Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging of subjective tinnitus related mood disorder / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Subjective tinnitus refers to the subjective sound perception of patients in the absence of an external sound stimulus.Tinnitus patients are often accompanied by emotional disorders, such as depression and anxiety, which seriously affect the quality of life of patients.Therefore, understanding the mechanism underlying the occurrence of tinnitus emotional disorders can help relieve the pain of tinnitus.Tinnitus was considered a simple ear disease in the early stages, but with the progress of neuroimaging technology and the development of animal models, increasing attention has been given to the changes in the neural structure and function of tinnitus patients.As a powerful technique for in vivo investigation of neural activity in the brain, multimodal magnetic resonance has been widely used in the study of subjective tinnitus.By observing the changes of brain structure in subjective tinnitus patients, the neural mechanism of the occurrence and development of tinnitus has been explored.This article reviewed recent multimodal magnetic resonance imaging studies on the neuroimaging mechanisms of tinnitus with mood disorders, compared the differences in neural activity between subjective tinnitus patients and healthy people, and found that the limbic system, default mode network and other neural network abnormalities were closely related to the mood disorders of tinnitus.The application and development of multimodal magnetic resonance techniques in subjective tinnitus were also discussed to elucidate the neural mechanism of subjective tinnitus accompanied by mood disorders with the help of multimodal magnetic resonance techniques.

Changes in functional connectivity in patients with acute mild traumatic brain injury based on a triple-network model: a resting state functional MRI study / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To investigate the resting state functional connectivity changes of the " triple network model" composed of salient network (SN), executive control network (ECN) and default mode network (DMN) in patients with acute mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).Methods:From August 2020 to December 2021, forty-five acute mTBI patients (mTBI group) and 40 healthy controls (HC group) with matched sex, age, and education were included.The Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale was used to evaluate the cognitive status of all subjects.The resting state network (RNS) was established based on independent component analysis (ICA), and the SN, ECN and DMN were extracted, then functional network connectivity (FNC) was analyzed.Subsequently, the correlation between functional connectivity abnormalities and the performance of cognitive impairment was analyzed.SPSS 19.0 was used for statistical analysis and double sample t test was used for comparison between the tow groups. Results:Compared with HC group, mTBI group had enhanced functional connectivity between SN(L-insula) (MNI: x, y, z=-36, 15, 0, t=3.693)and ECN (left superior parietal gyrus, L-SPG) (MNI: x, y, z=-33, -69, 54, t=3.333)(FDR adjust, P<0.05), and decreased functional connectivity between DMN(left superior frontal gyrus, L-SFG) (MNI: x, y, z=-30, 30, 42, t=-4.063)and DMN(L-angular gyrus)(MNI: x, y, z=-21, -66, 33, t=-4.101)(FDR adjust, P<0.05). For FNC analysis, functional network connectivity in SN(IC26)-DMN(IC8) was enhanced in the acute mTBI group and decreased between SN(IC26)-DMN(IC12) and ECN(IC3)-DMN(IC12). The changes of left superior parietal gyrus functional connection were negatively correlated with MoCA score ( r=-0.627, P<0.01), and SN (IC26) -DMN(IC12) connection was positively correlated with MoCA score ( r=0.411, P=0.005). Conclusions:In patients with acute mTBI, the resting functional connectivity changes within and between the networks of the " triple network model" composed of SN, ECN and DMN, and is related to the decline of cognitive function.This will help to better understand the neuropathological mechanism of acute mTBI and post-traumatic cognitive impairment, and may become an effective imaging marker for identifying and predicting cognitive impairment after mTBI.

Characteristics and Mechanism of Brain Default Mode Network Dysfunction in Primary Insomnia / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

Primary insomnia is one of the common sleep disorders. It is a type of insomnia with unknown causes， which is often accompanied by a variety of daytime dysfunction and sleep-wake disorders. Neuroimaging and neuroelectrophysiology studies suggest that there may be default mode network dysfunction in patients with primary insomnia， which is closely related to daytime dysfunction and sleep-wake disorder. This article summarizes the characteristics of default mode network dysfunction of primary insomnia and introduces related research in neural structural imaging， functional imaging and neuroelectrophysiology， as well as the role and the mechanism of default mode network impairment leading to daytime dysfunction and sleep-wake disorder of primary insomnia.

