-
Neuroscience Bulletin Apr 2024The existence of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult mammalian nervous system, although small in number and restricted to the sub-ventricular zone of the lateral... (Review)
Review
The existence of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult mammalian nervous system, although small in number and restricted to the sub-ventricular zone of the lateral ventricles, the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, and the olfactory epithelium, is a gift of evolution for the adaptive brain function which requires persistent plastic changes of these regions. It is known that most adult NSCs are latent, showing long cell cycles. In the past decade, the concept of quiescent NSCs (qNSCs) has been widely accepted by researchers in the field, and great progress has been made in the biology of qNSCs. Although the spontaneous neuronal regeneration derived from adult NSCs is not significant, understanding how the behaviors of qNSCs are regulated sheds light on stimulating endogenous NSC-based neuronal regeneration. In this review, we mainly focus on the recent progress of the developmental origin and regulatory mechanisms that maintain qNSCs under normal conditions, and that mobilize qNSCs under pathological conditions, hoping to give some insights for future study.
PubMed: 38656419
DOI: 10.1007/s12264-024-01206-1 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2024Olfaction is understudied in neuroimaging research compared to other senses, but there is growing evidence of its therapeutic benefits on mood and well-being. Olfactory... (Review)
Review
Olfaction is understudied in neuroimaging research compared to other senses, but there is growing evidence of its therapeutic benefits on mood and well-being. Olfactory imagery can provide similar health benefits as olfactory interventions. Harnessing crossmodal visual-olfactory interactions can facilitate olfactory imagery. Understanding and employing these cross-modal interactions between visual and olfactory stimuli could aid in the research and applications of olfaction and olfactory imagery interventions for health and wellbeing. This review examines current knowledge, debates, and research on olfaction, olfactive imagery, and crossmodal visual-olfactory integration. A total of 56 papers, identified using the PRISMA method, were evaluated to identify key brain regions, research themes and methods used to determine the suitability of fNIRS as a tool for studying these topics. The review identified fNIRS-compatible protocols and brain regions within the fNIRS recording depth of approximately 1.5 cm associated with olfactory imagery and crossmodal visual-olfactory integration. Commonly cited regions include the orbitofrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The findings of this review indicate that fNIRS would be a suitable tool for research into these processes. Additionally, fNIRS suitability for use in naturalistic settings may lead to the development of new research approaches with greater ecological validity compared to existing neuroimaging techniques.
PubMed: 38356646
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1266664 -
Clinical Interventions in Aging 2023Anxiety is one of the most common and disturbing non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, few studies have explored the relationship between functional...
BACKGROUND
Anxiety is one of the most common and disturbing non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, few studies have explored the relationship between functional connectivity (FC) and the rate of anxiety improvement after subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS). Therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore the correlation between FC and the rate of anxiety improvement in patients with PD who underwent STN-DBS.
METHODS
The resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data of 62 patients with anxious PD (aPD), 68 patients with PD without anxiety (naPD), and 64 healthy controls (HCs) were analyzed according to FC. Intergroup comparison and correlation analyses of anxiety improvement rates were performed.
RESULTS
The HC, aPD and naPD groups of zFCs were then used for the ANOVA test, and the results were FDR-corrected. There were 24 significant differences in FCs between the three groups. Post tests were conducted between groups found that 15 significantly different FCs were observed between the naPD and aPD groups. In addition, the two FCs in patients with aPD were significantly correlated with the rate of improvement in anxiety.
CONCLUSION
We found that the two FCs in patients with aPD (olfactory cortex and inferior frontal gyrus [IFG] pars orbitalis; inferior temporal gyrus and posterior orbital gyrus) were significantly correlated with the rate of improvement in anxiety. Our study may help us understand the underlying mechanisms by which STN-DBS improves anxiety in PD patients and identify more effective treatment strategies.
