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Brain Sciences Jun 2022To investigate the intervention effect of orienteering exercises on the spatial memory ability of college students of different genders and its underlying mechanism.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the intervention effect of orienteering exercises on the spatial memory ability of college students of different genders and its underlying mechanism.
METHODS
Forty-eight college students were randomly screened into experimental and control groups, 12 each of male and female, by SBSOD scale. The effects of 12 weeks of orienteering exercises on the behavioral performance and brain activation patterns during the spatial memory tasks of college students of different genders were explored by behavioral tests and the fNIRS technique.
RESULTS
After the orienteering exercise intervention in the experimental group, the male students had significantly greater correct rates and significantly lower reaction times than the female students; left and right dorsolateral prefrontal activation was significantly reduced in the experimental group, and the male students had a significantly greater reduction in the left dorsolateral prefrontal than the female students. The degree of activation in the left and right dorsolateral prefrontals of the male students and the right dorsolateral prefrontals of the female students correlated significantly with behavioral performance, and the functional coupling between the brain regions showed an enhanced performance.
DISCUSSION
Orienteering exercises improve the spatial memory ability of college students, more significantly in male students. The degree of activation of different brain regions correlated with behavioral performance and showed some gender differences.
PubMed: 35884661
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12070852 -
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) Feb 2021Age-related differences in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) structure and function have each been linked to working memory. However, few studies have integrated...
Age-related differences in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) structure and function have each been linked to working memory. However, few studies have integrated multimodal imaging to simultaneously investigate relationships among structure, function, and cognition. We aimed to clarify how specifically DLPFC structure and function contribute to working memory in healthy older adults. In total, 138 participants aged 65-88 underwent 3 T neuroimaging and were divided into higher and lower groups based on a median split of in-scanner n-back task performance. Three a priori spherical DLPFC regions of interest (ROIs) were used to quantify blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal and FreeSurfer-derived surface area, cortical thickness, and white matter volume. Binary logistic regressions adjusting for age, sex, education, and scanner type revealed that greater left and right DLPFC BOLD signal predicted the probability of higher performing group membership (P values<.05). Binary logistic regressions also adjusting for total intracranial volume revealed left DLPFC surface area that significantly predicted the probability of being in the higher performing group (P = 0.017). The left DLPFC BOLD signal and surface area were not significantly associated and did not significantly interact to predict group membership (P values>.05). Importantly, this suggests BOLD signal and surface area may independently contribute to working memory performance in healthy older adults.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Brain Mapping; Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Memory, Short-Term
PubMed: 33188384
DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa322 -
Clinical Rehabilitation Aug 2020To compare the effects of anodal trans-cranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over primary motor and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices on Fatigue Severity Scale and... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparing the effects of multi-session anodal trans-cranial direct current stimulation of primary motor and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices on fatigue and quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis: a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the effects of anodal trans-cranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over primary motor and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices on Fatigue Severity Scale and its lasting effect on fatigue reduction and improvement in quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis.
DESIGN
A randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled parallel clinical trial study.
SETTING
Neurological physiotherapy clinics.
SUBJECTS
Thirty-nine participants were randomly assigned to three groups: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex a-tDCS, primary motor a-tDCS (experimental groups) and sham a-tDCS. Finally, 36 participants completed the whole study ( = 12 in each group).
INTERVENTIONS
Participants in the experimental groups received six-session a-tDCS (1.5 mA, 20 minutes) during two weeks (three sessions per week). The sham group received six sessions of 20-minute sham stimulation.
MAIN MEASURES
The Fatigue Severity Scale and quality of life were assessed before, immediately and four weeks after the intervention.
RESULTS
Findings indicated a significant reduction in the Fatigue Severity Scale and a significant increase in the quality of life in both experimental groups, immediately after the intervention ( < 0.001), while Fatigue Severity Scale and quality of life changes were not significant in the sham a-tDCS group ( > 0.05). In addition, improvement of the variables remained four weeks after the intervention in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex a-tDCS (mean differences (95% confidence interval): 0.03 (-0.63 to 0.68) as compared to primary motor (-0.62 (-0.11 to -1.14) and sham a-tDCS groups (-0.47 (-1.37 to 0.43)).
CONCLUSION
Both primary motor and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex a-tDCS as compared to sham intervention can immediately improve fatigue and quality of life. However, the effects last up to four weeks only by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex a-tDCS.
