观察电针健康受试者不同经穴对Resting-state fMRI脑功能连接的影响

目的:观察比较电针心经穴与心包经穴时激活脑区的功能连接变化差异,为临床运用针刺心经、心包经穴治疗相关疾病提供实验依据。方法:将符合纳入标准的29例健康受试者随机分为电针心经穴组14例和电针心包经穴组15例,以双侧后扣带回为种子点,采用功能连接作为观察指标,分析两组电针刺激状态下脑功能连接的差异。结果:两组电针前静息状态下的脑功能连接比较未发现存在明显差异的脑区。电针心经穴与心包经穴时脑内功能网络均发生改变,前者出现功能连接增强的区域为右侧额下回、左侧颞下回、右侧顶下小叶、右侧海马旁回,新激活脑区为双侧中央后回、左侧中央前回、右侧楔前叶、左侧角回、左侧枕下回、左侧脑岛(P<0.05);后者出现功能连接增强的区域为右侧顶上小叶,新激活脑区为左侧小脑舌、左侧顶叶楔前叶、右侧枕下回、左侧豆状核、右侧脑岛(P<0.05)。结论:(1)大脑在无任务的安静、清醒状态下存在一定的功能活动。(2)电针心经、心包经穴广泛激活的脑区主要与精神、神志、智力等密切相关,为临床上选用二者治疗与上述脑区相关的精神、神志类疾病提供了重要的客观依据。电针心经激活的中央前回为皮质运动前区,与对侧肢体运动功能密切相关,它的激活为临床上治疗中风肢体功能障碍选用手少阴心经穴提供了佐证。两组均激活的脑岛与心血管的功能关系密切,为临床上选用心经、心包经穴治疗心血管病提供了部分影像学依据。两条经脉的主治有交叉性,均可用于治疗心脑相关疾病,同时又各有偏颇,心包经多用于治疗与心相关疾病,而心经更多用于治疗精神神志类疾病。

Abnormalities of interhemispheric functional connectivity in individuals with acute eye pain: a resting-state fMRI study

AIM: To study the changes of the resting state functional connectivity(rsFC) between acute eye pain(EP) subjects and healthy controls(HCs) in the two hemispheres by using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity(VMHC) method.METHODS: Totally 20 patients with EP and 20 HCs were enrolled, sex, age, and education were matched, and all subjects were examined by functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) scans at resting-state. The changes of rs FC between the hemispheres were evaluated by the VMHC method according to Gaussian random field(GRF) theory. In order to identify the VMHC, as biomarkers for distinguishing EP and from HC, the receiver operating characteristic curves(ROC) had been analyzed. The relationships were evaluated with Pearson correlation analysis between the mean VMHC signal values and clinical features in these patients.RESULTS: By comparing with health subjects, the significant decreased VMHC values was observed in lingual/calcarine(Brodmann area, BA 30), precentral/postcentral gyrus(PreCG/PosCG; BA 4) and medial frontal gyrus(MFG; BA 8)(false discovery rate corrected <0.01) in the acute EP individuals. The accuracy of area under curve was excellent indicated by the ROC curve analysis of each brain regions.CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates preliminary evidence of disrupted interhemispheric rsFC in acute EP in sensorimotor and limbic system and somatosensory cortex, which might give some useful information for understanding the neurological mechanisms in acute EP individuals.

Reduction in interhemispheric functional connectivity in the dorsal visual pathway in unilateral acute open globe injury patients: a resting-state fMRI study

This study investigated the changes in interhemispheric functional connectivity （FC） of the whole brain in open globe injury （OGI） patients, using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity （VMHC）, and their relationships with clinical features. Totally, 16 male and 2 female acute OGI patients and 18 sex, age, and education-matched healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. All subjects were scanned through functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI）. Receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curves analyses had been used to identify the VMHC in these brain areas could be used as biomarkers to distinguish OGI and from healthy control （HC）. The mean VMHC values in multiple brain areas and clinical OGI manifestations were evaluated with a Pearson correlation analysis. OGI patients had significantly decreased VMHC in the bilateral calcarine/lingual/cuneus （BA18, 19, 30） and middle occipital gyrus （BA18, 19）. The OGI patients had abnormal interhemispheric FC in the dorsal visual pathway, which may represent the pathophysiological mechanism that underlies acute vision loss after OGI.