Topics: Humans; Subthalamic Nucleus; Deep Brain Stimulation; Parkinson Disease; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders
PubMed: 37663121
DOI: 10.2147/CIA.S422605 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2023The aim of this study was to assess the brain functional changes of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with olfactory dysfunction (CRSwOD) using regional homogeneity...
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to assess the brain functional changes of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with olfactory dysfunction (CRSwOD) using regional homogeneity (ReHo) of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and to better explain the occurrence and development of olfactory decline in patients with chronic sinusitis provides a new idea for the study of more advanced olfactory therapy modalities.
METHODS
A total of 28 CRSwOD patients, 24 patients with CRS without olfactory dysfunction (CRSsOD), and 25 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. All subjects underwent olfactory testing, clinical and brief psychological assessments, and MRI scans. A two-sided two-sample test with AlphaSim correction (voxel- < 0.001, cluster size >54 voxels) was used to detect differences between CRSwOD, CRSsOD, and HC groups.
RESULTS
Compared with HCs, the ReHo values in traditional olfactory regions (e.g., parahippocampal gyrus (PHG), hippocampal, olfactory cortex) were increased, and ReHo values in the frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, precuneus, and posterior cingulate gyrus were decreased in CRSwOD patients. The ReHo values in the precuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus of CRSwOD patients were negatively correlated with Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders-Negative Statements (QOD-NS) scores. Compared with CRSsOD patients, the ReHo values in cerebellar regions were increased and those in the inferior temporal gyrus, precuneus, postcentral, and paracentral gyrus were decreased in CRSwOD patients. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the mean ReHo values significantly differed between the CRSwOD and CRSsOD groups.
CONCLUSION
Synchronization of regional brain activity in the regions of the secondary olfactory cortex orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), temporal gyrus, precuneus, and cerebellum may be closely related to the development of olfactory dysfunction. Precuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus may be critical brain areas of action for emotional dysfunction in CRSwOD patients.
PubMed: 37575305
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1146259 -
Frontiers in Neurology 2023To review and analyze the functional connectivity (FC) abnormalities in the brain olfactory network (ON) of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with olfactory...
OBJECTIVE
To review and analyze the functional connectivity (FC) abnormalities in the brain olfactory network (ON) of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with olfactory dysfunction (CRSwOD) and explore the relationship between these FC abnormalities and olfactory dysfunction, providing clues to the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying CRSwOD.
METHODS
FC analysis on the ON of patients with CRSwOD and patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without olfactory dysfunction (CRSsOD) identified the regions of the ON with abnormal FC in CRSwOD patients, and the correlation between abnormal FC and clinical scales for chronic rhinosinusitis was analyzed.
RESULTS
(1) Compared with the CRSsOD group, CRSwOD patients showed decreased FC between the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the right middle frontal gyrus, (2) Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that the FC value between the right middle frontal gyrus and the left OFC (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.852, sensitivity: 0.821, specificity: 0.800, < 0.001) was more capable of distinguishing whether CRS patients may have olfactory dysfunction than the FC value between the right middle frontal gyrus and the right OFC (AUC = 0.827, sensitivity: 0.893, specificity: 0.667, < 0.001), and (3) Lund-Kennedy scores were positively correlated with the FC values between the right middle frontal gyrus and the left OFC ( = 0.443, < 0.018). Lund-Mackay scores were also positively correlated with the FC values between the right middle frontal gyrus and the left OFC ( = 0.468, < 0.012). Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders-Negative Statements scores were negatively correlated with the FC values between the right middle frontal gyrus and the left OFC ( = -0.481, < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
Persistent nasal inflammation affects the FC between the middle frontal gyrus and the OFC, which may serve as a potential imaging marker for identifying CRSwOD. The severity of nasal inflammation and olfactory damage is closely related to the FC between the middle frontal gyrus and OFC, and the abnormal changes in this FC can be used to explain the neurophysiological mechanisms behind the occurrence of olfactory dysfunction in patients.
