Impact of autonomic nerve function on motor function in patients with post-stroke depression / 中国康复理论与实践

ObjectiveTo explore the impact of autonomic nerve function on motor function in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD) from the perspective of regional homogeneity (ReHo). MethodsFrom January to December, 2020, a total of 60 inpatients and outpatients with cerebral infarction in the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were divided into control group (n = 30) and PSD group (n = 30). Two groups were assessed using Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), modified Barthel Index (MBI) and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured. Ten patients in each group were selected randomly to undergo resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to calculate ReHo. ResultsAll HRV indices were lower in PSD group than in the control group (|t| > 2.092, P < 0.05). In PSD group, FMA and MBI scores showed positive correlations with 24-hour standard deviation of normal-to-normal R-R intervals (SDNN), the root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats over 24 hours (RMSSD), the percentage of differences between adjacent normal R-R intervals over 24 hours that were greater than 50 ms (PNN50), total power (TP), very low frequency power (VLF) and low frequency power (LF) (r > 0.394, P < 0.05), and showed negative correlations with HAMD scores (|r| > 0.919, P < 0.001). HAMD scores in PSD group were negatively correlated with SDNN, RMSSD, PNN50, TP and VLF (|r| > 0.769, P < 0.001). Compared with the control group, the ReHo increased in PSD group in the right rectus gyrus (142 voxels, t = 6.575), the left medial and paracingulate gyri (204 voxels, t = 4.925) (GRF correction, P-Voxel < 0.005，P-Cluster < 0.05); and reduced in the right cerebellum (191 voxels, t = -6.487), the left middle temporal gyrus (140 voxels, t = -5.516), and the left precentral gyrus (119 voxels, t = -4.764) (GRF correction, P-Voxel < 0.005，P-Cluster < 0.05) in PSD group. ConclusionAutonomic nerve function is related to motor dysfunction in patients with PSD. The modulation of emotional, cognitive and motor brain regions by the autonomic nervous system may play a role in influencing the motor function in patients with PSD.

Analysis of regional homogeneity and functional connectivity among the depression and bipolar disorder with mixed features patients / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To investigate the regional homogeneity (ReHo) among the major depressive disorder patients without mixed features (MDD noMF), major depressive disorder with mixed features (MMF), bipolar disorder with mixed features (BMF) and bipolar disorder patients without mixed features (BD noMF) patients, and to explore the brain activity and functional connectivity patterns of the MMF and BMF patients. Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. The MDD noMF patients (MDD noMF group), MMF patients (MMF group), BMF patients (BMF group), BD noMF patients (BD noMF group), and age-and gender-matched healthy controls (HC group) were recruited from Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University between April, 2021 and June, 2022. All the participants underwent resting-state functional MRI scanning. The ReHo values was computed with the DPABI software based on the MATLAB. Firstly, the difference in ReHo among the patients with MDD noMF, MMF, BMF, BD noMF and HC group were estimated by the analysis of covariance and the post-hoc method (LSD or Games-Howell). And then, the brain regions with significant different ReHo values were selected as the seeds to calculate the functional connectivity with the whole brain. Results:A total of 29 cases in the MDD noMF group, 24 cases in the MMF group, 26 cases in the BMF group, 29 cases in the BD noMF group, and 42 in the HC group were included. The differences in ReHo values in the left fusiform and the left precuneus of the 5 groups were statistically significant ( P<0.05). Among of them, the ReHo values of the left fusiform were lower in the MMF, BMF and BD noMF groups compared with the HC group ( P<0.05), while the ReHo values of the left precuneus in MDD noMF, MMF, BMF and BD noMF groups were higher than that in the HC group ( P<0.05). The ReHo value of the left fusiform was lower in the MMF group compared with the MDD noMF group ( P=0.001); the ReHo value of the left fusiform was lower in the BMF group compared with the MDD noMF and BD noMF groups ( P<0.05). The functional connectivity between the left fusiform and vermis, left insula, right putamen, and left medial superior frontal gyrus, and functional connectivity between the left precuneus and right superior frontal gyrus (dorsolateral) showed significant difference among the MDD noMF, MMF, BMF, BD noMF and HC groups ( P<0.05). Compared with HC group, MDD noMF, MMF, BD noMF groups showed higher functional connectivity between the left fusiform and the vermis, and MDD noMF, MMF, BMF, BD noMF group showed higher functional connectivityy between the the left fusiform and the left insula, left medial superior frontal gyrus and right putamen ( P<0.05). Compared with the MDD noMF group, the MMF, BMF and BD noMF groups showed higher functional connectivity between the left fusiform and the left insula ( P<0.05). Compared with the MDD noMF group, the BMF and BD noMF groups had higher functional connectivity between the left fusiform and the left medial superior frontal gyrus ( P<0.05). The BMF group showed higher functional connectivity of the left fusiform with the right putamen than the MDD noMF and BD noMF groups. Additonally, the BMF and BD noMF groups showed higher functional connectivity between the left precuneus and the right superior frontal gyrus (dorsolateral) than HC, MDD noMF and MMF groups ( P<0.05). Conclusions:MMF and BMF patients have local abnormalities of functional activity synchronization in the left fusiform and precuneus and abnormal functional connectivity patterns with multiple brain regions. MMF and BMF patients have specific neuroimaging features compared to MDD noMF or BD noMF patients and also share similar neuroimaging pathogenesis.

