line with theories of compensatory aspects of brain features in non-clinical populations. Additionally, they suggest distinct patterns of cortical thickness-PEs relationships depending on birth seasonality. Familial factors underlying the presence of PEs may drive these effects. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adjustment to loss of the driving role following traumatic brain injury: a qualitative exploration with key stakeholders.

PubMed

Liddle, Jacki; Fleming, Jennifer; McKenna, Kryss; Turpin, Merrill; Whitelaw, Penny; Allen, Shelley

2012-02-01

Community mobility is affected by an interruption to or cessation of driving following traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study aimed to examine loss of the driving role and to explore the outcomes associated with driving cessation from the perspectives of key people involved within the process: people with TBI, their family members and involved health professionals. A qualitative methodology was used, employing semi-structured interviews with 15 individuals with TBI who had experienced driving cessation, 10 family members and 10 health professionals working with this population. This article focuses on two themes, each with three subthemes. Being stuck: needs related to driving cessation had subthemes: (i) an emotional time, (ii) being normal and (iii) participation without driving. The second theme, A better way: suggestions to improve outcomes had subthemes: (i) information, (ii) support and trying it out and (iii) their family member's roles and needs. Driving cessation following TBI is associated with emotional, identity, transport and participation-related needs. An ongoing, individualised approach involving information, support and practical experiences may improve outcomes of driving cessation for people with TBI and their family members. © 2011 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal © 2011 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Tactile Object Familiarity in the Blind Brain Reveals the Supramodal Perceptual-Mnemonic Nature of the Perirhinal Cortex

PubMed Central

Cacciamani, Laura; Likova, Lora T.

2016-01-01

This study is the first to investigate the neural underpinnings of tactile object familiarity in the blind during both perception and memory. In the sighted, the perirhinal cortex (PRC) has been implicated in the assessment of visual object familiarity—a crucial everyday task—as evidenced by reduced activation when an object becomes familiar. Here, to examine the PRC’s role in tactile object familiarity in the absence of vision, we trained blind participants on a unique memory-guided drawing technique and measured brain activity while they perceptually explored raised-line drawings, drew them from tactile memory, and scribbled (control). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after a week of training revealed a significant decrease in PRC activation from pre- to post-training (i.e., from unfamiliar to familiar) during perceptual exploration as well as memory-guided drawing, but not scribbling. This familiarity-based reduction is the first evidence that the PRC represents tactile object familiarity in the blind. Furthermore, the finding of this effect during both tactile perception and tactile memory provides the critical link in establishing the PRC as a structure whose representations are supramodal for both perception and memory. PMID:27148002

Electrical bioimpedance enabling prompt intervention in traumatic brain injury

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seoane, Fernando; Atefi, S. Reza

2017-05-01

Electrical Bioimpedance (EBI) is a well spread technology used in clinical practice across the world. Advancements in Textile material technology with conductive textile fabrics and textile-electronics integration have allowed exploring potential applications for Wearable Measurement Sensors and Systems exploiting. The sensing principle of electrical bioimpedance is based on the intrinsic passive dielectric properties of biological tissue. Using a pair of electrodes, tissue is electrically stimulated and the electrical response can be sensed with another pair of surface electrodes. EBI spectroscopy application for cerebral monitoring of neurological conditions such as stroke and perinatal asphyxia in newborns have been justified using animal studies and computational simulations. Such studies have shown proof of principle that neurological pathologies indeed modify the dielectric composition of the brain that is detectable via EBI. Similar to stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) also affects the dielectric properties of brain tissue that can be detected via EBI measurements. Considering the portable and noninvasive characteristics of EBI it is potentially useful for prehospital triage of TBI patients where. In the battlefield blast induced Traumatic Brain Injuries are very common. Brain damage must be assessed promptly to have a chance to prevent severe damage or eventually death. The relatively low-complexity of the sensing hardware required for EBI sensing and the already proven compatibility with textile electrodes suggest the EBI technology is indeed a candidate for developing a handheld device equipped with a sensorized textile cap to produce an examination in minutes for enabling medically-guided prompt intervention.

Application of radiosurgical techniques to produce a primate model of brain lesions

PubMed Central

Kunimatsu, Jun; Miyamoto, Naoki; Ishikawa, Masayori; Shirato, Hiroki; Tanaka, Masaki

2015-01-01

Behavioral analysis of subjects with discrete brain lesions provides important information about the mechanisms of various brain functions. However, it is generally difficult to experimentally produce discrete lesions in deep brain structures. Here we show that a radiosurgical technique, which is used as an alternative treatment for brain tumors and vascular malformations, is applicable to create non-invasive lesions in experimental animals for the research in systems neuroscience. We delivered highly focused radiation (130–150 Gy at ISO center) to the frontal eye field (FEF) of macaque monkeys using a clinical linear accelerator (LINAC). The effects of irradiation were assessed by analyzing oculomotor performance along with magnetic resonance (MR) images before and up to 8 months following irradiation. In parallel with tissue edema indicated by MR images, deficits in saccadic and smooth pursuit eye movements were observed during several days following irradiation. Although initial signs of oculomotor deficits disappeared within a month, damage to the tissue and impaired eye movements gradually developed during the course of the subsequent 6 months. Postmortem histological examinations showed necrosis and hemorrhages within a large area of the white matter and, to a lesser extent, in the adjacent gray matter, which was centered at the irradiated target. These results indicated that the LINAC system was useful for making brain lesions in experimental animals, while the suitable radiation parameters to generate more focused lesions need to be further explored. We propose the use of a radiosurgical technique for establishing animal models of brain lesions, and discuss the possible uses of this technique for functional neurosurgical treatments in humans. PMID:25964746

Ketamine changes the local resting-state functional properties of anesthetized-monkey brain.

PubMed

Rao, Jia-Sheng; Liu, Zuxiang; Zhao, Can; Wei, Rui-Han; Zhao, Wen; Tian, Peng-Yu; Zhou, Xia; Yang, Zhao-Yang; Li, Xiao-Guang

2017-11-01

Ketamine is a well-known anesthetic. 'Recreational' use of ketamine common induces psychosis-like symptoms and cognitive impairments. The acute and chronic effects of ketamine on relevant brain circuits have been studied, but the effects of single-dose ketamine administration on the local resting-state functional properties of the brain remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to assess the effects of single-dose ketamine administration on the brain local intrinsic properties. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to explore the ketamine-induced alterations of brain intrinsic properties. Seven adult rhesus monkeys were imaged with rs-fMRI to examine the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the brain before and after ketamine injection. Paired comparisons were used to detect the significantly altered regions. Results showed that the fALFF of the prefrontal cortex (p=0.046), caudate nucleus (left side, p=0.018; right side, p=0.025), and putamen (p=0.020) in post-injection stage significantly increased compared with those in pre-injection period. The ReHo of nucleus accumbens (p=0.049), caudate nucleus (p=0.037), and hippocampus (p=0.025) increased after ketamine injection, but that of prefrontal cortex decreased (p<0.05). These findings demonstrated that single-dose ketamine administration can change the regional intensity and synchronism of brain activity, thereby providing evidence of ketamine-induced abnormal resting-state functional properties in primates. This evidence may help further elucidate the effects of ketamine on the cerebral resting status. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Self-rated function, self-rated health, and postmortem evidence of brain infarcts: findings from the Nun Study.

PubMed

Greiner, P A; Snowdon, D A; Greiner, L H

1999-07-01

Self-rated function is a new global measure. Previous findings suggest that self-rated function predicts future functional decline and is strongly associated with all-cause mortality. We hypothesized that the strength of the relationship of self-rated function to all-cause mortality was in part due to functional decline, such as would occur with brain infarcts. Self-ratings of function and health (on a 5-point scale, ranging from excellent to poor) were assessed annually on 630 participants in the Nun Study. Mortality surveillance extended from October 31, 1991 to March 1, 1998, and, among those who died, neuropathological examination determined postmortem evidence of brain infarcts. Cox regression modeling with self-rated function and health as time-dependent covariates and stratification by assessment period were used in these analyses. Self-rated function and health ratings of good, fair, and poor were significantly associated with doubling of the risk of mortality, compared with ratings of very good and excellent. Self-rated function ratings of fair or poor were associated with a threefold increase in the risk of mortality with brain infarcts, but self-rated function and health ratings of fair and poor were comparable in their association with all-cause mortality and mortality without brain infarcts. Self-rated function was significantly associated with mortality with brain infarcts, suggesting that brain infarcts may be experienced as functional loss but not recognized or labeled as disease. Our results suggest that self-rated function and health should be explored simultaneously in future research.

Distinct modulatory effects of satiety and sibutramine on brain responses to food images in humans: a double dissociation across hypothalamus, amygdala and ventral striatum

PubMed Central

Fletcher, PC; Napolitano, A; Skeggs, A; Miller, SR; Delafont, B; Cambridge, VC; de Wit, S; Nathan, PJ; Brooke, A; O’Rahilly, S; Farooqi, IS; Bullmore, ET

2012-01-01

We used fMRI to explore brain responses to food images in overweight humans, examining independently the impact of a pre-scan meal (“satiety”) and the anti-obesity drug sibutramine, a serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. We identified significantly different responses to these manipulations in amygdala, hypothalamus and ventral striatum. Each region was specifically responsive to high calorie compared to low calorie food images. However, the ventral striatal response was attenuated by satiety (but unaffected by sibutramine) while the hypothalamic and amygdala responses were attenuated by drug but unaffected by satiety. Direct assessment of regional interactions confirmed the significance of this double dissociation. We explored the regional responses in greater detail by determining whether they were predictive of eating behaviour and weight change. We observed that across the different regions, the individual-specific magnitude of drug- and satiety-induced modulation was associated with both variables: the sibutramine-induced modulation of the hypothalamic response was correlated with the drug’s impact on both weight and subsequently-measured ad libitum eating. The satiety-induced modulation of striatal response also correlated with subsequent ad lib eating. These results suggest that hypothalamus and amygdala have roles in the control of food intake that are distinct from those of ventral striatum. Furthermore, they support a regionally-specific effect on brain function through which sibutramine exerts its clinical effect. PMID:20980590

Teaching with the Brain in Mind.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Eric

This book reviews recent research and theory on the brain and balances this information with tips and techniques for using the information in classrooms. Brain-compatible learning is explored in the following chapters: (1) "The New Winds of Change"; (2) "The Learning Brain"; (3) "Getting Students Ready To Learn"; (4) "Enriched Environments and the…

Cooing, Crying, Cuddling: Infant Brain Development. [Videotape].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC.

Noting recent neuroscience research findings suggesting that caregivers play a vital role in brain development, this videotape explores the process of brain development during the first 15 months of life and presents implications for infant care. Part 1 of the 28-minute video discusses basic infant development and brain research, focusing on how…

Our Amazing Brains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bath, Howard

2005-01-01

This article begins a regular series on how brain research can help us understand young people and ourselves as well. The intent is to alert the reader to important information from recent research on the brain. This initial installment explores the concept of the triune brain, a term coined by neuroscientist Paul MacLean. This refers to three…

[Clinical application of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in children with idiopathic epilepsy].

PubMed

Shao, Xiao-Li; Zhou, Zhong-Shu; Hong, Wen

2010-06-01

This study examined the biochemical metabolism by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ('H-MRS) in order to explore the value of 'H-MRS in idiopathic epilepsy in children. Thirty-three children with idiopathic epilepsy (14 cases with history of febrile seizures and 19 cases without) and six normal controls experienced MRI of the skull and brain and single-voxel 'H-MRS examinations of the hippocampi-temporal lobe. The signal intensities of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), eatine+phosphocreatine (Cr), choline-containing compounds (Cho) and lactate (Lac) and the ratios of NAA/ (Cho+Cr) and Lac/Cr were compared between the patients and normal controls. MRI examination showed that only one child with epilepsy had myelin dysplasia. 'H-MRS examination showed that the ratio of NAA/ (Cho+Cr) in the epilepsy group was lower than that in the control group (0.64+/-0.07 vs 0.73+/-0.05; P<0.01). The epileptic children with history of febrile seizures had a more decreased ratio of NAA/ (Cho+Cr) compared with those without the history (0.61+/-0.07 vs 0.66+/-0.06; P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the ratio of Lac/Cr between the epilepsy and the control groups. 'H-MRS may provide early information on brain injury sensitively and non-invasively in children with epilepsy. It may be used for diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of epilepsy.

Multi-site exploration of sex differences in brain reactivity to smoking cues: Consensus across sites and methodologies.

PubMed

Dumais, Kelly M; Franklin, Teresa R; Jagannathan, Kanchana; Hager, Nathan; Gawrysiak, Michael; Betts, Jennifer; Farmer, Stacey; Guthier, Emily; Pater, Heather; Janes, Amy C; Wetherill, Reagan R

2017-09-01

Biological sex influences cigarette smoking behavior. More men than women smoke, but women have a harder time quitting. Sex differences in smoking cue (SC) reactivity may underlie such behavioral differences. However, the influence of sex on brain reactivity to SCs has yielded inconsistent findings suggesting the need for continued study. Here, we investigated the effect of sex on SC reactivity across two sites using different imaging modalities and SC stimulus types. Pseudo-continuous arterial spin-labeled (pCASL) perfusion functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess brain responses to SC versus non-SC videos in 40 smokers (23 females) at the University of Pennsylvania. BOLD fMRI was used to assess brain responses to SC versus non-SC still images in 32 smokers (18 females) at McLean Hospital. Brain reactivity to SCs was compared between men and women and was correlated with SC-induced craving. In both cohorts, males showed higher SC versus non-SC reactivity compared to females in reward-related brain regions (i.e., ventral striatum/ventral pallidum, ventral medial prefrontal cortex). Brain activation during SC versus non-SC exposure correlated positively with SC-induced subjective craving in males, but not females. The current work provides much needed replication and validation of sex differences in SC-reactivity. These findings also add to a body of literature showing that men have greater reward-related brain activation to drug cues across drug classes. Such sex differences confirm the need to consider sex not only when evaluating SC-reactivity but when examining nicotine dependence etiology and treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validity of semi-quantitative scale for brain MRI in unilateral cerebral palsy due to periventricular white matter lesions: Relationship with hand sensorimotor function and structural connectivity.

PubMed

Fiori, Simona; Guzzetta, Andrea; Pannek, Kerstin; Ware, Robert S; Rossi, Giuseppe; Klingels, Katrijn; Feys, Hilde; Coulthard, Alan; Cioni, Giovanni; Rose, Stephen; Boyd, Roslyn N

2015-01-01

To provide first evidence of construct validity of a semi-quantitative scale for brain structural MRI (sqMRI scale) in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) secondary to periventricular white matter (PWM) lesions, by examining the relationship with hand sensorimotor function and whole brain structural connectivity. Cross-sectional study of 50 children with UCP due to PWM lesions using 3 T (MRI), diffusion MRI and assessment of hand sensorimotor function. We explored the relationship of lobar, hemispheric and global scores on the sqMRI scale, with fractional anisotropy (FA), as a measure of brain white matter microstructure, and with hand sensorimotor measures (Assisting Hand Assessment, AHA; Jebsen-Taylor Test for Hand Function, JTTHF; Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function, MUUL; stereognosis; 2-point discrimination). Lobar and hemispheric scores on the sqMRI scale contralateral to the clinical side of hemiplegia correlated with sensorimotor paretic hand function measures and FA of a number of brain structural connections, including connections of brain areas involved in motor control (postcentral, precentral and paracentral gyri in the parietal lobe). More severe lesions correlated with lower sensorimotor performance, with the posterior limb of internal capsule score being the strongest contributor to impaired hand function. The sqMRI scale demonstrates first evidence of construct validity against impaired motor and sensory function measures and brain structural connectivity in a cohort of children with UCP due to PWM lesions. More severe lesions correlated with poorer paretic hand sensorimotor function and impaired structural connectivity in the hemisphere contralateral to the clinical side of hemiplegia. The quantitative structural MRI scoring may be a useful clinical tool for studying brain structure-function relationships but requires further validation in other populations of CP.

An exercise-based randomized controlled trial on brain, cognition, physical health and mental health in overweight/obese children (ActiveBrains project): Rationale, design and methods.

PubMed

Cadenas-Sánchez, Cristina; Mora-González, José; Migueles, Jairo H; Martín-Matillas, Miguel; Gómez-Vida, José; Escolano-Margarit, María Victoria; Maldonado, José; Enriquez, Gala María; Pastor-Villaescusa, Belén; de Teresa, Carlos; Navarrete, Socorro; Lozano, Rosa María; de Dios Beas-Jiménez, Juan; Estévez-López, Fernando; Mena-Molina, Alejandra; Heras, María José; Chillón, Palma; Campoy, Cristina; Muñoz-Hernández, Victoria; Martínez-Ávila, Wendy Daniela; Merchan, María Elisa; Perales, José C; Gil, Ángel; Verdejo-García, Antonio; Aguilera, Concepción M; Ruiz, Jonatan R; Labayen, Idoia; Catena, Andrés; Ortega, Francisco B

2016-03-01

The new and recent advances in neuroelectric and neuroimaging technologies provide a new era for further exploring and understanding how brain and cognition function can be stimulated by environmental factors, such as exercise, and particularly to study whether physical exercise influences brain development in early ages. The present study, namely the ActiveBrains project, aims to examine the effects of a physical exercise programme on brain and cognition, as well as on selected physical and mental health outcomes in overweight/obese children. A total of 100 participants aged 8 to 11 years are randomized into an exercise group (N=50) or a control group (N=50). The intervention lasts 20-weeks, with 3-5 sessions per week of 90 min each, and is mainly focused on high-intensity aerobic exercise yet also includes muscle-strengthening exercises. The extent to what the intervention effect remains 8-months after the exercise programme finishes is also studied in a subsample. Brain structure and function and cognitive performance are assessed using structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalographic recordings. Secondary outcomes include physical health outcomes (e.g. physical fitness, body fatness, bone mass and lipid-metabolic factors) and mental health outcomes (e.g. chronic stress indicators and overall behavioural and personality measurements such as anxiety or depression). This project will substantially contribute to the existing knowledge and will have an impact on societies, since early stimulation of brain development might have long lasting consequences on cognitive performance, academic achievement and in the prevention of behavioural problems and the promotion of psychological adjustment and mental health. Clinical trials. Gov identifier: NCT02295072. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Continuum of neurobehaviour and its associations with brain MRI in infants born preterm

PubMed Central

Eeles, Abbey L; Walsh, Jennifer M; Olsen, Joy E; Cuzzilla, Rocco; Thompson, Deanne K; Anderson, Peter J; Doyle, Lex W; Cheong, Jeanie L Y; Spittle, Alicia J

2017-01-01

Background Infants born very preterm (VPT) and moderate-to-late preterm (MLPT) are at increased risk of long-term neurodevelopmental deficits, but how these deficits relate to early neurobehaviour in MLPT children is unclear. The aims of this study were to compare the neurobehavioural performance of infants born across three different gestational age groups: preterm <30 weeks’ gestational age (PT<30); MLPT (32–36 weeks’ gestational age) and term age (≥37 weeks’ gestational age), and explore the relationships between MRI brain abnormalities and neurobehaviour at term-equivalent age. Methods Neurobehaviour was assessed at term-equivalent age in 149 PT<30, 200 MLPT and 200 term-born infants using the Neonatal Intensive Care UnitNetwork Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS), the Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examination (HNNE) and Prechtl’s Qualitative Assessment of General Movements (GMA). A subset of 110 PT<30 and 198 MLPT infants had concurrent brain MRI. Results Proportions with abnormal neurobehaviour on the NNNS and the HNNE, and abnormal GMA all increased with decreasing gestational age. Higher brain MRI abnormality scores in some regions were associated with suboptimal neurobehaviour on the NNNS and HNNE. The relationships between brain MRI abnormality scores and suboptimal neurobehaviour were similar in both PT<30 and MLPT infants. The relationship between brain MRI abnormality scores and abnormal GMA was stronger in PT<30 infants. Conclusions There was a continuum of neurobehaviour across gestational ages. The relationships between brain abnormality scores and suboptimal neurobehaviour provide evidence that neurobehavioural assessments offer insight into the integrity of the developing brain, and may be useful in earlier identification of the highest-risk infants. PMID:29637152

Structural brain imaging correlates of ASD and ADHD across the lifespan: a hypothesis-generating review on developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes.

PubMed

Rommelse, Nanda; Buitelaar, Jan K; Hartman, Catharina A

2017-02-01

We hypothesize that it is plausible that biologically distinct developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes are present, each characterized by a distinct time of onset of symptoms, progression and combination of symptoms. The aim of the present narrative review was to explore if structural brain imaging studies may shed light on key brain areas that are linked to both ASD and ADHD symptoms and undergo significant changes during development. These findings may possibly pinpoint to brain mechanisms underlying differential developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes. To this end we brought together the literature on ASD and ADHD structural brain imaging symptoms and particularly highlight the adolescent years and beyond. Findings indicate that the vast majority of existing MRI studies has been cross-sectional and conducted in children, and sometimes did include adolescents as well, but without explicitly documenting on this age group. MRI studies documenting on age effects in adults with ASD and/or ADHD are rare, and if age is taken into account, only linear effects are examined. Data from various studies suggest that a crucial distinctive feature underlying different developmental ASD-ADHD subtypes may be the differential developmental thinning patterns of the anterior cingulate cortex and related connections towards other prefrontal regions. These regions are crucial for the development of cognitive/effortful control and socio-emotional functioning, with impairments in these features as key to both ASD and ADHD.

Sex Differences in the Brain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimura, Doreen

1992-01-01

Explores the neural and hormonal basis of human intellectual function that gives rise to sex differences in the brain. Discusses behavioral, neurological, endocrinological studies, and studies of the effects of hormones on brain functioning that show a relationship between cognitive variations and sex. (MCO)

Unlocking the Secrets of the Brain, Part II: A Continuing Look at Techniques for Exploring the Brain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powledge, Tabitha M.

1997-01-01

Describes techniques for delving into the brain including positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and low-tech indirect studies. (JRH)

Mapping the functional connectome in traumatic brain injury: What can graph metrics tell us?

PubMed

Caeyenberghs, Karen; Verhelst, Helena; Clemente, Adam; Wilson, Peter H

2017-10-15

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with cognitive and motor deficits, and poses a significant personal, societal, and economic burden. One mechanism by which TBI is thought to affect cognition and behavior is through changes in functional connectivity. Graph theory is a powerful framework for quantifying topological features of neuroimaging-derived functional networks. The objective of this paper is to review studies examining functional connectivity in TBI with an emphasis on graph theoretical analysis that is proving to be valuable in uncovering network abnormalities in this condition. We review studies that have examined TBI-related alterations in different properties of the functional brain network, including global integration, segregation, centrality and resilience. We focus on functional data using task-related fMRI or resting-state fMRI in patients with TBI of different severity and recovery phase, and consider how graph metrics may inform rehabilitation and enhance efficacy. Moreover, we outline some methodological challenges associated with the examination of functional connectivity in patients with brain injury, including the sample size, parcellation scheme used, node definition and subgroup analyses. The findings suggest that TBI is associated with hyperconnectivity and a suboptimal global integration, characterized by increased connectivity degree and strength and reduced efficiency of functional networks. This altered functional connectivity, also evident in other clinical populations, is attributable to diffuse white matter pathology and reductions in gray and white matter volume. These functional alterations are implicated in post-concussional symptoms, posttraumatic stress and neurocognitive dysfunction after TBI. Finally, the effects of focal lesions have been found to depend critically on topological position and their role in the network. Graph theory is a unique and powerful tool for exploring functional connectivity in brain-injured patients. One limitation is that its results do not provide specific measures about the biophysical mechanism underlying TBI. Continued work in this field will hopefully see graph metrics used as biomarkers to provide more accurate diagnosis and help guide treatment at the individual patient level. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Mind, brain and body. Healing trauma: the way forward.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Margaret

2017-09-01

The paper explores an interdisciplinary whole person approach to healing from trauma that conserves our rich inheritance from Jung but also takes on board insights from research in the areas of attachment, trauma and the neurobiology of emotion. It is now over 20 years since insights from neurobiology began to be used to inform clinical practice. The paper reviews key insights which have emerged, along with the ways they enable therapists to help mind, brain and body to heal and the ways in which they clarify why, in clinical practice, we do what we do. Traditionally the emphasis has been on words, interpretations, and meaning-making. Currently there is greater appreciation of the affective, relational, embodied aspects of therapeutic work and the way in which these relate to traumatic early interactive experience that is held outside of human awareness. The ways in which knowledge of particular systems of connectivity inform understanding of the whole mind-brain-body relationship are examined. The way forward for clinical practice to become more focused in order to help clients to heal in mind and body is reviewed. © 2017, The Society of Analytical Psychology.

Hypnosis and imaging of the living human brain.

PubMed

Landry, Mathieu; Raz, Amir

2015-01-01

Over more than two decades, studies using imaging techniques of the living human brain have begun to explore the neural correlates of hypnosis. The collective findings provide a gripping, albeit preliminary, account of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms involved in hypnotic phenomena. While substantial advances lend support to different hypotheses pertaining to hypnotic modulation of attention, control, and monitoring processes, the complex interactions among the many mediating variables largely hinder our ability to isolate robust commonalities across studies. The present account presents a critical integrative synthesis of neuroimaging studies targeting hypnosis as a function of suggestion. Specifically, hypnotic induction without task-specific suggestion is examined, as well as suggestions concerning sensation and perception, memory, and ideomotor response. The importance of carefully designed experiments is highlighted to better tease apart the neural correlates that subserve hypnotic phenomena. Moreover, converging findings intimate that hypnotic suggestions seem to induce specific neural patterns. These observations propose that suggestions may have the ability to target focal brain networks. Drawing on evidence spanning several technological modalities, neuroimaging studies of hypnosis pave the road to a more scientific understanding of a dramatic, yet largely evasive, domain of human behavior.

Systems neuroscience in Drosophila: Conceptual and technical advantages.

PubMed

Kazama, H

2015-06-18

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is ideally suited for investigating the neural circuit basis of behavior. Due to the simplicity and genetic tractability of the fly brain, neurons and circuits are identifiable across animals. Additionally, a large set of transgenic lines has been developed with the aim of specifically labeling small subsets of neurons and manipulating them in sophisticated ways. Electrophysiology and imaging can be applied in behaving individuals to examine the computations performed by each neuron, and even the entire population of relevant neurons in a particular region, because of the small size of the brain. Moreover, a rich repertoire of behaviors that can be studied is expanding to include those requiring cognitive abilities. Thus, the fly brain is an attractive system in which to explore both computations and mechanisms underlying behavior at levels spanning from genes through neurons to circuits. This review summarizes the advantages Drosophila offers in achieving this objective. A recent neurophysiology study on olfactory behavior is also introduced to demonstrate the effectiveness of these advantages. Copyright © 2014 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discerning measures of conscious brain processes associated with superior early motor performance: Capacity, coactivation, and character.

PubMed

van Duijn, Tina; Buszard, Tim; Hoskens, Merel C J; Masters, Rich S W

2017-01-01

This study explored the relationship between working memory (WM) capacity, corticocortical communication (EEG coherence), and propensity for conscious control of movement during the performance of a complex far-aiming task. We were specifically interested in the role of these variables in predicting motor performance by novices. Forty-eight participants completed (a) an assessment of WM capacity (an adapted Rotation Span task), (b) a questionnaire that assessed the propensity to consciously control movement (the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale), and (c) a hockey push-pass task. The hockey push-pass task was performed in a single task (movement only) condition and a combined task (movement plus decision) condition. Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to examine brain activity during the single task. WM capacity best predicted single task performance. WM capacity in combination with T8-Fz coherence (between the visuospatial and motor regions of the brain) best predicted combined task performance. We discuss the implied roles of visuospatial information processing capacity, neural coactivation, and propensity for conscious processing during performance of complex motor tasks. © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing disease-modifying effects of norepinephrine in Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Ponnusamy, Ravikumar; McNerney, M Windy; Moghadam, Shahrzad; Salehi, Ahmad

2017-11-08

Building upon the knowledge that a number of important brain circuits undergo significant degeneration in Alzheimer's disease, numerous recent studies suggest that the norepinephrine-ergic system in the brainstem undergoes significant alterations early in the course of both Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. Massive projections from locus coeruleus neurons to almost the entire brain, extensive innervation of brain capillaries, and widespread distribution of noradrenergic receptors enable the norepinephrine-ergic system to play a crucial role in neural processes, including cognitive function. These anatomical and functional characteristics support the role of the norepinephrine-ergic system as an important target for developing new therapies for cognitive dysfunction. Careful neuropathological examinations using postmortem samples from individuals with Alzheimer's disease have implicated the role of the norepinephrine-ergic system in the etiopathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, numerous studies have supported the existence of a strong interaction between norepinephrine-ergic and neuroimmune systems. We explore the interaction between the two systems that could play a role in the disease-modifying effects of norepinephrine in Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Educational professionals' understanding of childhood traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Linden, Mark A; Braiden, Hannah-Jane; Miller, Sarah

2013-01-01

To determine the understanding of educational professionals around the topic of childhood brain injury and explore the factor structure of the Common Misconceptions about Traumatic Brain Injury Questionnaire (CM-TBI). Cross-sectional postal survey. The CM-TBI was posted to all educational establishments in one region of the UK. One representative from each school was asked to complete and return the questionnaire (n = 388). Differences were demonstrated between those participants who knew someone with a brain injury and those who did not, with a similar pattern being shown for those educators who had taught a child with brain injury. Participants who had taught a child with brain injury demonstrated greater knowledge in areas such as seatbelts/prevention, brain damage, brain injury sequelae, amnesia, recovery and rehabilitation. Principal components analysis suggested the existence of four factors and the discarding of half the original items of the questionnaire. In the first European study to explore this issue, it is highlighted that teachers are ill-prepared to cope with children who have sustained a brain injury. Given the importance of a supportive school environment in return to life following hospitalization, the lack of understanding demonstrated by teachers in this research may significantly impact on a successful return to school.

The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Brain Development: A Literature Review and Supporting Handouts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirouac, Samantha; McBride, Dawn Lorraine

2009-01-01

This project provides a comprehensive overview of the research literature on the brain and how trauma impacts brain development, structures, and functioning. A basic exploration of childhood trauma is outlined in this project, as it is essential in making associations and connections to brain development. Childhood trauma is processed in the…

Children's Executive Functions: Are They Poorer after Very Early Brain Insult

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Vicki; Spencer-Smith, Megan; Coleman, Lee; Anderson, Peter; Williams, Jackie; Greenham, Mardee; Leventer, Richard J.; Jacobs, Rani

2010-01-01

Traditionally early brain insult (EBI) has been considered to have better outcome than later injury, consistent with the notion that the young brain is flexible and able to reorganize. Recent research findings question this view, suggesting that EBI might lead to poorer outcome than brain insult at any other age. Exploring this early vulnerability…

The Brains behind Brain-Based Research: The Tale of Two Postsecondary Online Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuckin, Dawn; Ladhani, Mubeen

2010-01-01

This paper is written from the perspective of two postsecondary students who realized the implications for brain-based learning in the online environment. This paper explores the relationship between online learning in regards to how the brain generates meaning and understanding, the role of emotions, the collaborative construction of knowledge,…

Exploration and Modulation of Brain Network Interactions with Noninvasive Brain Stimulation in Combination with Neuroimaging

PubMed Central

Shafi, Mouhsin M.; Westover, M. Brandon; Fox, Michael D.; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro

2012-01-01

Much recent work in systems neuroscience has focused on how dynamic interactions between different cortical regions underlie complex brain functions such as motor coordination, language, and emotional regulation. Various studies using neuroimaging and neurophysiologic techniques have suggested that in many neuropsychiatric disorders, these dynamic brain networks are dysregulated. Here we review the utility of combined noninvasive brain stimulation and neuroimaging approaches towards greater understanding of dynamic brain networks in health and disease. Brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation, use electromagnetic principles to noninvasively alter brain activity, and induce focal but also network effects beyond the stimulation site. When combined with brain imaging techniques such as functional MRI, PET and EEG, these brain stimulation techniques enable a causal assessment of the interaction between different network components, and their respective functional roles. The same techniques can also be applied to explore hypotheses regarding the changes in functional connectivity that occur during task performance and in various disease states such as stroke, depression and schizophrenia. Finally, in diseases characterized by pathologic alterations in either the excitability within a single region or in the activity of distributed networks, such techniques provide a potential mechanism to alter cortical network function and architectures in a beneficial manner. PMID:22429242

Functional magnetic resonance imaging can be used to explore tactile and nociceptive processing in the infant brain

PubMed Central

Williams, Gemma; Fabrizi, Lorenzo; Meek, Judith; Jackson, Deborah; Tracey, Irene; Robertson, Nicola; Slater, Rebeccah; Fitzgerald, Maria

2015-01-01

Aim Despite the importance of neonatal skin stimulation, little is known about activation of the newborn human infant brain by sensory stimulation of the skin. We carried out functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess the feasibility of measuring brain activation to a range of mechanical stimuli applied to the skin of neonatal infants. Methods We studied 19 term infants with a mean age of 13 days. Brain activation was measured in response to brushing, von Frey hair (vFh) punctate stimulation and, in one case, nontissue damaging pinprick stimulation of the plantar surface of the foot. Initial whole brain analysis was followed by region of interest analysis of specific brain areas. Results Distinct patterns of functional brain activation were evoked by brush and vFh punctate stimulation, which were reduced, but still present, under chloral hydrate sedation. Brain activation increased with increasing stimulus intensity. The feasibility of using pinprick stimulation in fMRI studies was established in one unsedated healthy full-term infant. Conclusion Distinct brain activity patterns can be measured in response to different modalities and intensities of skin sensory stimulation in term infants. This indicates the potential for fMRI studies in exploring tactile and nociceptive processing in the infant brain. PMID:25358870

Knowledge of Traumatic Brain Injury among Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ernst, William J.; Gallo, Adrienne B.; Sellers, Amanda L.; Mulrine, Jessica; MacNamara, Luciana; Abrahamson, Allison; Kneavel, Meredith

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine knowledge of traumatic brain injury among educators. Few studies have examined knowledge of traumatic brain injury in this population and fewer still have included a substantial proportion of general education teachers. Examining knowledge of traumatic brain injury in educators is important as the vast…

Physiological Exploration of the Long Term Evolutionary Selection against Expression of N-Glycolylneuraminic Acid in the Brain*♦

PubMed Central

Naito-Matsui, Yuko; Davies, Leela R. L.; Takematsu, Hiromu; Chou, Hsun-Hua; Tangvoranuntakul, Pam; Carlin, Aaron F.; Verhagen, Andrea; Heyser, Charles J.; Yoo, Seung-Wan; Choudhury, Biswa; Paton, James C.; Paton, Adrienne W.; Varki, Nissi M.; Schnaar, Ronald L.; Varki, Ajit

2017-01-01

All vertebrate cell surfaces display a dense glycan layer often terminated with sialic acids, which have multiple functions due to their location and diverse modifications. The major sialic acids in most mammalian tissues are N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), the latter being derived from Neu5Ac via addition of one oxygen atom at the sugar nucleotide level by CMP-Neu5Ac hydroxylase (Cmah). Contrasting with other organs that express various ratios of Neu5Ac and Neu5Gc depending on the variable expression of Cmah, Neu5Gc expression in the brain is extremely low in all vertebrates studied to date, suggesting that neural expression is detrimental to animals. However, physiological exploration of the reasons for this long term evolutionary selection has been lacking. To explore the consequences of forced expression of Neu5Gc in the brain, we have established brain-specific Cmah transgenic mice. Such Neu5Gc overexpression in the brain resulted in abnormal locomotor activity, impaired object recognition memory, and abnormal axon myelination. Brain-specific Cmah transgenic mice were also lethally sensitive to a Neu5Gc-preferring bacterial toxin, even though Neu5Gc was overexpressed only in the brain and other organs maintained endogenous Neu5Gc expression, as in wild-type mice. Therefore, the unusually strict evolutionary suppression of Neu5Gc expression in the vertebrate brain may be explained by evasion of negative effects on neural functions and by selection against pathogens. PMID:28049733

Narratives Reflecting the Lived Experiences of People with Brain Disorders: Common Psychosocial Difficulties and Determinants

PubMed Central

Hartley, Sally; McArthur, Maggie; Coenen, Michaela; Cabello, Maria; Covelli, Venusia; Roszczynska-Michta, Joanna; Pitkänen, Tuuli; Bickenbach, Jerome; Cieza, Alarcos

2014-01-01

Background People with brain disorders - defined as both, mental disorders and neurological disorders experience a wide range of psychosocial difficulties (PSDs) (e.g., concentrating, maintaining energy levels, and maintaining relationships). Research evidence is required to show that these PSDs are common across brain disorders. Objectives To explore and gain deeper understanding of the experiences of people with seven brain disorders (alcohol dependency, depression, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, stroke). It examines the common PSDs and their influencing factors. Methods Seventy seven qualitative studies identified in a systematic literature review and qualitative data derived from six focus groups are used to generate first-person narratives representing seven brain disorders. A theory-driven thematic analysis of these narratives identifies the PSDs and their influencing factors for comparison between the seven disorders. Results First-person narratives illustrate realities for people with brain disorders facilitating a deeper understanding of their every-day life experiences. Thematic analysis serves to highlight the commonalities, both of PSDs, such as loneliness, anger, uncertainty about the future and problems with work activities, and their determinants, such as work opportunities, trusting relationships and access to self-help groups. Conclusions The strength of the methodology and the narratives is that they provide the opportunity for the reader to empathise with people with brain disorders and facilitate deeper levels of understanding of the complexity of the relationship of PSDs, determinants and facilitators. The latter reflect positive aspects of the lives of people with brain disorders. The result that many PSDs and their influencing factors are common to people with different brain disorders opens up the door to the possibility of using cross-cutting interventions involving different sectors. This strengthens the message that ‘a great deal can be done’ to improve the lived experience of persons with brain disorders when medical interventions are exhausted. PMID:24805128

[Bridge role of Jingming (BL 1) for VDT asthenopia and brainfag based on human instinct].

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Li, Huanan; Zhao, Na; Hai, Xinghua; Dong, Hua; Wang, Jingui

2017-01-12

To explore the bridge role of Jingming (BL 1) for video display terminal (VDT) asthenopia and brainfag. Ancient literature and modern scientific research on the acupoint have been analyzed and summarized so as to explore pressing the acupoint the instinct feedback of brain after asthenopia. It is demonstrated that Jingming (BL 1) is a key channel between eyes, brain and the outside world, and it is one of major feedback points of brain after asthenopia. In this paper we try to establish a new research thinking and ascertain it, namely Jingming (BL 1) reflecting the relationship between asthenopia and brainfag. We hope that it can provide some references for further research on cognizing brain through eye.

Basic emotion processing and the adolescent brain: Task demands, analytic approaches, and trajectories of changes.

PubMed

Del Piero, Larissa B; Saxbe, Darby E; Margolin, Gayla

2016-06-01

Early neuroimaging studies suggested that adolescents show initial development in brain regions linked with emotional reactivity, but slower development in brain structures linked with emotion regulation. However, the increased sophistication of adolescent brain research has made this picture more complex. This review examines functional neuroimaging studies that test for differences in basic emotion processing (reactivity and regulation) between adolescents and either children or adults. We delineated different emotional processing demands across the experimental paradigms in the reviewed studies to synthesize the diverse results. The methods for assessing change (i.e., analytical approach) and cohort characteristics (e.g., age range) were also explored as potential factors influencing study results. Few unifying dimensions were found to successfully distill the results of the reviewed studies. However, this review highlights the potential impact of subtle methodological and analytic differences between studies, need for standardized and theory-driven experimental paradigms, and necessity of analytic approaches that are can adequately test the trajectories of developmental change that have recently been proposed. Recommendations for future research highlight connectivity analyses and non-linear developmental trajectories, which appear to be promising approaches for measuring change across adolescence. Recommendations are made for evaluating gender and biological markers of development beyond chronological age. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Postnatal Vitamin D Intake Modulates Hippocampal Learning and Memory in Adult Mice

PubMed Central

Liang, Qiujuan; Cai, Chunhui; Duan, Dongxia; Hu, Xinyu; Hua, Wanhao; Jiang, Peicheng; Zhang, Liu; Xu, Jun; Gao, Zhengliang

2018-01-01

Vitamin D (VD) is a neuroactive steroid crucial for brain development, function and homeostasis. Its deficiency is associated with numerous brain conditions. As such, VD and its variants are routinely taken by a broad of groups with/without known VD deficiency. In contrast, the harmful effects of VD overdose have been poorly studied. Similarly, the developmental stage-specific VD deficiency and overdose have been rarely explored. In the present work, we showed that postnatal VD supplementation enhanced the motor function transiently in the young adult, but not in the older one. Postnatal VD intake abnormality did not impact the anxiety and depressive behavior but was detrimental to spatial learning and hippocampus-dependent memory. At the molecular level we failed to observe an obvious and constant change with the neural development and activity-related genes examined. However, disrupted developmental expression dynamics were observed for most of the genes, suggesting that the altered neural development dynamics and therefore aberrant adult plasticity might underlie the functional deficits. Our work highlights the essence of VD homeostasis in neural development and adult brain function. Further studies are needed to determine the short- and long-term effects VD intake status may have on brain development, homeostasis, and diseases. PMID:29666565

Characterization of the zinc-induced Shank3 interactome of mouse synaptosome.

PubMed

Lee, Yeunkum; Ryu, Jae Ryun; Kang, Hyojin; Kim, Yoonhee; Kim, Shinhyun; Zhang, Yinhua; Jin, Chunmei; Cho, Hyo Min; Kim, Won-Ki; Sun, Woong; Han, Kihoon

2017-12-16

Variants of the SHANK3 gene, which encodes a core scaffold protein of the postsynaptic density of excitatory synapses, have been causally associated with numerous brain disorders. Shank3 proteins directly bind zinc ions through their C-terminal sterile α motif domain, which enhances the multimerization and synaptic localization of Shank3, to regulate excitatory synaptic strength. However, no studies have explored whether zinc affects the protein interactions of Shank3, which might contribute to the synaptic changes observed after zinc application. To examine this, we first purified Shank3 protein complexes from mouse brain synaptosomal lysates that were incubated with different concentrations of ZnCl 2 , and analyzed them with mass spectrometry. We used strict criteria to identify 71 proteins that specifically interacted with Shank3 when extra ZnCl 2 was added to the lysate. To characterize the zinc-induced Shank3 interactome, we performed various bioinformatic analyses that revealed significant associations of the interactome with subcellular compartments, including mitochondria, and brain disorders, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Together, our results showing that zinc affected the Shank3 protein interactions of in vitro mouse synaptosomes provided an additional link between zinc and core synaptic proteins that have been implicated in multiple brain disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Basic emotion processing and the adolescent brain: Task demands, analytic approaches, and trajectories of changes

PubMed Central

Del Piero, Larissa B.; Saxbe, Darby E.; Margolin, Gayla

2016-01-01

Early neuroimaging studies suggested that adolescents show initial development in brain regions linked with emotional reactivity, but slower development in brain structures linked with emotion regulation. However, the increased sophistication of adolescent brain research has made this picture more complex. This review examines functional neuroimaging studies that test for differences in basic emotion processing (reactivity and regulation) between adolescents and either children or adults. We delineated different emotional processing demands across the experimental paradigms in the reviewed studies to synthesize the diverse results. The methods for assessing change (i.e., analytical approach) and cohort characteristics (e.g., age range) were also explored as potential factors influencing study results. Few unifying dimensions were found to successfully distill the results of the reviewed studies. However, this review highlights the potential impact of subtle methodological and analytic differences between studies, need for standardized and theory-driven experimental paradigms, and necessity of analytic approaches that are can adequately test the trajectories of developmental change that have recently been proposed. Recommendations for future research highlight connectivity analyses and nonlinear developmental trajectories, which appear to be promising approaches for measuring change across adolescence. Recommendations are made for evaluating gender and biological markers of development beyond chronological age. PMID:27038840

Nomadic Political Ontology and Transnational Academic Mobility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metcalfe, Amy Scott

2017-01-01

Transnational academic mobility is often characterized in relation to terms such as "brain drain", "brain gain", or "brain circulation"--terms that isolate researchers' minds from their bodies, while saying nothing about their political identities as foreign nationals. In this paper, I explore the possibilities of a…

Exploring the Other Side of the Brain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Therese

1984-01-01

At a school for the deaf, weekly hobby classes encourage use of the right side of the brain. Mini courses have included oil painting, sewing, ceramics, gymnastics, and photography with a stress on such right-brain learning techniques as imaging, sequencing, and manipulating patterns. (CL)

Quantifying pediatric neuro-oncology risk factors: development of the neurological predictor scale.

PubMed

Micklewright, Jackie L; King, Tricia Z; Morris, Robin D; Krawiecki, Nicolas

2008-04-01

Pediatric neuro-oncology researchers face methodological challenges associated with quantifying the influence of tumor and treatment-related risk factors on child outcomes. The Neurological Predictor Scale was developed to serve as a cumulative index of a child's exposure to risk factors. The clinical utility of the Neurological Predictor Scale was explored in a sample of 25 children with heterogeneous brain tumors. Consistent with expectation, a series of regression analyses demonstrated that the Neurological Predictor Scale significantly predicted composite intellectual functioning (r(2) = 0.21, p < .05), short-term memory (r(2) = 0.16, p = .05), and abstract visual reasoning abilities (r(2) = 0.28, p < .05). With the exception of chemotherapy, the Neurological Predictor Scale accounted for a significant amount of the variance in child intellectual functioning above and beyond individually examined variables. The Neurological Predictor Scale can be used to quickly quantify the cumulative risk factors associated with pediatric brain tumor diagnoses.

Math anxiety: A review of its cognitive consequences, psychophysiological correlates, and brain bases.

PubMed

Suárez-Pellicioni, Macarena; Núñez-Peña, María Isabel; Colomé, Àngels

2016-02-01

A decade has passed since the last published review of math anxiety, which was carried out by Ashcraft and Ridley (2005). Given the considerable interest aroused by this topic in recent years and the growing number of publications related to it, the present article aims to provide a full and updated review of the field, ranging from the initial studies of the impact of math anxiety on numerical cognition, to the latest research exploring its electrophysiological correlates and brain bases from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. Finally, this review describes the factors and mechanisms that have been claimed to play a role in the origins and/or maintenance of math anxiety, and it examines in detail the main explanations proposed to account for the negative effects of math anxiety on performance: competition for working memory resources, a deficit in a low-level numerical representation, and inhibition/attentional control deficit.

A brain computer interface-based explorer.

PubMed

Bai, Lijuan; Yu, Tianyou; Li, Yuanqing

2015-04-15

In recent years, various applications of brain computer interfaces (BCIs) have been studied. In this paper, we present a hybrid BCI combining P300 and motor imagery to operate an explorer. Our system is mainly composed of a BCI mouse, a BCI speller and an explorer. Through this system, the user can access his computer and manipulate (open, close, copy, paste, and delete) files such as documents, pictures, music, movies and so on. The system has been tested with five subjects, and the experimental results show that the explorer can be successfully operated according to subjects' intentions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Consequences of cognitive impairments following traumatic brain injury: Pilot study on visual exploration while driving.

PubMed

Milleville-Pennel, Isabelle; Pothier, Johanna; Hoc, Jean-Michel; Mathé, Jean-François

2010-01-01

The aim was to assess the visual exploration of a person suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). It was hypothesized that visual exploration could be modified as a result of attentional or executive function deficits that are often observed following brain injury. This study compared an analysis of eyes movements while driving with data from neuropsychological tests. Five participants suffering from TBI and six control participants took part in this study. All had good driving experience. They were invited to drive on a fixed-base driving simulator. Eye fixations were recorded using an eye tracker. Neuropsychological tests were used to assess attention, working memory, rapidity of information processing and executive functions. Participants with TBI showed a reduction in the variety of the visual zones explored and a reduction of the distance of exploration. Moreover, neuropsychological evaluation indicates that there were difficulties in terms of divided attention, anticipation and planning. There is a complementarity of the information obtained. Tests give information about cognitive deficiencies but not about their translation into a dynamic situation. Conversely, visual exploration provides information about the dynamic with which information is picked up in the environment but not about the cognitive processes involved.

Inability to produce a model of dialysis encephalopathy in the rat by aluminum administration.

PubMed

Perry, T L; Yong, V W; Godolphin, W J; Sutter, M; Hansen, S; Kish, S J; Foulks, J G; Ito, M

1987-04-01

We attempted to produce a rat model of brain aluminum toxicity in order to explore whether or not aluminum accumulation produces the neurochemical changes observed in brains of patients who die with dialysis encephalopathy. Daily subcutaneous injection of Al(OH)3 caused marked elevation of serum aluminum concentrations, but did not increase brain aluminum contents, either in rats with normal renal function, or in rats with unilateral or 5/6 nephrectomies. LiCl pretreatment, which has been reported to cause irreversible renal failure, did not impair renal function nor aid in achieving elevated brain aluminum contents. No reductions in brain contents of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or in glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD, E.C.4.1.1.15) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT, E.C.2.3.1.6) activities were observed in aluminum-treated rats. We conclude that the rat is not a suitable laboratory animal to explore the role of aluminum toxicity in causing the GABA and ChAT deficits present in brains of hemodialyzed human patients.

Public School Teachers' Knowledge, Perception, and Implementation of Brain-Based Learning Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wachob, David A.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine K-12 teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and practices of brain-based learning strategies in western Pennsylvania schools. The following five research questions were explored: (a) What is the extent of knowledge K-12 public school teachers have about the indicators of brain-based learning and Brain Gym?; (b) To…

EEG-based research on brain functional networks in cognition.

PubMed

Wang, Niannian; Zhang, Li; Liu, Guozhong

2015-01-01

Recently, exploring the cognitive functions of the brain by establishing a network model to understand the working mechanism of the brain has become a popular research topic in the field of neuroscience. In this study, electroencephalography (EEG) was used to collect data from subjects given four different mathematical cognitive tasks: recite numbers clockwise and counter-clockwise, and letters clockwise and counter-clockwise to build a complex brain function network (BFN). By studying the connectivity features and parameters of those brain functional networks, it was found that the average clustering coefficient is much larger than its corresponding random network and the average shortest path length is similar to the corresponding random networks, which clearly shows the characteristics of the small-world network. The brain regions stimulated during the experiment are consistent with traditional cognitive science regarding learning, memory, comprehension, and other rational judgment results. The new method of complex networking involves studying the mathematical cognitive process of reciting, providing an effective research foundation for exploring the relationship between brain cognition and human learning skills and memory. This could help detect memory deficits early in young and mentally handicapped children, and help scientists understand the causes of cognitive brain disorders.

Abnormal hubs of white matter networks in the frontal-parieto circuit contribute to depression discrimination via pattern classification.

