Most recent paper

Brain Behav. 2025 Mar;15(3):e70415. doi: 10.1002/brb3.70415.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the neuroimaging characteristics of eczema-induced pruritus with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

METHODS: A total of 42 patients with eczema were recruited in the PE group, and 42 healthy participants were included in the HC group. The Visual Analogue Score (VAS), 12-Item Pruritus Severity Scale (12-PSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were recorded in the PE group. The different values of fraction amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and functional connectivity (FC) were compared after rs-fMRI scanning.

RESULTS: Compared with the HC group, the fALFF values of the left precentral gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, left supplementary motor area (SMA), and left midcingulate cortex in the PE group were increased. The FC values between the left precentral gyrus, bilateral superior temporal gyrus, bilateral hippocampus, and left inferior occipital gyrus in the PE group were decreased. The FC values between left SMA and bilateral superior temporal gyrus in the PE group were decreased. The 12-PSS score was positively correlated with fALFF value of the left precentral gyrus and left postcentral gyrus.

CONCLUSION: Pruritus caused increased spontaneous activity in given cerebral regions, involving the perception of itch, control of scratching movements, and expression of itch-related emotions. Meanwhile, there is a correlation between fALFF values of given cerebral regions and clinical scales, which provided potential neurobiological markers for the future study of pruritus.

PMID:40123167 | DOI:10.1002/brb3.70415

J Affect Disord. 2025 Mar 21:S0165-0327(25)00453-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.104. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is marked by intense fear of social situations and negative evaluation. This study investigated neural effects of SAD-specific imagery scripts and their relationships with Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation (BFNE).

METHODS: Thirty-six SAD and 32 healthy controls underwent four five-minute fMRI runs: anxiety-provoking imagery, rest, relaxing imagery, and rest. The order of imageries was counterbalanced. Functional connectivity analysis and connectome-based predictive modeling with respect to BFNE were performed using six seed regions, including the bilateral amygdala, left hypothalamus, bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC), left ventromedial PFC (VMPFC), and left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC).

RESULTS: Group × task interaction effects were found in connectivity of left amygdala-right cerebellum, left PCC-bilateral superior frontal gyrus, and left PCC-right posterior middle temporal gyrus, and group × engagement effects were discovered in left hypothalamus-bilateral DMPFC and left VMPFC-right DMPFC couplings. Group × task × engagement interactions highlighted aberrant functional connections of right amygdala-left VMPFC, DMPFC-left DLPFC, and left VMPFC-bilateral supplementary motor area in SAD. Patterns of connectivity predicted the BFNE scores in various segments of imagery conditions.

LIMITATIONS: Patient's medication, physiological measures were not considered. Noisy nature of fMRI could have interfered participants from focusing.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed disrupted functional connections associated with emotion dysregulation and overly self-referent thinking in SAD. Markedly, patients showed maladaptive responses related to relaxation-inducing blocks, challenging the expected relaxation response. Overall findings emphasized inappropriate engagements of various processes in relaxing circumstances that do not overtly involve social anxiety to be associated with symptomatology.

PMID:40122256 | DOI:10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.104

J Affect Disord. 2025 Mar 21:S0165-0327(25)00469-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.121. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Brooding is a critical symptom and prognostic factor of major depressive disorder (MDD), which involves passively dwelling on self-referential dysphoria and related abstractions. The neurobiology of brooding remains under characterized. We aimed to elucidate neural dynamics underlying brooding, and explore their responses to neurofeedback intervention in MDD.

METHODS: We investigated functional MRI (fMRI) dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) in 36 MDD subjects and 26 healthy controls (HCs) during rest and brooding. Rest was measured before and after fMRI neurofeedback (MDD-active/sham: n = 18/18, HC-active/sham: n = 13/13). Baseline brooding severity was recorded using Ruminative Response Scale - Brooding subscale (RRS-B).