Altered spontaneous brain activity pattern in patients with ophthalmectomy: an resting-state fMRI study

●AIM:To use the voxel-wise degree centrality(DC)method to explore the underlying functional network brain-activity in patients with ophthalmectomy.●METHODS:A total of 32 ophthalmic surgery patients(10 women and 22 men),and 32 healthy subjects(10 women and 22 men)highly matched in gender,age,and the same operation method.Everyone experienced a restingstate functional magnetic resonance imaging scan.The spontaneous brain activity could be assessed by DC.Correlation analysis was used to explore the relationships between the average DC signal values and behavior performance in different regions.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)cur ve analysis was utilized to differentiate between ophthalmectomy patients and healthy controls(HCs).●RESULTS:Compared with HCs,ophthalmectomy patients had greatly reduced DC values in left lingual gyrus,bilateral lingual lobe,left cingulate gyrus,and increased DC values of left cerebellum posterior lobe,left middle frontal gyrus1,right supramarginal gyrus,left middle frontal gyrus2,right middle frontal gyrus.However,we did not find that there was a correlation between the average DC values from various brain regions and clinical manifestations.●CONCLUSION:Dysfunction may be caused by ophthalmectomy in lots of cerebral areas,which may show the potential pathological mechanism of ophthalmectomy and it is beneficial to clinical diagnosis.

Modulatory effect of International standard Scalp Acupuncture on brain activation in the elderly as revealed by resting-state fMRI

The specific mechanisms by which acupuncture affects the central nervous system are unclear. In the International Standard Scalp Acupuncture system, acupuncture needles are applied at the middle line of the vertex, anterior parietal-temporal oblique line, and the posterior parietal-temporal oblique line. We conducted a single-arm prospective clinical trial in which seven healthy elderly volunteers (three men and four women;50–70 years old) received International Standard Scalp Acupuncture at MS5 (the mid-sagittal line between Baihui (DU20) and Qianding (DU21)), the left MS6 (line joining Sishencong (EX-HN1) and Xuanli (GB6)), and the left MS7 (line joining DU20 and Qubin (GB7)). After acupuncture, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated changes in the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity in various areas, showing remarkable enhancement of regional homogeneity in the bilateral anterior cingulate, left medial frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus. Functional connectivity based on a seed region at the right middle frontal gyrus (42, 51, 9) decreased at the bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus. Our data preliminarily indicates that the international standard scalp acupuncture in healthy elderly participants specifcally enhances the correlation between the brain regions involved in cognition and implementation of the brain network regulation system and the surrounding adjacent brain regions. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the China-Japan Union Hospital at Jilin University, China, on July 18, 2016 (approval No. 2016ks043).

运脾柔肝方治疗便秘型肠易激综合征疗效观察及基于rs-fMRI脑区活动水平变化的研究

目的:观察运脾柔肝方治疗肝郁气滞型便秘型肠易激综合征(IBS-C)的临床疗效,运用静息态功能性磁共振(rs-fMRI)观察IBS-C患者的脑区活动水平变化。方法:选取我院门诊43例IBS-C患者,评价运脾柔肝方的临床疗效。选取20例健康受试者,观察IBS-C患者及健康受试者脑区活动水平差异。进行焦虑、抑郁评估,观察伴与不伴焦虑抑郁状态的患者脑区活动水平的差异。观察IBS-C患者治疗前后脑区活动水平差异。结果:治疗组与对照组治疗均有效(P>0.05)。治疗组患者经治疗后SAS和SDS评分均降低(P<0.05)。对照组患者经治疗后SAS评分降低(P<0.05)。静息状态下,IBS-C组患者左舌回的脑区活动水平升高,左额下回、右额中回的脑区活动水平降低(P<0.05)。伴焦虑抑郁情绪的IBS-C患者右额下回的脑区活动水平较不伴有焦虑抑郁情绪的患者升高(P<0.05)。治疗后IBS-C患者左顶叶中央后回、左侧距状裂周围皮层的脑区活动水平降低,小脑的脑区活动水平升高(P<0.05)。结论:运脾柔肝方可有效缓解IBS-C患者的临床症状,改善焦虑、抑郁情绪。在静息状态下,IBS-C患者大脑的特定区域活动异常,说明大脑的某些特定区域和相应网络的自发神经元活动的变化可能与IBS-C的病理生理密切相关。