PubMed

Qin, Jiaolong; Wei, Maobin; Liu, Haiyan; Chen, Jianhuai; Yan, Rui; Hua, Lingling; Zhao, Ke; Yao, Zhijian; Lu, Qing

2014-12-01

Previous studies had explored the diagnostic and prognostic value of the structural neuroimaging data of MDD and treated the whole brain voxels, the fractional anisotropy and the structural connectivity as classification features. To our best knowledge, no study examined the potential diagnostic value of the hubs of anatomical brain networks in MDD. The purpose of the current study was to provide an exploratory examination of the potential diagnostic and prognostic values of hubs of white matter brain networks in MDD discrimination and the corresponding impaired hub pattern via a multi-pattern analysis. We constructed white matter brain networks from 29 depressions and 30 healthy controls based on diffusion tensor imaging data, calculated nodal measures and identified hubs. Using these measures as features, two types of feature architectures were established, one only included hubs (HUB) and the other contained both hubs and non hubs. The support vector machine classifiers with Gaussian radial basis kernel were used after the feature selection. Moreover, the relative contribution of the features was estimated by means of the consensus features. Our results presented that the hubs (including the bilateral dorsolateral part of superior frontal gyrus, the left middle frontal gyrus, the bilateral middle temporal gyrus, and the bilateral inferior temporal gyrus) played an important role in distinguishing the depressions from healthy controls with the best accuracy of 83.05%. Moreover, most of the HUB consensus features located in the frontal-parieto circuit. These findings provided evidence that the hubs could be served as valuable potential diagnostic measure for MDD, and the hub-concentrated lesion distribution of MDD was primarily anchored within the frontal-parieto circuit. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Time-of-day differences and short-term stability of the neural response to monetary reward: a pilot study.

PubMed

Hasler, Brant P; Forbes, Erika E; Franzen, Peter L

2014-10-30

Human and animal studies indicate that reward function is modulated by the circadian clock that governs our daily sleep/wake rhythm. For example, a robust circadian rhythm exists in positive affect, which is lower in the morning hours and peaks in the afternoon. A handful of functional neuroimaging studies suggest that systematic diurnal variation exists in brain activity related to other functions, but no published human studies have examined daily variation in the neural processing of reward. In the present study, we attempt to advance this literature by using functional neuroimaging methods to examine time-of-day changes in the responsivity of the reward circuit. Using a within-person design and a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) monetary reward task, we compared morning and afternoon reward-related brain activation in a sample of healthy young adults within 24h. Region of interest analyses focused on the striatum, and we hypothesized greater reward activation in the afternoon, concordant with the circadian peak in positive affect. Results were consistent with our hypothesis. In addition, we counterbalanced the order of morning and afternoon scans in order to explore the short-term stability of the neural response. Whole-brain analyses showed a markedly higher reactivity to reward throughout the brain in the first scan relative to the second scan, consistent with habituation to the monetary reward stimuli. However, these effects did not appear to explain the time-of-day findings. In summary, we report the first preliminary evidence of circadian variation in the neural processing of reward. These findings have both methodological and theoretical implications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Network Analysis of Intrinsic Functional Brain Connectivity in Male and Female Adult Smokers: A Preliminary Study.

PubMed

Moran-Santa Maria, Megan M; Vanderweyen, Davy C; Camp, Christopher C; Zhu, Xun; McKee, Sherry A; Cosgrove, Kelly P; Hartwell, Karen J; Brady, Kathleen T; Joseph, Jane E

2018-06-07

The goal of this study was to conduct a preliminary network analysis (using graph-theory measures) of intrinsic functional connectivity in adult smokers, with an exploration of sex differences in smokers. Twenty-seven adult smokers (13 males; mean age = 35) and 17 sex and age-matched controls (11 males; mean age = 35) completed a blood oxygen level-dependent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment. Data analysis involved preprocessing, creation of connectivity matrices using partial correlation, and computation of graph-theory measures using the Brain Connectivity Toolbox. Connector hubs and additional graph-theory measures were examined for differences between smokers and controls and correlations with nicotine dependence. Sex differences were examined in a priori regions of interest based on prior literature. Compared to nonsmokers, connector hubs in smokers emerged primarily in limbic (parahippocampus) and salience network (cingulate cortex) regions. In addition, global influence of the right insula and left nucleus accumbens was associated with higher nicotine dependence. These trends were present in male but not female smokers. Network communication was altered in smokers, primarily in limbic and salience network regions. Network topology was associated with nicotine dependence in male but not female smokers in regions associated with reinforcement (nucleus accumbens) and craving (insula), consistent with the idea that male smokers are more sensitive to the reinforcing aspects of nicotine than female smokers. Identifying alterations in brain network communication in male and female smokers can help tailor future behavioral and pharmacological smoking interventions. Male smokers showed alterations in brain networks associated with the reinforcing effects of nicotine more so than females, suggesting that pharmacotherapies targeting reinforcement and craving may be more efficacious in male smokers.

Reduction of Brain β-Amyloid (Aβ) by Fluvastatin, a Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitor, through Increase in Degradation of Amyloid Precursor Protein C-terminal Fragments (APP-CTFs) and Aβ Clearance*

PubMed Central

Shinohara, Mitsuru; Sato, Naoyuki; Kurinami, Hitomi; Takeuchi, Daisuke; Takeda, Shuko; Shimamura, Munehisa; Yamashita, Toshihide; Uchiyama, Yasuo; Rakugi, Hiromi; Morishita, Ryuichi

2010-01-01

Epidemiological studies suggest that statins (hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors) could reduce the risk of Alzheimer disease. Although one possible explanation is through an effect on β-amyloid (Aβ) metabolism, its effect remains to be elucidated. Here, we explored the molecular mechanisms of how statins influence Aβ metabolism. Fluvastatin at clinical doses significantly reduced Aβ and amyloid precursor protein C-terminal fragment (APP-CTF) levels among APP metabolites in the brain of C57BL/6 mice. Chronic intracerebroventricular infusion of lysosomal inhibitors blocked these effects, indicating that up-regulation of the lysosomal degradation of endogenous APP-CTFs is involved in reduced Aβ production. Biochemical analysis suggested that this was mediated by enhanced trafficking of APP-CTFs from endosomes to lysosomes, associated with marked changes of Rab proteins, which regulate endosomal function. In primary neurons, fluvastatin enhanced the degradation of APP-CTFs through an isoprenoid-dependent mechanism. Because our previous study suggests additive effects of fluvastatin on Aβ metabolism, we examined Aβ clearance rates by using the brain efflux index method and found its increased rates at high Aβ levels from brain. As LRP1 in brain microvessels was increased, up-regulation of LRP1-mediated Aβ clearance at the blood-brain barrier might be involved. In cultured brain microvessel endothelial cells, fluvastatin increased LRP1 and the uptake of Aβ, which was blocked by LRP1 antagonists, through an isoprenoid-dependent mechanism. Overall, the present study demonstrated that fluvastatin reduced Aβ level by an isoprenoid-dependent mechanism. These results have important implications for the development of disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer disease as well as understanding of Aβ metabolism. PMID:20472556

Brain metastases in cancer patients attending a Gamma Knife Center: A study from a single institute in Iran

PubMed Central

Azimi, Parisa; Shahzadi, Sohrab; Bitaraf, Mohammad Ali; Azar, Maziar; Alikhani, Mazdak; Zali, Alireza; Sadeghi, Sohrab; Montazeri, Ali

2017-01-01

Background: This study was aimed to explore data on brain metastases in cancer patients attending the Iranian Gamma Knife Center. Meterials and Methods: This was a retrospective study. In all 5216 case records of patients who referred to the Iranian Gamma Knife Center for treatment of brain tumors during year 2003-2011 were reviewed. Data were explored to identify patients who developed brain metastases due to cancer and assessed the information as applied to cancer patients including survival analysis. Results: Two hundred and twenty patients were identified as having brain metastases due to cancer. The mean age of patients was 54.0 (standard deviation [SD] =12.7) years. Patients were followed for an average of 7 months after treatment with gamma-knife. The median survival time for different the Graded Prognostic Assessment (GPA) was: GPA: 0-1, 4.0 ± 0.4 months; GPA: 1.5-2.5, 6.0 ± 0.7 months; GPA: 3, 9.0 ± 0.9 months; and GPA: 3.5-4.0, 12.0 ± 1.8 months and the overall median survival was 7.0 (SD = 0.6) months. Conclusion: The findings suggest that many cancer patients in Iran might develop brain metastasis. Although, this is not a very high incidence compared with the existing statistics from other countries, there is an urgent need to explore the issue further. PMID:28761536

Brain metastases in cancer patients attending a Gamma Knife Center: A study from a single institute in Iran.

PubMed

Azimi, Parisa; Shahzadi, Sohrab; Bitaraf, Mohammad Ali; Azar, Maziar; Alikhani, Mazdak; Zali, Alireza; Sadeghi, Sohrab; Montazeri, Ali

2017-01-01

This study was aimed to explore data on brain metastases in cancer patients attending the Iranian Gamma Knife Center. This was a retrospective study. In all 5216 case records of patients who referred to the Iranian Gamma Knife Center for treatment of brain tumors during year 2003-2011 were reviewed. Data were explored to identify patients who developed brain metastases due to cancer and assessed the information as applied to cancer patients including survival analysis. Two hundred and twenty patients were identified as having brain metastases due to cancer. The mean age of patients was 54.0 (standard deviation [SD] =12.7) years. Patients were followed for an average of 7 months after treatment with gamma-knife. The median survival time for different the Graded Prognostic Assessment (GPA) was: GPA: 0-1, 4.0 ± 0.4 months; GPA: 1.5-2.5, 6.0 ± 0.7 months; GPA: 3, 9.0 ± 0.9 months; and GPA: 3.5-4.0, 12.0 ± 1.8 months and the overall median survival was 7.0 (SD = 0.6) months. The findings suggest that many cancer patients in Iran might develop brain metastasis. Although, this is not a very high incidence compared with the existing statistics from other countries, there is an urgent need to explore the issue further.

An Multivariate Distance-Based Analytic Framework for Connectome-Wide Association Studies

PubMed Central

Shehzad, Zarrar; Kelly, Clare; Reiss, Philip T.; Craddock, R. Cameron; Emerson, John W.; McMahon, Katie; Copland, David A.; Castellanos, F. Xavier; Milham, Michael P.

2014-01-01

The identification of phenotypic associations in high-dimensional brain connectivity data represents the next frontier in the neuroimaging connectomics era. Exploration of brain-phenotype relationships remains limited by statistical approaches that are computationally intensive, depend on a priori hypotheses, or require stringent correction for multiple comparisons. Here, we propose a computationally efficient, data-driven technique for connectome-wide association studies (CWAS) that provides a comprehensive voxel-wise survey of brain-behavior relationships across the connectome; the approach identifies voxels whose whole-brain connectivity patterns vary significantly with a phenotypic variable. Using resting state fMRI data, we demonstrate the utility of our analytic framework by identifying significant connectivity-phenotype relationships for full-scale IQ and assessing their overlap with existent neuroimaging findings, as synthesized by openly available automated meta-analysis (www.neurosynth.org). The results appeared to be robust to the removal of nuisance covariates (i.e., mean connectivity, global signal, and motion) and varying brain resolution (i.e., voxelwise results are highly similar to results using 800 parcellations). We show that CWAS findings can be used to guide subsequent seed-based correlation analyses. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of the approach by examining CWAS for three additional datasets, each encompassing a distinct phenotypic variable: neurotypical development, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder diagnostic status, and L-dopa pharmacological manipulation. For each phenotype, our approach to CWAS identified distinct connectome-wide association profiles, not previously attainable in a single study utilizing traditional univariate approaches. As a computationally efficient, extensible, and scalable method, our CWAS framework can accelerate the discovery of brain-behavior relationships in the connectome. PMID:24583255

Gender Differences in Regional Brain Activity in Patients with Chronic Primary Insomnia: Evidence from a Resting-State fMRI Study.

PubMed

Dai, Xi-Jian; Nie, Xiao; Liu, Xuming; Pei, Li; Jiang, Jian; Peng, De-chang; Gong, Hong-Han; Zeng, Xian-Jun; Wáng, Yì-Xiáng J; Zhan, Yang

2016-03-01

To explore the regional brain activities in patients with chronic primary insomnia (PCPIs) and their sex differences. Forty-two PCPIs (27 females, 15 males) and 42 good sleepers (GSs; 24 females, 18 males) were recruited. Six PCPIs (3 males, 3 females) were scanned twice by MRI to examine the test-retest reliability. Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method was used to assess the local brain features. The mean signal values of the different ALFF areas were analyzed with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Simple linear regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationships between clinical features and different brain areas. Both female and male PCPIs showed higher ALFF in the temporal lobe and occipital lobe, especially in female PCPIs. Female PCPIs had lower ALFF in the bilateral cerebellum posterior lobe, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and bilateral limbic lobe; however, male PCPIs showed lower ALFF in the left occipital gyrus. The mean signal value of the cerebellum in female PCPIs showed negative correlations with negative emotions. Compared with male PCPIs, female PCPIs showed higher ALFF in the bilateral middle temporal gyrus and lower ALFF in the left limbic lobe. The different areas showed high test-retest stability (Clusters of contiguous volumes ≥ 1080 mm(3) with an intraclass correlation coefficient ≥ 0.80) and high degree of sensitivity and specificity. Female PCPIs showed more regional brain differences with higher and lower ALFF responses than male PCPIs. However, they shared analogous excessive hyperarousal mechanism and wide variations in aberrant brain areas. © 2016 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Multiple biomarkers and risk of clinical and subclinical vascular brain injury: the framingham offspring study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Several biomarkers have been individually associated with vascular brain injury, but no prior study has explored the simultaneous association of a biologically plausible panel of biomarkers with the incidence of stroke/transient ischemic attack and the prevalence of subclinical brain injury. In 3127...

Exploring Vocational Evaluation Practices following Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Dillahunt-Aspillaga, Christina; Jorgensen Smith, Tammy; Hanson, Ardis; Ehlke, Sarah; Stergiou-Kita, Mary; Dixon, Charlotte G; Quichocho, Davina

2015-01-01

Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) face many challenges when attempting to return to work (RTW). Vocational evaluation (VE) is a systematic process that involves assessment and appraisal of an individual's current work-related characteristics and abilities. The aims of this study are to (1) examine demographic and employment characteristics of vocational rehabilitation providers (VRPs), (2) identify the specific evaluation methods that are used in the VE of individuals with TBI, and (3) examine the differences in assessment method practices based upon evaluator assessment preferences. This exploratory case study used a forty-six-item online survey which was distributed to VRPs. One hundred and nine VRPs accessed the survey. Of these, 74 completed the survey. A majority of respondents were female (79.7%), Caucasian (71.6%), and holding a master's degree (74.3%), and more than half (56.8%) were employed as state vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs). In addition, over two-thirds (67.6%) were certified rehabilitation counselors (CRCs). Respondents reported using several specific tools and assessments during the VE process. Study findings reveal differences in use of and rationales for specific assessments amongst VRPs. Understanding VRP assessment practices and use of an evidence-based framework for VE following TBI may inform and improve VE practice.

Religious Fundamentalism Modulates Neural Responses to Error-Related Words: The Role of Motivation Toward Closure.

PubMed

Kossowska, Małgorzata; Szwed, Paulina; Wyczesany, Miroslaw; Czarnek, Gabriela; Wronka, Eligiusz

2018-01-01

Examining the relationship between brain activity and religious fundamentalism, this study explores whether fundamentalist religious beliefs increase responses to error-related words among participants intolerant to uncertainty (i.e., high in the need for closure) in comparison to those who have a high degree of toleration for uncertainty (i.e., those who are low in the need for closure). We examine a negative-going event-related brain potentials occurring 400 ms after stimulus onset (the N400) due to its well-understood association with the reactions to emotional conflict. Religious fundamentalism and tolerance of uncertainty were measured on self-report measures, and electroencephalographic neural reactivity was recorded as participants were performing an emotional Stroop task. In this task, participants read neutral words and words related to uncertainty, errors, and pondering, while being asked to name the color of the ink with which the word is written. The results confirm that among people who are intolerant of uncertainty (i.e., those high in the need for closure), religious fundamentalism is associated with an increased N400 on error-related words compared with people who tolerate uncertainty well (i.e., those low in the need for closure).

Hurst Exponent Analysis of Resting-State fMRI Signal Complexity across the Adult Lifespan

PubMed Central

Dong, Jianxin; Jing, Bin; Ma, Xiangyu; Liu, Han; Mo, Xiao; Li, Haiyun

2018-01-01

Exploring functional information among various brain regions across time enables understanding of healthy aging process and holds great promise for age-related brain disease diagnosis. This paper proposed a method to explore fractal complexity of the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) signal in the human brain across the adult lifespan using Hurst exponent (HE). We took advantage of the examined rs-fMRI data from 116 adults 19 to 85 years of age (44.3 ± 19.4 years, 49 females) from NKI/Rockland sample. Region-wise and voxel-wise analyses were performed to investigate the effects of age, gender, and their interaction on complexity. In region-wise analysis, we found that the healthy aging is accompanied by a loss of complexity in frontal and parietal lobe and increased complexity in insula, limbic, and temporal lobe. Meanwhile, differences in HE between genders were found to be significant in parietal lobe (p = 0.04, corrected). However, there was no interaction between gender and age. In voxel-wise analysis, the significant complexity decrease with aging was found in frontal and parietal lobe, and complexity increase was found in insula, limbic lobe, occipital lobe, and temporal lobe with aging. Meanwhile, differences in HE between genders were found to be significant in frontal, parietal, and limbic lobe. Furthermore, we found age and sex interaction in right parahippocampal gyrus (p = 0.04, corrected). Our findings reveal HE variations of the rs-fMRI signal across the human adult lifespan and show that HE may serve as a new parameter to assess healthy aging process. PMID:29456489

Hepatocyte growth factor sensitizes brain tumors to c-MET kinase inhibition

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ying; Farenholtz, Kaitlyn E.; Yang, Yanzhi; Guessous, Fadila; diPierro, Charles G.; Calvert, Valerie S.; Deng, Jianghong; Schiff, David; Xin, Wenjun; Lee, Jae K.; Purow, Benjamin; Christensen, James; Petricoin, Emanuel; Abounader, Roger

2013-01-01

Purpose The receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) c-MET and its ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are deregulated and promote malignancy in cancer and brain tumors. Consequently, clinically applicable c-MET inhibitors have been developed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the not well known molecular determinants that predict responsiveness to c-MET inhibitors, and to explore new strategies for improving inhibitor efficacy in brain tumors. Experimental design We investigated the molecular factors and pathway activation signatures that determine sensitivity to c-MET inhibitors in a panel of glioblastoma and medulloblastoma cells, glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), and established cell line-derived xenografts using functional assays, reverse protein microarrays, and in vivo tumor volume measurements, but validation with animal survival analyses remains to be done. We also explored new approaches for improving the efficacy of the inhibitors in vitro and in vivo. Results We found that HGF co-expression is a key predictor of response to c-MET inhibition among the examined factors, and identified an ERK/JAK/p53 pathway activation signature that differentiates c-MET inhibition in responsive and non-responsive cells. Surprisingly, we also found that short pre-treatment of cells and tumors with exogenous HGF moderately but statistically significantly enhanced the anti-tumor effects of c-MET inhibition. We observed a similar ligand-induced sensitization effect to an EGFR small molecule kinase inhibitor. Conclusions These findings allow the identification of a subset of patients that will be responsive to c-MET inhibition, and propose ligand pre-treatment as a potential new strategy for improving the anti-cancer efficacy of RTK inhibitors. PMID:23386689

Brain Gain or Brain Circulation? U.S. Doctoral Recipients Returning to South Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jenny J.; Kim, Dongbin

2010-01-01

This study explored the reasons for current reverse mobility patterns in South Korea and how the country benefits from returning U.S. doctoral recipients in the forms of brain gain and brain circulation. Based on interviews of Korean faculty who studied in the U.S., this study found that while the political economy might help to explain why Korean…

Approximate reasoning by pairwise comparisons. "Topodynamics of metastable brains" by Arturo Tozzi, et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kakiashvili, Tamar; Koczkodaj, Waldemar W.; Magnot, Jean-Pierre

2017-07-01

The innovative approach in [1], ;Topodynamics of Metastable Brains; by Arturo Tozzi, James Peters, Andrew Fingelkurts, Alexander Fingelkurts, and Pedro Marijuan has a high potential of becoming a paradigm shift in the brain research. It seems that this study has successfully explored the possibility of applying a celebrated Borsuk-Ulam theorem to the operational architectonics of the fundamental brain-mind processes.

[Comparison of the Wechsler Memory Scale-III and the Spain-Complutense Verbal Learning Test in acquired brain injury: construct validity and ecological validity].

PubMed

Luna-Lario, P; Pena, J; Ojeda, N

2017-04-16

To perform an in-depth examination of the construct validity and the ecological validity of the Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III) and the Spain-Complutense Verbal Learning Test (TAVEC). The sample consists of 106 adults with acquired brain injury who were treated in the Area of Neuropsychology and Neuropsychiatry of the Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra and displayed memory deficit as the main sequela, measured by means of specific memory tests. The construct validity is determined by examining the tasks required in each test over the basic theoretical models, comparing the performance according to the parameters offered by the tests, contrasting the severity indices of each test and analysing their convergence. The external validity is explored through the correlation between the tests and by using regression models. According to the results obtained, both the WMS-III and the TAVEC have construct validity. The TAVEC is more sensitive and captures not only the deficits in mnemonic consolidation, but also in the executive functions involved in memory. The working memory index of the WMS-III is useful for predicting the return to work at two years after the acquired brain injury, but none of the instruments anticipates the disability and dependence at least six months after the injury. We reflect upon the construct validity of the tests and their insufficient capacity to predict functionality when the sequelae become chronic.

Slow pupillary light responses in infants at high risk of cerebral palsy were associated with periventricular leukomalacia and neurological outcome.

PubMed

Hamer, Elisa G; Vermeulen, R Jeroen; Dijkstra, Linze J; Hielkema, Tjitske; Kos, Claire; Bos, Arend F; Hadders-Algra, Mijna

2016-12-01

Having observed slow pupillary light responses (PLRs) in infants at high risk of cerebral palsy, we retrospectively evaluated whether these were associated with specific brain lesions or unfavourable outcomes. We carried out neurological examinations on 30 infants at very high risk of cerebral palsy five times until the corrected age of 21 months, classifying each PLR assessment as normal or slow. The predominant reaction during development was determined for each infant. Neonatal brain scans were classified based on the type of brain lesion. Developmental outcome was evaluated at 21 months of corrected age with a neurological examination, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development Second Edition and the Infant Motor Profile. Of the 30 infants, 16 developed cerebral palsy. Predominantly slow PLRs were observed in eight infants and were associated with periventricular leukomalacia (p = 0.007), cerebral palsy (p = 0.039), bilateral cerebral palsy (p = 0.001), poorer quality of motor behaviour (p < 0.0005) and poorer cognitive outcome (p = 0.045). This explorative study suggested that predominantly slow PLR in infants at high risk of cerebral palsy were associated with periventricular leukomalacia and poorer developmental outcome. Slow PLR might be an expression of white matter damage, resulting in dysfunction of the complex cortico-subcortical circuitries. ©2016 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Calorie-induced ER stress suppresses uroguanylin satiety signaling in diet-induced obesity.

PubMed

Kim, G W; Lin, J E; Snook, A E; Aing, A S; Merlino, D J; Li, P; Waldman, S A

2016-05-23

The uroguanylin-GUCY2C gut-brain axis has emerged as one component regulating feeding, energy homeostasis, body mass and metabolism. Here, we explore a role for this axis in mechanisms underlying diet-induced obesity (DIO). Intestinal uroguanylin expression and secretion, and hypothalamic GUCY2C expression and anorexigenic signaling, were quantified in mice on high-calorie diets for 14 weeks. The role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in suppressing uroguanylin in DIO was explored using tunicamycin, an inducer of ER stress, and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), a chemical chaperone that inhibits ER stress. The impact of consumed calories on uroguanylin expression was explored by dietary manipulation. The role of uroguanylin in mechanisms underlying obesity was examined using Camk2a-Cre-ER(T2)-Rosa-STOP(loxP/loxP)-Guca2b mice in which tamoxifen induces transgenic hormone expression in brain. DIO suppressed intestinal uroguanylin expression and eliminated its postprandial secretion into the circulation. DIO suppressed uroguanylin through ER stress, an effect mimicked by tunicamycin and blocked by TUDCA. Hormone suppression by DIO reflected consumed calories, rather than the pathophysiological milieu of obesity, as a diet high in calories from carbohydrates suppressed uroguanylin in lean mice, whereas calorie restriction restored uroguanylin in obese mice. However, hypothalamic GUCY2C, enriched in the arcuate nucleus, produced anorexigenic signals mediating satiety upon exogenous agonist administration, and DIO did not impair these responses. Uroguanylin replacement by transgenic expression in brain repaired the hormone insufficiency and reconstituted satiety responses opposing DIO and its associated comorbidities, including visceral adiposity, glucose intolerance and hepatic steatosis. These studies reveal a novel pathophysiological mechanism contributing to obesity in which calorie-induced suppression of intestinal uroguanylin impairs hypothalamic mechanisms regulating food consumption through loss of anorexigenic endocrine signaling. The correlative therapeutic paradigm suggests that, in the context of hormone insufficiency with preservation of receptor sensitivity, obesity may be prevented or treated by GUCY2C hormone replacement.

Calorie-induced ER stress suppresses uroguanylin satiety signaling in diet-induced obesity

PubMed Central

Kim, G W; Lin, J E; Snook, A E; Aing, A S; Merlino, D J; Li, P; Waldman, S A

2016-01-01

Background/Objectives: The uroguanylin-GUCY2C gut–brain axis has emerged as one component regulating feeding, energy homeostasis, body mass and metabolism. Here, we explore a role for this axis in mechanisms underlying diet-induced obesity (DIO). Subjects/Methods: Intestinal uroguanylin expression and secretion, and hypothalamic GUCY2C expression and anorexigenic signaling, were quantified in mice on high-calorie diets for 14 weeks. The role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in suppressing uroguanylin in DIO was explored using tunicamycin, an inducer of ER stress, and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), a chemical chaperone that inhibits ER stress. The impact of consumed calories on uroguanylin expression was explored by dietary manipulation. The role of uroguanylin in mechanisms underlying obesity was examined using Camk2a-Cre-ERT2-Rosa-STOPloxP/loxP-Guca2b mice in which tamoxifen induces transgenic hormone expression in brain. Results: DIO suppressed intestinal uroguanylin expression and eliminated its postprandial secretion into the circulation. DIO suppressed uroguanylin through ER stress, an effect mimicked by tunicamycin and blocked by TUDCA. Hormone suppression by DIO reflected consumed calories, rather than the pathophysiological milieu of obesity, as a diet high in calories from carbohydrates suppressed uroguanylin in lean mice, whereas calorie restriction restored uroguanylin in obese mice. However, hypothalamic GUCY2C, enriched in the arcuate nucleus, produced anorexigenic signals mediating satiety upon exogenous agonist administration, and DIO did not impair these responses. Uroguanylin replacement by transgenic expression in brain repaired the hormone insufficiency and reconstituted satiety responses opposing DIO and its associated comorbidities, including visceral adiposity, glucose intolerance and hepatic steatosis. Conclusions: These studies reveal a novel pathophysiological mechanism contributing to obesity in which calorie-induced suppression of intestinal uroguanylin impairs hypothalamic mechanisms regulating food consumption through loss of anorexigenic endocrine signaling. The correlative therapeutic paradigm suggests that, in the context of hormone insufficiency with preservation of receptor sensitivity, obesity may be prevented or treated by GUCY2C hormone replacement. PMID:27214655

Use of the Progressive Figures Test in evaluating brain-damaged children, children with academic problems, and normal controls.

PubMed

Reitan, Ralph M; Wolfson, Deborah

2004-03-01

This study explores the use of the Progressive Figures Test as an instrument for broad initial screening of children in the 6- through 8-year age range with respect to the possible need for more definitive neuropsychological evaluation. Considering earlier results obtained in comparison of brain-damaged and control children [Clinical Neuropsychology: Current Applications, Hemisphere Publishing Corp., Washington, DC, 1974, p. 53; Proceedings of the Conference on Minimal Brain Dysfunction, New York Academy of Sciences, New York, 1973, p. 65], the Progressive Figures Test seemed potentially useful as a first step in determining whether a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation is indicated. In this investigation, three groups were studied: (1) children with definitive evidence of brain damage or disease who, when compared with normal controls, help to establish the limits of neuropsychological functioning, (2) a group of children who had normal neurological examinations but also had academic problems of significant concern to both parents and teachers, and (3) a normal control group. Statistically significant differences were present in comparing each pair of groups, with the brain-damaged children performing most poorly and the controls performing best. Score distributions for the three groups make it possible to identify a score-range that represented a borderline or "gray" area and to suggest a cutting score that identified children whose academic problems might have a neurological basis and for whom additional neuropsychological evaluation appeared to be indicated.

MRI Differences Associated with Intrauterine Growth Restriction in Preterm Infants.

PubMed

Bruno, Christie J; Bengani, Shreyans; Gomes, William A; Brewer, Mariana; Vega, Melissa; Xie, Xianhong; Kim, Mimi; Fuloria, Mamta

2017-01-01

Preterm infants are at risk for neurodevelopmental impairment. Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) further increases this risk. Brain imaging studies are often utilized at or near term-equivalent age to determine later prognosis. To evaluate the association between intrauterine growth and regional brain volume on MRI scans performed in preterm infants at or near term-equivalent age. This is a retrospective case-control study of 24 infants born at gestational age ≤30 weeks and cared for in a large, inner-city, academic neonatal intensive-care unit from 2012 to 2013. Each IUGR infant was matched with 1-2 appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants who served as controls. Predischarge MRI scans routinely obtained at ≥36 weeks' adjusted age were analyzed for regional brain volumetric differences. We examined the association between IUGR and thalamic, basal ganglion, and cerebellar brain volumes in these preterm infants. Compared to AGA infants, IUGR infants had a smaller thalamus (7.88 vs. 5.87 mL, p = 0.001) and basal ganglion (8.87 vs. 6.92 mL, p = 0.002) volumes. There was no difference in cerebellar volumes between the two study groups. Linear regression analyses revealed similar trends in the associations between IUGR and brain volumes after adjusting for sex, gestational age at birth, and postconceptual age and weight at MRI. Thalamus and basal ganglion volumes are reduced in growth-restricted preterm infants. These differences may preferentially impact neurodevelopmental outcomes. Further research is needed to explore these relationships. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

SIRT1/PGC-1α Signaling Promotes Mitochondrial Functional Recovery and Reduces Apoptosis after Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Rats

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yang; Wang, Shaohua; Li, Yixin; Yu, Shanshan; Zhao, Yong

2018-01-01

Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) exerts neuroprotection in many neurodegenerative diseases. However, it is not clear if SIRT1 has protective effects after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)-induced brain injury in rats. Thus, our goal was to examine the influence of SIRT1 on ICH injuries and any underlying mechanisms of this influence. Brain injury was induced by autologous arterial blood (60 μL) injection into rat brains, and data show that activation of SIRT1 with SRT1720 (5 mg/kg) restored nuclear SIRT1, deacetylation of PGC-1α, and mitochondrial biogenesis and decreased mortality, behavioral deficits, and brain water content without significant changes in phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK) induced by ICH. Activation of SIRT1 with SRT1720 also restored mitochondrial electron transport chain proteins and decreased apoptotic proteins in ICH; however, these changes were reversed after ICH. In contrast, treatment with PGC-1α siRNA yielded opposite effects. To explore the protective effects of SIRT1 after ICH, siRNAs were used to knockdown SIRT1. Treatment with SIRT1 siRNA increased mortality, behavioral deficits, brain water content, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neurocyte apoptosis after ICH. Thus, activation of SIRT1 promotes recovery of mitochondrial protein and function by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis and reduces apoptosis after ICH via the PGC-1α mitochondrial pathway. These data may suggest a new therapeutic approach for ICH injuries. PMID:29375306

The promises and perils of the neuroscience of creativity

PubMed Central

Abraham, Anna

2013-01-01

Our ability to think creatively is one of the factors that generates excitement in our lives as it introduces novelty and opens up new possibilities to our awareness which in turn lead to developments in a variety of fields from science and technology to art and culture. While research on the influence of biologically-based variables on creativity has a long history, the advent of modern techniques for investigating brain structure and function in the past two decades have resulted in an exponential increase in the number of neuroscientific studies that have explored creativity. The field of creative neurocognition is a rapidly growing area of research that can appear chaotic and inaccessible because of the heterogeneity associated with the creativity construct and the many approaches through which it can be examined. There are also significant methodological and conceptual problems that are specific to the neuroscientific study of creativity that pose considerable limitations on our capacity to make true advances in understanding the brain basis of creativity. This article explores three key issues that need to be addressed so that barriers in the way of relevant progress being made within the field can be avoided. Are creativity neuroimaging paradigms optimal enough? What makes creative cognition different from normative cognition? Do we need to distinguish between types of creativity? PMID:23761752

[Expression of c-jun protein after experimental rat brain concussion].

PubMed

Wang, Feng; Li, Yong-hong

2010-02-01

To observe e-jun protein expression after rat brain concussion and explore the forensic pathologic markers following brain concussion. Fifty-five rats were randomly divided into brain concussion group and control group. The expression of c-jun protein was observed by immunohistochemistry. There were weak positive expression of c-jun protein in control group. In brain concussion group, however, some neutrons showed positive expression of c-jun protein at 15 min after brain concussion, and reach to the peak at 3 h after brain concussion. The research results suggest that detection of c-jun protein could be a marker to determine brain concussion and estimate injury time after brain concussion.

What Would Catherine of Sienna Do? Spiritual Formation and the Brains of Adolescent Girls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Dori; Edwards, Ned

2012-01-01

This article explores how new knowledge about the adolescent female brain lends theoretical support to narrative and contemplative practices of spiritual formation of girls. Current brain research supports the use of particular methods of religious formation for teenagers in general, and teenage girls in particular. This article suggests that…

The Brain Dynamics of Intellectual Development: Waxing and Waning White and Gray Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamnes, Christian K.; Fjell, Anders M.; Ostby, Ylva; Westlye, Lars T.; Due-Tonnessen, Paulina; Bjornerud, Atle; Walhovd, Kristine B.

2011-01-01

Distributed brain areas support intellectual abilities in adults. How structural maturation of these areas in childhood enables development of intelligence is not established. Neuroimaging can be used to monitor brain development, but studies to date have typically considered single imaging modalities. To explore the impact of structural brain…

Gesturing with an Injured Brain: How Gesture Helps Children with Early Brain Injury Learn Linguistic Constructions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozcaliskan, Seyda; Levine, Susan C.; Goldin-Meadow, Susan

2013-01-01

Children with pre/perinatal unilateral brain lesions (PL) show remarkable plasticity for language development. Is this plasticity characterized by the same developmental trajectory that characterizes typically developing (TD) children, with gesture leading the way into speech? We explored this question, comparing eleven children with PL -- matched…

Support Network Responses to Acquired Brain Injury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chleboun, Steffany; Hux, Karen

2011-01-01

Acquired brain injury (ABI) affects social relationships; however, the ways social and support networks change and evolve as a result of brain injury is not well understood. This study explored ways in which survivors of ABI and members of their support networks perceive relationship changes as recovery extends into the long-term stage. Two…

Adolescent Brain Development and Drugs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winters, Ken C.; Arria, Amelia

2011-01-01

Research now suggests that the human brain is still maturing during adolescence. The developing brain may help explain why adolescents sometimes make decisions that are risky and can lead to safety or health concerns, including unique vulnerabilities to drug abuse. This article explores how this new science may be put to use in our prevention and…

The Relationship between Phonological and Auditory Processing and Brain Organization in Beginning Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pugh, Kenneth R.; Landi, Nicole; Preston, Jonathan L.; Mencl, W. Einar; Austin, Alison C.; Sibley, Daragh; Fulbright, Robert K.; Seidenberg, Mark S.; Grigorenko, Elena L.; Constable, R. Todd; Molfese, Peter; Frost, Stephen J.

2013-01-01

We employed brain-behavior analyses to explore the relationship between performance on tasks measuring phonological awareness, pseudoword decoding, and rapid auditory processing (all predictors of reading (dis)ability) and brain organization for print and speech in beginning readers. For print-related activation, we observed a shared set of…

Brain 3M--A New Approach to Learning about Brain, Behavior, and Cognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Ping; Chaby, Lauren E.; Legault, Jennifer; Braithwaite, Victoria A.

2015-01-01

By combining emerging technologies with cognitive and education theories, we are capitalizing on recent findings from adaptive exploration and embodied learning research to address significant gaps in the education of brain sciences for school children and college level students. Through the development of virtual learning tools in combination…

Investigating Metacognition, Cognition, and Behavioral Deficits of College Students with Acute Traumatic Brain Injuries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Sarah; Davalos, Deana

2016-01-01

Objective: Executive dysfunction in college students who have had an acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) was investigated. The cognitive, behavioral, and metacognitive effects on college students who endorsed experiencing a brain injury were specifically explored. Participants: Participants were 121 college students who endorsed a mild TBI, and 121…

Drugs and the Brain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Institutes of Health (DHHS), Bethesda, MD.

This booklet explores various aspects of drug addiction, with a special focus on drugs' effects on the brain. A brief introduction presents information on the rampant use of drugs in society and elaborates the distinction between drug abuse and drug addiction. Next, a detailed analysis of the brain and its functions is given. Drugs target the more…

An Examination of Dynamic Gene Expression Changes in the Mouse Brain During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period.

PubMed

Ray, Surjyendu; Tzeng, Ruei-Ying; DiCarlo, Lisa M; Bundy, Joseph L; Vied, Cynthia; Tyson, Gary; Nowakowski, Richard; Arbeitman, Michelle N

2015-11-23

The developmental transition to motherhood requires gene expression changes that alter the brain to drive the female to perform maternal behaviors. We broadly examined the global transcriptional response in the mouse maternal brain, by examining four brain regions: hypothalamus, hippocampus, neocortex, and cerebellum, in virgin females, two pregnancy time points, and three postpartum time points. We find that overall there are hundreds of differentially expressed genes, but each brain region and time point shows a unique molecular signature, with only 49 genes differentially expressed in all four regions. Interestingly, a set of "early-response genes" is repressed in all brain regions during pregnancy and postpartum stages. Several genes previously implicated in underlying postpartum depression change expression. This study serves as an atlas of gene expression changes in the maternal brain, with the results demonstrating that pregnancy, parturition, and postpartum maternal experience substantially impact diverse brain regions. Copyright © 2016 Ray et al.

Targeting Neuronal-like Metabolism of Metastatic Tumor Cells as a Novel Therapy for Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

Currently, no effective drug treatments are available for brain metastasis. In this proposal, we hypothesize: interactions with reactive brain astrocytes...neurological drugs . In this project, we propose two specific aims to explore the functional importance of the early metastatic evolution and the...feasibility of targeting metastatic evolution by repurposing neurological drugs . Aim 1: Study the spatial and temporal interactions between brain

Traumatic axonal injury: the prognostic value of lesion load in corpus callosum, brain stem, and thalamus in different magnetic resonance imaging sequences.

PubMed

Moen, Kent G; Brezova, Veronika; Skandsen, Toril; Håberg, Asta K; Folvik, Mari; Vik, Anne

2014-09-01

The aim of this study was to explore the prognostic value of visible traumatic axonal injury (TAI) loads in different MRI sequences from the early phase after adjusting for established prognostic factors. Likewise, we sought to explore the prognostic role of early apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in normal-appearing corpus callosum. In this prospective study, 128 patients (mean age, 33.9 years; range, 11-69) with moderate (n = 64) and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) were examined with MRI at a median of 8 days (range, 0-28) postinjury. TAI lesions in fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and T2*-weighted gradient echo (T2*GRE) sequences were counted and FLAIR lesion volumes estimated. In patients and 47 healthy controls, mean ADC values were computed in 10 regions of interests in the normal-appearing corpus callosum. Outcome measure was the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E) at 12 months. In patients with severe TBI, number of DWI lesions and volume of FLAIR lesions in the corpus callosum, brain stem, and thalamus predicted outcome in analyses with adjustment for age, Glasgow Coma Scale score, and pupillary dilation (odds ratio, 1.3-6.9; p = <0.001-0.017). The addition of Rotterdam CT score and DWI lesions in the corpus callosum yielded the highest R2 (0.24), compared to all other MRI variables, including brain stem lesions. For patients with moderate TBI only the number of cortical contusions (p = 0.089) and Rotterdam CT score (p = 0.065) tended to predict outcome. Numbers of T2*GRE lesions did not affect outcome. Mean ADC values in the normal-appearing corpus callosum did not differ from controls. In conclusion, the loads of visible TAI lesions in the corpus callosum, brain stem, and thalamus in DWI and FLAIR were independent prognostic factors in patients with severe TBI. DWI lesions in the corpus callosum were the most important predictive MRI variable. Interestingly, number of cortical contusions in MRI and CT findings seemed more important for patients with moderate TBI.

Extendable supervised dictionary learning for exploring diverse and concurrent brain activities in task-based fMRI.

PubMed

Zhao, Shijie; Han, Junwei; Hu, Xintao; Jiang, Xi; Lv, Jinglei; Zhang, Tuo; Zhang, Shu; Guo, Lei; Liu, Tianming

2018-06-01

Recently, a growing body of studies have demonstrated the simultaneous existence of diverse brain activities, e.g., task-evoked dominant response activities, delayed response activities and intrinsic brain activities, under specific task conditions. However, current dominant task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (tfMRI) analysis approach, i.e., the general linear model (GLM), might have difficulty in discovering those diverse and concurrent brain responses sufficiently. This subtraction-based model-driven approach focuses on the brain activities evoked directly from the task paradigm, thus likely overlooks other possible concurrent brain activities evoked during the information processing. To deal with this problem, in this paper, we propose a novel hybrid framework, called extendable supervised dictionary learning (E-SDL), to explore diverse and concurrent brain activities under task conditions. A critical difference between E-SDL framework and previous methods is that we systematically extend the basic task paradigm regressor into meaningful regressor groups to account for possible regressor variation during the information processing procedure in the brain. Applications of the proposed framework on five independent and publicly available tfMRI datasets from human connectome project (HCP) simultaneously revealed more meaningful group-wise consistent task-evoked networks and common intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs). These results demonstrate the advantage of the proposed framework in identifying the diversity of concurrent brain activities in tfMRI datasets.

STRESS AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL PROCESSES IN THE EMERGENCE OF PSYCHOSIS

PubMed Central

Holtzman, C. W.; Trotman, H. D.; Goulding, S. M.; Ryan, A. T.; Macdonald, A. N.; Shapiro, D. I.; Brasfield, J. L.; Walker, E. F.

2014-01-01

The notion that stress plays a role in the etiology of psychotic disorders, especially schizophrenia, is longstanding. However, it is only in recent years that the potential neural mechanisms mediating this effect have come into sharper focus. The introduction of more sophisticated models of the interplay between psychosocial factors and brain function has expanded our opportunities for conceptualizing more detailed psychobiological models of stress in psychosis. Further, scientific advances in our understanding of adolescent brain development have shed light on a pivotal question that has challenged researchers; namely, why the first episode of psychosis typically occurs in late adolescence/young adulthood. In this paper, we begin by reviewing the evidence supporting associations between psychosocial stress and psychosis in diagnosed patients as well as individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis. We then discuss biological stress systems and examine changes that precede and follow psychosis onset. Next, research findings on structural and functional brain characteristics associated with psychosis are presented; these findings suggest that normal adolescent neuromaturational processes may go awry, thereby setting the stage for the emergence of psychotic syndromes. Finally, a model of neural mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of psychosis is presented and directions for future research strategies are explored. PMID:23298853

The effects of music on brain functional networks: a network analysis.

PubMed

Wu, J; Zhang, J; Ding, X; Li, R; Zhou, C

2013-10-10

The human brain can dynamically adapt to the changing surroundings. To explore this issue, we adopted graph theoretical tools to examine changes in electroencephalography (EEG) functional networks while listening to music. Three different excerpts of Chinese Guqin music were played to 16 non-musician subjects. For the main frequency intervals, synchronizations between all pair-wise combinations of EEG electrodes were evaluated with phase lag index (PLI). Then, weighted connectivity networks were created and their organizations were characterized in terms of an average clustering coefficient and characteristic path length. We found an enhanced synchronization level in the alpha2 band during music listening. Music perception showed a decrease of both normalized clustering coefficient and path length in the alpha2 band. Moreover, differences in network measures were not observed between musical excerpts. These experimental results demonstrate an increase of functional connectivity as well as a more random network structure in the alpha2 band during music perception. The present study offers support for the effects of music on human brain functional networks with a trend toward a more efficient but less economical architecture. Copyright © 2013 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Variability of magnetoencephalographic sensor sensitivity measures as a function of age, brain volume and cortical area

PubMed Central

Irimia, Andrei; Erhart, Matthew J.; Brown, Timothy T.

2014-01-01

Objective To assess the feasibility and appropriateness of magnetoencephalography (MEG) for both adult and pediatric studies, as well as for the developmental comparison of these factors across a wide range of ages. Methods For 45 subjects with ages from 1 to 24 years (infants, toddlers, school-age children and young adults), lead fields (LFs) of MEG sensors are computed using anatomically realistic boundary element models (BEMs) and individually-reconstructed cortical surfaces. Novel metrics are introduced to quantify MEG sensor focality. Results The variability of MEG focality is graphed as a function of brain volume and cortical area. Statistically significant differences in total cerebral volume, cortical area, MEG global sensitivity and LF focality are found between age groups. Conclusions Because MEG focality and sensitivity differ substantially across the age groups studied, the cortical LF maps explored here can provide important insights for the examination and interpretation of MEG signals from early childhood to young adulthood. Significance This is the first study to (1) investigate the relationship between MEG cortical LFs and brain volume as well as cortical area across development, and (2) compare LFs between subjects with different head sizes using detailed cortical reconstructions. PMID:24589347

Default and Executive Network Coupling Supports Creative Idea Production

PubMed Central

Beaty, Roger E.; Benedek, Mathias; Barry Kaufman, Scott; Silvia, Paul J.

2015-01-01

The role of attention in creative cognition remains controversial. Neuroimaging studies have reported activation of brain regions linked to both cognitive control and spontaneous imaginative processes, raising questions about how these regions interact to support creative thought. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we explored this question by examining dynamic interactions between brain regions during a divergent thinking task. Multivariate pattern analysis revealed a distributed network associated with divergent thinking, including several core hubs of the default (posterior cingulate) and executive (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) networks. The resting-state network affiliation of these regions was confirmed using data from an independent sample of participants. Graph theory analysis assessed global efficiency of the divergent thinking network, and network efficiency was found to increase as a function of individual differences in divergent thinking ability. Moreover, temporal connectivity analysis revealed increased coupling between default and salience network regions (bilateral insula) at the beginning of the task, followed by increased coupling between default and executive network regions at later stages. Such dynamic coupling suggests that divergent thinking involves cooperation between brain networks linked to cognitive control and spontaneous thought, which may reflect focused internal attention and the top-down control of spontaneous cognition during creative idea production. PMID:26084037

Altered Brain Connectivity in Early Postmenopausal Women with Subjective Cognitive Impairment

PubMed Central

Vega, Jennifer N.; Zurkovsky, Lilia; Albert, Kimberly; Melo, Alyssa; Boyd, Brian; Dumas, Julie; Woodward, Neil; McDonald, Brenna C.; Saykin, Andrew J.; Park, Joon H.; Naylor, Magdalena; Newhouse, Paul A.

2016-01-01

Cognitive changes after menopause are a common complaint, especially as the loss of estradiol at menopause has been hypothesized to contribute to the higher rates of dementia in women. To explore the neural processes related to subjective cognitive complaints, this study examined resting state functional connectivity in 31 postmenopausal women (aged 50–60) in relationship to cognitive complaints following menopause. A cognitive complaint index was calculated using responses to a 120-item questionnaire. Seed regions were identified for resting state brain networks important for higher-order cognitive processes and for areas that have shown differences in volume and functional activity associated with cognitive complaints in prior studies. Results indicated a positive correlation between the executive control network and cognitive complaint score, weaker negative functional connectivity within the frontal cortex, and stronger positive connectivity within the right middle temporal gyrus in postmenopausal women who report more cognitive complaints. While longitudinal studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis, these data are consistent with previous findings suggesting that high levels of cognitive complaints may reflect changes in brain connectivity and may be a potential marker for the risk of late-life cognitive dysfunction in postmenopausal women with otherwise normal cognitive performance. PMID:27721740

Clever birds are lousy: co-variation between avian innovation and the taxonomic richness of their amblyceran lice.

PubMed

Vas, Zoltán; Lefebvre, Louis; Johnson, Kevin P; Reiczigel, Jeno; Rózsa, Lajos

2011-10-01

Lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) are ectoparasites that reduce host life expectancy and sexual attractiveness. Their taxonomic richness varies considerably among their hosts. Previous studies have already explored some important factors shaping louse diversity. An unexplored potential correlate of louse taxonomic richness is host behavioural flexibility. In this comparative study, we examine the relationship between louse generic richness, innovative capabilities (as a proxy for behavioural flexibility), and brain size while controlling for host species diversity, phylogeny, body size and research effort. Using data for 108 avian families, we found a highly significant positive relationship between host innovative capabilities and the taxonomic richness of amblyceran lice, but a lack of a similar relationship in ischnoceran lice. Host brain size had only a marginal impact on amblyceran diversity and no correlation with ischnoceran diversity. This suggests that the effect in Amblycera is not mediated by metabolic limitations due to the energetic costs of brain size and maintenance, rather directly caused by the ecological differences between hosts with differing cognitive capabilities. We propose four alternative and mutually non-exclusive hypotheses that may explain this phenomenon. Copyright © 2011 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attention Performance Measured by Attention Network Test Is Correlated with Global and Regional Efficiency of Structural Brain Networks

PubMed Central

Xiao, Min; Ge, Haitao; Khundrakpam, Budhachandra S.; Xu, Junhai; Bezgin, Gleb; Leng, Yuan; Zhao, Lu; Tang, Yuchun; Ge, Xinting; Jeon, Seun; Xu, Wenjian; Evans, Alan C.; Liu, Shuwei

2016-01-01

Functional neuroimaging studies have indicated the involvement of separate brain areas in three distinct attention systems: alerting, orienting, and executive control (EC). However, the structural correlates underlying attention remains unexplored. Here, we utilized graph theory to examine the neuroanatomical substrates of the three attention systems measured by attention network test (ANT) in 65 healthy subjects. White matter connectivity, assessed with diffusion tensor imaging deterministic tractography was modeled as a structural network comprising 90 nodes defined by the automated anatomical labeling (AAL) template. Linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between topological parameters and the three attentional effects. We found a significant positive correlation between EC function and global efficiency of the whole brain network. At the regional level, node-specific correlations were discovered between regional efficiency and all three ANT components, including dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus, thalamus and parahippocampal gyrus for EC, thalamus and inferior parietal gyrus for alerting, and paracentral lobule and inferior occipital gyrus for orienting. Our findings highlight the fundamental architecture of interregional structural connectivity involved in attention and could provide new insights into the anatomical basis underlying human behavior. PMID:27777556

Temporal dynamics of musical emotions examined through intersubject synchrony of brain activity

PubMed Central

Frühholz, Sascha; Cochrane, Tom; Cojan, Yann; Vuilleumier, Patrik

2015-01-01

To study emotional reactions to music, it is important to consider the temporal dynamics of both affective responses and underlying brain activity. Here, we investigated emotions induced by music using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a data-driven approach based on intersubject correlations (ISC). This method allowed us to identify moments in the music that produced similar brain activity (i.e. synchrony) among listeners under relatively natural listening conditions. Continuous ratings of subjective pleasantness and arousal elicited by the music were also obtained for the music outside of the scanner. Our results reveal synchronous activations in left amygdala, left insula and right caudate nucleus that were associated with higher arousal, whereas positive valence ratings correlated with decreases in amygdala and caudate activity. Additional analyses showed that synchronous amygdala responses were driven by energy-related features in the music such as root mean square and dissonance, while synchrony in insula was additionally sensitive to acoustic event density. Intersubject synchrony also occurred in the left nucleus accumbens, a region critically implicated in reward processing. Our study demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of an approach based on ISC to explore the temporal dynamics of music perception and emotion in naturalistic conditions. PMID:25994970

Exploring DeepMedic for the purpose of segmenting white matter hyperintensity lesions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lippert, Fiona; Cheng, Bastian; Golsari, Amir; Weiler, Florian; Gregori, Johannes; Thomalla, Götz; Klein, Jan

2018-02-01

DeepMedic, an open source software library based on a multi-channel multi-resolution 3D convolutional neural network, has recently been made publicly available for brain lesion segmentations. It has already been shown that segmentation tasks on MRI data of patients having traumatic brain injuries, brain tumors, and ischemic stroke lesions can be performed very well. In this paper we describe how it can efficiently be used for the purpose of detecting and segmenting white matter hyperintensity lesions. We examined if it can be applied to single-channel routine 2D FLAIR data. For evaluation, we annotated 197 datasets with different numbers and sizes of white matter hyperintensity lesions. Our experiments have shown that substantial results with respect to the segmentation quality can be achieved. Compared to the original parametrization of the DeepMedic neural network, the timings for training can be drastically reduced if adjusting corresponding training parameters, while at the same time the Dice coefficients remain nearly unchanged. This enables for performing a whole training process within a single day utilizing a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 graphics board which makes this library also very interesting for research purposes on low-end GPU hardware.

