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Nature Neuroscience Feb 2017The study of neuroanatomy using imaging enables key insights into how our brains function, are shaped by genes and environment, and change with development, aging and... (Review)
Review
The study of neuroanatomy using imaging enables key insights into how our brains function, are shaped by genes and environment, and change with development, aging and disease. Developments in MRI acquisition, image processing and data modeling have been key to these advances. However, MRI provides an indirect measurement of the biological signals we aim to investigate. Thus, artifacts and key questions of correct interpretation can confound the readouts provided by anatomical MRI. In this review we provide an overview of the methods for measuring macro- and mesoscopic structure and for inferring microstructural properties; we also describe key artifacts and confounds that can lead to incorrect conclusions. Ultimately, we believe that, although methods need to improve and caution is required in interpretation, structural MRI continues to have great promise in furthering our understanding of how the brain works.
Topics: Aging; Artifacts; Brain; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neuroanatomy
PubMed: 28230838
DOI: 10.1038/nn.4501 -
Translational Psychiatry Jan 2022Mania, the diagnostic hallmark of bipolar disorder, is an episodic disturbance of mood, sleep, behavior, and perception. Improved understanding of the neurobiology of... (Review)
Review
Mania, the diagnostic hallmark of bipolar disorder, is an episodic disturbance of mood, sleep, behavior, and perception. Improved understanding of the neurobiology of mania is expected to allow for novel avenues to address current challenges in its diagnosis and treatment. Previous research focusing on the impairment of functional neuronal circuits and brain networks has resulted in heterogenous findings, possibly due to a focus on bipolar disorder and its several phases, rather than on the unique context of mania. Here we present a comprehensive overview of the evidence regarding the functional neuroanatomy of mania. Our interpretation of the best available evidence is consistent with a convergent model of lateralized circuit dysfunction in mania, with hypoactivity of the ventral prefrontal cortex in the right hemisphere, and hyperactivity of the amygdala, basal ganglia, and anterior cingulate cortex in the left hemisphere of the brain. Clarification of dysfunctional neuroanatomic substrates of mania may contribute not only to improve understanding of the neurobiology of bipolar disorder overall, but also highlights potential avenues for new circuit-based therapeutic approaches in the treatment of mania.
Topics: Amygdala; Bipolar Disorder; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mania; Neuroanatomy
PubMed: 35075120
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01786-4 -
Nature Aug 2016Understanding the amazingly complex human cerebral cortex requires a map (or parcellation) of its major subdivisions, known as cortical areas. Making an accurate areal...
Understanding the amazingly complex human cerebral cortex requires a map (or parcellation) of its major subdivisions, known as cortical areas. Making an accurate areal map has been a century-old objective in neuroscience. Using multi-modal magnetic resonance images from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) and an objective semi-automated neuroanatomical approach, we delineated 180 areas per hemisphere bounded by sharp changes in cortical architecture, function, connectivity, and/or topography in a precisely aligned group average of 210 healthy young adults. We characterized 97 new areas and 83 areas previously reported using post-mortem microscopy or other specialized study-specific approaches. To enable automated delineation and identification of these areas in new HCP subjects and in future studies, we trained a machine-learning classifier to recognize the multi-modal 'fingerprint' of each cortical area. This classifier detected the presence of 96.6% of the cortical areas in new subjects, replicated the group parcellation, and could correctly locate areas in individuals with atypical parcellations. The freely available parcellation and classifier will enable substantially improved neuroanatomical precision for studies of the structural and functional organization of human cerebral cortex and its variation across individuals and in development, aging, and disease.