Comparation of resting brain regional homogeneity between patients with major depressive disorder and their healthy siblings / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To explore differences of resting brain regional homogeneity (ReHo) between patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and their siblings.Methods:From January to December 2013, the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of 87 patients with MDD and 21 healthy siblings were collected.DPABI v5.1 software was used to preprocess the resting-state fMRI data, and ReHo maps of each subject was obtained. A two-sample t-test was used to compare differences between the patients with MDD and their siblings in ReHo values throughout the brain. ReHo values within the significant brain regions were extracted out, and used to calculate Spearman correlation with the total score of 17-items Hamilton depression rating scale(HAMD-17) in the patients with MDD and their siblings respectively.The software of SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results:The patients with MDD exhibited lower ReHo values in the precuneus extending to the posterior cingulate cortex (PCu/PCC) compared with their siblings (cluster-size=126 voxel, cluster-level PFDR=0.033; MNI: x=-4, y=-58, z=38, t=4.30). ReHo values of the PCu/PCC in patient with MDD were positively correlated with the severity of depressive symptoms ( r=0.255, P=0.021). Conclusion:Compared with the siblings, local brain activity of the PCu/PCC in the patients with MDD was decreased, and related to the severity of depressive symptoms. It is helpful to further reveal the intrinsic neural mechanism of MDD.

Changes of spontaneous brain activity in end-stage renal disease patients: A study based on dynamic regional homogeneity / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To investigate dynamic regional homogeneity (dReHo) abnormality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). 【Methods】 A total of 26 ESRD patients and 26 healthy controls (HC) matched in gender, education level and age were included. Rs-fMRI scanning was performed in all subjects. All the subjects were tested by using auditory verbal learning test Huashan version (AVLT-H) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to assess cognitive function before collection of MRI data. T-test was used to observe the difference in dReHo at global level between the two groups. Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses were made to estimate the correlation between abnormal brain regions and clinical scales. 【Results】 Compared with HC group, the dReHo value in ESRD patients reduced on the bilateral superior margin gyrus, left insula, left posterior central gyrus, and left putamen (P<0.05, replacement test correction). The dReHo values of left superior margin gyrus (r=-0.534, P=0.005) and left insula in ESRD patients (r=-0.422, P=0.032) were negatively correlated with the LR-S score, and the dReHo value of the left margin was negatively correlated with the SR-S score (r=-0.468, P=0.016). 【Conclusion】 There are abnormal dReHo values in several brain regions in ESRD patients during resting state, which is related to the patients’ cognitive function. The variation of dReHo value provides a new objective imaging basis for evaluating the cognitive function of ESRD patients.

