Most recent paper

Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2026 Mar 15;79:101711. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101711. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Abnormal functional brain development associated with preterm birth has been widely reported; however, the functional brain architectures of later neurodevelopmental difficulties are not yet fully understood. Here, we applied connectome-based predictive modeling approaches to identify the brain networks associated with later neurocognitive scores at 2-3 years of age in very preterm infants (≤31 weeks' gestation, N = 79) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The whole-brain functional connectome soon after birth successfully predicted verbal ability at 3 years of corrected age (r = 0.53, p=4.04x10-7) and motor ability at age 2 (r = 0.39, p=0.0004) in very preterm infants. In particular, we found that functional edges between the frontoparietal network and limbic, motor, and medial frontal networks at birth contributed significantly to the prediction of future verbal language ability, while the edges connecting the medial frontal network and motor and basal ganglia networks contributed the most to the prediction of future motor ability. In a separate validation analysis, we demonstrated that the mean connectivity strength among these top brain networks significantly differentiated (average accuracy 76%, p < 0.001) poor from normal performers at 2 and 3 years of age. These findings highlight regional functional connectivity soon after birth as a promising biomarker for identifying risks for later brain disorders, which could inform the targeted development of effective early treatments and interventions.

PMID:41863864 | DOI:10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101711

J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2026 Mar 21:271678X261431447. doi: 10.1177/0271678X261431447. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

We investigated ketamine's neuroplastic effects in healthy human subjects using integrated Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) measures before and 1-8 days after a single psychedelic dose of ketamine (1 mg/kg, intravenous). Eleven male participants underwent two PET/MRI scans with [11C]-UCBJ (synaptic density/plasticity), 1H-MRS (glutamate and GABA) and resting-state fMRI (intrinsic brain activity, functional connectivity), before and after ketamine. While group-level analyses showed no significant increases in PET synaptic markers, ketamine administration resulted in significantly elevated glutamate levels within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Functional connectivity analyses revealed reduced coupling between the ACC and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and increased coupling between the ACC and the amygdala in the days following ketamine administration. Our multimodal analysis revealed that participants showing an increase in [11C]-UCBJ volume distribution (VT), a putative index of synaptic plasticity, showed a correlated reduction in intrinsic activity within regions belonging to the default mode network (DMN). By linking molecular, cellular and network-level changes, our results point to the DMN as a central hub where ketamine may reshape brain hierarchies in the long term, providing new directions for understanding its therapeutic mechanisms and developing targeted treatments.

PMID:41863255 | DOI:10.1177/0271678X261431447

BMC Psychol. 2026 Mar 20;14(1):371. doi: 10.1186/s40359-026-04063-x.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:41863001 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-026-04063-x

Behav Brain Res. 2026 Mar 18:116168. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116168. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in adolescents exhibits distinct patterns of brain functional alterations compared to adults and may be more susceptible to the influences of perceived parental rearing patterns. However, the specific neural correlations underlying the link between perceived parental rearing patterns and adolescent OCD remain unclear. In this exploratory study, thirty adolescents with OCD and thirty demographically matched healthy controls were recruited and underwent clinical interview and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans to assess functional alterations and their potential correlations with perceived parental rearing patterns. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis revealed decreased ReHo in the parieto-occipital regions and increased ReHo in the right temporal lobe in the OCD group. Seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) analysis using ReHo-defined seeds revealed hypoconnectivity between the left precuneus and several frontal and parietal regions. These functional alterations primarily localized to the dorsal visual processing stream and cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical circuits, suggesting potential disruptions in related visuospatial processing, spatial working memory, reward processing, and executive functions. Correlation analysis indicated negative correlations between decreased rsFC and paternal rejection and overprotection subscales, with similar but weaker trends for maternal rejection. Furthermore, exploratory mediation analysis suggested that decreased rsFC strength is linked to the statistical correlation between perceived parental rejection and symptom severity. This study preliminarily reveals the potential correlations between neurobiological measures and environmental factors in adolescent OCD, and highlights the need for further research with larger cohorts.