Topics: Adult; Cerebral Cortex; Connectome; Female; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Machine Learning; Male; Models, Anatomic; Multimodal Imaging; Neuroanatomy; Neuroimaging; Probability; Reproducibility of Results; Young Adult
PubMed: 27437579
DOI: 10.1038/nature18933 -
Brain and Behavior Dec 2019Sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm are mediated by complex, yet still not fully understood, interactions of the somatic and autonomic nervous systems operating at the... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm are mediated by complex, yet still not fully understood, interactions of the somatic and autonomic nervous systems operating at the central and peripheral levels. Disruption of endocrine, neural, or vascular response, caused by aging, medical illness, neurological diseases, surgery, or drugs, can lead to sexual dysfunctions, thus significantly affecting patients' quality of life.
PURPOSE
This narrative review aims at characterizing the involvement of the central nervous system in human sexual behavior.
METHODS
A literature search was conducted using PubMed in its entirety up to June 2018, analyzing the studies dealing with the neurobiological and neurophysiological basis of human sexuality.
RESULTS
Sexual behavior is regulated by both subcortical structures, such as the hypothalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord, and several cortical brain areas acting as an orchestra to finely adjust this primitive, complex, and versatile behavior. At the central level, dopaminergic and serotonergic systems appear to play a significant role in various factors of sexual response, although adrenergic, cholinergic, and other neuropeptide transmitter systems may contribute as well.
CONCLUSIONS
Providing healthcare professionals with information concerning sexual behavior may overcome useless and sometimes dangerous barriers and improve patient management, since sexual well-being is considered one of the most important aspects of one's quality of life.
Topics: Adult; Arousal; Autonomic Nervous System; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases; Brain; Dopaminergic Neurons; Female; Humans; Male; Neuroanatomy; Orgasm; Quality of Life; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological; Sexuality; Spinal Cord
PubMed: 31568703
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1389 -
Nature Reviews. Neuroscience Mar 2017Modern optogenetics can be tuned to evoke activity that corresponds to naturally occurring local or global activity in timing, magnitude or individual-cell patterning.... (Review)
Review
Modern optogenetics can be tuned to evoke activity that corresponds to naturally occurring local or global activity in timing, magnitude or individual-cell patterning. This outcome has been facilitated not only by the development of core features of optogenetics over the past 10 years (microbial-opsin variants, opsin-targeting strategies and light-targeting devices) but also by the recent integration of optogenetics with complementary technologies, spanning electrophysiology, activity imaging and anatomical methods for structural and molecular analysis. This integrated approach now supports optogenetic identification of the native, necessary and sufficient causal underpinnings of physiology and behaviour on acute or chronic timescales and across cellular, circuit-level or brain-wide spatial scales.
Topics: Animals; Electrophysiology; Neuroanatomy; Neuroimaging; Neurosciences; Optogenetics
PubMed: 28303019
DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2017.15 -
Neuron Oct 2013Twenty-five years ago the first human functional neuroimaging studies of cognition discovered a surprising response in the cerebellum that could not be attributed to... (Review)
Review
Twenty-five years ago the first human functional neuroimaging studies of cognition discovered a surprising response in the cerebellum that could not be attributed to motor demands. This controversial observation challenged the well-entrenched view that the cerebellum solely contributes to the planning and execution of movement. Recurring neuroimaging findings combined with key insights from anatomy and case studies of neurological patients motivated a reconsideration of the traditional model of cerebellar organization and function. The majority of the human cerebellum maps to cerebral association networks in an orderly manner that includes a mirroring of the prominent cerebral asymmetries for language and attention. These findings inspire exploration of the cerebellum's contributions to a diverse array of functional domains and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Topics: Cerebellum; Cognition; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Neural Pathways; Neuroanatomy; Neuroimaging
PubMed: 24183029
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.10.044 -
NeuroImage Nov 2022Pregnancy and giving birth are exceptional states in a woman's life for many reasons. While the effects of pregnancy and childbirth on the female body are obvious, less... (Review)
Review
Pregnancy and giving birth are exceptional states in a woman's life for many reasons. While the effects of pregnancy and childbirth on the female body are obvious, less is known about their impact on the female brain, especially in humans. The scientific literature is still sparse but we have identified 12 longitudinal neuroimaging studies conducted in women whose brains were scanned before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and/or after giving birth. This review summarizes and discusses the reported neuroanatomical changes during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. Some studies suggest that pregnancy is mainly associated with tissue decreases, and a few studies suggest that this tissue loss is mostly permanent. In contrast, the majority of studies seems to indicate that the postpartum period is accompanied by substantial tissue increases throughout the entire brain. Future research is clearly warranted to replicate and extend the current findings, while addressing various limitations and shortcomings of existing studies.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Neuroanatomy; Postpartum Period; Brain; Longitudinal Studies
PubMed: 36155243
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119646 -
Progress in Brain Research 2007The dentate gyrus is a simple cortical region that is an integral portion of the larger functional brain system called the hippocampal formation. In this review, the... (Review)
Review
The dentate gyrus is a simple cortical region that is an integral portion of the larger functional brain system called the hippocampal formation. In this review, the fundamental neuroanatomical organization of the dentate gyrus is described, including principal cell types and their connectivity, and a summary of the major extrinsic inputs of the dentate gyrus is provided. Together, this information provides essential information that can serve as an introduction to the dentate gyrus--a "dentate gyrus for dummies."
