Feed aggregator

Mov Disord. 2025 Sep 1. doi: 10.1002/mds.70025. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Isolated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is a prodromal manifestation of synucleinopathies and provides a critical window to identify early markers of progression to Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Time-averaged (static) and time-varying (dynamic) functional connectivity between large-scale brain networks may sensitively capture early pathophysiological changes and offer prognostic value beyond structural imaging.

OBJECTIVES: To use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on a longitudinal iRBD cohort to assess alterations in static and dynamic functional connectivity and explore their relationship with disease conversion and regional neurotransmitter density.

METHODS: Static and dynamic resting state fMRI and clinical testing were acquired from 41 iRBD participants and 38 healthy controls, with 21 iRBD participants undergoing repeated scanning.

RESULTS: Cross-sectional analysis revealed reduced static connectivity within the visual network and a shift toward a more segregated functional architecture in iRBD. Longitudinally, a further increase in segregation was observed, characterized by heightened modularity and reduced intermodular connectivity. These changes were accompanied by static connectivity disruptions in somatomotor and attentional networks, particularly pronounced in patients who converted to DLB. Regions showing the greatest connectivity decline overlapped with areas rich in cholinergic and noradrenergic transporters, suggesting early neuromodulatory dysfunction as a potential driver.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal progressive functional segregation and widespread disrupted static connectivity of resting-state networks in iRBD. These results identify imaging biomarkers of disease progression, describe likely neurotransmitter associations, and support the implementation of fMRI as a sensitive tool for detecting early neurobiological signatures of synucleinopathies. © 2025 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

PMID:40891082 | DOI:10.1002/mds.70025

Bipolar Disord. 2025 Sep 1. doi: 10.1111/bdi.70056. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Accumulative research indicates key roles of the peripheral inflammation system and hippocampal function in major mood disorders. The complement system modulates inflammatory function and is abnormal in mood disorders, but its precise neural pathway remains unclear. This study investigates the interrelations among complement component 3 (C3) levels, hippocampal function, and mood symptoms among offspring of bipolar disorder (BD) parents who carry familial risk of mood disorders.

METHOD: We recruited unaffected BD offspring with (symptomatic offspring, SO, N = 31) or without (asymptomatic offspring, AO, N = 39) subthreshold symptoms, and matched healthy controls (HC, N = 41). Peripheral C3 levels were measured, and resting-state fMRI was conducted to assess hippocampal functional connectivity (FC). Spectral dynamic causal modeling (spDCM) was conducted to verify the directionality of the hippocampal FC.

RESULTS: The SO group exhibited significantly lower peripheral C3 levels (F2,108 = 23.651, p < 0.001) and reduced left hippocampus-left cerebellum FC (F2,108 = 8.541, p < 0.001) compared to both the AO and HC groups. Furthermore, the left hippocampus-left cerebellum FC partially mediated the relationship between C3 levels and depressive symptoms in the SO group (bootstrapping 95% CI = -4.1168 to -0.1569), but not in AO (bootstrapping 95% CI = -0.3479 to 0.1317) or HC (bootstrapping 95% CI = -0.3297 to 0.0885). The left hippocampus-left cerebellum FC was bidirectional in all 3 groups.

CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate a C3-hippocampus-depressive symptom pathway might underpin the particular high vulnerability of individuals with both familial and symptomatic risks of mood disorders. This evidence provides new neuroinflammatory markers and targets for early identification and intervention of these individuals.

PMID:40891026 | DOI:10.1111/bdi.70056

Sci Rep. 2025 Sep 1;15(1):32133. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-18023-9.

ABSTRACT

Local segregation and global integration are the fundamnetal organizational principles of human brain. It is unknown how subcortex configures itself with respect to the segregation and integration dynamics at rest. Using resting state functional MRI data of 92 healthy adult participants, we revealed three non-overlapping segregated communities in subcortex, confining anatomically to thalamus, basal ganglia, and subcortical limbic structures, termed as subcortical networks. Further using network science, we analysed the topology of subcortex and found about 80% of subcortical regions acting as hubs, connecting with other cortical as well as subcortical communities. Next, using statistical modelling, we determined the role of subcortex (both at region-level and network-level) in cortical information integration and found multiple, widespread cortical regions (networks) converging onto individual subcortical regions (networks) (a many-to-one mapping). Individual subcortical networks showed varied extent of convergence, broadly from primary and association networks in cortex. We found functional diversity of cortex to be the major driving factor behind cortical convergence within subcortex and that the absence of subcortical regions significantly impacted the information transmission efficiency within the cortico-subcortical converging organization. Overall, our results provide insights into the subcortical organization at rest and underscore the subcortical contributions in shaping the large-scale brain dynamics.

