Estradiol associations with brain functional connectivity in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have found that estrogens play a role in functional connectivity in the brain; however, little research has been done regarding how estradiol is associated with functional connectivity in postmenopausal women. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between estradiol and functional connectivity in postmenopausal women. METHODS: Structural and blood oxygenation level-dependent resting-state magnetic resonance imaging scans of 88 cognitively healthy postmenopausal individuals were obtained along with blood samples collected the same day as the magnetic resonance imaging to assess hormone levels. We generated connectivity values in CONN toolbox version 20.b, an SPM-based software. RESULTS: A regression analysis was run using estradiol level and regions of interest (ROI), including the hippocampus, parahippocampus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and precuneus. Estradiol level was found to enhance parahippocampal gyrus anterior division left functional connectivity during ROI-to-ROI regression analysis. Estradiol enhanced functional connectivity between the parahippocampal gyrus anterior division left and the precuneus as well as the parahippocampal gyrus anterior division left and parahippocampal gyrus posterior division right. An exploratory analysis showed that years since the final menstrual period was related to enhanced connectivity between regions within the frontoparietal network. CONCLUSIONS: These results illustrated the relationship between estradiol level and functional connectivity in postmenopausal women. They have implications for understanding how the functioning of the brain changes for individuals after menopause that may eventually lead to changes in cognition and behavior in older ages.

Preeclampsia and its relationship to pathological brain aging.

The development of preeclampsia during pregnancy may have long-term effects on brain aging in women. Associations between preeclampsia and vascular dementia have been established, however the connection between preeclampsia and Alzheimer's disease has not been as thoroughly explored. Both preeclampsia and Alzheimer's disease have been associated with misfolded amyloid beta proteins and inflammation; due to these similarities, in this minireview, we examined the potential links between a history of preeclampsia and the development of dementia. We also discussed how hypertensive disorders of pregnancy may relate to both normal brain aging and dementia to highlight the need for additional research regarding the long-term cognitive effects of preeclampsia on the brain.

Case Report: Deep Brain Stimulation to the Ventral Internal Capsule/Ventral Striatum Induces Repeated Transient Episodes of Voltage-Dependent Tourette-Like Behaviors.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an invasive device-based neuromodulation technique that allows the therapeutic direct stimulation of subcortical and deep cortical structures following the surgical placement of stimulating electrodes. DBS is approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration for the treatment of movement disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder, while new indications, including Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), are in experimental development. We report the case of a patient with MDD who received DBS to the ventral internal capsule and ventral striatum bilaterally and presented with 2 weeks of voltage-dependent Tourette-like symptoms including brief transient episodes of abrupt-onset and progressively louder coprolalia and stuttered speech; tic-like motor behavior in his right arm and leg; rushes of anxiety, angry prosody, angry affect; and moderate amnesia without confusion. We describe the results of the inpatient neuropsychiatric workup leading to the diagnosis of iatrogenic voltage-dependent activation of cortico-subcortical circuits and discuss insights into the pathophysiology of Tourette as well as safety considerations raised by the case.

Neural correlates of the ADHD self-report scale.

BACKGROUND: The ADHD Self Report Scale is a self-report measure that assesses attentional problems. We sought to validate the ASRS by establishing neural correlates using functional magnetic imaging in healthy controls and individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), who commonly exhibit attentional problems. METHODS: ASRS questionnaires and functional MRI data in conjunction with the Multi-source Interference Task (MSIT) were collected from 36 healthy control and 36 BD participants. We investigated task specific changes in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC, Brodmann area 32) and their correlations with ASRS subscale scores, inattention and hyperactivity, in both cohorts. RESULTS: As hypothesized, the dACC showed significant increases in BOLD activation between the interference and noninterference conditions. For the ASRS scale as well as its Inattention and Hyperactivity subscales, there was a significant negative correlation with the dACC BOLD for the whole group. CONCLUSIONS: The ASRS is sensitive to attentional difficulties in BD, suggesting that it is a valid tool for assessing attentional difficulties in patients with BD.