RESULTS: Four recurrent dFNC states were identified. Measures of time spent were not significantly different between MDD and HC for any of these states during brooding or rest. RRS-B scores in MDD showed significant negative correlation with measures of time spent in dFNC state 3 during brooding (r = -0.4, p = 0.002, FDR-significant). This state comprises strong connections spanning several brain systems involved in sensory, attentional and cognitive processing. Time spent in this anti-brooding dFNC state significantly increased following neurofeedback only in the MDD active group (z = -2.09, FWE-p = 0.034).

LIMITATIONS: The sample size was small and imbalanced between groups. Brooding condition was not examined post-neurofeedback.

CONCLUSION: We identified a densely connected anti-brooding dFNC brain state in MDD. MDD subjects spent significantly longer time in this state after active neurofeedback intervention, highlighting neurofeedback's potential for modulating dysfunctional brain dynamics to treat MDD.

PMID:40122254 | DOI:10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.121

Behav Brain Res. 2025 Mar 20:115546. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115546. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Overt narcissism is a stable personality trait in which individuals maintain a relatively positive self-image through self-improvement. Previous studies have suggested that examining the neurobiological processes behind personality could help to understand the mechanism by which the personality acts as a risk or protective factor. However, there is a lack of research investigating the neural mechanisms underlying the influence of overt narcissism on negative physical self (NPS). This study evaluated the resting state brain activity (fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations, fALFF) and connectivity (functional connectivity, FC) of 1647 college students. Whole brain correlation analysis showed that overt narcissism was positively correlated with fALFF in the left insula, left precentral gyrus (PreCG) and bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG). Moreover, overt narcissism exhibited a significant positive correlation with the right STG-PreCG connectivity, and also was significantly positively correlated with FC between the left STG and posterior cingulate gyrus, the left orbitofrontal cortex, the right inferior frontal gyrus and the right thalamus. The results of mediating analysis showed that fALFF in the left PreCG and the right STG-PreCG connectivity partially mediated the effects of overt narcissism on general and facial appearance of NPS, respectively. This study constructed a model (i.e., overt narcissism→brain regions/FC→NPS), providing neurobiological evidence for the relationship between overt narcissism and NPS.

PMID:40120946 | DOI:10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115546

Nutrition. 2025 Feb 25;134:112730. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2025.112730. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The ketogenic diet (KD) is an effective alternative therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). However, there are no established predictors for KD effectiveness. We aimed to investigate the impact of 12 months of KD therapy (KDT) on brain connectivity, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and its correlation with seizure control, behavioral/mood alterations, and parental stress.

METHODS: Children with DRE were enrolled in this single-center, prospective cohort study from February 2020 to October 2021. They were divided into a control group and a KDT group. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Parental Stress Index (PSI) were administered to parents at the initiation of KDT (T0) and at 12 months (T1). Resting-state fMRI was performed at T0 and at 6 months of KDT. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in the change of CBCL/PSI scores, and brain connectivity metrics after KDT, and the secondary outcome involved measuring their correlation with seizure reduction rates.

RESULTS: Twenty-two patients with DRE were enrolled. We had 13 patients in the control group and 9 in the KDT group. Our data revealed that 12 months of KDT can reduce monthly seizure frequency. Several subscales of CBCL T-scores were higher at T0 compared with the control group, then becoming comparable at T1. The PSI scores from 'mothers' reports reduced after receiving KDT. The changes in node assortativity (ΔAssortativity) were positively correlated with behavioral problems and negatively with seizure reduction rates in the KD group.

CONCLUSIONS: Twelve months of KDT can reduce monthly seizure frequency and improve mood/behavioral disturbances in patients with DRE. Furthermore, KDT could relieve primary caregivers' stress. A lower ΔAssortativity value was associated with better behavioral outcomes and greater seizure reduction. The ΔAssortativity value in fMRI may be a crucial predictor for the effectiveness of KDT.

PMID:40120198 | DOI:10.1016/j.nut.2025.112730

Cereb Cortex. 2025 Mar 6;35(3):bhaf062. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhaf062.