PMID:40890479 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-18023-9

Brain Imaging Behav. 2025 Sep 2. doi: 10.1007/s11682-025-01034-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The structural and functional characteristics of hippocampal subfields have been extensively studied in dementia, with findings indicating stronger associations with cognitive performance than those observed in the whole hippocampus (HP). However, the impact of post-stroke dementia (PSD) on the structural and functional connectivity between hippocampal subfields and cortical regions remains unclear. The objective of this study is to examine alterations in the functional and structural connectivity between hippocampal subfields and cortical regions in PSD. We collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data from 24 PSD patients, 36 post-stroke non-demented (PSND) patients, and 21 normal controls (NC). These data were used to estimate fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), fractional anisotropy (FA), and diffusivity maps in the hippocampal subfields. Additionally, we constructed functional and structural connectivity matrices between hippocampal subfields and cortical regions for each participant, highlighting group-specific connectivity alterations. Statistical analyses were conducted using a linear mixed model to compare group differences and assess the relationship between MRI measures and clinical evaluations. Our results revealed distinct PSD-related changes in functional connectivity, particularly with the temporal-occipital cortex, within hippocampal subfields compared to the whole HP. Notably, different subfields contributed differently to connectivity changes within the entire HP. Furthermore, we identified positive correlations between diffusivity in the bilateral hippocampal tails and illness duration in PSND patients, which were not observed in PSD. These findings highlight the significant impact of PSD on hippocampal subfields, with subfield analysis offering new insights into the underlying mechanisms of PSD.

PMID:40890395 | DOI:10.1007/s11682-025-01034-5

Trends Neurosci Educ. 2025 Sep;40:100262. doi: 10.1016/j.tine.2025.100262. Epub 2025 Jun 18.

ABSTRACT

the aim of this study was to investigate whole-brain functional connectivity patterns of the reward circuitry and executive control network, and their associations with growth mindset of intelligence in adolescents METHODS: we investigated seed-based functional connectivity of three pre-defined seeds, the caudate and putamen (reward circuitry), and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC; executive control region) in 59 adolescents between 13-16 years old. Growth mindset was used as covariate in the seed-based analysis RESULTS: our findings revealed the expected whole-brain functional connectivity patterns of the three pre-defined seeds. In contrast to the literature, none of these functional connectivity patterns between the seeds and all other voxels of the brain were related to growth mindset CONCLUSION: the current study suggests that the neural representation of a growth mindset is not consistently observed in resting-state neural connectivity and might depend on contextual or cultural differences.

PMID:40889826 | DOI:10.1016/j.tine.2025.100262

Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2025 Aug 26;353:112059. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2025.112059. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Major depressive disorder (MDD) has become the second largest risk factor affecting human health, with a progress in its treatment especially non-pharmacological therapies. The loving-kindness meditation (LKM) has been introduced to depression but is not popular due to requirement on awareness and concentration, and its utilization in clinical MDD is absent as well as exploration on neural mechanism. This study aims to develop a more feasible novel therapy-loving-kindness meditation integrating cognition and behavior (LKM-CB), examine its effect on clinical depression, and further explore its neural mechanism by multimodal neuroimaging.

METHOD: In study 1, the knowledge about love and the behavior of love were integrated into the LKM to form a LKM-CB, to better activate patients with cognitive and behavioral approach. It was further utilized to 30 MDD patients (31 controls). Study 2 further explored the neural mechanism behind the LKM-CB with 16 MDD patients, who underwent a structural MRI, resting-state fMRI, and reward card-guessing task fMRI before and after the LKM-CB.

