Most recent paper

Association between functional alterations and specific transcriptional expression patterns in craniocervical dystonia
Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2025 Jan 31;133:107315. doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2025.107315. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Craniocervical dystonia (CCD) is a large-scale network disorder that involves functional changes in multiple brain regions. However, the association between these functional changes and the underlying molecular mechanisms has not been explored.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to characterize the molecular changes associated with the imaging-defined functional architecture of the brain in CCD.
METHODS: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were obtained from 146 patients with CCD and 137 healthy controls (HCs). Differences in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), fractional ALFF (fALFF), and regional homogeneity (ReHo) were compared between groups. Transcriptomic data were obtained from the Allen Human Brain Atlas to identify the gene expression patterns underlying the affected functional architecture in CCD using partial least squares regression.
RESULTS: Compared to HCs, patients with CCD showed common functional alterations, mainly in the left middle occipital gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus, right calcarine, right precentral gyrus, and left postcentral gyrus. These functional alteration patterns were positively associated with 1763 genes (including five risk genes for dystonia) enriched for synaptic signaling, regulation of trans-synaptic signaling, and neuronal systems, while they were negatively associated with 2318 genes (including eight risk genes for dystonia), which were enriched for monoatomic cation transport, DNA damage response and neurodevelopment.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals a genetic pathological mechanism explaining CCD-related brain functional changes.
PMID:39921933 | DOI:10.1016/j.parkreldis.2025.107315
Microvascular structure variability explains variance in fMRI functional connectivity
Brain Struct Funct. 2025 Feb 8;230(2):39. doi: 10.1007/s00429-025-02899-4.
ABSTRACT
The influence of regional brain vasculature on resting-state fMRI BOLD signals is well documented. However, the role of brain vasculature is often overlooked in functional connectivity research. In the present report, utilizing publicly available whole-brain vasculature data in the mouse, we investigate the relationship between functional connectivity and brain vasculature. This is done by assessing interregional variations in vasculature through a novel metric termed vascular similarity. First, we identify features to describe the regional vasculature. Then, we employ multiple linear regression models to predict functional connectivity, incorporating vascular similarity alongside metrics from structural connectivity and spatial topology. Our findings reveal a significant correlation between functional connectivity strength and regional vasculature similarity, especially in anesthetized mice. We also show that multiple linear regression models of functional connectivity using standard predictors are improved by including vascular similarity. We perform this analysis at the cerebrum and whole-brain levels using data from both male and female mice. Our findings regarding the relation between functional connectivity and the underlying vascular anatomy may enhance our understanding of functional connectivity based on fMRI and provide insights into its disruption in neurological disorders.
PMID:39921726 | DOI:10.1007/s00429-025-02899-4
Effects of trace element dysregulation on brain structure and function in spinocerebellar Ataxia type 3
Neurobiol Dis. 2025 Feb 5:106816. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106816. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), a neurodegenerative disorder caused by excess CAG repeats in the ATXN3 gene, leads to progressive cerebellar ataxia and other symptoms. The results of previous studies suggest that trace element dysregulation contributes to neurodegenerative disorder onset. Here, we investigated the relationships of trace element dysregulation with CAG repeat length, clinical severity, and brain structural and functional connectivity in 45 patients with SCA3 and 44 healthy controls (HCs). Blood levels of lithium (Li), selenium (Se), and copper (Cu) were significantly lower in patients with SCA3 than in HCs; Li and Se levels were negatively correlated with CAG repeat length, especially in the manifest subgroup. Diffusion tensor imaging combined with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that Li levels were negatively correlated with fractional anisotropy in the white matter (WM) of bilateral frontal and parietal regions; tractography mapping showed disorder structural connectivity of Li-associated region nerve fiber pathways in patients with SCA3. Dynamic causal modeling analyses showed bidirectional causal connectivity from the inferior parietal lobule(IPL) to the cerebellum was significantly correlated with the blood level of Li in patients with SCA3. Time series correlation-based functional connectivity analysis revealed that the intrinsic connectivities of the bilateral dorsal premotor cortex(PMd) and IPL with local cerebellar regions were significantly weaker in patients with SCA3 than in HCs. Our results suggest that trace element dysregulation, especially Li deficiency, induces brain alterations and clinical manifestations in patients with SCA3; Li supplementation may be beneficial for WM or astrocytes in this patient population.