ABSTRACT

Failure to manage emotional withdrawal symptoms can exacerbate relapse to methamphetamine use. Understanding the neuro-mechanisms underlying methamphetamine overuse and the associated emotional withdrawal symptoms is crucial for developing effective clinical strategies. This study aimed to investigate the distinct functional contributions of fine-scale gyro-sulcal signaling in the psychopathology of patients with methamphetamine use disorder and its associations with emotional symptoms. We recruited 48 male abstinent methamphetamine use disorders and 48 age- and gender-matched healthy controls, obtaining their resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data along with scores on anxiety and depressive symptoms. The proposed deep learning model, a spatio-temporal graph convolutional network utilizing gyro-sulcal subdivisions, achieved the highest average classification accuracy in distinguishing resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of methamphetamine use disorders from healthy controls. Within this model, nodes in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, and the habitual and executive control networks, contributed most significantly to the classification. Additionally, emotional symptom scores were negatively correlated with the sum of negative functional connectivity in the right caudal anterior cingulate sulcus and the functional connectivity between the left putamen and pallidum in methamphetamine use disorders. These findings provide novel insights into the differential functions of gyral and sulcal regions, enhancing our understanding of the neuro-mechanisms underlying methamphetamine use disorders.

PMID:40120102 | DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhaf062

J Neurol. 2025 Mar 22;272(4):281. doi: 10.1007/s00415-025-13018-y.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Musician's dystonia is the most common form of focal task-specific dystonia and is suggested to be the result of dysfunctional communication among sensory-motor networks. Thus far, few functional connectivity studies have investigated musician's dystonia specifically, leaving its exact pathophysiological mechanisms unclear. The goal of this study was to verify connectivity findings from other task-specific dystonias on a large sample of musician's hand dystonia patients and to analyze associations with possible adverse childhood experiences, a suggested risk factor for dystonia.

METHODS: Forty professional musicians suffering from musician's hand dystonia and a matched control group of healthy musicians underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and answered the childhood trauma questionnaire. Using a seed-to-whole brain approach, functional connectivity alterations between motor cortices, the prefrontal cortex, the basal ganglia and the thalamus were analyzed.

RESULTS: Musician's dystonia patients showed increased functional connectivity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with the putamen and the pallidum, especially in right-side affected patients. Patients further displayed increased connectivity of the left thalamus and the right lateral premotor cortex. No associations between functional connectivity, duration of disorder and childhood adversity were observed.

CONCLUSION: The findings are consistent with previous research, highlighting the pathophysiological importance of the basal ganglia. Altered resting-state functional connectivity may reflect underlying neuroplastic changes in musicians with dystonia that lead to an altered flow of information, disrupting movement inhibition. Involvement of the dorsolateral prefrontal and premotor cortices further suggests that motor disturbances occur in the early planning phase of a movement. The findings indicate that a holistic re-training approach with and without the instrument could be beneficial for regaining motor control.

PMID:40119933 | DOI:10.1007/s00415-025-13018-y

Commun Biol. 2025 Mar 21;8(1):473. doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-07928-w.

ABSTRACT

Head motion during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can influence the identification of brain differences as well as early diagnosis and precise MRI-based interventions for ASD. This study aims to address head motion issues in resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data by comparing various correction methods. Specifically, we evaluate the independent component analysis-based automatic removal of motion artifacts (ICA-AROMA) against traditional preprocessing pipelines, including head motion realignment parameters and global signal regression (GSR). Our dataset consisted of 306 participants, including 148 individuals with ASD and 158 participants with typical development (TD). We find that ICA-AROMA, particularly when combined with GSR and physiological noise correction, outperformed other strategies in differentiating ASD from TD participants based on functional connectivity (FC) analyses. The correlation of quality control with functional connectivity (QC-FC) is statistically significant in proportion and distance after applying each denoising pipeline. The mean FC between groups is significant for Yeo's 17-Network in each denoising strategy. ICA-AROMA head motion correction outperformed other strategies, revealing more significant FC networks and distinct brain regions linked to the posterior cingulate cortex and postcentral gyrus. This suggests ICA-AROMA enhances fMRI preprocessing, aiding ASD diagnosis and biomarker development.

PMID:40118993 | DOI:10.1038/s42003-025-07928-w