Effect of electroacupuncture on regional homogeneity of brain function in rats with vascular cognitive impairment / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Objective To observe the effect of electroacupuncture at Baihui (DU20) and Shenting (DU24) on brain functional activity and working memory of rats with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). Methods Eighteen Sprague-Dawley rats were included, in which twelve rats were ligated bilateral common carotid arteries and six rats were not ligated (sham group). The modeled rats were randomly divided into model group (n = 6) and electroacupuncture group (n = 6). The electroacupuncture group received electroacupuncture at Baihui and Shenting for four weeks. They were assessed with Y maze and Morris water maze before and after intervention, and scaned with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging after intervention to calculate regional homogeneity (ReHo). Results Compared with the sham group, alternation rate of Y maze decreased (P < 0.001), and escape latency of Morris water maze increased (P < 0.05) in the model group and the electroacupuncture group before intervention. Compared with the model group, alternation rate of Y maze increased (P < 0.05), and escape latency of Morris water maze decreased (P < 0.05) after intervention in the electroacupuncture group. Compared with the sham group, ReHo of bilateral hippocampus, olfactory cortex, sensory cortex and auditory cortex, and left striatum decreased in the model group; compared with the model group, ReHo of bilateral prefrontal lobe, hippocampus and olfactory cortex, and left amygdala increased in the electroacupuncture group. Conclusion Electroacupuncture at Baihui and Shenting can improve the memory function of VCI rats, which may be related to the functional activities of prefrontal lobes, hippocampus and amygdala.

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.

Alterations of brain activity in different motor subtypes of Parkinson disease based on regional homogeneity analysis / 中华放射学杂志

Objective To explore the changes and significance of local brain activity in different motor subtypes of Parkinson disease(PD) using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) based on regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis. Methods A total of 84 PD patients and age-and gender-matched 29 healthy controls undergoing rs-fMRI were included. PD patients were divided into two groups of tremor dominant (TD) (n=45) and postural instability gait difficulty(PIGD) (n=39) according to the Unified Parkinson′s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores. Data processing assistant for resting-state fMRI (DPARSF) and resting-state fMRI data analysis Toolkit (REST) V1.8 based on MATLAB were used to calculate the ReHo which measured brain activity in different motor subtypes of PD. Analysis of covariance and post-hoc t-tests were performed to detect the differences of local brain activity among the three groups.Correlation analyses were performed between ReHo values of the regions showing group differences and TD and PIGD scores respectively. Results Compared to healthy controls, the TD group exhibited increased ReHo in the right superior and middle frontal gyrus, left cerebellum(13 to 21 voxels, P<0.05), while decreased ReHo in the left temporal lobule, left putamen, left paracentral lobule, and bilateral thalamus (12 to 91 voxels, P<0.05). The PIGD group showed increased ReHo in the right superior frontal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC) (55 to 92 voxels, P<0.05), while decreased ReHo in the left putamen, left pallidum, left temporal lobule, right occipital lobule, bilateral thalamus, bilateral middle cingulate gyrus, bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA) (15 to 78 voxels, P<0.05). Compared with PIGD, the TD group showed increased ReHo in the left temporal lobule, left cerebellum, bilateral middle cingulate gyrus (19 to 51 voxels, P<0.05), whereas decreased ReHo in the left paracentral lobule, bilateral cuneus, right superior frontal gyrus, and right ACC (14 to 68 voxels, P<0.05). Additionally, ReHo in the left thalamus and left putamen negatively correlated with TD scores (r=-0.355 and －0.498, both P<0.05). ReHo in the left thalamus and right thalamus negatively correlated with PIGD scores (r=-0.478 and－0.397, both P<0.05). Conclusions The changes of brain activity in TD are located in the cerebello-thalamo-cortical (CTC) circuit and the striatal-thalamo-cortical (STC) loop while the changes in PIGD are largely located in the STC loop and visual network cortex. This specific pattern of intrinsic activity in TD and PIGD may provide insights into the neurophysiological mechanisms of PD with different motor subtypes.