Do we need gadolinium-based contrast medium for brain magnetic resonance imaging in children?

PubMed

Dünger, Dennis; Krause, Matthias; Gräfe, Daniel; Merkenschlager, Andreas; Roth, Christian; Sorge, Ina

2018-06-01

Brain imaging is the most common examination in pediatric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), often combined with the use of a gadolinium-based contrast medium. The application of gadolinium-based contrast medium poses some risk. There is limited evidence of the benefits of contrast medium in pediatric brain imaging. To assess the diagnostic gain of contrast-enhanced sequences in brain MRI when the unenhanced sequences are normal. We retrospectively assessed 6,683 brain MR examinations using contrast medium in children younger than 16 years in the pediatric radiology department of the University Hospital Leipzig to determine whether contrast-enhanced sequences delivered additional, clinically relevant information to pre-contrast sequences. All examinations were executed using a 1.5-T or a 3-T system. In 8 of 3,003 (95% confidence interval 0.12-0.52%) unenhanced normal brain examinations, a relevant additional finding was detected when contrast medium was administered. Contrast enhancement led to a change in diagnosis in only one of these cases. Children with a normal pre-contrast brain MRI rarely benefit from contrast medium application. Comparing these results to the risks and disadvantages of a routine gadolinium application, there is substantiated numerical evidence for avoiding routine administration of gadolinium in a pre-contrast normal MRI examination.

An evaluation of overnight fixation to facilitate neuropathological examination in Coroner's autopsies: our experience of over 200 cases.

PubMed

Scott, Ian Stuart; MacDonald, Alastair Wray

2013-01-01

Following recent changes in Coroner's Rules, there has been a desire to examine brains at the time of autopsy, rather than after a prolonged period of immersion fixation. Examination of the fresh brain at postmortem can yield unsatisfactory results where detailed histological examination is required. We aim to provide a compromise, where detailed examination of the brain is possible, without the requirement for prolonged fixation, interference with funeral arrangements and delay in the Coronial process. A retrospective audit of over 200 neuropathology cases requested by HM Coroner for the East Riding of Yorkshire between 2007 and 2010 was performed. The cases consisted of full neuropathology autopsies (n=212) and brains referred by general pathology colleagues (n=26). Of the 238 brains examined, approximately half (n=109) of the brains were sectioned fresh in the mortuary. The remaining brains (n=129) were immersion fixed overnight in 20% formalin prior to cutting and sampling for histology (n=127). The median time for reporting was 31 days (range 1-167; n=101) for brains requiring histology. This equates to a median turnaround time of 1 month for a neuropathological autopsy requiring detailed histology. In all cases, the report was prepared and available to HM Coroner in advance of the Inquest. This method provides reliable histological diagnoses in neuropathological autopsies and does not interfere with funeral arrangements for bereaved families following deaths falling under Coronial jurisdiction. In all cases, the body could be released to relatives, at Coroner's discretion, within two working days of the autopsy.

Modeling a linkage between blood transcriptional expression and activity in brain regions to infer the phenotype of schizophrenia patients.

PubMed

Ibrahim, El Chérif; Guillemot, Vincent; Comte, Magali; Tenenhaus, Arthur; Zendjidjian, Xavier Yves; Cancel, Aida; Belzeaux, Raoul; Sauvanaud, Florence; Blin, Olivier; Frouin, Vincent; Fakra, Eric

2017-09-07

Hundreds of genetic loci participate to schizophrenia liability. It is also known that impaired cerebral connectivity is directly related to the cognitive and affective disturbances in schizophrenia. How genetic susceptibility and brain neural networks interact to specify a pathological phenotype in schizophrenia remains elusive. Imaging genetics, highlighting brain variations, has proven effective to establish links between vulnerability loci and associated clinical traits. As previous imaging genetics works in schizophrenia have essentially focused on structural DNA variants, these findings could be blurred by epigenetic mechanisms taking place during gene expression. We explored the meaningful links between genetic data from peripheral blood tissues on one hand, and regional brain reactivity to emotion task assayed by blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging on the other hand, in schizophrenia patients and matched healthy volunteers. We applied Sparse Generalized Canonical Correlation Analysis to identify joint signals between two blocks of variables: (i) the transcriptional expression of 33 candidate genes, and (ii) the blood oxygen level-dependent activity in 16 region of interest. Results suggested that peripheral transcriptional expression is related to brain imaging variations through a sequential pathway, ending with the schizophrenia phenotype. Generalization of such an approach to larger data sets should thus help in outlining the pathways involved in psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia. SEARCHING FOR LINKS TO AID DIAGNOSIS: Researchers explore links between the expression of genes associated with schizophrenia in blood cells and variations in brain activity during emotion processing. El Chérif Ibrahim and Eric Fakra at Aix-Marseille Université, France, and colleagues have developed a method to relate the expression levels of 33 schizophrenia susceptibility genes in blood cells and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data obtained as individuals carry out a task that triggers emotional responses. Although they found no significant differences in the expression of genes between the 26 patients with schizophrenia and 26 healthy controls they examined, variations in activity in the superior temporal gyrus were strongly linked to schizophrenia-associated gene expression and presence of disease. Similar analyses of larger data sets will shed further light on the relationship between peripheral molecular changes and disease-related behaviors and ultimately, aid the diagnosis of neuropsychiatric disease.

Dimerization with Cannabinoid Receptors Allosterically Modulates Delta Opioid Receptor Activity during Neuropathic Pain

PubMed Central

Stockton, Steven D.; Miller, Lydia K.; Devi, Lakshmi A.

2012-01-01

The diversity of receptor signaling is increased by receptor heteromerization leading to dynamic regulation of receptor function. While a number of studies have demonstrated that family A G-protein-coupled receptors are capable of forming heteromers in vitro, the role of these heteromers in normal physiology and disease has been poorly explored. In this study, direct interactions between CB1 cannabinoid and delta opioid receptors in the brain were examined. Additionally, regulation of heteromer levels and signaling in a rodent model of neuropathic pain was explored. First we examined changes in the expression, function and interaction of these receptors in the cerebral cortex of rats with a peripheral nerve lesion that resulted in neuropathic pain. We found that, following the peripheral nerve lesion, the expression of both cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R) and the delta opioid receptor (DOR) are increased in select brain regions. Concomitantly, an increase in CB1R activity and decrease in DOR activity was observed. We hypothesize that this decrease in DOR activity could be due to heteromeric interactions between these two receptors. Using a CB1R-DOR heteromer-specific antibody, we found increased levels of CB1R-DOR heteromer protein in the cortex of neuropathic animals. We subsequently examined the functionality of these heteromers by testing whether low, non-signaling doses of CB1R ligands influenced DOR signaling in the cortex. We found that, in cortical membranes from animals that experienced neuropathic pain, non-signaling doses of CB1R ligands significantly enhanced DOR activity. Moreover, this activity is selectively blocked by a heteromer-specific antibody. Together, these results demonstrate an important role for CB1R-DOR heteromers in altered cortical function of DOR during neuropathic pain. Moreover, they suggest the possibility that a novel heteromer-directed therapeutic strategy for enhancing DOR activity, could potentially be employed to reduce anxiety associated with chronic pain. PMID:23272051

Brain intrinsic network connectivity in individuals with frequent tanning behavior.

PubMed

Ketcherside, Ariel; Filbey, Francesca M; Aubert, Pamela M; Seibyl, John P; Price, Julianne L; Adinoff, Bryon

2018-05-01

Emergent studies suggest a bidirectional relationship between brain functioning and the skin. This neurocutaneous connection may be responsible for the reward response to tanning and, thus, may contribute to excessive tanning behavior. To date, however, this association has not yet been examined. To explore whether intrinsic brain functional connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) is related to indoor tanning behavior. Resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) was obtained in twenty adults (16 females) with a history of indoor tanning. Using a seed-based [(posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)] approach, the relationship between tanning severity and FC strength was assessed. Tanning severity was measured with symptom count from the Structured Clinical Interview for Tanning Abuse and Dependence (SITAD) and tanning intensity (lifetime indoor tanning episodes/years tanning). rsFC strength between the PCC and other DMN regions (left globus pallidus, left medial frontal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus) is positively correlated with tanning symptom count. rsFC strength between the PCC and salience network regions (right anterior cingulate cortex, left inferior parietal lobe, left inferior temporal gyrus) is correlated with tanning intensity. Greater connectivity between tanning severity and DMN and salience network connectivity suggests that heightened self-awareness of salient stimuli may be a mechanism that underlies frequent tanning behavior. These findings add to the growing evidence of brain-skin connection and reflect dysregulation in the reward processing networks in those with frequent tanning.

Examining brain structures associated with the motive to achieve success and the motive to avoid failure: A voxel-based morphometry study.

PubMed

Ming, Dan; Chen, Qunlin; Yang, Wenjing; Chen, Rui; Wei, Dongtao; Li, Wenfu; Qiu, Jiang; Xu, Zhan; Zhang, Qinglin

2016-01-01

The motive to achieve success (MAS) and motive to avoid failure (MAF) are two different but classical kinds of achievement motivation. Though many functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have explored functional activation in motivation-related conditions, research has been silent as to the brain structures associated with individual differences in achievement motivation, especially with respect to MAS and MAF. In this study, the voxel-based morphometry method was used to uncover focal differences in brain structures related to MAS and MAF measured by the Mehrabian Achieving Tendency Scale in 353 healthy young Chinese adults. The results showed that the brain structures associated with individual differences in MAS and MAF were distinct. MAS was negatively correlated with regional gray matter volume (rGMV) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)/orbitofrontal cortex while MAF was negatively correlated with rGMV in the mPFC/subgenual cingulate gyrus. After controlling for mutual influences of MAS and MAF scores, MAS scores were found to be related to rGMV in the mPFC/orbitofrontal cortex and another cluster containing the parahippocampal gyrus and precuneus. These results may predict that compared with MAF, the generation process of MAS may be more complex and rational, thus in the real world, perhaps MAS is more beneficial to personal growth and guaranteeing the quality of task performance.

Double dissociation of structure-function relationships in memory and fluid intelligence observed with magnetic resonance elastography.

PubMed

Johnson, Curtis L; Schwarb, Hillary; Horecka, Kevin M; McGarry, Matthew D J; Hillman, Charles H; Kramer, Arthur F; Cohen, Neal J; Barbey, Aron K

2018-05-01

Brain tissue mechanical properties, measured in vivo with magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), have proven to be sensitive metrics of neural tissue integrity. Recently, our group has reported on the positive relationship between viscoelasticity of the hippocampus and performance on a relational memory task in healthy young adults, which highlighted the potential of sensitive MRE measures for studying brain health and its relation to cognitive function; however, structure-function relationships outside of the hippocampus have not yet been explored. In this study, we examined the relationships between viscoelasticity of both the hippocampus and the orbitofrontal cortex and performance on behavioral assessments of relational memory and fluid intelligence. In a sample of healthy, young adults (N = 53), there was a significant, positive relationship between orbitofrontal cortex viscoelasticity and fluid intelligence performance (r = 0.42; p = .002). This finding is consistent with the previously reported relationship between hippocampal viscoelasticity and relational memory performance (r = 0.41; p = .002). Further, a significant double dissociation between the orbitofrontal-fluid intelligence relationship and the hippocampal-relational memory relationship was observed. These data support the specificity of regional brain MRE measures in support of separable cognitive functions. This report of a structure-function relationship observed with MRE beyond the hippocampus suggests a future role for MRE as a sensitive neuroimaging technique for brain mapping. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship between subcortical brain volume and striatal dopamine D2/3 receptor availability in healthy humans assessed with [11 C]-raclopride and [11 C]-(+)-PHNO PET.

PubMed

Caravaggio, Fernando; Ku Chung, Jun; Plitman, Eric; Boileau, Isabelle; Gerretsen, Philip; Kim, Julia; Iwata, Yusuke; Patel, Raihaan; Chakravarty, M Mallar; Remington, Gary; Graff-Guerrero, Ariel

2017-11-01

Abnormalities in dopamine (DA) and brain morphology are observed in several neuropsychiatric disorders. However, it is not fully understood how these abnormalities may relate to one another. For such in vivo findings to be used as biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disease, it must be understood how variability in DA relates to brain structure under healthy conditions. We explored how the availability of striatal DA D 2/3 receptors (D 2/3 R) is related to the volume of subcortical brain structures in a sample of healthy humans. Differences in D 2/3 R availability measured with an antagonist radiotracer ([ 11 C]-raclopride) versus an agonist radiotracer ([ 11 C]-(+)-PHNO) were examined. Data from 62 subjects scanned with [ 11 C]-raclopride (mean age = 38.98 ± 14.45; 23 female) and 68 subjects scanned with [ 11 C]-(+)-PHNO (mean age = 38.54 ± 14.59; 25 female) were used. Subcortical volumes were extracted from T1-weighted images using the Multiple Automatically Generated Templates (MAGeT-Brain) algorithm. Partial correlations were used controlling for age, gender, and total brain volume. For [ 11 C]-(+)-PHNO, ventral caudate volumes were positively correlated with BP ND in the dorsal caudate and globus pallidus (GP). Ventral striatum (VS) volumes were positively correlated with BP ND in the VS. With [ 11 C]-raclopride, BP ND in the VS was negatively correlated with subiculum volume of the hippocampus. Moreover, BP ND in the GP was negatively correlated with the volume of the lateral posterior nucleus of the thalamus. Findings are purely exploratory and presented corrected and uncorrected for multiple comparisons. We hope they will help inform the interpretation of future PET studies where concurrent changes in D 2/3 R and brain morphology are observed. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5519-5534, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Validity of semi-quantitative scale for brain MRI in unilateral cerebral palsy due to periventricular white matter lesions: Relationship with hand sensorimotor function and structural connectivity

PubMed Central

Fiori, Simona; Guzzetta, Andrea; Pannek, Kerstin; Ware, Robert S.; Rossi, Giuseppe; Klingels, Katrijn; Feys, Hilde; Coulthard, Alan; Cioni, Giovanni; Rose, Stephen; Boyd, Roslyn N.

2015-01-01

Aim To provide first evidence of construct validity of a semi-quantitative scale for brain structural MRI (sqMRI scale) in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) secondary to periventricular white matter (PWM) lesions, by examining the relationship with hand sensorimotor function and whole brain structural connectivity. Methods Cross-sectional study of 50 children with UCP due to PWM lesions using 3 T (MRI), diffusion MRI and assessment of hand sensorimotor function. We explored the relationship of lobar, hemispheric and global scores on the sqMRI scale, with fractional anisotropy (FA), as a measure of brain white matter microstructure, and with hand sensorimotor measures (Assisting Hand Assessment, AHA; Jebsen–Taylor Test for Hand Function, JTTHF; Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function, MUUL; stereognosis; 2-point discrimination). Results Lobar and hemispheric scores on the sqMRI scale contralateral to the clinical side of hemiplegia correlated with sensorimotor paretic hand function measures and FA of a number of brain structural connections, including connections of brain areas involved in motor control (postcentral, precentral and paracentral gyri in the parietal lobe). More severe lesions correlated with lower sensorimotor performance, with the posterior limb of internal capsule score being the strongest contributor to impaired hand function. Conclusion The sqMRI scale demonstrates first evidence of construct validity against impaired motor and sensory function measures and brain structural connectivity in a cohort of children with UCP due to PWM lesions. More severe lesions correlated with poorer paretic hand sensorimotor function and impaired structural connectivity in the hemisphere contralateral to the clinical side of hemiplegia. The quantitative structural MRI scoring may be a useful clinical tool for studying brain structure–function relationships but requires further validation in other populations of CP. PMID:26106533

The degree of certainty in brain death: probability in clinical and Islamic legal discourse.

PubMed

Qazi, Faisal; Ewell, Joshua C; Munawar, Ayla; Asrar, Usman; Khan, Nadir

2013-04-01

The University of Michigan conference "Where Religion, Policy, and Bioethics Meet: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Islamic Bioethics and End-of-Life Care" in April 2011 addressed the issue of brain death as the prototype for a discourse that would reflect the emergence of Islamic bioethics as a formal field of study. In considering the issue of brain death, various Muslim legal experts have raised concerns over the lack of certainty in the scientific criteria as applied to the definition and diagnosis of brain death by the medical community. In contrast, the medical community at large has not required absolute certainty in its process, but has sought to eliminate doubt through cumulative diagnostic modalities and supportive scientific evidence. This has recently become a principal model, with increased interest in data analysis and evidence-based medicine with the intent to analyze and ultimately improve outcomes. Islamic law has also long employed a systematic methodology with the goal of eliminating doubt from rulings regarding the question of certainty. While ample criticism of the scientific criteria of brain death (Harvard criteria) by traditional legal sources now exists, an analysis of the legal process in assessing brain death, geared toward informing the clinician's perspective on the issue, is lacking. In this article, we explore the role of certainty in the diagnostic modalities used to establish diagnoses of brain death in current medical practice. We further examine the Islamic jurisprudential approach vis-à-vis the concept of certainty (yaqīn). Finally, we contrast the two at times divergent philosophies and consider what each perspective may contribute to the global discourse on brain death, understanding that the interdependence that exists between the theological, juridical, ethical, and medical/scientific fields necessitates an open discussion and active collaboration between all parties. We hope that this article serves to continue the discourse that was successfully begun by this initial interdisciplinary endeavor at the University of Michigan.

What Does the Brain Tell Us about the Mind?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruz, Maria; Acero, Juan J.; Tudela, Pio

2006-01-01

The present paper explores the relevance that brain data have in constructing theories about the human mind. In the Cognitive Science era it was assumed that knowledge of the mind and the brain correspond to different levels of analysis. This independence among levels led to the epistemic argument that knowledge of the biological basis of…

Your Child's Growing Mind: A Guide to Learning and Brain Development from Birth to Adolescence. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Healy, Jane M.

Noting that understanding a child's brain and the way it develops is the key to understanding learning, this book explores the relationship between brain physiology and children's learning processes. The book first translates the most current scientific theories on nervous-system development into practical information for parents. It then details…

The Brain-Compatible Classroom: Using What We Know about Learning To Improve Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erlauer, Laura

This book summarizes current brain research and shows how teachers can use this knowledge in the classroom every day. It explores how the brain works, how students' emotions and stress affect their ability to learn, how the physical classroom environment influences learning, and what forms of assessment work best. An introduction discusses the…

Depression in adult patients with primary brain tumours: a review of independent risk factors.

PubMed

Pidani, Anum Sadruddin; Rao, Aaida Mumtaz; Shamim, Muhammad Shahzad

2018-04-01

Depression is considered an under-diagnosed problem, especially in patients with malignancies. Patients with brain tumours in particular, have a relatively higher risk of developing depression, which is multifactorial. Herein, the authors review the recent literature on the prevalence of depression in patients with brain tumours, and explore the various risk factors involved. .

Grammatical Complexity in Letters Written by People with Acquired Brain Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mortensen, Lynne

2005-01-01

This study investigated written language in the form of personal and formal letters written by 10 people who sustained a stroke and 10 people who sustained traumatic brain injury, and compared their performance with 15 non brain-damaged people. In order to explore the writing skills of these individuals from a sociocultural perspective, a…

Young Children's Changing Conceptualizations of Brain Function: Implications for Teaching Neuroscience in Early Elementary Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Peter J.; Comalli, Christina E.

2012-01-01

Research Findings: Two exploratory studies explored young children's views of brain function and whether these views can be modified through exposure to a brief classroom intervention. In Study 1, children aged 4-13 years reported that the brain is used for "thinking," although older children were more likely than younger children to…

Golgi: Interactive Online Brain Mapping

PubMed Central

Brown, Ramsay A.; Swanson, Larry W.

2015-01-01

Golgi (http://www.usegolgi.com) is a prototype interactive brain map of the rat brain that helps researchers intuitively interact with neuroanatomy, connectomics, and cellular and chemical architecture. The flood of “-omic” data urges new ways to help researchers connect discrete findings to the larger context of the nervous system. Here we explore Golgi’s underlying reasoning and techniques and how our design decisions balance the constraints of building both a scientifically useful and usable tool. We demonstrate how Golgi can enhance connectomic literature searches with a case study investigating a thalamocortical circuit involving the Nucleus Accumbens and we explore Golgi’s potential and future directions for growth in systems neuroscience and connectomics. PMID:26635596

Stability of whole brain and regional network topology within and between resting and cognitive states.

PubMed

Rzucidlo, Justyna K; Roseman, Paige L; Laurienti, Paul J; Dagenbach, Dale

2013-01-01

Graph-theory based analyses of resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data have been used to map the network organization of the brain. While numerous analyses of resting state brain organization exist, many questions remain unexplored. The present study examines the stability of findings based on this approach over repeated resting state and working memory state sessions within the same individuals. This allows assessment of stability of network topology within the same state for both rest and working memory, and between rest and working memory as well. fMRI scans were performed on five participants while at rest and while performing the 2-back working memory task five times each, with task state alternating while they were in the scanner. Voxel-based whole brain network analyses were performed on the resulting data along with analyses of functional connectivity in regions associated with resting state and working memory. Network topology was fairly stable across repeated sessions of the same task, but varied significantly between rest and working memory. In the whole brain analysis, local efficiency, Eloc, differed significantly between rest and working memory. Analyses of network statistics for the precuneus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex revealed significant differences in degree as a function of task state for both regions and in local efficiency for the precuneus. Conversely, no significant differences were observed across repeated sessions of the same state. These findings suggest that network topology is fairly stable within individuals across time for the same state, but also fluid between states. Whole brain voxel-based network analyses may prove to be a valuable tool for exploring how functional connectivity changes in response to task demands.

Hyperactive hypothalamus, motivated and non-distractible chronic overeating in ADAR2 transgenic mice.

PubMed

Akubuiro, A; Bridget Zimmerman, M; Boles Ponto, L L; Walsh, S A; Sunderland, J; McCormick, L; Singh, M

2013-04-01

ADAR2 transgenic mice misexpressing the RNA editing enzyme ADAR2 (Adenosine Deaminase that act on RNA) show characteristics of overeating and experience adult onset obesity. Behavioral patterns and brain changes related to a possible addictive overeating in these transgenic mice were explored as transgenic mice display chronic hyperphagia. ADAR2 transgenic mice were assessed in their food preference and motivation to overeat in a competing reward environment with ad lib access to a running wheel and food. Metabolic activity of brain and peripheral tissue were assessed with [(18) F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and RNA expression of feeding related genes, ADAR2, dopamine and opiate receptors from the hypothalamus and striatum were examined. The results indicate that ADAR2 transgenic mice exhibit, (1) a food preference for diets with higher fat content, (2) significantly increased food intake that is non-distractible in a competing reward environment, (3) significantly increased messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of ADAR2, serotonin 2C receptor (5HT2C R), D1, D2 and mu opioid receptors and no change in corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNAs and significantly reduced ADAR2 protein expression in the hypothalamus, (4) significantly increased D1 receptor and altered bioamines with no change in ADAR2, mu opioid and D2 receptor mRNA expression in the striatum and (5) significantly greater glucose metabolism in the hypothalamus, brain stem, right hippocampus, left and right mid brain regions and suprascapular peripheral tissue than controls. These results suggest that highly motivated and goal-oriented overeating behaviors of ADAR2 transgenic mice are associated with altered feeding, reward-related mRNAs and hyperactive brain mesolimbic region. Genes, Brain and Behavior © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Subcortical hyperintensity volumetrics in Alzheimer's disease and normal elderly in the Sunnybrook Dementia Study: correlations with atrophy, executive function, mental processing speed, and verbal memory.

PubMed

Ramirez, Joel; McNeely, Alicia A; Scott, Christopher Jm; Stuss, Donald T; Black, Sandra E

2014-01-01

Subcortical hyperintensities (SHs) are radiological entities commonly observed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal elderly controls. Although the presence of SH is believed to indicate some form of subcortical vasculopathy, pathological heterogeneity, methodological differences, and the contribution of brain atrophy associated with AD pathology have yielded inconsistent results in the literature. Using the Lesion Explorer (LE) MRI processing pipeline for SH quantification and brain atrophy, this study examined SH volumes of interest and cognitive function in a sample of patients with AD (n = 265) and normal elderly controls (n = 100) from the Sunnybrook Dementia Study. Compared with healthy controls, patients with AD were found to have less gray matter, less white matter, and more sulcal and ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (all significant, P <0.0001). Additionally, patients with AD had greater volumes of whole-brain SH (P <0.01), periventricular SH (pvSH) (P <0.01), deep white SH (dwSH) (P <0.05), and lacunar lesions (P <0.0001). In patients with AD, regression analyses revealed a significant association between global atrophy and pvSH (P = 0.02) and ventricular atrophy with whole-brain SH (P <0.0001). Regional volumes of interest revealed significant correlations with medial middle frontal SH volume and executive function (P <0.001) in normal controls but not in patients with AD, global pvSH volume and mental processing speed (P <0.01) in patients with AD, and left temporal SH volume and memory (P <0.01) in patients with AD. These brain-behavior relationships and correlations with brain atrophy suggest that subtle, yet measurable, signs of small vessel disease may have potential clinical relevance as targets for treatment in Alzheimer's dementia.

Remembering what could have happened: Neural correlates of episodic counterfactual thinking

PubMed Central

De Brigard, F; Addis, D.R.; Ford, J.H.; Schacter, D.L.; Giovanello, K.S

2014-01-01

Recent evidence suggests that our capacities to remember the past and to imagine what might happen in the future largely depend on the same core brain network that includes the middle temporal lobe, the posterior cingulate/retrosplenial cortex, the inferior parietal lobe, the medial prefrontal cortex, and the lateral temporal cortex. However, the extent to which regions of this core brain network are also responsible for our capacity to think about what could have happened in our past, yet did not occur (i.e., episodic counterfactual thinking), is still unknown. The present study examined this issue. Using a variation of the experimental recombination paradigm (Addis et al., 2009), participants were asked both to remember personal past events and to envision alternative outcomes to such events while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. Three sets of analyses were performed on the imaging data in order to investigate two related issues. First, a mean-centered spatiotemporal partial least square (PLS) analysis identified a pattern of brain activity across regions of the core network that was common to episodic memory and episodic counterfactual thinking. Second, a non-rotated PLS analysis identified two different patterns of brain activity for likely and unlikely episodic counterfactual thoughts, with the former showing significant overlap with the set of regions engaged during episodic recollection. Finally, a parametric modulation was conducted to explore the differential engagement of brain regions during counterfactual thinking, revealing that areas such as the parahippocampal gyrus and the right hippocampus were modulated by the subjective likelihood of counterfactual simulations. These results suggest that episodic counterfactual thinking engages regions that form the core brain network, and also that the subjective likelihood of our counterfactual thoughts modulates the engagement of different areas within this set of regions. PMID:23376052

Local cortical dynamics of burst suppression in the anaesthetized brain.

PubMed

Lewis, Laura D; Ching, Shinung; Weiner, Veronica S; Peterfreund, Robert A; Eskandar, Emad N; Cash, Sydney S; Brown, Emery N; Purdon, Patrick L

2013-09-01

Burst suppression is an electroencephalogram pattern that consists of a quasi-periodic alternation between isoelectric 'suppressions' lasting seconds or minutes, and high-voltage 'bursts'. It is characteristic of a profoundly inactivated brain, occurring in conditions including hypothermia, deep general anaesthesia, infant encephalopathy and coma. It is also used in neurology as an electrophysiological endpoint in pharmacologically induced coma for brain protection after traumatic injury and during status epilepticus. Classically, burst suppression has been regarded as a 'global' state with synchronous activity throughout cortex. This assumption has influenced the clinical use of burst suppression as a way to broadly reduce neural activity. However, the extent of spatial homogeneity has not been fully explored due to the challenges in recording from multiple cortical sites simultaneously. The neurophysiological dynamics of large-scale cortical circuits during burst suppression are therefore not well understood. To address this question, we recorded intracranial electrocorticograms from patients who entered burst suppression while receiving propofol general anaesthesia. The electrodes were broadly distributed across cortex, enabling us to examine both the dynamics of burst suppression within local cortical regions and larger-scale network interactions. We found that in contrast to previous characterizations, bursts could be substantially asynchronous across the cortex. Furthermore, the state of burst suppression itself could occur in a limited cortical region while other areas exhibited ongoing continuous activity. In addition, we found a complex temporal structure within bursts, which recapitulated the spectral dynamics of the state preceding burst suppression, and evolved throughout the course of a single burst. Our observations imply that local cortical dynamics are not homogeneous, even during significant brain inactivation. Instead, cortical and, implicitly, subcortical circuits express seemingly different sensitivities to high doses of anaesthetics that suggest a hierarchy governing how the brain enters burst suppression, and emphasize the role of local dynamics in what has previously been regarded as a global state. These findings suggest a conceptual shift in how neurologists could assess the brain function of patients undergoing burst suppression. First, analysing spatial variation in burst suppression could provide insight into the circuit dysfunction underlying a given pathology, and could improve monitoring of medically-induced coma. Second, analysing the temporal dynamics within a burst could help assess the underlying brain state. This approach could be explored as a prognostic tool for recovery from coma, and for guiding treatment of status epilepticus. Overall, these results suggest new research directions and methods that could improve patient monitoring in clinical practice.

An internet survey of the characteristics and physical activity of community-dwelling Australian adults with acquired brain injury: Exploring interest in an internet-delivered self-management program focused on physical activity.

PubMed

Jones, Taryn M; Dean, Catherine M; Dear, Blake F; Hush, Julia M; Titov, Nickolai

2016-01-01

Individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) are more likely to be physically inactive and experience barriers to accessing services to address inactivity. This study was designed to guide the development of an internet-delivered self-management program to increase physical activity after ABI. The aims of this study were to examine the current physical activity status of community-dwelling Australian adults with ABI, the barriers to physical activity they experience and to explore interest an internet-delivered self-management program aimed at increasing physical activity. An online survey of Australian adults with ABI was used to collect information about demographic characteristics; general health; emotional well-being; mobility and physical activity status, and satisfaction; barriers to physical activity; confidence in overcoming barriers, and; interest in an internet self-management program. Data were analyzed descriptively and correlational analyses examined relationships between variables. Data were analyzed from 59 respondents. Over half were not satisfied with their current physical activity status. The most frequently reported barriers were pain/discomfort, fatigue and fear, and confidence to overcome these barriers was very low. Interest in an internet-delivered self-management program was high (74%) and not related to the amount of physical activity, satisfaction with physical activity and mobility status or total number of barriers. Australian adults with ABI are not satisfied with their activity levels and experience barriers in maintaining their physical activity levels. Participants were interested in accessing an internet-delivered self-management program aimed at improving physical activity levels. Therefore such a program warrants development and evaluation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Neural Correlates of Mindful Awareness: A Possible Buffering Effect on Anxiety-Related Reduction in Subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex Activity

PubMed Central

Hakamata, Yuko; Iwase, Mikio; Kato, Takashi; Senda, Kohei; Inada, Toshiya

2013-01-01

Background Human personality consists of two fundamental elements character and temperament. Character allays automatic and preconceptual emotional responses determined by temperament. However, the neurobiological basis of character and its interplay with temperament remain elusive. Here, we examined character-temperament interplay and explored the neural basis of character, with a particular focus on the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex extending to a ventromedial portion of the prefrontal cortex (sgACC/vmPFC). Methods Resting brain glucose metabolism (GM) was measured using [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in 140 healthy adults. Personality traits were assessed using the Temperament and Character Inventory. Regions of interest (ROI) analysis and whole-brain analysis were performed to examine a combination effect of temperament and character on the sgACC/vmPFC and to explore the neural correlates of character, respectively. Results Harm avoidance (HA), a temperament trait (i.e., depressive, anxious, vulnerable), showed a significant negative impact on the sgACC/vmPFC GM, whereas self-transcendence (ST), a character trait (i.e., intuitive, judicious, spiritual), exhibited a significant positive effect on GM in the same region (HA β = −0.248, p = 0.003; ST: β = 0.250, p = 0.003). In addition, when coupled with strong ST, individuals with strong HA maintained the sgACC/vmPFC GM level comparable to the level of those with low scores on both HA and ST. Furthermore, exploratory whole-brain analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between ST and sgACC/vmPFC GM (peak voxel at x = −8, y = 32, z = −8, k = 423, Z = 4.41, corrected p FDR = 0.030). Conclusion The current findings indicate that the sgACC/vmPFC might play a critical role in mindful awareness to something beyond as well as in emotional regulation. Developing a sense of mindfulness may temper exaggerated emotional responses in individuals with a risk for or having anxiety and depressive disorders. PMID:24130715

The neural correlates of mindful awareness: a possible buffering effect on anxiety-related reduction in subgenual anterior cingulate cortex activity.

PubMed

Hakamata, Yuko; Iwase, Mikio; Kato, Takashi; Senda, Kohei; Inada, Toshiya

2013-01-01

Human personality consists of two fundamental elements character and temperament. Character allays automatic and preconceptual emotional responses determined by temperament. However, the neurobiological basis of character and its interplay with temperament remain elusive. Here, we examined character-temperament interplay and explored the neural basis of character, with a particular focus on the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex extending to a ventromedial portion of the prefrontal cortex (sgACC/vmPFC). Resting brain glucose metabolism (GM) was measured using [(18)F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in 140 healthy adults. Personality traits were assessed using the Temperament and Character Inventory. Regions of interest (ROI) analysis and whole-brain analysis were performed to examine a combination effect of temperament and character on the sgACC/vmPFC and to explore the neural correlates of character, respectively. Harm avoidance (HA), a temperament trait (i.e., depressive, anxious, vulnerable), showed a significant negative impact on the sgACC/vmPFC GM, whereas self-transcendence (ST), a character trait (i.e., intuitive, judicious, spiritual), exhibited a significant positive effect on GM in the same region (HA β = -0.248, p = 0.003; ST: β = 0.250, p = 0.003). In addition, when coupled with strong ST, individuals with strong HA maintained the sgACC/vmPFC GM level comparable to the level of those with low scores on both HA and ST. Furthermore, exploratory whole-brain analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between ST and sgACC/vmPFC GM (peak voxel at x = -8, y = 32, z = -8, k = 423, Z = 4.41, corrected p (FDR) = 0.030). The current findings indicate that the sgACC/vmPFC might play a critical role in mindful awareness to something beyond as well as in emotional regulation. Developing a sense of mindfulness may temper exaggerated emotional responses in individuals with a risk for or having anxiety and depressive disorders.

Differences between brain mass and body weight scaling to height: potential mechanism of reduced mass-specific resting energy expenditure of taller adults.

PubMed

Heymsfield, Steven B; Chirachariyavej, Thamrong; Rhyu, Im Joo; Roongpisuthipong, Chulaporn; Heo, Moonseong; Pietrobelli, Angelo

2009-01-01

Adult resting energy expenditure (REE) scales as height( approximately 1.5), whereas body weight (BW) scales as height( approximately 2). Mass-specific REE (i.e., REE/BW) is thus lower in tall subjects compared with their shorter counterparts, the mechanism of which is unknown. We evaluated the hypothesis that high-metabolic-rate brain mass scales to height with a power significantly less than that of BW, a theory that if valid would provide a potential mechanism for height-related REE effects. The hypothesis was tested by measuring brain mass on a large (n = 372) postmortem sample of Thai men. Since brain mass-body size relations may be influenced by age, the hypothesis was secondarily explored in Thai men age < or =45 yr (n = 299) and with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in Korean men (n = 30) age > or =20<30 yr. The scaling of large body compartments was examined in a third group of Asian men living in New York (NY, n = 28) with MRI and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Brain mass scaled to height with a power (mean +/- SEE; 0.46 +/- 0.13) significantly smaller (P < 0.001) than that of BW scaled to height (2.36 +/- 0.19) in the whole group of Thai men; brain mass/BW scaled negatively to height (-1.94 +/- 0.20, P < 0.001). Similar results were observed in younger Thai men, and results for brain mass/BW vs. height were directionally the same (P = 0.09) in Korean men. Skeletal muscle and bone scaled to height with powers similar to that of BW (i.e., approximately 2-3) in the NY Asian men. Models developed using REE estimates in Thai men suggest that brain accounts for most of the REE/BW height dependency. Tall and short men thus differ in relative brain mass, but the proportions of BW as large compartments appear independent of height, observations that provide a potential mechanistic basis for related differences in REE and that have implications for the study of adult energy requirements.

[Methods of data selection from the French medical information system program for trauma patient's analysis: Burns and traumatic brain injuries].

PubMed

Paget, L-M; Dupont, A; Pédrono, G; Lasbeur, L; Thélot, B

2017-10-01

Data from the French medical information system program in medicine, surgery, obstetrics and dentistry can be adapted in some cases and under certain conditions, to account for hospitalizations for injuries. Two areas have been explored: burn and traumatic brain injury victims. An algorithm selecting data from the Medical information system program was established and implemented for several years for the study of burn victims. The methods of selection of stays for traumatic brain injuries, which are the subject of a more recent exploration, are described. Production of results in routine on the hospitalization for burns. Expected production of results on the hospitalization for traumatic brain injuries. In both cases, the knowledge obtained from these utilizations of the Medical information system program contributes to epidemiological surveillance and prevention and are useful for health care organization. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Will My Soul Go to Heaven If They Take My Brain? Beliefs and Worries About Brain Donation Among Four Ethnic Groups.

PubMed

Boise, Linda; Hinton, Ladson; Rosen, Howard J; Ruhl, Mary

2017-08-01

Studying the brain through autopsy is an essential component of Alzheimer's disease research. Racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in Alzheimer's research generally and, in particular, in the number of completed brain autopsies. We explored beliefs about and attitudes toward brain donation among African American, Chinese, Caucasian, and Latino research subjects and their family members through focus groups at 4 NIH-funded Alzheimer's Disease Centers. Eighteen focus groups were conducted with 61 research subjects and 34 family members. Because the primary purpose of the focus groups was to identify the range of considerations that may influence the decision to participate in brain donation, data from focus groups were pooled and then analyzed. We found that many of the concerns, attitudes, and beliefs about brain donation were similar across the 4 ethnic groups. Concerns and attitudes fell into 3 categories: (a) concerns and misconceptions about brain research and the process of brain removal, (b) religious beliefs, and (c) the role of the family. Our findings suggest that interventions to enhance enrollment in brain donation that target factors identified in this study are likely to be relevant to people from a broad range of backgrounds and ethnicities. Nonetheless, we observed some potential differences among racial/ethnic groups that may affect how research volunteers and their families approach a decision about donating their brain for research. Further study is warranted to explore these and other possible culturally distinct attitudes and beliefs about brain donation. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Active tactile exploration using a brain-machine-brain interface.

PubMed

O'Doherty, Joseph E; Lebedev, Mikhail A; Ifft, Peter J; Zhuang, Katie Z; Shokur, Solaiman; Bleuler, Hannes; Nicolelis, Miguel A L

2011-10-05

Brain-machine interfaces use neuronal activity recorded from the brain to establish direct communication with external actuators, such as prosthetic arms. It is hoped that brain-machine interfaces can be used to restore the normal sensorimotor functions of the limbs, but so far they have lacked tactile sensation. Here we report the operation of a brain-machine-brain interface (BMBI) that both controls the exploratory reaching movements of an actuator and allows signalling of artificial tactile feedback through intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the primary somatosensory cortex. Monkeys performed an active exploration task in which an actuator (a computer cursor or a virtual-reality arm) was moved using a BMBI that derived motor commands from neuronal ensemble activity recorded in the primary motor cortex. ICMS feedback occurred whenever the actuator touched virtual objects. Temporal patterns of ICMS encoded the artificial tactile properties of each object. Neuronal recordings and ICMS epochs were temporally multiplexed to avoid interference. Two monkeys operated this BMBI to search for and distinguish one of three visually identical objects, using the virtual-reality arm to identify the unique artificial texture associated with each. These results suggest that clinical motor neuroprostheses might benefit from the addition of ICMS feedback to generate artificial somatic perceptions associated with mechanical, robotic or even virtual prostheses.

The Potential of Stem Cells in Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Weston, Nicole M; Sun, Dong

2018-01-25

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global public health concern, with limited treatment options available. Despite improving survival rate after TBI, treatment is lacking for brain functional recovery and structural repair in clinic. Recent studies have suggested that the mature brain harbors neural stem cells which have regenerative capacity following brain insults. Much progress has been made in preclinical TBI model studies in understanding the behaviors, functions, and regulatory mechanisms of neural stem cells in the injured brain. Different strategies targeting these cell population have been assessed in TBI models. In parallel, cell transplantation strategy using a wide range of stem cells has been explored for TBI treatment in pre-clinical studies and some in clinical trials. This review summarized strategies which have been explored to enhance endogenous neural stem cell-mediated regeneration and recent development in cell transplantation studies for post-TBI brain repair. Thus far, neural regeneration through neural stem cells either by modulating endogenous neural stem cells or by stem cell transplantation has attracted much attention. It is highly speculated that targeting neural stem cells could be a potential strategy to repair and regenerate the injured brain. Neuroprotection and neuroregeneration are major aspects for TBI therapeutic development. With technique advancement, it is hoped that stem cell-based therapy targeting neuroregeneration will be able to translate to clinic in not so far future.

A Stimulus-Locked Vector Autoregressive Model for Slow Event-Related fMRI Designs

PubMed Central

Siegle, Greg

2009-01-01

Summary Neuroscientists have become increasingly interested in exploring dynamic relationships among brain regions. Such a relationship, when directed from one region toward another, is denoted by “effective connectivity.” An fMRI experimental paradigm which is well-suited for examination of effective connectivity is the slow event-related design. This design presents stimuli at sufficient temporal spacing for determining within-trial trajectories of BOLD activation, allowing for the analysis of stimulus-locked temporal covariation of brain responses in multiple regions. This may be especially important for emotional stimuli processing, which can evolve over the course of several seconds, if not longer. However, while several methods have been devised for determining fMRI effective connectivity, few are adapted to event-related designs, which include non-stationary BOLD responses and multiple levels of nesting. We propose a model tailored for exploring effective connectivity of multiple brain regions in event-related fMRI designs - a semi-parametric adaptation of vector autoregressive (VAR) models, termed “stimulus-locked VAR” (SloVAR). Connectivity coefficients vary as a function of time relative to stimulus onset, are regularized via basis expansions, and vary randomly across subjects. SloVAR obtains flexible, data-driven estimates of effective connectivity and hence is useful for building connectivity models when prior information on dynamic regional relationships is sparse. Indices derived from the coefficient estimates can also be used to relate effective connectivity estimates to behavioral or clinical measures. We demonstrate the SloVAR model on a sample of clinically depressed and normal controls, showing that early but not late cortico-amygdala connectivity appears crucial to emotional control and early but not late cortico-cortico connectivity predicts depression severity in the depressed group, relationships that would have been missed in a more traditional VAR analysis. PMID:19236927

Cross-cultural effect on suboptimal effort detection: an example of the Digit Span subtest of the WAIS-III in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yang, Cheng-Chang; Kao, Chen-Jay; Cheng, Ting-Wen; Yang, Chi-Cheng; Wang, Wei-Han; Yu, Rwei-Ling; Hsu, Yen-Hsuan; Hua, Mau-Sun

2012-12-01

Suppressed Digit Span performance has been proposed as an embedded indicator for suboptimal effort detection in neuropsychological evaluations in Western societies, particularly in the USA. However, its effectiveness in Chinese countries remains unexplored. The purposes of this study were first to explore normative Digit Span performance patterns between the Taiwan and American standardization samples, then to examine performances of patients with traumatic brain injury and with psychiatric diseases on the embedded measures (the Digit Span Scaled Score, Vocabulary minus Digit Span difference score, Reliable Digit Span, and the longest string of digits forward and backward) through retrospective data analysis. The normative Digit Span performance differs between the two cultural populations. Although litigating and nonlitigating participants perform differently on these measures, further prospective studies are needed to explore this issue with comprehensive external corroborating validity data.

Organotypic distribution of stem cell markers in formalin-fixed brain harboring glioblastoma multiforme.

PubMed

Schrot, Rudolph J; Ma, Joyce H; Greco, Claudia M; Arias, Angelo D; Angelastro, James M

2007-11-01

The role of stem cells in the origin, growth patterns, and infiltration of glioblastoma multiforme is a subject of intense investigation. One possibility is that glioblastoma may arise from transformed stem cells in the ventricular zone. To explore this hypothesis, we examined the distribution of two stem cell markers, activating transcription factor 5 (ATF5) and CD133, in an autopsy brain specimen from an individual with glioblastoma multiforme. A 41-year-old male with a right posterior temporal glioblastoma had undergone surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. The brain was harvested within several hours after death. After formalin fixation, sectioning, and mapping of tumor location in the gross specimen, histologic specimens were prepared from tumor-bearing and grossly normal hemispheres. Fluorescence immunohistochemistry and colorimetric staining were performed for ATF5 and CD133. Both markers co-localized to the ependymal and subependymal zones on the side of the tumor, but not in the normal hemisphere or more rostrally in the affected hemisphere. ATF5 staining was especially robust within the diseased hemisphere in histologically normal ependyma. To our knowledge, this is the first in situ demonstration of stem cell markers in whole human brain. These preliminary results support the hypothesis that some glioblastomas may arise from the neurogenic zone of the lateral ventricle. The robust staining for ATF5 and CD133 in histologically normal ventricular zone suggests that an increase in periventricular stem cell activity occurred in this patient on the side of the tumor, either as a localized response to brain injury or as an integral component of oncogenesis and tumor recurrence.

Brain size growth in wild and captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

PubMed

Cofran, Zachary

2018-05-24

Despite many studies of chimpanzee brain size growth, intraspecific variation is under-explored. Brain size data from chimpanzees of the Taï Forest and the Yerkes Primate Research Center enable a unique glimpse into brain growth variation as age at death is known for individuals, allowing cross-sectional growth curves to be estimated. Because Taï chimpanzees are from the wild but Yerkes apes are captive, potential environmental effects on neural development can also be explored. Previous research has revealed differences in growth and health between wild and captive primates, but such habitat effects have yet to be investigated for brain growth. Here, I use an iterative curve fitting procedure to estimate brain growth and regression parameters for each population, statistically comparing growth models using bootstrapped confidence intervals. Yerkes and Taï brain sizes overlap at all ages, although the sole Taï newborn is at the low end of captive neonatal variation. Growth rate and duration are statistically indistinguishable between the two populations. Resampling the Yerkes sample to match the Taï sample size and age group composition shows that ontogenetic variation in the two groups are remarkably similar despite the latter's limited size. Best fit growth curves for each sample indicate cessation of brain size growth at around 2 years, earlier than has previously been reported. The overall similarity between wild and captive chimpanzees points to the canalization of brain growth in this species. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hormones as “difference makers” in cognitive and socioemotional aging processes

PubMed Central

Ebner, Natalie C.; Kamin, Hayley; Diaz, Vanessa; Cohen, Ronald A.; MacDonald, Kai

2015-01-01

Aging is associated with well-recognized alterations in brain function, some of which are reflected in cognitive decline. While less appreciated, there is also considerable evidence of socioemotional changes later in life, some of which are beneficial. In this review, we examine age-related changes and individual differences in four neuroendocrine systems—cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, and oxytocin—as “difference makers” in these processes. This suite of interrelated hormonal systems actively coordinates regulatory processes in brain and behavior throughout development, and their level and function fluctuate during the aging process. Despite these facts, their specific impact in cognitive and socioemotional aging has received relatively limited study. It is known that chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol exert neurotoxic effects on the aging brain with negative impacts on cognition and socioemotional functioning. In contrast, the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone appear to have neuroprotective effects in cognitive aging, but may decrease prosociality. Higher levels of the neuropeptide oxytocin benefit socioemotional functioning, but little is known about the effects of oxytocin on cognition or about age-related changes in the oxytocin system. In this paper, we will review the role of these hormones in the context of cognitive and socioemotional aging. In particular, we address the aforementioned gap in the literature by: (1) examining both singular actions and interrelations of these four hormonal systems; (2) exploring their correlations and causal relationships with aspects of cognitive and socioemotional aging; and (3) considering multilevel internal and external influences on these hormone systems within the framework of explanatory pluralism. We conclude with a discussion of promising future research directions. PMID:25657633

Exploring the mechanical behavior of degrading swine neural tissue at low strain rates via the fractional Zener constitutive model.