PubMed: 38046577
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1295556 -
International Journal of Molecular... Oct 2023Serotonergic neurotransmission has been associated with aggression in several psychiatric disorders. Human aggression is a continuum of traits, ranging from normal to...
In Vivo Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor Availability and Its Relationship with Aggression Traits in Healthy Individuals: A Positron Emission Tomography Study with C-11 MDL100907.
Serotonergic neurotransmission has been associated with aggression in several psychiatric disorders. Human aggression is a continuum of traits, ranging from normal to pathological phenomena. However, the individual differences in serotonergic neurotransmission and their relationships with aggression traits in healthy individuals remain unclear. In this study, we explored the relationship between 5-HT2A receptor availability in vivo and aggression traits in healthy participants. Thirty-three healthy participants underwent 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography (PET) with [C]MDL100907, a selective radioligand for 5-HT2A receptors. To quantify 5-HT2A receptor availability, the binding potential (BP) was derived using the basis function implementation of the simplified reference tissue model, with the cerebellum as the reference region. The participants' aggression levels were assessed using the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. The voxel-based correlation analysis with age and sex as covariates revealed that the total aggression score was significantly positively correlated with [C]MDL100907 BP in the right middle temporal gyrus (MTG) pole, left fusiform gyrus (FUSI), right parahippocampal gyrus, and right hippocampus. The physical aggression subscale score had significant positive correlations with [C]MDL100907 BP in the left olfactory cortex, left orbital superior frontal gyrus (SFG), right anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri, left orbitomedial SFG, left gyrus rectus, left MTG, left inferior temporal gyrus, and left angular gyrus. The verbal aggression subscale score showed significant positive correlations with [C]MDL100907 BP in the bilateral SFG, right medial SFG, left FUSI, and right MTG pole. Overall, our findings suggest the possibility of positive correlations between aggression traits and in vivo 5-HT2A receptor availability in healthy individuals. Future research should incorporate multimodal neuroimaging to investigate the downstream effects of 5-HT2A receptor-mediated signaling and integrate molecular and systems-level information in relation to aggression traits.
Topics: Humans; Aggression; Brain; Carbon Radioisotopes; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Positron-Emission Tomography; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A; Serotonin
PubMed: 37958691
DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115697 -
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 2023Freezing of gait (FOG) is common in the late stage of Parkinson's disease (PD), which can lead to disability and impacts the quality of life. Therefore, early...
BACKGROUND
Freezing of gait (FOG) is common in the late stage of Parkinson's disease (PD), which can lead to disability and impacts the quality of life. Therefore, early recognition is crucial for therapeutic intervention. We aimed to explore the abnormal regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC) in FOG converters and evaluate their diagnostic values.
METHODS
The data downloaded from the Parkinson's Disease Progression Markers Project (PPMI) cohort was subdivided into PD-FOG converters ( = 16) and non-converters ( = 17) based on whether FOG appeared during the 3-year follow-up; 16 healthy controls were well-matched. ReHo and FC analyses were used to explore the variations in spontaneous activity and interactions between significant regions among three groups of baseline data. Correlations between clinical variables and the altered ReHo values were assessed in FOG converter group. Last, logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) were used to predict diagnostic value.
RESULTS
Compared with the non-converters, FOG converters had reduced ReHo in the bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus (SFGmed), which was negatively correlated with the postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD) score. ReHo within left amygdala/olfactory cortex/putamen (AMYG/OLF/PUT) was decreased, which was correlated with anxiety and autonomic dysfunction. Also, increased ReHo in the left supplementary motor area/paracentral lobule was positively correlated with the rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder screening questionnaire. FOG converters exhibited diminished FC in the basal ganglia, limbic area, and cognitive control cortex, as compared with non-converters. The prediction model combined ReHo of basal ganglia and limbic area, with PIGD score was the best predictor of FOG conversion.
