AIM:To study functional brain abnormalities in patients with eye trauma(ET)and to discuss the pathophysiological mechanisms of ET.METHODS:Totally 31 ET patients and 31 healthy controls(HCs)were recruited.The age,gende...AIM:To study functional brain abnormalities in patients with eye trauma(ET)and to discuss the pathophysiological mechanisms of ET.METHODS:Totally 31 ET patients and 31 healthy controls(HCs)were recruited.The age,gender,and educational background characteristics of the two groups were similar.After functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)scanning,the subjects’spontaneous brain activity was evaluated with the functional connectivity(FC)method.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was used to classify the data.Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between FC values in specific brain regions and clinical behaviors in patients with ET.RESULTS:Significantly increased FC between several regions was identified including the medial prefrontal cortex(MPFC)and left hippocampus formations(HF),the MPFC and left inferior parietal lobule(IPL),the left IPL and left medial temporal lobe(MTL),the left IPL and right MTL,and the right IPL and left MTL.No decreased region-to-region connectivity was detected in default mode network(DMN)sub-regions in patients with ET.Compared with HCs,ET patients exhibited significantly increased FC between several paired DMN regions,as follows:posterior cingulate cortex(PCC)and right HF(HF.R,t=2.196,P=0.032),right inferior parietal cortices(IPC.R)and left MTL(MTL.L,t=2.243,P=0.029),and right MTL(MTL.R)and HF.R(t=2.236,P=0.029).CONCLUSION:FC values in multiple brain regions of ET patients are abnormal,suggesting that these brain regions in ET patients may be dysfunctional,which may help to reveal the pathophysiological mechanisms of ET.展开更多
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 abnorma...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.展开更多
Schizophrenia(SZ)is one of the most common mental diseases.Its main characteristics are abnormal social behavior and inability to correctly understand real things.In recent years,the magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)tec...Schizophrenia(SZ)is one of the most common mental diseases.Its main characteristics are abnormal social behavior and inability to correctly understand real things.In recent years,the magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)technique has been popularly utilized to study SZ.However,it is still a great challenge to reveal the essential information contained in the MRI data.In this paper,we proposed a biomarker selection approach based on the multiple hypothesis testing techniques to explore the difference between SZ and healthy controls by using both functional and structural MRI data,in which biomarkers represent both abnormal brain functional connectivity and abnormal brain regions.By implementing the biomarker selection approach,six abnormal brain regions and twenty-three abnormal functional connectivity in the brains of SZ are explored.It is discovered that compared with healthy controls,the significantly reduced gray matter volumes are mainly distributed in the limbic lobe and the basal ganglia,and the significantly increased gray matter volumes are distributed in the frontal gyrus.Meanwhile,it is revealed that the significantly strengthened connections are those between the middle frontal gyrus and the superior occipital gyrus,the superior occipital gyrus and the middle occipital gyrus as well as the middle occipital gyrus and the fusiform gyrus,and the rest connections are significantly weakened.展开更多
We compared the activities of functional regions of the brain in the Deqi versus non-Deqi state, as reported by physicians and subjects cludng acupuncture, Twelve healthy volunteers received sham and true needling at ...We compared the activities of functional regions of the brain in the Deqi versus non-Deqi state, as reported by physicians and subjects cludng acupuncture, Twelve healthy volunteers received sham and true needling at the Waiguan （TE5） acupoint. Real-time cerebral functional MRI showed that compared with non-sensation after sham needling, true needling activated Brodmann areas 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 20, 21, 37, 39, 40, 43, and 47, the head of the caudate nucleus, the parahippocampal gyrus, thalamus and red nucleus. True needling also deactivated Brodmann areas 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9. 10. 18.24.31.40 and 46.展开更多
Regional homogeneity analysis of low-frequency blood oxygenation level-dependent signals from neighboring voxels enables the analysis of local neuronal synchrony. Both structural magnetic resonance imaging and resting...Regional homogeneity analysis of low-frequency blood oxygenation level-dependent signals from neighboring voxels enables the analysis of local neuronal synchrony. Both structural magnetic resonance imaging and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were collected from nine Parkinson＇s disease patients with right resting tremor, and from eight age-matched normal controls. Regional homogeneity was compared between Parkinson＇s disease patients and controls. The results revealed that regional homogeneity was increased in several brain regions, including the right precuneus, right superior parietal gyrus, left anterior cingulate cortex, right middle frontal gyrus and right inferior frontal gyrus. Conversely, regional homogeneity was decreased in the cerebellar vermis in Parkinson＇s disease patients compared with healthy controls.展开更多