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging of supramarginal gyrus-cerebellum circuit in obsessive-compulsive disorder / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective Regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC) were used to study obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD),and to explore the mechanism of OCD in resting state.Method Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) was performed in 55 patients with OCD (OCD group) and 50 normal controls (control group) matched by sex,age,nationality and education.The data and screening abnormal brain areas were analyzed and compared by DPARSFA2.3 and Rest software in OCD group.Whole brain FC analysis was performed with abnormal brain areas as seed points.Result Compared with the control group,ReHo in right thalamus (MNI:x=9,y=-24,z=6,t=4.3217) and left superior marginal gyrus (MNI:x =-45,y =-30,z =27,t =3.6320) increased and ReHo in right caudate nucleus (MNI:x=3,y=15,z=9,t=-3.1687) decreased in obsessive-compulsive disorder group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Using left superior marginal gyrus,fight thalamus and right caudate nucleus as seed voxels,the whole brain FC analysis showed that there were abnormal functional connections between bilateral cerebellar foot 1/2 area and left supramarginal gyrus,right thalamus and right caudate nucleus (P＜0.05) and the left supramarginal gyrus-bilateral cerebellum feet 1 area-right thalamic circuit and left supramarginal gyrus-bilateral cerebellum feet 1,2-right caudate nucleus-right thalamic circuit existed in 0CD group.Conclusion The left supramarginal gyrus-bilateral cerebellum feet 1 area-right thalamic circuit and left supramarginal gyrus-bilateral cerebellum feet 1,2-right caudate nucleus-right thalamic circuit may play an important role in the mechanism of OCD.

The influence of rs1360780 polymorphism of FK506-binding protein 5 gene on the brain regional homogeneity of resting state fMRI in patients with major depressive disorder / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the influence of rs1360780 T risk allele of FK506-binding protein 5 (FKBP5) gene on the brain function under resting-state and its association with clinical symptoms as well as immune function in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).Methods Totally 147 MDD patients and 61 gender-,age-,and education-matched healthy controls were scanned with 3.0T MRI Scanner and genotyped.The peripheral serum immunoglobulin and complement were measured.The main effect of the disease,the genotype and their interaction effects were analyzed using regional homogeneity (ReHo) by two-way ANOVA.Abnormal brain activity was identified in T risk allele carriers of rs1360780 and non-risk CC individuals in MDD using post hoc analyses.Correlation analyses were performed between ReHo values of significant brain regions and the total score,five-factor scores of Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAMD-17),serum levels of immunoglobulin and plasma complement component in MDD patients.Results (1) The results of 2x 2 ANOVA showed the interaction effects located in the left opercular part of inferior frontal gyrus (MNI:x,y,z =-42,6,9;F=10.83),right opercular part of inferior frontal gyrus (MNI:x,y,z =30,6,33;F=15.05),left medial superior frontal gyrus (MNI:x,y,z=-9,54,0;F=9.17) and left pallidum (MNI:x,y,z =-12,6,-6;F=11.37) (Alphasim corrected,P＜ 0.05).(2) In post-hoc analyses for the main effect of genotype,T+ carriers with MDD showed increased ReHo values in the right opercular part of inferior frontal gyrus (MNI:x,y,z=60,12,6;t=2.88) compared with CC carriers;for the effect of diseaseby-genotype interaction,T+ carriers with MDD showed increased ReHo values in the right opercular part of inferior frontal gyrus (MNI:x,y,z=30,6,33;t=2.96) and decreased ReHo values in the left orbital part of inferior frontal gyrus (MNI:x,y,z =-21,9,-18;t =-3.21) (Alphasim corrected,P＜ 0.05) in contrast to CC carriers.(3)Pearson's correlation showed that the average ReHo values of the right opercular part of inferior frontal gyrus negatively correlated with the content of immunoglobulin G (r=-0.528,P=O.0016,Bonferroni corrected) and positively correlated with anxiety/somatization factor score (r=0.421,P＜0.001,Bonferroni corrected) in T + carrìers with MDD.Conclusion The results of this study suggest that rs1360780 T-risk allele of FKBP5 gene is involved in the changes of local neural activity in the right opercular part of inferior frontal gyrus of depressed patients and could potentially indicate a neuropathological mechanism of anxiety somatic symptoms and immune dysfunction in depression.