Alteration of functional connectivity in patients with Alzheimer’s disease revealed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

The main symptom of patients with Alzheimer’s disease is cognitive dysfunction. Alzheimer’s disease is mainly diagnosed based on changes in brain structure. Functional connectivity reflects the synchrony of functional activities between non-adjacent brain regions, and changes in functional connectivity appear earlier than those in brain structure. In this study, we detected resting-state functional connectivity changes in patients with Alzheimer’s disease to provide reference evidence for disease prediction. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data from patients with Alzheimer’s disease were used to show whether particular white and gray matter areas had certain functional connectivity patterns and if these patterns changed with disease severity. In nine white and corresponding gray matter regions, correlations of normal cognition, early mild cognitive impairment, and late mild cognitive impairment with blood oxygen level-dependent signal time series were detected. Average correlation coefficient analysis indicated functional connectivity patterns between white and gray matter in the resting state of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Functional connectivity pattern variation correlated with disease severity, with some regions having relatively strong or weak correlations. We found that the correlation coefficients of five regions were 0.3–0.5 in patients with normal cognition and 0–0.2 in those developing Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, in the other four regions, the range increased to 0.45–0.7 with increasing cognitive impairment. In some white and gray matter areas, there were specific connectivity patterns. Changes in regional white and gray matter connectivity patterns may be used to predict Alzheimer’s disease;however, detailed information on specific connectivity patterns is needed. All study data were obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Library of the Image and Data Archive Database.

Abnormal resting-state functional network centrality in patients with high myopia： evidence from a voxel-wise degree centrality analysis

AIM： To investigate the functional networks underlying the brain-activity changes of patients with high myopia using the voxel-wise degree centrality（DC） method.METHODS： In total, 38 patients with high myopia（HM）（17 males and 21 females）, whose binocular refractive diopter were-6.00 to-7.00 D, and 38 healthy controls（17 males and 21 females）, closely matched in age, sex, and education levels, participated in the study. Spontaneous brain activities were evaluated using the voxel-wise DC method. The receiver operating characteristic curve was measured to distinguish patients with HM from healthy controls. Correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between the observed mean DC values of the different brain areas and the behavioral performance.RESULTS： Compared with healthy controls, HM patients had significantly decreased DC values in the right inferior frontal gyrus/insula, right middle frontal gyrus, and right supramarginal/inferior parietal lobule（P〈0.05）. In contrast, HM patients had significantly increased DC values in the right cerebellum posterior lobe, left precentral gyrus/postcentral gyrus, and right middle cingulate gyrus（P〈0.05）. However, no relationship was found between the observed mean DC values of the different brain areas and the behavioral performance（P〉0.05）.CONCLUSION： HM is associated with abnormalities in many brain regions, which may indicate the neural mechanisms of HM. The altered DC values may be used as a useful biomarker for the brain activity changes in HM patients.

Age-related changes in resting-state functional connectivity in older adults

Age-related changes in the brain connectivity of healthy older adults have been widely studied in recent years,with some differences in the obtained results.Most of these studies showed decreases in general functional connectivity,but they also found increases in some particular regions and areas.Frequently,these studies compared young individuals with older subjects,but few studies compared different age groups only in older populations.The purpose of this study is to analyze whole-brain functional connectivity in healthy older adult groups and its network characteristics through functional segregation.A total of 114 individuals,48 to 89 years old,were scanned using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in a resting state paradigm and were divided into six different age groups(<60,60–64,65–69,70–74,75–79,≥80 years old).A partial correlation analysis,a pooled correlation analysis and a study of 3-cycle regions with prominent connectivity were conducted.Our results showed progressive diminution in the functional connectivity among different age groups and this was particularly pronounced between 75 and 79 years old.The oldest group(≥80 years old)showed a slight increase in functional connectivity compared to the other groups.This occurred possibly because of compensatory mechanism in brain functioning.This study provides information on the brain functional characteristics of every age group,with more specific information on the functional progressive decline,and supplies methodological tools to study functional connectivity characteristics.Approval for the study was obtained from the ethics committee of the Comision de Bioetica de la Universidad de Barcelona(approval No.PSI2012-38257)on June 5,2012,and from the ethics committee of the Barcelona’s Hospital Clinic(approval No.2009-5306 and 2011-6604)on October 22,2009 and April 7,2011 respectively.