PMID:41861847 | DOI:10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116168

Behav Brain Res. 2026 Mar 18:116146. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116146. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Effective motor strategy adaptation is essential for both high-performance sports and neurorehabilitation. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can modulate brain function; however, its efficacy may depend on the specificity of the stimulation targets. This study investigated whether function-specific rTMS, guided by fMRI-defined activation during motor imagery, enhances motor strategy adaptation. Forty-six healthy adults were randomized into three groups: function-specific rTMS, hotspot rTMS, and a no-stimulation control. All participants received identical motor imagery and physical practice in the backward glide shot put. Kinematic and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were collected before and after the 7-day intervention, and functional connectivity (FC) was analyzed. Results showed that function-specific rTMS led to significantly greater improvements in trunk angle during the glide phase, a critical biomechanical parameter. FC between the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and primary sensorimotor cortex increased significantly in this group and was positively correlated with kinematic improvements. These findings demonstrate that rTMS targeting task-relevant brain regions enhances motor strategy adaptation via mechanisms involving FC associated with motor performance, highlighting its potential for optimizing motor learning in both athletic and clinical populations.

PMID:41861846 | DOI:10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116146

Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2026 Mar 16;359:112198. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2026.112198. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Glymphatic-related perivascular processes may influence neurodevelopment, but their role in ADHD remains unclear. This study offers the first integrated assessment of glymphatic MRI markers in pediatric ADHD.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional case-control study, children with ADHD (n = 80) and age-matched controls (n = 110) underwent multimodal MRI. Structural glymphatic integrity was measured using the diffusion-derived ALPS index and choroid plexus volume from T1 segmentation, while functional dynamics were assessed via gBOLD-CSF coupling from resting-state fMRI. Cognitive performance and symptom severity were evaluated with standardized neuropsychological and behavioral tests.

RESULTS: Children with ADHD showed markedly higher ADHD-RS-IV, anxiety, and depressive symptoms (all P < 0.001). ALPS indices were significantly reduced (1.42 ± 0.18 vs. 1.51 ± 0.17; P = 0.002). CPV exhibited a non-significant trend toward enlargement (P = 0.060), whereas gBOLD-CSF coupling did not differ between groups (P = 0.635). Higher ALPS values correlated with better long-delay recall, recognition and processing speed (all P ≤ 0.006) and fewer inattentive symptoms and lower anxiety (P ≤ 0.020).

CONCLUSION: ADHD in children shows mild structural glymphatic alterations, with reduced ALPS linked to deficits in attention and cognition, indicating a potential neurodevelopmental role of perivascular pathways.

PMID:41861619 | DOI:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2026.112198

J Neurosci. 2026 Mar 20:e1775252026. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1775-25.2026. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Skill acquisition is a complex process which involves experience-dependent reorganization of functional brain networks. Learning-derived modifications have been widely reported, in both task-evoked neural activity and resting-state functional connectivity. Taking the close correspondence between the two into account, in this work we investigated functional connectivity alterations following learning and their relations to changes in activity and to behavioral learning outcomes. Hearing individuals naïve to sign languages (n=79, 50 females) attended an extensive Israeli Sign Language course and underwent task and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans before and after learning. We found widespread changes in the functional connectome, which exhibited significant spatial correspondence with changes in task-derived activation maps, suggesting coordinated reorganization mechanisms. Furthermore, post-learning functional connectivity was predictive of behavioral sign-language test scores obtained immediately following learning and six months later, associating functional connections with short- and long-term learning outcomes. Together, these findings suggest a tight link between task-evoked activity and functional connectivity changes following learning, and further associate connectivity with behavioral outcomes.Significance statement Skill acquisition is a key aspect of human cognition. The neural underpinnings of this complex process are under constant examinations. While a close correspondence between task-activity and functional connectivity at rest have been reported, investigations of this relationship during the acquisition of a new skill are limited. Here, we show a high spatial similarity between changes in task-activation and functional network architecture following sign language learning. Moreover, we demonstrate that post-learning functional connections are predictive of short- and long-term learning success. Overall, we show that skill acquisition drives interconnected alterations in resting-state connectivity and task-induced activity, with implications to behavior.