RESULTS: Study 1 developed a novel 8-week LKM-CB and found that compared with control group, LKM-CB significantly improved clinical depression in intervention group. Study 2 further showed that after LKM-CB intervention, patients showed lower activation in frontal-striatum especially middle orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) and anterior cingulate (AC) and insula for win and neutral outcome and anticipation following a loss feedback, while they showed higher activation in frontal-striatum including medial/middle-OFC and hippocampus for loss outcome and anticipation following a win feedback. Similar increased ALFF activation and grey matter in frontal cortex was also found. In contrast, patients showed higher activation in non-reward temporal-occipital cortex for loss and neutral outcome and anticipation following a loss feedback, while they showed decreased temporal-occipital ALFF activation and grey matter.

CONCLUSIONS: This study develops a novel LKM-CB, which is effective in improving clinical depression. After the LKM-CB, there is dissociation in the neural reward activation pattern between reward anticipation (hyperactivation) and reward outcome (hypoactivation), and a hypoactivation in non-reward temporal-occipital cortex. This study provides a new feasible LKM-CB for non-pharmacological therapy of MDD, and to our knowledge, this is the first study to explore the neural mechanism behind the efficacy of LKM in depression therapy.

PMID:40889474 | DOI:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2025.112059

Neuroimage. 2025 Aug 29:121422. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121422. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Graph neural networks (GNN) have emerged as a popular tool for modelling functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets. Many recent studies have reported significant improvements in disorder classification performance via more sophisticated GNN designs and highlighted salient features that could be potential biomarkers of the disorder. However, existing methods of evaluating their robustness are often limited to cross-referencing with existing literature, which is a subjective and inconsistent process. In this review, we provide an overview of how GNN and model explainability techniques (specifically, feature attributors) have been applied to fMRI datasets for disorder prediction tasks, with an emphasis on evaluating the robustness of potential biomarkers produced by these feature attributors for psychiatric disorders. Then, 65 studies using GNNs that reported potential fMRI biomarkers for psychiatric disorders (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia) published before 9 October 2024 were identified from 2 online databases (Scopus, PubMed). We found that while most studies have performant models, salient features highlighted in these studies (as determined by feature attribution scores) vary greatly across studies on the same disorder. Reproducibility of biomarkers is only limited to a small subset at the level of regions and few transdiagnostic biomarkers were identified. To address these issues, we suggest establishing new standards that are based on objective evaluation metrics to determine the robustness of these potential biomarkers. We further highlight gaps in the existing literature and put together a prediction-attribution-evaluation framework that could set the foundations for future research on discovering robust biomarkers of psychiatric disorders via GNNs.

PMID:40886780 | DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121422

Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2025 Dec;27(1):265-275. doi: 10.1080/19585969.2025.2550953. Epub 2025 Aug 31.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Non suicidal self injury (NSSI) is a public health concern, and its prevalence has increased significantly following the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite its rising incidence, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying NSSI behaviour in adolescents remain poorly understood.

METHODS: A sample of 89 adolescents (46 NSSI positive, 43 NSSI negative) aged 15.39 ± 1.77 years was recruited from clinical settings. NSSI behaviour and psychological resilience were evaluated. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (Rs-fMRI) was conducted to examine brain connectivity patterns. Data analysis incorporated descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as support vector machine algorithms, to identify the neural correlates of NSSI and resilience.

RESULTS: The NSSI positive group had significantly lower resilience scores (M = 23.41, SD = 7.95). Connectivity between the sensorimotor and limbic networks was negatively associated with NSSI (r = -0.222, p < 0.05), while connectivity between the sensorimotor and subcortical networks showed a positive association (r = 0.201, p < 0.05). Stronger connectivity between dorsal attention and default mode networks indirectly reduced NSSI by enhancing psychological resilience, highlighting resilience as a critical protective factor.

CONCLUSION: These findings underscore the importance of targeting specific brain connectivity patterns and enhancing psychological resilience as crucial components of neurobiologically informed interventions.

PMID:40886727 | DOI:10.1080/19585969.2025.2550953

Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2025 Aug 28;258:109127. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2025.109127. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) has advanced our understanding of trigeminal neuralgia (TN), but the neural distinctions between its classical (CTN) and idiopathic (ITN) subtypes are poorly understood. This study aims to investigate differential brain activity and connectivity patterns between CTN and ITN to elucidate their underlying central mechanisms and identify potential neuroimaging biomarkers.

METHODS: This prospective study included rs-fMRI data from 139 TN patients (84 CTN, 55 ITN) and 49 matched healthy controls (HCs). We analyzed the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), fractional ALFF (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and functional connectivity (FC). Group comparisons were performed using two-sample t-tests with cluster-level family-wise error (FWE) correction. Correlations between imaging metrics and clinical variables were assessed.