Brain regions responding to acupuncture stimulation of Zusanli (ST36) in healthy subjects analyzed on the basis of spontaneous brain activity / 针刺研究

OBJECTIVE: To determine the attributes of responses of the higher nerve center to acupuncture stimulation of Zusanli (ST36) on the basis of spontaneous brain activity, so as to explore the synchronization level of different brain rejoins after acupuncture. METHODS: All studies using fMRI to investigate the effect of acupuncture stimulation of ST36 and/or other acupoints on the human brain (at least 10 healthy subjects or patients in one group) published in journals from January of 1995 to January of 2018 were searched from databases of CNKI and PubMed by using keywords of acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance images (rs-fMRI) or regional homogeneity (ReHo). Brain functional image data of acupuncture stimulation of ST36 and/or other acupoints were collected and analyzed with anisotropic effect size-signed differential mapping (AES-SDM) software (Meta-analysis), and those of acupuncture of simple ST36 analyzed as a subgroup. RESULTS: A total of 229 papers in Chinese and 109 in English were collected. According to our inclusive and exclusive standards, 11 papers containing 235 subjects were brought into analysis at last. Meta-analysis of brain image data of acupuncture at ST36 and/or other acupoints (comparison between pre- and post-acupuncture) revealed that the same brain regions (generality) which showed a significant increase in ReHo, are the right and left anterior cingulated gyrus, right caudate, left superior frontal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, and the right paracentral lobe, and those which showed a marked decrease of ReHo are the left mid-inferior occipital gyrus, left and right precentral and postcentral gyrus. The brain regions responding to acupuncture at ST36 only (specificity) are the right inferior parietal lobe, left middle inferior gyrus, right posterior lobe of cerebellum, and the left angular gyrus which displayed an increase of ReHo, and the right middle superior frontal gyrus which showed a decrease in ReHo. CONCLUSION: After acupuncturing at ST36, the relative generality and specificity of the central response in healthy subjects reflected as the location of the affected brain regions and the difference in the synchronization level of the corresponding spontaneous brain activities.

Analysis on regional homogeneity of resting brain during balance acupuncture-induced analgesic effect in migraine patients without aura / 针刺研究

OBJECTIVE: To observe the relationship between the analgesic effect of balance acupuncture and functional changes in brain in patients with migraine without aura. METHODS: A total of 40 cases of migraine without aura were equally randomized into a headache-acupoint group and a sham-acupoint group. When acupuncture given, a filiform needle was inserted into the headache-acupoint (the midpoint of the depression region anterior to the juncture of the first and second metatarsal bones on the dorsum of the foot) or the sham point (the midpoint of the depression region anterior to the juncture site between the 3rd and 4th metatarsal joints of the dorsum of the foot) about 25-40 mm deep and manipulated for a while till the patient experienced feelings of electric shock and numbness, then withdrawn immediately. The treatment was conducted once daily for 4 weeks. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the severity of pain, and the regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis of resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess changes of the spontaneous brain activity. RESULTS: After acupuncture, the analgesic effect of headache-acupoint was better than that of the sham-acupoint in both intervention stage and the follow-up stage (P0.05). Compared with pre-intervention, 4-weeks' intervention at the headache-acupoint showed an increase of ReHo values in the anterior cingulate gyrus, anterior central gyrus, superior orbital frontal gyrus, insula, inferior lobule, left anterior cingulate gyrus, ventral lateral nucleus and ventral posteromedial nucleus of the thalamus, pontine nucleus, cerebellar tonsils and orbital frontal inferior gyrus of the brain (P<0.05), and a decrease of ReHo values in the right brain bridge, central posterior gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, left central anterior gyrus, posterolateral nucleus of thalamus, and hippocampus (P<0.05), separately. In the sham-acupoint group, the ReHo value was increased in the right tongue gyrus, the left anterior lobe, the anterior cingulate gyrus and the lower occipital gyrus of the brain (P<0.05), and reduced in the left ventral posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus, separately (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Balance acupuncture stimulation of headache acupoint has an analgesic effect in migraine patients without aura, which may be related to its effect in regulating resting state brain function of the limbic-system-dominated multiple brain regions.

Resting-state fMRI analysis based on Chinese brain template Chinese2020 in patients with Alzheimer disease / 中国医学影像技术