PMID:39921113 | DOI:10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106816
Disease-specific alterations of effective connectivity across anti-correlated networks in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Feb 5:111283. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111283. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) share various clinical behaviors and have confounded clinical diagnoses. Converging studies have suggested MDD and BD as disorders with abnormal communication among functional brain networks involved in mental activity and redirection. However, whether MDD and BD show disease-specific alterations in network information interaction remains unclear. This study collected resting-state functional MRI data of 98 patients with MDD, 55 patients with BD, and sex-, age-, and education-matched 95 healthy controls. Spectral dynamic causal model (spDCM) was used to investigate effective connectivities among three large-scale intrinsic functional networks including the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and dorsal attention network (DAN). Effective connectivities showing disease-specific changes were then used as input features of support vector models to predict clinical symptoms and classify individuals with MDD and BD. Compared with healthy controls, both the MDD and BD groups showed increased DAN → SN connectivity. However, within-network connectivities of DMN and DAN showed opposite effects on the diseases. Notably, MDD and BD also showed different alterations on a connectivity loop of SN → DAN → DMN → SN, which could be used to predict the clinical symptom severity of either MDD or BD. Individuals with MDD and BD could be further classified by using connectivities showing opposite disease effects. Our findings reveal common and unique alterations of network interactions in MDD and BD, and further suggest disease-specific neuroimaging markers for clinical diagnosis.
PMID:39921029 | DOI:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111283
Disrupted topology of the functional white matter connectome in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy
Neuroscience. 2025 Feb 5:S0306-4522(25)00095-8. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2025.02.011. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the changes in the topological organization of WM functional connectivity in individuals with TAO, providing a novel and insightful perspective on the functional disruptions that characterize this condition.
METHODS: This study utilized resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI) to capture blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals and T1-weighted images from patients with TAO and healthy control subjects. Group-level masks for white matter were created to extract WM-related BOLD signals, facilitating the construction of a functional white matter network. Graph theory analysis was subsequently conducted to evaluate global metrics, nodal metrics, and modularity, alongside network-based analysis. Finally, support vector machines (SVM) were employed for classification.
RESULTS: A functional white matter network comprising 128 nodes and their respective connections was identified. The graph theory analysis revealed significant differences primarily in the sigma characteristic of the global small-world metrics, with a notable decrease in betweenness centrality observed in the splenium of the corpus callosum. Modularity analysis indicated significant intra-module variations in modules 03 and 05, while strong inter-module connections were observed between modules 01 and 03, as well as between modules 02 and 04. Furthermore, network-based statistics (NBS) highlighted 13 networks that exhibited significant alterations in the TAO group compared to healthy controls, underscoring the potential impact of TAO on the organization of white matter networks.
CONCLUSION: In our study, we found that patients with TAO exhibited abnormalities in the white matter functional network regarding small-world metrics and modularity, which are related to visual and cognitive functions.
PMID:39921024 | DOI:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2025.02.011
Altered effective connectivity within brain lesioned regions and cognitive impairment after stroke
Cogn Neurodyn. 2025 Dec;19(1):36. doi: 10.1007/s11571-024-10209-7. Epub 2025 Feb 4.