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, an...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).展开更多
The Kinect-based virtual reality system for the Xbox 360 enables users to control and interact with the game console without the need to touch a game controller, and provides rehabilitation training for stroke patient...The Kinect-based virtual reality system for the Xbox 360 enables users to control and interact with the game console without the need to touch a game controller, and provides rehabilitation training for stroke patients with lower limb dysfunctions. However, the underlying mechanism remains un- clear. In this study, 18 healthy subjects and five patients after subacute stroke were included. The five patients were scanned using functional MRI prior to training, 3 weeks after training and at a 12-week follow-up, and then compared with healthy subjects. The FugI-Meyer Assessment and Wolf Motor Function Test scores of the hemiplegic upper limbs of stroke patients were significantly increased 3 weeks after training and at the 12-week follow-up. Functional MRI results showed that contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex was activated after Kinect-based virtual reality training in the stroke patients compared with the healthy subjects. Contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex, the bilateral supplementary motor area and the ipsilateral cerebellum were also activated during hand-clenching in all 18 healthy subjects. Our findings indicate that Kinect-based virtual reality training could promote the recovery of upper limb motor function in subacute stroke patients, and brain reorganization by Kinect-based virtual reality training may be linked to the contralateral sen- sorimotor cortex.展开更多
Previous research using functional MRI has shown that specific brain regions associated with drug dependence and cue-elicited heroin craving are activated by environmental cues. Craving is an important trigger of hero...Previous research using functional MRI has shown that specific brain regions associated with drug dependence and cue-elicited heroin craving are activated by environmental cues. Craving is an important trigger of heroin relapse, and acupuncture may inhibit craving. In this study, we performed functional MRI in heroin addicts and control subjects. We compared differences in brain activation between the two groups during heroin cue exposure, heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point （ST36） without twirling of the needle, and heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle. Heroin cue exposure elicited significant activation in craving-related brain regions mainly in the frontal lobes and callosal gyri. Acupuncture without twirling did not significantly affect the range of brain activation induced by heroin cue exposure, but significantly changed the extent of the activation in the heroin addicts group. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle significantly decreased both the range and extent of activation induced by heroin cue exposure compared with heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture without twirling of the needle. These experimental findings indicate that presentation of heroin cues can induce activation in craving-related brain regions, which are involved in reward, learning and memory, cognition and emotion. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point can rapidly suppress the activation of specific brain regions related to craving, supporting its potential as an intervention for drug craving.展开更多
Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that is a common consequence of stroke.The pathogenesis of the disease is not fully understood,and as a result,current treatment options are not satisfactory.Here,we used blood...Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that is a common consequence of stroke.The pathogenesis of the disease is not fully understood,and as a result,current treatment options are not satisfactory.Here,we used blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate the activation of bilateral cortices in patients with Broca＇s aphasia 1 to 3 months after stroke.Our results showed that language expression was associated with multiple brain regions in which the right hemisphere participated in the generation of language.The activation areas in the left hemisphere of aphasia patients were significantly smaller compared with those in healthy adults.The activation frequency,volumes,and intensity in the regions related to language,such as the left inferior frontal gyrus（Broca＇s area）,the left superior temporal gyrus,and the right inferior frontal gyrus（the mirror region of Broca＇s area）,were lower in patients compared with healthy adults.In contrast,activation in the right superior temporal gyrus,the bilateral superior parietal lobule,and the left inferior temporal gyrus was stronger in patients compared with healthy controls.These results suggest that the right inferior frontal gyrus plays a role in the recovery of language function in the subacute stage of stroke-related aphasia by increasing the engagement of related brain areas.展开更多
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.82160195,No.82460203)Key R&D Program of Jiangxi Province(No.20223BBH80014)+1 种基金Science and Technology Project of Jiangxi Province Health Commission of Traditional Chinese Medicine(No.2022B258)Science and Technology Project of Jiangxi Health Commission(No.202210017).