PMID:41862206 | DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1775-25.2026

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2026 Mar 20:ajnr.A9301. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A9301. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multi-echo (ME) functional MRI (fMRI) acquisition improves separation of signal from noise relative to single-echo (SE). We tested whether this enhances reliability of functional connectivity (FC), with a focus on personalizing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) targets in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in patients with depression.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Resting-state fMRI scans were acquired from adult patients with major depression (20 female, 15 male) presenting for clinical TMS using either SE (n=21) or ME (n=31). Each subject's fMRI timeseries was split in half, and voxel-wise seed-based FC was computed for 100 general regions of interest (ROIs) and for two TMS-specific ROIs: subgenual cingulate cortex (SGC) and a previously published depression circuit (DEP). Reliability was assessed using (1) spatial correlation between split-half connectivity maps and (2) intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for each ROI's connectivity to the DLPFC.

RESULTS: In general ROI analysis, ME showed significantly higher whole-brain split-half correlations than SE (p = 0.006) and higher ICC (ΔICC = 0.16; p = 0.03). In TMS-specific ROI analysis, ME showed higher split-half correlations for both the SGC-DLPFC (p = 0.04) and DEP-DLPFC (p = 0.01). TMS-specific ICC values were numerically higher for ME (SGC-DLPFC: 0.47; DEP-DLPFC: 0.75) than for SE (0.02 and 0.40, respectively), although these differences were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: ME fMRI improves general FC reliability over SE, with suggested advantages for TMS-specific measures. Future work is needed to determine whether these gains meaningfully improve TMS targeting.

PMID:41862185 | DOI:10.3174/ajnr.A9301

Neurosci Lett. 2026 Mar 18:138584. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2026.138584. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Reactive stepping is impaired in people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) and can be trained through practice. However, these improvements are often variable across individuals. Identifying neurological predictors and potential mechanisms of this variability can improve the efficiency of rehabilitation. This study investigated the association between improvements in backward reactive stepping performance through training and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in PwPD. 15 PwPD underwent rs-fMRI and an eighteen-week multiple-baseline study, which included baseline assessments (B1 and B2, 2-weeks apart), a 2-week training protocol, and post-training assessments immediately after protocol (P1) and 2-months later (P2), in which we assessed anterior-posterior margin of stability (MOSAP) at first foot contact. Linear regression analyses assessed the relationship between functional connectivity, using a region of interest approach, and immediate (P1-B2) and retained (P2-B2) improvements in MOSAP during reactive stepping. Results showed that higher right thalamus-right amygdala connectivity was related to immediate MOSAP improvements (pFDR < 0.05). Right thalamus-right amygdala, left caudate-left hippocampus, and left thalamus-left hippocampus connectivity were associated with better long-term retention of MOSAP (pFDR's < 0.05). These findings suggest thalamo-limbic coupling may contribute to immediate and retained improvements in reactive balance in PwPD and could aid in identifying individuals who would benefit most from balance rehabilitation.

PMID:41862073 | DOI:10.1016/j.neulet.2026.138584

Mol Neurobiol. 2026 Mar 20;63(1):510. doi: 10.1007/s12035-026-05781-4.

ABSTRACT

Post-stroke aphasia (PSA) is a prevalent complication of left-hemispheric stroke, yet cerebellar contributions to language and cognition remain insufficiently characterized at the network level. We investigated cerebellar functional network topology in PSA and its associations with language and cognitive performance. Seventy-three right-handed PSA patients and 75 matched healthy controls underwent 3T resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The cerebellum was parcellated using the Seitzman-27 atlas, which assigns cerebellar ROIs to canonical large-scale networks, allowing network-specific characterization and interpretable comparisons across functional systems. Global and nodal topological metrics and ROI-to-ROI functional connectivity were quantified, and their relationships with language and non-language cognition were assessed. Small-world organization was preserved in both groups, but PSA patients showed significant reductions in the small-world index, clustering coefficient, and local efficiency, indicating impaired network segregation and local processing. Nodal analysis revealed decreased degree centrality in the frontoparietal network and increased degree centrality in the dorsal somatomotor network. Functional connectivity was reduced within the default mode and frontoparietal networks, while connectivity between frontoparietal and dorsal somatomotor regions increased (FDR-corrected). Lower clustering coefficient and local efficiency were associated with poorer auditory comprehension, memory, and reasoning. Lesion volume was associated with worse language and cognitive outcomes but was not associated with global cerebellar network measures after covariate adjustment. These findings provide novel network-level evidence of altered cerebellar topology in PSA, extending prior cortical-focused models. The results suggest that cerebellar network disruption is associated with language and cognitive deficits and may inform the development of network-based imaging markers and motivate future longitudinal and intervention studies in aphasia.