ABSTRACT
Poststroke cognitive impairments (PSCI) reflect widespread network dysfunction due to structural damage, abnormal neural activity, or abnormal connections in affected brain regions. The exact influence of these lesioned regions on the related functional network and their role in PSCI remains unclear. We recruited 35 first-time stroke patients who had basal ganglia infarcts and PSCI, along with 29 age-matched healthy controls. We utilized T1-weighted imaging to inspect structural damage with regional gray matter volume (GMV). Resting-state fMRI data were utilized to examine spontaneous activities with regional Wavelet-ALFF metric, investigate dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) by seeding the region with damaged GMV, and further study effective connectivity within the abnormal dFC network and its impact on PSCI. In comparison to HC, patients showed significant reduced GMV in the bilateral Rolandic operculum (ROL), along with notable abnormal Wavelet-ALFF values in the right Precuneus (PCUN) and left Cerebellum_9 (CER9). Particularly, an abnormal dFC network seeded in the left ROL, demonstrating significantly differential between PSCI and HC groups and remaining consistent across all time windows, was observed. This abnormal dFC network comprised the left ROL as the seed region, the right ROL, bilateral PCUN, bilateral CER9, right Superior Temporal Gyrus (STG), and right Parahippocampal Gyrus (PHG). Notably, in patients, impaired functions across various cognitive domains significantly influenced the altered effective connections among the abnormal regions, particularly impacting the connections between structurally damaged regions and those with abnormal spontaneous activity. These findings suggest that altered effective connectivity networks within lesioned regions may contribute to deficits in various cognitive domains in PSCI.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11571-024-10209-7.
PMID:39917314 | PMC:PMC11794930 | DOI:10.1007/s11571-024-10209-7
Cognitive and Clinical Dimensions of Structural and Functional Insula Alterations in Patients with Depression: A Resting-State fMRI Study
Int J Neurosci. 2025 Feb 6:1-15. doi: 10.1080/00207454.2024.2446908. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Depression is characterized by pervasive cognitive and emotional disturbances, yet the neural mechanisms underlying these deficits remain incompletely understood. This study utilized multimodal neuroimaging, including resting-state functional MRI and structural T1-weighted imaging, alongside the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), to delineate the structural and functional alterations in the insula in first-episode, medication-naïve patients with depression. Compared to matched healthy controls, patients with depression exhibited significant reductions in gray matter density in the left insula, which were robustly associated with impairments in reasoning and problem-solving abilities. Mediation analyses revealed that insular gray matter density mediated the relationship between depressive symptom severity and cognitive deficits, emphasizing the insula's critical role in linking emotional and cognitive dysfunctions. Furthermore, functional connectivity analyses identified disrupted insula-medial prefrontal cortex circuits, highlighting their contribution to the pathophysiology of depression. These findings underscore the insula's dual role as a structural and functional hub in depression, advancing our understanding of the neural substrates of cognitive dysfunction and informing potential targets for intervention.
PMID:39915081 | DOI:10.1080/00207454.2024.2446908
Functional MRI study of neurovascular coupling in patients with non-lesional epilepsy
Front Hum Neurosci. 2025 Jan 22;18:1517565. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1517565. eCollection 2024.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of patients with non-lesional epilepsy (NLE) is relatively challenging because of the absence of a clear focus on imaging, and the underlying pathological mechanism remains unclear. The neuronal activity and functional connectivity of NLE patients are significantly abnormal, and the neuronal activity of epilepsy patients is closely related to cerebral blood flow (CBF). Neurovascular coupling (NVC) offers insights into the relationship between neuronal activity and CBF. Hence, we intend to explore the alterations of NVC in NLE patients and their influences on cognitive function.
METHODS: Clinical data of 24 patients with NLE (15 female; age range 19-40 years; median age 30.5 years) and 39 healthy controls (27 female; age range 19-40 years; median age 30 years) were collected, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and 3D arterial spin labeling (ASL) were performed. The imaging indexes of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and CBF were calculated, respectively, by post-processing analysis. The differences in CBF, ALFF and CBF/ALFF ratio between the two groups were analyzed, along with correlation with clinical data of NLE patients.
RESULTS: Compared with the healthy controls, the CBF of the right parahippocampal gyrus was significantly decreased, and the CBF/ALFF ratio of the right inferior parietal, but supramarginal and angular gyri was significantly increased in NLE patients (p < 0.001). Moreover, the CBF/ALFF ratio was positively correlated with epilepsy depression score (r = 0.546, p = 0.006).