Effect of Chinese tuina massage therapy on resting state brain functional network of patients with chronic neck pain

Objective:Cervical disease,a type of chronic pain,can greatly impact quality of life.Traditional Chinese tuina,a form of therapeutic massage and manipulation,has been shown to be effective in relieving pain and other symptoms in patients with chronic neck pain.This study applied functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore the features of the resting state network of patients with chronic neck pain caused by cervical radiculopathy,and how tuina affects the causality between intrinsic brain networks.Methods:Using Granger causality analysis,effective connectivity of brain networks of 10 patients with chronic neck pain was compared with 10 healthy control subjects.Resting state fMRI data were using magnetic resonance scanning.Cervical spondylosis symptom scores were evaluated before and after 4 weeks of tuina therapy.Independent component analysis was applied to extract the specific networks related to sensation,execution,and cognition,including sensorimotor network (SMN),visual network (VN),auditory network (AN),anterior and posterior default mode network (aDMN,pDMN),left frontoparietal network and right frontoparietal network.Results:Compared with the control group,data from the treatment group revealed two major findings:before tuina therapy,SMN had a profound influence on aDMN and AN greatly affected pDMN;however,after 4 weeks of tuina therapy,aDMN and SMN showed reversed causality.Conclusion:Chronic neck pain caused by cervical radiculopathy may influence the DMN,which plays an important role in emotion,cognition,and memory,by stimulating the sensory afferent network.Tuina not only significantly relieves pain and discomfort,but also reverses the causality between aDMN and SMN.

Effective doctor-patient communication skills training optimizes functional organization of intrinsic brain architecture:a restingstate functional MRI study

We studied the influence of doctor-patient communication skills training on brain functional architecture using resting-state functional MRI（rs-fMRI） with a regional homogeneity（ReHo） method. Ten medical students participated in the study. A 1-year long doctor-patient communication skills training program was conducted. RsfMRI data were collected at baseline, one month and one year after training. There was a significant increase in the communication skills test average scores between baseline and 1-month duration of training（P〈0.001）. After one month of communication skills training, medical students had decreased ReHo in the right superior temporal gyrus compared with the baseline. After one year of communication skills training, students had increased ReHo in multiple regions and decreased ReHo in several regions（P 〈0.05, Alphasim corrected）. The change of ReHo values in the superior temporal gyrus negatively correlated with the change of communication skills scale score between one month after communication skills training and baseline（r=-0.734, P= 0.036）. The training program we used can be an effective approach of improving doctor-patient communication skills, and the training resulted in functional plasticity of the brain’s architecture toward optimizing locally functional organization.

Survivors of COVID-19 exhibit altered amplitudes of low frequency fluctuation in the brain: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study at 1-year follow-up

Although some short-term follow-up studies have found that individuals recovering from coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)exhibit anxiety,depression,and altered brain microstructure,their long-term physical problems,neuropsychiatric sequelae,and changes in brain function remain unknown.This observational cohort study collected 1-year follow-up data from 22 patients who had been hospitalized with COVID-19(8 males and 11 females,aged 54.2±8.7 years).Fatigue and myalgia were persistent symptoms at the 1-year follow-up.The resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that compared with 29 healthy controls(7 males and 18 females,aged 50.5±11.6 years),COVID-19 survivors had greatly increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation(ALFF)values in the left precentral gyrus,middle frontal gyrus,inferior frontal gyrus of operculum,inferior frontal gyrus of triangle,insula,hippocampus,parahippocampal gyrus,fusiform gyrus,postcentral gyrus,inferior parietal angular gyrus,supramarginal gyrus,angular gyrus,thalamus,middle temporal gyrus,inferior temporal gyrus,caudate,and putamen.ALFF values in the left caudate of the COVID-19 survivors were positively correlated with their Athens Insomnia Scale scores,and those in the left precentral gyrus were positively correlated with neutrophil count during hospitalization.The long-term follow-up results suggest that the ALFF in brain regions related to mood and sleep regulation were altered in COVID-19 survivors.This can help us understand the neurobiological mechanisms of COVID-19-related neuropsychiatric sequelae.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University(approval No.2020 S004)on March 19,2020.