PMID:41860713 | DOI:10.1007/s12035-026-05781-4

Front Aging Neurosci. 2026 Mar 4;18:1746491. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2026.1746491. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) entails widespread neurodegenerative changes extending beyond motor symptoms to cognitive and large-scale network alterations that compromise functional autonomy. Financial abilities (FAs) are complex, ecologically relevant skills crucial for independent living, yet their neurocognitive and neurofunctional substrates in PD remain largely unexplored. This study investigates the cognitive, structural, and neurofunctional correlates of basic and advanced FAs in PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI), using voxel-based morphometry to identify structural brain changes associated with FAs and resting-state network analyses to elucidate how brain connectivity supports preserved financial functioning.

METHODS: Thirty three individuals with PD-MCI completed a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, including the Numerical Activities of Daily Living-Financial Short battery, to evaluate basic and advanced FAs. A subset of patients (n = 24) underwent acquisition of 3T structural and resting-state functional neuroimaging data. To identify cognitive and neural predictors of basic and advanced FAs, multiple regression models incorporating demographic covariates, cognitive and neuroimaging predictors were employed via stepwise Akaike Information Criterion and LASSO procedures.

RESULTS: Basic FAs were associated with general cognition and formal numerical competence (i.e., arithmetic knowledge), alongside negative functional correlations between somatomotor and subcortical networks. Advanced FAs were associated with different cognitive functions, such as executive ones, informal numerical competencies (i.e., use of numbers in everyday life), social cognition, language, and memory, and were linked to cerebellar network dynamics, specifically, increased anti-correlation with salience and limbic systems and enhanced synchronization with frontoparietal and subcortical circuits.

DISCUSSION: FAs in PD-MCI rely on a dynamic balance between network specialization and compensatory integration, reflecting adaptive reorganization of cortico-subcortical and cerebellar systems that may sustain complex cognitive functioning and functional independence.

PMID:41858788 | PMC:PMC12995605 | DOI:10.3389/fnagi.2026.1746491

Front Toxicol. 2026 Mar 5;8:1772515. doi: 10.3389/ftox.2026.1772515. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Potentially more than 100,000 US troops were exposed to organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents when an ammunition bunker at Khamisiyah, Iraq was destroyed shortly after the end of the 1991 Gulf War (GW). We previously reported evidence of differences in brain structure and function in GW veterans with predicted exposure to the Khamisiyah plume compared to veterans without predicted exposure. Here, we investigate the effects of predicted exposure to the Khamisiyah plume on brain functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN).

METHODS: Forty-one GW veterans (19 with and 22 without predicted exposure) underwent structural and resting-state magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on a 3 Tesla scanner. Differences in DMN connectivity between veterans with and without predicted Khamisiyah exposure were examined using a left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) seed-based analysis in AFNI. FreeSurfer was used to derive quantitative estimates of total hippocampal volume. The veterans were also assessed with the Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT).

RESULTS: Compared to veterans without predicted exposure, those with predicted Khamisiyah exposure demonstrated weaker connectivity between the left PCC and a cluster in the caudal right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Veterans with predicted exposure also had smaller left hippocampal volume compared to unexposed veterans.

DISCUSSION: Although the cross-sectional nature of this study precludes conclusions about causality, the finding of decreased DMN functional connectivity in GW veterans with predicted Khamisiyah exposure warrants replication in a larger, independent sample. If confirmed, this result would add to the literature suggesting persistent differences in brain function between deployed GW veterans with and without predicted Khamisiyah exposure and argue for further investigation into the long-term effects of GW-deployment related exposures.