Objective To explore the application value of Chinese brain template Chinese2020 in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data analysis of Chinese Alzheimer disease (AD) patients. Methods Twelve Chinese AD patients (AD group) and 17 healthy volunteers (control group) were collected. Then rs-fMRI data were registered to the Chinese brain template Chinese2020 and traditional standard brain template ICBM152, respectively. Whole brain analysis was performed to explore the regional spontaneous neuronal activity alterations in AD patients, in which amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) were extracted as indicators. The distribution pattern of brain regions with significant differences obtained from the data analysis based on the two templates was compared respectively. Results The results from both templates showed that ALFF in AD group decreased in right superior temporal gyrus, right precuneus and right angular gyrus while increased in left cerebellum, left temporal pole, superior temporal gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus (all P<0.05), and ReHo in AD group decreased in left middle temporal gyrus, right inferior temporal gyrus, left trigonometric frontalis inferior gyrus and left cuneus, while increased in left cerebellum (all P<0.05) compared with in control group. In the analysis based on Chinese brain template Chinese2020, the average of the gray matter volume percentage within the activated areas (ALFF: [38.85±17.88]%, ReHo: [54.69±13.28]%) were higher than those based on traditional standard brain template ICBM152 (ALFF: [33.75±14.70]%, ReHo: [45.66±12.35]%), but without difference (P=0.68, 0.21). Conclusion In rs-fMRI study of Chinese AD, analysis based on Chinese brain template Chinese2020 may provide more accurate information than on conventional westerner brain template.

Alterations of brain activity in different motor subtypes of Parkinson disease based on regional homogeneity analysis / 中华放射学杂志

Objective@#To explore the changes and significance of local brain activity in different motor subtypes of Parkinson disease(PD) using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) based on regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis.@*Methods@#A total of 84 PD patients and age-and gender-matched 29 healthy controls undergoing rs-fMRI were included. PD patients were divided into two groups of tremor dominant(TD) (n=45) and postural instability gait difficulty(PIGD) (n=39) according to the Unified Parkinson′s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores. Data processing assistant for resting-state fMRI (DPARSF) and resting-state fMRI data analysis Toolkit (REST) V1.8 based on MATLAB were used to calculate the ReHo which measured brain activity in different motor subtypes of PD. Analysis of covariance and post-hoc t-tests were performed to detect the differences of local brain activity among the three groups.Correlation analyses were performed between ReHo values of the regions showing group differences and TD and PIGD scores respectively.@*Results@#Compared to healthy controls, the TD group exhibited increased ReHo in the right superior and middle frontal gyrus, left cerebellum(13 to 21 voxels, P<0.05), while decreased ReHo in the left temporal lobule, left putamen, left paracentral lobule, and bilateral thalamus (12 to 91 voxels, P<0.05). The PIGD group showed increased ReHo in the right superior frontal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC) (55 to 92 voxels, P<0.05), while decreased ReHo in the left putamen, left pallidum, left temporal lobule, right occipital lobule, bilateral thalamus, bilateral middle cingulate gyrus, bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA) (15 to 78 voxels, P<0.05). Compared with PIGD, the TD group showed increased ReHo in the left temporal lobule, left cerebellum, bilateral middle cingulate gyrus (19 to 51 voxels, P<0.05), whereas decreased ReHo in the left paracentral lobule, bilateral cuneus, right superior frontal gyrus, and right ACC (14 to 68 voxels, P<0.05). Additionally, ReHo in the left thalamus and left putamen negatively correlated with TD scores (r=-0.355 and -0.498, both P<0.05). ReHo in the left thalamus and right thalamus negatively correlated with PIGD scores (r=-0.478 and -0.397, both P<0.05).@*Conclusions@#The changes of brain activity in TD are located in the cerebello-thalamo-cortical (CTC) circuit and the striatal-thalamo-cortical (STC) loop while the changes in PIGD are largely located in the STC loop and visual network cortex. This specific pattern of intrinsic activity in TD and PIGD may provide insights into the neurophysiological mechanisms of PD with different motor subtypes.

Comparison between approximate entropy and regional homogeneity for identification of irritable bowel syndrome based on functional magnetic resonance imaging / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the effectiveness and sensitivity of entropy and regional homogeneity (ReHo) for identifying irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).@*METHODS@#Voxel-based approximate entropy (ApEn) was calculated based on findings of resting fMRI of 54 patients with IBS and 54 healthy control subjects. Feature selection was performed using independent sample -test, and support vector machine was then used to classify and identify different groups. The classification performance obtained from ApEn was compared with that from ReHo.@*RESULTS@#Significant differences between the two groups were found in the left triangle part of inferior prefrontal gyrus, right angular gyrus of the inferior parietal lobule, left inferior temporal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, left lingual gyrus, bilateral middle occipital gyrus and bilateral superior occipital gyrus for ReHo ( < 0.05), and in the bilateral postcentral gyrus, right precentral gyrus, right inferior temporal gyrus, bilateral middle temporal gyrus and left superior occipital gyrus for ApEn ( < 0.05). ApEn consistently showed better performance than ReHo regardless of the variations in the number of features. The classification accuracy, specificity and sensitivity of ApEn were 93.5185%, 90.7407% and 96.2963%, respectively, as compared with 86.1111%, 85.1852% and 87.037% of ReHo.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Entropy analysis based on fMRI can be more sensitive and effective than ReHo for identification of IBS.