Topics: Adult; Double-Blind Method; Fatigue; Female; Humans; Male; Motor Cortex; Multiple Sclerosis; Prefrontal Cortex; Quality of Life; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
PubMed: 32397748
DOI: 10.1177/0269215520921506 -
The American Journal of Psychiatry Nov 2017The striatum receives segregated and integrative white matter tracts from the cortex facilitating information processing in the cortico-basal ganglia network. The...
OBJECTIVE
The striatum receives segregated and integrative white matter tracts from the cortex facilitating information processing in the cortico-basal ganglia network. The authors examined both types of input tracts in the striatal associative loop in chronic schizophrenia patients and healthy control subjects.
METHOD
Structural and diffusion MRI scans were acquired on a 3-T system from 26 chronic schizophrenia patients and 26 matched healthy control subjects. Using FreeSurfer, the associative cortex was parcellated into ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex subregions. The striatum was manually parcellated into its associative and sensorimotor functional subregions. Fractional anisotropy and normalized streamlines, an estimate of fiber counts, were assessed in four frontostriatal tracts (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex-associative striatum, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex-sensorimotor striatum, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex-associative striatum, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex-sensorimotor striatum). Furthermore, these measures were correlated with a measure of cognitive control, the Trail-Making Test, Part B.
RESULTS
Results showed reduced fractional anisotropy and fewer streamlines in chronic schizophrenia patients for all four tracts, both segregated and integrative. Post hoc t tests showed reduced fractional anisotropy in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex-associative striatum and left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex-sensorimotor striatum and fewer normalized streamlines in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex-sensorimotor striatum and in the left and right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex-sensorimotor striatum in chronic schizophrenia patients. Furthermore, normalized streamlines in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex-sensorimotor striatum negatively correlated with Trail-Making Test, Part B, time spent in healthy control subjects but not in chronic schizophrenia patients.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings demonstrated that structural connectivity is reduced in both segregated and integrative tracts in the striatal associative loop in chronic schizophrenia and that reduced normalized streamlines in the right-hemisphere dorsolateral prefrontal cortex-sensorimotor striatum predicted worse cognitive control in healthy control subjects but not in chronic schizophrenia patients, suggesting a loss of a "normal" brain-behavior correlation in chronic schizophrenia.
Topics: Adult; Anisotropy; Case-Control Studies; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Frontal Lobe; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Neostriatum; Neural Pathways; Prefrontal Cortex; Schizophrenia; Trail Making Test; White Matter
PubMed: 28945119
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.16091046 -
AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology Aug 2016The purpose of this study was to describe the appearance and ultrasound characteristics of the Gruberi bursa using a cadaveric model and retrospective ultrasound imaging...
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to describe the appearance and ultrasound characteristics of the Gruberi bursa using a cadaveric model and retrospective ultrasound imaging review.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
For the cadaveric study, ultrasound of the dorsolateral ankle of a foot-ankle specimen was performed and was followed by injection of latex between the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) tendons and the talus and dissection. For the ultrasound imaging review, the radiology database was searched for ultrasound studies performed from September 15, 2000, through April 1, 2015, to identify subjects with a dorsolateral foot or ankle fluid collection detected on ultrasound. Images were retrospectively reviewed to characterize the location and size of the fluid collection, assess for the number of locules, and evaluate the compressibility of the fluid collection. It was determined whether the ultrasound findings were significantly different from chance: CI and p values were obtained from performing a test for one proportion.
RESULTS
Dissection of a cadaveric specimen revealed latex within a well-defined region between the EDL tendons and the dorsolateral talus; this location is consistent with a Gruberi bursa. For the image review, the imaging examinations of 162 subjects (age range, 16-88 years; 31 male subjects and 131 female subjects) were reviewed. On the ultrasound images, a fluid collection with its epicenter between the dorsolateral talus and EDL was found in 93% of ankles. Of the fluid collections identified on ultrasound, 98% were unilocular and 94% were anechoic. Of these fluid collections, 133 were assessed for compressibility, and 89% were compressible. The positive findings for a Gruberi bursa that were different from chance (p < 0.0001) were a fluid collection being located between the EDL tendons and the dorsolateral talus and being unilocular, anechoic, and compressible.