PMID:41858729 | PMC:PMC12999065 | DOI:10.3389/ftox.2026.1772515

BMC Med. 2026 Mar 19. doi: 10.1186/s12916-026-04796-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Subcortical structures are pivotal for cortico-subcortical communication, yet are highly vulnerable to stroke. Damage to these structures can produce widespread cortical dysfunction, but how subcortical stroke reshapes the macroscale hierarchical organization of cortical networks remains poorly understood. Clarifying this relationship is critical for understanding subcortical contributions to brain-wide communication and for identifying reliable neural markers of clinical outcome.

METHODS: We analyzed resting-state fMRI data from two independent cohorts of patients with subcortical stroke (discovery, 55 patients, 49 controls; replication, 23 patients, 26 controls). Cortical functional organization was mapped using diffusion map embedding to derive connectivity gradients, and group differences were quantified at both global and regional levels. Gradient metrics were further compared with conventional functional connectivity strength and tested for predictive utility using multivariate ridge regression against neurological outcome measures.

RESULTS: Across cohorts, patients consistently exhibited compression of the principal unimodal-to-transmodal gradient, reflecting diminished hierarchical differentiation between sensory and association cortices. These alterations were stable over the first three months of recovery and spatially aligned with normative maps of dopaminergic, GABAergic, glutamatergic, serotonergic and cannabinoid systems. By contrast, conventional functional connectivity strength metrics showed poor reproducibility. Gradient features outperformed connectivity strength in predicting overall neurological severity (NIHSS scores) and generalized robustly across cohorts, although predictive power for motor-specific deficits (FMA scores) was limited.

CONCLUSIONS: Subcortical stroke disrupts cortical functional hierarchy in a reproducible and neurochemically constrained manner, and this disruption serves as a robust biomarker of global neurological impairment. These findings establish cortical gradients as a mechanistically informative and clinically relevant tool for probing subcortical-cortical interactions, with potential to inform prognosis and targeted neurorehabilitation.

PMID:41857530 | DOI:10.1186/s12916-026-04796-x

J Neurosci Methods. 2026 Mar 17:110745. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2026.110745. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Resting-state fMRI connectivity is commonly estimated by single-value correlations that ignore run-to-run variability and sampling uncertainty, potentially obscuring subtle group effects such as sex-related differences in network stability.

NEW METHOD: We introduce a novel interval Type-II fuzzy graph framework that encodes connectivity uncertainty via block-bootstrap bounds across four HCP resting-state runs and derives stable α-cut graphs. We quantify uncertainty-aware stability using Disintegration Index (DI), Span Integrity (SI), and their composite DI×SI at both global and node-wise levels.

RESULTS: Sex differences in DI×SI were robust but depended on the parcellation scheme. Using a macro-anatomical Standard atlas (cortex + subcortex), females showed higher composite stability in the conservative-to-intermediate α regime, consistent with a more stable high-certainty cortico-subcortical backbone. In contrast, using the cortical Yeo17 functional-network atlas, males showed higher DI×SI across comparable α ranges, indicating relatively greater stability of intra-cortical functional-network organization. Node-wise effects likewise differed across atlases, highlighting subcortical hubs in the Standard representation and distributed cortical networks in Yeo17. These effects were most pronounced in the conservative low-to-intermediate α regime.

COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: A matched crisp Pearson-correlation baseline yielded substantially smaller and less stable effect sizes, showing that uncertainty-aware modeling increases sensitivity to reproducible and cross-run stable sex effects.

CONCLUSIONS: Type-II fuzzy connectomics reveals robust, α-dependent sex differences whose direction depends on atlas level, providing complementary insights into whole-brain versus cortical-network stability.

PMID:41856381 | DOI:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2026.110745