Changes in regional homogeneity of brain activity in patients with diabetic peripheral / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the abnormalities in regional homogeneity of brain activity in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and explore the association between brain activity changes and DPN.@*METHODS@#A regional homogeneity (ReHo) approach was used to compare the local synchronization of rs-fMRI signals among 20 patients with painful DPN, 16 patients with painless DPN, and 16 type 2 diabetic patients without DPN (non-DPN group).@*RESULTS@#Compared with the those without DPN, the patients with painful DPN showed high ReHo in the left inferior temporal gyrus and the right central posterior gyrus, and low ReHo in the posterior cingulate gyrus, right inferior parietal gyrus, and the left superior parietal gyrus ( < 0.05);the patients with painless DPN group showed high ReHo in the left inferior temporal gyrus, the right middle temporal gyrus, and the right superior frontal gyrus, and low ReHo in the left thalamus ( < 0.05).No significant differences in ReHo were found between the patients with painful DPN and painless DPN (>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The patients with DPN have altered ReHo in multiple brain regions and impairment of a default mode network, for which the left temporal gyrus may serve as a functional compensatory brain area. ReHo disturbance in the central right posterior gyrus may play a central role in the pain symptoms associated with painful DPN.

Research on the rest functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after smoking cessation / 生物医学工程学杂志

The aim of this paper is to reveal the change of the brain function for nicotine addicts after smoking cessation, and explore the basis of neural physiology for the nicotine addicts in the process of smoking cessation. Fourteen subjects, who have a strong dependence on nicotine, have agreed to give up smoking and insist on completing the test, and 11 volunteers were recruited as the controls. The resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging and the regional homogeneity (ReHo) algorithm have been used to study the neural activity before and after smoking cessation. A two factors mixed design was used to investigate within-group effects and between-group effects. After 2 weeks' smoking cessation, the increased ReHo value were exhibited in the brain area of supplementary motor area, paracentral lobule, calcarine, cuneus and lingual gyrus. It suggested that the synchronization of neural activity was enhanced in these brain areas. And between-group interaction effects were appeared in supplementary motor area, paracentral lobule, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and superior frontal gyrus. The results indicate that the brain function in supplementary motor area of smoking addicts would be enhanced significantly after 2 weeks' smoking cessation.

Dopamine D4 Receptor Gene Associated with the Frontal-Striatal-Cerebellar Loop in Children with ADHD: A Resting-State fMRI Study / 神经科学通报·英文版

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood neuropsychiatric disorder that has been linked to the dopaminergic system. This study aimed to investigate the effects of regulation of the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) on functional brain activity during the resting state in ADHD children using the methods of regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were analyzed in 49 children with ADHD. All participants were classified as either carriers of the DRD4 4-repeat/4-repeat (4R/4R) allele (n = 30) or the DRD4 2-repeat (2R) allele (n = 19). The results showed that participants with the DRD4 2R allele had decreased ReHo bilaterally in the posterior lobes of the cerebellum, while ReHo was increased in the left angular gyrus. Compared with participants carrying the DRD4 4R/4R allele, those with the DRD4 2R allele showed decreased FC to the left angular gyrus in the left striatum, right inferior frontal gyrus, and bilateral lobes of the cerebellum. The increased FC regions included the left superior frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus, and rectus gyrus. These data suggest that the DRD4 polymorphisms are associated with localized brain activity and specific functional connections, including abnormality in the frontal-striatal-cerebellar loop. Our study not only enhances the understanding of the correlation between the cerebellar lobes and ADHD, but also provides an imaging basis for explaining the neural mechanisms underlying ADHD in children.