CONCLUSION: NLE patients showed abnormal local NVC, which was associated with the severity of depression. The combined application of rs-fMRI and ASL can comprehensively evaluate the neuronal activity and cerebral blood perfusion in patients with NLE. The abnormal NVC is of great significance for us to explore the central mechanism of the occurrence and development of NLE.
PMID:39911912 | PMC:PMC11794321 | DOI:10.3389/fnhum.2024.1517565
Individualized prediction of multi-domain intelligence quotient in bipolar disorder patients using resting-state functional connectivity
Brain Res Bull. 2025 Feb 3;222:111238. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111238. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Although accumulating studies have explored the neural underpinnings of intelligence quotient (IQ) in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), these studies utilized a classification/comparison scheme that emphasized differences between BD and healthy controls at a group level. The present study aimed to infer BD patients' IQ scores at the individual level using a prediction model.
METHODS: We applied a cross-validated Connectome-based Predictive Modeling (CPM) framework using resting-state fMRI functional connectivity (FCs) to predict BD patients' IQ scores, including verbal IQ (VIQ), performance IQ (PIQ), and full-scale IQ (FSIQ). For each IQ domain, we selected the FCs that contributed to the predictions and described their distribution across eight widely-recognized functional networks. Moreover, we further explored the overlapping patterns of the contributed FCs for different IQ domains.
RESULTS: The CPM achieved statistically significant prediction performance for three IQ domains in BD patients. Regarding the contributed FCs, we observed a widespread distribution of internetwork FCs across somatomotor, visual, dorsal attention, and ventral attention networks, demonstrating their correspondence with aberrant FCs correlated to cognition deficits in BD patients. A convergent pattern in terms of contributed FCs for different IQ domains was observed, as evidenced by the shared-FCs with a leftward hemispheric dominance.
CONCLUSIONS: The present study preliminarily explored the feasibility of inferring individual IQ scores in BD patients using the FCs-based CPM framework. It is a step toward the development of applicable techniques for quantitative and objective cognitive assessment in BD patients and contributes novel insights into understanding the complex neural mechanisms underlying different IQ domains.
PMID:39909352 | DOI:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111238
Federated Bayesian network learning from multi-site data
J Biomed Inform. 2025 Feb 3;163:104784. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2025.104784. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Identifying functional connectivity biomarkers of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients is essential to advance the understanding of disorder mechanisms and early intervention. Multi-site data arise naturally which could enhance the statistical power of single-site-based methods. However, the main concern is the inter-site heterogeneity and data sharing barriers between different sites. Our objective is to overcome these barriers to learn multiple Bayesian networks (BNs) from rs-fMRI data.
METHODS: We propose a federated joint estimator and the corresponding optimization algorithm, called NOTEARS-PFL. Specifically, we incorporate both shared and site-specific information into NOTEARS-PFL by utilizing the sparse group lasso penalty. Addressing data-sharing constraint, we develop the alternating direction method of multipliers for the optimization of NOTEARS-PFL. This entails processing neuroimaging data locally at each site, followed by the transmission of the learned network structures for central global updates.
RESULTS: The effectiveness and accuracy of the NOTEARS-PFL method are validated through its application on both synthetic and real-world multi-site resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) datasets. This demonstrates its superior efficiency and precision in comparison to alternative approaches.
CONCLUSION: We proposed a toolbox called NOTEARS-PFL to learn the heterogeneous brain functional connectivity in MDD patients using multi-site data efficiently and with the data sharing constraint. The comprehensive experiments on both synthetic data and real-world multi-site rs-fMRI datasets with MDD highlight the excellent efficacy of our proposed method.