El rol predictivo de la red neuronal por defecto sobre la atención sostenida en edades escolares: una revisión sistemática

El rol de la Red Neuronal por Defecto en la aparición del trastorno de déficit atencional ha recibido evidencia científica creciente en los últimos 20 años. Este artículo tuvo por objetivo sistematizar la evidencia empírica y cuantitativa disponible en investigaciones sobre el rol de la Red Neuronal por Defecto en la atención sostenida y déficits atencionales en niños y adolescentes de etapa escolar; se usó la metodología de revisión sistemática de la literatura científica disponible entre 2010 y 2020. Se seleccionó una muestra de 13 estudios. Los resultados evidenciaron que la atención sostenida es rítmica y fluctúa junto a la memoria de trabajo. En cuanto a los niños con déficit atencional, se reportan anomalías en la disponibilidad de dopamina, adelgazamientos de las aéreas de la corteza cerebral interconectadas con la Red Neuronal por Defecto, así como hipo e híper conectividad de los tractos de materia blanca asociados a esta red. Estos hallazgos interpretados en su conjunto aportan evidencia valiosa acerca del rol emergente de la Red Neuronal por Defecto en los procesos subyacentes de la atención sostenida y la aparición de déficits atencionales. Estos hallazgos sistematizados pueden tener implicancias profundas en la didáctica y el diseño instruccional debido a que se cuenta con evidencia suficiente y validada como para adaptar las tareas de aprendizaje a los ritmos de atención y descanso puesto que estos obedecen a limitaciones biológicas y no a prescripciones administrativas.

The role of the Default Neural Network in the emergence of attention deficit disorder has received increasing scientific evidence in the last 20 years. This article aimed to systematize the empirical and quantitative evidence available in research on the role of the Default Neural Network in sustained attention and attention deficits in school children and adolescents; The methodology of systematic review of the scientific literature available between 2010 and 2020 was used. A sample of 13 studies was selected. The results showed that sustained attention is rhythmic and fluctuates along with working memory. Regarding children with attention deficit, anomalies in the availability of dopamine, thinning of the areas of the cerebral cortex interconnected with the Neural Network by Default, as well as hypo and hyper connectivity of the white matter tracts associated with this network are reported. These findings, interpreted as a whole, provide valuable evidence about the emerging role of the Default Neural Network in the underlying processes of sustained attention and the appearance of attentional deficits. These systematized findings can have profound implications in didactics and instructional design, due to the fact that there is sufficient and validated evidence to adapt the learning tasks to the rhythms of attention and rest since these processes obbey biological limitations and not to administrative requirements.

Changes of brain default mode network in adolescents' emotion disorder / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

The incidence of emotion disability-related diseases in adolescents is increasing year by year, causing great harm to their physical and mental health, even affecting them until adulthood. However, the mechanism of this has not been fully clarified. The default mode network is a brain network composed of brain regions that are still active in the resting state. DMN is a hot pot in the field of resting state brain function research, but few studies have focused on its pathological changes in the adolescents with emotion disability-related diseases. In recent years, a number of articles related to adolescent emotion disorders have provided clues for understanding the characteristics and potential mechanisms of adolescent emotion disorders from the perspective of imaging. This paper summarized the related research over the years and found that the occurrence of emotion disorders is closely related to the activation of the default mode network brain regions, cortical thickness, gray matter volume or density, and changes in functional connections between brain areas.Some changes in brain structure and function can be used as predictive factors. In this paper, by summarizing the changes in brain imaging of these emotion disorders, we hope to explore new neuroimaging landmark changes, which can provide theoretical basis for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of emotion disorders related diseases in adolescents.

Modulation of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on default mode network in patients with primary insomnia / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the modulation of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on default mode network (DMN) in patients with primary insomnia (PI).@*METHODS@#A total of 22 PI patients (one patient dropped off and two patients were excluded) were included and treated with taVNS. The bilateral auricular points of Xin (CO15) and Shen (CO10) were selected and treated with disperse-dense wave at frequency of 4 Hz/20 Hz, the intensity was based on the patient's tolerance. taVNS was given once in the morning and once in the evening for 30 minutes each time. The treatment lasted for at least 5 days a week for 4 weeks. At the same time, 16 healthy subjects matched with gender and age were recruited. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) score was evaluated before and after treatment in PI patients. The resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data of PI patients before and after treatment and healthy subjects at baseline period were collected to observe the effect of taVNS on the functional connection (FC) between posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and whole brain.@*RESULTS@#After treatment, the total score of PSQI in PI patients was lower than that before treatment (P<0.01). Compared with healthy subjects, the FC of the left PCC was increased either with the left orbital superior frontal gyrus or with left middle frontal gyrus (P<0.001), and the FC between right PCC and left middle frontal gyrus was increased in PI patients before treatment (P<0.001). Compared before treatment, the FC between left PCC and left middle frontal gyrus was decreased (P<0.05), and the FC of the right PCC was decreased either with the right medial prefrontal cortex or with the left middle frontal gyrus in PI patients after treatment (P<0.001, P<0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#taVNS can modulate the FC between anterior and posterior DMN, and between DMN and cognitive control network of PI patients, which may be one of the brain effect mechanisms of taVNS in the treatment of PI patients.