CONCLUSION
The current results suggested that abnormal ReHo and FC in the basal ganglia, limbic area, and cognitive control cortex may occur in the early stage of FOG. Basal ganglia and limbic area dysfunction combined with higher PIGD score are useful for the early recognition of FOG conversion.
PubMed: 37502425
DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1179752 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Feb 2024Patients with thyroid-associated opthalmopathy (TAO) have widespread white matter (WM) abnormalities in the emotional and cognitive functional regions. However, the...
BACKGROUND
Patients with thyroid-associated opthalmopathy (TAO) have widespread white matter (WM) abnormalities in the emotional and cognitive functional regions. However, the topological representation of these WM abnormalities and the network-level structural aberrations underlying TAO and concomitant affective disorders are still unclear.
METHODS
We used probabilistic diffusion tractography and graph theory to investigate brain network topology in 37 active, 35 inactive TAO patients and 23 healthy controls. Then, we evaluated the partial correlations between network topological metrics and clinical parameters.
RESULTS
For global topology, only active TAO patients exhibited significantly decreased global (E) and local (E) efficiency compared with controls, while no significant difference was observed between active and inactive TAO patients. For regional topology, we found a significantly decreased nodal efficiency in the left orbital superior frontal gyrus (ORBsup), medial orbital superior frontal gyrus (ORBsupmed), hippocampus and amygdala in active TAO patients compared with inactive ones. Intriguingly, E, E, and nodal efficiency of left ORBsup, ORBsupmed, olfactory cortex, gyrus rectus, hippocampus, right parahippocampal gyrus and amygdala had significantly positive correlations with anxiety/depression scores, bilateral exophthalmos and intraocular pressure in active TAO patients, while no significant correlation was observed in inactive TAO patients.
LIMITATIONS
No longitudinal follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS
WM networks of TAO are characterized by decreased local specialization and global integration in the active phase, and decreased nodal efficiency highly related to anxiety and depression in the emotional and cognitive regions. Our findings provide new insight regarding the neurobiological mechanisms of TAO and contribute to the treatment of concomitant affective disorders.
Topics: Humans; Depression; Graves Ophthalmopathy; Brain; Diffusion Tensor Imaging; Anxiety
PubMed: 38042306
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.11.089 -
Behavioural Brain Research Oct 2023Parkinson's disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. Excellent levodopa responsiveness has been proposed as a characteristic supporting feature in...
AIM
Parkinson's disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. Excellent levodopa responsiveness has been proposed as a characteristic supporting feature in substantiating the PD diagnosis. However, a small portion of clinically established PD patients shows poor levodopa response. This study aims to investigate brain function alterations of PD patients with poor levodopa responsiveness by PET/MRI.
METHOD
A total of 46 PD patients were recruited. They all completed C-CFT PET/MRI scans and the acute levodopa challenge test. Among these 46 PD patients, 42 participants further underwent F-FDG PET/MRI scans. Clinical variables regarding demographic data, disease features and cognition scales were also collected. Based on the improvement rate of UPDRS-III, PD patients were divided into non-responders (improvement rate < 33 %) and responders (improvement rate ≥ 33 %). Statistical parametric zapping was performed to analyze molecular imaging. Dopaminergic uptake and metabolism of 70 brain regions were converted to quantitative values and expressed as standard uptake value (SUV). SUV was further normalized by the cerebellum. The resulting SUV ratios and clinical variables were then compared by SPSS.