PMID:39909179 | DOI:10.1016/j.jbi.2025.104784
Increased functional connectivity between brainstem substructures and cortex in treatment resistant depression
Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2025 Jan 27;348:111957. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2025.111957. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies showed an abnormal brainstem-to-cortex functional connectivity (FC) in major depressive disorder. However, only few studies analyzed brainstem substructures in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). In this study, we analyzed resting-state seed-based FC between midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata and cortical/subcortical brain regions in patients with TRD (n = 24) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 24). FC was analyzed in each group and compared between groups. Correlation analyses assessed the relationship between FC strength and depressive symptom severity in regions showing significant group differences in seed-based connectivity. Our findings reveal an increased FC in the midbrain and pons to the precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and temporal gyrus in patients with TRD compared to healthy controls. Interestingly, in TRD patients, FC between midbrain and cortex was negatively correlated with BDI-II scores, indicating a relationship between altered connectivity and self-reported depression severity. It is essential to note that our naturalistic, cross-sectional approach precludes causal conclusions regarding the relationship between FC and pathophysiology of TRD. The small sample size necessitates confirmation in a larger cohort. Midbrain/pons-to-cortex FC was increased in patients with TRD compared to healthy controls. Future studies should explore the relationship between abnormal brainstem-to-cortex FC and depressive symptomatology in more detail.
PMID:39908872 | DOI:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2025.111957
Comparison of attention and brain functional connectivity between patient groups with schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Psychiatry Res. 2025 Jan 26;345:116376. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116376. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have many contradicting features, but both these disorders share inattention as a core symptom. This study explored how the characteristics of inattention differ between the two disorders. 20 patients with schizophrenia, 20 patients with adult ADHD and 20 healthy controls participated in this study. Comprehensive attention test, Korean Wechsler adult intelligence scale-IV and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were collected, among other things. The schizophrenia and ADHD groups showed low and high levels of functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN), respectively. Functional connectivity level within the DMN was also positively correlated with processing speed index in the schizophrenia group and positively correlated with the number of divided-attention commission errors in the ADHD group. These results show that schizophrenia and adult ADHD have similarities in the characteristics of attention deficit, in that both may arise from dysregulation within the DMN. However, the differences in the levels of functional connectivity in the DMN between these groups affect how inattention manifests in each group.
PMID:39908657 | DOI:10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116376
Aerobic Exercise Training and Depressive Symptoms in People With Multiple Sclerosis: Brief Report on Default-Mode Network Resting-State Functional Connectivity
Int J MS Care. 2025 Feb 3;27(Q1):34-41. doi: 10.7224/1537-2073.2024-003. eCollection 2025 Jan.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: We sought to examine a potential neural mechanism of reduced depressive symptoms in response to aerobic treadmill walking exercise training in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This includes a secondary analysis of depressive symptom and MRI data from an original randomized controlled trial (RCT) on exercise effects on learning and memory impairment in people with MS.
METHODS: Ten fully ambulatory people with MS were randomly assigned into either a 12-week aerobic treadmill walking condition or active control condition (ie, stretching and range-of-motion activities). All participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for measurement of depressive symptoms as well as a resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) before and after the 12-week study period.
RESULTS: There were no between-condition differences in depressive symptoms at baseline. Participants who were randomly assigned to the intervention condition demonstrated reductions in depressive symptoms compared with minimal changes for those who underwent the control condition. This corresponded with significant changes in resting-state functional connectivity within the default-mode network (DMN).
CONCLUSIONS: The overall pattern of results suggests that resting-state functional connectivity within the DMN may represent a potential neural mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of exercise on depressive symptoms in people with MS. Such results warrant future consideration in the design and conduct of future RCTs that aim to treat MS-related depression with aerobic exercise training in people with MS who have been prescreened for clinical depression.
PMID:39906605 | PMC:PMC11791503 | DOI:10.7224/1537-2073.2024-003
Research Progress on Neural Processing of Hand and Forearm Tactile Sensation: A Review Based on fMRI Research
Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2025 Jan 31;21:193-212. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S488059. eCollection 2025.