The development of brain functional connectivity networks revealed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

Previous studies on brain functional connectivity networks in children have mainly focused on changes in function in specific brain regions, as opposed to whole brain connectivity in healthy children. By analyzing the independent components of activation and network connectivity between brain regions, we examined brain activity status and development trends in children aged 3 and 5 years. These data could provide a reference for brain function rehabilitation in children with illness or abnormal function. We acquired functional magnetic resonance images from 15 3-year-old children and 15 5-year-old children under natural sleep cond让ions. The participants were recruited from five kindergartens in the Nanshan District of Shenzhen City, China. The parents of the participants signed an informed consent form with the premise that they had been fully informed regarding the experimental protocol. We used masked independent component analysis and BrainNet Viewer software to explore the independent components of the brain and correlation connections between brain regions. We identified seven independent components in the two groups of children, including the executive control network, the dorsal attention network, the default mode network, the left frontoparietal network, the right frontoparietal network, the salience network, and the motor network. In the default mode network, the posterior cingulate cortex, medial frontal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule were activated in both 3- and 5-year-old children, supporting the "three-brain region theory” of the default mode network. In the frontoparietal network, the frontal and parietal gyri were activated in the two groups of children, and functional connectivity was strengthened in 5-year-olds compared with 3-year-olds, although the nodes and network connections were not yet mature. The high-correlation network connections in the default mode networks and dorsal attention networks had been significantly strengthened in 5-year-olds vs. 3-year-olds. Further, the salience network in the 3-year-old children included an activated insula/inferior frontal gyrus-anterior cingulate cortex network circu让 and an activated thalamus-parahippocampal-posterior cingulate cortex-subcortical regions network circuit. By the age of 5 years, no des and high-correlation network connections (edges) were reduced in the salience network. Overall, activation of the dorsal attention network, default mode network, left frontoparietal network, and right frontoparietal network increased (the volume of activation increased, the signals strengthened, and the high-correlation connections increased and strengthened) in 5-year-olds compared with 3-year-olds, but activation in some brain nodes weakened or disappeared in the salience network, and the network connections (edges) were reduced. Between the ages of 3 and 5 years, we observed a tendency for function in some brain regions to be strengthened and for the generalization of activation to be reduced, indicating that specialization begins to develop at this time. The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committee of the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in China with approval No. SIAT-IRB- 131115-H0075 on November 15, 2013.

Human Mirror Neuron System (hMNS) Specific Differences in Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Self-Reported Democrats and Republicans: A Pilot Study

In light of ever-present partisan division in the US political system, it is critical that researchers gain a better under-standing of potential biological differences that exist between self-professed Democrats and Republicans. In the current pilot experiment, we examined differences within the human mirror neuron system (hMNS), a network linked to a host of social and emotional abilities, in a small group of self-identified Republicans and Democrats. We found clear differences between these two groups with respect to resting-state brain connectivity within the hMNS. These neural differences were not systematically related to differences in empathy. Our findings are consistent with the idea that other factors, such as one’s preferential type of social connectivity (broad vs. tight), may have driven the reported findings. These data provide novel insights regarding our knowledge of the biological basis of party identification, and suggest specific directions for future research.

Altered spontaneous brain activity in patients with diabetic optic neuropathy:A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study using regional homogeneity

BACKGROUND Diabetes is a common chronic disease.Given the increasing incidence of diabetes,more individuals are affected by diabetic optic neuropathy(DON),which results in decreased vision.Whether DON leads to abnormalities of other visual systems,including the eye,the visual cortex,and other brain regions,remains unknown.AIM To investigate the local characteristics of spontaneous brain activity using regional homogeneity(ReHo)in patients with DON.METHODS We matched 22 patients with DON with 22 healthy controls(HCs).All subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.The ReHo technique was used to record spontaneous changes in brain activity.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were applied to differentiate between ReHo values for patients with DON and HCs.We also assessed the correlation between Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores and ReHo values in DON patients using Pearson correlation analysis.RESULTS ReHo values of the right middle frontal gyrus(RMFG),left anterior cingulate(LAC),and superior frontal gyrus(SFG)/left frontal superior orbital gyrus(LFSO)were significantly lower in DON patients compared to HCs.Among these,the greatest difference was observed in the RMFG.The result of the ROC curves suggest that ReHo values in altered brain regions may help diagnose DON,and the RMFG and LAC ReHo values are more clinically relevant than SFG/LFSO.We also found that anxiety and depression scores of the DON group were extremely negatively correlated with the LAC ReHo values(r=-0.9336,P<0.0001 and r=-0.8453,P<0.0001,respectively).CONCLUSION Three different brain regions show ReHo changes in DON patients,and these changes could serve as diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers to further guide the prevention and treatment of DON patients.