Effect of acupuncture on default mode network in patients with migraine based on functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: a preliminary study / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of acupuncture on default mode network (DMN) in migraine patients without aura based on functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).@*METHODS@#Fifteen patients with migraine were included and treated with acupuncture based on "root-knot" theory (Zuqiaoyin [GB 44] for @*RESULTS@#Compared before acupuncture, the functional connections of left parahippocampal cortex (PHC) and anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC), dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dMPFC) and lateral temporal cortex (LTC) in DMN after acupuncture were weakened (@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture shows good clinical efficacy for migraine without aura, and could adjust the functional connection of DMN.

Regional homogeneity and whole brain functional connectivity in subjects with mild cognitive impairment / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective:To investigate regional homogeneity(ReHo)and whole brain functional connectivity(FC)in patients with mild cognitive impairment(MCI), and to explore the mechanisms of MCI in the resting state.Methods:Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(RS-fMRI)was performed on 24 patients with MCI and 30 age, gender and nationality-matched normal controls.Abnormal brain areas in the MCI group were screened and analyzed by using the DPARSFA2.3 and SPM8 software programs.Whole brain FC analysis was performed with the posterior cingulate cortex(PCC)/precuneus as the seed points.Results:Compared with the control group, MCI subjects displayed higher ReHo values in the frontal-middle-Left, precentral-Left, postcentral-Left, rolandic-opercular-Left, and frontal-inferior-opercular-Left and lower ReHo values in the temporal-superior-right, temporal-middle-right, postcentral-right, and temporal -pole -superior -right(Voxel level, Alphasim correction, P<0.05). Whole brain FC analysis showed greater functional connectivity of PCC/precuneus with fusiform-right, thalamus-right, lingual-right and parahippocampal-right in subjects with MCI, and less functional connectivity of the PCC/precuneus with temporal-middle-Left, angular-Left, temporal-superior-Left and occipital-middle-Left in subjects with MCI(Voxel level, Alphasim correction, P<0.05). Conclusions:Abnormalities of the default mode network may be associated with the onset of MCI, and abnormalities in posterior cingulate/precuneus connectivity may be helpful in finding imaging evidence with high sensitivity to MCI.

Magnetic seizure therapy modulates default mode network fluctuations of major depressive disorder / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To observe the change of functional connectivity(FC) between default mode network (DMN) and the other brain regions in patients with depression before and after magnetic seizure therapy(MST),and explore the role of DMN in therapeutic mechanism of MST.Methods Fifteen patients with depression who met the criteria of enrollment underwent rs-fMRI scanning before and after the MST treatmerts.As a very important region of DMN,the posterior cingulate cortex(PCC) was selected as the region of interest(ROI)to make the functional connectivity analysis with other brain regions,then the differences in FC before and after MST treatments were tested.The correlation of FC index changes with the score changes of HAMD-17 and five factors of HAMD-17 was analyzed after MST treatments.Results A comparison of the differences in DMN before and after treatments showed that the connection between left PCC and bilateral medial temporal lobe connectivity decreased significantly (left:MNI:x,y,z =-66,-39,-15,right:MNI:x,y,z =69,-30,-6) (P＜ 0.05).The connection between left PCC with left cerebellum (MNI:x,y,z =-33,-42,-42) and left occipital lobe(MNI:x,y,z=0,-84,24)significantly increased(P＜0.05).The changes of sleep factor of HAMD-17 were positively correlated with the functional connectivity changes of bilateral medial temporal lobe (left:r=0.670,P=0.006;right:r=0.570,P=0.026),but negatively correlated with the functional connectivity changes of the left cerebellum (r=-0.543,P=0.037).Conclusion MST can play an antidepressant role by regulating DMN functional connection of depressive patients and it may be a neuromodulation mechanism of MST in the treatment of depression.