ABSTRACT
Tactile perception is one of the important ways through which humans interact with the external environment. Similar to the neural processing in visual and auditory systems, the neural processing of tactile information is a complex procedure that transforms this information into sensory signals. Neuroimaging techniques, such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), provide compelling evidence indicating that different types of tactile signals undergo independent or collective processing within multiple brain regions. This review focuses on fMRI studies employing both task-based (block design or event-related design) and resting-state paradigms. These studies use general linear models (GLM) to identify brain regions activated during touch processing, or employ functional connectivity(FC) analysis to examine interactions between brain regions, thereby exploring the neural mechanisms underlying the central nervous system's processing of various aspects of tactile sensation, including discriminative touch and affective touch. The discussion extends to exploring changes in tactile processing patterns observed in certain disease states. Recognizing the analogy between pain and touch processing patterns, we conclude by summarizing the interaction between touch and pain. Currently, fMRI-based studies have made significant progress in the field of tactile neural processing. These studies not only deepen our understanding of tactile perception but also provide new perspectives for future neuroscience studies.
PMID:39906284 | PMC:PMC11792622 | DOI:10.2147/NDT.S488059
Disrupted functional connectivity of the emotion regulation network in major depressive disorder and its association with symptom improvement: A multisite resting-state functional MRI study
Psychol Med. 2025 Feb 5;55:e21. doi: 10.1017/S0033291724003489.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The emotion regulation network (ERN) in the brain provides a framework for understanding the neuropathology of affective disorders. Although previous neuroimaging studies have investigated the neurobiological correlates of the ERN in major depressive disorder (MDD), whether patients with MDD exhibit abnormal functional connectivity (FC) patterns in the ERN and whether the abnormal FC in the ERN can serve as a therapeutic response signature remain unclear.
METHODS: A large functional magnetic resonance imaging dataset comprising 709 patients with MDD and 725 healthy controls (HCs) recruited across five sites was analyzed. Using a seed-based FC approach, we first investigated the group differences in whole-brain resting-state FC of the 14 ERN seeds between participants with and without MDD. Furthermore, an independent sample (45 MDD patients) was used to evaluate the relationship between the aforementioned abnormal FC in the ERN and symptom improvement after 8 weeks of antidepressant monotherapy.
RESULTS: Compared to the HCs, patients with MDD exhibited aberrant FC between 7 ERN seeds and several cortical and subcortical areas, including the bilateral middle temporal gyrus, bilateral occipital gyrus, right thalamus, calcarine cortex, middle frontal gyrus, and the bilateral superior temporal gyrus. In an independent sample, these aberrant FCs in the ERN were negatively correlated with the reduction rate of the HAMD17 score among MDD patients.
CONCLUSIONS: These results might extend our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings underlying unadaptable or inflexible emotional processing in MDD patients and help to elucidate the mechanisms of therapeutic response.
PMID:39905829 | DOI:10.1017/S0033291724003489
Resting-state functional brain connectivity in female adolescents with first-onset anorexia nervosa
Neuroimage Clin. 2025 Jan 28;45:103745. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103745. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Women with anorexia nervosa (AN) have been shown to demonstrate differences in functional connectivity in brain regions associated with cognitive control, somatosensory processing, and emotion regulation. However, previous studies have been conducted on small samples and have inconsistent findings. Therefore, this study aimed to identify aberrant brain networks related to the core clinical symptoms of AN and to explore the longitudinal association with clinical outcome in a large population of adolescents experiencing their first episode of AN.
METHODS: Functional MRI (fMRI) of brain resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) of female adolescents with first-onset AN (n = 56) were compared to age- and education-matched typically developing (TD) adolescents (n = 64). To account for the severity of underweight, separate analyses were performed to investigate differences in RS-FC between underweight AN participants and TD adolescents, as well as between underweight (n = 30) and weight-restored AN (n = 26) participants. Clinical outcomes, i.e. body mass index and eating disorder (ED) symptoms, were assessed at baseline and one-year follow-up. Independent component analyses (ICA) were used to extract the brain networks of interest: the default mode (DMN), left and right frontoparietal (FPN), and the insular (IN) networks. Linear regression analyses were conducted to assess differences in RS-FC between AN and TD participants, as well as to assess whether RS-FC was associated with clinical symptoms at baseline and at one-year of follow-up. Two statistical models were used: model 1 adjusted for age and socioeconomic status (SES), and model 2 additionally adjusted for baseline anxiety and depressive symptoms.