RESULTS: Compared to HCs, TN patients exhibited decreased ReHo in the right fusiform gyrus and increased ReHo in the right thalamus. Subtype analysis revealed that ITN patients, compared to CTN, showed significantly increased ALFF in the right hippocampus and decreased fALFF in the bilateral postcentral gyrus. Clinically, ReHo in the right fusiform gyrus negatively correlated with pain intensity (VAS; r = -0.255, p = 0.002), while right thalamic ReHo showed a positive correlation (r = 0.208, p = 0.014). In the CTN subgroup, connectivity between the left supramarginal gyrus and right perigenual cingulate gyrus was inversely correlated with disease duration (r = -0.267, p = 0.014).

CONCLUSION: Our findings reveal divergent rs-fMRI profiles for TN patients versus HCs, and notably, between CTN and ITN subtypes. These distinctions, particularly the hippocampal hyperactivity in ITN, suggest different central pathophysiological mechanisms. These quantifiable neurofunctional alterations may serve as potential biomarkers to differentiate TN subtypes and guide personalized therapeutic strategies.

PMID:40886511 | DOI:10.1016/j.clineuro.2025.109127

Brain Lang. 2025 Aug 30;270:105637. doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2025.105637. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition characterized by not only significant difficulty with language learning, comprehension, and expression but also with executive, procedural and/or motor functions. The understanding of the brain abnormalities in DLD remains largely unclear and functional MRI (fMRI) studies have largely focused on the language network. Using resting-state fMRI, we investigated whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) in 22 children with DLD and 23 with typical language development (TD), aged 7-to-13-years. Using a non-parametric network-based statistics approach, we found that children with DLD had an extensive network of lower FC across the whole brain, compared to the TD children. In particular, the sensorimotor (SM), cognitive control (CC) and default-mode (DM) networks included the largest amounts of altered FC. In detail, FC links within the DM network and between the SM and DM networks, and between the SM and CC networks were the most altered. No FC was found to be significantly higher in the children with DLD than in their peers with TD. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of resting-state FC in children with DLD, showing widespread functional brain abnormalities that are not limited to the language network, but rather involve networks supporting other cognitive and motor functions. Such extensive functional abnormalities offer a potential explanation for the other cognitive and motor impairments characterizing DLD.

PMID:40886422 | DOI:10.1016/j.bandl.2025.105637

Phys Life Rev. 2025 Aug 25;55:58-60. doi: 10.1016/j.plrev.2025.08.011. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:40884981 | DOI:10.1016/j.plrev.2025.08.011

Brain Res Bull. 2025 Aug 28:111524. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111524. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is one of the predominant causes of irreversible blindness. Though the glaucomatous transneuronal degeneration pass through the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in the visual pathway, the functional changes associated with the LGN remains elusive. The current study aimed to investigate the seed-based whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) of the LGN and its correlation with retinal thickness in patients with POAG.

METHODS: T1-weighted scans and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) were extracted from 54 patients with POAG and 54 matched healthy controls from the UK Biobank. An automatic LGN segmentation protocol and FC analysis were conducted on the bilateral LGN. The Pearson correlation between retinal thickness and FC was explored.

RESULTS: The total LGN volume in patients with POAG was significantly decreased compared with controls (P = 0.042). The patients with POAG showed a pattern of reduced ALFF, fALFF, ReHo, and degree centrality value in brain regions. The left LGN demonstrated an increased FC between the right lingual gyrus and diminished FC with the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and left superior parietal lobule, whereas the left middle occipital gyrus exhibited reduced FC with the right LGN in patients with POAG. A positive correlation between the FC in the left MFG and the retinal average thickness (r = 0.292, P = 0.012), retinal nerve fiber layer average thickness (r = 0.272, P = 0.013), and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer average thickness (r = 0.380, P = 0.001) was found.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with POAG exhibited LGN atrophy, reduced resting-state functional activity, and altered FC with the LGN in the regional cortex. The glaucomatous impairment of retinal thickness was associated with LGN volume and its connectivity strength with the left MFG. These findings offer a deeper insight into the LGN cortical connectivity alterations and its association with transneuronal degeneration in patients with POAG.