Regional Brain Activity During Rest and Gastric Water Load in Subtypes of Functional Dyspepsia: A Preliminary Brain Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Functional dyspepsia (FD) remains a great clinical challenge since the FD subtypes, defined by Rome III classification, still have heterogeneous pathogenesis. Previous studies have shown notable differences in visceral sensation processing in the CNS in FD compared to healthy subjects (HS). However, the role of CNS in the pathogenesis of each FD subtype has not been recognized. METHODS: Twenty-eight FD patients, including 10 epigastric pain syndrome (EPS), 9 postprandial distress syndrome (PDS), and 9 mixed-type, and 10 HS, were enrolled. All subjects underwent a proximal gastric perfusion water load test and the regional brain activities during resting state and water load test were investigated by functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: For regional brain activities during the resting state and water load test, each FD subtype was significantly different from HS (P < 0.05). Focusing on EPS and PDS, the regional brain activities of EPS were stronger than PDS in the left paracentral lobule, right inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis, postcentral gyrus, precuneus, insula, parahippocampal gyrus, caudate nucleus, and bilateral cingulate cortices at the resting state (P < 0.05), and stronger than PDS in the left inferior temporal and fusiform gyri during the water load test (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to HS, FD subtypes had different regional brain activities at rest and during water load test, whereby the differences displayed distinct manifestations for each subtype. Compared to PDS, EPS presented more significant differences from HS at rest, suggesting that the abnormality of central visceral pain processing could be one of the main pathogenesis mechanisms for EPS.

Alterations in regional homogeneity of resting state brain activity in Parkinson's disease patients with depression / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To investigate the changes of regional homogeneity ( ReHo) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with depression and their relationship with major depressive disorder.Methods A total of 42 PD patients without depression , 20 PD patients with depression, 20 major depressive disorder patients and 47 well-matched healthy controls were scanned with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging for ReHo analysis.The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-Ⅲ) and Hoehn-Yahr stage were used to assess the clinical symptoms , then the correlations between abnormal brain regions and clinical data were explored.Results ( 1 ) The main effect of Parkinson's disease: PD group showed higher ReHo in left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and right precuneus, but lower ReHo in bilateral supplementary motor area and left angular gyrus.(2) The main effect of depression: The depression group had increased ReHo in bilateral cerebellum , and decreased ReHo in bilateral precentral gyrus , postcentral gyrus , left inferior frontal gyrus, left posterior cingulate gyrus , left supplementary motor area , right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex , right inferior parietal gyrus and right calcarine.(3) Interactive effect of PD and depression : Interactive brain areas included bilateral middle frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal cortex and supramarginal gyrus.(4) The ReHo of the brain regions under main effect of depression including right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (r＝-0.526, P＜0.01) and right inferior parietal gyrus ( r＝-0.456, P＜0.01) had significant negative correlation with HAMD scores. Conclusion PD patients with depression have abnormal brain function , and PD with depression is not simply an overlay of PD and major depressive disorder.

MRI analysis of regional homogeneity and gray matter structure in chronic subjective tinnitus / 中国医学影像技术

Objective To observe changes of brain function synchronized activity and gray matter structure alterations in patients with chronic subjective tinnitus (ST) with MRI.Methods Resting-state fMRI and 3D T1WI were obtained in 21 chronic ST patients (case group) and 21 healthy volunteers (control group).The voxel-based morphometry and regional homogeneity (ReHo) were used to analyze changes of the gray matter structure and volume.Results Compared with control group,ReHo values of the right superior,middle and inferior temporal gyrus increased in case group (P＜0.05),ReHo values of the right middle orbital frontal gyrus/inferior triangle frontal gyrus,left middle frontal gyrus/angular gyrus and cerebellar vermis decreased (P＜0.05),and the gray matter volume of the right middle temporal gyrus,superior dorsolateral frontal gyrus and left superior medial frontal gyrus decreased in case group (P＜0.01).Furthermore,Re Ho values of the right middle temporal gyrus were positively correlated with tinnitus handicap inventory scores (r=0.604,P=0.005) in case group.Conclusion The neural function synchronized activity and gray matter volume changes in the auditory and non-auditory brain regions of patients with chronic ST,providing references for finding possible neuroimaging markers.