PubMed

Bentil, Sarah A; Dupaix, Rebecca B

2014-02-01

The ability of the fractional Zener constitutive model to predict the behavior of postmortem swine brain tissue was examined in this work. Understanding tissue behavior attributed to degradation is invaluable in many fields such as the forensic sciences or cases where only cadaveric tissue is available. To understand how material properties change with postmortem age, the fractional Zener model was considered as it includes parameters to describe brain stiffness and also the parameter α, which quantifies the viscoelasticity of a material. The relationship between the viscoelasticity described by α and tissue degradation was examined by fitting the model to data collected in a previous study (Bentil, 2013). This previous study subjected swine neural tissue to in vitro unconfined compression tests using four postmortem age groups (<6h, 24h, 3 days, and 1 week). All samples were compressed to a strain level of 10% using two compressive rates: 1mm/min and 5mm/min. Statistical analysis was used as a tool to study the influence of the fractional Zener constants on factors such as tissue degradation and compressive rate. Application of the fractional Zener constitutive model to the experimental data showed that swine neural tissue becomes less stiff with increased postmortem age. The fractional Zener model was also able to capture the nonlinear viscoelastic features of the brain tissue at low strain rates. The results showed that the parameter α was better correlated with compressive rate than with postmortem age. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

An Exploratory Study of Intensive Neurofeedback Training for Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Nan, Wenya; Wan, Feng; Chang, Lanshin; Pun, Sio Hang; Vai, Mang I; Rosa, Agostinho

2017-01-01

Schizophrenia is a chronic and devastating brain disorder with ongoing cognitive, behavioral, and emotional deteriorated functions. Neurofeedback training, which enables the individuals to regulate their brain activity using a real-time feedback loop, is increasingly investigated as a potential alternative intervention for schizophrenia. This study aimed to explore the effect of short but intensive neurofeedback training for schizophrenic patients with difficulty for long-time training. A middle-aged woman with chronic schizophrenia completed the intensive training of alpha/beta2 (20-30 Hz) in four consecutive days with a total training duration of 13.5 hours. The results showed that her alpha/beta2 increased over sessions, and her behavior performance including short-term memory, mood, and speech pattern was improved at the end of neurofeedback training. Importantly, a 22-month follow-up found a dramatic improvement in both positive and negative symptoms. These positive outcomes suggest that such intensive neurofeedback training may provide new insight into the treatment of schizophrenia and thus deserves further study to fully examine its scope.

Damage to Arousal-Promoting Brainstem Neurons with Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Valko, Philipp O; Gavrilov, Yuri V; Yamamoto, Mihoko; Noaín, Daniela; Reddy, Hasini; Haybaeck, Johannes; Weis, Serge; Baumann, Christian R; Scammell, Thomas E

2016-06-01

Coma and chronic sleepiness are common after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Here, we explored whether injury to arousal-promoting brainstem neurons occurs in patients with fatal TBI. Postmortem examination of 8 TBI patients and 10 controls. Compared to controls, TBI patients had 17% fewer serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (effect size: 1.25), but the number of serotonergic neurons did not differ in the median raphe nucleus. TBI patients also had 29% fewer noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (effect size: 0.96). The number of cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine and laterodorsal tegmental nuclei (PPT/LDT) was similar in TBI patients and controls. TBI injures arousal-promoting neurons of the mesopontine tegmentum, but this injury is less severe than previously observed in hypothalamic arousal-promoting neurons. Most likely, posttraumatic arousal disturbances are not primarily caused by damage to these brainstem neurons, but arise from an aggregate of injuries, including damage to hypothalamic arousal nuclei and disruption of other arousal-related circuitries. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

The Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on Later Life: Effects on Normal Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

PubMed

Griesbach, Grace S; Masel, Brent E; Helvie, Richard E; Ashley, Mark J

2018-01-01

The acute and chronic effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been widely described; however, there is limited knowledge on how a TBI sustained during early adulthood or mid-adulthood will influence aging. Epidemiological studies have explored whether TBI poses a risk for dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging. We will discuss the influence of TBI and resulting medical comorbidities such as endocrine, sleep, and inflammatory disturbances on age-related gray and white matter changes and cognitive decline. Post mortem studies examining amyloid, tau, and other proteins will be discussed within the context of neurodegenerative diseases and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The data support the suggestion that pathological changes triggered by an earlier TBI will have an influence on normal aging processes and will interact with neurodegenerative disease processes rather than the development of a specific disease, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. Chronic neurophysiologic change after TBI may have detrimental effects on neurodegenerative disease.

The persistence of the subjective in neuropsychopharmacology: observations of contemporary hallucinogen research.

PubMed

Langlitz, Nicolas

2010-01-01

The elimination of subjectivity through brain research and the replacement of so-called "folk psychology" by a neuroscientifically enlightened worldview and self-conception has been both hoped for and feared. But this cultural revolution is still pending. Based on nine months of fieldwork on the revival of hallucinogen research since the "Decade of the Brain," this paper examines how subjective experience appears as epistemic object and practical problem in a psychopharmacological laboratory. In the quest for neural correlates of (drug-induced altered states of) consciousness, introspective accounts of test subjects play a crucial role in neuroimaging studies. Firsthand knowledge of the drugs' flamboyant effects provides researchers with a personal knowledge not communicated in scientific publications, but key to the conduct of their experiments. In many cases, the "psychedelic experience" draws scientists into the field and continues to inspire their self-image and way of life. By exploring these domains the paper points to a persistence of the subjective in contemporary neuropsychopharmacology.

Neuroscience Meets Music Education: Exploring the Implications of Neural Processing Models on Music Education Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Anita

2013-01-01

Over the past two decades, neuroscientists have been fascinated by the way the brain processes music. Using new technologies, neuroscientists offer us a better understanding of the human brain's structures and functions. They have further proposed explanatory models for how the brain processes music. While these models shed light on how the…

The Beautiful Brain: A Unit for Grades 5-9 with Further Explorations for Gifted and Talented.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Struve, Nancy

The unit provides information on the study of the human brain for students in grades 5-9 with suggestions for extending the lessons for gifted and talented students. Learning activities are offered for ten lessons (sample subtopics in parentheses); introduction to the unit (student pretest and posttest); brain growth; medulla-oblongata-reptilian…

Survivors of a Silent Epidemic: The Learning Experience of College Students with a History of Traumatic Brain Injury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlessman, Heather A.

2010-01-01

A significant proportion of young adults experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year, and students with this history are becoming a growing presence on college campuses. A review of the literature revealed very little research exploring the learning experiences of college students with a history of traumatic brain injury. The purpose of…

Exploring Symmetry to Assist Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Illán, I. A.; Górriz, J. M.; Ramírez, J.; Salas-Gonzalez, D.; López, M.; Padilla, P.; Chaves, R.; Segovia, F.; Puntonet, C. G.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder first affecting memory functions and then gradually affecting all cognitive functions with behavioral impairments and eventually causing death. Functional brain imaging as Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) is commonly used to guide the clinician's diagnosis. The essential left-right symmetry of human brains is shown to play a key role in coding and recognition. In the present work we explore the implications of this symmetry in AD diagnosis, showing that recognition may be enhanced when considering this latent symmetry.

Yawning and Stretching Predict Brain Temperature Changes in Rats: Support for the Thermoregulatory Hypothesis

PubMed Central

Shoup-Knox, Melanie L.; Gallup, Andrew C.; Gallup, Gordon G.; McNay, Ewan C.

2010-01-01

Recent research suggests that yawning is an adaptive behavior that functions to promote brain thermoregulation among homeotherms. To explore the relationship between brain temperature and yawning we implanted thermocoupled probes in the frontal cortex of rats to measure brain temperature before, during and after yawning. Temperature recordings indicate that yawns and stretches occurred during increases in brain temperature, with brain temperatures being restored to baseline following the execution of each of these behaviors. The circulatory changes that accompany yawning and stretching may explain some of the thermal similarities surrounding these events. These results suggest that yawning and stretching may serve to maintain brain thermal homeostasis. PMID:21031034

Split My Brain: A Case Study of Seizure Disorder and Brain Function

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Omarzu, Julia

2004-01-01

This case involves a couple deciding whether or not their son should undergo brain surgery to treat a severe seizure disorder. In examining this dilemma, students apply knowledge of brain anatomy and function. They also learn about brain scanning techniques and discuss the plasticity of the brain.

Fluorescence Imaging/Agents in Tumor Resection.

PubMed

Stummer, Walter; Suero Molina, Eric

2017-10-01

Intraoperative fluorescence imaging allows real-time identification of diseased tissue during surgery without being influenced by brain shift and surgery interruption. 5-Aminolevulinic acid, useful for malignant gliomas and other tumors, is the most broadly explored compound approved for fluorescence-guided resection. Intravenous fluorescein sodium has recently received attention, highlighting tumor tissue based on extravasation at the blood-brain barrier (defective in many brain tumors). Fluorescein in perfused brain, unselective extravasation in brain perturbed by surgery, and propagation with edema are concerns. Fluorescein is not approved but targeted fluorochromes with affinity to brain tumor cells, in development, may offer future advantages. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is the social brain theory applicable to human individual differences? Relationship between sociability personality dimension and brain size.

PubMed

Horváth, Klára; Martos, János; Mihalik, Béla; Bódizs, Róbert

2011-06-17

Our study intends to examine whether the social brain theory is applicable to human individual differences. According to the social brain theory primates have larger brains as it could be expected from their body sizes due to the adaptation to a more complex social life. Regarding humans there were few studies about the relationship between theory of mind and frontal and temporal brain lobes. We hypothesized that these brain lobes, as well as the whole cerebrum and neocortex are in connection with the Sociability personality dimension that is associated with individuals' social lives. Our findings support this hypothesis as Sociability correlated positively with the examined brain structures if we control the effects of body size differences and age. These results suggest that the social brain theory can be extended to human interindividual differences and they have some implications to personality psychology too.

Auditory attention in autism spectrum disorder: An exploration of volumetric magnetic resonance imaging findings.

PubMed

Lalani, Sanam J; Duffield, Tyler C; Trontel, Haley G; Bigler, Erin D; Abildskov, Tracy J; Froehlich, Alyson; Prigge, Molly B D; Travers, Brittany G; Anderson, Jeffrey S; Zielinski, Brandon A; Alexander, Andrew; Lange, Nicholas; Lainhart, Janet E

2018-06-01

Studies have shown that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to perform significantly below typically developing individuals on standardized measures of attention, even when controlling for IQ. The current study sought to examine within ASD whether anatomical correlates of attention performance differed between those with average to above-average IQ (AIQ group) and those with low-average to borderline ability (LIQ group) as well as in comparison to typically developing controls (TDC). Using automated volumetric analyses, we examined regional volume of classic attention areas including the superior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus in ASD AIQ (n = 38) and LIQ (n = 18) individuals along with 30 TDC. Auditory attention performance was assessed using subtests of the Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL) compared among the groups and then correlated with regional brain volumes. Analyses revealed group differences in attention. The three groups did not differ significantly on any auditory attention-related brain volumes; however, trends toward significant size-attention function interactions were observed. Negative correlations were found between the volume of the precuneus and auditory attention performance for the AIQ ASD group, indicating larger volume related to poorer performance. Implications for general attention functioning and dysfunctional neural connectivity in ASD are discussed.

Exploring Vocational Evaluation Practices following Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

Dillahunt-Aspillaga, Christina; Jorgensen Smith, Tammy; Hanson, Ardis; Ehlke, Sarah; Stergiou-Kita, Mary; Dixon, Charlotte G.; Quichocho, Davina

2015-01-01

Background. Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) face many challenges when attempting to return to work (RTW). Vocational evaluation (VE) is a systematic process that involves assessment and appraisal of an individual's current work-related characteristics and abilities. Objective. The aims of this study are to (1) examine demographic and employment characteristics of vocational rehabilitation providers (VRPs), (2) identify the specific evaluation methods that are used in the VE of individuals with TBI, and (3) examine the differences in assessment method practices based upon evaluator assessment preferences. Methods. This exploratory case study used a forty-six-item online survey which was distributed to VRPs. Results. One hundred and nine VRPs accessed the survey. Of these, 74 completed the survey. A majority of respondents were female (79.7%), Caucasian (71.6%), and holding a master's degree (74.3%), and more than half (56.8%) were employed as state vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs). In addition, over two-thirds (67.6%) were certified rehabilitation counselors (CRCs). Respondents reported using several specific tools and assessments during the VE process. Conclusions. Study findings reveal differences in use of and rationales for specific assessments amongst VRPs. Understanding VRP assessment practices and use of an evidence-based framework for VE following TBI may inform and improve VE practice. PMID:26494945

Is elevated norepinephrine an etiological factor in some cases of Alzheimer's disease?

PubMed

Fitzgerald, Paul J

2010-09-01

Loss of norepinephrine (NE) releasing neurons, in the locus coeruleus of the brainstem, is well documented to occur in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, this process does not necessarily result in decreased release of NE, since compensatory mechanisms may produce increased release of this neurotransmitter. Independent of potential loss of locus coeruleus cells, brain NE levels may be elevated in some persons with AD, both before and during disease progression. Here I examine evidence that elevated, endogenous brain NE is an etiological factor in some cases of AD, and not merely an epiphenomenon of the disease. To explore this etiological hypothesis in AD, I examine the following eight lines of evidence: 1) direct evidence of elevated NE or its metabolites in AD; 2) studies of tricyclic antidepressants, which may principally boost NE; 3) studies of clonidine and other alpha2 adrenergic agonist drugs, which may principally lower the concentration of NE; 4) studies of beta adrenoceptor blocking drugs, including propranolol; 5) comorbidity of AD and bipolar disorder, where both disorders may involve elevated NE; 6) comorbidity of AD and hypertension; 7) comorbidity of AD and obesity; and 8) potential interaction between AD and psychological stress, where stressors are known to release NE. These lines of evidence tend to support the elevated NE etiological hypothesis.

Social Interaction in Infants' Learning of Second-Language Phonetics: An Exploration of Brain-Behavior Relations.

PubMed

Conboy, Barbara T; Brooks, Rechele; Meltzoff, Andrew N; Kuhl, Patricia K

2015-01-01

Infants learn phonetic information from a second language with live-person presentations, but not television or audio-only recordings. To understand the role of social interaction in learning a second language, we examined infants' joint attention with live, Spanish-speaking tutors and used a neural measure of phonetic learning. Infants' eye-gaze behaviors during Spanish sessions at 9.5-10.5 months of age predicted second-language phonetic learning, assessed by an event-related potential measure of Spanish phoneme discrimination at 11 months. These data suggest a powerful role for social interaction at the earliest stages of learning a new language.

In Vivo Investigation of the Effectiveness of a Hyper-viscoelastic Model in Simulating Brain Retraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ping; Wang, Weiwei; Zhang, Chenxi; An, Yong; Song, Zhijian

2016-07-01

Intraoperative brain retraction leads to a misalignment between the intraoperative positions of the brain structures and their previous positions, as determined from preoperative images. In vitro swine brain sample uniaxial tests showed that the mechanical response of brain tissue to compression and extension could be described by the hyper-viscoelasticity theory. The brain retraction caused by the mechanical process is a combination of brain tissue compression and extension. In this paper, we first constructed a hyper-viscoelastic framework based on the extended finite element method (XFEM) to simulate intraoperative brain retraction. To explore its effectiveness, we then applied this framework to an in vivo brain retraction simulation. The simulation strictly followed the clinical scenario, in which seven swine were subjected to brain retraction. Our experimental results showed that the hyper-viscoelastic XFEM framework is capable of simulating intraoperative brain retraction and improving the navigation accuracy of an image-guided neurosurgery system (IGNS).

Network topology and functional connectivity disturbances precede the onset of Huntington's disease.

PubMed

Harrington, Deborah L; Rubinov, Mikail; Durgerian, Sally; Mourany, Lyla; Reece, Christine; Koenig, Katherine; Bullmore, Ed; Long, Jeffrey D; Paulsen, Jane S; Rao, Stephen M

2015-08-01

Cognitive, motor and psychiatric changes in prodromal Huntington's disease have nurtured the emergent need for early interventions. Preventive clinical trials for Huntington's disease, however, are limited by a shortage of suitable measures that could serve as surrogate outcomes. Measures of intrinsic functional connectivity from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging are of keen interest. Yet recent studies suggest circumscribed abnormalities in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity in prodromal Huntington's disease, despite the spectrum of behavioural changes preceding a manifest diagnosis. The present study used two complementary analytical approaches to examine whole-brain resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity in prodromal Huntington's disease. Network topology was studied using graph theory and simple functional connectivity amongst brain regions was explored using the network-based statistic. Participants consisted of gene-negative controls (n = 16) and prodromal Huntington's disease individuals (n = 48) with various stages of disease progression to examine the influence of disease burden on intrinsic connectivity. Graph theory analyses showed that global network interconnectivity approximated a random network topology as proximity to diagnosis neared and this was associated with decreased connectivity amongst highly-connected rich-club network hubs, which integrate processing from diverse brain regions. However, functional segregation within the global network (average clustering) was preserved. Functional segregation was also largely maintained at the local level, except for the notable decrease in the diversity of anterior insula intermodular-interconnections (participation coefficient), irrespective of disease burden. In contrast, network-based statistic analyses revealed patterns of weakened frontostriatal connections and strengthened frontal-posterior connections that evolved as disease burden increased. These disturbances were often related to long-range connections involving peripheral nodes and interhemispheric connections. A strong association was found between weaker connectivity and decreased rich-club organization, indicating that whole-brain simple connectivity partially expressed disturbances in the communication of highly-connected hubs. However, network topology and network-based statistic connectivity metrics did not correlate with key markers of executive dysfunction (Stroop Test, Trail Making Test) in prodromal Huntington's disease, which instead were related to whole-brain connectivity disturbances in nodes (right inferior parietal, right thalamus, left anterior cingulate) that exhibited multiple aberrant connections and that mediate executive control. Altogether, our results show for the first time a largely disease burden-dependent functional reorganization of whole-brain networks in prodromal Huntington's disease. Both analytic approaches provided a unique window into brain reorganization that was not related to brain atrophy or motor symptoms. Longitudinal studies currently in progress will chart the course of functional changes to determine the most sensitive markers of disease progression. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Vision's Brain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Julie Ann

1978-01-01

The functional architecture of the primary visual cortex has been explored by monitoring the responses of individual brain cells to visual stimuli. A combination of anatomical and physiological techniques reveals groups of functionally related cells, juxtaposed and superimposed, in a sometimes complex, but presumably efficient, structure. (BB)

Finding language in the matter of the brain: origins of the clinical aphasia examination.

PubMed

Roth, Heidi L

2002-12-01

The origins of the aphasia examination can be traced back to the 19th century when physicians and scientists began to understand how higher mental functions such as language could be localized in the brain. Paul Broca, Carl Wernicke, and Hughlings Jackson developed different models of brain function, and each contributed important insights to the study of aphasia. Broca's contributions were influenced by the fundamental question of whether higher mental function could be localized in the brain at all; Wernicke's contributions were influenced by an attempt to unite more mechanistic and physiological principles to a model of higher brain functions; and Jackson's contributions were influenced by British association psychology. In addition to reviewing the origins of the aphasia examination, this article reviews the historical context in which these contributors worked, the factors that affected the reception of their views, and the manner in which their views have affected the aphasia examination and understanding of aphasia today.

Neuroimaging of Reading Intervention: A Systematic Review and Activation Likelihood Estimate Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Barquero, Laura A.; Davis, Nicole; Cutting, Laurie E.

2014-01-01

A growing number of studies examine instructional training and brain activity. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature regarding neuroimaging of reading intervention, with a particular focus on reading difficulties (RD). To locate relevant studies, searches of peer-reviewed literature were conducted using electronic databases to search for studies from the imaging modalities of fMRI and MEG (including MSI) that explored reading intervention. Of the 96 identified studies, 22 met the inclusion criteria for descriptive analysis. A subset of these (8 fMRI experiments with post-intervention data) was subjected to activation likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analysis to investigate differences in functional activation following reading intervention. Findings from the literature review suggest differences in functional activation of numerous brain regions associated with reading intervention, including bilateral inferior frontal, superior temporal, middle temporal, middle frontal, superior frontal, and postcentral gyri, as well as bilateral occipital cortex, inferior parietal lobules, thalami, and insulae. Findings from the meta-analysis indicate change in functional activation following reading intervention in the left thalamus, right insula/inferior frontal, left inferior frontal, right posterior cingulate, and left middle occipital gyri. Though these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small number of studies and the disparate methodologies used, this paper is an effort to synthesize across studies and to guide future exploration of neuroimaging and reading intervention. PMID:24427278

MicroRNA-15a/16-1 Antagomir Ameliorates Ischemic Brain Injury in Experimental Stroke.

PubMed

Yang, Xinxin; Tang, Xuelian; Sun, Ping; Shi, Yejie; Liu, Kai; Hassan, Sulaiman H; Stetler, R Anne; Chen, Jun; Yin, Ke-Jie

2017-07-01

Dysregulation of the miR-15a/16-1 cluster in plasma has been reported in patients with stroke as a potential biomarker for diagnostic and prognostic use. However, the essential role and therapeutic potential of the miR-15a/16-1 cluster in ischemic stroke are poorly understood. This study is aimed at investigating the regulatory role of the miR-15a/16-1 cluster in ischemic brain injury and insight mechanisms. Adult male miR-15a/16-1 knockout and wild-type mice, or adult male C57 BL/6J mice injected via tail vein with the miR-15a/16-1-specific inhibitor (antagomir, 30 pmol/g), were subjected to 1 hour of middle cerebral artery occlusion and 72 hours of reperfusion. The neurological scores, brain infarct volume, brain water content, and neurobehavioral tests were then evaluated and analyzed. To explore underlying signaling pathways associated with alteration of miR-15a/16-1 activity, major proinflammatory cytokines were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction or ELISA and antiapoptotic proteins were examined by Western blotting. Genetic deletion of the miR-15a/16-1 cluster or intravenous delivery of miR-15a/16-1 antagomir significantly reduced cerebral infarct size, decreased brain water content, and improved neurological outcomes in stroke mice. Inhibition of miR-15a/16-1 significantly decreased the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and increased Bcl-2 and Bcl-w levels in the ischemic brain regions. Our data indicate that pharmacological inhibition of the miR-15a/16-1 cluster reduces ischemic brain injury via both upregulation of antiapoptotic proteins and suppression of proinflammatory molecules. These results suggest that the miR-15a/16-1 cluster is a novel therapeutic target for ischemic stroke. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Gender Differences in Regional Brain Activity in Patients with Chronic Primary Insomnia: Evidence from a Resting-State fMRI Study

PubMed Central

Dai, Xi-Jian; Nie, Xiao; Liu, Xuming; Pei, Li; Jiang, Jian; Peng, De-chang; Gong, Hong-Han; Zeng, Xian-Jun; Wáng, Yì-Xiáng J.; Zhan, Yang

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: To explore the regional brain activities in patients with chronic primary insomnia (PCPIs) and their sex differences. Methods: Forty-two PCPIs (27 females, 15 males) and 42 good sleepers (GSs; 24 females, 18 males) were recruited. Six PCPIs (3 males, 3 females) were scanned twice by MRI to examine the test-retest reliability. Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method was used to assess the local brain features. The mean signal values of the different ALFF areas were analyzed with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Simple linear regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationships between clinical features and different brain areas. Results: Both female and male PCPIs showed higher ALFF in the temporal lobe and occipital lobe, especially in female PCPIs. Female PCPIs had lower ALFF in the bilateral cerebellum posterior lobe, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and bilateral limbic lobe; however, male PCPIs showed lower ALFF in the left occipital gyrus. The mean signal value of the cerebellum in female PCPIs showed negative correlations with negative emotions. Compared with male PCPIs, female PCPIs showed higher ALFF in the bilateral middle temporal gyrus and lower ALFF in the left limbic lobe. The different areas showed high test-retest stability (Clusters of contiguous volumes ≥ 1080 mm3 with an intraclass correlation coefficient ≥ 0.80) and high degree of sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions: Female PCPIs showed more regional brain differences with higher and lower ALFF responses than male PCPIs. However, they shared analogous excessive hyperarousal mechanism and wide variations in aberrant brain areas. Citation: Dai XJ, Nie X, Liu X, Pei L, Jiang J, Peng D, Gong HH, Zeng XJ, Wáng YX, Zhan Y. Gender differences in regional brain activity in patients with chronic primary insomnia: evidence from a resting-state fMRI study. J Clin Sleep Med 2016;12(3):363–374. PMID:26715399

Building Your Baby's Brain: A Parent's Guide to the First Five Years = Como estimular el cerebro infantil: Una guia para padres de familia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodge, Diane Trister; Heroman, Cate

Noting that all parents can help their baby's brain to grow, this guide, in English- and Spanish-language versions, explores what science has learned about infant brain development and how parents and caregivers can influence cognitive development. Topics covered include: prenatal care, touching your baby, teaching about feelings and self-control,…

Hyperconnectivity is a fundamental response to neurological disruption.

PubMed

Hillary, Frank G; Roman, Cristina A; Venkatesan, Umesh; Rajtmajer, Sarah M; Bajo, Ricardo; Castellanos, Nazareth D

2015-01-01

In the cognitive and clinical neurosciences, the past decade has been marked by dramatic growth in a literature examining brain "connectivity" using noninvasive methods. We offer a critical review of the blood oxygen level dependent functional MRI (BOLD fMRI) literature examining neural connectivity changes in neurological disorders with focus on brain injury and dementia. The goal is to demonstrate that there are identifiable shifts in local and large-scale network connectivity that can be predicted by the degree of pathology. We anticipate that the most common network response to neurological insult is hyperconnectivity but that this response depends upon demand and resource availability. To examine this hypothesis, we initially reviewed the results from 1,426 studies examining functional brain connectivity in individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease. Based upon inclusionary criteria, 126 studies were included for detailed analysis. RESULTS from 126 studies examining local and whole brain connectivity demonstrated increased connectivity in traumatic brain injury and multiple sclerosis. This finding is juxtaposed with findings in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease where there is a shift to diminished connectivity as degeneration progresses. This summary of the functional imaging literature using fMRI methods reveals that hyperconnectivity is a common response to neurological disruption and that it may be differentially observable across brain regions. We discuss the factors contributing to both hyper- and hypoconnectivity results after neurological disruption and the implications these findings have for network plasticity. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

The impact of brain size on pilot performance varies with aviation training and years of education

PubMed Central

Adamson, Maheen M.; Samarina, Viktoriya; Xiangyan, Xu; Huynh, Virginia; Kennedy, Quinn; Weiner, Michael; Yesavage, Jerome; Taylor, Joy L.

2010-01-01

Previous studies have consistently reported age-related changes in cognitive abilities and brain structure. Previous studies also suggest compensatory roles for specialized training, skill, and years of education in the age-related decline of cognitive function. The Stanford/VA Aviation Study examines the influence of specialized training and skill level (expertise) on age-related changes in cognition and brain structure. This preliminary report examines the effect of aviation expertise, years of education, age, and brain size on flight simulator performance in pilots aged 45–68 years. Fifty-one pilots were studied with structural magnetic resonance imaging, flight simulator, and processing speed tasks. There were significant main effects of age (p < .01) and expertise (p < .01), but not of whole brain size (p > .1) or education (p > .1), on flight simulator performance. However, even though age and brain size were correlated (r = −0.41), age differences in flight simulator performance were not explained by brain size. Both aviation expertise and education were involved in an interaction with brain size in predicting flight simulator performance (p < .05). These results point to the importance of examining measures of expertise and their interactions to assess age-related cognitive changes. PMID:20193103

Brain organization and specialization in deep-sea chondrichthyans.

PubMed

Yopak, Kara E; Montgomery, John C

2008-01-01

Chondrichthyans occupy a basal place in vertebrate evolution and offer a relatively unexplored opportunity to study the evolution of vertebrate brains. This study examines the brain morphology of 22 species of deep-sea sharks and holocephalans, in relation to both phylogeny and ecology. Both relative brain size (expressed as residuals) and the relative development of the five major brain areas (telencephalon, diencephalon, mesencephalon, cerebellum, and medulla) were assessed. The cerebellar-like structures, which receive projections from the electroreceptive and lateral line organs, were also examined as a discrete part of the medulla. Although the species examined spanned three major chondrichthyan groupings (Squalomorphii, Galeomorphii, Holocephali), brain size and the relative development of the major brain areas did not track phylogenetic groupings. Rather, a hierarchical cluster analysis performed on the deep-sea sharks and holocephalans shows that these species all share the common characteristics of a relatively reduced telencephalon and smooth cerebellar corpus, as well as extreme relative enlargement of the medulla, specifically the cerebellar-like lobes. Although this study was not a functional analysis, it provides evidence that brain variation in deep-sea chondichthyans shows adaptive patterns in addition to underlying phylogenetic patterns, and that particular brain patterns might be interpreted as 'cerebrotypes'. (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

Glutaminase and MMP-9 Downregulation in Cortex and Hippocampus of LPA1 Receptor Null Mice Correlate with Altered Dendritic Spine Plasticity

PubMed Central

Peñalver, Ana; Campos-Sandoval, José A.; Blanco, Eduardo; Cardona, Carolina; Castilla, Laura; Martín-Rufián, Mercedes; Estivill-Torrús, Guillermo; Sánchez-Varo, Raquel; Alonso, Francisco J.; Pérez-Hernández, Mercedes; Colado, María I.; Gutiérrez, Antonia; de Fonseca, Fernando Rodríguez; Márquez, Javier

2017-01-01

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is an extracellular lipid mediator that regulates nervous system development and functions acting through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Here we explore the crosstalk between LPA1 receptor and glutamatergic transmission by examining expression of glutaminase (GA) isoforms in different brain areas isolated from wild-type (WT) and KOLPA1 mice. Silencing of LPA1 receptor induced a severe down-regulation of Gls-encoded long glutaminase protein variant (KGA) (glutaminase gene encoding the kidney-type isoforms, GLS) protein expression in several brain regions, particularly in brain cortex and hippocampus. Immunohistochemical assessment of protein levels for the second type of glutaminase (GA) isoform, glutaminase gene encoding the liver-type isoforms (GLS2), did not detect substantial differences with regard to WT animals. The regional mRNA levels of GLS were determined by real time RT-PCR and did not show significant variations, except for prefrontal and motor cortex values which clearly diminished in KO mice. Total GA activity was also significantly reduced in prefrontal and motor cortex, but remained essentially unchanged in the hippocampus and rest of brain regions examined, suggesting activation of genetic compensatory mechanisms and/or post-translational modifications to compensate for KGA protein deficit. Remarkably, Golgi staining of hippocampal regions showed an altered morphology of glutamatergic pyramidal cells dendritic spines towards a less mature filopodia-like phenotype, as compared with WT littermates. This structural change correlated with a strong decrease of active matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP) 9 in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of KOLPA1 mice. Taken together, these results demonstrate that LPA signaling through LPA1 influence expression of the main isoenzyme of glutamate biosynthesis with strong repercussions on dendritic spines maturation, which may partially explain the cognitive and learning defects previously reported for this colony of KOLPA1 mice. PMID:28928633

Association between structural and functional brain alterations in drug-free patients with schizophrenia: a multimodal meta-analysis

PubMed

Gao, Xin; Zhang, Wenjing; Yao, Li; Xiao, Yuan; Liu, Lu; Liu, Jieke; Li, Siyi; Tao, Bo; Shah, Chandan; Gong, Qiyong; Sweeney, John; Lui, Su

2017-12-05

Neuroimaging studies have shown both structural and functional abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia. Recently, studies have begun to explore the association between structural and functional grey matter abnormalities. By conducting a meta­-analysis on morphometric and functional imaging studies of grey matter alterations in drug-free patients, the present study aims to examine the degree of overlap between brain regions with anatomic and functional changes in patients with schizophrenia. We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant publications. A multimodal analysis was then conducted using Seed-based d Mapping software. Exploratory analyses included jackknife, subgroup and meta-regression analyses. We included 15 structural MRI studies comprising 486 drug-free patients and 485 healthy controls, and 16 functional MRI studies comprising 403 drug-free patients and 428 controls in our meta-analysis. Drug-free patients were examined to reduce pharmacological effects on the imaging data. Multimodal analysis showed considerable overlap between anatomic and functional changes, mainly in frontotemporal regions, bilateral medial posterior cingulate/paracingulate gyrus, bilateral insula, basal ganglia and left cerebellum. There were also brain regions showing only anatomic changes in the right superior frontal gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus, right lingual gyrus and functional alternations involving the right angular ­gyrus. The methodological aspects, patient characteristics and clinical variables of the included studies were heterogeneous, and we cannot exclude medication effects. The present study showed overlapping anatomic and functional brain abnormalities mainly in the default mode (DMN) and auditory networks (AN) in drug-free patients with schizophrenia. However, the pattern of changes differed in these networks. Decreased grey matter was associated with decreased activation within the DMN, whereas it was associated with increased activation within the AN. These discrete patterns suggest different pathophysiological changes impacting structural and functional associations within different neural networks in patients with schizophrenia. 2017 Joule Inc., or its licensors

Association between structural and functional brain alterations in drug-free patients with schizophrenia: a multimodal meta-analysis.

PubMed

Gao, Xin; Zhang, Wenjing; Yao, Li; Xiao, Yuan; Liu, Lu; Liu, Jieke; Li, Siyi; Tao, Bo; Shah, Chandan; Gong, Qiyong; Sweeney, John A; Lui, Su

2018-03-01

Neuroimaging studies have shown both structural and functional abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia. Recently, studies have begun to explore the association between structural and functional grey matter abnormalities. By conducting a meta-analysis on morphometric and functional imaging studies of grey matter alterations in drug-free patients, the present study aims to examine the degree of overlap between brain regions with anatomic and functional changes in patients with schizophrenia. We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant publications. A multimodal analysis was then conducted using Seed-based d Mapping software. Exploratory analyses included jackknife, subgroup and meta-regression analyses. We included 15 structural MRI studies comprising 486 drug-free patients and 485 healthy controls, and 16 functional MRI studies comprising 403 drug-free patients and 428 controls in our meta-analysis. Drug-free patients were examined to reduce pharmacological effects on the imaging data. Multimodal analysis showed considerable overlap between anatomic and functional changes, mainly in frontotemporal regions, bilateral medial posterior cingulate/paracingulate gyrus, bilateral insula, basal ganglia and left cerebellum. There were also brain regions showing only anatomic changes in the right superior frontal gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus, right lingual gyrus and functional alternations involving the right angular gyrus. The methodological aspects, patient characteristics and clinical variables of the included studies were heterogeneous, and we cannot exclude medication effects. The present study showed overlapping anatomic and functional brain abnormalities mainly in the default mode (DMN) and auditory networks (AN) in drug-free patients with schizophrenia. However, the pattern of changes differed in these networks. Decreased grey matter was associated with decreased activation within the DMN, whereas it was associated with increased activation within the AN. These discrete patterns suggest different pathophysiological changes impacting structural and functional associations within different neural networks in patients with schizophrenia.

Association between structural and functional brain alterations in drug-free patients with schizophrenia: a multimodal meta-analysis.

PubMed

Gao, Xin; Zhang, Wenjing; Yao, Li; Xiao, Yuan; Liu, Lu; Liu, Jieke; Li, Siyi; Tao, Bo; Shah, Chandan; Gong, Qiyong; Sweeney, John A; Lui, Su

2017-12-15

Neuroimaging studies have shown both structural and functional abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia. Recently, studies have begun to explore the association between structural and functional grey matter abnormalities. By conducting a meta-analysis on morphometric and functional imaging studies of grey matter alterations in drug-free patients, the present study aims to examine the degree of overlap between brain regions with anatomic and functional changes in patients with schizophrenia. We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant publications. A multimodal analysis was then conducted using Seed-based d Mapping software. Exploratory analyses included jackknife, subgroup and meta-regression analyses. We included 15 structural MRI studies comprising 486 drug-free patients and 485 healthy controls, and 16 functional MRI studies comprising 403 drug-free patients and 428 controls in our meta-analysis. Drug-free patients were examined to reduce pharmacological effects on the imaging data. Multimodal analysis showed considerable overlap between anatomic and functional changes, mainly in frontotemporal regions, bilateral medial posterior cingulate/paracingulate gyrus, bilateral insula, basal ganglia and left cerebellum. There were also brain regions showing only anatomic changes in the right superior frontal gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus, right lingual gyrus and functional alternations involving the right angular gyrus. The methodological aspects, patient characteristics and clinical variables of the included studies were heterogeneous, and we cannot exclude medication effects. The present study showed overlapping anatomic and functional brain abnormalities mainly in the default mode (DMN) and auditory networks (AN) in drug-free patients with schizophrenia. However, the pattern of changes differed in these networks. Decreased grey matter was associated with decreased activation within the DMN, whereas it was associated with increased activation within the AN. These discrete patterns suggest different pathophysiological changes impacting structural and functional associations within different neural networks in patients with schizophrenia.

Impairment of functional integration of the default mode network correlates with cognitive outcome at three months after stroke

PubMed Central

Dacosta-Aguayo, Rosalia; Graña, Manuel; Iturria-Medina, Yasser; Fernández-Andújar, Marina; López-Cancio, Elena; Cáceres, Cynthia; Bargalló, Núria; Barrios, Maite; Clemente, Immaculada; Toran, Pera; Forés, Rosa; Dávalos, Antoni; Auer, Tibor; Mataró, Maria

2015-01-01

Resting-state studies conducted with stroke patients are scarce. The study of brain activity and connectivity at rest provides a unique opportunity for the investigation of brain rewiring after stroke and plasticity changes. This study sought to identify dynamic changes in the functional organization of the default mode network (DMN) of stroke patients at three months after stroke. Eleven patients (eight male and three female; age range: 48–72) with right cortical and subcortical ischemic infarctions and 17 controls (eleven males and six females; age range: 57–69) were assessed by neurological and neuropsychological examinations and scanned with resting-state functional magnetic ressonance imaging. First, we explored group differences in functional activity within the DMN by means of probabilistic independent component analysis followed by a dual regression approach. Second, we estimated functional connectivity between 11 DMN nodes both locally by means of seed-based connectivity analysis, as well as globally by means of graph-computation analysis. We found that patients had greater DMN activity in the left precuneus and the left anterior cingulate gyrus when compared with healthy controls (P < 0.05 family-wise error corrected). Seed-based connectivity analysis showed that stroke patients had significant impairment (P = 0.014; threshold = 2.00) in the connectivity between the following five DMN nodes: left superior frontal gyrus (lSFG) and posterior cingulate cortex (t = 2.01); left parahippocampal gyrus and right superior frontal gyrus (t = 2.11); left parahippocampal gyrus and lSFG (t = 2.39); right parietal and lSFG (t = 2.29). Finally, mean path length obtained from graph-computation analysis showed positive correlations with semantic fluency test (rs = 0.454; P = 0.023), phonetic fluency test (rs = 0.523; P = 0.007) and the mini mental state examination (rs = 0.528; P = 0.007). In conclusion, the ability to regulate activity of the DMN appears to be a central part of normal brain function in stroke patients. Our study expands the understanding of the changes occurring in the brain after stroke providing a new avenue for investigating lesion-induced network plasticity. Hum Brain Mapp 36:577–590, 2015. © 2014 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:25324040

Neutrophil elastase mediates acute pathogenesis and is a determinant of long-term behavioral recovery after traumatic injury to the immature brain.

PubMed

Semple, Bridgette D; Trivedi, Alpa; Gimlin, Kayleen; Noble-Haeusslein, Linda J

2015-02-01

While neutrophil elastase (NE), released by activated neutrophils, is a key mediator of secondary pathogenesis in adult models of brain ischemia and spinal cord injury, no studies to date have examined this protease in the context of the injured immature brain, where there is notable vulnerability resulting from inadequate antioxidant reserves and prolonged exposure to infiltrating neutrophils. We thus reasoned that NE may be a key determinant of secondary pathogenesis, and as such, adversely influence long-term neurological recovery. To address this hypothesis, wild-type (WT) and NE knockout (KO) mice were subjected to a controlled cortical impact at post-natal day 21, approximating a toddler-aged child. To determine if NE is required for neutrophil infiltration into the injured brain, and whether this protease contributes to vasogenic edema, we quantified neutrophil numbers and measured water content in the brains of each of these genotypes. While leukocyte trafficking was indistinguishable between genotypes, vasogenic edema was markedly attenuated in the NE KO. To determine if early pathogenesis is dependent on NE, indices of cell death (TUNEL and activated caspase-3) were quantified across genotypes. NE KO mice showed a reduction in these markers of cell death in the injured hippocampus, which corresponded to greater preservation of neuronal integrity as well as reduced expression of heme oxygenase-1, a marker of oxidative stress. WT mice, treated with a competitive inhibitor of NE at 2, 6 and 12h post-injury, likewise showed a reduction in cell death and oxidative stress compared to vehicle-treated controls. We next examined the long-term behavioral and structural consequences of NE deficiency. NE KO mice showed an improvement in long-term spatial memory retention and amelioration of injury-induced hyperactivity. However, volumetric and stereological analyses found comparable tissue loss in the injured cortex and hippocampus independent of genotype. Further, WT mice treated acutely with the NE inhibitor showed no long-term behavioral or structural improvements. Together, these findings validate the central role of NE in both acute pathogenesis and chronic functional recovery, and support future exploration of the therapeutic window, taking into account the prolonged period of neutrophil trafficking into the injured immature brain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neutrophil elastase mediates acute pathogenesis and is a determinant of long-term behavioral recovery after traumatic injury to the immature brain

PubMed Central

Semple, Bridgette D; Trivedi, Alpa; Gimlin, Kayleen; Noble-Haeusslein, Linda J

2014-01-01

While neutrophil elastase (NE), released by activated neutrophils, is a key mediator of secondary pathogenesis in adult models of brain ischemia and spinal cord injury, no studies to date have examined this protease in the context of the injured immature brain, where there is notable vulnerability resulting from inadequate antioxidant reserves and prolonged exposure to infiltrating neutrophils. We thus reasoned that NE may be a key determinant of secondary pathogenesis, and as such, adversely influence long-term neurological recovery. To address this hypothesis, wild-type (WT) and NE knockout (KO) mice were subjected to a controlled cortical impact at post-natal day 21, approximating a toddler-aged child. To determine if NE is required for neutrophil infiltration into the injured brain, and whether this protease contributes to vasogenic edema, we quantified neutrophil numbers and measured water content in the brains of each of these genotypes. While leukocyte trafficking was indistinguishable between genotypes, vasogenic edema was markedly attenuated in the NE KO. To determine if early pathogenesis is dependent on NE, indices of cell death (TUNEL and activated caspase-3) were quantified across genotypes. NE KO mice showed a reduction in these markers of cell death in the injured hippocampus, which corresponded to greater preservation of neuronal integrity as well as reduced expression of heme oxygenase-1, a marker of oxidative stress. WT mice, treated with a competitive inhibitor of NE at 2, 6 and 12 h post-injury, likewise showed a reduction in cell death and oxidative stress compared to vehicle-treated controls. We next examined the long-term behavioral and structural consequences of NE deficiency. NE KO mice showed an improvement in long-term spatial memory retention and amelioration of injury-induced hyperactivity. However, volumetric and stereological analyses found comparable tissue loss in the injured cortex and hippocampus independent of genotype. Further, WT mice treated acutely with the NE inhibitor showed no long-term behavioral or structural improvements. Together, these findings validate the central role of NE in both acute pathogenesis and chronic functional recovery, and support future exploration of the therapeutic window, taking into account the prolonged period of neutrophil trafficking into the injured immature brain. PMID:25497734

Neural correlates of establishing, maintaining, and switching brain states

PubMed Central

Tang, Yi-Yuan; Rothbart, Mary K.; Posner, Michael I.

2012-01-01

Although the study of brain states is an old one in neuroscience, there has been growing interest in brain state specification owing to MRI studies tracing brain connectivity at rest. In this review, we summarize recent research on three relatively well-described brain states: the resting, alert, and meditation states. We explore the neural correlates of maintaining a state or switching between states, and argue that the anterior cingulate cortex and striatum play a critical role in state maintenance, whereas the insula has a major role in switching between states. Brain state may serve as a predictor of performance in a variety of perceptual, memory, and problem solving tasks. Thus, understanding brain states is critical for understanding human performance. PMID:22613871

Experimental Study Comparing a Traditional Approach to Performance Appraisal Training to a Whole-Brain Training Method at C.B. Fleet Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selden, Sally; Sherrier, Tom; Wooters, Robert

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a new approach to performance appraisal training. Motivated by split-brain theory and existing studies of cognitive information processing and performance appraisals, this exploratory study examined the effects of a whole-brain approach to training managers for implementing performance…

The mummified brain of a pleistocene woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) compared with the brain of the extant African elephant (Loxodonta africana).

PubMed

Kharlamova, Anastasia S; Saveliev, Sergei V; Protopopov, Albert V; Maseko, Busisiwe C; Bhagwandin, Adhil; Manger, Paul R

2015-11-01

This study presents the results of an examination of the mummified brain of a pleistocene woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) recovered from the Yakutian permafrost in Siberia, Russia. This unique specimen (from 39,440-38,850 years BP) provides the rare opportunity to compare the brain morphology of this extinct species with a related extant species, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana). An anatomical description of the preserved brain of the woolly mammoth is provided, along with a series of quantitative analyses of various brain structures. These descriptions are based on visual inspection of the actual specimen as well as qualitative and quantitative comparison of computed tomography imaging data obtained for the woolly mammoth in comparison with magnetic resonance imaging data from three African elephant brains. In general, the brain of the woolly mammoth specimen examined, estimated to weigh between 4,230 and 4,340 g, showed the typical shape, size, and gross structures observed in extant elephants. Quantitative comparative analyses of various features of the brain, such as the amygdala, corpus callosum, cerebellum, and gyrnecephalic index, all indicate that the brain of the woolly mammoth specimen examined has many similarities with that of modern African elephants. The analysis provided here indicates that a specific brain type representative of the Elephantidae is likely to be a feature of this mammalian family. In addition, the extensive similarities between the woolly mammoth brain and the African elephant brain indicate that the specializations observed in the extant elephant brain are likely to have been present in the woolly mammoth. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Brain Research: Implications for Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crouch-Shinn, Jenella; Shaughnessy, Michael F.

This paper attempts to examine the research of split-brain, hemispheric specialization, and brain function, as it pertains to handwriting, brain wave patterns, and lateral differences. Studies are reviewed which point to asymmetric differentiated functions and capacities of the two cerebral hemispheres in split-brain patients and in normal…

Revealing topological organization of human brain functional networks with resting-state functional near infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Niu, Haijing; Wang, Jinhui; Zhao, Tengda; Shu, Ni; He, Yong

2012-01-01

The human brain is a highly complex system that can be represented as a structurally interconnected and functionally synchronized network, which assures both the segregation and integration of information processing. Recent studies have demonstrated that a variety of neuroimaging and neurophysiological techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion MRI and electroencephalography/magnetoencephalography can be employed to explore the topological organization of human brain networks. However, little is known about whether functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a relatively new optical imaging technology, can be used to map functional connectome of the human brain and reveal meaningful and reproducible topological characteristics. We utilized resting-state fNIRS (R-fNIRS) to investigate the topological organization of human brain functional networks in 15 healthy adults. Brain networks were constructed by thresholding the temporal correlation matrices of 46 channels and analyzed using graph-theory approaches. We found that the functional brain network derived from R-fNIRS data had efficient small-world properties, significant hierarchical modular structure and highly connected hubs. These results were highly reproducible both across participants and over time and were consistent with previous findings based on other functional imaging techniques. Our results confirmed the feasibility and validity of using graph-theory approaches in conjunction with optical imaging techniques to explore the topological organization of human brain networks. These results may expand a methodological framework for utilizing fNIRS to study functional network changes that occur in association with development, aging and neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Examination of neural systems sub-serving facebook "addiction".

PubMed

Turel, Ofir; He, Qinghua; Xue, Gui; Xiao, Lin; Bechara, Antoine

2014-12-01

Because addictive behaviors typically result from violated homeostasis of the impulsive (amygdala-striatal) and inhibitory (prefrontal cortex) brain systems, this study examined whether these systems sub-serve a specific case of technology-related addiction, namely Facebook "addiction." Using a go/no-go paradigm in functional MRI settings, the study examined how these brain systems in 20 Facebook users (M age = 20.3 yr., SD = 1.3, range = 18-23) who completed a Facebook addiction questionnaire, responded to Facebook and less potent (traffic sign) stimuli. The findings indicated that at least at the examined levels of addiction-like symptoms, technology-related "addictions" share some neural features with substance and gambling addictions, but more importantly they also differ from such addictions in their brain etiology and possibly pathogenesis, as related to abnormal functioning of the inhibitory-control brain system.

Motivational valence alters memory formation without altering exploration of a real-life spatial environment.

PubMed

Chiew, Kimberly S; Hashemi, Jordan; Gans, Lee K; Lerebours, Laura; Clement, Nathaniel J; Vu, Mai-Anh T; Sapiro, Guillermo; Heller, Nicole E; Adcock, R Alison

2018-01-01

Volitional exploration and learning are key to adaptive behavior, yet their characterization remains a complex problem for cognitive science. Exploration has been posited as a mechanism by which motivation promotes memory, but this relationship is not well-understood, in part because novel stimuli that motivate exploration also reliably elicit changes in neuromodulatory brain systems that directly alter memory formation, via effects on neural plasticity. To deconfound interrelationships between motivation, exploration, and memory formation we manipulated motivational state prior to entering a spatial context, measured exploratory responses to the context and novel stimuli within it, and then examined motivation and exploration as predictors of memory outcomes. To elicit spontaneous exploration, we used the physical space of an art exhibit with affectively rich content; we expected motivated exploration and memory to reflect multiple factors, including not only motivational valence, but also individual differences. Motivation was manipulated via an introductory statement framing exhibit themes in terms of Promotion- or Prevention-oriented goals. Participants explored the exhibit while being tracked by video. They returned 24 hours later for recall and spatial memory tests, followed by measures of motivation, personality, and relevant attitude variables. Promotion and Prevention condition participants did not differ in terms of group-level exploration time or memory metrics, suggesting similar motivation to explore under both framing contexts. However, exploratory behavior and memory outcomes were significantly more closely related under Promotion than Prevention, indicating that Prevention framing disrupted expected depth-of-encoding effects. Additionally, while trait measures predicted exploration similarly across framing conditions, traits interacted with motivational framing context and facial affect to predict memory outcomes. This novel characterization of motivated learning implies that dissociable behavioral and biological mechanisms, here varying as a function of valence, contribute to memory outcomes in complex, real-life environments.

Motivational valence alters memory formation without altering exploration of a real-life spatial environment

PubMed Central

Hashemi, Jordan; Gans, Lee K.; Lerebours, Laura; Clement, Nathaniel J.; Vu, Mai-Anh T.; Sapiro, Guillermo; Heller, Nicole E.; Adcock, R. Alison

2018-01-01

Volitional exploration and learning are key to adaptive behavior, yet their characterization remains a complex problem for cognitive science. Exploration has been posited as a mechanism by which motivation promotes memory, but this relationship is not well-understood, in part because novel stimuli that motivate exploration also reliably elicit changes in neuromodulatory brain systems that directly alter memory formation, via effects on neural plasticity. To deconfound interrelationships between motivation, exploration, and memory formation we manipulated motivational state prior to entering a spatial context, measured exploratory responses to the context and novel stimuli within it, and then examined motivation and exploration as predictors of memory outcomes. To elicit spontaneous exploration, we used the physical space of an art exhibit with affectively rich content; we expected motivated exploration and memory to reflect multiple factors, including not only motivational valence, but also individual differences. Motivation was manipulated via an introductory statement framing exhibit themes in terms of Promotion- or Prevention-oriented goals. Participants explored the exhibit while being tracked by video. They returned 24 hours later for recall and spatial memory tests, followed by measures of motivation, personality, and relevant attitude variables. Promotion and Prevention condition participants did not differ in terms of group-level exploration time or memory metrics, suggesting similar motivation to explore under both framing contexts. However, exploratory behavior and memory outcomes were significantly more closely related under Promotion than Prevention, indicating that Prevention framing disrupted expected depth-of-encoding effects. Additionally, while trait measures predicted exploration similarly across framing conditions, traits interacted with motivational framing context and facial affect to predict memory outcomes. This novel characterization of motivated learning implies that dissociable behavioral and biological mechanisms, here varying as a function of valence, contribute to memory outcomes in complex, real-life environments. PMID:29558526

Emotion processing in joint hypermobility: A potential link to the neural bases of anxiety and related somatic symptoms in collagen anomalies.