RESULTS: Underweight AN participants had lower RS-FC between the DMN-IN, as well as between the FPN-IN compared to the TD adolescents. After correction for multiple testing, no significant differences in RS-FC were found between underweight AN participants and weight-restored AN participants, as well as between the whole AN group and the TD group. RS-FC was not associated with the severity of clinical symptoms at baseline nor at one-year of follow-up.
CONCLUSION: AN is associated with changes in RS-FC between the FPN-IN and DMN-IN during the underweight state. These changes in RS-FC were no longer observed in weight-restored AN participants, emphasizing the impact of underweight on RS-FC in AN. Changes in these brain networks may partly explain the impaired cognitive control and difficulties with emotion and behavioral regulation in individuals with AN during the underweight state.
PMID:39904205 | DOI:10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103745
Iron deposition is associated with motor and non-motor network breakdown in parkinsonism
Front Aging Neurosci. 2025 Jan 20;16:1518155. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1518155. eCollection 2024.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Iron deposition has been observed in Parkinsonism and is emerging as a diagnostic marker for movement disorders. Brain functional network disruption has also been detected in parkinsonism, and is believed to be accountable for specific symptoms in parkinsonism. However, how iron deposition influences brain network remains to be elucidated.
METHODS: We recruited 16 Parkinson's disease (PD), 8 multiple system atrophy (MSA) and 7 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patients. T1-weighted, susceptibility weighted images and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) were acquired. Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) analysis was performed to quantify iron deposition in substantia nigra, putamen and dentate nucleus. Cerebellar network, sensorimotor network, default mode network and language networks were segregated using independent analysis. Network and iron deposition status were evaluated in relation to diagnostic groups, motor and non-motor symptoms. The relationship between quantitative iron deposition and brain network status was further interrogated. To further validate the findings, 13 healthy controls and 37 PD patients who had available T1 and rs-fMRI scans were selected from Parkinson's progression markers initiative (PPMI) database, and network analysis was performed.
RESULTS: In local cohort, compared to PD, MSA patients showed greater iron deposition in putamen, while PSP patients had greater iron deposition in caudate nucleus and thalamus. Cerebellar and language networks showed significant difference across diagnostic groups, while default mode network and sensorimotor network did not. MSA patients had significantly impaired cerebellar network and language networks compared to PD patients. Cerebellar network was positively associated with motor symptom scores while language network was positively associated with MoCA scores in the patients. Iron deposition was negatively associated with both networks' activity in the patients. In PPMI cohort, impairment was found in both cerebellar and language networks in PD. Cerebellar and language networks correlated with motor and cognitive impairment, respectively.
CONCLUSION: Cerebellar network and language networks are differently influenced in MSA, PD and PSP, which can serve as potential diagnostic marker. Impairment of cerebellar network and language network are associated with motor symptoms and cognitive impairment, respectively. Moreover, dysfunction of the networks is associated with iron deposition in deep nuclei (SN, DN, Putamen).
PMID:39902281 | PMC:PMC11788357 | DOI:10.3389/fnagi.2024.1518155
Brain function abnormalities and inflammation in HIV-positive men who have sex with men with depressive disorders
Front Psychiatry. 2025 Jan 20;15:1438085. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1438085. eCollection 2024.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Depressive disorders are highly prevalent among people with HIV (PWH) and are related to aberrant inflammation and immune responses. However, there is currently a lack of investigation into the neurological, inflammatory, endocrine, and immune aspects of HIV-associated depressive disorders (HADD).
METHODS: The study involved 33 HIV-positive men who have sex with men with depressive disorders (HADD group) and 47 without neuropsychiatric disorders (HIV control group). Participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans and assessments of peripheral blood. Peripheral blood cytokines, plasma concentrations of hormone and neurotrophic factors, and immune cell levels were determined using liquid chip, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. The correlation of imaging alterations with clinical variables and peripheral blood indicators was assessed.