基于rtfMRI-NF技术调控失眠障碍患者杏仁核活性对大脑度中心性的影响

目的 探讨实时功能磁共振成像神经反馈(real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback, rtfMRI-NF调控失眠障碍(insomnia disorder, ID)患者杏仁核活性对大脑度中心性(degree centrality, DC)的影响。材料与方法 本研究采用rtfMRI-NF调控34例ID患者杏仁核活性,结合临床多导睡眠监测(Polysomography, PSG)、匹兹堡睡眠质量指数(Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI)等量表对患者进行干预前后评估。使用配对t检验分析干预前后功能成像数据的DC值差异,并探讨调控前后DC值变化及其与临床量表等数据的相关性。结果 经rtfMRI-NF调控后,ID患者的PSQI、失眠严重程度指数(Insomnia Severity Index Scale, ISI)等量表评分均显著降低(P均<0.05)。此外,右侧海马旁回的DC值显著增高(GRF校正,体素水平P<0.001,团块水平P<0.05),并与睡眠效率差值呈负相关r=-0.478,P<0.05);而右侧背外侧额上回等区域的DC值降低(GRF校正,体素水平P<0.001,团块水平P<0.05),并与干预后ISI评分呈正相关(r=0.488,P<0.05)。结论 rtfMRI-NF技术可重塑ID患者特定脑区的DC值,并有效提高ID患者的睡眠质量。

Resting-state network complexity and magnitude changes in neonates with severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging has revealed disrupted brain network connectivity in adults and teenagers with cerebral palsy. However, the specific brain networks implicated in neonatal cases remain poorly understood. In this study, we recruited 14 termborn infants with mild hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and 14 term-born infants with severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy from Changzhou Children's Hospital, China. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data showed efficient small-world organization in whole-brain networks in both the mild and severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy groups. However, compared with the mild hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy group, the severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy group exhibited decreased local efficiency and a low clustering coefficient. The distribution of hub regions in the functional networks had fewer nodes in the severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy group compared with the mild hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy group. Moreover, nodal efficiency was reduced in the left rolandic operculum, left supramarginal gyrus, bilateral superior temporal gyrus, and right middle temporal gyrus. These results suggest that the topological structure of the resting state functional network in children with severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is clearly distinct from that in children with mild hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, and may be associated with impaired language, motion, and cognition. These data indicate that it may be possible to make early predictions regarding brain development in children with severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, enabling early interventions targeting brain function. This study was approved by the Regional Ethics Review Boards of the Changzhou Children's Hospital(approval No. 2013-001) on January 31, 2013. Informed consent was obtained from the family members of the children. The trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(registration number: ChiCTR1800016409) and the protocol version is 1.0.

Potential Biomarkers of Schizophrenia from MEG Resting-State Functional Connectivity Networks: Preliminary Data

Previous studies examining coherence and connectivity deviations in schizophrenia patients relied on standard coherence measures between recording sites (at the sensor level). A coherence source imaging (CSI) methodology where coherence is assessed within imaged brain structures (at the source level) was developed recently by our group and applied successfully for detecting coherent areas in the cortical networks of patients with epilepsy. We applied this Magnetoencephalography (MEG)-CSI technique to measure normal and pathological patterns of brain oscillations (biomarkers) in normal subjects and patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Twelve patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and twelve healthy control subjects were studied. A ten-minute resting state MEG brain scan was performed with eyes open. MEG-CSI analysis was performed to identify the cortical areas that interacted strongly within the 3 - 50 Hz frequency range. Statistically significant increased regions of coherence were detected in schizophrenia patients compared to controls in the right inferior frontal gyrus (BA 47—pars orbitalis), left superior frontal gyrus (BA9— dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), right middle frontal gyrus (BA 10—anterior prefrontal cortex & BA 46—dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), and right cingulate gyrus (BA 24—ventral anterior cingulate cortex). These areas are involved in language, memory, decision making, empathy, executive and, higher cognitive functioning. We conclude that MEG-CSI can detect imaging biomarkers from resting state brain activity in schizophrenia patients that deviates from normal control subjects in several behaviorally salient brain regions. Analysis with MEG-CSI can provide biomarkers of abnormalities in the resting-state. The findings and procedures described can be used to probe the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and possibly detect subtypes.