PubMed

Mallorquí-Bagué, N; Bulbena, A; Roé-Vellvé, N; Hoekzema, E; Carmona, S; Barba-Müller, E; Fauquet, J; Pailhez, G; Vilarroya, O

2015-06-01

Joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS) has repeatedly been associated with anxiety and anxiety disorders, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and temporomandibular joint disorder. However, the neural underpinnings of these associations still remain unclear. This study explored brain responses to facial visual stimuli with emotional cues using fMRI techniques in general population with different ranges of hypermobility. Fifty-one non-clinical volunteers (33 women) completed state and trait anxiety questionnaire measures, were assessed with a clinical examination for hypermobility (Beighton system) and performed an emotional face processing paradigm during functional neuroimaging. Trait anxiety scores did significantly correlate with both state anxiety and hypermobility scores. BOLD signals of the hippocampus did positively correlate with hypermobility scores for the crying faces versus neutral faces contrast in ROI analyses. No results were found for any of the other studied ROIs. Additionally, hypermobility scores were also associated with other key affective processing areas (i.e. the middle and anterior cingulate gyrus, fusiform gyrus, parahippocampal region, orbitofrontal cortex and cerebellum) in the whole brain analysis. Hypermobility scores are associated with trait anxiety and higher brain responses to emotional faces in emotion processing brain areas (including hippocampus) described to be linked to anxiety and somatic symptoms. These findings increase our understanding of emotion processing in people bearing this heritable variant of collagen and the mechanisms through which vulnerability to anxiety and somatic symptoms arises in this population. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Neural correlates of phonetic convergence and speech imitation.

PubMed

Garnier, Maëva; Lamalle, Laurent; Sato, Marc

2013-01-01

Speakers unconsciously tend to mimic their interlocutor's speech during communicative interaction. This study aims at examining the neural correlates of phonetic convergence and deliberate imitation, in order to explore whether imitation of phonetic features, deliberate, or unconscious, might reflect a sensory-motor recalibration process. Sixteen participants listened to vowels with pitch varying around the average pitch of their own voice, and then produced the identified vowels, while their speech was recorded and their brain activity was imaged using fMRI. Three degrees and types of imitation were compared (unconscious, deliberate, and inhibited) using a go-nogo paradigm, which enabled the comparison of brain activations during the whole imitation process, its active perception step, and its production. Speakers followed the pitch of voices they were exposed to, even unconsciously, without being instructed to do so. After being informed about this phenomenon, 14 participants were able to inhibit it, at least partially. The results of whole brain and ROI analyses support the fact that both deliberate and unconscious imitations are based on similar neural mechanisms and networks, involving regions of the dorsal stream, during both perception and production steps of the imitation process. While no significant difference in brain activation was found between unconscious and deliberate imitations, the degree of imitation, however, appears to be determined by processes occurring during the perception step. Four regions of the dorsal stream: bilateral auditory cortex, bilateral supramarginal gyrus (SMG), and left Wernicke's area, indeed showed an activity that correlated significantly with the degree of imitation during the perception step.

Vasopressin: Behavioral Roles of an “Original” Neuropeptide

PubMed Central

Caldwell, Heather K.; Lee, Heon-Jin; Macbeth, Abbe H.; Young, W. Scott

2008-01-01

Vasopressin (Avp) is mainly synthesized in the magnocellular cells of the hypothalamic supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular nuclei (PVN) whose axons project to the posterior pituitary. Avp is then released into the blood stream upon appropriate stimulation (e.g., hemorrhage or dehydration) to act at the kidneys and blood vessels. The brain also contains several populations of smaller, parvocellular neurons whose projections remain within the brain. These populations are located within the PVN, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), medial amygdala (MeA) and suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Since the 1950's, research examining the roles of Avp in the brain and periphery has intensified. The development of specific agonists and antagonists for Avp receptors has allowed for a better elucidation of its contributions to physiology and behavior. Anatomical, pharmacological and transgenic, including “knockout,” animal studies, have implicated Avp in the regulation of various social behaviors across species. Avp plays a prominent role in the regulation of aggression, generally of facilitating or promoting it. Affiliation and certain aspects of pair-bonding are also influenced by Avp. Memory, one of the first brain functions of Avp that was investigated, has been implicated especially strongly in social recognition. The roles of Avp in stress, anxiety, and depressive states are areas of active exploration. In this review, we concentrate on the scientific progress that has been made on understanding the role of Avp in regulating of these and other behaviors across species, as well as discuss the implications for human behavior. PMID:18053631

Severe hypertriglyceridemia does not protect from ischemic brain injury in gene-modified hypertriglyceridemic mice.

PubMed

Chen, Yong; Liu, Ping; Qi, Rong; Wang, Yu-Hui; Liu, George; Wang, Chun

2016-05-15

Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is a weak risk factor in primary ischemic stroke prevention. However, clinical studies have found a counterintuitive association between a good prognosis after ischemic stroke and HTG. This "HTG paradox" requires confirmation and further explanation. The aim of this study was to experimentally assess this paradox relationship using the gene-modified mice model of extreme HTG. We first used the human Apolipoprotein CIII transgenic (Tg-ApoCIII) mice and non-transgenic (Non-Tg) littermates to examine the effect of HTG on stroke. To our surprise, infarct size, neurological deficits, brain edema, BBB permeability, neuron density and lipid peroxidation were the same in Tg-ApoCIII mice and Non-Tg mice after temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). In the late phase (21 days after surgery), no differences were found in brain atrophy, neurological dysfunctions, weight and mortality between the two groups. To confirm the results in Tg-ApoCIII mice, Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high-density lipoprotein-binding protein 1(GPIHBP1) knockout mice, another severe HTG mouse model, were used and yielded similar results. Our study demonstrates for the first time that extreme HTG does not affect ischemic brain injuries in the tMCAO mouse model, indicating that the association between HTG and good outcomes after ischemic stroke probably represents residual unmeasured confounding. Further clinical and prospective population-based studies are needed to explore variables that contribute to the paradox. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Emotional face processing in pediatric bipolar disorder: evidence for functional impairments in the fusiform gyrus.

PubMed

Perlman, Susan B; Fournier, Jay C; Bebko, Genna; Bertocci, Michele A; Hinze, Amanda K; Bonar, Lisa; Almeida, Jorge R C; Versace, Amelia; Schirda, Claudiu; Travis, Michael; Gill, Mary Kay; Demeter, Christine; Diwadkar, Vaibhav A; Sunshine, Jeffrey L; Holland, Scott K; Kowatch, Robert A; Birmaher, Boris; Axelson, David; Horwitz, Sarah M; Arnold, L Eugene; Fristad, Mary A; Youngstrom, Eric A; Findling, Robert L; Phillips, Mary L

2013-12-01

Pediatric bipolar disorder involves poor social functioning, but the neural mechanisms underlying these deficits are not well understood. Previous neuroimaging studies have found deficits in emotional face processing localized to emotional brain regions. However, few studies have examined dysfunction in other regions of the face processing circuit. This study assessed hypoactivation in key face processing regions of the brain in pediatric bipolar disorder. Youth with a bipolar spectrum diagnosis (n = 20) were matched to a nonbipolar clinical group (n = 20), with similar demographics and comorbid diagnoses, and a healthy control group (n = 20). Youth participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning which employed a task-irrelevant emotion processing design in which processing of facial emotions was not germane to task performance. Hypoactivation, isolated to the fusiform gyrus, was found when viewing animated, emerging facial expressions of happiness, sadness, fearfulness, and especially anger in pediatric bipolar participants relative to matched clinical and healthy control groups. The results of the study imply that differences exist in visual regions of the brain's face processing system and are not solely isolated to emotional brain regions such as the amygdala. Findings are discussed in relation to facial emotion recognition and fusiform gyrus deficits previously reported in the autism literature. Behavioral interventions targeting attention to facial stimuli might be explored as possible treatments for bipolar disorder in youth. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ageing affects event-related potentials and brain oscillations: a behavioral and electrophysiological study using a haptic recognition memory task.

PubMed

Sebastián, Manuel; Reales, José M; Ballesteros, Soledad

2011-12-01

In this electrophysiological study, we investigated the effects of ageing on recognition memory for three-dimensional (3D) familiar objects presented to touch in a continuous paradigm. To examine changes in event-related potentials (ERPs) and brain oscillations, we recorded the EEGs of healthy groups of young (n=14; mean age=32.3 years) and older adults (n=14; mean age=65.1). Both age groups exhibited similar accuracy and exploration times when making old-new judgments. Young and older participants showed a marginally significant ERP old/new effect widely distributed over the scalp between 550-750 ms. In addition, the elders showed lower amplitude than younger participants within 1200-1500 ms. There were age-related differences in brain oscillations as measured by event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP). Older adults showed greater alpha and beta power reductions than young participants, suggesting the recruitment of additional neural resources. In contrast, the two age groups showed a reliable old/new effect in the theta band that temporarily overlapped the ERP old/new effect. The present results suggest that despite similar behavioral performance, the young and older adults recruited different neural resources to perform a haptic recognition task. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The positive effects of Xueshuan Xinmai tablets on brain functional connectivity in acute ischemic stroke: a placebo controlled randomized trial.

PubMed

Wei, Dongfeng; Xie, Daojun; Li, He; Chen, Yaojing; Qi, Di; Wang, Yujiao; Zhang, Yangjun; Chen, Kewei; Li, Chuanfu; Zhang, Zhanjun

2017-11-10

Through a placebo controlled randomized study, the purpose of this report was to investigate the effects of Xueshuan Xinmai tablets (XXMT) on neurologic deficits, quality of life and brain functional connectivity in acute ischemic stroke patients and to explore the mechanism of action of XXMT. In total, 44 acute ischemic stroke patients were randomly divided to the XXMT treatment group (n = 22) or the placebo group (n = 22) in a 2-week trial. Before and after the treatment, the neurological assessment and functional magnetic resonance imaging examinations were carried out. Compared to the placebo group, the scores of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SSQOL) significantly improved in the treatment group. In addition, XXMT-treated patients demonstrated significantly enhanced functional connectivity within the default mode, frontal-parietal, and motor control networks. Furthermore, the changed connectivity in the left precuneus was positively correlated to the improvement of NIHSS and SSQOL scores. The present study indicated that XXMT treatment significantly improved the neurologic deficit and quality of life of acute ischemic stroke patients and that the therapeutic effect may be based on the modulation of XXMT on the functional connectivity of brain networks.

Brain responses mediating idiom comprehension: gender and hemispheric differences.

PubMed

Kana, Rajesh K; Murdaugh, Donna L; Wolfe, Kelly R; Kumar, Sandhya L

2012-07-27

Processing figurative language, such as idioms, is unique in that it requires one to make associations between words and non-literal meanings that are contextually appropriate. At the neural level, processing idiomatic phrases has been linked to recruitment of bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC), the left temporal cortex, superior medial prefrontal gyrus (MPFC), and the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG). This functional MRI study examined the brain responses associated with processing idiomatic compared to literal sentences. In addition, gender differences in neural responses associated with language comprehension were also explored. In an fMRI scanner, thirty-six healthy adult volunteers viewed sentences that were either literal or idiomatic in nature, and answered subsequent comprehension questions. This sentence comprehension tasks activated mainly prefrontal language areas (LIFG, LSFG, and RMFG). Consistent with previous findings, idiomatic sentences showed increased response in LIFG. These results are discussed in the backdrop of the graded salience hypothesis. Furthermore, we found gender differences in brain activation and functional connectivity during this task. Women showed greater overall activation than men when comprehending literal and idiomatic sentences; whereas men had significantly greater functional connectivity between LIFG and LMTG than women across tasks. Overall, the findings of this study highlight the gender differences in neural responses associated with figurative language comprehension. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cortical Representations of Symbols, Objects, and Faces Are Pruned Back during Early Childhood

PubMed Central

Pinel, Philippe; Dehaene, Stanislas; Pelphrey, Kevin A.

2011-01-01

Regions of human ventral extrastriate visual cortex develop specializations for natural categories (e.g., faces) and cultural artifacts (e.g., words). In adults, category-based specializations manifest as greater neural responses in visual regions of the brain (e.g., fusiform gyrus) to some categories over others. However, few studies have examined how these specializations originate in the brains of children. Moreover, it is as yet unknown whether the development of visual specializations hinges on “increases” in the response to the preferred categories, “decreases” in the responses to nonpreferred categories, or “both.” This question is relevant to a long-standing debate concerning whether neural development is driven by building up or pruning back representations. To explore these questions, we measured patterns of visual activity in 4-year-old children for 4 categories (faces, letters, numbers, and shoes) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We report 2 key findings regarding the development of visual categories in the brain: 1) the categories “faces” and “symbols” doubly dissociate in the fusiform gyrus before children can read and 2) the development of category-specific responses in young children depends on cortical responses to nonpreferred categories that decrease as preferred category knowledge is acquired. PMID:20457691

Prognostic Value of the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in Newborns with Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy Treated with Therapeutic Hypothermia.

PubMed

Heursen, Eva-Marie; Zuazo Ojeda, Amaya; Benavente Fernández, Isabel; Jimenez Gómez, Gema; Campuzano Fernández-Colima, Rosalía; Paz-Expósito, José; Lubián López, Simón Pedro

2017-01-01

Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) quantification has been proven to be of prognostic value in term newborns with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) who were treated under normothermia. To evaluate the prognostic value of ADC in standardized brain regions in neonates with HIE who were treated with therapeutic hypothermia (TH). This prospective cohort study included 54 term newborns who were admitted with HIE and treated with TH. All magnetic resonance imaging examinations were performed between days 4 and 6 of life, and ADC values were measured in 13 standardized regions of the brain. At 2 years of age we explored whether ADC values were related to composite outcomes (death or survival with abnormal neurodevelopment). The severity of HIE is inversely related to ADC values in different brain regions. We found that lower ADC values in the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC), the thalami, the semioval centre, and frontal and parietal white matter were related to adverse outcomes. ADC values in the PLIC and thalami are good predictors of adverse outcomes (AUC 0.86 and 0.76). Low ADC values in the PLIC, thalamus, semioval centre, and frontal and parietal white matter in full-term infants with HIE treated with TH were associated with a poor outcome. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke or alcohol and cerebellum volume in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and typical development

PubMed Central

de Zeeuw, P; Zwart, F; Schrama, R; van Engeland, H; Durston, S

2012-01-01

Prenatal exposure to teratogenic substances, such as nicotine or alcohol, increases the risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). To date, studies examining this relationship have used symptom scales as outcome measures to assess the effect of prenatal exposure, and have not investigated the neurobiological pathways involved. This study explores the effect of prenatal exposure to cigarettes or alcohol on brain volume in children with ADHD and typically developing controls. Children with ADHD who had been exposed prenatally to either substance were individually matched to children with and without ADHD who had not been. Controls who had been exposed prenatally were also individually matched to controls who had not been. For prenatal exposure to both smoking and alcohol, we found a pattern where subjects with ADHD who had been exposed had the smallest brain volumes and unexposed controls had the largest, with intermediate volumes for unexposed subjects with ADHD. This effect was most pronounced for cerebellum. A similar reduction fell short of significance for controls who had been exposed to cigarettes, but not alcohol. Our results are consistent with an additive effect of prenatal exposure and ADHD on brain volume, with the effects most pronounced for cerebellum. PMID:22832850

Damage to Arousal-Promoting Brainstem Neurons with Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

Valko, Philipp O.; Gavrilov, Yuri V.; Yamamoto, Mihoko; Noaín, Daniela; Reddy, Hasini; Haybaeck, Johannes; Weis, Serge; Baumann, Christian R.; Scammell, Thomas E.

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: Coma and chronic sleepiness are common after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Here, we explored whether injury to arousal-promoting brainstem neurons occurs in patients with fatal TBI. Methods: Postmortem examination of 8 TBI patients and 10 controls. Results: Compared to controls, TBI patients had 17% fewer serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (effect size: 1.25), but the number of serotonergic neurons did not differ in the median raphe nucleus. TBI patients also had 29% fewer noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (effect size: 0.96). The number of cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine and laterodorsal tegmental nuclei (PPT/LDT) was similar in TBI patients and controls. Conclusions: TBI injures arousal-promoting neurons of the mesopontine tegmentum, but this injury is less severe than previously observed in hypothalamic arousal-promoting neurons. Most likely, posttraumatic arousal disturbances are not primarily caused by damage to these brainstem neurons, but arise from an aggregate of injuries, including damage to hypothalamic arousal nuclei and disruption of other arousal-related circuitries. Citation: Valko PO, Gavrilov YV, Yamamoto M, Noain D, Reddy H, Haybaeck J, Weis S, Baumann CR, Scammell TE. Damage to arousal-promoting brainstem neurons with traumatic brain injury. SLEEP 2016;39(6):1249–1252. PMID:27091531

Developmental emergence of fear/threat learning: neurobiology, associations and timing

PubMed Central

Tallot, L.; Doyère, V.; Sullivan, R. M.

2016-01-01

Pavlovian fear or threat conditioning, where a neutral stimulus takes on aversive properties through pairing with an aversive stimulus, has been an important tool for exploring the neurobiology of learning. In the past decades, this neurobehavioral approach has been expanded to include the developing infant. Indeed, protracted postnatal brain development permits the exploration of how incorporating the amygdala, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus into this learning system impacts the acquisition and expression of aversive conditioning. Here, we review the developmental trajectory of these key brain areas involved in aversive conditioning and relate it to pups’ transition to independence through weaning. Overall, the data suggests that adult-like features of threat learning emerge as the relevant brain areas become incorporated into this learning. Specifically, the developmental emergence of the amygdala permits cue learning and the emergence of the hippocampus permits context learning. We also describe unique features of learning in early life that block threat learning and enhance interaction with the mother or exploration of the environment. Finally, we describe the development of a sense of time within this learning and its involvement in creating associations. Together these data suggest that the development of threat learning is a useful tool for dissecting adult-like functioning of brain circuits, as well as providing unique insights into ecologically relevant developmental changes. PMID:26534899

[Personality Change due to Brain Trauma Caused by Traffic Accidents and Its Assessment of Psychiatric Impairment].

PubMed

Fan, Hui-yu; Zhang, Qin-ting; Tang, Tao; Cai, Wei-xiong

2016-04-01

To explore the main performance of personality change in people with mild psychiatric impairments which due to the brain trauma caused by traffic accidents and its value in assessment of psychiatric impairment. The condition of personality change of patients with traumatic brain injury caused by traffic accident was evaluated by the Scale of Personality Change Post-traumatic Brain Injury (SPCPTBI). Furthermore, the correlation between the personality change and the degrees of traumatic brain injury and psychiatric impairment were explored. Results In 271 samples, 239 (88.2%) with personality changes. Among these 239 samples, 178 (65.7%), 46 (17.0%), 15 (5.5%) with mild, moderate and severe personality changes, respectively. The ratio based on the extent of personality changes to the degree of brain trauma was not significant (P > 0.05), but the total score difference between the groups was significant (P < 0.05). There was no statistical significance between the medium and high severity brain trauma groups. The higher degree of personality changes, the higher rank of mental disabilities. The total score difference of the scale of personality change among the different mild psychiatric impairment group was significant (P<0.05). The difference between other psychiatric impairment levels had statistical significance (P < 0.05) except level 7 and 8. The occurrence of personality change due to traumatic brain injury caused by traffic accident was high. Correlations exist between the personality change and the degree of psychiatric impairment. Personality change due to brain trauma caused by traffic accident can be assessed effectively by means of SPCPTBI, and the correlation between the total score and the extent of traumatic brain injury can be found.

The Novelty Exploration Bonus and Its Attentional Modulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krebs, Ruth M.; Schott, Bjorn H.; Schutze, Hartmut; Duzel, Emrah

2009-01-01

We hypothesized that novel stimuli represent salient learning signals that can motivate "exploration" in search for potential rewards. In computational theories of reinforcement learning, this is referred to as the novelty "exploration bonus" for rewards. If true, stimulus novelty should enhance the reward anticipation signals in brain areas that…

Rehabilitation of Reading and Visual Exploration in Visual Field Disorders: Transfer or Specificity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schuett, Susanne; Heywood, Charles A.; Kentridge, Robert W.; Dauner, Ruth; Zihl, Josef

2012-01-01

Reading and visual exploration impairments in unilateral homonymous visual field disorders are frequent and disabling consequences of acquired brain injury. Compensatory therapies have been developed, which allow patients to regain sufficient reading and visual exploration performance through systematic oculomotor training. However, it is still…

The Modulatory Properties of Chronic Antidepressant Drugs Treatment on the Brain Chemokine - Chemokine Receptor Network: A Molecular Study in an Animal Model of Depression.

PubMed

Trojan, Ewa; Ślusarczyk, Joanna; Chamera, Katarzyna; Kotarska, Katarzyna; Głombik, Katarzyna; Kubera, Marta; Basta-Kaim, Agnieszka

2017-01-01

An increasing number of studies indicate that the chemokine system may be the third major communication system of the brain. Therefore, the role of the chemokine system in the development of brain disorders, including depression, has been recently proposed. However, little is known about the impact of the administration of various antidepressant drugs on the brain chemokine - chemokine receptor axis. In the present study, we used an animal model of depression based on the prenatal stress procedure. We determined whether chronic treatment with tianeptine, venlafaxine, or fluoxetine influenced the evoked by prenatal stress procedure changes in the mRNA and protein levels of the homeostatic chemokines, CXCL12 (SDF-1α), CX3CL1 (fractalkine) and their receptors, in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Moreover, the impact of mentioned antidepressants on the TGF-β, a molecular pathway related to fractalkine receptor (CX3CR1), was explored. We found that prenatal stress caused anxiety and depressive-like disturbances in adult offspring rats, which were normalized by chronic antidepressant treatment. Furthermore, we showed the stress-evoked CXCL12 upregulation while CXCR4 downregulation in hippocampus and frontal cortex. CXCR7 expression was enhanced in frontal cortex but not hippocampus. Furthermore, the levels of CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 were diminished by prenatal stress in the both examined brain areas. The mentioned changes were normalized with various potency by chronic administration of tested antidepressants. All drugs in hippocampus, while tianeptine and venlafaxine in frontal cortex normalized the CXCL12 level in prenatally stressed offspring. Moreover, in hippocampus only fluoxetine enhanced CXCR4 level, while fluoxetine and tianeptine diminished CXCR7 level in frontal cortex. Additionally, the diminished by prenatal stress levels of CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 in the both examined brain areas were normalized by chronic tianeptine and partially fluoxetine administration. Tianeptine modulate also brain TGF-β signaling in the prenatal stress-induced animal model of depression. Our results provide new evidence that not only prenatal stress-induced behavioral disturbances but also changes of CXCL12 and their receptor and at less extend in CX3CL1-CX3CR1 expression may be normalized by chronic antidepressant drug treatment. In particular, the effect on the CXCL12 and their CXCR4 and CXCR7 receptors requires additional studies to elucidate the possible biological consequences.

Art, Illusion and the Visual System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livingstone, Margaret S.

1988-01-01

Describes the three part system of human vision. Explores the anatomical arrangement of the vision system from the eyes to the brain. Traces the path of various visual signals to their interpretations by the brain. Discusses human visual perception and its implications in art and design. (CW)

The Contribution of Art Therapy to the Dissociative Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Patricia S.

1994-01-01

Explored concepts of brain hemispheric lateralization and distinct right brain functioning in extensive dissociation by administering Dissociative Experiences Scale to 114 engineering students and 92 university drawing students. Chi-square calculation found differences in dissociative scoring levels between groups that approached significance at…

Three-Dimensional Models for Teaching Neuroanatomy to Blind Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pietsch, Paul

1980-01-01

An audio/tactile course enables blind college students to understand the anatomy of the human brain. Models were designed which allow tactile exploration of the visual fields, retina, optic nerves, and the subdivisions of the tracts and radiations in the brain. (Author/PHR)

Virtual reality and brain computer interface in neurorehabilitation

PubMed Central

Dahdah, Marie; Driver, Simon; Parsons, Thomas D.; Richter, Kathleen M.

2016-01-01

The potential benefit of technology to enhance recovery after central nervous system injuries is an area of increasing interest and exploration. The primary emphasis to date has been motor recovery/augmentation and communication. This paper introduces two original studies to demonstrate how advanced technology may be integrated into subacute rehabilitation. The first study addresses the feasibility of brain computer interface with patients on an inpatient spinal cord injury unit. The second study explores the validity of two virtual environments with acquired brain injury as part of an intensive outpatient neurorehabilitation program. These preliminary studies support the feasibility of advanced technologies in the subacute stage of neurorehabilitation. These modalities were well tolerated by participants and could be incorporated into patients' inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation regimens without schedule disruptions. This paper expands the limited literature base regarding the use of advanced technologies in the early stages of recovery for neurorehabilitation populations and speaks favorably to the potential integration of brain computer interface and virtual reality technologies as part of a multidisciplinary treatment program. PMID:27034541

[Frequency of neurologic diseases in cattle].

PubMed

Heim, D; Fatzer, R; Hörnlimann, B; Vandevelde, M

1997-01-01

The cases of neurological diseases at the Institute of Animal Neurology, University of Berne, from 1985-1994 were assessed. During this period 532 cattle with neurological symptoms were examined. After 1980 differential diagnostic investigation of rabies negative brains were not pursued anymore and the number of examined cattle brains had declined to 25-30 per year. With the occurrence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in 1990 in Switzerland the number of cattle brains examined has increased to 75-80 yearly. The most frequently diagnosed neurological diseases found are BSE, followed by listeriosis and viral encephalitides.

Evaluating Aesthetic Experience through Personal-Appearance Styles: A Behavioral and Electrophysiological Study

PubMed Central

Cheung, Mei-chun; Law, Derry; Yip, Joanne

2014-01-01

Consumers' aesthetic experience has often been linked with the concept of beauty, which is regarded as subjective and may vary between individuals, cultures and places, and across time. With the advent of brain-imaging techniques, there is more and more evidence to suggest that aesthetic experience lies not only in the eye of the beholder, but also in the brain of the beholder. However, there are gaps in the previous research in this area, as several significant issues have not yet been addressed. Specifically, it is unclear whether the human brain really pays more attention and generates more positive emotional responses to beautiful things. To explore the brain activity relating to consumers' aesthetic experiences, 15 participants were recruited voluntarily to view a series of personal-appearance styles. They were invited to make aesthetic judgments while their brain activity was recorded by electroencephalography. Two electroencephalographic (EEG) indicators, theta coherence and frontal alpha symmetry, were utilized. Theta coherence is a measure of linear synchronization between signals at two electrode sites. It reflects the degree of functional cooperation between the underlying neuronal substrates and was used to explore the attentional processing involved in aesthetic judgments. Frontal alpha asymmetry is derived by subtracting the log-transformed absolute alpha power of the left hemisphere from the analogous log-transformed alpha power of the right hemisphere. It was used as an indicator of emotional response. During aesthetic judgments, long-range theta coherence increased in both hemispheres and more positive frontal alpha asymmetry was found when the styles were judged to be beautiful. Therefore, participants demonstrated brain activity suggestive of central executive processing and more positive emotional responses when they considered styles to be beautiful. The study provides some insight into the brain activity associated with consumers' aesthetic experiences, and suggests new directions for exploring consumer behavior from the perspective of neuroscience. PMID:25551635

Evaluating aesthetic experience through personal-appearance styles: a behavioral and electrophysiological study.

PubMed

Cheung, Mei-chun; Law, Derry; Yip, Joanne

2014-01-01

Consumers' aesthetic experience has often been linked with the concept of beauty, which is regarded as subjective and may vary between individuals, cultures and places, and across time. With the advent of brain-imaging techniques, there is more and more evidence to suggest that aesthetic experience lies not only in the eye of the beholder, but also in the brain of the beholder. However, there are gaps in the previous research in this area, as several significant issues have not yet been addressed. Specifically, it is unclear whether the human brain really pays more attention and generates more positive emotional responses to beautiful things. To explore the brain activity relating to consumers' aesthetic experiences, 15 participants were recruited voluntarily to view a series of personal-appearance styles. They were invited to make aesthetic judgments while their brain activity was recorded by electroencephalography. Two electroencephalographic (EEG) indicators, theta coherence and frontal alpha symmetry, were utilized. Theta coherence is a measure of linear synchronization between signals at two electrode sites. It reflects the degree of functional cooperation between the underlying neuronal substrates and was used to explore the attentional processing involved in aesthetic judgments. Frontal alpha asymmetry is derived by subtracting the log-transformed absolute alpha power of the left hemisphere from the analogous log-transformed alpha power of the right hemisphere. It was used as an indicator of emotional response. During aesthetic judgments, long-range theta coherence increased in both hemispheres and more positive frontal alpha asymmetry was found when the styles were judged to be beautiful. Therefore, participants demonstrated brain activity suggestive of central executive processing and more positive emotional responses when they considered styles to be beautiful. The study provides some insight into the brain activity associated with consumers' aesthetic experiences, and suggests new directions for exploring consumer behavior from the perspective of neuroscience.

Coping and adaptive strategies of traumatic brain injury survivors and primary caregivers.

PubMed

Adams, Deana; Dahdah, Marie

2016-06-27

Qualitative research methods allowed the investigator to contribute to the development of new theories and to examine change in processes over time, which added rich detail to existing knowledge of the use of coping and adaptive strategies by traumatic brain injury survivors and their primary caregivers (Ponsford, Sloan, & Snow, 2013). The advantages of phenomenological study were that it allows flexibility to explore and understand meanings attached by people to well-studied concepts such as coping, resiliency, and adaptation or compensation. Phenomenological study was sensitive to contextual factors. It also permitted the study of in-depth dynamics of coping and adaptive strategies of TBI survivors and primary caregivers, while understanding the social and psychological implications of the phenomenon. To explore the needs and deficits of adult traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors and primary caregivers; and to identify their self-initiated coping and adaptive strategies. Significant to this study was the development of coping and adaptive strategies by the participants after their discharge from inpatient and rehabilitation treatment. The compensatory skills taught in treatment settings did not transfer to the home environment. Therefore, these strategies developed independently from previous treatment recommendations contributed to the development of theory related to rehabilitation and counseling. Distinctive to this study was the similarity of coping and adaptive strategies developed from both mild and severe traumatic brain injury survivors. This study consisted of eleven with TBI and six primary caregivers (N = 17), who participated in a series of semi-structured interviews aimed at discovering the coping and adaptive strategies utilized in dealing with the effects of brain injury. A Qualitative Phenomenological design was employed. Patience and understanding, support, and professional help were identified by TBI survivors and caregivers as being their most relevant needs. Self-reported deficits included short-term memory loss (STM), fatigue, anger, and personality changes, and the strategies that TBI survivors and caregivers identified tended to address their problems with these specific day-to-day deficits. Problem focused, emotion focused, and avoidant coping were utilized to some degree in their adjustment to home life and activities of daily living. Participants offered suggestions for mental health professionals addressing how to more effectively work with brain injury survivors and their primary caregivers. TBI survivors and caregivers had multiple self-reported unaddressed needs following their discharge from facility-based treatment. They reported spontaneously engaging in various coping and adaptive strategies to address their needs and deficits. However, further education regarding potential post-TBI challenges and strategies for addressing them are needed, including a need for community and mental health resources.

Hyperbrain features of team mental models within a juggling paradigm: a proof of concept

PubMed Central

Filho, Edson; Tamburro, Gabriella; Schinaia, Lorenzo; Chatel-Goldman, Jonas; di Fronso, Selenia; Robazza, Claudio

2016-01-01

Background Research on cooperative behavior and the social brain exists, but little research has focused on real-time motor cooperative behavior and its neural correlates. In this proof of concept study, we explored the conceptual notion of shared and complementary mental models through EEG mapping of two brains performing a real-world interactive motor task of increasing difficulty. We used the recently introduced participative “juggling paradigm,” and collected neuro-physiological and psycho-social data. We were interested in analyzing the between-brains coupling during a dyadic juggling task, and in exploring the relationship between the motor task execution, the jugglers’skill level and the task difficulty. We also investigated how this relationship could be mirrored in the coupled functional organization of the interacting brains. Methods To capture the neural schemas underlying the notion of shared and complementary mental models, we examined the functional connectivity patterns and hyperbrain features of a juggling dyad involved in cooperative motor tasks of increasing difficulty. Jugglers’ cortical activity was measured using two synchronized 32-channel EEG systems during dyadic juggling performed with 3, 4, 5 and 6 balls. Individual and hyperbrain functional connections were quantified through coherence maps calculated across all electrode pairs in the theta and alpha bands (4–8 and 8–12 Hz). Graph metrics were used to typify the global topology and efficiency of the functional networks for the four difficulty levels in the theta and alpha bands. Results Results indicated that, as task difficulty increased, the cortical functional organization of the more skilled juggler became progressively more segregated in both frequency bands, with a small-world organization in the theta band during easier tasks, indicative of a flow-like state in line with the neural efficiency hypothesis. Conversely, more integrated functional patterns were observed for the less skilled juggler in both frequency bands, possibly related to cognitive overload due to the difficulty of the task at hand (reinvestment hypothesis). At the hyperbrain level, a segregated functional organization involving areas of the visuo-attentional networks of both jugglers was observed in both frequency bands and for the easier task only. Discussion These results suggest that cooperative juggling is supported by integrated activity of specialized cortical areas from both brains only during easier tasks, whereas it relies on individual skills, mirrored in uncorrelated individual brain activations, during more difficult tasks. These findings suggest that task difficulty and jugglers’ personal skills may influence the features of the hyperbrain network in its shared/integrative and complementary/segregative tendencies. PMID:27688968

Tetramethylpyrazine-2'-O-sodium ferulate attenuates blood-brain barrier disruption and brain oedema after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion.

PubMed

Xu, S-H; Yin, M-S; Liu, B; Chen, M-L; He, G-W; Zhou, P-P; Cui, Y-J; Yang, D; Wu, Y-L

2017-07-01

Disruption of blood-brain barrier (BBB) and subsequent oedema are major causes of the pathogenesis in ischaemic stroke with which the current clinical therapy remains unsatisfied. In this study, we examined the therapeutic effect of tetramethylpyrazine-2'-O-sodium ferulate (TSF)-a novel analogue of tetramethylpyrazine in alleviating BBB breakdown and brain oedema after cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R). Then, we explored the potential mechanism of the protection on BBB disruption in cerebral I/R rat models. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 g) were subjected to 120 min middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), followed by 48 h reperfusion. TSF (10.8, 18 and 30 mg kg -1 ) and ozagrel (18 mg kg -1 ) were administrated by intravenous injection immediately for the first time and then received the same dose every 24 h for 2 days. We found that TSF treatment significantly attenuated the cerebral water content, infarction volume and improved neurological outcomes in MCAO rats compared to I/R models. Moreover, we investigated the effect of TSF on the BBB for that cerebral oedema is closely related to the permeability of the BBB. We found that the permeability of BBB was improved significantly in TSF groups compared to I/R model group by Evans blue leakage testing. Furthermore, the expressions of tight junction (TJ) proteins junction adhesion molecule-1 and occludin significantly decreased, but the protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and aquaporin 4 (AQP4) increased after cerebral I/R, all of which were alleviated by TSF treatment. In conclusion, TSF significantly reduced BBB permeability and brain oedema, which were correlated with regulating the expression of TJ proteins, MMP-9 and AQP4. These findings provide a novel approach to the treatment of ischaemic stroke.

Plasma D-dimer as a Prognostic Marker in ICU Admitted Egyptian Children with Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Foaud, Hala Mohamed Amin; Labib, John Rene; Metwally, Hala Gabr; El-Twab, Khaled Mohamed Abd

2014-09-01

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. This study aimed at evaluation of the D-dimer blood levels as a new marker to predict prognosis and outcome of traumatic brain injuries among children. This case control study was conducted at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Alharm Hospital in Giza, Egypt during 2012-2013, on 46 Paediatric cases admitted to ICU with head injury and 20 normal age-matched controls. Clinical data and venous blood samples were prospectively collected at 1(st), 3(rd) and 14(th) day of admission, in addition to examination finding as Glasgow coma scale (GCS), cranial brain computed tomography (CT), routine laboratory investigations (CBC, CRP, SGOT, SGPT, urea, creatinine, random blood glucose, Na, K and arterial blood gases) plasma D-dimer, INR, PT, aPTT and PC. Data analysis was carried out accordingly and ROC curve was performed to explore the discriminating ability of D-dimer through estimation of its accuracy in differentiating temporal survivorship of those with TBI. Cases were classified according to outcome into survivors and non-survivors. Significant difference was observed between cases and controls and between survivors and non-survivors during 1(st), 3(rd) and 14(th) day of the follow up including GCS, blood levels of D-dimer, PT and aPTT. ROC curve analysis for D-dimer showed decline in both sensitivity from 89.5% to 73.7% and specificity from 100% to 81.5% along the study days respectively. D-dimer time measurements showed significant decline among survivors from 4.2 to 0.7, while in the non survivor group this decline was much higher from 27.9 to 1.4. Low plasma D-dimer suggests the absence of brain injury, and good prognosis.

Fisetin alleviates early brain injury following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats possibly by suppressing TLR 4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

PubMed

Zhou, Chen-hui; Wang, Chun-xi; Xie, Guang-bin; Wu, Ling-yun; Wei, Yong-xiang; Wang, Qiang; Zhang, Hua-sheng; Hang, Chun-hua; Zhou, Meng-liang; Shi, Ji-xin

2015-12-10

Early brain injury (EBI) determines the unfavorable outcomes after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Fisetin, a natural flavonoid, has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotection properties in several brain injury models, but the role of fisetin on EBI following SAH remains unknown. Our study aimed to explore the effects of fisetin on EBI after SAH in rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham and SAH groups, fisetin (25mg/kg or 50mg/kg) or equal volume of vehicle was given at 30min after SAH. Neurological scores and brain edema were assayed. The protein expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR 4), p65, ZO-1 and bcl-2 was examined by Western blot. TLR 4 and p65 were also assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated uridine 5'-triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL) was perform to assess neural cell apoptosis. High-dose (50mg/kg) fisetin significantly improved neurological function and reduced brain edema at both 24h and 72h after SAH. Remarkable reductions of TLR 4 expression and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) translocation to nucleus were detected after fisetin treatment. In addition, fisetin significantly reduced the productions of pro-inflammatory cytokines, decreased neural cell apoptosis and increased the protein expression of ZO-1 and bcl-2. Our data provides the evidence for the first time that fisetin plays a protective role in EBI following SAH possibly by suppressing TLR 4/NF-κB mediated inflammatory pathway. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Disrupted resting-state functional architecture of the brain after 45-day simulated microgravity

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yuan; Wang, Yun; Rao, Li-Lin; Liang, Zhu-Yuan; Chen, Xiao-Ping; Zheng, Dang; Tan, Cheng; Tian, Zhi-Qiang; Wang, Chun-Hui; Bai, Yan-Qiang; Chen, Shan-Guang; Li, Shu

2014-01-01

Long-term spaceflight induces both physiological and psychological changes in astronauts. To understand the neural mechanisms underlying these physiological and psychological changes, it is critical to investigate the effects of microgravity on the functional architecture of the brain. In this study, we used resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to study whether the functional architecture of the brain is altered after 45 days of −6° head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest, which is a reliable model for the simulation of microgravity. Sixteen healthy male volunteers underwent rs-fMRI scans before and after 45 days of −6° HDT bed rest. Specifically, we used a commonly employed graph-based measure of network organization, i.e., degree centrality (DC), to perform a full-brain exploration of the regions that were influenced by simulated microgravity. We subsequently examined the functional connectivities of these regions using a seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analysis. We found decreased DC in two regions, the left anterior insula (aINS) and the anterior part of the middle cingulate cortex (MCC; also called the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in many studies), in the male volunteers after 45 days of −6° HDT bed rest. Furthermore, seed-based RSFC analyses revealed that a functional network anchored in the aINS and MCC was particularly influenced by simulated microgravity. These results provide evidence that simulated microgravity alters the resting-state functional architecture of the brains of males and suggest that the processing of salience information, which is primarily subserved by the aINS–MCC functional network, is particularly influenced by spaceflight. The current findings provide a new perspective for understanding the relationships between microgravity, cognitive function, autonomic neural function, and central neural activity. PMID:24926242

Altered brain morphology and functional connectivity reflect a vulnerable affective state after cumulative multigenerational stress in rats.

PubMed

McCreary, J Keiko; Truica, L Sorina; Friesen, Becky; Yao, Youli; Olson, David M; Kovalchuk, Igor; Cross, Albert R; Metz, Gerlinde A S

2016-08-25

Prenatal stress is a risk factor for abnormal neuroanatomical, cognitive, behavioral and mental health outcomes with potentially transgenerational consequences. Females in general seem more resilient to the effects of prenatal stress than males. Here, we examined if repeated stress across generations may diminish stress resiliency and cumulatively enhance the susceptibility for adverse health outcomes in females. Pregnant female rats of three successive generations were exposed to stress from gestational days 12-18 to generate multigenerational prenatal stress (MPS) in the maternal lineage. Stress response was measured by plasma corticosterone levels and open-field exploration in each generation. Neuromorphological consequences of MPS were investigated in the F3 generation using in vivo manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI), T2-relaxometry, and cytoarchitectonics in relation to candidate gene expression involved in brain plasticity and mental health. Each additional generation of prenatal stress incrementally elevated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation, anxiety-like and aversive behaviors in adult female offspring. Elevated stress responses in the MPS F3 generation were accompanied by reduced neural density in prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and whole brain along with altered brain activation patterns in in vivo MEMRI. MPS increased ephrin receptor A5 (Epha5), neuronal growth regulator (Negr1) and synaptosomal-associated protein 25 (Snap25) gene expression and reduced fibroblast growth factor 12 (Fgf12) in prefrontal cortex. These genes regulate neuronal maturation, arborization and synaptic plasticity and may explain altered brain cytoarchitectonics and connectivity. These findings emphasize that recurrent stress across generations may cumulatively increase stress vulnerability and the risk of adverse health outcomes through perinatal programing in females. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flibanserin stimulated partner grooming reflects brain metabolism changes in female marmosets

PubMed Central

Converse, Alexander K.; Aubert, Yves; Allers, Kelly A.; Sommer, Bernd; Abbott, David H.

2017-01-01

Introduction Female Sexual Interest and Arousal Disorder (FSIAD) is personally distressing for women. To better understand the mechanism of the candidate therapeutic, flibanserin, we determined its effects on an index of brain glucose metabolism. Aim We hypothesized that chronic treatment with flibanserin would alter metabolism in brain regions associated with serotonergic function and female sexual behavior. Methods In a crossover design, eight adult female common marmosets (Calithrix jacchus) received daily flibanserin or vehicle. After 7–12 weeks of treatment, the glucose metabolism radiotracer FDG was administered to each female immediately prior to 30 min of interaction with her male pairmate, after which females were anesthetized and imaged by PET. Whole-brain normalized images were analyzed with anatomically defined regions of interest. Whole brain voxelwise mapping was used to explore treatment effects. Correlations were examined between alterations in metabolism and pairmate social grooming. Main Outcome Measures Changes in metabolism associated with flibanserin were determined for dorsal raphe (DR), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), medial preoptic area of hypothalamus (mPOA), ventromedial nucleus of hypothalamus (VMH), and field CA1 of hippocampus. Results In response to chronic flibanserin, metabolism in mPOA declined, and this reduction correlated with increases in pairmate grooming. A cluster of voxels in frontal cortico-limbic regions exhibited reduced metabolism in response to flibanserin and overlapped with a voxel cluster in which reductions in metabolism correlated with increases in pairmate grooming. Finally, reductions in mPOA metabolism correlated with increases in metabolism in a cluster of voxels in somatosensory cortex. Conclusions Taken together, these results suggest that flibanserin-induced reductions in female mPOA neural activity increase intimate affiliative behavior with male pairmates. PMID:26635207

Severe Traumatic Brain Injury at a Tertiary Referral Center in Tanzania: Epidemiology and Adherence to Brain Trauma Foundation Guidelines.

PubMed

Smart, Luke R; Mangat, Halinder S; Issarow, Benson; McClelland, Paul; Mayaya, Gerald; Kanumba, Emmanuel; Gerber, Linda M; Wu, Xian; Peck, Robert N; Ngayomela, Isidore; Fakhar, Malik; Stieg, Philip E; Härtl, Roger

2017-09-01

Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Prospective TBI data from sub-Saharan Africa are sparse. This study examines epidemiology and explores management of patients with severe TBI and adherence to Brain Trauma Foundation Guidelines at a tertiary care referral hospital in Tanzania. Patients with severe TBI hospitalized at Bugando Medical Centre were recorded in a prospective registry including epidemiologic, clinical, treatment, and outcome data. Between September 2013 and October 2015, 371 patients with TBI were admitted; 33% (115/371) had severe TBI. Mean age was 32.0 years ± 20.1, and most patients were male (80.0%). Vehicular injuries were the most common cause of injury (65.2%). Approximately half of the patients (47.8%) were hospitalized on the day of injury. Computed tomography of the brain was performed in 49.6% of patients, and 58.3% were admitted to the intensive care unit. Continuous arterial blood pressure monitoring and intracranial pressure monitoring were not performed in any patient. Of patients with severe TBI, 38.3% received hyperosmolar therapy, and 35.7% underwent craniotomy. The 2-week mortality was 34.8%. Mortality of patients with severe TBI at Bugando Medical Centre, Tanzania, is approximately twice that in high-income countries. Intensive care unit care, computed tomography imaging, and continuous arterial blood pressure and intracranial pressure monitoring are underused or unavailable in the tertiary referral hospital setting. Improving outcomes after severe TBI will require concerted investment in prehospital care and improvement in availability of intensive care unit resources, computed tomography, and expertise in multidisciplinary care. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identifying Multimodal Intermediate Phenotypes between Genetic Risk Factors and Disease Status in Alzheimer’s Disease

PubMed Central

Hao, Xiaoke; Yao, Xiaohui; Yan, Jingwen; Risacher, Shannon L.; Saykin, Andrew J.; Zhang, Daoqiang; Shen, Li

2016-01-01

Neuroimaging genetics has attracted growing attention and interest, which is thought to be a powerful strategy to examine the influence of genetic variants (i.e., single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) on structures or functions of human brain. In recent studies, univariate or multivariate regression analysis methods are typically used to capture the effective associations between genetic variants and quantitative traits (QTs) such as brain imaging phenotypes. The identified imaging QTs, although associated with certain genetic markers, may not be all disease specific. A useful, but underexplored, scenario could be to discover only those QTs associated with both genetic markers and disease status for revealing the chain from genotype to phenotype to symptom. In addition, multimodal brain imaging phenotypes are extracted from different perspectives and imaging markers consistently showing up in multimodalities may provide more insights for mechanistic understanding of diseases (i.e., Alzheimer’s disease (AD)). In this work, we propose a general framework to exploit multi-modal brain imaging phenotypes as intermediate traits that bridge genetic risk factors and multi-class disease status. We applied our proposed method to explore the relation between the well-known AD risk SNP APOE rs429358 and three baseline brain imaging modalities (i.e., structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and F-18 florbetapir PET scans amyloid imaging (AV45)) from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. The empirical results demonstrate that our proposed method not only helps improve the performances of imaging genetic associations, but also discovers robust and consistent regions of interests (ROIs) across multi-modalities to guide the disease-induced interpretation. PMID:27277494

Neural effects of environmental advertising: An fMRI analysis of voice age and temporal framing.

PubMed

Casado-Aranda, Luis-Alberto; Martínez-Fiestas, Myriam; Sánchez-Fernández, Juan

2018-01-15

Ecological information offered to society through advertising enhances awareness of environmental issues, encourages development of sustainable attitudes and intentions, and can even alter behavior. This paper, by means of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and self-reports, explores the underlying mechanisms of processing ecological messages. The study specifically examines brain and behavioral responses to persuasive ecological messages that differ in temporal framing and in the age of the voice pronouncing them. The findings reveal that attitudes are more positive toward future-framed messages presented by young voices. The whole-brain analysis reveals that future-framed (FF) ecological messages trigger activation in brain areas related to imagery, prospective memories and episodic events, thus reflecting the involvement of past behaviors in future ecological actions. Past-framed messages (PF), in turn, elicit brain activations within the episodic system. Young voices (YV), in addition to triggering stronger activation in areas involved with the processing of high-timbre, high-pitched and high-intensity voices, are perceived as more emotional and motivational than old voices (OV) as activations in anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala. Messages expressed by older voices, in turn, exhibit stronger activation in areas formerly linked to low-pitched voices and voice gender perception. Interestingly, a link is identified between neural and self-report responses indicating that certain brain activations in response to future-framed messages and young voices predicted higher attitudes toward future-framed and young voice advertisements, respectively. The results of this study provide invaluable insight into the unconscious origin of attitudes toward environmental messages and indicate which voice and temporal frame of a message generate the greatest subconscious value. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural neural correlates of multitasking: A voxel-based morphometry study.