CONCLUSION
The Gruberi bursa characteristically is located between the EDL and the talus; on ultrasound, the Gruberi bursa is most commonly unilocular, anechoic, and compressible.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ankle Joint; Bursa, Synovial; Cadaver; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Ultrasonography
PubMed: 27305451
DOI: 10.2214/AJR.15.15955 -
Neuroscience Oct 2020Task switching refers to the process by which an individual transfers focus from one cognitive task to another. In recent years, transcranial direct current stimulation... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Task switching refers to the process by which an individual transfers focus from one cognitive task to another. In recent years, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) technology had been used to investigate the causal relationship between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and task-switching performance. However, the effects of anodal-tDCS (a-tDCS) on task switching remain unclear, and the relationship between DLPFC and various task predictabilities have not yet been studied. Therefore, this study mainly investigated the effects of left anode tDCS (LA) and right anode tDCS (RA) in predictable and unpredictable task-switching performance. Thirty-six participants were randomly assigned to three tDCS groups (including LA, RA, and sham) and were asked to complete both the predictable and unpredictable tasks. Compared with LA and sham tDCS, increasing the activity of the right DLPFC improved task-switching performance (switch cost) of unpredictable but not predictable tasks. The results suggested there is a causal association between DLPFC and unpredictable task switching and implied a task-specific effect in task switching. We concluded that the DLPFC is not essential for exogenous adjustment in predictable task switching.
Topics: Attention; Electrodes; Humans; Prefrontal Cortex; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
PubMed: 32858145
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.08.020 -
Frontiers in Neurology 2021Deep-brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an effective treatment for motor symptoms of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Due to a lack of...
Deep-brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an effective treatment for motor symptoms of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Due to a lack of detailed somatotopic organization in STN, the clinically most effective part of the STN for stimulation has already become one of the hot research focuses. At present, there are some reports about topographic distribution for different depths within the STN, but few about a mediolateral topography in this area. The objective was to investigate the local field potential (LFP) distribution patterns in dorsomedial and dorsolateral subparts of STN. In total, 18 PD patients eventually enrolled in this study. The DBS electrodes were initially located on the lateral portion of dorsolateral STN. Because of internal capsule side effects presented at low threshold (below 1.5 mA), the electrode was reimplanted more medially to the dorsomedial STN. In this process, intraoperative LFPs from dorsomedial and dorsolateral STN were recorded from the inserted electrode. Both beta power and gamma power of the LFPs were calculated using the power spectral density (PSD) for each DBS contact pair. Furthermore, coherence between any two pairs of contacts was computed in the dorsomedial and dorsolateral parts of STN, respectively. Meanwhile, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III (UPDRS-III) was monitored prior to surgery and at the 6-month follow-up. Compared to the dorsolateral part of STN, gamma oscillations ( < 0.01) and coherence ( < 0.05) were all weaker in the dorsomedial part. However, no obvious differences in beta oscillations and coherence were observed between the two groups ( > 0.05). Moreover, it should be noted that DBS of the dorsomedial STN resulted in significant improvement in the UPDRS-III in PD patients. There was a 61.50 ± 21.30% improvement in UPDRS-III scores in Med-off/Stim-on state relative to the Med-off state at baseline (from 15.44 ± 6.84 to 43.94 ± 15.79, < 0.01). The specific features of gamma activity may be used to differentiate STN subregions. Moreover, the dorsomedial part of STN might be a potential target for DBS in PD.
PubMed: 34557146
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.710206 -
BMC Neurology Jan 2021Dorsolateral medullary infarction is a typical cerebral infarction which is characterized by Wallenberg's syndrome. Neurotrophic keratopathy is an uncommon consequence...
BACKGROUND
Dorsolateral medullary infarction is a typical cerebral infarction which is characterized by Wallenberg's syndrome. Neurotrophic keratopathy is an uncommon consequence of dorsolateral medullary infarction. At present, the protocol is aimed to study the dynamic changes in corneal innervation and the ocular surface environment after dorsolateral medullary infarction.
METHODS
This study will involve consecutive data from all medical records of patients within 7 days of acute dorsolateral medullary infarction onset at the Departments of Neurology from 10 collaborating stroke centers. Eligible patients will mainly be characterized based on detailed physical examinations, multimodal imaging, and corneal related examinations and patients will be followed-up for 2 years. Neurotrophic keratopathy after dorsolateral medullary infarction is the primary endpoint. The dynamic histological corneal innervation and ocular surface environment after dorsolateral medullary infarction will be observed during the follow-up period.