Instant adjustive effect of auricular electroacupuncture on brain default model network of patients with primary insomnia / 针刺研究

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the immediate brain effect of auricular electroacupuncture (EA) in the treatment of primary insomnia (PI). METHODS: In this study, 15 subjects with PI who were diagnosed according to Pitsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and other 15 age- and gender-matched subjects without insomnia were recruited in the present study. The PI patients received EA (4 Hz/20 Hz, a tolerable electrical current strength) of auricular concha for 30 min, and their resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data before and after treatment were collected. The healthy subjects received no any treatment and their resting state fMRI data were collected. The diffe-rence of default mode network functional connectivity between the patients and healthy subjects, and changes of the patient's brain functional connectivity after EA treatment were estimated by using seed-point-based analysis (SPBA). RESULTS: Analysis by taking the posterior cingulate gyrus as the seed-point showed that compared with the healthy participants before treatment, the patient's brain functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate gyrus and the right insula, or the inferior frontal gyrus of the right opercularis region, or the right rolandic operculum was increased. After 30 minutes' EA treatment, the functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate gyrus and the precuneus, the left angular gyrus, the left frontal superior gyrus, the left frontal middle cortex, the right temporalis inferior gyrus, the right temporalis middle gyrus or the left medial orbitofrontal cortex was decreased, while the functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate gyrus and the right lingual gyrus, or the cortex surrounding the right calcarine fissure was increased. CONCLUSION: EA of auricular concha has an instant effect in modulating the brain default mode network in PI patients, which may be its brain mechanism underlying improvement of PI.

Alteration in the Local and Global Functional Connectivity of Resting State Networks in Parkinson's Disease

OBJECTIVE: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that mainly leads to the impairment of patients’ motor function, as well as of cognition, as it progresses. This study tried to investigate the impact of PD on the resting state functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN), as well as of the entire brain. METHODS: Sixty patients with PD were included and compared to 60 matched normal control (NC) subjects. For the local connectivity analysis, the resting state fMRI data were analyzed by seed-based correlation analyses, and then a novel persistent homology analysis was implemented to examine the connectivity from a global perspective. RESULTS: The functional connectivity of the DMN was decreased in the PD group compared to the NC, with a stronger difference in the medial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, the results of the persistent homology analysis indicated that the PD group had a more locally connected and less globally connected network compared to the NC. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the DMN is altered in PD, and persistent homology analysis, as a useful measure of the topological characteristics of the networks from a broader perspective, was able to identify changes in the large-scale functional organization of the patients’ brain.

Wandering Minds with Wandering Brain Networks / 神经科学通报·英文版

The default mode network (DMN) is associated with the occurrence of mind-wandering or task-unrelated thought. In contrast, the frontal-parietal network (FPN) and visual network (VS) are involved in tasks with external stimuli. However, it is not clear how these functional network interactions support these two different processes - mind-wandering and on-task - especially with regard to individual variation in the mind-wandering experience. In this study, we investigated the functional connectivity and modular structure among the DMN, FPN, and VS. Our results showed that, compared to the on-task period, mind-wandering was associated with increased DMN activity and increased DMN-VS connectivity. Moreover, mind-wandering was accompanied by a large number of transitional nodes, which expressed a diversity of brain regions. Intriguingly, the functional connectivity of the FPN and VS was strongly correlated with individual behavioral performance. Our findings highlight the individual variation of mind-wandering, which implies the importance of other complementary large-scale brain networks.

Relationship between Autistic Spectrum Trait and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Healthy Male Subjects

OBJECTIVE: Autistic spectrum traits are postulated to lie on a continuum that extends between individuals with autism and individuals with typical development. The present study was carried out to investigate functional and network abnormalities associated with autistic spectrum trait in healthy male subjects. METHODS: Subjects were 41 healthy male subjects who underwent the social responsiveness scale-adult (SRS-A) and magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: There was significant positive correlation between the total score of SRS-A and the regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Also, there were changes in functional network such as in cingulate corti, insula and fusiform cortex. Further, we also found the significant difference of functional networks between the healthy male subjects with high or low autistic spectrum trait, and these points were congruent with the previous perceptions derived from autistic-spectrum disorders. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a biological basis for the autistic spectrum trait and may be useful for the imaging marker of autism symptomatology.

Advance in Default Mode Network,Salience Network and Central Executive Network about Cognitive Function in Old Persons(review) / 中国康复理论与实践

@#A lot of researches indicate the relationship between cognitive impairment and functional connectivity of default mode network,salience network and central executive network.The changes of networks are various in different cognitive dys-function.It is important to apply resting state functional magnetic resonance in the old adults with cognitive dysfunction.