PubMed

Zhang, Rui-Ting; Yang, Tian-Xiao; Wang, Yi; Sui, Yuxiu; Yao, Jingjing; Zhang, Chen-Yuan; Cheung, Eric F C; Chan, Raymond C K

2016-12-01

Multitasking refers to the ability to organize assorted tasks efficiently in a short period of time, which plays an important role in daily life. However, the structural neural correlates of multitasking performance remain unclear. The present study aimed at exploring the brain regions associated with multitasking performance using global correlation analysis. Twenty-six healthy participants first underwent structural brain scans and then performed the modified Six Element Test, which required participants to attempt six subtasks in 10 min while obeying a specific rule. Voxel-based morphometry of the whole brain was used to detect the structural correlates of multitasking ability. Grey matter volume of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was positively correlated with the overall performance and time monitoring in multitasking. In addition, white matter volume of the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) was also positively correlated with time monitoring during multitasking. Other related brain regions associated with multitasking included the superior frontal gyrus, the inferior occipital gyrus, the lingual gyrus, and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus. No significant correlation was found between grey matter volume of the prefrontal cortex (Brodmann Area 10) and multitasking performance. Using a global correlation analysis to examine various aspects of multitasking performance, this study provided new insights into the structural neural correlates of multitasking ability. In particular, the ACC was identified as an important brain region that played both a general and a specific time-monitoring role in multitasking, extending the role of the ACC from lesioned populations to healthy populations. The present findings also support the view that the ATR may influence multitasking performance by affecting time-monitoring abilities. © 2016 The Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Managing health worker migration: a qualitative study of the Philippine response to nurse brain drain

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The emigration of skilled nurses from the Philippines is an ongoing phenomenon that has impacted the quality and quantity of the nursing workforce, while strengthening the domestic economy through remittances. This study examines how the development of brain drain-responsive policies is driven by the effects of nurse migration and how such efforts aim to achieve mind-shifts among nurses, governing and regulatory bodies, and public and private institutions in the Philippines and worldwide. Methods Interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to elicit exploratory perspectives on the policy response to nurse brain drain. Interviews with key informants from the nursing, labour and immigration sectors explored key themes behind the development of policies and programmes that respond to nurse migration. Focus group discussions were held with practising nurses to understand policy recipients’ perspectives on nurse migration and policy. Results Using the qualitative data, a thematic framework was created to conceptualize participants’ perceptions of how nurse migration has driven the policy development process. The framework demonstrates that policymakers have recognised the complexity of the brain drain phenomenon and are crafting dynamic policies and programmes that work to shift domestic and global mindsets on nurse training, employment and recruitment. Conclusions Development of responsive policy to Filipino nurse brain drain offers a glimpse into a domestic response to an increasingly prominent global issue. As a major source of professionals migrating abroad for employment, the Philippines has formalised efforts to manage nurse migration. Accordingly, the Philippine paradigm, summarised by the thematic framework presented in this paper, may act as an example for other countries that are experiencing similar shifts in healthcare worker employment due to migration. PMID:23249411

Hyperactive hypothalamus, motivated and non-distractible chronic overeating in ADAR2 transgenic mice

PubMed Central

Akubuiro, Ashley; Zimmerman, M. Bridget; Boles Ponto, Laura L.; Walsh, Susan A.; Sunderland, John; McCormick, Laurie; Singh, Minati

2013-01-01

ADAR2 transgenic mice misexpressing the RNA editing enzyme ADAR2 (Adenosine Deaminase that act on RNA) show characteristics of overeating and experience adult onset obesity. Behavioral patterns and brain changes related to a possible addictive overeating in these transgenic mice were explored as transgenic mice display chronic hyperphagia. ADAR2 transgenic mice were assessed in their food preference and motivation to overeat in a competing reward environment with ad lib access to a running wheel and food. Metabolic activity of brain and peripheral tissue were assessed with [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and RNA expression of feeding related genes, ADAR2, dopamine and opiate receptors from the hypothalamus and striatum were examined. The results indicate that ADAR2 transgenic mice exhibit, (1) a food preference for diets with higher fat content, (2) significantly increased food intake that is non-distractible in a competing reward environment, (3) significantly increased mRNA expressions of ADAR2, serotonin 2C receptor (5HT2CR), D1, D2, and mu opioid receptors and no change in CRH mRNAs and significantly reduced ADAR2 protein expression in the hypothalamus, (4) significantly increased D1 receptor and altered bioamines with no change in ADAR2, mu opioid and D2 receptor mRNA expression in the striatum, and (5) significantly greater glucose metabolism in the hypothalamus, brain stem, right hippocampus, left and right mid brain regions and suprascapular peripheral tissue than controls. These results suggest that highly motivated and goal-oriented overeating behaviors of ADAR2 transgenic mice are associated with altered feeding, reward-related mRNAs, and hyperactive brain mesolimbic region. PMID:23323881

Brain activation during self- and other-reflection in bipolar disorder with a history of psychosis: Comparison to schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Zhang, Liwen; Opmeer, Esther M.; Ruhé, Henricus G.; Aleman, André; van der Meer, Lisette

2015-01-01

Objectives Reflecting on the self and on others activates specific brain areas and contributes to metacognition and social cognition. The aim of the current study is to investigate brain activation during self- and other-reflection in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). In addition, we examined whether potential abnormal brain activation in BD patients could distinguish BD from patients with schizophrenia (SZ). Methods During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 17 BD patients, 17 SZ patients and 21 healthy controls (HCs) performed a self-reflection task. The task consisted of sentences divided into three conditions: self-reflection, other-reflection and semantic control. Results BD patients showed less activation in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) extending to the precuneus during other-reflection compared to HCs (p = 0.028 FWE corrected on cluster-level within the regions of interest). In SZ patients, the level of activation in this area was in between BD patients and HCs, with no significant differences between patients with SZ and BD. There were no group differences in brain activation during self-reflection. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between the PCC/precuneus activation during other-reflection and cognitive insight in SZ patients, but not in BD patients. Conclusions BD patients showed less activation in the PCC/precuneus during other-reflection. This may support an account of impaired integration of emotion and memory (evaluation of past and current other-related information) in BD patients. Correlation differences of the PCC/precuneus activation with the cognitive insight in patients with BD and SZ might reflect an important difference between these disorders, which may help to further explore potentially distinguishing markers. PMID:26106544

Brain activation during self- and other-reflection in bipolar disorder with a history of psychosis: Comparison to schizophrenia.

PubMed

Zhang, Liwen; Opmeer, Esther M; Ruhé, Henricus G; Aleman, André; van der Meer, Lisette

2015-01-01

Reflecting on the self and on others activates specific brain areas and contributes to metacognition and social cognition. The aim of the current study is to investigate brain activation during self- and other-reflection in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). In addition, we examined whether potential abnormal brain activation in BD patients could distinguish BD from patients with schizophrenia (SZ). During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 17 BD patients, 17 SZ patients and 21 healthy controls (HCs) performed a self-reflection task. The task consisted of sentences divided into three conditions: self-reflection, other-reflection and semantic control. BD patients showed less activation in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) extending to the precuneus during other-reflection compared to HCs (p = 0.028 FWE corrected on cluster-level within the regions of interest). In SZ patients, the level of activation in this area was in between BD patients and HCs, with no significant differences between patients with SZ and BD. There were no group differences in brain activation during self-reflection. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between the PCC/precuneus activation during other-reflection and cognitive insight in SZ patients, but not in BD patients. BD patients showed less activation in the PCC/precuneus during other-reflection. This may support an account of impaired integration of emotion and memory (evaluation of past and current other-related information) in BD patients. Correlation differences of the PCC/precuneus activation with the cognitive insight in patients with BD and SZ might reflect an important difference between these disorders, which may help to further explore potentially distinguishing markers.

Journey to the Center of the Fetal Brain: Environmental Exposures and Autophagy.

PubMed

Lei, Jun; Calvo, Pilar; Vigh, Richard; Burd, Irina

2018-01-01

Fetal brain development is known to be affected by adverse environmental exposures during pregnancy, including infection, inflammation, hypoxia, alcohol, starvation, and toxins. These exposures are thought to alter autophagy activity in the fetal brain, leading to adverse perinatal outcomes, such as cognitive and sensorimotor deficits. This review introduces the physiologic autophagy pathways in the fetal brain. Next, methods to detect and monitor fetal brain autophagy activity are outlined. An additional discussion explores possible mechanisms by which environmental exposures during pregnancy alter fetal brain autophagy activity. In the final section, a correlation of fetal autophagy activity with the observed postnatal phenotype is attempted. Our main purpose is to provide the current understanding or a lack thereof mechanisms on autophagy, underlying the fetal brain injury exposed to environmental insults.

Let thy left brain know what thy right brain doeth: Inter-hemispheric compensation of functional deficits after brain damage.

PubMed

Bartolomeo, Paolo; Thiebaut de Schotten, Michel

2016-12-01

Recent evidence revealed the importance of inter-hemispheric communication for the compensation of functional deficits after brain damage. This review summarises the biological consequences observed using histology as well as the longitudinal findings measured with magnetic resonance imaging methods in brain damaged animals and patients. In particular, we discuss the impact of post-stroke brain hyperactivity on functional recovery in relation to time. The reviewed evidence also suggests that the proportion of the preserved functional network both in the lesioned and in the intact hemispheres, rather than the simple lesion location, determines the extent of functional recovery. Hence, future research exploring longitudinal changes in patients with brain damage may unveil potential biomarkers underlying functional recovery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Neurology of the arts].

PubMed

Chiu, Hou-Chang

2009-06-01

The brain is the window of the artistic mind. Brain activities lead to the understanding of the outside world by perception and cognition, and the enjoyment of the artistic wonders. This article will demonstrate how different brain areas are responsible for the creative abilities of painting, music, and literature. Due to the advancement in neuroscientic techniques such as functional MRI, brain electric activity mapping, etc, we explore and understand the brain areas that are responsible for cognition and artistic creation. We also understand the functional localization of mental activities from neurological patients with lesions in different brain areas. On the other hand, the artists had produced great works in a way similar to finding the related brain areas in the stimulation experiments. Therefore, many neuroscientists have praised that artists are outstanding neurologists.

In Vivo Investigation of the Effectiveness of a Hyper-viscoelastic Model in Simulating Brain Retraction

PubMed Central

Li, Ping; Wang, Weiwei; Zhang, Chenxi; An, Yong; Song, Zhijian

2016-01-01

Intraoperative brain retraction leads to a misalignment between the intraoperative positions of the brain structures and their previous positions, as determined from preoperative images. In vitro swine brain sample uniaxial tests showed that the mechanical response of brain tissue to compression and extension could be described by the hyper-viscoelasticity theory. The brain retraction caused by the mechanical process is a combination of brain tissue compression and extension. In this paper, we first constructed a hyper-viscoelastic framework based on the extended finite element method (XFEM) to simulate intraoperative brain retraction. To explore its effectiveness, we then applied this framework to an in vivo brain retraction simulation. The simulation strictly followed the clinical scenario, in which seven swine were subjected to brain retraction. Our experimental results showed that the hyper-viscoelastic XFEM framework is capable of simulating intraoperative brain retraction and improving the navigation accuracy of an image-guided neurosurgery system (IGNS). PMID:27387301

Exploring the Use of Cognitive Intervention for Children with Acquired Brain Injury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Missiuna, Cheryl; DeMatteo, Carol; Hanna, Steven; Mandich, Angela; Law, Mary; Mahoney, William; Scott, Louise

2010-01-01

Introduction: Children with acquired brain injury (ABI) often experience cognitive, motor, and psychosocial deficits that affect participation in everyday activities. Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) is an individualized treatment that teaches cognitive strategies necessary to support successful performance.…

Correlation between 99Tcm-HMPAO-SPECT brain image and a history of decompression illness or extent of diving experience in commercial divers.

PubMed Central

Shields, T G; Duff, P M; Evans, S A; Gemmell, H G; Sharp, P F; Smith, F W; Staff, R T; Wilcock, S E

1997-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To explore the use of 99technetiumm-hexamethyl propylene amine oxime single photon computed tomography (HMPAO-SPECT) of the brain as a means of detecting nervous tissue damage in divers and to determine if there is any correlation between brain image and a diver's history of diving or decompression illness (DCI). METHODS: 28 commercial divers with a history of DCI, 26 divers with no history of DCI, and 19 non-diving controls were examined with brain HMPAO-SPECT. Results were classified by observer assessment as normal (I) or as a pattern variants (II-V). The brain images of a subgroup of these divers (n = 44) and the controls (n = 17) were further analysed with a first order texture analysis technique based on a grey level histogram. RESULTS: 15 of 54 commercial divers (28%) were visually assessed as having HMPAO-SPECT images outside normal limits compared with 15.8% in appropriately identified non-diver control subjects. 18% of divers with a history of DCI were classified as having a pattern different from the normal image compared with 38% with no history of DCI. No association was established between the presence of a pattern variant from the normal image and history of DCI, diving, or other previous possible neurological insult. On texture analysis of the brain images, divers had a significantly lower mean grey level (MGL) than non-divers. Divers with a history of DCI (n = 22) had a significantly lower MGL when compared with divers with no history of DCI (n = 22). Divers with > 14 years professional diving or > 100 decompression days a year had a significantly lower MGL value. CONCLUSIONS: Observer assessment of HMPAO-SPECT brain images can lead to disparity in results. Texture analysis of the brain images supplies both an objective and consistent method of measurement. A significant correlation was found between a low measure of MGL and a history of DCI. There was also an indication that diving itself had an effect on texture measurement, implying that it had caused subclinical nervous tissue damage. PMID:9166130

An fMRI investigation of racial paralysis.

PubMed

Norton, Michael I; Mason, Malia F; Vandello, Joseph A; Biga, Andrew; Dyer, Rebecca

2013-04-01

We explore the existence and underlying neural mechanism of a new norm endorsed by both black and white Americans for managing interracial interactions: "racial paralysis', the tendency to opt out of decisions involving members of different races. We show that people are more willing to make choices--such as who is more intelligent, or who is more polite-between two white individuals (same-race decisions) than between a white and a black individual (cross-race decisions), a tendency which was evident more when judgments involved traits related to black stereotypes. We use functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the mechanisms underlying racial paralysis, to examine the mechanisms underlying racial paralysis, revealing greater recruitment of brain regions implicated in socially appropriate behavior (ventromedial prefrontal cortex), conflict detection (anterior cingulate cortex), deliberative processing (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), and inhibition (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex). We also discuss the impact of racial paralysis on the quality of interracial relations.

An fMRI investigation of racial paralysis

PubMed Central

Mason, Malia F.; Vandello, Joseph A.; Biga, Andrew; Dyer, Rebecca

2013-01-01

We explore the existence and underlying neural mechanism of a new norm endorsed by both black and white Americans for managing interracial interactions: “racial paralysis’, the tendency to opt out of decisions involving members of different races. We show that people are more willing to make choices—such as who is more intelligent, or who is more polite—between two white individuals (same-race decisions) than between a white and a black individual (cross-race decisions), a tendency which was evident more when judgments involved traits related to black stereotypes. We use functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the mechanisms underlying racial paralysis, to examine the mechanisms underlying racial paralysis, revealing greater recruitment of brain regions implicated in socially appropriate behavior (ventromedial prefrontal cortex), conflict detection (anterior cingulate cortex), deliberative processing (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), and inhibition (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex). We also discuss the impact of racial paralysis on the quality of interracial relations. PMID:22267521

Diet-induced effects on neuronal and glial elements in the middle-aged rat hippocampus

PubMed Central

Freeman, Linnea R.; Haley-Zitlin, Vivian; Stevens, Cheryl; Granholm, Ann-Charlotte

2014-01-01

Consumption of a high-fat and/or high-cholesterol diet can have detrimental effects on the brain. In the present study, dietary treatment with saturated fats, trans fats, or cholesterol to middle-aged Fischer 344 rats resulted in alterations to serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels, organ weights, and hippocampal morphology. Previously, we demonstrated that a 10% hydrogenated coconut oil and 2% cholesterol diet resulted in worse performance on the 12-day water radial arm maze, increased cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and decreased dendritic microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP2) staining in the hippocampus. The diets administered herein were used to examine components from the previous diet and further examine their effects on hippocampal morphology. Specifically, neuronal morphology, dendritic integrity, fatty acid metabolism, microgliosis, and blood vessel structure in the hippocampus and/or adjacent structures were explored. Our results indicate alterations to peripheral and neural systems following each of the diets. PMID:21535919

Intracranial pancreatic islet transplantation increases islet hormone expression in the rat brain and attenuates behavioral dysfunctions induced by MK-801 (dizocilpine).

PubMed

Bloch, Konstantin; Gil-Ad, Irit; Tarasenko, Igor; Vanichkin, Alexey; Taler, Michal; Hornfeld, Shay Henry; Vardi, Pnina; Weizman, Abraham

2015-06-01

The treatment of rodents with non-competitive antagonist of the N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, MK-801 (dizocilpine), induces symptoms of psychosis, deficits in spatial memory and impairment of synaptic plasticity. Recent studies have suggested that insulin administration might attenuate the cognitive dysfunctions through the modulatory effect on the expression of NMDA receptors and on the brain insulin signaling. Intrahepatic pancreatic islet transplantation is known as an efficient tool for correcting impaired insulin signaling. We examined the capacity of syngeneic islets grafted into the cranial subarachnoid cavity to attenuate behavioral dysfunctions in rats exposed to MK-801. Animals were examined in the open field (OF) and the Morris Water Maze (MWM) tests following acute or subchronic administration of MK-801. We found well-vascularized grafted islets expressing insulin, glucagon and somatostatin onto the olfactory bulb and prefrontal cortex. Significantly higher levels of insulin were detected in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of transplanted animals compared to the non-transplanted rats. All animals expressed normal peripheral glucose homeostasis for two months after transplantation. OF tests revealed that rats exposed to MK-801 treatment, showed hyper-responsiveness in motility parameters and augmented center field exploration compared to intact controls and these effects were attenuated by the grafted islets. Moreover, in the MWM, the rats treated with MK-801 showed impairment of spatial memory that were partially corrected by the grafted islets. In conclusion, intracranial islet transplantation leads to the expression of islet hormones in the brain and attenuates behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions in rats exposed to MK-801 administration without altering the peripheral glucose homeostasis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project (THBP): a prospective longitudinal examination of the effect of university-level education in older adults in preventing age-related cognitive decline and reducing the risk of dementia.

PubMed

Summers, Mathew J; Saunders, Nichole L J; Valenzuela, Michael J; Summers, Jeffery J; Ritchie, Karen; Robinson, Andrew; Vickers, James C

2013-07-01

Differences in the level of cognitive compromise between individuals following brain injury are thought to arise from underlying differences in cognitive reserve. The level of cognitive reserve attained by an individual is influenced by both genetic and life experience factors such as educational attainment and occupational history. The Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project (THBP) is a world-first prospective study examining the capacity of university-level education to enhance cognitive reserve in older adults and subsequently reduce age-related cognitive decline and risk for neurodegenerative disease. Up to 1,000 adults aged 50-79 years at the time of entry into the study will be recruited to participate in the THBP. All participants will be healthy and free of significant medical, psychological, or psychiatric illness. Of the participant sample, 90% will undertake a minimum of 12 months part-time university-level study as an intervention. The remaining 10% will act as a control reference group. Participants will complete an annual comprehensive assessment of neuropsychological function, medical health, socialization, and personal well-being. Premorbid estimates of past cognitive, education, occupational, and physical function will be used to account for the mediating influence of prior life experience on outcomes. Potential contributing genetic factors will also be explored. Participant results will be assessed annually. Participants displaying evidence of dementia on the comprehensive neuropsychological assessment will be referred to an independent psycho-geriatrician for screening and diagnosis. The THBP commenced in 2011 and is expected to run for 10-20 years duration. To date, a total of 383 participants have been recruited into the THBP.

Network topology and functional connectivity disturbances precede the onset of Huntington’s disease

PubMed Central

Harrington, Deborah L.; Rubinov, Mikail; Durgerian, Sally; Mourany, Lyla; Reece, Christine; Koenig, Katherine; Bullmore, Ed; Long, Jeffrey D.; Paulsen, Jane S.

2015-01-01

Cognitive, motor and psychiatric changes in prodromal Huntington’s disease have nurtured the emergent need for early interventions. Preventive clinical trials for Huntington’s disease, however, are limited by a shortage of suitable measures that could serve as surrogate outcomes. Measures of intrinsic functional connectivity from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging are of keen interest. Yet recent studies suggest circumscribed abnormalities in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity in prodromal Huntington’s disease, despite the spectrum of behavioural changes preceding a manifest diagnosis. The present study used two complementary analytical approaches to examine whole-brain resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity in prodromal Huntington’s disease. Network topology was studied using graph theory and simple functional connectivity amongst brain regions was explored using the network-based statistic. Participants consisted of gene-negative controls (n = 16) and prodromal Huntington’s disease individuals (n = 48) with various stages of disease progression to examine the influence of disease burden on intrinsic connectivity. Graph theory analyses showed that global network interconnectivity approximated a random network topology as proximity to diagnosis neared and this was associated with decreased connectivity amongst highly-connected rich-club network hubs, which integrate processing from diverse brain regions. However, functional segregation within the global network (average clustering) was preserved. Functional segregation was also largely maintained at the local level, except for the notable decrease in the diversity of anterior insula intermodular-interconnections (participation coefficient), irrespective of disease burden. In contrast, network-based statistic analyses revealed patterns of weakened frontostriatal connections and strengthened frontal-posterior connections that evolved as disease burden increased. These disturbances were often related to long-range connections involving peripheral nodes and interhemispheric connections. A strong association was found between weaker connectivity and decreased rich-club organization, indicating that whole-brain simple connectivity partially expressed disturbances in the communication of highly-connected hubs. However, network topology and network-based statistic connectivity metrics did not correlate with key markers of executive dysfunction (Stroop Test, Trail Making Test) in prodromal Huntington’s disease, which instead were related to whole-brain connectivity disturbances in nodes (right inferior parietal, right thalamus, left anterior cingulate) that exhibited multiple aberrant connections and that mediate executive control. Altogether, our results show for the first time a largely disease burden-dependent functional reorganization of whole-brain networks in prodromal Huntington’s disease. Both analytic approaches provided a unique window into brain reorganization that was not related to brain atrophy or motor symptoms. Longitudinal studies currently in progress will chart the course of functional changes to determine the most sensitive markers of disease progression. PMID:26059655

Comparison of a modified mid-coronal sectioning technique and Wilson's technique when conducting eye and brain examinations in rabbit teratology studies.

PubMed

Ziejewski, Mary K; Solomon, Howard M; Rendemonti, Joyce; Stanislaus, Dinesh

2015-02-01

There are two methods used when examining fetal rabbit eyes and brain in teratology studies. One method employs prior fixation before serial sectioning (Wilson's technique) and the other uses fresh tissue (mid-coronal sectioning). We modified the mid-coronal sectioning technique to include removal of eyes and brain for closer examination and to increase the number of structures that can be evaluated and compared it to the Wilson's technique. We found that external examination of the head, in conjunction with either sectioning method, is equally sensitive in identifying developmental defects. We evaluated 40,401 New Zealand White (NZW) and Dutch-Belted (DB) rabbit fetuses for external head alterations, of which 28,538 fetuses were further examined for eye and brain alterations using the modified mid-coronal sectioning method (16,675 fetuses) or Wilson's technique (11,863 fetuses). The fetuses were from vehicle control or drug-treated pregnant rabbits in embryo-fetal development studies conducted to meet international regulatory requirements for the development of new drugs. Both methods detected the more common alterations (microphthalmia and dilated lateral cerebral ventricles) and other less common findings (changes in size and/or shape of eye and brain structures). While both methods are equally sensitive at detecting common and rare developmental defects, the modified mid-coronal sectioning technique eliminates the use of chemicals and concomitant fixation artifacts that occur with the Wilson's technique and allows for examination of 100% intact fetuses thereby increasing potential for detecting eye and brain alterations as these findings occur infrequently in rabbits. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Systemic progesterone for modulating electrocautery-induced secondary brain injury.

PubMed

Un, Ka Chun; Wang, Yue Chun; Wu, Wutian; Leung, Gilberto Ka Kit

2013-09-01

Bipolar electrocautery is an effective and commonly used haemostatic technique but it may also cause iatrogenic brain trauma due to thermal injury and secondary inflammatory reactions. Progesterone has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective actions in traumatic brain injury. However, its potential use in preventing iatrogenic brain trauma has not been explored. We conducted a pilot animal study to investigate the effect of systemic progesterone on brain cellular responses to electrocautery-induced injury. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received standardized bipolar electrocautery (40 W for 2 seconds) over the right cerebral cortex. The treatment group received progesterone intraperitoneally 2 hours prior to surgery; the control group received the drug vehicle only. Immunohistochemical studies showed that progesterone could significantly reduce astrocytic hypertrophy on postoperative day 1, 3 and 7, as well as macrophage infiltration on day 3. The number of astrocytes, however, was unaffected. Our findings suggest that progesterone should be further explored as a neuroprotective agent against electrocautery-induced or other forms of iatrogenic trauma during routine neurosurgical procedures. Future studies may focus on different dosing regimens, neuronal survival, functional outcome, and to compare progesterone with other agents such as dexamethasone. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computational genetic neuroanatomy of the developing mouse brain: dimensionality reduction, visualization, and clustering.

PubMed

Ji, Shuiwang

2013-07-11

The structured organization of cells in the brain plays a key role in its functional efficiency. This delicate organization is the consequence of unique molecular identity of each cell gradually established by precise spatiotemporal gene expression control during development. Currently, studies on the molecular-structural association are beginning to reveal how the spatiotemporal gene expression patterns are related to cellular differentiation and structural development. In this article, we aim at a global, data-driven study of the relationship between gene expressions and neuroanatomy in the developing mouse brain. To enable visual explorations of the high-dimensional data, we map the in situ hybridization gene expression data to a two-dimensional space by preserving both the global and the local structures. Our results show that the developing brain anatomy is largely preserved in the reduced gene expression space. To provide a quantitative analysis, we cluster the reduced data into groups and measure the consistency with neuroanatomy at multiple levels. Our results show that the clusters in the low-dimensional space are more consistent with neuroanatomy than those in the original space. Gene expression patterns and developing brain anatomy are closely related. Dimensionality reduction and visual exploration facilitate the study of this relationship.

Relationship between clinical signs and postmortem test status in cattle experimentally infected with the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Various clinical protocols have been developed to aid in the clinical diagnosis of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which is confirmed by postmortem examinations based on vacuolation and accumulation of disease-associated prion protein (PrPd) in the brain. The present study investigated the occurrence and progression of sixty selected clinical signs and behaviour combinations in 513 experimentally exposed cattle subsequently categorised postmortem as confirmed or unconfirmed BSE cases. Appropriate undosed or saline inoculated controls were examined similarly and the data analysed to explore the possible occurrence of BSE-specific clinical expression in animals unconfirmed by postmortem examinations. Results Based on the display of selected behavioural, sensory and locomotor changes, 20 (67%) orally dosed and 17 (77%) intracerebrally inoculated pathologically confirmed BSE cases and 21 (13%) orally dosed and 18 (6%) intracerebrally inoculated but unconfirmed cases were considered clinical BSE suspects. None of 103 controls showed significant signs and were all negative on diagnostic postmortem examinations. Signs indicative of BSE suspects, particularly over-reactivity and ataxia, were more frequently displayed in confirmed cases with vacuolar changes in the brain. The display of several BSE-associated signs over time, including repeated startle responses and nervousness, was significantly more frequent in confirmed BSE cases compared to controls, but these two signs were also significantly more frequent in orally dosed cattle unconfirmed by postmortem examinations. Conclusions The findings confirm that in experimentally infected cattle clinical abnormalities indicative of BSE are accompanied by vacuolar changes and PrPd accumulation in the brainstem. The presence of more frequently expressed signs in cases with vacuolar changes is consistent with this pathology representing a more advanced stage of disease. That BSE-like signs or sign combinations occur in inoculated animals that were not confirmed as BSE cases by postmortem examinations requires further study to investigate the potential causal relationship with prion disease. PMID:21143919

[Brain function recovery after prolonged posttraumatic coma].

PubMed

Klimash, A V; Zhanaidarov, Z S

2016-01-01

To explore the characteristics of brain function recovery in patients after prolonged posttraumatic coma and with long-unconscious states. Eighty-seven patients after prolonged posttraumatic coma were followed-up for two years. An analysis of a clinical/neurological picture after a prolonged episode of coma was based on the dynamics of vital functions, neurological status and patient's reactions to external stimuli. Based on the dynamics of the clinical/neurological picture that shows the recovery of functions of the certain brain areas, three stages of brain function recovery after a prolonged episode of coma were singled out: brain stem areas, diencephalic areas and telencephalic areas. These functional/anatomic areas of brain function recovery after prolonged coma were compared to the present classifications.

Sleep-disordered breathing, brain volume, and cognition in older individuals with heart failure.

PubMed

Moon, Chooza; Melah, Kelsey E; Johnson, Sterling C; Bratzke, Lisa C

2018-06-19

Sleep-disordered breathing is common in individuals with heart failure and may contribute to changes in the brain and decreased cognition. However, limited research has explored how the apnea-hypopnea index contributes to brain structure and cognition in this population. The aims of this study were to explore how the apnea-hypopnea index is associated with brain volume and cognition in heart failure patients. Data of 28 heart failure patients (mean age = 67.93; SD = 5.78) were analyzed for this cross-sectional observational study. We evaluated the apnea-hypopnea index using a portable multichannel sleep-monitoring device. All participants were scanned using 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological tests. Brain volume was evaluated using a voxel-based morphometry method with T1-weighted images. We used multiple regressions to analyze how the apnea-hypopnea index is associated with brain volume and cognition. We found an inverse association between apnea-hypopnea index scores and white matter volume (β = -0.002, p = 0.026), but not in gray matter volume (β = -0.001, p = 0.237). Higher apnea-hypopnea index was associated with reduced regional gray and white matter volume (p < 0.001, uncorrected). Cognitive scores were not associated with the apnea-hypopnea index (p-values were >0.05). Findings from this study provide exploratory evidence that higher apnea-hypopnea index may be associated with greater brain volume reduction in heart failure patients. Future studies are needed to establish the relationship between sleep-disordered breathing, brain volume, and cognition in heart failure samples. © 2018 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Relationship between Puberty and Social Emotion Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goddings, Anne-Lise; Burnett Heyes, Stephanie; Bird, Geoffrey; Viner, Russell M.; Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne

2012-01-01

The social brain undergoes developmental change during adolescence, and pubertal hormones are hypothesized to contribute to this development. We used fMRI to explore how pubertal indicators (salivary concentrations of testosterone, oestradiol and DHEA; pubertal stage; menarcheal status) relate to brain activity during a social emotion task.…

Plasticity of the Maternal Brain across the Lifespan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Champagne, Frances A.; Curley, James P.

2016-01-01

Maternal behavior is dynamic and highly sensitive to experiential and contextual factors. In this review, this plasticity will be explored, with a focus on how experiences of females occurring from the time of fetal development through to adulthood impact maternal behavior and the maternal brain. Variation in postpartum maternal behavior is…

Gross Brain Morphology in Schizophrenia: A Regional Analysis of Traditional Diagnostic Subtypes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raz, Sarah

1994-01-01

Categorized 56 patients with chronic schizophrenia into 2 groups based on traditional diagnostic subtypology. Compared groups on indices of cortical and subcortical cerebrospinal fluid (SCF) volume to explore whether more virulent nonparanoid disorder was linked to cortical/subcortical morphological brain abnormalities. Two groups differed…

Dyslexia across Languages: Orthography and the Brain-Gene-Behavior Link

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCardle, Peggy, Ed.; Miller, Brett, Ed.; Lee, Jun Ren, Ed.; Tzeng, Ovid J. L., Ed.

2011-01-01

What causes dyslexia, and how does it manifest across languages? As bilingualism becomes increasingly important globally, these questions have never been more critical--and this comprehensive volume from The Dyslexia Foundation explores them in unprecedented depth. Bringing together the best brain-based, genetics, and behavioral research in the…

To the Cloud! A Grassroots Proposal to Accelerate Brain Science Discovery

PubMed Central

Vogelstein, Joshua T.; Mensh, Brett; Hausser, Michael; Spruston, Nelson; Evans, Alan; Kording, Konrad; Amunts, Katrin; Ebell, Christoph; Muller, Jeff; Telefont, Martin; Hill, Sean; Koushika, Sandhya P.; Cali, Corrado; Valdés-Sosa, Pedro Antonio; Littlewood, Peter; Koch, Christof; Saalfeld, Stephan; Kepecs, Adam; Peng, Hanchuan; Halchenko, Yaroslav O.; Kiar, Gregory; Poo, Mu-Ming; Poline, Jean-Baptiste; Milham, Michael P.; Schaffer, Alyssa Picchini; Gidron, Rafi; Okano, Hideyuki; Calhoun, Vince D; Chun, Miyoung; Kleissas, Dean M.; Vogelstein, R. Jacob; Perlman, Eric; Burns, Randal; Huganir, Richard; Miller, Michael I.

2018-01-01

The revolution in neuroscientific data acquisition is creating an analysis challenge. We propose leveraging cloud-computing technologies to enable large-scale neurodata storing, exploring, analyzing, and modeling. This utility will empower scientists globally to generate and test theories of brain function and dysfunction. PMID:27810005

Genre, Identity, and the Brain: Insights from Neuropsychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Irene

2016-01-01

The article explores several perspectives on the interconnection between genre and identity, an issue that has generated significant scholarship in rhetorical genre studies. It suggests that current work in neuroplasticity--that is, changes in the brain that can occur through learning and experience--complicates and problematizes the issue and is…

Designing Schools Based on Brain Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chermayeff, Peter; Townsend, Ted

An audiotape explains an Iowa rainforest project that promotes experiential learning for children, and explores the effects of the physical environment on the brain. The project is a one-of-a-kind private/partnership that has created a fully integrated, seamless educational facility that combines a public school (prekindergarten through fifth…

How the Brain Learns: Research, Theory, and Application.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smilkstein, Rita

2001-01-01

Describes the author's research on learning and brain activity, which involved more than 5,000 students and faculty members. Explores six stages of learning: (1) preparing to learn; (2) starting to learn; (3) consolidation; (4) branching out; (5) gaining fluency; and (6) continued improving. States that merging educational research with…

Social Interaction in Infants’ Learning of Second-Language Phonetics: An Exploration of Brain-Behavior Relations

PubMed Central

Conboy, Barbara T.; Brooks, Rechele; Meltzoff, Andrew N.; Kuhl, Patricia K.

2015-01-01

Infants learn phonetic information from a second language with live-person presentations, but not television or audio-only recordings. To understand the role of social interaction in learning a second language, we examined infants’ joint attention with live, Spanish-speaking tutors and used a neural measure of phonetic learning. Infants’ eye-gaze behaviors during Spanish sessions at 9.5 – 10.5 months of age predicted second-language phonetic learning, assessed by an event-related potential (ERP) measure of Spanish phoneme discrimination at 11 months. These data suggest a powerful role for social interaction at the earliest stages of learning a new language. PMID:26179488

Neural Mechanism by which Gravitational Stimuli and Stress Affect the Secretion of Renin and Other Hormones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ganong, W. F.; Gotoh, E.; Alper, R. H.

1985-01-01

The serotonin-releasing drug p-chloroamphetamine (PCA), as well as L-propranolol and chloriasondamine were used in a study which established that the pathway from the hypothalamus to the kidneys is sympathetic. Which hypothalamic nuclei mediate the response to PCA is being investigated experiments are being conducted to determine a readily reproducible psychological stimulus to renin secretion that can be used in rats. The effects of equithesin, urethane, and inactin on plasma renin activity were examined in preparation for tilting experiments. The relation of vasopressin-secreting neurons in the brain sem to PCA response was explored in Brattleboro rats that are congenitally unable to produce vasopressin in their hypothalami.

Exercise, cognition, and the adolescent brain.

PubMed

Herting, Megan M; Chu, Xiaofang

2017-12-01

Few adolescents engage in the recommended levels of physical activity, and daily exercise levels tend to drastically decrease throughout adolescence. Beyond physical health benefits, regular exercise may also have important implications for the teenage brain and cognitive and academic capabilities. This narrative review examines how physical activity and aerobic exercise relate to school performance, cognition, and brain structure and function. A number of studies have found that habitual exercise and physical activity are associated with academic performance, cognitive function, brain structure, and brain activity in adolescents. We also discuss how additional intervention studies that examine a wide range of neurological and cognitive outcomes are necessary, as well as characterizing the type, frequency, and dose of exercise and identifying individual differences that contribute to how exercise may benefit the teen brain. Routine exercise relates to adolescent brain structure and function as well as cognitive performance. Together, these studies suggest that physical activity and aerobic exercise may be important factors for optimal adolescent brain development. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The autistic brain in the context of normal neurodevelopment.

PubMed

Ziats, Mark N; Edmonson, Catherine; Rennert, Owen M

2015-01-01

The etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is complex and largely unclear. Among various lines of inquiry, many have suggested convergence onto disruptions in both neural circuitry and immune regulation/glial cell function pathways. However, the interpretation of the relationship between these two putative mechanisms has largely focused on the role of exogenous factors and insults, such as maternal infection, in activating immune pathways that in turn result in neural network abnormalities. Yet, given recent insights into our understanding of human neurodevelopment, and in particular the critical role of glia and the immune system in normal brain development, it is important to consider these putative pathological processes in their appropriate normal neurodevelopmental context. In this review, we explore the hypothesis that the autistic brain cellular phenotype likely represents intrinsic abnormalities of glial/immune processes constitutively operant in normal brain development that result in the observed neural network dysfunction. We review recent studies demonstrating the intercalated role of neural circuit development, the immune system, and glial cells in the normal developing brain, and integrate them with studies demonstrating pathological alterations in these processes in autism. By discussing known abnormalities in the autistic brain in the context of normal brain development, we explore the hypothesis that the glial/immune component of ASD may instead be related to intrinsic exaggerated/abnormal constitutive neurodevelopmental processes such as network pruning. Moreover, this hypothesis may be relevant to other neurodevelopmental disorders that share genetic, pathologic, and clinical features with autism.

Quality of Life Following Brain Injury: Perspectives from Brain Injury Association of America State Affiliates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Degeneffe, Charles Edmund; Tucker, Mark

2012-01-01

Objective: to examine the perspectives of brain injury professionals concerning family members' feelings about the quality of life experienced by individuals with brain injuries. Participants: participating in the study were 28 individuals in leadership positions with the state affiliates of the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA). Methods:…

Exploration of the recurrence in radiation brain necrosis after bevacizumab discontinuation.

PubMed

Zhuang, Hongqing; Yuan, Xiangkun; Chang, Joe Y; Song, Yongchun; Wang, Junjie; Yuan, Zhiyong; Wang, Xiaoguang; Wang, Ping

2016-07-26

The aim of the paper was to investigate the recurrence and its causes of radiation brain necrosis following bevacizumab discontinuation. This study included 14 patients with radiation brain necrosis (confirmed through imaging) after stereotactic radiotherapy for a primary or metastatic brain tumor and who received bevacizumab treatment from June 2011 through December 2014. The patients received bevacizumab at 5 mg/kg, q3-4w, for at least 3 cycles. The T1 signal intensity from enhanced MRI images was used as the evaluation criteria for the brain necrosis treatment efficacy. brain necrosis improved in 13 of the 14 cases (92.9%). However, during follow-up, 10 of the 13 responsive patients (76.9%) exhibited a recurrence in brain necrosis, and a multiple linear regression analysis shows that brain necrosis recurrence was related to the follow-up time after the initial bevacizumab treatment discontinuation. bevacizumab produced good short-term effects for radiation brain necrosis; however, most of the patients would recurrence after bevacizumab is discontinued. Thus, brain necrosis was irreversible.

Brain Metastasis: Unique Challenges and Open Opportunities

PubMed Central

Lowery, Frank J.; Yu, Dihua

2016-01-01

The metastasis of cancer to the central nervous system (CNS) remains a devastating clinical reality, carrying an estimated survival time of less than one year in spite of recent therapeutic breakthroughs for other disease contexts. Advances in brain metastasis research are hindered by a number of reasons, including its complicated nature and the difficulty of modeling metastatic cancer growth in the unique brain microenvironment. In this review, we will discuss the clinical challenge, and compare the values and limitations of the available models for brain metastasis research. Additionally, we will specifically address current knowledge on how brain metastases take advantage of the unique brain environment to benefit their own growth. Finally, we will explore the distinctive metabolic and nutrient characteristics of the brain; how these paradoxically represent barriers to establishment of brain metastasis, but also provide ample supplies for metastatic cells’ growth in the brain. We envision that multi-disciplinary innovative approaches will open opportunities for the field to make breakthroughs in tackling unique challenges of brain metastasis. PMID:27939792

Incidence of Brain Metastases on Follow-up 18F-FDG PET/CT Scans of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: Should We Include the Brain?

PubMed

Nia, Emily S; Garland, Linda L; Eshghi, Naghmehossadat; Nia, Benjamin B; Avery, Ryan J; Kuo, Phillip H

2017-09-01

The brain is the most common site of distant metastasis from lung cancer. Thus, MRI of the brain at initial staging is routinely performed, but if this examination is negative a follow-up examination is often not performed. This study evaluates the incidence of asymptomatic brain metastases in non-small cell lung cancer patients detected on follow-up 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans. Methods: In this Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective review, all vertex to thigh 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans in patients with all subtypes of lung cancer from August 2014 to August 2016 were reviewed. A total of 1,175 18 F-FDG PET/CT examinations in 363 patients were reviewed. Exclusion criteria included brain metastases on initial staging, histologic subtype of small-cell lung cancer, and no follow-up 18 F-FDG PET/CT examinations. After our exclusion criteria were applied, a total of 809 follow-up 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans in 227 patients were included in the final analysis. The original report of each 18 F-FDG PET/CT study was reviewed for the finding of brain metastasis. The finding of a new brain metastasis prompted a brain MRI, which was reviewed to determine the accuracy of the 18 F-FDG PET/CT. Results: Five of 227 patients with 809 follow-up 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans reviewed were found to have incidental brain metastases. The mean age of the patients with incidental brain metastasis was 68 y (range, 60-77 y). The mean time from initial diagnosis to time of detection of incidental brain metastasis was 36 mo (range, 15-66 mo). When MRI was used as the gold standard, our false-positive rate was zero. Conclusion: By including the entire head during follow-up 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, brain metastases can be detected earlier while still asymptomatic. But, given the additional scan time, radiation, and low incidence of new brain metastases in asymptomatic patients, the cost-to-benefit ratio should be weighed by each institution. © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

MRI patterns in prolonged low response states following traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents.

PubMed

Patrick, Peter D; Mabry, Jennifer L; Gurka, Matthew J; Buck, Marcia L; Boatwright, Evelyn; Blackman, James A

2007-01-01

To explore the relationship between location and pattern of brain injury identified on MRI and prolonged low response state in children post-traumatic brain injury (TBI). This observational study compared 15 children who spontaneously recovered within 30 days post-TBI to 17 who remained in a prolonged low response state. 92.9% of children with brain stem injury were in the low response group. The predicted probability was 0.81 for brain stem injury alone, increasing to 0.95 with a regional pattern of injury to the brain stem, basal ganglia, and thalamus. Low response state in children post-TBI is strongly correlated with two distinctive regions of injury: the brain stem alone, and an injury pattern to the brain stem, basal ganglia, and thalamus. This study demonstrates the need for large-scale clinical studies using MRI as a tool for outcome assessment in children and adolescents following severe TBI.

A Role for Brain Stress Systems in Addiction

PubMed Central

Koob, George F.

2009-01-01

Drug addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder characterized by compulsion to seek and take drugs and has been linked to dysregulation of brain regions that mediate reward and stress. Activation of brain stress systems is hypothesized to be key to the negative emotional state produced by dependence that drives drug seeking through negative reinforcement mechanisms. This review explores the role of brain stress systems (corticotropin-releasing factor, norepinephrine, orexin [hypocretin], vasopressin, dynorphin) and brain antistress systems (neuropeptide Y, nociceptin [orphanin FQ]) in drug dependence, with emphasis on the neuropharmacological function of extrahypothalamic systems in the extended amygdala. The brain stress and antistress systems may play a key role in the transition to and maintenance of drug dependence once initiated. Understanding the role of brain stress and antistress systems in addiction provides novel targets for treatment and prevention of addiction and insights into the organization and function of basic brain emotional circuitry. PMID:18614026

Hubs of Anticorrelation in High-Resolution Resting-State Functional Connectivity Network Architecture.

PubMed

Gopinath, Kaundinya; Krishnamurthy, Venkatagiri; Cabanban, Romeo; Crosson, Bruce A

2015-06-01

A major focus of brain research recently has been to map the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) network architecture of the normal brain and pathology through functional magnetic resonance imaging. However, the phenomenon of anticorrelations in resting-state signals between different brain regions has not been adequately examined. The preponderance of studies on resting-state fMRI (rsFMRI) have either ignored anticorrelations in rsFC networks or adopted methods in data analysis, which have rendered anticorrelations in rsFC networks uninterpretable. The few studies that have examined anticorrelations in rsFC networks using conventional methods have found anticorrelations to be weak in strength and not very reproducible across subjects. Anticorrelations in rsFC network architecture could reflect mechanisms that subserve a number of important brain processes. In this preliminary study, we examined the properties of anticorrelated rsFC networks by systematically focusing on negative cross-correlation coefficients (CCs) among rsFMRI voxel time series across the brain with graph theory-based network analysis. A number of methods were implemented to enhance the neuronal specificity of resting-state functional connections that yield negative CCs, although at the cost of decreased sensitivity. Hubs of anticorrelation were seen in a number of cortical and subcortical brain regions. Examination of the anticorrelation maps of these hubs indicated that negative CCs in rsFC network architecture highlight a number of regulatory interactions between brain networks and regions, including reciprocal modulations, suppression, inhibition, and neurofeedback.

Exploring resting-state EEG brain oscillatory activity in relation to cognitive functioning in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Keune, Philipp M; Hansen, Sascha; Weber, Emily; Zapf, Franziska; Habich, Juliane; Muenssinger, Jana; Wolf, Sebastian; Schönenberg, Michael; Oschmann, Patrick

2017-09-01

Neurophysiologic monitoring parameters related to cognition in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are sparse. Previous work reported an association between magnetoencephalographic (MEG) alpha-1 activity and information processing speed. While this remains to be replicated by more available electroencephalographic (EEG) methods, also other established EEG markers, e.g. the slow-wave/fast-wave ratio (theta/beta ratio), remain to be explored in this context. Performance on standard tests addressing information processing speed and attention (Symbol-Digit Modalities Test, SDMT; Test of Attention Performance, TAP) was examined in relation to resting-state EEG alpha-1 and alpha-2 activity and the theta/beta ratio in 25MS patients. Increased global alpha-1 and alpha-2 activity and an increased frontal theta/beta ratio (pronounced slow-wave relative to fast-wave activity) were associated with lower SDMT processing speed. In an exploratory analysis, clinically impaired attention was associated with a significantly increased frontal theta/beta ratio whereas alpha power did not show sensitivity to clinical impairment. EEG global alpha power and the frontal theta/beta ratio were both associated with attention. The theta/beta ratio involved potential clinical sensitivity. Resting-state EEG recordings can be obtained during the routine clinical process. The examined resting-state measures may represent feasible monitoring parameters in MS. This notion should be explored in future intervention studies. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative efficacy of whole-brain radiotherapy with and without elemene liposomes in patients with multiple brain metastases from non-small-cell lung carcinoma.

PubMed

Sun, Y N; Zhang, Z Y; Zeng, Y C; Chi, F; Jin, X Y; Wu, R

2016-08-01

We explored and compared the clinical effects of whole-brain radiotherapy (wbrt) with and without elemene liposomes in patients with multiple brain metastases from non-small-cell lung carcinoma (nsclc). We retrospectively analyzed 62 patients with multiple brain metastases from nsclc who received wbrt (30 Gy in 10 fractions) at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2012 to May 2013. In 30 patients, elemene liposomes (400 mg) were injected intravenously via a peripherally inserted central catheter for 21 consecutive days from the first day of radiotherapy. Overall survival (os) and nervous system progression-free survival (npfs) for the two groups were compared by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Factors influencing npfs were examined by Cox regression analysis. Chi-square or Fisher exact tests were used for group comparisons. The median os was 9.0 months in the wbrt plus elemene group and 7.8 months in the wbrt-alone group (p = 0.581); the equivalent median npfs durations were 5.2 months and 3.7 months (p = 0.005). Patient treatment plan was an independent factor associated with npfs (p = 0.002). Tumour response and disease-control rates in the wbrt plus elemene group were 26.67% and 76.67% respectively; they were 18.75% and 62.5% in the wbrt group (p = 0.452). Compared with the patients in the wbrt-alone group, significantly fewer patients in the wbrt plus elemene group developed headaches (p = 0.04); quality of life was also significantly higher in the wbrt plus elemene group both at 1 month and at 2 months (p = 0.021 and p = 0.001 respectively). The addition of elemene liposomes to wbrt might prolong npfs in patients with multiple brain metastases from nsclc, while also reducing the incidence of headache and improving patient quality of life.

Framing Tobacco Dependence as a "Brain Disease": Implications for Policy and Practice.

PubMed

Morphett, Kylie; Carter, Adrian; Hall, Wayne; Gartner, Coral

2017-07-01

Like other forms of drug dependence, tobacco dependence is increasingly being described as a "chronic brain disease." The potential consequences of this medical labelling have been examined in relation to other addictions, but the implications for tobacco control have been neglected. Some have posited that biomedical conceptions of addiction will reduce stigma and increase uptake of efficacious treatments. Others have countered that it could increase stigma, reduce treatment seeking, and deter unassisted quitting. We explored how smokers respond to the labelling of smoking as a brain disease. Semi-structured interviews with 29 Australian smokers recruited using purposive sampling. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the results. Most participants questioned the accuracy of the brain disease label as applied to smoking. They believed that smoking was not a chronic disease because they perceived smoking to be an individual's choice. In addition, many believed that this label would increase the stigma that they already felt and, did not want to adopt a "sick role" in relation to their smoking. Describing smoking as a brain disease is more likely to alienate smokers than to engage them in quitting. The application of overly medical labels of smoking are inconsistent with smokers own conceptualizations of their smoking, and may have unintended consequences if they are widely disseminated in healthcare settings or antismoking campaigns. The participants in this project believed that biomedical labels of smoking as a "brain disease" or a "chronic disease" were discordant their existing understandings of their smoking. Explanations of addiction that downplay or ignore the role of choice and autonomy risk being perceived as irrelevant by smokers, and could lead to suspicion of health professionals or an unwillingness to seek treatment. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

[Progress on neuropsychology and event-related potentials in patients with brain trauma].

PubMed

Dong, Ri-xia; Cai, Wei-xiong; Tang, Tao; Huang, Fu-yin

2010-02-01

With the development of information technology, as one of the research frontiers in neurophysiology, event-related potentials (ERP) is concerned increasingly by international scholars, which provides a feasible and objective method for exploring cognitive function. There are many advances in neuropsychology due to new assessment tool for the last years. The basic theories in the field of ERP and neuropsychology were reviewed in this article. The research and development in evaluating cognitive function of patients with syndrome after brain trauma were focused in this review, and the perspectives for the future research of ERP was also explored.

Evolution of brain-body allometry in Lake Tanganyika cichlids.

PubMed

Tsuboi, Masahito; Kotrschal, Alexander; Hayward, Alexander; Buechel, Severine Denise; Zidar, Josefina; Løvlie, Hanne; Kolm, Niclas

2016-07-01

Brain size is strongly associated with body size in all vertebrates. This relationship has been hypothesized to be an important constraint on adaptive brain size evolution. The essential assumption behind this idea is that static (i.e., within species) brain-body allometry has low ability to evolve. However, recent studies have reported mixed support for this view. Here, we examine brain-body static allometry in Lake Tanganyika cichlids using a phylogenetic comparative framework. We found considerable variation in the static allometric intercept, which explained the majority of variation in absolute and relative brain size. In contrast, the slope of the brain-body static allometry had relatively low variation, which explained less variation in absolute and relative brain size compared to the intercept and body size. Further examination of the tempo and mode of evolution of static allometric parameters confirmed these observations. Moreover, the estimated evolutionary parameters indicate that the limited observed variation in the static allometric slope could be a result of strong stabilizing selection. Overall, our findings suggest that the brain-body static allometric slope may represent an evolutionary constraint in Lake Tanganyika cichlids. © 2016 The Author(s).

Left Brain to Right Brain: Notes from the Human Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baumli, Francis

1982-01-01

Examines the implications of the left brain-right brain theory on communications styles in male-female relationships. The author contends that women tend to use the vagueness of their emotional responses manipulatively. Men need to apply rational approaches to increase clarity in communication. (AM)

Neuroimaging Studies of Normal Brain Development and Their Relevance for Understanding Childhood Neuropsychiatric Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, Rachel; Gerber, Andrew J.; Peterson, Bradley S.

2008-01-01

Neuroimaging findings which identify normal brain development trajectories are presented. Results show that early brain development begins with the neural tube formation and ends with myelintation. How disturbances in brain development patterns are related to childhood psychiatric disorders is examined.

Developmental emergence of fear/threat learning: neurobiology, associations and timing.