DISCUSSION
This multicentric, prospective registry is the first to identify and characterize the dynamic changes of corneal innervation and the ocular surface environment after acute dorsolateral medullary infarction. The significance of the study is to emphasize that the curative effect is based on the doctors' identification of the disease in the earliest stage before irreversible damage occurs to the cornea.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
The registry was registered ( ChiCTR-OPC-17,011,625 ) on June 11, 2017.
Topics: Adult; Cerebral Infarction; Corneal Diseases; Female; Humans; Male; Medulla Oblongata; Middle Aged; Registries
PubMed: 33435910
DOI: 10.1186/s12883-020-02030-6 -
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2021Previous studies suggested a link between serotonergic neurotransmission and impaired insight in schizophrenia. In this study, we examined the relationship between...
Association Between Lack of Insight and Prefrontal Serotonin Transporter Availability in Antipsychotic-Free Patients with Schizophrenia: A High-Resolution PET Study with [C]DASB.
BACKGROUND
Previous studies suggested a link between serotonergic neurotransmission and impaired insight in schizophrenia. In this study, we examined the relationship between serotonin transporter (SERT) availability in regions of the prefrontal cortex (dorsolateral, ventrolateral, ventromedial, and orbitofrontal cortices) and insight deficits in antipsychotic-free patients with schizophrenia using high-resolution positron emission tomography (PET) with [C]DASB.
METHODS
Nineteen patients underwent [C]DASB PET and 7-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scans. To assess SERT availability, the binding potential with respect to non-displaceable compartment (BP) was derived using the simplified reference tissue model. Patients' level of insight was assessed using the Insight and Treatment Attitude Questionnaire (ITAQ). The relationship between ITAQ scores and [C]DASB BP values was examined using the region-of-interest (ROI)- and voxel-based analyses with relevant variables as covariates. The prefrontal cortex and its four subregions were selected as a priori ROIs since the prefrontal cortex has been implicated as the critical neuroanatomical substrate of impaired insight in schizophrenia.
RESULTS
The ROI-based analysis revealed that the ITAQ illness insight dimension had significant negative correlations with the [C]DASB BP in the left dorsolateral, left orbitofrontal, and bilateral ventrolateral prefrontal cortices. The ITAQ treatment insight dimension had significant negative correlations with the [C]DASB BP in the bilateral dorsolateral, left orbitofrontal, and bilateral ventrolateral prefrontal cortices. The ITAQ total score showed significant negative correlations with the [C]DASB BP in the bilateral prefrontal cortex and three subregions (dorsolateral, ventrolateral, and orbitofrontal cortices). A supplementary voxel-based analysis corroborated a significant negative association between the ITAQ score and the [C]DASB BP in the prefrontal cortices.
CONCLUSION
Our study provides in vivo evidence of significant negative correlations between insight deficits and prefrontal SERT availability in patients with schizophrenia, suggesting significant involvement of prefrontal serotonergic signaling in impaired insight, one of the core symptoms of schizophrenia.
PubMed: 34707358
DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S336126 -
Human Brain Mapping Mar 2022The Self-Attention Network (SAN) has been proposed to describe the underlying neural mechanism of the self-prioritization effect, yet the roles of the key nodes in the...
The Self-Attention Network (SAN) has been proposed to describe the underlying neural mechanism of the self-prioritization effect, yet the roles of the key nodes in the SAN-the left posterior superior temporal sulcus (LpSTS) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)-still need to be clarified. One hundred and nine participants were randomly assigned into the LpSTS group, the DLPFC group, or the sham group. We used the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) technique to selectively disrupt the functions of the corresponding targeted region, and observed its impacts on self-prioritization effect based on the difference between the performance of the self-matching task before and after the targeted stimulation. We analyzed both model-free performance measures and HDDM-based performance measures for the self-matching task. The results showed that the inhibition of LpSTS could lead to reduced performance in processing self-related stimuli, which establishes a causal role for the LpSTS in self-related processing and provide direct evidence to support the SAN framework. However, the results of the DLPFC group from HDDM analysis were distinct from the results based on response efficiency. Our investigation further the understanding of the differentiated roles of key nodes in the SAN in supporting the self-salience in information processing.
Topics: Adult; Attention; Brain Mapping; Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex; Ego; Female; Humans; Male; Nerve Net; Psychomotor Performance; Social Perception; Temporal Lobe; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Young Adult
PubMed: 34826160
DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25730