PMID:40885450 | DOI:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111524

Apert Neuro. 2024;4:10.52294/001c.91992. doi: 10.52294/001c.91992. Epub 2024 Jan 10.

ABSTRACT

Psychosis related disorders are severe and difficult to define with brain-based biomarkers due, in part, to heterogeneous psychosis symptoms and individual differences in the brain. Recent innovations in computational neuroscience may address these difficulties. Hyperalignment aligns voxel-wise patterns of neural activity across individuals to improve signal in brain data. Transformation metrics may also serve as biomarkers that reflect clinically relevant differences in pattern connectivity (scale), baseline connectivity (translation), and network topography (rotation). In the present study, we apply hyperalignment to resting state functional connectivity between the frontal cortex and regions throughout the brain in a sample of individuals diagnosed with psychosis and healthy controls. We used binary class support vector machines (SVM) to classify psychosis using unaligned (accuracy=66.50%, p=0.0009) and hyperaligned data (accuracy=65.85%, p=0.0011). Follow-up analyses then used voxelwise rotation estimates to characterize those who were accurately versus inaccurately classified. This revealed two distinct biological subgroups of psychosis characterized by distinct topography of frontal connectivity. Additional analyses relate psychosis to composites of hyperalignment transformations. We report reduced pattern connectivity (t=-2.69, p=0.008) and heightened baseline connectivity (t=2.90, p=0.004) in the psychosis group. These findings may highlight imbalanced frontal connectivity, as those in the psychosis group appear to show general patterns of heightened frontal connectivity while connectivity in more specific regions appear blunted. Results highlight differences in frontal cortex connectivity related to psychosis. Novel methods in the present work may provide a path for future work to apply hyperalignment to brain data from clinical populations to accurately characterize clinical subpopulations within diagnostic categories.

PMID:40880983 | PMC:PMC12382791 | DOI:10.52294/001c.91992

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Aug 26:S0890-8567(25)01456-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2025.08.014. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Youth whose parents have depression histories are at elevated risk for psychopathology. Familial depression-related patterns of neurodevelopment and environmental stress (e.g., family conflict) likely contribute to heightened risk. However, knowledge remains limited due to few studies, small sample sizes, and cross-sectional designs. We sought to identify how neural circuitry, familial risk for depression, and family conflict interact during preadolescence to predict adolescent psychopathology.

METHOD: Participants included healthy (no lifetime psychiatric diagnoses) youth at high (HR, n=794; at least one parent with a depression history) and low (LR, n=1,708; no parental history of psychopathology) familial risk for depression, aged 9-10, from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. We tested whether functional connectivity (FC) among 12 resting-state networks interacted with risk status and family conflict at ages 9-10 to predict psychiatric symptoms at ages 12-13.

RESULTS: Risk status significantly interacted with family conflict and cingulo-parietal network (CPN) FC at ages 9-10 to predict total problems and internalizing symptoms at ages 12-13 (R2=0.349, ΔR2=0.017, ηp2=0.005; R2=0.254, ΔR2=0.023, ηp2=0.004, respectively). Specifically, among youth in low (but not high) family conflict environments, there was a significant negative association between CPN FC at ages 9-10 and psychiatric symptoms at ages 12-13 for HR youth, whereas this association was significantly positive for LR youth.

CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that CPN connectivity and family conflict in preadolescence may be prognostic risk markers for future symptoms related to parental depression. These markers may shed light on brain-based processes by which environmental adversity relates to heightened familial risk for psychopathology, though small effect sizes necessitate future investigation to better understand potential clinical relevance.