Una perspectiva neurobiológica del pensamiento preconciente / A neurobiologiccal perspective of preconscious thought

El modelo teórico freudiano del proceso de construcción del Yo se complementa con el análisis de los modos que adopta el pensamiento, configurando un tipo general de funcionamiento denominado "proceso secundario" o modo preconciente/conciente de la actividad psíquica. Desarrollos recientes en neurociencia han mostrado la existencia de diferentes redes o sistemas neurales correlacionados con distintos tipos de actividad mental. Entre éstos, la "default mode network" (DMN) designa un sistema que muestra un alto nivel de actividad metabólica "en reposo", cuando el cerebro no está ocupado en llevar a cabo un tarea en particular. En 2010 Friston y Carhart-Harris propusieron que dicho sistema podría constituir el sustrato neural para el proceso secundario freudiano. En este artículo se revisaran brevemente el modelo teórico freudiano de la construcción del yo, por una parte, y el estado del arte que muestra el desarrollo de la DMN en bebés y niños de diferentes edades. (AU)

According to Friston and Carhart-Harris some Freudian main theoretical concepts may have neurobiological correlates. They propose that the Freudian notion of "secondary process" can be related to the activity of the "default mode network". The secondary process is mainly devoted to converting "free energy" into "bound energy" in a fashion that makes it useful for higher cognitive functions, and it is governed by "the ego" as the chief executive structure. The DMN was described as a network that shows high metabolic activity at rest and deactivates during goal-directed cognition. We intend to show, from the Freudian perspective, how different modes of thinking activity can be related to each stage of ego structure development and contribute with certain complex components shaping the preconscious/conscious way of thinking. And then, how these ego forms can be correlated with recent findings about DMN ontogenetic changes and maturation in newborns and young children. (AU)

The state of consciousness in patients in the vegetative and minimally conscious states / O estado de consciência em pacientes em estado vegetativo e em estado de consciência minima

Brain-injured patients may, with the assistance of life support, continue to perform basic bodily functions, but yet be deficient in wakefulness, awareness, decision making or other overt manifestations of consciousness. Here, we review two neurological states observed in brain injured patients with different degrees of brain impairment, the vegetative state (VS)and the minimally conscious state (MCS), and we discuss how these states are diagnosed through assessing patient behavioral responses during clinical examination. We consider howfunctional neuroimaging has revealed preserved cognitive capacities in patients that were supposed to be in the VS and has introduced a new diagnosis, cognitive motor dissociation.We review the GW Theory proposal that consciousness arises from functional connectivity (FC) of widely separated brain regions. We discuss how such high FC underlies the DefaultMode Network (DMN), a group of neural circuits that are active when an individual is not involved with external tasks and engages in introspective thinking. Finally, we discuss thefinding that the level of FC of the DMN is diminished in brain injured patients and the proposal that the level of residual DMN FC in brain injured patients is an index of their consciousness

Pacientes com lesão cerebral, quando assistidos, podem continuar a desempenhar funções fisiológicas básicas, mesmo estando com a vigília, a atenção, a capacidade de decisão e outras funções de consciência prejudicadas. Revisamos aqui dois níveis de distúrbio de consciência o estado vegetativo (VS) e o nível de consciência mínima (MCS), e discutimos como são diagnosticados através das respostas comportamentais durante o exame clínico. Abordamos como a neuroimagem funcional revelou capacidades cognitivas preservadas em pacientes supostamente em estado vegetativo, introduzindo um novo diagnóstico: a dissociação cognitivo-motora. Revisamos a proposta da Global Workspace (GW) teoria de que a consciência surge a partir de um alto grau de conectividade funcional (FC) entre áreas cerebrais distantes. Discutimos como esta alta conectividade é a base do Default Mode Network (DMN), uma rede neural ativada quando o indivíduo não está envolvido com tarefas externas e se volta para atividade mental introspectiva. Finalmente, discutimos os achados de redução do nível de FC no DMN em pacientes com lesão cerebral e a proposta de que o mesmo poderia ser um índice do nível de consciência nesses pacientes.