Prog Neurobiol. 2026 Mar 17:102906. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2026.102906. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Many brain diseases and disorders lack objective measures of brain function as indicators of pathology. The search for brain function biomarkers is complicated by the fact that these conditions are often heterogeneous and described as a spectrum from normal to abnormal rather than a sick-healthy dichotomy. Normative modeling addresses these challenges by characterizing the normal variation of brain function given sex and age and identifying abnormalities as deviations from this norm. Focusing on functional connectivity (FC) as a way to capture the network properties of the brain's activity, we here argue that the pathological effects of neurological or psychiatric disease lie at the systemic level, and that whole-brain normative models are more suitable to capture individual variations associated to these complex conditions than existing localized approaches that analyze one connection at a time. To be able to capture the whole-brain effects of disease, we thus propose Functional Connectivity Integrative Normative Modeling (FUNCOIN) as a novel whole-brain approach to normative modeling of FC. Using FUNCOIN and UK Biobank resting-state fMRI data from 46,000 healthy subjects across training and testing sets, we found that subjects with bipolar disorder and Parkinson's disease were significantly, and substantially, more likely than healthy subjects to exhibit abnormal FC patterns, which was not seen in localized models. Subjects with bipolar disorder divided into two distinct subgroups characterized by different brain function deviations. In Parkinson's disease subjects, abnormal FC patterns were significant even on scans up to 8 years before diagnosis.

PMID:41856310 | DOI:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2026.102906

Adv Sci (Weinh). 2026 Mar 19:e17234. doi: 10.1002/advs.202517234. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Exploring the dynamics of complex systems such as the human brain is challenging due to inherent uncertainties and the limited availability of high-quality data. Here, we develop a mathematical theory for noisy linear recurrent neural networks (lRNNs) within the reservoir computing framework and demonstrate their effectiveness in constructing autonomous in silico replicas - digital-twins - of brain activity. We show that the Laplace-transform poles of high-dimensional inferred lRNNs directly encode the spectral properties of observed systems and are linked to the kernels of auto-regressive models. Notably, our approach enables accurate recovery of the system's linear spectrum even when observations undergo conventional preprocessing, including band-pass filtering pipelines commonly used in neural recordings and resting-state fMRI. In these regimes, established techniques such as dynamic mode decomposition often produce spurious spectral estimates. Applying our framework to resting-state fMRI, we successfully predict and decompose BOLD activity into spatiotemporal modes in a low-dimensional latent state space confined around a single equilibrium point. The inferred lRNNs provide interpretable signatures that differentiate subjects and brain areas, supporting biologically meaningful clustering. This flexible digital-twin framework opens the door to virtual experiments and computationally efficient real-time adaptive learning, offering a promising avenue for personalized medicine and intervention strategies.

PMID:41855584 | DOI:10.1002/advs.202517234

J Craniofac Surg. 2026 Mar 19. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000012627. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Training activities in alpine environments, characterized by low temperatures, hypoxia, and high physical demand, predispose individuals to craniomaxillofacial (CMF) complex injuries with potential involvement of the central nervous system in the event of accidents. However, the imaging manifestations and multimodal features of brain injury within this specific environmental context remain insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the brain injury patterns in patients with CMF injuries sustained during alpine training, utilizing multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from the acute phase. It further sought to explore the interrelationships among structural damage, white matter microstructural alterations, and functional brain network abnormalities, thereby providing an imaging foundation for clinical assessment and risk stratification.

METHODS: This retrospective observational imaging study enrolled patients who sustained CMF injuries during alpine training and subsequently underwent multimodal MRI. All imaging data were derived from prior clinical examinations. MRI evaluations were performed during the acute post-injury period, with a median interval from injury to MRI of 2.6 days (interquartile range: 1.8-3.4 d). Short-term clinical follow-up data during the acute hospitalization phase were available for a subset of patients, with the endpoint defined as hospital discharge or completion of acute-phase treatment. No standardized longitudinal imaging follow-up was conducted. The MRI protocol encompassed conventional T1-weighted and T2-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). Primary analysis metrics included cerebral contusion/laceration and structural injury burden, the quantity and spatial distribution of cerebral microbleeds detected by SWI, DTI-derived white matter microstructural parameters, and topological indices of structural and functional brain networks constructed through connectomics methods. Multimodal integrative analysis was used to assess the associative characteristics between structural injury, white matter microstructural changes, and brain network dysfunction.

RESULTS: The findings revealed that patients with CMF injuries from alpine training exhibited multilevel brain injury features during the acute phase, including cerebral contusions, microbleeds, and diminished white matter microstructural integrity. Microbleeds were predominantly distributed in the corpus callosum and subcortical deep white matter regions. Their burden was closely associated with reduced white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) and weakened functional network connectivity. Structural and functional connectivity analyses demonstrated a widespread reduction in global network efficiency and clustering coefficient among the injured individuals, alongside a relative enhancement of connectivity in certain frontal lobe-related networks, suggesting the presence of network reorganization and compensation during the acute phase. Multimodal analysis further indicated that, within the alpine training context, structural lesions, white matter injury, and brain network dysfunction exhibited significant coupling. The overall injury phenotype seemed more severe compared with general trauma backgrounds.