PubMed

Tallot, L; Doyère, V; Sullivan, R M

2016-01-01

Pavlovian fear or threat conditioning, where a neutral stimulus takes on aversive properties through pairing with an aversive stimulus, has been an important tool for exploring the neurobiology of learning. In the past decades, this neurobehavioral approach has been expanded to include the developing infant. Indeed, protracted postnatal brain development permits the exploration of how incorporating the amygdala, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus into this learning system impacts the acquisition and expression of aversive conditioning. Here, we review the developmental trajectory of these key brain areas involved in aversive conditioning and relate it to pups' transition to independence through weaning. Overall, the data suggests that adult-like features of threat learning emerge as the relevant brain areas become incorporated into this learning. Specifically, the developmental emergence of the amygdala permits cue learning and the emergence of the hippocampus permits context learning. We also describe unique features of learning in early life that block threat learning and enhance interaction with the mother or exploration of the environment. Finally, we describe the development of a sense of time within this learning and its involvement in creating associations. Together these data suggest that the development of threat learning is a useful tool for dissecting adult-like functioning of brain circuits, as well as providing unique insights into ecologically relevant developmental changes. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Mesial Temporal Lobe and Memory Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploration of Volumetric Findings

PubMed Central

Trontel, Haley G.; Duffield, Tyler C.; Bigler, Erin D.; Abildskov, Tracy J.; Froehlich, Alyson; Prigge, Molly B.D.; Travers, Brittany G.; Anderson, Jeffrey S.; Zielinski, Brandon A.; Alexander, Andrew; Lange, Nicholas; Lainhart, Janet E.

2015-01-01

Studies have shown that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to perform significantly below typical developing individuals on standardized measures of memory, even when not significantly different on measures of IQ. The current study sought to examine within ASD whether anatomical correlates of memory performance differed between those with average-to-above-average IQ (AIQ Group) compared to those with low average to borderline ability (LIQ group) as well as in relations to typically-developing comparisons (TDC). Using automated volumetric analyses, we examined regional volume of classic memory areas including the hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, entorhinal cortex, and amygdala in an all-male sample AIQ (n = 38) and LIQ (n = 18) individuals with ASD along with 30 typically-developing comparisons (TDC). Memory performance was assessed using the Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL) compared among the groups and then correlated with regional brain volumes. Analyses revealed group differences on almost all facets of memory and learning as assessed by the various subtests of the TOMAL. The three groups did not differ on any ROI memory-related brain volumes. However, significant size-memory function interactions were observed. Negative correlations were found between the volume of the amygdala and composite, verbal, and delayed memory indices for the LIQ ASD group indicating larger volume related to poorer performance. Implications for general memory functioning and dysfunctional neural connectivity in ASD are discussed. PMID:25749302

Orientation of lizards in a Morris water-maze: roles of the sun compass and the parietal eye.

PubMed

Foà, Augusto; Basaglia, Francesca; Beltrami, Giulia; Carnacina, Margherita; Moretto, Elisa; Bertolucci, Cristiano

2009-09-15

The present study examined for the first time whether a Morris water-maze can be used to explore compass and other orientation mechanisms in the ruin lizard Podarcis sicula. In the open field, during sunny days, lizards were individually trained to swim from the center of the water maze onto a hidden platform (the goal), positioned at the periphery of the maze in a single compass direction. The goal was invisible because it was placed just beneath the water surface and the water was rendered opaque. The results showed that lizards learn to swim directly towards the hidden goal under the sun in the absence of visual feature cues. We further examined whether the observed orientation response would be due to lizards learning the spatial position of the goal relative to the sun's azimuth, i.e. to the use of a time-compensated sun compass. Lizards reaching learning criteria were subjected to 6 h clock-shift (fast or slow), and tested for goal orientation in the Morris water-maze. Results demonstrated that the learned orientation response is mediated by a time-compensated sun compass. Further investigations provided direct evidence that in ruin lizards an intact parietal eye is required to perform goal orientation under the sun inside a Morris water-maze, and that other brain photoreceptors, like the pineal or deep brain photoreceptors, are not involved in orientation.

Histopathology of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronovirus (MERS-CoV) infection - clinicopathological and ultrastructural study.

PubMed

Alsaad, Khaled O; Hajeer, Ali H; Al Balwi, Mohammed; Al Moaiqel, Mohammed; Al Oudah, Nourah; Al Ajlan, Abdulaziz; AlJohani, Sameera; Alsolamy, Sami; Gmati, Giamal E; Balkhy, Hanan; Al-Jahdali, Hamdan H; Baharoon, Salim A; Arabi, Yaseen M

2018-02-01

The pathogenesis, viral localization and histopathological features of Middle East respiratory syndrome - coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in humans are not described sufficiently. The aims of this study were to explore and define the spectrum of histological and ultrastructural pathological changes affecting various organs in a patient with MERS-CoV infection and represent a base of MERS-CoV histopathology. We analysed the post-mortem histopathological findings and investigated localisation of viral particles in the pulmonary and extrapulmonary tissue by transmission electron microscopic examination in a 33-year-old male patient of T cell lymphoma, who acquired MERS-CoV infection. Tissue needle biopsies were obtained from brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney and skeletal muscle. All samples were collected within 45 min from death to reduce tissue decomposition and artefact. Histopathological examination showed necrotising pneumonia, pulmonary diffuse alveolar damage, acute kidney injury, portal and lobular hepatitis and myositis with muscle atrophic changes. The brain and heart were histologically unremarkable. Ultrastructurally, viral particles were localised in the pneumocytes, pulmonary macrophages, renal proximal tubular epithelial cells and macrophages infiltrating the skeletal muscles. The results highlight the pulmonary and extrapulmonary pathological changes of MERS-CoV infection and provide the first evidence of the viral presence in human renal tissue, which suggests tissue trophism for MERS-CoV in kidney. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Signal Enhancement and Suppression During Visual-Spatial Selective Attention

PubMed Central

Couperus, J. W.; Mangun, G.R.

2010-01-01

Selective attention involves the relative enhancement of relevant versus irrelevant stimuli. However, whether this relative enhancement involves primarily enhancement of attended stimuli, or suppression of irrelevant stimuli, remains controversial. Moreover, if both enhancement and suppression are involved, whether they result from a single mechanism or separate mechanisms during attentional control or selection is not known. In two experiments using a spatial cuing paradigm with task-relevant targets and irrelevant distractors, target and distracter processing was examined as a function of distractor expectancy. Additionally, in the second study the interaction of perceptual load and distractor expectancy was explored. In both experiments, distractors were either validly cued (70%) or invalidly cued (30%) in order to examine the effects of distractor expectancy on attentional control as well as target and distractor processing. The effects of distractor expectancy were assessed using event-related potentials recorded during the cue-to-target period (preparatory attention) and in response to the task-relevant target stimuli (selective stimulus processing). Analyses of distractor-present displays (anticipated versus unanticipated), showed modulations in brain activity during both the preparatory period and during target processing. The pattern of brain responses suggest both facilitation of attended targets and suppression of unattended distractors. These findings provide evidence for a two-process model of visual spatial selective attention, where one mechanism (facilitation) influences relevant stimuli and another (suppression) acts to filter distracting stimuli. PMID:20807513

Etiological aspect of left-handedness in adolescents.

PubMed

Dragović, Milan; Milenković, Sanja; Kocijancić, Dusica; Zlatko, Sram

2013-01-01

Lateralization of brain functions such as language and manual dominance (hand preferences and fine motor control) are most likely under genetic control. However, this does not preclude the effect of various environmental factors on functional brain lateralization. A strong association of non-right-handedness (left- and mixed-handedness) with various neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g. schizophrenia, autism, Rett syndrome) implies that in some cases, non-right-handedness may be acquired rather than inherited (i.e., pathologically determined). The aim of the study was: (a) re-investigation of several known risk factors for left-handedness (age of mother and/or father, twin pregnancies, and birth order), and (b) examination of hitherto uninvestigated factors (type of birth, Apgar score, maternal smoking during pregnancy). Putative, causative environmental agents for this shift in manual distributions are explored in a sample of 1031 high school students (404 males and 627 females) from Belgrade. Both pre-existing (age of parents, twin pregnancy, and birth order) and new (Apgar score, maternal smoking, type of birth) putative agents are examined. We found that maternal smoking and low Apgar score (2-6) can significantly increase risk for left-handedness (p=0.046 and p=0.042, respectively).The remaining factors showed no significant association with left-handedness in adolescents. Our study clearly demonstrates that left-handedness may be related to maternal smoking during pregnancy and a low Apgar score on birth.

Characterizing effects of mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder on balance impairments in blast-exposed servicemembers and Veterans using computerized posturography.

PubMed

Wares, Joanna R; Hoke, Kathy W; Walker, William; Franke, Laura Manning; Cifu, David X; Carne, William; Ford-Smith, Cheryl

2015-01-01

The high rate of blast exposures experienced by U.S. servicemembers (SMs) during the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan has resulted in frequent combat-related mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs). Dizziness and postural instability can persist after mTBI as a component of postconcussion syndrome, but also occur among the somatic complaints of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The goals of this study were to examine the use of computerized posturography (CPT) to objectively characterize chronic balance deficits after mTBI and to explore the utility of CPT in distinguishing between combat and blast-exposed participants with and without mTBI and PTSD. Data were analyzed from a subject pool of 166 combat-exposed SMs and Veterans who had a blast experience within the past 2 yr while deployed. Using nonparametric tests and measures of impairment, we found that balance was deficient in participants diagnosed with mTBI with posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) or PTSD versus those with neither and that deficits were amplified for participants with both diagnoses. In addition, unique deficiencies were found using CPT for individuals having isolated mTBI with PTA and isolated PTSD. Computerized balance assessment offers an objective technique to examine the physiologic effects and provide differentiation between participants with combat-associated mTBI and PTSD.

A multicontext approach to promoting transfer of strategy use and self regulation after brain injury: An exploratory study.

PubMed

Toglia, Joan; Johnston, Mark V; Goverover, Yael; Dain, Barry

2010-01-01

Persons with brain injury frequently demonstrate decreased ability to monitor and apply strategies learned in treatment to everyday situations. The aim of this study is to refine, explore and provide preliminary testing of the multicontext approach in promoting strategy use across situations and increasing self-regulation, awareness and functional performance. This study used a single-subject design with repeated measures pre- and post-intervention, with data analysed descriptively and graphically. Four persons with difficulty following multi-step directions, 3-5 years post-TBI, received a nine session intervention programme. Outcome measures included the Awareness Questionnaire, Self-Regulation Skills Interview, Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Multiple Errands Test and an Executive Function Performance Test sub-task. The process of change within each treatment session was examined with strategy and awareness ratings. All participants demonstrated positive changes in self-regulatory skills and strategy use that was observed across tasks. As expected, general awareness of deficits remained unchanged. Examination of individual participants revealed important, varying patterns of change in strategy use, learning transfer and self-awareness across intervention. Results provide preliminary support for the feasibility and efficacy of the multicontext approach in promoting transfer of strategy use to enhance functional performance and selective aspects of awareness. Further investigation, including a larger controlled study, is needed to confirm or limit these observations.

Comparison of the brain development trajectory between Chinese and U.S. children and adolescents

PubMed Central

Xie, Wanze; Richards, John E.; Lei, Du; Lee, Kang; Gong, Qiyong

2015-01-01

This current study investigated brain development of Chinese and American children and adolescents from 8 to 16 years of age using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. Analyses comparing Chinese and U.S. children brain/head MR images were performed to explore similarities and differences in the trajectory of brain development between these two groups. Our results revealed regional and age differences in both brain/head morphological and tissue level development between Chinese and U.S. children. Chinese children's brains and heads were shorter, wider, and taller than those of U.S. children. There were significant differences in the gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) intensity between the two nationalities. Development trajectories for cerebral volume, GM, and several key brain structures were also distinct between these two populations. PMID:25698941

Does placental inflammation relate to brain lesions and volume in preterm infants?

PubMed

Reiman, Milla; Kujari, Harry; Maunu, Jonna; Parkkola, Riitta; Rikalainen, Hellevi; Lapinleimu, Helena; Lehtonen, Liisa; Haataja, Leena

2008-05-01

To evaluate the association between histologic inflammation of placenta and brain findings in ultrasound examinations and regional brain volumes in magnetic resonance imaging in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) or in very preterm infants. VLBW or very preterm infants (n = 121) were categorized into 3 groups according to the most pathologic brain finding on ultrasound examinations until term. The brain magnetic resonance imaging performed at term was analyzed for regional brain volumes. The placentas were analyzed for histologic inflammatory findings. Histologic chorioamnionitis on the fetal side correlated to brain lesions in univariate but not in multivariate analyses. Low gestational age was the only significant risk factor for brain lesions in multivariate analysis (P < .0001). Histologic chorioamnionitis was not associated with brain volumes in multivariate analyses. Female sex, low gestational age, and low birth weight z score correlated to smaller volumes in total brain tissue (P = .001, P = .0002, P < .0001, respectively) and cerebellum (P = .047, P = .003, P = .001, respectively). In addition, low gestational age and low-birth-weight z score correlated to a smaller combined volume of basal ganglia and thalami (P = .0002). Placental inflammation does not appear to correlate to brain lesions or smaller regional brain volumes in VLBW or in very preterm infants at term age.

Trajectories of Early Brain Volume Development in Fragile X and Autism RH: Trajectory of Brain Volume in Fragile X

PubMed Central

Hazlett, Heather Cody; Poe, Michele D.; Lightbody, Amy A.; Styner, Martin; MacFall, James R.; Reiss, Allan L.; Piven, Joseph

2012-01-01

Objective To examine patterns of early brain growth in young children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) compared to a comparison group (controls) and a group with idiopathic autism. Method The study included 53 boys between 18–42 months of age with FXS, 68 boys with idiopathic autism (ASD), and a comparison group of 50 typically-developing and developmentally-delayed controls. We examined structural brain volumes using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) across two timepoints between ages 2–3 and 4–5 years and examined total brain volumes and regional (lobar) tissue volumes. Additionally, we studied a selected group of subcortical structures implicated in the behavioral features of FXS (e.g., basal ganglia, hippocampus, amygdala). Results Children with FXS had greater global brain volumes compared to controls, but were not different than children with idiopathic autism, and the rate of brain growth between ages 2 and 5 paralleled that seen in controls. In contrast to the children with idiopathic autism who had generalized cortical lobe enlargement, the children with FXS showed a specific enlargement in temporal lobe white matter, cerebellar gray matter, and caudate nucleus, but significantly smaller amygdala. Conclusions This structural longitudinal MRI study of preschoolers with FXS observed generalized brain overgrowth in FXS compared to controls, evident at age 2 and maintained across ages 4–5. We also find different patterns of brain growth that distinguishes boys with FXS from children with idiopathic autism. PMID:22917205

Neuropathology and brain weight in traumatic-crush asphyxia.

PubMed

Al-Sarraj, Safa; Laxton, Ross; Swift, Ben; Kolar, Alexander J; Chapman, Rob C; Fegan-Earl, Ashley W; Cary, Nat R B

2017-11-01

Traumatic (crush) asphyxia is a rare condition caused by severe compression of the chest and trunk leading to often extreme so-called asphyxial signs, including cyanosis in head and neck regions, multiple petechiae, and subconjunctival haemorrhage as well as neurological manifestations. To investigate the neuropathology and brain weight in traumatic asphyxia caused by different accidents such as industrial accidents and road traffic collision. Post mortem records of 20 cases of traumatic asphyxia (TA) resulting from different causes of which four brains are available for comprehensive neuropathological examination. The expected brain weights for given body height and associated 95% confidence range were calculated according to the following formula: baseline brain weight (BBW) + body height x rate (g/cm). The 95% confidence range was calculated by adding and subtracting the standard error (SE) x 1.96 (7-8). There was a trend for higher brain weight in the TA cohort but it was not significant (1494 g vs 1404 g, p = 0.1). The upper limits of the brain weight of 95% confidence was 1680 g vs 1660 g, p = 0.9. The neuropathological examination of four available brains from the TA cohort showed severe congestion of blood vessels, perivascular haemorrhages and occasional βAPP deposits consistent with early axonal disruption. Brain examination is informative as part of investigation of TA. Developing ischaemic changes and an increase in brain weight are the most likely indicators of a prolonged period of patient's survival. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

The metabolism of the human brain studied with positron emission tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Greitz, T.; Ingvar, D.H.; Widen, L.

1985-01-01

This volume presents coverage of the use of positron emission tomography (PET) to study the human brain. The contributors assess new developments in high-resolution positron emission tomography, cyclotrons, radiochemistry, and tracer kinetic models, and explore the use of PET in brain energy metabolism, blood flow, and protein synthesis measurements, receptor analysis, and pH determinations, In addition, they discuss the relevance and applications of positron emission tomography from the perspectives of physiology, neurology, and psychiatry.

Brain Activation During Singing: "Clef de Sol Activation" Is the "Concert" of the Human Brain.

PubMed

Mavridis, Ioannis N; Pyrgelis, Efstratios-Stylianos

2016-03-01

Humans are the most complex singers in nature, and the human voice is thought by many to be the most beautiful musical instrument. Aside from spoken language, singing represents a second mode of acoustic communication in humans. The purpose of this review article is to explore the functional anatomy of the "singing" brain. Methodologically, the existing literature regarding activation of the human brain during singing was carefully reviewed, with emphasis on the anatomic localization of such activation. Relevant human studies are mainly neuroimaging studies, namely functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography studies. Singing necessitates activation of several cortical, subcortical, cerebellar, and brainstem areas, served and coordinated by multiple neural networks. Functionally vital cortical areas of the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes bilaterally participate in the brain's activation process during singing, confirming the latter's role in human communication. Perisylvian cortical activity of the right hemisphere seems to be the most crucial component of this activation. This also explains why aphasic patients due to left hemispheric lesions are able to sing but not speak the same words. The term clef de sol activation is proposed for this crucial perisylvian cortical activation due to the clef de sol shape of the topographical distribution of these cortical areas around the sylvian fissure. Further research is needed to explore the connectivity and sequence of how the human brain activates to sing.

The impact of marijuana use on memory in HIV-infected patients: a comprehensive review of the HIV and marijuana literatures

PubMed Central

Skalski, Linda M.; Towe, Sheri L.; Sikkema, Kathleen J.; Meade, Christina S.

2016-01-01

Background The most robust neurocognitive effect of marijuana use is memory impairment. Memory deficits are also high among persons living with HIV/AIDS, and marijuana is the most commonly used drug in this population. Yet research examining neurocognitive outcomes resulting from co-occurring marijuana and HIV is limited. Objective The primary objectives of this comprehensive review are to: (1) examine the literature on memory functioning in HIV-infected individuals; (2) examine the literature on memory functioning in marijuana users; (3) synthesize findings and propose a theoretical framework to guide future research. Method PubMed was searched for English publications 2000–2013. Twenty-two studies met inclusion criteria in the HIV literature, and 23 studies in the marijuana literature. Results Among HIV-infected individuals, memory deficits with medium to large effect sizes were observed. Marijuana users also demonstrated memory problems, but results were less consistent due to the diversity of samples. Conclusion A compensatory hypothesis, based on the cognitive aging literature, is proposed to provide a framework to explore the interaction between marijuana and HIV. There is some evidence that individuals infected with HIV recruit additional brain regions during memory tasks to compensate for HIV-related declines in neurocognitive functioning. Marijuana use causes impairment in similar brain systems, and thus it is hypothesized that the added neural strain of marijuana can exhaust neural resources, resulting in pronounced memory impairment. It will be important to test this hypothesis empirically, and future research priorities are discussed. PMID:27138170

The epidemiology of a specialist neurorehabilitation clinic: implications for clinical practice and regional service development.

PubMed

Seeley, Helen; Pickard, John; Allanson, Judith; Hutchinson, Peter

2014-01-01

To examine the epidemiology of referrals to a specialist neurotrauma clinic and explore and highlight implications for clinical practice and service development for persons with head injury/traumatic brain injury (HI/TBI). A retrospective population-based cohort study of all referrals to a specialist neurotrauma clinic over a 9-year period. Data from a specialist head injury database (which included all persons presenting to hospital with traumatic brain injury) were analysed. In total, 1235 new patients of all ages, severities of injury, both admitted and non-admitted were referred. Referrals have increased due to successful integration with new service developments and resulting optimization of resources. Data gathered from the cohort gives increased understanding of the characteristics and numbers of patients requiring rehabilitation and adds to the evidence-base. Integration with new and complementary service developments has optimized the function/aims of the clinic and enhanced its role in terms of patient service and outcome and as a research resource. The model provides principles which may be applied to planning, organizing and providing follow-up/rehabilitation services for HI/TBI.

Multivariate assessment of subjective and objective measures of social and family satisfaction in Veterans with history of traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Orff, Henry J; Hays, Chelsea C; Twamley, Elizabeth W

2016-01-01

Approximately 20% of current-era Veterans have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can result in persistent postconcussive symptoms. These symptoms may disrupt family and social functioning. We explored psychiatric, postconcussive, and cognitive factors as correlates of objective functioning and subjective satisfaction in family and social relationships. At entry into a supported employment study, 50 unemployed Veterans with a history of mild to moderate TBI and current cognitive impairment were administered baseline assessments. Multivariate stepwise regressions determined that higher levels of depressive symptomatology were strongly associated with less frequent social contact, as well as lower subjective satisfaction with family and social relationships. Worse verbal fluency predicted less frequent social contact, whereas worse processing speed and switching predicted higher levels of subjective satisfaction with family relationships. The pattern of results remained similar when examining those Veterans with only mild TBI. Depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning may impact Veterans' social contact and satisfaction with family and social relationships. Evidence-based interventions addressing depression and cognition may therefore aid in improving community reintegration and satisfaction with social and family relationships.

Zika Virus Can Strongly Infect and Disrupt Secondary Organizers in the Ventricular Zone of the Embryonic Chicken Brain.

PubMed

Thawani, Ankita; Sirohi, Devika; Kuhn, Richard J; Fekete, Donna M

2018-04-17

Zika virus (ZIKV) is associated with severe neurodevelopmental impairments in human fetuses, including microencephaly. Previous reports examining neural progenitor tropism of ZIKV in organoid and animal models did not address whether the virus infects all neural progenitors uniformly. To explore this, ZIKV was injected into the neural tube of 2-day-old chicken embryos, resulting in nonuniform periventricular infection 3 days later. Recurrent foci of intense infection were present at specific signaling centers that influence neuroepithelial patterning at a distance through secretion of morphogens. ZIKV infection reduced transcript levels for 3 morphogens, SHH, BMP7, and FGF8 expressed at the midbrain basal plate, hypothalamic floor plate, and isthmus, respectively. Levels of Patched1, a SHH-pathway downstream gene, were also reduced, and a SHH-dependent cell population in the ventral midbrain was shifted in position. Thus, the diminishment of signaling centers through ZIKV-mediated apoptosis may yield broader, non-cell-autonomous changes in brain patterning. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Applying gene regulatory network logic to the evolution of social behavior.

PubMed

Baran, Nicole M; McGrath, Patrick T; Streelman, J Todd

2017-06-06

Animal behavior is ultimately the product of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) for brain development and neural networks for brain function. The GRN approach has advanced the fields of genomics and development, and we identify organizational similarities between networks of genes that build the brain and networks of neurons that encode brain function. In this perspective, we engage the analogy between developmental networks and neural networks, exploring the advantages of using GRN logic to study behavior. Applying the GRN approach to the brain and behavior provides a quantitative and manipulative framework for discovery. We illustrate features of this framework using the example of social behavior and the neural circuitry of aggression.

Vocal emotion of humanoid robots: a study from brain mechanism.

PubMed

Wang, Youhui; Hu, Xiaohua; Dai, Weihui; Zhou, Jie; Kuo, Taitzong

2014-01-01

Driven by rapid ongoing advances in humanoid robot, increasing attention has been shifted into the issue of emotion intelligence of AI robots to facilitate the communication between man-machines and human beings, especially for the vocal emotion in interactive system of future humanoid robots. This paper explored the brain mechanism of vocal emotion by studying previous researches and developed an experiment to observe the brain response by fMRI, to analyze vocal emotion of human beings. Findings in this paper provided a new approach to design and evaluate the vocal emotion of humanoid robots based on brain mechanism of human beings.

Neuronavigation in the surgical management of brain tumors: current and future trends

PubMed Central

Orringer, Daniel A; Golby, Alexandra; Jolesz, Ferenc

2013-01-01

Neuronavigation has become an ubiquitous tool in the surgical management of brain tumors. This review describes the use and limitations of current neuronavigational systems for brain tumor biopsy and resection. Methods for integrating intraoperative imaging into neuronavigational datasets developed to address the diminishing accuracy of positional information that occurs over the course of brain tumor resection are discussed. In addition, the process of integration of functional MRI and tractography into navigational models is reviewed. Finally, emerging concepts and future challenges relating to the development and implementation of experimental imaging technologies in the navigational environment are explored. PMID:23116076

Functional Implications of Limited Leptin Receptor and Ghrelin Receptor Coexpression in the Brain

PubMed Central

Perello, Mario; Scott, Michael M.; Sakata, Ichiro; Lee, Charlotte E.; Chuang, Jen-Chieh; Osborne-Lawrence, Sherri; Rovinsky, Sherry A.; Elmquist, Joel K.; Zigman, Jeffrey M.

2012-01-01

The hormones leptin and ghrelin act in apposition to one another in the regulation of body weight homeostasis. Interestingly, both leptin receptor expression and ghrelin receptor expression have been observed within many of the same nuclei of the central nervous system (CNS), suggesting that these hormones may act on a common population of neurons to produce changes in food intake and energy expenditure. In the present study we explored the extent of this putative direct leptin and ghrelin interaction in the CNS and addressed the question of whether a loss of ghrelin signaling would affect sensitivity to leptin. Using histological mapping of leptin receptor and ghrelin receptor expression, we found that cells containing both leptin receptors and ghrelin receptors are mainly located in the medial part of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. In contrast, coexpression was much less extensive elsewhere in the brain. To assess the functional consequences of this observed receptor distribution, we explored the effect of ghrelin receptor deletion on leptin sensitivity. In particular, the responses of ad libitum-fed, diet-induced obese and fasted mice to the anorectic actions of leptin were examined. Surprisingly, we found that deletion of the ghrelin receptor did not affect the sensitivity to exogenously administrated leptin. Thus, we conclude that ghrelin and leptin act largely on distinct neuronal populations and that ghrelin receptor deficiency does not affect sensitivity to the anorexigenic and body weight-lowering actions of leptin. PMID:21674492

Functional implications of limited leptin receptor and ghrelin receptor coexpression in the brain.

PubMed

Perello, Mario; Scott, Michael M; Sakata, Ichiro; Lee, Charlotte E; Chuang, Jen-Chieh; Osborne-Lawrence, Sherri; Rovinsky, Sherry A; Elmquist, Joel K; Zigman, Jeffrey M

2012-02-01

The hormones leptin and ghrelin act in apposition to one another in the regulation of body weight homeostasis. Interestingly, both leptin receptor expression and ghrelin receptor expression have been observed within many of the same nuclei of the central nervous system (CNS), suggesting that these hormones may act on a common population of neurons to produce changes in food intake and energy expenditure. In the present study we explored the extent of this putative direct leptin and ghrelin interaction in the CNS and addressed the question of whether a loss of ghrelin signaling would affect sensitivity to leptin. Using histological mapping of leptin receptor and ghrelin receptor expression, we found that cells containing both leptin receptors and ghrelin receptors are mainly located in the medial part of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. In contrast, coexpression was much less extensive elsewhere in the brain. To assess the functional consequences of this observed receptor distribution, we explored the effect of ghrelin receptor deletion on leptin sensitivity. In particular, the responses of ad libitum-fed, diet-induced obese and fasted mice to the anorectic actions of leptin were examined. Surprisingly, we found that deletion of the ghrelin receptor did not affect the sensitivity to exogenously administrated leptin. Thus, we conclude that ghrelin and leptin act largely on distinct neuronal populations and that ghrelin receptor deficiency does not affect sensitivity to the anorexigenic and body weight-lowering actions of leptin. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A study of the comparative anatomy of the brain of domestic ruminants using magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Schmidt, M J; Langen, N; Klumpp, S; Nasirimanesh, F; Shirvanchi, P; Ondreka, N; Kramer, M

2012-01-01

Although magnetic resonance imaging has been used to examine the brain of domestic ruminants, detailed information relating the precise anatomical features in these species is lacking. In this study the brain structures of calves (Bos taurus domesticus), sheep (Ovis aries), goats (Capra hircus) and a mesaticephalic dog (Canis lupis familiaris) were examined using T2-weighed Turbo Spin Echo sequences; three-dimensional models based on high-resolution gradient echo scans were used to identify brain sulci and gyri in two-dimensional images. The ruminant brains examined were similar in structure and organisation to those of other mammals but particular features included the deep depression of the insula and the pronounced gyri of the cortices, the dominant position of the visual (optic nerve, optic chiasm and rostral colliculus) and olfactory (olfactory bulb, olfactory tracts and piriform lobe) systems, and the relatively large size of the diencephalon. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neuropsychological Studies of Linguistic and Affective Facial Expressions in Deaf Signers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corina, David P.; Bellugi, Ursula; Reilly, Judy

1999-01-01

Presents two studies that explore facial expression production in deaf signers. An experimental paradigm uses chimeric stimuli of American Sign Language linguistic and facial expressions to explore patterns of productive asymmetries in brain-intact signers. (Author/VWL)

Word Finding in Children and Adolescents with a History of Brain Injury.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Maureen

1992-01-01

Word finding in relation to brain injury is discussed for children and adolescents with unilateral congenital malformations of the brain, early hydrocephalus, childhood-acquired left hemisphere stroke, and acquired traumatic head injury. Studies examining the recovery of word-finding deficits after brain injury are discussed, along with…

Investigation of brain structure in the 1-month infant.

PubMed

Dean, Douglas C; Planalp, E M; Wooten, W; Schmidt, C K; Kecskemeti, S R; Frye, C; Schmidt, N L; Goldsmith, H H; Alexander, A L; Davidson, R J

2018-05-01

The developing brain undergoes systematic changes that occur at successive stages of maturation. Deviations from the typical neurodevelopmental trajectory are hypothesized to underlie many early childhood disorders; thus, characterizing the earliest patterns of normative brain development is essential. Recent neuroimaging research provides insight into brain structure during late childhood and adolescence; however, few studies have examined the infant brain, particularly in infants under 3 months of age. Using high-resolution structural MRI, we measured subcortical gray and white matter brain volumes in a cohort (N = 143) of 1-month infants and examined characteristics of these volumetric measures throughout this early period of neurodevelopment. We show that brain volumes undergo age-related changes during the first month of life, with the corresponding patterns of regional asymmetry and sexual dimorphism. Specifically, males have larger total brain volume and volumes differ by sex in regionally specific brain regions, after correcting for total brain volume. Consistent with findings from studies of later childhood and adolescence, subcortical regions appear more rightward asymmetric. Neither sex differences nor regional asymmetries changed with gestation-corrected age. Our results complement a growing body of work investigating the earliest neurobiological changes associated with development and suggest that asymmetry and sexual dimorphism are present at birth.

Beyond The Anticipatory Corpse: Medicine, Power, and the Care of the Dying: A Theoretical and Methodological Intervention into the Sociology of Brain Implant Surgery.

PubMed

Hancock, Black Hawk; Morrison, Daniel R

2016-12-01

Drawing on and extending the Foucaultian philosophical framework that Jeffrey Bishop develops in his masterful book, The Anticipatory Corpse: Medicine, Power, and the Care of the Dying, we undertake a sociological analysis of the neurological procedure-deep brain stimulation (DBS)-which implants electrodes in the brain, powered by a pacemaker-like device, for the treatment of movement disorders. Following Bishop's work, we carry out this analysis through a two-fold strategy. First, we examine how a multidisciplinary team evaluates candidates for this implant at a major medical center. We present excerpts from an ethnographic study of the "case conference" where disease entities are presented, contested, ratified, and made objects for intervention with this technology. The case conference becomes the key site in the transition from "person-with-illness" to "person-with-brain-implant" as a team of health professionals determines a plan of action by interpreting both statistical and "quality of life" data regarding their patients. Second, this article explores these decision-making processes through Bishop's conceptualization of evidence-based medicine, which relies on statistical approaches as the ultimate authority in knowledge production and medical decisions. We then reflect on Bishop's critique of the social sciences and the methodological, analytical, and substantive ramifications that The Anticipatory Corpse can offer future sociological work. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy Inc. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Cognitive dysfunction in patients with brain metastases: influences on caregiver resilience and coping.

PubMed

Saria, Marlon Garzo; Courchesne, Natasia; Evangelista, Lorraine; Carter, Joshua; MacManus, Daniel A; Gorman, Mary Kay; Nyamathi, Adeline M; Phillips, Linda R; Piccioni, David; Kesari, Santosh; Maliski, Sally

2017-04-01

Neurologic deficits that may be manifested as cognitive impairment contribute to the challenges faced by caregivers of patients with brain metastases. To better address their needs, we examined how caregivers respond to these challenges and explore the relationship between the patient's cognitive impairment and caregiver resilience and coping. We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study using self-reported data from 56 caregivers of patients with brain metastases. Study participants from a comprehensive cancer center were asked to complete a series of instruments that measured their perception of the patient's cognitive dysfunction (revised memory and behavior problems checklist, RMBC), their own personal resilience (Resilience Scale, RS), and their utilization of a broad range of coping responses (COPE inventory and Emotional-Approach Coping scale). Caregivers reported that memory-related problems occurred more frequently in the patients they cared for compared to depression and disruptive behavior (mean scores 3.52 vs 2.34 vs. 1.32, respectively). Coping strategies most frequently used by caregivers were acceptance (3.28), planning (3.08), and positive reinterpretation and growth (2.95). Most caregivers scored moderate to high on the RS (77%). The coping strategy acceptance correlated significantly with the memory and disruptive behavior subscales of the RMBC. Given the protective effect of problem-focused coping and the high rate of caregivers utilizing less effective coping strategies in instances of worsening cognitive dysfunction, healthcare professionals need to systematically assess the coping strategies of caregivers and deliver a more personalized approach to enhance effective coping among caregivers of patients with brain metastases.

Temporal Profiles Dissociate Regional Extracellular Ethanol versus Dopamine Concentrations

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

In vivo monitoring of dopamine via microdialysis has demonstrated that acute, systemic ethanol increases extracellular dopamine in regions innervated by dopaminergic neurons originating in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra. Simultaneous measurement of dialysate dopamine and ethanol allows comparison of the time courses of their extracellular concentrations. Early studies demonstrated dissociations between the time courses of brain ethanol concentrations and dopaminergic responses in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) elicited by acute ethanol administration. Both brain ethanol and extracellular dopamine levels peak during the first 5 min following systemic ethanol administration, but the dopamine response returns to baseline while brain ethanol concentrations remain elevated. Post hoc analyses examined ratios of the dopamine response (represented as a percent above baseline) to tissue concentrations of ethanol at different time points within the first 25–30 min in the prefrontal cortex, NAc core and shell, and dorsomedial striatum following a single intravenous infusion of ethanol (1 g/kg). The temporal patterns of these “response ratios” differed across brain regions, possibly due to regional differences in the mechanisms underlying the decline of the dopamine signal associated with acute intravenous ethanol administration and/or to the differential effects of acute ethanol on the properties of subpopulations of midbrain dopamine neurons. This Review draws on neurochemical, physiological, and molecular studies to summarize the effects of acute ethanol administration on dopamine activity in the prefrontal cortex and striatal regions, to explore the potential reasons for the regional differences observed in the decline of ethanol-induced dopamine signals, and to suggest directions for future research. PMID:25537116

Altered Resting State Functional Connectivity in Young Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

PubMed Central

Kesler, Shelli R.; Gugel, Meike; Pritchard-Berman, Mika; Lee, Clement; Kutner, Emily; Hosseini, S.M. Hadi; Dahl, Gary; Lacayo, Norman

2014-01-01

Background Chemotherapy treatment for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been associated with long-term cognitive impairments in some patients. However, the neurobiologic mechanisms underlying these impairments, particularly in young survivors, are not well understood. This study aimed to examine intrinsic functional brain connectivity in pediatric ALL and its relationship with cognitive status. Procedure We obtained resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) and cognitive testing data from 15 ALL survivors age 8–15 years and 14 matched healthy children. The ALL group had a history of intrathecal chemotherapy treatment but were off-therapy for at least 6 months at the time of enrollment. We used seed-based analyses to compare intrinsic functional brain network connectivity between the groups. We also explored correlations between connectivity and cognitive performance, demographic, medical, and treatment variables. Results We demonstrated significantly reduced connectivity between bilateral hippocampus, left inferior occipital, left lingual gyrus, bilateral calcarine sulcus, and right amygdala in the ALL group compared to controls. The ALL group also showed regions of functional hyperconnectivity including right lingual gyrus, precuneus, bilateral superior occipital lobe, and right inferior occipital lobe. Functional hypoconnectivity was associated with reduced cognitive function as well as younger age at diagnosis in the ALL group. Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate that intrinsic functional brain connectivity is disrupted in pediatric ALL following chemotherapy treatment. These results help explain cognitive dysfunction even when objective test performance is seemingly normal. Children diagnosed at a younger age may show increased vulnerability to altered functional brain connectivity. PMID:24619953

Neural correlates of phonetic convergence and speech imitation

PubMed Central

Garnier, Maëva; Lamalle, Laurent; Sato, Marc

2013-01-01

Speakers unconsciously tend to mimic their interlocutor's speech during communicative interaction. This study aims at examining the neural correlates of phonetic convergence and deliberate imitation, in order to explore whether imitation of phonetic features, deliberate, or unconscious, might reflect a sensory-motor recalibration process. Sixteen participants listened to vowels with pitch varying around the average pitch of their own voice, and then produced the identified vowels, while their speech was recorded and their brain activity was imaged using fMRI. Three degrees and types of imitation were compared (unconscious, deliberate, and inhibited) using a go-nogo paradigm, which enabled the comparison of brain activations during the whole imitation process, its active perception step, and its production. Speakers followed the pitch of voices they were exposed to, even unconsciously, without being instructed to do so. After being informed about this phenomenon, 14 participants were able to inhibit it, at least partially. The results of whole brain and ROI analyses support the fact that both deliberate and unconscious imitations are based on similar neural mechanisms and networks, involving regions of the dorsal stream, during both perception and production steps of the imitation process. While no significant difference in brain activation was found between unconscious and deliberate imitations, the degree of imitation, however, appears to be determined by processes occurring during the perception step. Four regions of the dorsal stream: bilateral auditory cortex, bilateral supramarginal gyrus (SMG), and left Wernicke's area, indeed showed an activity that correlated significantly with the degree of imitation during the perception step. PMID:24062704

The medical food Souvenaid affects brain phospholipid metabolism in mild Alzheimer's disease: results from a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Rijpma, Anne; van der Graaf, Marinette; Lansbergen, Marieke M; Meulenbroek, Olga; Cetinyurek-Yavuz, Aysun; Sijben, John W; Heerschap, Arend; Olde Rikkert, Marcel G M

2017-07-26

Synaptic dysfunction contributes to cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease and may be countered by increased intake of nutrients that target brain phospholipid metabolism. In this study, we explored whether the medical food Souvenaid affects brain phospholipid metabolism in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Thirty-four drug-naive patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (Mini Mental State Examination score ≥20) were enrolled in this exploratory, double-blind, randomized controlled study. Before and after 4-week intervention with Souvenaid or an isocaloric control product, phosphorus and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was performed to assess surrogate measures of phospholipid synthesis and breakdown (phosphomonoesters [PME] and phosphodiesters [PDEs]), neural integrity (N-acetyl aspartate), gliosis (myo-inositol), and choline metabolism (choline-containing compounds [tCho]). The main outcome parameters were PME and PDE signal intensities and the PME/PDE ratio. MRS data from 33 patients (60-86 years old; 42% males; Souvenaid arm n = 16; control arm n = 17) were analyzed. PME/PDE and tCho were higher after 4 weeks of Souvenaid compared with control (PME/PDE least squares [LS] mean difference [95% CI] 0.18 [0.06-0.30], p = 0.005; tCho LS mean difference [95% CI] 0.01 [0.00-0.02], p = 0.019). No significant differences were observed in the other MRS outcome parameters. MRS reveals that Souvenaid affects brain phospholipid metabolism in mild Alzheimer's disease, in line with findings in preclinical studies. Netherlands Trial Register, NTR3346 . Registered on 13 March 2012.

Pathology and Neurotoxicity in Dogs after Repeat Dose Exposure to a Serotonin 5-HT1B Inhibitor

PubMed Central

Chang, Jane C.F.; Ciaccio, Paul; Schroeder, Patricia; Wright, Lindsay; Westwood, Russell; Berg, Anna-Lena

2014-01-01

AZD3783, a cationic amphiphilic drug and a potent inhibitor of the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT1B) receptor, was explored as a potential treatment for depression. To support clinical trials, repeat dose toxicity studies in rats and dogs were conducted. Here we report toxicity findings in dogs after dosing from 1 to 3 months. In the 1-month study, there were minimal neuronal vacuolation in the brain, a marked increase in liver enzymes accompanied by hepatocellular degeneration/necrosis and phospholipidosis (PLD), and PLD/cholecystitis in the gallbladder of animals dosed at 47 mg/kg/day. In the 3-month study, neurotoxicity resulted in euthanasia of one animal dosed at 30 mg/kg/day after 86 days. Extensive pathologic changes were seen in all animals in retina epithelium (inclusion bodies), brain (neuronal vacuolation, degeneration, or necrosis and nerve fiber degeneration), spinal ganglia (vacuolation, degeneration, or necrosis), as well as sciatic and optic nerves (degeneration). Pigment-laden macrophages were observed in the lung, kidney, liver, gallbladder, bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, and lymphoid tissues. Also seen were vitrel and retinal hemorrhage in the eyes. A brain concentration and pathology study showed that the concentration of AZD3783 in the brain was approximately 4 times higher than in the plasma after 4 weeks of dosing, however, they were similar in all regions examined, and did not correlate with areas with pathologic findings. Our findings with AZD3783 in dogs have not been reported previously with other CNS compounds that effect through serotonergic pharmacology. PMID:24791065

Increased Frequency of α-Synuclein in the Substantia Nigra in HIV Infection

PubMed Central

Khanlou, Negar; Moore, David J.; Chana, Gursharan; Cherner, Mariana; Lazzaretto, Deborah; Dawes, Sharron; Grant, Igor; Masliah, Eliezer; Everall, Ian P.

2014-01-01

The frequency of neurodegenerative markers among long surviving HIV infected individuals is unknown, therefore, the present study investigated the frequency of α-synuclein, β-amyloid and HIV-associated brain pathology in the brains of older HIV infected individuals. We examined the substantia nigra of 73 clinically well-characterized HIV infected individuals aged 50 to 76 years from the National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium. We also examined the frontal and temporal cortical regions of a subset of 36 individuals. The brain regions were examined for the presence of α-synuclein, β-amyloid and HIV-associated brain pathology. Neuritic α-synuclein expression was found in 16% (12/73) of the substantia nigra of the HIV+ cases and none of the older control cases (0/18). β-amyloid deposits were prevalent and found in nearly all of the HIV+ cases (35/36). Despite these increases of degenerative pathology, HIV-associated brain pathology was present in only 10% of cases. Among older HIV+ adults HIV-associated brain pathology does not appear elevated; however, the frequency of both α-synuclein and β-amyloid is higher than that found in older healthy persons. The increased prevalence of α-synuclein and β-amyloid in the brains of older HIV-infected individuals may predict an increased risk of developing neurodegenerative disease. PMID:19115126

Usual and Virtual Reality Video Game-Based Physiotherapy for Children and Youth with Acquired Brain Injuries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levac, Danielle; Miller, Patricia; Missiuna, Cheryl

2012-01-01

Little is known about how therapists promote learning of functional motor skills for children with acquired brain injuries. This study explores physiotherapists' description of these interventions in comparison to virtual reality (VR) video game-based therapy. Six physiotherapists employed at a children's rehabilitation center participated in…

Perceived Quality of Maternal Care in Childhood and Structure and Function of Mothers' Brain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Pilyoung; Leckman, James F.; Mayes, Linda C.; Newman, Michal-Ann; Feldman, Ruth; Swain, James E.

2010-01-01

Animal studies indicate that early maternal care has long-term effects on brain areas related to social attachment and parenting, whereas neglectful mothering is linked with heightened stress reactivity in the hippocampus across the lifespan. The present study explores the possibility, using magnetic resonance imaging, that perceived quality of…

Relation of Executive Functioning to Pragmatic Outcome following Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Jacinta M.

2010-01-01

Purpose: This study was designed to explore the behavioral nature of pragmatic impairment following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to evaluate the contribution of executive skills to the experience of pragmatic difficulties after TBI. Method: Participants were grouped into 43 TBI dyads (TBI adults and close relatives) and 43 control…

Topic Repetitiveness after Traumatic Brain Injury: An Emergent, Jointly Managed Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Body, Richard; Parker, Mark

2005-01-01

Topic repetitiveness is a common component of pragmatic impairment and a powerful contributor to social exclusion. Despite this, description, characterization and intervention remain underdeveloped. This article explores the nature of repetitiveness in traumatic brain injury (TBI). A case study of one individual after TBI provides the basis for a…

Embodied Brains, Social Minds, Cultural Meaning: Integrating Neuroscientific and Educational Research on Social-Affective Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Immordino-Yang, Mary Helen; Gotlieb, Rebecca

2017-01-01

Social-affective neuroscience is revealing that human brain development is inherently social--our very nature is organized by nurture. To explore the implications for human development and education, we present a series of interdisciplinary studies documenting individual and cultural variability in the neurobiological correlates of emotional…

Education, the Brain and Dementia: Neuroprotection or Compensation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brayne, Carol; Ince, Paul G.; Keage, Hannah A. D.; McKeith, Ian G.; Matthews, Fiona E.; Polvikoski, Tuomo; Sulkava, Raimo

2010-01-01

The potential protective role of education for dementia is an area of major interest. Almost all older people have some pathology in their brain at death but have not necessarily died with dementia. We have explored these two observations in large population-based cohort studies (Epidemiological Clinicopathological Studies in Europe; EClipSE) in…

Traumatic Brain Injury: Exploring the Role of Cooperative Extension in Kansas Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sellers, Debra M.; Garcia, Jane Mertz

2012-01-01

TBI"options" helps survivors of traumatic brain injury and their families identify, locate, and contact helpful organizations in their local communities to promote successful living. This article discusses the role of county agents in the program and the support offered by community partners. Results of pre- and post-surveys for both…

A high resolution spatiotemporal atlas of gene expression of the developing mouse brain

PubMed Central

Thompson, Carol L.; Ng, Lydia; Menon, Vilas; Martinez, Salvador; Lee, Chang-Kyu; Glattfelder, Katie; Sunkin, Susan M.; Henry, Alex; Lau, Christopher; Dang, Chinh; Garcia-Lopez, Raquel; Martinez-Ferre, Almudena; Pombero, Ana; Rubenstein, John L.R.; Wakeman, Wayne B.; Hohmann, John; Dee, Nick; Sodt, Andrew J.; Young, Rob; Smith, Kimberly; Nguyen, Thuc-Nghi; Kidney, Jolene; Kuan, Leonard; Jeromin, Andreas; Kaykas, Ajamete; Miller, Jeremy; Page, Damon; Orta, Geri; Bernard, Amy; Riley, Zackery; Smith, Simon; Wohnoutka, Paul; Hawrylycz, Mike; Puelles, Luis; Jones, Allan R.

2015-01-01

SUMMARY To provide a temporal framework for the genoarchitecture of brain development, in situ hybridization data were generated for embryonic and postnatal mouse brain at 7 developmental stages for ~2100 genes, processed with an automated informatics pipeline and manually annotated. This resource comprises 434,946 images, 7 reference atlases, an ontogenetic ontology, and tools to explore co-expression of genes across neurodevelopment. Gene sets coinciding with developmental phenomena were identified. A temporal shift in the principles governing the molecular organization of the brain was detected, with transient neuromeric, plate-based organization of the brain present at E11.5 and E13.5. Finally, these data provided a transcription factor code that discriminates brain structures and identifies the developmental age of a tissue, providing a foundation for eventual genetic manipulation or tracking of specific brain structures over development. The resource is available as the Allen Developing Mouse Brain Atlas (developingmouse.brain-map.org). PMID:24952961

Impulsivity and the Modular Organization of Resting-State Neural Networks

PubMed Central

Davis, F. Caroline; Knodt, Annchen R.; Sporns, Olaf; Lahey, Benjamin B.; Zald, David H.; Brigidi, Bart D.; Hariri, Ahmad R.

2013-01-01

Impulsivity is a complex trait associated with a range of maladaptive behaviors, including many forms of psychopathology. Previous research has implicated multiple neural circuits and neurotransmitter systems in impulsive behavior, but the relationship between impulsivity and organization of whole-brain networks has not yet been explored. Using graph theory analyses, we characterized the relationship between impulsivity and the functional segregation (“modularity”) of the whole-brain network architecture derived from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. These analyses revealed remarkable differences in network organization across the impulsivity spectrum. Specifically, in highly impulsive individuals, regulatory structures including medial and lateral regions of the prefrontal cortex were isolated from subcortical structures associated with appetitive drive, whereas these brain areas clustered together within the same module in less impulsive individuals. Further exploration of the modular organization of whole-brain networks revealed novel shifts in the functional connectivity between visual, sensorimotor, cortical, and subcortical structures across the impulsivity spectrum. The current findings highlight the utility of graph theory analyses of resting-state fMRI data in furthering our understanding of the neurobiological architecture of complex behaviors. PMID:22645253

Estimating brain age using high-resolution pattern recognition: Younger brains in long-term meditation practitioners.

PubMed

Luders, Eileen; Cherbuin, Nicolas; Gaser, Christian

2016-07-01

Normal aging is known to be accompanied by loss of brain substance. The present study was designed to examine whether the practice of meditation is associated with a reduced brain age. Specific focus was directed at age fifty and beyond, as mid-life is a time when aging processes are known to become more prominent. We applied a recently developed machine learning algorithm trained to identify anatomical correlates of age in the brain translating those into one single score: the BrainAGE index (in years). Using this validated approach based on high-dimensional pattern recognition, we re-analyzed a large sample of 50 long-term meditators and 50 control subjects estimating and comparing their brain ages. We observed that, at age fifty, brains of meditators were estimated to be 7.5years younger than those of controls. In addition, we examined if the brain age estimates change with increasing age. While brain age estimates varied only little in controls, significant changes were detected in meditators: for every additional year over fifty, meditators' brains were estimated to be an additional 1month and 22days younger than their chronological age. Altogether, these findings seem to suggest that meditation is beneficial for brain preservation, effectively protecting against age-related atrophy with a consistently slower rate of brain aging throughout life. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis of brain and spinal cord lesions to occult brain damage in seropositive and seronegative neuromyelitis optica.