PMID:40882867 | DOI:10.1016/j.jaac.2025.08.014

Comput Biol Med. 2025 Aug 28;197(Pt A):110996. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2025.110996. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Generative AI for image synthesis has significantly progressed with the advent of advanced diffusion models. These models have set new benchmarks in creating high-quality and meaningful visual information. In this paper, we introduce TransUNET-DDPM, a novel framework that fuses transformer-based architectures with denoising diffusion probabilistic models (DDPMs) to generate high-quality, 2D and 3D intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs). This architecture addresses limitations of traditional linear methods like independent component analysis (ICA) by leveraging the nonlinear modeling capabilities of DDPMs, further enhanced through transformer blocks that enable attention-driven feature encoding. To produce subject-specific 3D ICNs, an image-conditioned variant of TransUNET-DDPM is employed, utilizing a spatiotemporal encoder to incorporate resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) conditional information. Efficient training is achieved through a transfer learning strategy in which a large-scale, unconditional TransUNET-DDPM is first pretrained to capture general spatial and temporal patterns, followed by fine-tuning on a smaller, condition-specific neuroimaging dataset. Additionally, a class-conditioned version of the model is introduced for data augmentation in schizophrenia classification. By generating synthetic ICNs based on diagnostic labels, this variant enhances the robustness of classifiers, particularly in data-scarce scenarios. Furthermore, quantitative and qualitative evaluations demonstrate that our framework surpasses existing generative models in producing anatomically and functionally meaningful ICNs, with external dataset validation confirming its generalizability.

PMID:40882475 | DOI:10.1016/j.compbiomed.2025.110996

Front Neurol. 2025 Aug 13;16:1614935. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1614935. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of brain network centrality in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) by using degree centrality (DC) based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.

METHODS: We recruited 20 patients with CSM, along with 20 healthy controls (HC) who were matched in terms of age, gender, and educational background. The DC method was utilized to evaluate the changed spontaneous brain activities. The relationships between the DC values of different brain regions and the clinical features were analyzed by means of Pearson correlation analysis.

RESULTS: Compared with HC, CSM group showed decreased DC values in the left medial frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and angular gyrus, and increased DC values were found in the left middle occipital gyrus, right supplementary motor area (p < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between DC values of abnormal region and clinical function score of CSM patients (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: CSM patients have abnormal DC distribution in the whole-brain functional networks, which might be related to cortical reorganization after chronic spinal cord injury.

PMID:40881788 | PMC:PMC12380896 | DOI:10.3389/fneur.2025.1614935

Front Neurol. 2025 Aug 13;16:1604342. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1604342. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

AIM: This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of interactive dynamic scalp acupuncture (IDSA) on brain functional connectivity density (FCD) in patients with bilateral basal ganglia ischemic stroke (BBGIS), focusing on its potential to enhance motor recovery.

METHODS: Seventy BBGIS patients (aged 45-75 years, 1-3 months post-stroke, Brunnstrom stage II-V) and 40 age-and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) assessed baseline FCD differences between groups, with regions showing significant alterations correlated to Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scores selected as seed points. Patients were randomized to IDSA (n = 35) or Sham IDSA (n = 35) therapy for 4 weeks. IDSA targeted the MS6 acupoint using stainless steel needles (0.3 × 40 mm) rotated at 200 rpm during active limb movement, while Sham IDSA used blunt needles without skin penetration. Post-treatment rs-fMRI and FMA evaluations were conducted.

RESULTS: Compared to HCs, BBGIS patients exhibited reduced FCD in the right supplementary motor area (SMA_R) and right cerebellum-8 (C8_R), which positively correlated with FMA scores (r = 0.82 and r = 0.86, respectively; p < 0.0001). Post-treatment, the IDSA group showed significant increases in FCD in SMA_R (Δ = 0.64 ± 0.22, p < 0.001) and C8_R (Δ = 0.77 ± 0.91, p < 0.05), along with higher FMA scores (53.23 ± 13.6 vs. Sham 44.35 ± 11.2, p < 0.05), indicating improved motor function.

CONCLUSION: IDSA therapy enhances functional connectivity in SMA_R and C8_R, which are associated with motor recovery in BBGIS patients. These findings support IDSA as a potential intervention for stroke rehabilitation (Study registration: China National Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2200055463).

PMID:40881782 | PMC:PMC12381643 | DOI:10.3389/fneur.2025.1604342

Front Neurosci. 2025 Aug 13;19:1612271. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1612271. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The "Mesocircuit" model explains consciousness loss and recovery following severe brain injury as disconnection of cortical-subcortical circuits. Excessive inhibition of prefrontal cortex/thalamus by internal globus pallidus (GPi) is proposed as key to disorders of consciousness (DoC). However, recent research found external globus pallidus (GPe) crucial for arousal in DoC patients.