CONCLUSIONS: Craniomaxillofacial complex injuries sustained during training in alpine environments can induce environmentally sensitive, multiscale brain damage in the acute phase, manifesting as coordinated alterations in structural injury, white matter microstructural abnormalities, and brain network functional disruption. Combined multimodal MRI analysis facilitates a comprehensive delineation of the imaging phenotype associated with such injuries, enhances the detection rate of occult brain damage, and provides critical reference for the clinical assessment, risk stratification, and intervention decision-making related to alpine environment-associated brain injury.

PMID:41855108 | DOI:10.1097/SCS.0000000000012627

Front Neurosci. 2026 Mar 3;20:1797621. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2026.1797621. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1484954.].

PMID:41853676 | PMC:PMC12993821 | DOI:10.3389/fnins.2026.1797621

Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci. 2026 Jan 10;6(3):100689. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2026.100689. eCollection 2026 May.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Childhood disruptive behavior problems are linked to aberrant integrity within large-scale cognitive control networks. However, it is unclear whether transitory or dynamic variation in the functional brain architecture is a marker of disruptive behavior problems. In this study, we tested whether functional connectivity across dynamic networks is distinctly associated with the transdiagnostic symptom domain of disruptive behavior problems in children.

METHODS: Participants were 9 to 10-year-olds from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study who completed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (N = 877). We used a dynamic connectivity approach leveraging a hidden semi-Markov model to identify transient properties of brain networks and states. Models estimated the time spent in each state (occupancy time) and the number of consecutive time points in a state (dwell time) for each participant. Linear regression models were utilized to identify distinct associations between dynamic properties (occupancy and sojourn times) and severity of disruptive behavior problems, while accounting for other commonly co-occurring symptoms.

RESULTS: Dynamic network markers of disruptive behavior problems included increased time in network states characterized by globally aberrant connectivity patterns in circuitry involved in cognitive control including frontoparietal and dorsal attention networks. Reliability of findings was found in a held-out sample of resting-state fMRI runs in which greater severity of disruptive behavior problems was uniquely linked to greater occupancy time in similarly characterized brain states.

CONCLUSIONS: Transdiagnostic, dynamic resting-state markers of disruptive behavior problems in youth may assist in the development of brain-based biomarkers for monitoring treatment outcomes, assessing circuit target engagement, and informing clinical decisions.

PMID:41852604 | PMC:PMC12994038 | DOI:10.1016/j.bpsgos.2026.100689

Sci Rep. 2026 Mar 18. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-42844-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

A cascade of biological responses to spinal cord injury (SCI), including neuroinflammation, plays a pivotal role in determining long-term outcomes and has become a primary therapeutic target. Riluzole, a neuroprotective agent, has demonstrated efficacy in preserving tissue integrity and improving motor function following SCI. The study aims to use this established treatment to verify that resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) functional connectivity (rsFC) and TSPO PET metrics are reliable biomarkers of SCI severity, progression, and treatment response. 16 male rats with a moderate lumbar contusion injury were administered Riluzole or HBC vehicle. rsfMRI and TSPO PET scans were collected post-SCI alongside motor-sensory behavioral tests. After SCI, significantly stronger rsFC between dorsal-to-dorsal gray matter horns rostral to the SCI was observed in the riluzole group, compared to the vehicle group. A majority of horn pairs rostral and caudal to injury exhibited significant decrease in rsFC over time for both groups and correlated with post-injury behavioral deficits and recovery. TSPO-PET detected increased SCI neuroinflammatory activity. Our results demonstrate reductions in rsFC disruption, validating the role of rsFC as biomarkers of SCI severity and progression. The imaging biomarkers can be used to evaluate the responsiveness to treatment and efficacy of novel therapies in preclinical studies.

PMID:41851217 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-026-42844-x