RESULTS: Compared to the HIV control group, the HADD group exhibited a higher fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in the left superior parietal gyrus, lower regional homogeneity in the left precentral gyrus, and reduced voxel-wise functional connectivity for the seed region in the right precentral gyrus with clusters in the right cuneus, etc. Furthermore, the HADD group had higher levels of interferon-gamma, a higher frequency of non-classical monocytes, and higher expression levels of perforin and CD38 on specific cells. These imaging results were significantly correlated with peripheral blood indicators and clinical variables.
CONCLUSION: This rs-fMRI study provides considerable evidence for abnormal intrinsic brain activity in people with HADD. Furthermore, our data also indicate the detrimental effects of depression-related inflammation on PWH. Therefore, it is imperative to increase attention to HADD and implement effective preventive interventions accordingly.
PMID:39902245 | PMC:PMC11788281 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1438085
Similarities and Differences in Resting-State Brain Activity Changes of Distinct Chronic Pain Types
Oral Dis. 2025 Feb 4. doi: 10.1111/odi.15271. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To explore neural similarities and differences between visceral and somatic pain by comparing spontaneous brain activity in patients with chronic temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
METHODS: Twenty eight IBS patients, 21 TMD patients, and 28 healthy controls (HC) underwent resting-state fMRI and behavioral assessments. The correlations between fMRI metrics such as the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), functional connectivity (FC), and clinical manifestations were further analyzed.
RESULTS: Compared with HC, both patient groups demonstrated increased ALFF in right parahippocampal gyrus (PHG), insula, medial superior frontal gyrus (SFGmed), precentral gyrus (PreCG), and increased ReHo in right SFGmed and left supplementary motor area (SMA). Compared with IBS patients, TMD patients exhibited reduced ALFF in right SFGmed and insula, increased ALFF in right PHG and PreCG, decreased ReHo in right SFGmed and left lingual gyrus, and increased ReHo in left SMA. Both patient groups exhibited enhanced right PHG-related FC in left precuneus and right cingulate gyrus, and right insula-related FC in left superior temporal gyrus and right paracentral lobule. Specifically, IBS patients showed higher FC between right PHG and orbitofrontal cortex than TMD patients, which was negatively correlated with mood and gastrointestinal symptoms. Mediation analysis revealed that pain in TMD and gastrointestinal symptoms in IBS mediated these relationships.
CONCLUSION: Visceral and somatic pain share abnormal activity in multiple brain networks. Abnormalities in affective region present potential neuroimaging markers for pain disorders, with depression in somatic pain linked to pain intensity and in visceral pain to gastrointestinal symptoms.
PMID:39901770 | DOI:10.1111/odi.15271
Exploring Psychological Factors and Brain Alterations in Functional Anorectal Pain Patients: Insights From Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Investigations
Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2025 Feb 3:e15017. doi: 10.1111/nmo.15017. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Functional anorectal pain (FAP) is classified as one of the disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI). It involves the impairments of anorectal afferents and disrupted gut-brain communication. However, neuroimaging studies focused on FAP are lacking.
METHODS: A total of 25 FAP patients and 18 healthy controls (HC) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) scans, and collection of demographic data, mental health assessment scales and pain assessment questionnaires. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM), tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) were utilized to analyze the imaging data. Correlation analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between the neuroimaging findings and clinical symptoms.
KEY RESULTS: Functional anorectal pain (FAP) patients exhibited higher levels of anxiety, depression scores and lower sleep quality compared to HC. VBM analysis revealed increased gray matter volume (GMV) in the bilateral fusiform, right parahippocampal, bilateral inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), and decreased GMV in the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG), left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), left Calcarine, bilateral middle occipital gyrus (MOG), left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) in FAP patients. TBSS analysis showed decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), and forceps minor in the FAP patients. Additionally, increased ALFF in the right cerebellum and increased ReHo in the right MFG were observed in the FAP patients.
CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES: These findings showed a worse psychological condition and suggested neuroanatomical and neurofunctional alterations associated with pain processing, emotion regulation, and cognitive control in FAP patients.
PMID:39901693 | DOI:10.1111/nmo.15017