METHODS: To investigate the relationship between GPe and arousal, this study enrolled 50 patients with DoC who were admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, from November 2022 to November 2024. Patients were stratified into coma, UWS and MCS groups based on behavioral assessments (GCS/CRS-R) and underwent resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). Whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) was analyzed with GPe as seed regions. Comparison and correlation analysis of FC strength between GPe and brain regions of subjects in two groups, with relation to arousal, were conducted.

RESULTS: In the FC analysis, Coma group showed weakened FC between GPe and left middle frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, precuneus, and right precentral gyrus. Coma group demonstrated enhanced FC between GPe and thalamus: Central lateral (left CL and right CL). Correlation analysis revealed these abnormally weakened FC positively correlated with patients' arousal state, among which GPe-left superior frontal gyrus FC (rs = 0.61, P < 0.001) and GPe-left CL FC (rs = 0.86, P < 0.001) showed strongest correlation with arousal.

CONCLUSION: Our findings provide neuroimaging evidence of disrupted functional connectivity between GPe and distributed cortical regions, including the left middle frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, precuneus, CL, and right precentral gyrus, CL. These connectivity abnormalities spanning executive control, default mode, and primary motor networks suggest their coordinated role in consciousness impairment. Notably, arousal levels positively correlated with FC between GPe and cortical regions, specifically the left superior frontal gyrus, while negatively correlating with FC between GPe and CL. This suggests that altered GPe-cortical and GPe-thalamic FC may underlie the neural substrate for arousal regulation in patients with DoC.

PMID:40880850 | PMC:PMC12380903 | DOI:10.3389/fnins.2025.1612271

PLoS One. 2025 Aug 29;20(8):e0330986. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0330986. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

Symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are common, severe and highly impairing in children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), but often non-responsive to medication, leaving many with no good treatment. External trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) is a minimal risk, non-invasive neuromodulatory intervention that is FDA-cleared for ADHD. No formal trial, however, has tested TNS in children with known PAE. We present here the protocol of the first clinical trial of TNS in children with ADHD associated with PAE. The study also uses multimodal MRI to explore possible brain mechanisms of TNS. An open-label pilot will be conducted of 4 weeks of TNS in 30 youth with ADHD associated with PAE, recruited in Southern California. Children will receive TNS nightly for 4 weeks. Safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy will be evaluated. Efficacy outcomes include change in the investigator-administered parent-rated ADHD Rating Scale and the Clinical Global Impression Improvement (CGI-I) score for ADHD. Effects on executive function, mood, and sleep are also assessed. Maintenance of effects is evaluated at 4-week follow-up. TNS-related brain changes and predictors of response are measured using structural MRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and resting-state fMRI before and after treatment. This study will determine whether TNS is feasible in children with ADHD and PAE, whether it improves clinical and cognition symptoms, and whether efficacy persists 4 weeks. Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06847165) and protocol ID: IRB-24-0648-AM-007 June 16, 2025.

PMID:40880352 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0330986

Hum Brain Mapp. 2025 Sep;46(13):e70320. doi: 10.1002/hbm.70320.

ABSTRACT

Understanding functional brain development during childhood and adolescence is essential for identifying typical neurodevelopmental trajectories. While resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) has become a key tool in developmental neuroscience, few studies have jointly examined multiple functional metrics to comprehensively characterize typical brain maturation across youth. We analyzed rs-fMRI data from 395 neurotypical participants aged 6-20 years from the ABIDE I and II datasets. Voxel-wise analyses were conducted using three complementary rs-fMRI metrics: fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC). Data were harmonized across sites using ComBat and CovBat methods implemented in DPABI to minimize scanner-related variability. Correlation analyses and ANOVA/ANCOVAs were performed to examine developmental age effects. Our results revealed a general pattern of declining local and interhemispheric connectivity with increasing age, across all measures. fALFF decreases were most pronounced in the medial orbitofrontal, caudate, medial occipital cortex, and cerebellum (peak r = -0.210); ReHo showed reductions in the insula and caudate (peak r = -0.169); and VMHC declines were observed in the putamen, cerebellum, superior parietal lobules, and caudate (peak r range = -0.206 to -0.187). These findings outline a developmental trajectory characterized by increasing functional integration and network specialization from late childhood through adolescence. The combined use of fALFF, ReHo, and VMHC provides a robust multitechnical framework for characterizing typical brain development and offers a valuable benchmark for identifying developmental deviations in clinical populations.

PMID:40879533 | DOI:10.1002/hbm.70320