Topics: Animals; Dentate Gyrus; Neuroanatomy; Neurons
PubMed: 17765709
DOI: 10.1016/S0079-6123(07)63001-5 -
Arquivos de Neuro-psiquiatria Sep 2019Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893), considered the father of modern neurology, had a particular interest in pathology and learned to value anatomical findings. Among his...
Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893), considered the father of modern neurology, had a particular interest in pathology and learned to value anatomical findings. Among his main contributions is the use of the anatomo-clinical method in neurology. Although described as cold and impatient in his interpersonal relations, Charcot had a great affection for animals. He had two dogs in his home, which he called Carlo and Sigurd, and a little monkey, Rosalie. Despite his fascination with neuropathology and anatomo-clinical correlations, Charcot disapproved of studies using animal species other than humans, a seemingly paradoxical attitude. As a result, Charcot's human studies resulted in important advances in neurology as, prior to his research, anatomical observations of animals were extrapolated to humans, leading to conceptual errors.
Topics: Animal Experimentation; Animals; History, 19th Century; Humans; Neuroanatomy; Neurology
PubMed: 31508686
DOI: 10.1590/0004-282X20190037 -
Journal of Neural Transmission (Vienna,... Apr 2021Dystonia is a disabling movement disorder characterized by abnormal postures or patterned and repetitive movements due to co-contraction of muscles in proximity to... (Review)
Review
Dystonia is a disabling movement disorder characterized by abnormal postures or patterned and repetitive movements due to co-contraction of muscles in proximity to muscles desired for a certain movement. Important and well-established pathophysiological concepts are the impairment of sensorimotor integration, a loss of inhibitory control on several levels of the central nervous system and changes in synaptic plasticity. These mechanisms collectively contribute to an impairment of the gating function of the basal ganglia which results in an insufficient suppression of noisy activity and an excessive activation of cortical areas. In addition to this traditional view, a plethora of animal, genetic, imaging and electrophysiological studies highlight the role of the (1) cerebellum, (2) the cerebello-thalamic connection and (3) the functional interplay between basal ganglia and the cerebellum in the pathophysiology of dystonia. Another emerging topic is the better understanding of the microarchitecture of the striatum and its implications for dystonia. The striosomes are of particular interest as they likely control the dopamine release via inhibitory striato-nigral projections. Striosomal dysfunction has been implicated in hyperkinetic movement disorders including dystonia. This review will provide a comprehensive overview about the current understanding of the functional neuroanatomy and pathophysiology of dystonia and aims to move the traditional view of a 'basal ganglia disorder' to a network perspective with a dynamic interplay between cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, brainstem and cerebellum.
Topics: Animals; Basal Ganglia; Corpus Striatum; Dystonia; Dystonic Disorders; Neuroanatomy
PubMed: 33486625
DOI: 10.1007/s00702-021-02299-y