Hybrid PET/MR analysis of neural mechanism for default mode network / 中国医学影像技术

Objective To investigate the relationship between spatial distribution of default mode network and glucose uptake.Methods Nine healthy subjects were scanned with hybrid PET/MR.Resting state MRI (rs-fMRI) and PET data were obtained.Spatial distribution analysis was performed between default mode network and glucose uptake.The relationship between the functional connectivity of default mode network and the distribution of glucose uptake were further analyzed.Results The similar spatial distribution pattern was found between default mode network and glucose uptake.Correlation between functional connectivity and glucose uptake in the default mode network showed that the best correlation coefficient between the values of functional connectivity and relative glucose uptake (rGU) was achieved in the right posterior cingulate cortex (rs =0.833,P＜0.001).Conclusion Hybrid PET/MR is very important to investigate neural mechanism of default mode network.

Default-mode network in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To study the regional homogeneity (ReHo) of default-mode network (DMN) in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) with resting state fMRI.Methods Eighteen MHE patients and eighteen healthy controls (HC) underwent standard resting state fMRI scan.The resting state fMRI data were analyzed with the ReHo method to observe the changes of DMN in the patients in contrast to the controls.Results Compared to healthy controls,MHE patients showed lower ReHo in bilateral MPFC/anterior cingulate cortex(V=13.257 cm3;MNI coordinates=3,24,66;t=-3.493 7),bilateral precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex(V=4.752 cm3;MNI coordinates=9,-54,45;t=-2.634 1),while higher ReHe in right medial prefrontal cortex(V=5.049 cm3;MNI coordinates=21,63,6;t=4.017 5).Conclusion In MHE patients,there is abnormal neuron activation in the widespread DMN regions under resting state, which indicated abnormal spontaneous activity consistency within DMN and endogenous brain function injury in MHE patients.ReHo can be used to observe DMN changes in MHE patients.

Present Situation and Prospect of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Encephalopathy Treatment / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

The transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) was researched and developed based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) auricular acupuncture (AA),vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and anatomy.It is a typical representative of TCM modernization.Meanwhile,taVNS does not require surgery,with low cost,and has almost no side effects.Most importantly,it ensures a comparable efficiency as the classic VNS.The taVNS regulates the autonomic neural function as its core,opens up a new principle of peripheral nerve-brain network-body function,and has made breakthroughs in the treatment of epilepsy and depression.Other indications of taVNS contain disorders of consciousness (DOC),autism spectrum disorder (ASD),Alzheimer's disease (AD),and etc.The further improvement of taVNS technique will definitely benefit a wider range of patients.

Amplitude of brain low-frequency fluctuation changes after sleep deprivation in healthy adolescent subjects: An fMRI study / 中国心理卫生杂志

Objective:To explore the regional brain activities in healthy adolescent subjects after sleep deprivation (SD) using amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method.Methods:Total of 16 healthy adolescent subjects (8 males,8 females;aged 13-20 years) were recruited in the community and the campus through the internet and posters.Each of the 16 healthy adolescent subject underwent the attention network test and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) session twice:once was after rested wakefulness (RW condition),and the other was after SD condition.Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method was used to assess the local brain features.The mean ALFF signal values of the different brain areas were performed to investigate their relationships with the accuracy rate,reaction time and lapse rate in the attention network test,and were analyzed with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to investigate their sensitivities and specificities to distinguish the SD condition from the RW condition.Results:Subjects showed a lower response accuracy rate [(83 ± 12) ％ vs.(97 ± 4) ％,P ＜ 0.05],a longer response time [(832 ± 134) ms vs.(715 ± 97) ms,P ＜ 0.05] and a higher lapse rate [(15 ± 11)％ vs.(2.4 ±7.3)％,P ＜0.05] under SD condition than under RW condition.They showed higher ALFF area in the right cuneus (BA 17,BA 18),and lower ALFF areas in the right lentiform nucleus,right claustrum,left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA 46) and left inferior parietal cortex (BA 39) under SD condition than under RW condition.Under SD condition,the mean ALFF signal value of the right claustrum showed a significant positive correlation with the accuracy rate (r =0.69,P ＜0.05),and a negative correlation with the lapse rate (r =-0.71,P ＜0.05).The mean ALFF signal value of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex showed a significant positive correlation with the reaction time (r =0.68,P ＜ 0.05).The values of area under the curve of the right cuneus,right lentiform nucleus,right claustrum,left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left inferior parietal cortice were 0.9,0.8,0.9,0.8 and 0.9,respectively.These different ALFF areas also showed high degree of sensitivities and specificities.Conclusion:Sleep deprivation leads to the dysfunction in the default mode network,anticorrelatedtask-positive network,and advanced cognitive function brain areas,and the functional compensation in the visual network.