RESULTS
The difference between levodopa non-responders (n = 17) and responders (n = 29) in the UPDRS III baseline was statistically significant and the former had a lower UPDRS III baseline (19 (10, 32), p<0.05). In contrast, no statistical difference between these two groups was found in age, gender, disease duration, cognition, motor subtype and Hoehn-Yahr stage. Dopaminergic uptake differences between levodopa non-responders (n = 17) and responders (n = 29) were shown in the left inferior frontal cortex (1.00 ± 0.09 vs 1.07 ± 0.08, p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2), the right posterior cingulum (1.10 ± 0.10 vs 1.20 ± 0.13, p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2) and the right insula (1.21 ± 0.12 vs 1.30 ± 0.10, p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2). The metabolic alterations between levodopa non-responders (n = 16) and responders (n = 26) were shown in the right supplementary motor area (1.30 (1.18, 1.39) vs 1.41 (1.31, 1.53), p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2), right precuneus (1.37 ± 0.10 vs 1.47 ± 0.18, p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2), right parietal cortex (1.14 ± 0.15 vs 1.27 ± 0.21, p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2), right supramarginal gyrus (1.16 (1.12, 1.26) vs 1.25 (1.14, 1.46), p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2), right postcentral gyrus (1.15 (1.08, 1.32) vs 1.24 (1.17, 1.39), p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2), medulla (0.75 ± 0.07 vs 0.80 ± 0.07, p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2), right rolandic operculum (1.25 (1.18, 1.32) vs 1.33 (1.25, 1.50), p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2), right olfactory (0.95 (0.91, 1.01) vs 1.01 (0.95, 1.15), p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2), the right insula (1.15 (1.06, 1.22) vs 1.21 (1.12, 1.35), p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2) and the left cerebellum crus (0.96 (0.91, 1.01) vs 0.92 (0.86, 0.96), p < 0.05 and FDR < 0.2).
CONCLUSIONS
PD patients with poor response to levodopa showed less severe impairment of baseline motor symptoms, more severe dopaminergic deficits in the left inferior frontal, right posterior cingulate cortex and the right insula, and lower metabolism in the right supplementary motor area, right precuneus, right parietal cortex, right supramarginal gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, medulla, right rolandic operculum, right olfactory, the right insula and higher metabolism in the left cerebellum crus.
Topics: Humans; Levodopa; Parkinson Disease; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Positron-Emission Tomography; Dopamine; Magnetic Resonance Imaging
PubMed: 37532003
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114609 -
Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging Jan 2024Studies from animal models and clinical trials of blood and cerebrospinal fluid have proposed that blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction in depression (MDD). But there...
BACKGROUND
Studies from animal models and clinical trials of blood and cerebrospinal fluid have proposed that blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction in depression (MDD). But there are no In vivo proves focused on BBB dysfunction in MDD patients. The present study aimed to identify whether there was abnormal BBB permeability, as well as the association with clinical status in MDD patients using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (DCE-MRI) imaging.
METHODS
Patients with MDD and healthy adults were recruited and underwent DCE-MRI and structural MRI scans. The mean volume transfer constant (K) values were calculated for a quantitative assessment of BBB leakage. For each subject, the mean K values were calculated for the whole gray matter, white matter, and 90 brain regions of the anatomical automatic labeling template (AAL). The differences in K values between patients and controls and between treated and untreated patients were compared.
RESULTS
23 MDD patients (12 males and 11 females, mean age 28.09 years) and 18 healthy controls (HC, 8 males and 10 females, mean age 30.67 years) were recruited in the study. We found that the K values in the olfactory, caudate, and thalamus were higher in MDD patients compared to healthy controls (p<0.05). The K values in the orbital lobe, anterior cingulate gyrus, putamen, and thalamus in treated patients were lower than the patients never treated. There were positive correlations between HAMD total score with K values in whole brain WM, hippocampus and thalamus. The total HAMA score was positively correlated with the K of hippocampus.
CONCLUSION
These findings supported a link between blood-brain barrier leakage and depression and symptom severity. The results also suggested a role for non-invasive DCE-MRI in detecting blood-brain barrier dysfunction in depression patients.
Topics: Male; Adult; Female; Animals; Humans; Blood-Brain Barrier; Depressive Disorder, Major; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Brain; Contrast Media; Permeability
PubMed: 38061159
DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111761