PubMed

Sun, Jie; Sun, Xianting; Zhang, Ningnannan; Wang, Qiuhui; Cai, Huanhuan; Qi, Yuan; Li, Ting; Qin, Wen; Yu, Chunshui

2017-09-01

According to aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-Ab), neuromyelitis optica (NMO) can be divided into seropositive and seronegative subgroups. The purpose of this study was to a) compare the distribution of spinal cord and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions between seropositive and seronegative NMO patients; b) explore occult brain damage in seropositive and seronegative NMO patients; and c) explore the contribution of visible lesions to occult grey and white matter damage in seropositive and seronegative NMO patients. Twenty-two AQP4-Ab seropositive and 14 seronegative NMO patients and 30 healthy controls were included in the study. Two neuroradiologists independently measured the brain lesion volume (BLV) and the length of spinal cord lesion (LSCL) and recorded the region of brain lesions. The normal-appearing grey matter volume (NAGM-GMV) and white matter fractional anisotropy (NAWM-FA) were calculated for each subject to evaluate occult brain damage. The seropositive patients displayed more extensive damage in the spinal cord than the seronegative patients, and the seronegative group had a higher proportion of patients with brainstem lesions (28.57%) than the seropositive group (4.55%, P=0.064). Both NMO subgroups exhibited reduced NAGM-GMV and NAWM-FA compared with the healthy controls. NAGM-GMV was negatively correlated with LSCL in the seropositive group (r s =-0.444, P=0.044) and with BLV in the seronegative group (r s =-0.768, P=0.002). NAWM-FA was also negatively correlated with BLV in the seropositive group (r s =-0.682, P<0.001). Our findings suggest that the occult brain damage in these two NMO subgroups may be due to different mechanisms, which need to be further clarified. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Source-based neurofeedback methods using EEG recordings: training altered brain activity in a functional brain source derived from blind source separation

PubMed Central

White, David J.; Congedo, Marco; Ciorciari, Joseph

2014-01-01

A developing literature explores the use of neurofeedback in the treatment of a range of clinical conditions, particularly ADHD and epilepsy, whilst neurofeedback also provides an experimental tool for studying the functional significance of endogenous brain activity. A critical component of any neurofeedback method is the underlying physiological signal which forms the basis for the feedback. While the past decade has seen the emergence of fMRI-based protocols training spatially confined BOLD activity, traditional neurofeedback has utilized a small number of electrode sites on the scalp. As scalp EEG at a given electrode site reflects a linear mixture of activity from multiple brain sources and artifacts, efforts to successfully acquire some level of control over the signal may be confounded by these extraneous sources. Further, in the event of successful training, these traditional neurofeedback methods are likely influencing multiple brain regions and processes. The present work describes the use of source-based signal processing methods in EEG neurofeedback. The feasibility and potential utility of such methods were explored in an experiment training increased theta oscillatory activity in a source derived from Blind Source Separation (BSS) of EEG data obtained during completion of a complex cognitive task (spatial navigation). Learned increases in theta activity were observed in two of the four participants to complete 20 sessions of neurofeedback targeting this individually defined functional brain source. Source-based EEG neurofeedback methods using BSS may offer important advantages over traditional neurofeedback, by targeting the desired physiological signal in a more functionally and spatially specific manner. Having provided preliminary evidence of the feasibility of these methods, future work may study a range of clinically and experimentally relevant brain processes where individual brain sources may be targeted by source-based EEG neurofeedback. PMID:25374520

Brain microdialysis as a tool to explore the ionic profile of the brain extracellular space in neurocritical patients: a methodological approach and feasibility study.

PubMed

Martínez-Valverde, Tamara; Vidal-Jorge, Marian; Montoya, Noelia; Sánchez-Guerrero, Angela; Manrique, Susana; Munar, Francisca; Pellegri, Maria-Dolors; Poca, Maria-Antonia; Sahuquillo, Juan

2015-01-01

Our aim is to determine whether the ionic concentration in brain microdialysate enables calculations of the actual Na(+), K(+), and Cl(-) concentrations in vitro and whether this method can be applied to determine the ionic concentrations in the brain extracellular fluid. We designed an experiment using CMA-71 probes (M Dialysis, Stockholm, Sweden) and the standard conditions used in a clinical setting. Nine CMA-71 probes were inserted in different matrices and perfused with mock cerebrospinal fluid containing 3% albumin at the standard infusion rate used in the clinical setting (0.3 μL/min). Microvials were replaced every 12 h, and the ionic concentrations, both in the dialysate and the matrix, were analyzed. For each ion, scatter plots were built, with [Na(+)], [K(+)], and [Cl(-)] in the dialysate as the predictor variables and the matrix concentrations as the outcome variables. A linear regression model allowed us to calculate the true ionic concentrations in the matrix. To demonstrate the feasibility of the method, we present the calculated ionic profile of one patient with a malignant infarction and a second with a severe traumatic brain injury. Our results confirm that the ionic concentration in microdialysate can be used to calculate the true concentrations of ions in a matrix and the actual concentrations in the extracellular fluid. Microdialysis offers the unique possibility of monitoring the dynamic changes of ions in the brain over time and opens a new avenue to explore the brain's ionic profile, its changes in brain edema, and how this profile can be modified with different therapies.

Abnormal Brain Iron Metabolism in Irp2 Deficient Mice Is Associated with Mild Neurological and Behavioral Impairments

PubMed Central

Zumbrennen-Bullough, Kimberly B.; Becker, Lore; Garrett, Lillian; Hölter, Sabine M.; Calzada-Wack, Julia; Mossbrugger, Ilona; Quintanilla-Fend, Leticia; Racz, Ildiko; Rathkolb, Birgit; Klopstock, Thomas; Wurst, Wolfgang; Zimmer, Andreas; Wolf, Eckhard; Fuchs, Helmut; Gailus-Durner, Valerie; de Angelis, Martin Hrabě; Romney, Steven J.; Leibold, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

Iron Regulatory Protein 2 (Irp2, Ireb2) is a central regulator of cellular iron homeostasis in vertebrates. Two global knockout mouse models have been generated to explore the role of Irp2 in regulating iron metabolism. While both mouse models show that loss of Irp2 results in microcytic anemia and altered body iron distribution, discrepant results have drawn into question the role of Irp2 in regulating brain iron metabolism. One model shows that aged Irp2 deficient mice develop adult-onset progressive neurodegeneration that is associated with axonal degeneration and loss of Purkinje cells in the central nervous system. These mice show iron deposition in white matter tracts and oligodendrocyte soma throughout the brain. A contrasting model of global Irp2 deficiency shows no overt or pathological signs of neurodegeneration or brain iron accumulation, and display only mild motor coordination and balance deficits when challenged by specific tests. Explanations for conflicting findings in the severity of the clinical phenotype, brain iron accumulation and neuronal degeneration remain unclear. Here, we describe an additional mouse model of global Irp2 deficiency. Our aged Irp2−/− mice show marked iron deposition in white matter and in oligodendrocytes while iron content is significantly reduced in neurons. Ferritin and transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1, Tfrc), expression are increased and decreased, respectively, in the brain from Irp2−/− mice. These mice show impairments in locomotion, exploration, motor coordination/balance and nociception when assessed by neurological and behavioral tests, but lack overt signs of neurodegenerative disease. Ultrastructural studies of specific brain regions show no evidence of neurodegeneration. Our data suggest that Irp2 deficiency dysregulates brain iron metabolism causing cellular dysfunction that ultimately leads to mild neurological, behavioral and nociceptive impairments. PMID:24896637

Minocycline encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles for central antinociceptive activity.

PubMed

Nagpal, Kalpana; Singh, S K; Mishra, D N

2015-01-01

The purpose of the study is to explore the central anti-nociceptive activity of brain targeted nanoparticles (NP) of minocycline hydrochloride (MH). The NP were formulated using the modified ionotropic gelation method (MHNP) and were coated with Tween 80 (T80) to target them to brain (cMHNP). The formulated nanoparticles have already been characterized for particle size, zeta potential, drug entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release. The nanoparticles were then evaluated for pharmacodynamic activity using thermal methods. The pure drug and the formulation, MHNP were not able to show a statistically significant central analgesic activity. cMHNP on the other hand evidenced a significant central analgesic activity. Animal models evidenced that brain targeted nanoparticles may be utilized for effective delivery of central anti-nociceptive effect of MH. Further clinical studies are required to explore the activity for mankind. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen sulfide ameliorates subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced neuronal apoptosis via the ROS-MST1 pathway

PubMed Central

Shi, Ligen; Lei, Jianwei; Xu, Hangzhe; Zheng, Jingwei; Wang, Yan; Peng, Yucong; Yu, Jun; Zhang, Jianmin

2017-01-01

Background Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has shown a neuroprotective role in several cerebrovascular diseases. This study aimed to explore the underlying mechanisms of H2S in early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods One hundred seventy-seven male Sprague-Dawley rats were employed in this study. Sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a donor of H2S, was injected intraperitoneally at 60 min after SAH was induced by endovascular perforation. Western blot analysis determined the expression of several proteins of interest, and an immunofluorescence assay was used to examine neuronal apoptosis. Results Exogenous NaHS markedly improved neurological scores, attenuated brain edema, and ameliorated neuronal apoptosis at 24 h after SAH induction. The underlying mechanisms of H2S in ameliorating neuronal apoptosis might be executed through inhibition of the activity of mammalian sterile 20-like kinase 1 (MST1) protein. Western blot analysis demonstrated that exogenous NaHS decreased cleaved MST1 (cl-MST1) while increasing full-length MST1 expression. This anti-apoptotic effect of H2S could be reversed by chelerythrine, which could activate MST1 via caspase-dependent cleavage. Conclusions Exogenous NaHS, as a donor of H2S, could ameliorate early brain injury after SAH by inhibiting neuronal apoptosis by reducing the activity of the MST1 protein. PMID:29088725

Curcumin delivery from poly(acrylic acid-co-methyl methacrylate) hollow microparticles prevents dopamine-induced toxicity in rat brain synaptosomes.

PubMed

Yoncheva, Krassimira; Kondeva-Burdina, Magdalena; Tzankova, Virginia; Petrov, Petar; Laouani, Mohamed; Halacheva, Silvia S

2015-01-01

The potential of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-acrylic acid) (PMMA-AA) copolymers to form hollow particles and their further formulation as curcumin delivery system have been explored. The particles were functionalized by crosslinking the acrylic acid groups via bis-amide formation with either cystamine (CYS) or 3,3'-dithiodipropionic acid dihydrazide (DTP) which simultaneously incorporated reversibility due to the presence of disulfide bonds within the crosslinker. Optical micrographs showed the formation of spherical hollow microparticles with a size ranging from 1 to 7 μm. Curcumin was loaded by incubation of its ethanol solution with aqueous dispersions of the cross-linked particles and subsequent evaporation of the ethanol. Higher loading was observed in the microparticles with higher content of hydrophobic PMMA units indicating its influence upon the loading of hydrophobic molecules such as curcumin. The in vitro release studies in a phosphate buffer showed no initial burst effect and sustained release of curcumin that correlated with the swelling of the particles under these conditions. The capacity of encapsulated and free curcumin to protect rat brain synaptosomes against dopamine-induced neurotoxicity was examined. The encapsulated curcumin showed greater protective effects in rat brain synaptosomes as measured by synaptosomal viability and increased intracellular levels of glutathione. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Do resting brain dynamics predict oddball evoked-potential?

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The oddball paradigm is widely applied to the investigation of cognitive function in neuroscience and in neuropsychiatry. Whether cortical oscillation in the resting state can predict the elicited oddball event-related potential (ERP) is still not clear. This study explored the relationship between resting electroencephalography (EEG) and oddball ERPs. The regional powers of 18 electrodes across delta, theta, alpha and beta frequencies were correlated with the amplitude and latency of N1, P2, N2 and P3 components of oddball ERPs. A multivariate analysis based on partial least squares (PLS) was applied to further examine the spatial pattern revealed by multiple correlations. Results Higher synchronization in the resting state, especially at the alpha spectrum, is associated with higher neural responsiveness and faster neural propagation, as indicated by the higher amplitude change of N1/N2 and shorter latency of P2. None of the resting quantitative EEG indices predict P3 latency and amplitude. The PLS analysis confirms that the resting cortical dynamics which explains N1/N2 amplitude and P2 latency does not show regional specificity, indicating a global property of the brain. Conclusions This study differs from previous approaches by relating dynamics in the resting state to neural responsiveness in the activation state. Our analyses suggest that the neural characteristics carried by resting brain dynamics modulate the earlier/automatic stage of target detection. PMID:22114868

Aggression after traumatic brain injury: analysing socially desirable responses and the nature of aggressive traits.

PubMed

Dyer, Kevin F W; Bell, Rob; McCann, John; Rauch, Robert

2006-10-01

To compare patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) with controls on sub-types of aggression and explore the role of social desirability. Quasi-experimental, matched-participants design. Sixty-nine participants were included in the study. The sample comprised a TBI group (n = 24), a spinal cord injury (SCI) group (n = 21) and an uninjured (UI) group of matched healthy volunteers (n = 24). Participants were given self-report measures of aggression, social desirability and impulsivity. Sixty-one independent 'other-raters' were nominated, who rated participant pre-morbid and post-morbid aggression. Using standardized norms, 25-39% of participants with TBI were classified as high average-very high on anger and 35-38% as high average-very high on verbal aggression. Other-raters rated participants with TBI as significantly higher on verbal aggression than SCI and UI participants. There were no differences between the groups on physical aggression. The TBI group also had higher levels of impulsivity than SCI and UI groups. Social desirability was a highly significant predictor of self-reported aggression for the entire sample. Impulsive verbal aggression and anger are the principal aggressive traits after brain injury. Physical aggression may present in extreme cases after TBI, but appears less prominent overall in this population. Social desirability, previously overlooked in research examining TBI aggression, emerged as an influential variable that should be considered in future TBI research.

Behavioural effects of near-term acute fetal hypoxia in a small precocial animal, the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus).

PubMed

Ireland, Zoe; Dickinson, Hayley; Fleiss, Bobbi; Hutton, Lisa C; Walker, David W

2010-01-01

We have previously developed a model of near-term intra-uterine hypoxia producing significant neonatal mortality (37%) in a small laboratory animal - the spiny mouse - which has precocial offspring at birth. The aim of the present study was to determine if this insult resulted in the appearance of behavioural abnormalities in those offspring which survived the hypoxic delivery. Behavioural tests assessed gait (using footprint patterns), motor coordination and balance on an accelerating rotarod, and spontaneous locomotion and exploration in an open field. We found that the near-term acute hypoxic episode produced a mild neurological deficit in the early postnatal period. In comparison to vaginally delivered controls, hypoxia pups were able to remain on the accelerating rotarod for significantly shorter durations on postnatal days 1-2, and in the open field they travelled significantly shorter distances, jumped less, and spent a greater percentage of time stationary on postnatal days 5 and 15. No changes were observed in gait. Unlike some rodent models of cerebral hypoxia-ischaemia, macroscopic examination of the brain on postnatal day 5 showed no gross cystic lesions, oedema or infarct. Future studies should be directed at identifying hypoxia-induced alterations in the function of specific brain regions, and assessing if maternal administration of neuroprotective agents can prevent against hypoxia-induced neurological deficits and brain damage that occur at birth. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Influence of Gender and Age on Average Dimensions of Arteries Forming the Circle of Willis Study by Magnetic Resonance Angiography on Kosovo's Population.

PubMed

Shatri, Jeton; Bexheti, Dorentina; Bexheti, Sadi; Kabashi, Serbeze; Krasniqi, Shaip; Ahmetgjekaj, Ilir; Zhjeqi, Valbona

2017-10-15

Circulus arteriosus cerebri is the main source of blood supply to the brain; it connects the left and right hemispheres with anterior and posterior parts. Located at the interpenducular fossa at the base of the brain the circle of Willis is the most important source of collateral circulation in the presence of the disease in the carotid or vertebral artery. The purpose of the research is to study the diameter and length of arteries and provide an important source of reference on Kosovo's population. This is an observative descriptive study performed at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo. A randomised sample of 133 angiographic examinations in adult patients of both sexes who were instructed to exploration is included. The diameters and lengths measured in our study were comparable with other brain-cadaver studies especially those performed by MRA. All dimensions of the arteries are larger in male than female, except the diameter of PCoA that is larger in female (p < 0.05) and length of the ACoA (p < 0.05). Significant differences were found in diameters of arteries between the younger and the older age groups. Knowing the dimensions of the arteries of the circle of Willis has a great importance in interventional radiology as well as during anatomy lessons.

Influence of Gender and Age on Average Dimensions of Arteries Forming the Circle of Willis Study by Magnetic Resonance Angiography on Kosovo’s Population

PubMed Central

Shatri, Jeton; Bexheti, Dorentina; Bexheti, Sadi; Kabashi, Serbeze; Krasniqi, Shaip; Ahmetgjekaj, Ilir; Zhjeqi, Valbona

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Circulus arteriosus cerebri is the main source of blood supply to the brain; it connects the left and right hemispheres with anterior and posterior parts. Located at the interpenducular fossa at the base of the brain the circle of Willis is the most important source of collateral circulation in the presence of the disease in the carotid or vertebral artery. AIM: The purpose of the research is to study the diameter and length of arteries and provide an important source of reference on Kosovo’s population. METHODS: This is an observative descriptive study performed at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo. A randomised sample of 133 angiographic examinations in adult patients of both sexes who were instructed to exploration is included. RESULTS: The diameters and lengths measured in our study were comparable with other brain-cadaver studies especially those performed by MRA. All dimensions of the arteries are larger in male than female, except the diameter of PCoA that is larger in female (p < 0.05) and length of the ACoA (p < 0.05). Significant differences were found in diameters of arteries between the younger and the older age groups. CONCLUSION: Knowing the dimensions of the arteries of the circle of Willis has a great importance in interventional radiology as well as during anatomy lessons. PMID:29104678

Multiple faces of BDNF in cocaine addiction

PubMed Central

Li, Xuan; Wolf, Marina E.

2014-01-01

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been found to play roles in many types of plasticity including drug addiction. Here we focus on rodent studies over the past two decades that have demonstrated diverse roles of BDNF in models of cocaine addiction. First, we will provide an overview of studies showing that cocaine exposure alters (and generally increases) BDNF levels in reward-related regions including the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala. Then we will review evidence that BDNF contributes to behavioral changes in animal models of cocaine addiction, focusing on conditioned place preference, behavioral sensitization, maintenance and reinstatement of self-administration, and incubation of cocaine craving. Last, we will review the role of BDNF in synaptic plasticity, particularly as it relates to plasticity of AMPA receptor transmission after cocaine exposure. We conclude that BDNF regulates cocaine-induced behaviors in a highly complex manner that varies depending on the brain region (and even among different cell types within the same brain region), the nature of cocaine exposure, and the “addiction phase” examined (e.g., acquisition vs maintenance; early vs late withdrawal). These complexities make BDNF a daunting therapeutic target for treating cocaine addiction. However, recent clinical evidence suggests that the serum BDNF level may serve as a biomarker in cocaine addicts to predict future relapse, providing an alternative direction for exploring BDNF’s potential relevance to treating cocaine addiction. PMID:25449839

Seasonal plasticity in telencephalon mass of a benthic fish.

PubMed

McCallum, E S; Capelle, P M; Balshine, S

2014-11-01

To gain a deeper understanding of how environmental conditions affect brain plasticity, brain size was explored across different seasons using the invasive round goby Neogobius melanostomus. The results show that N. melanostomus had heavier telencephalon in the spring compared to the autumn across the two years of study. Furthermore, fish in reproductive condition had heavier telencephala, indicating that tissue investment and brain plasticity may be related to reproductive needs in N. melanostomus. © 2014 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Neurotechnology and Society: Strengthening Responsible Innovation in Brain Science.

PubMed

Garden, Hermann; Bowman, Diana M; Haesler, Sebastian; Winickoff, David E

2016-11-02

Technological advances have the potential to dramatically increase our understanding of the human brain, treat and cure injury and disease, and enhance our general well-being. While advances in neuroscience hold great promise, they also raise profound ethical, legal, and social questions. In this vein, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) convened an international workshop in September 2016 to explore responsible research and innovation in brain science. Copyright © 2016 OECD. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain stem death and organ donation.

PubMed

Davies, C

1996-01-01

Our understanding of the concept and definition of death has changed over time. The British contribution to the body of knowledge on the diagnosis of brain steam death was the publication by the medical royal colleges (1976) of diagnostic criteria. Most literature and research which explores the knowledge and attitudes of nurses towards the concept of brain stem death is from the USA. Several issues which arise from the literature are discussed in relation to organ donation. Further UK-based research is required.

Ethics roundtable debate: Child with severe brain damage and an underlying brain tumour

PubMed Central

Gunn, Scott; Hashimoto, Satoru; Karakozov, Michael; Marx, Thomas; Tan, Ian KS; Thompson, Dan R; Vincent, Jean-Louis

2004-01-01

A young person presents with a highly malignant brain tumour with hemiparesis and limited prognosis after resection. She then suffers an iatrogenic cardiac and respiratory arrest that results in profound anoxic encephalopathy. A difference in opinion between the treatment team and the parent is based on a question of futile therapy. Opinions from five intensivists from around the world explore the differences in ethical and legal issues. A Physician-ethicist comments on the various approaches. PMID:15312199

A regulatory toolbox of MiniPromoters to drive selective expression in the brain.

PubMed

Portales-Casamar, Elodie; Swanson, Douglas J; Liu, Li; de Leeuw, Charles N; Banks, Kathleen G; Ho Sui, Shannan J; Fulton, Debra L; Ali, Johar; Amirabbasi, Mahsa; Arenillas, David J; Babyak, Nazar; Black, Sonia F; Bonaguro, Russell J; Brauer, Erich; Candido, Tara R; Castellarin, Mauro; Chen, Jing; Chen, Ying; Cheng, Jason C Y; Chopra, Vik; Docking, T Roderick; Dreolini, Lisa; D'Souza, Cletus A; Flynn, Erin K; Glenn, Randy; Hatakka, Kristi; Hearty, Taryn G; Imanian, Behzad; Jiang, Steven; Khorasan-zadeh, Shadi; Komljenovic, Ivana; Laprise, Stéphanie; Liao, Nancy Y; Lim, Jonathan S; Lithwick, Stuart; Liu, Flora; Liu, Jun; Lu, Meifen; McConechy, Melissa; McLeod, Andrea J; Milisavljevic, Marko; Mis, Jacek; O'Connor, Katie; Palma, Betty; Palmquist, Diana L; Schmouth, Jean-François; Swanson, Magdalena I; Tam, Bonny; Ticoll, Amy; Turner, Jenna L; Varhol, Richard; Vermeulen, Jenny; Watkins, Russell F; Wilson, Gary; Wong, Bibiana K Y; Wong, Siaw H; Wong, Tony Y T; Yang, George S; Ypsilanti, Athena R; Jones, Steven J M; Holt, Robert A; Goldowitz, Daniel; Wasserman, Wyeth W; Simpson, Elizabeth M

2010-09-21

The Pleiades Promoter Project integrates genomewide bioinformatics with large-scale knockin mouse production and histological examination of expression patterns to develop MiniPromoters and related tools designed to study and treat the brain by directed gene expression. Genes with brain expression patterns of interest are subjected to bioinformatic analysis to delineate candidate regulatory regions, which are then incorporated into a panel of compact human MiniPromoters to drive expression to brain regions and cell types of interest. Using single-copy, homologous-recombination "knockins" in embryonic stem cells, each MiniPromoter reporter is integrated immediately 5' of the Hprt locus in the mouse genome. MiniPromoter expression profiles are characterized in differentiation assays of the transgenic cells or in mouse brains following transgenic mouse production. Histological examination of adult brains, eyes, and spinal cords for reporter gene activity is coupled to costaining with cell-type-specific markers to define expression. The publicly available Pleiades MiniPromoter Project is a key resource to facilitate research on brain development and therapies.

Is neuroinflammation in the injured spinal cord different than in the brain? Examining intrinsic differences between the brain and spinal cord.

PubMed

Zhang, B; Gensel, J C

2014-08-01

The field of neuroimmunology is rapidly advancing. There is a growing appreciation for heterogeneity, both in inflammatory composition and region-specific inflammatory responses. This understanding underscores the importance of developing targeted immunomodulatory therapies for treating neurological disorders. Concerning neurotrauma, there is a dearth of publications directly comparing inflammatory responses in the brain and spinal cord after injury. The question therefore remains as to whether inflammatory cells responding to spinal cord vs. brain injury adopt similar functions and are therefore amenable to common therapies. In this review, we address this question while revisiting and modernizing the conclusions from publications that have directly compared inflammation across brain and spinal cord injuries. By examining molecular differences, anatomical variations, and inflammatory cell phenotypes between the injured brain and spinal cord, we provide insight into how neuroinflammation relates to neurotrauma and into fundamental differences between the brain and spinal cord. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Mind/Brain Relationship of the Gifted Child.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowdy, Waymon L.,

This paper reviews three studies which examine cognitive processes and brain electrical activity in gifted children. The studies concentrated on mathematically gifted children and/or their sleep patterns. All three studies used the interhemispheric electroencephalogram to examine the gifted child's ability to harness right hemisphere capacities…

Receptor Targeted Polymeric Nanostructures Capable of Navigating across the Blood-Brain Barrier for Effective Delivery of Neural Therapeutics.

PubMed

Dube, Taru; Chibh, Sonika; Mishra, Jibanananda; Panda, Jiban Jyoti

2017-10-18

The window of neurological maladies encompasses 600 known neurological disorders. In the past few years, an inordinate upsurge in the incidences of neuronal ailments with increased mortality rate has been witnessed globally. Despite noteworthy research in the discovery and development of neural therapeutics, brain drug delivery still encounters limited success due to meager perviousness of most of the drug molecules through the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a tight layer of endothelial cells that selectively impedes routing of the molecules across itself. In this Review, we have tried to present a comprehensive idea on the recent developments in nanoparticle based BBB delivery systems, with a focus on the advancements in receptor targeted polymeric nanoparticles pertaining to BBB delivery. We have also attempted to bridge the gap between conventional brain delivery strategies and nanoparticle based BBB delivery for in-depth understanding. Various strategies are being explored for simplifying delivery of molecules across the BBB; however, they have their own limitations such as invasiveness and need for hospitalization and surgery. Introduction of nanotechnology can impressively benefit brain drug delivery. Though many nanoparticles are being explored, there are still several issues that need to be analyzed scrupulously before a real and efficient BBB traversing nanoformulation is realized.

Structural brain changes linked to delayed first language acquisition in congenitally deaf individuals.

PubMed

Pénicaud, Sidonie; Klein, Denise; Zatorre, Robert J; Chen, Jen-Kai; Witcher, Pamela; Hyde, Krista; Mayberry, Rachel I

2013-02-01

Early language experience is essential for the development of a high level of linguistic proficiency in adulthood and in a recent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) experiment, we showed that a delayed acquisition of a first language results in changes in the functional organization of the adult brain (Mayberry et al., 2011). The present study extends the question to explore if delayed acquisition of a first language also modulates the structural development of the brain. To this end, we carried out anatomical MRI in the same group of congenitally deaf individuals who varied in the age of acquisition of a first language, American Sign Language -ASL (Mayberry et al., 2011) and used a neuroanatomical technique, Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM), to explore changes in gray and white matter concentrations across the brain related to the age of first language acquisition. The results show that delayed acquisition of a first language is associated with changes in tissue concentration in the occipital cortex close to the area that has been found to show functional recruitment during language processing in these deaf individuals with a late age of acquisition. These findings suggest that a lack of early language experience affects not only the functional but also the anatomical organization of the brain. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computational genetic neuroanatomy of the developing mouse brain: dimensionality reduction, visualization, and clustering

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The structured organization of cells in the brain plays a key role in its functional efficiency. This delicate organization is the consequence of unique molecular identity of each cell gradually established by precise spatiotemporal gene expression control during development. Currently, studies on the molecular-structural association are beginning to reveal how the spatiotemporal gene expression patterns are related to cellular differentiation and structural development. Results In this article, we aim at a global, data-driven study of the relationship between gene expressions and neuroanatomy in the developing mouse brain. To enable visual explorations of the high-dimensional data, we map the in situ hybridization gene expression data to a two-dimensional space by preserving both the global and the local structures. Our results show that the developing brain anatomy is largely preserved in the reduced gene expression space. To provide a quantitative analysis, we cluster the reduced data into groups and measure the consistency with neuroanatomy at multiple levels. Our results show that the clusters in the low-dimensional space are more consistent with neuroanatomy than those in the original space. Conclusions Gene expression patterns and developing brain anatomy are closely related. Dimensionality reduction and visual exploration facilitate the study of this relationship. PMID:23845024

Quantitative electroencephalograms and neuro-optometry: a case study that explores changes in electrophysiology while wearing therapeutic eyeglasses

PubMed Central

Zelinsky, Deborah; Feinberg, Corey

2017-01-01

Abstract. The brain is equipped with a complex system for processing sensory information, including retinal circuitry comprising part of the central nervous system. Retinal stimulation can influence brain function via customized eyeglasses at both subcortical and cortical levels. We investigated cortical effects from wearing therapeutic eyeglasses, hypothesizing that they can create measureable changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) tracings. A Z-BellSM test was performed on a participant to select optimal lenses. An EEG measurement was recorded before and after the participant wore the eyeglasses. Equivalent quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) analyses (statistical analysis on raw EEG recordings) were performed and compared with baseline findings. With glasses on, the participant’s readings were found to be closer to the normed database. The original objective of our investigation was met, and additional findings were revealed. The Z-bellSM test identified lenses to influence neurotypical brain activity, supporting the paradigm that eyeglasses can be utilized as a therapeutic intervention. Also, EEG analysis demonstrated that encephalographic techniques can be used to identify channels through which neuro-optomertric treatments work. This case study’s preliminary exploration illustrates the potential role of QEEG analysis and EEG-derived brain imaging in neuro-optometric research endeavors to affect brain function. PMID:28386574

Early alterations of social brain networks in young children with autism

PubMed Central

Kojovic, Nada; Rihs, Tonia Anahi; Jan, Reem Kais; Franchini, Martina; Plomp, Gijs; Vulliemoz, Serge; Eliez, Stephan; Michel, Christoph Martin; Schaer, Marie

2018-01-01

Social impairments are a hallmark of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), but empirical evidence for early brain network alterations in response to social stimuli is scant in ASD. We recorded the gaze patterns and brain activity of toddlers with ASD and their typically developing peers while they explored dynamic social scenes. Directed functional connectivity analyses based on electrical source imaging revealed frequency specific network atypicalities in the theta and alpha frequency bands, manifesting as alterations in both the driving and the connections from key nodes of the social brain associated with autism. Analyses of brain-behavioural relationships within the ASD group suggested that compensatory mechanisms from dorsomedial frontal, inferior temporal and insular cortical regions were associated with less atypical gaze patterns and lower clinical impairment. Our results provide strong evidence that directed functional connectivity alterations of social brain networks is a core component of atypical brain development at early stages of ASD. PMID:29482718

Sex-Specific and Strain-Dependent Effects of Early Life Adversity on Behavioral and Epigenetic Outcomes

PubMed Central

Kundakovic, Marija; Lim, Sean; Gudsnuk, Kathryn; Champagne, Frances A.

2013-01-01

Early life adversity can have a significant long-term impact with implications for the emergence of psychopathology. Disruption to mother-infant interactions is a form of early life adversity that may, in particular, have profound programing effects on the developing brain. However, despite converging evidence from human and animal studies, the precise mechanistic pathways underlying adversity-associated neurobehavioral changes have yet to be elucidated. One approach to the study of mechanism is exploration of epigenetic changes associated with early life experience. In the current study, we examined the effects of postnatal maternal separation (MS) in mice and assessed the behavioral, brain gene expression, and epigenetic effects of this manipulation in offspring. Importantly, we included two different mouse strains (C57BL/6J and Balb/cJ) and both male and female offspring to determine strain- and/or sex-associated differential response to MS. We found both strain-specific and sex-dependent effects of MS in early adolescent offspring on measures of open-field exploration, sucrose preference, and social behavior. Analyses of cortical and hippocampal mRNA levels of the glucocorticoid receptor (Nr3c1) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) genes revealed decreased hippocampal Bdnf expression in maternally separated C57BL/6J females and increased cortical Bdnf expression in maternally separated male and female Balb/cJ offspring. Analyses of Nr3c1and Bdnf (IV and IX) CpG methylation indicated increased hippocampal Nr3c1 methylation in maternally separated C57BL/6J males and increased hippocampal Bdnf IX methylation in male and female maternally separated Balb/c mice. Overall, though effect sizes were modest, these findings suggest a complex interaction between early life adversity, genetic background, and sex in the determination of neurobehavioral and epigenetic outcomes that may account for differential vulnerability to later-life disorder. PMID:23914177

More Than the Brain's Drain: Does Cerebrospinal Fluid Help the Brain Convey Messages?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Travis, John

1999-01-01

Examines the role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a clear, colorless liquid that constantly bathes the brain and spinal cord. Scientists argue that cerebrospinal fluid carries important signals for sleep, appetite, and sex. Evaluates past and current research documenting the purpose of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. (CCM)

Educating the Human Brain. Human Brain Development Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Posner, Michael I.; Rothbart, Mary K.

2006-01-01

"Educating the Human Brain" is the product of a quarter century of research. This book provides an empirical account of the early development of attention and self regulation in infants and young children. It examines the brain areas involved in regulatory networks, their connectivity, and how their development is influenced by genes and…

Patients With Brain Tumors: Who Receives Postacute Occupational Therapy Services?

PubMed

Chan, Vincy; Xiong, Chen; Colantonio, Angela

2015-01-01

Data on the utilization of occupational therapy among patients with brain tumors have been limited to those with malignant tumors and small samples of patients outside North America in specialized palliative care settings. We built on this research by examining the characteristics of patients with brain tumors who received postacute occupational therapy services in Ontario, Canada, using health care administrative data. Between fiscal years 2004-2005 and 2008-2009, 3,199 patients with brain tumors received occupational therapy services in the home care setting after hospital discharge; 12.4% had benign brain tumors, 78.2% had malignant brain tumors, and 9.4% had unspecified brain tumors. However, patients with benign brain tumors were older (mean age=63.3 yr), and a higher percentage were female (65.2%). More than 90% of patients received in-home occupational therapy services. Additional research is needed to examine the significance of these differences and to identify factors that influence access to occupational therapy services in the home care setting. Copyright © 2015 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Epigenetic and gene expression changes in the adolescent brain: What have we learned from animal models?

PubMed

Mychasiuk, Richelle; Metz, Gerlinde A S

2016-11-01

Adolescence is defined as the gradual period of transition between childhood and adulthood that is characterized by significant brain maturation, growth spurts, sexual maturation, and heightened social interaction. Although originally believed to be a uniquely human aspect of development, rodent and non-human primates demonstrate maturational patterns that distinctly support an adolescent stage. As epigenetic processes are essential for development and differentiation, but also transpire in mature cells in response to environmental influences, they are an important aspect of adolescent brain maturation. The purpose of this review article was to examine epigenetic programming in animal models of brain maturation during adolescence. The discussion focuses on animal models to examine three main concepts; epigenetic processes involved in normal adolescent brain maturation, the influence of fetal programming on adolescent brain development and the epigenome, and finally, postnatal experiences such as exercise and drugs that modify epigenetic processes important for adolescent brain maturation. This corollary emphasizes the utility of animal models to further our understanding of complex processes such as epigenetic regulation and brain development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Audit of practice in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) post mortems and neuropathological findings

PubMed Central

Michalak, Zuzanna; Wright, Gabriella; Dawson, Timothy; Hilton, David; Joshi, Abhijit; Diehl, Beate; Koepp, Matthias; Lhatoo, Samden; Sander, Josemir W.; Sisodiya, Sanjay M.

2015-01-01

Aims Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is one of the leading causes of death in people with epilepsy. For classification of definite SUDEP, a post mortem (PM), including anatomical and toxicological examination, is mandatory to exclude other causes of death. We audited PM practice as well as the value of brain examination in SUDEP. Methods We reviewed 145 PM reports in SUDEP cases from four UK neuropathology centres. Data were extracted for clinical epilepsy details, circumstances of death and neuropathological findings. Results Macroscopic brain abnormalities were identified in 52% of cases. Mild brain swelling was present in 28%, and microscopic pathologies relevant to cause or effect of seizures were seen in 89%. Examination based on whole fixed brains (76.6% of all PMs), and systematic regional sampling was associated with higher detection rates of underlying pathology (P < 0.01). Information was more frequently recorded regarding circumstances of death and body position/location than clinical epilepsy history and investigations. Conclusion Our findings support the contribution of examination of the whole fixed brain in SUDEP, with high rates of detection of relevant pathology. Availability of full clinical epilepsy‐related information at the time of PM could potentially further improve detection through targeted tissue sampling. Apart from confirmation of SUDEP, complete neuropathological examination contributes to evaluation of risk factors as well as helping to direct future research into underlying causes. PMID:26300477

Spatio-Temporal Features of Visual Exploration in Unilaterally Brain-Damaged Subjects with or without Neglect: Results from a Touchscreen Test

PubMed Central

Rabuffetti, Marco; Farina, Elisabetta; Alberoni, Margherita; Pellegatta, Daniele; Appollonio, Ildebrando; Affanni, Paola; Forni, Marco; Ferrarin, Maurizio

2012-01-01

Cognitive assessment in a clinical setting is generally made by pencil-and-paper tests, while computer-based tests enable the measurement and the extraction of additional performance indexes. Previous studies have demonstrated that in a research context exploration deficits occur also in patients without evidence of unilateral neglect at pencil-and-paper tests. The objective of this study is to apply a touchscreen-based cancellation test, feasible also in a clinical context, to large groups of control subjects and unilaterally brain-damaged patients, with and without unilateral spatial neglect (USN), in order to assess disturbances of the exploratory skills. A computerized cancellation test on a touchscreen interface was used for assessing the performance of 119 neurologically unimpaired control subjects and 193 patients with unilateral right or left hemispheric brain damage, either with or without USN. A set of performance indexes were defined including Latency, Proximity, Crossings and their spatial lateral gradients, and Preferred Search Direction. Classic outcome scores were computed as well. Results show statistically significant differences among groups (assumed p<0.05). Right-brain-damaged patients with USN were significantly slower (median latency per detected item was 1.18 s) and less efficient (about 13 search-path crossings) in the search than controls (median latency 0.64 s; about 3 crossings). Their preferred search direction (53.6% downward, 36.7% leftward) was different from the one in control patients (88.2% downward, 2.1% leftward). Right-brain-damaged patients without USN showed a significantly abnormal behavior (median latency 0.84 s, about 5 crossings, 83.3% downward and 9.1% leftward direction) situated half way between controls and right-brain-damaged patients with USN. Left-brain-damaged patients without USN were significantly slower and less efficient than controls (latency 1.19 s, about 7 crossings), preserving a normal preferred search direction (93.7% downward). Therefore, the proposed touchscreen-based assessment had evidenced disorders in spatial exploration also in patients without clinically diagnosed USN. PMID:22347489

Severe traumatic head injury: prognostic value of brain stem injuries detected at MRI.

PubMed

Hilario, A; Ramos, A; Millan, J M; Salvador, E; Gomez, P A; Cicuendez, M; Diez-Lobato, R; Lagares, A

2012-11-01

Traumatic brain injuries represent an important cause of death for young people. The main objectives of this work are to correlate brain stem injuries detected at MR imaging with outcome at 6 months in patients with severe TBI, and to determine which MR imaging findings could be related to a worse prognosis. One hundred and eight patients with severe TBI were studied by MR imaging in the first 30 days after trauma. Brain stem injury was categorized as anterior or posterior, hemorrhagic or nonhemorrhagic, and unilateral or bilateral. Outcome measures were GOSE and Barthel Index 6 months postinjury. The relationship between MR imaging findings of brain stem injuries, outcome, and disability was explored by univariate analysis. Prognostic capability of MR imaging findings was also explored by calculation of sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve for poor and good outcome. Brain stem lesions were detected in 51 patients, of whom 66% showed a poor outcome, as expressed by the GOSE scale. Bilateral involvement was strongly associated with poor outcome (P < .05). Posterior location showed the best discriminatory capability in terms of outcome (OR 6.8, P < .05) and disability (OR 4.8, P < .01). The addition of nonhemorrhagic and anterior lesions or unilateral injuries showed the highest odds and best discriminatory capacity for good outcome. The prognosis worsens in direct relationship to the extent of traumatic injury. Posterior and bilateral brain stem injuries detected at MR imaging are poor prognostic signs. Nonhemorrhagic injuries showed the highest positive predictive value for good outcome.

Modulatory Effect of Association of Brain Stimulation by Light and Binaural Beats in Specific Brain Waves

PubMed Central

Calomeni, Mauricio Rocha; Furtado da Silva, Vernon; Velasques, Bruna Brandão; Feijó, Olavo Guimarães; Bittencourt, Juliana Marques; Ribeiro de Souza e Silva, Alair Pedro

2017-01-01

Introduction: One of the positive effects of brain stimulation is interhemispheric modulation as shown in some scientific studies. This study examined if a type of noninvasive stimulation using binaural beats with led-lights and sound would show different modulatory effects upon Alfa and SMR brain waves of elderlies and children with some disease types. Subjects: The sample included 75 individuals of both genders, being, randomly, divided in 6 groups. Groups were named elderly without dementia diagnosis (EWD), n=15, 76±8 years, elderly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (EDP), n=15, 72±7 years, elderly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (EDA), n=15, 81±6 years. The other groups were named children with Autism (CA), n=10, 11±4 years, children with Intellectual Impairment (CII), n=10, 12 ±5 years and children with normal cognitive development (CND), n=10, 11±4 years. Instruments and procedure: Instruments were the Mini Mental State Examination Test (MMSE), EEG-Neurocomputer instrument for brain waves registration, brain stimulator, Digit Span Test and a Protocol for working memory training. Data collection followed a pre and post-conjugated stimulation version. Results: The results of the inferential statistics showed that the stimulation protocol had different effects on Alpha and SMR brain waves of the patients. Also, indicated gains in memory functions, for both, children and elderlies as related to gains in brain waves modulation. Conclusion: The results may receive and provide support to a range of studies examining brain modulation and synaptic plasticity. Also, it was emphasized in the results discussion that there was the possibility of the technique serving as an accessory instrument to alternative brain therapies. PMID:29238390

Modulatory Effect of Association of Brain Stimulation by Light and Binaural Beats in Specific Brain Waves.

PubMed

Calomeni, Mauricio Rocha; Furtado da Silva, Vernon; Velasques, Bruna Brandão; Feijó, Olavo Guimarães; Bittencourt, Juliana Marques; Ribeiro de Souza E Silva, Alair Pedro

2017-01-01

One of the positive effects of brain stimulation is interhemispheric modulation as shown in some scientific studies. This study examined if a type of noninvasive stimulation using binaural beats with led-lights and sound would show different modulatory effects upon Alfa and SMR brain waves of elderlies and children with some disease types. The sample included 75 individuals of both genders, being, randomly, divided in 6 groups. Groups were named elderly without dementia diagnosis (EWD), n=15, 76±8 years, elderly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (EDP), n=15, 72±7 years, elderly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (EDA), n=15, 81±6 years. The other groups were named children with Autism (CA), n=10, 11±4 years, children with Intellectual Impairment (CII), n=10, 12 ±5 years and children with normal cognitive development (CND), n=10, 11±4 years. Instruments were the Mini Mental State Examination Test (MMSE), EEG-Neurocomputer instrument for brain waves registration, brain stimulator, Digit Span Test and a Protocol for working memory training. Data collection followed a pre and post-conjugated stimulation version. The results of the inferential statistics showed that the stimulation protocol had different effects on Alpha and SMR brain waves of the patients. Also, indicated gains in memory functions, for both, children and elderlies as related to gains in brain waves modulation. The results may receive and provide support to a range of studies examining brain modulation and synaptic plasticity. Also, it was emphasized in the results discussion that there was the possibility of the technique serving as an accessory instrument to alternative brain therapies.

Childhood adversity is linked to differential brain volumes in adolescents with alcohol use disorder: a voxel-based morphometry study.

PubMed

Brooks, Samantha J; Dalvie, Shareefa; Cuzen, Natalie L; Cardenas, Valerie; Fein, George; Stein, Dan J

2014-06-01

Previous neuroimaging studies link both alcohol use disorder (AUD) and early adversity to neurobiological differences in the adult brain. However, the association between AUD and childhood adversity and effects on the developing adolescent brain are less clear, due in part to the confound of psychiatric comorbidity. Here we examine early life adversity and its association with brain volume in a unique sample of 116 South African adolescents (aged 12-16) with AUD but without psychiatric comorbidity. Participants were 58 adolescents with DSM-IV alcohol dependence and with no other psychiatric comorbidities, and 58 age-, gender- and protocol-matched light/non-drinking controls (HC). Assessments included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). MR images were acquired on a 3T Siemens Magnetom Allegra scanner. Volumes of global and regional structures were estimated using SPM8 Voxel Based Morphometry (VBM), with analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and regression analyses. In whole brain ANCOVA analyses, a main effect of group when examining the AUD effect after covarying out CTQ was observed on brain volume in bilateral superior temporal gyrus. Subsequent regression analyses to examine how childhood trauma scores are linked to brain volumes in the total cohort revealed a negative correlation in the left hippocampus and right precentral gyrus. Furthermore, bilateral (but most significantly left) hippocampal volume was negatively associated with sub-scores on the CTQ in the total cohort. These findings support our view that some alterations found in brain volumes in studies of adolescent AUD may reflect the impact of confounding factors such as psychiatric comorbidity rather than the effects of alcohol per se. In particular, early life adversity may influence the developing adolescent brain in specific brain regions, such as the hippocampus.

The association between regular cannabis exposure and alterations of human brain morphology: an updated review of the literature.

PubMed

Lorenzetti, Valentina; Solowij, Nadia; Fornito, Alex; Lubman, Dan Ian; Yucel, Murat

2014-01-01

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug worldwide, though it is unclear whether its regular use is associated with persistent alterations in brain morphology. This review examines evidence from human structural neuroimaging investigations of regular cannabis users and focuses on achieving three main objectives. These include examining whether the literature to date provides evidence that alteration of brain morphology in regular cannabis users: i) is apparent, compared to non-cannabis using controls; ii) is associated with patterns of cannabis use; and with iii) measures of psychopathology and neurocognitive performance. The published findings indicate that regular cannabis use is associated with alterations in medial temporal, frontal and cerebellar brain regions. Greater brain morphological alterations were evident among samples that used at higher doses for longer periods. However, the evidence for an association between brain morphology and cannabis use parameters was mixed. Further, there is poor evidence for an association between measures of brain morphology and of psychopathology symptoms/neurocognitive performance. Overall, numerous methodological issues characterize the literature to date. These include investigation of small sample sizes, heterogeneity across studies in sample characteristics (e.g., sex, comorbidity) and in employed imaging techniques, as well as the examination of only a limited number of brain regions. These factors make it difficult to draw firm conclusions from the existing findings. Nevertheless, this review supports the notion that regular cannabis use is associated with alterations of brain morphology, and highlights the need to consider particular methodological issues when planning future cannabis research.

Sports-related brain injuries: connecting pathology to diagnosis.

PubMed

Pan, James; Connolly, Ian D; Dangelmajer, Sean; Kintzing, James; Ho, Allen L; Grant, Gerald

2016-04-01

Brain injuries are becoming increasingly common in athletes and represent an important diagnostic challenge. Early detection and management of brain injuries in sports are of utmost importance in preventing chronic neurological and psychiatric decline. These types of injuries incurred during sports are referred to as mild traumatic brain injuries, which represent a heterogeneous spectrum of disease. The most dramatic manifestation of chronic mild traumatic brain injuries is termed chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is associated with profound neuropsychiatric deficits. Because chronic traumatic encephalopathy can only be diagnosed by postmortem examination, new diagnostic methodologies are needed for early detection and amelioration of disease burden. This review examines the pathology driving changes in athletes participating in high-impact sports and how this understanding can lead to innovations in neuroimaging and biomarker discovery.

Affection of Fundamental Brain Activity By Using Sounds For Patients With Prosodic Disorders: A Pilot Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imai, Emiko; Katagiri, Yoshitada; Seki, Keiko; Kawamata, Toshio

2011-06-01

We present a neural model of the production of modulated speech streams in the brain, referred to as prosody, which indicates the limbic structure essential for producing prosody both linguistically and emotionally. This model suggests that activating the fundamental brain including monoamine neurons at the basal ganglia will potentially contribute to helping patients with prosodic disorders coming from functional defects of the fundamental brain to overcome their speech problem. To establish effective clinical treatment for such prosodic disorders, we examine how sounds affect the fundamental activity by using electroencephalographic measurements. Throughout examinations with various melodious sounds, we found that some melodies with lilting rhythms successfully give rise to the fast alpha rhythms at the electroencephalogram which reflect the fundamental brain activity without any negative feelings.

The difficulty with correlations: Energy expenditure and brain mass in bats.

PubMed

McNab, Brian K; Köhler, Meike

2017-10-01

Brain mass has been suggested to determine a mammal's energy expenditure. This potential dependence is examined in 48 species of bats. A correlation between characters may be direct or derived from shared correlations with intervening factors without a direct interaction. Basal rate of metabolism in these bats increases with brain mass: large brains are more expensive than small brains, and both brain mass and basal rate increase with body mass. Basal rate and brain mass also correlate with food habits in bats. Mass-independent basal rate weakly correlates with mass-independent brain mass, the correlation only accounting for 12% of the variation in basal rate, which disappears when the combined effects of body mass and food habits are deleted. The correlation between basal rate and brain mass seen in this and other studies usually accounts for <10% of the variation in basal rate and often <4%, even when statistically significant, a minimalist explanation for the level the basal rate. This correlation probably reflects the intermediacy of secondary factors, as occurred with food habits in bats. Most biological correlations are complicated and must be examined in detail before assurance can be given as to their bases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

75 FR 43535 - NIH Consensus Development Conference on Inhaled Nitric Oxide Therapy for Premature Infants

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-26

... problems with long-term lung health, brain development, and brain function. Nitric oxide is a chemical... and brain development and function. Since its approval, researchers have examined expanding the use of...

Exploration of the recurrence in radiation brain necrosis after bevacizumab discontinuation

PubMed Central

Zhuang, Hongqing; Yuan, Xiangkun; Chang, Joe Y.; Song, Yongchun; Wang, Junjie; Yuan, Zhiyong; Wang, Xiaoguang; Wang, Ping

2016-01-01

Objective: The aim of the paper was to investigate the recurrence and its causes of radiation brain necrosis following bevacizumab discontinuation. Methods: This study included 14 patients with radiation brain necrosis (confirmed through imaging) after stereotactic radiotherapy for a primary or metastatic brain tumor and who received bevacizumab treatment from June 2011 through December 2014. The patients received bevacizumab at 5 mg/kg, q3-4w, for at least 3 cycles. The T1 signal intensity from enhanced MRI images was used as the evaluation criteria for the brain necrosis treatment efficacy. Results: brain necrosis improved in 13 of the 14 cases (92.9%). However, during follow-up, 10 of the 13 responsive patients (76.9%) exhibited a recurrence in brain necrosis, and a multiple linear regression analysis shows that brain necrosis recurrence was related to the follow-up time after the initial bevacizumab treatment discontinuation. Conclusion: bevacizumab produced good short-term effects for radiation brain necrosis; however, most of the patients would recurrence after bevacizumab is discontinued. Thus, brain necrosis was irreversible. PMID:26934327