伴自杀意念首发抑郁症患者小脑-大脑功能连接的fMRI研究

目的:基于静息态fMRI探讨伴自杀意念的首发抑郁症患者小脑-大脑功能连接(FC)的改变。方法:前瞻性将2018年2月-2022年1月在本院就诊的58例伴自杀意念(SI组)和42例不伴自杀意念的抑郁症患者(NSI组)以及49例相匹配的健康志愿者(HC组)纳入本研究,对所有被试行静息态fMRI扫描。分别在双侧小脑的Crus-Ⅰ、-Ⅱ、-Ⅴ、-Ⅵ和蚓部勾画ROI,采用基于种子点的FC分析方法计算抑郁症患者小脑各ROI与大脑的FC值。对所有抑郁症患者进行抑郁相关的临床量表评估,包括24项汉密尔顿抑郁量表(HAMD24)和Beck自杀意念量表中文版(BSI-CV),HAMD24评分包括HAMD24总分及焦虑/躯体化、体质量、认知障碍、日夜变化、阻滞、睡眠障碍和绝望感共7项因子的评分;BSI-CV评分包括自杀意念因子和自杀危险因子两项评分。采用Pearson或Spearman相关分析对组间差异有统计学意义的小脑-大脑FC值(SI组、NSI组和HC组两两比较)与临床变量(病程、HAMD24评分和BSI-CV评分)进行相关性分析。结果:与HC组相比,SI组和NSI组的小脑与颞上回、中央前回、中央钩盖、中央旁小叶的FC值升高,小脑与额中回、颞叶、角回和后扣带回的FC值降低;与NSI组相比,SI组的小脑与颞中回和颞下回的FC值升高,与右侧角回的FC值降低。右侧小脑Crus-Ⅰ与大脑间的FC值与HAMD24总分及阻滞、体质量、日夜变化和认知障碍四项因子的评分均呈负相关(r=-0.308、-0.315、-0.273、-0.311、-0.263,P均<0.05);左侧小脑Crus-Ⅰ与额中回和后扣带回的FC值与体质量因子评分之间均呈负相关(r=-0.295、-0.289,P均<0.05),左侧小脑Crus-Ⅰ与颞上回的FC值与自杀危险因子评分呈负相关(r=-0.277,P<0.05),左侧小脑Crus-Ⅰ与中央钩盖的FC值与体质量因子评分呈正相关(r=0.278,P<0.05);左侧小脑Crus-Ⅰ与中央旁小叶的FC值与睡眠障碍因子评分呈正相关(r=0.382,P<0.05)。结论:静息态fMRI证实伴自杀意念的抑郁症患者的小脑与大脑之间的功能连接出现了紊乱,主要发生于执行网络和默认模式网络,从而为伴自杀意念抑郁症患者发病机制的研究提供了新思路。

Brain activation and inhibition after acupuncture at Taichong and Taixi: resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

Acupuncture can induce changes in the brain. However, the majority of studies to date have focused on a single acupoint at a time. In the present study, we observed activity changes in the brains of healthy volunteers before and after acupuncture atTaichong （LR3） andTaixi （KI3） using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Fifteen healthy volunteers underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain 15 minutes before acupuncture, then received acupuncture atTaichong andTaixi using the nail-pressing needle insertion method, after which the needle was retained in place for 30 minutes. Fifteen minutes after withdrawal of the needle, the volunteers underwent a further session of resting-state functional magnetic res-onance imaging, which revealed that the amplitude of low-frequency lfuctuation, a measure of spontaneous neuronal activity, increased mainly in the cerebral occipital lobe and middle occipital gyrus （Brodmann area 18/19）, inferior occipital gyrus （Brodmann area 18） and cuneus （Brodmann area 18）, but decreased mainly in the gyrus rectus of the frontal lobe （Brodmann area 11）, inferi-or frontal gyrus （Brodmann area 44） and the center of the posterior lobe of the cerebellum. The present ifndings indicate that acupuncture atTaichong andTaixi speciifcally promote blood lfow and activation in the brain areas related to vision, emotion and cognition, and inhibit brain areas related to emotion, attention, phonological and semantic processing, and memory.