文摘AIM:To study functional brain abnormalities in patients with eye trauma(ET)and to discuss the pathophysiological mechanisms of ET.METHODS:Totally 31 ET patients and 31 healthy controls(HCs)were recruited.The age,gender,and educational background characteristics of the two groups were similar.After functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)scanning,the subjects’spontaneous brain activity was evaluated with the functional connectivity(FC)method.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was used to classify the data.Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between FC values in specific brain regions and clinical behaviors in patients with ET.RESULTS:Significantly increased FC between several regions was identified including the medial prefrontal cortex(MPFC)and left hippocampus formations(HF),the MPFC and left inferior parietal lobule(IPL),the left IPL and left medial temporal lobe(MTL),the left IPL and right MTL,and the right IPL and left MTL.No decreased region-to-region connectivity was detected in default mode network(DMN)sub-regions in patients with ET.Compared with HCs,ET patients exhibited significantly increased FC between several paired DMN regions,as follows:posterior cingulate cortex(PCC)and right HF(HF.R,t=2.196,P=0.032),right inferior parietal cortices(IPC.R)and left MTL(MTL.L,t=2.243,P=0.029),and right MTL(MTL.R)and HF.R(t=2.236,P=0.029).CONCLUSION:FC values in multiple brain regions of ET patients are abnormal,suggesting that these brain regions in ET patients may be dysfunctional,which may help to reveal the pathophysiological mechanisms of ET.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81660158 and No.81400372Natural Science Research Foundation of Jiangxi Province,No.20161ACB21017Medical Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province,No.20181BBG70004 and No.20164017.
文摘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.
基金This work was supported by NSFC(No.11471006 and No.81601456),Science and Technology Innovation Plan of Xi’an(No.2019421315KYPT004JC006)and the HPC Platform,Xi’an Jiaotong University.
文摘Schizophrenia(SZ)is one of the most common mental diseases.Its main characteristics are abnormal social behavior and inability to correctly understand real things.In recent years,the magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)technique has been popularly utilized to study SZ.However,it is still a great challenge to reveal the essential information contained in the MRI data.In this paper,we proposed a biomarker selection approach based on the multiple hypothesis testing techniques to explore the difference between SZ and healthy controls by using both functional and structural MRI data,in which biomarkers represent both abnormal brain functional connectivity and abnormal brain regions.By implementing the biomarker selection approach,six abnormal brain regions and twenty-three abnormal functional connectivity in the brains of SZ are explored.It is discovered that compared with healthy controls,the significantly reduced gray matter volumes are mainly distributed in the limbic lobe and the basal ganglia,and the significantly increased gray matter volumes are distributed in the frontal gyrus.Meanwhile,it is revealed that the significantly strengthened connections are those between the middle frontal gyrus and the superior occipital gyrus,the superior occipital gyrus and the middle occipital gyrus as well as the middle occipital gyrus and the fusiform gyrus,and the rest connections are significantly weakened.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program), No. 2006CB504505,2012CB518504the Third Key Construction Program of"211 Project" of Guangdong Province
文摘We compared the activities of functional regions of the brain in the Deqi versus non-Deqi state, as reported by physicians and subjects cludng acupuncture, Twelve healthy volunteers received sham and true needling at the Waiguan （TE5） acupoint. Real-time cerebral functional MRI showed that compared with non-sensation after sham needling, true needling activated Brodmann areas 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 20, 21, 37, 39, 40, 43, and 47, the head of the caudate nucleus, the parahippocampal gyrus, thalamus and red nucleus. True needling also deactivated Brodmann areas 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9. 10. 18.24.31.40 and 46.
基金the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China, No. 2008B080703041
文摘Regional homogeneity analysis of low-frequency blood oxygenation level-dependent signals from neighboring voxels enables the analysis of local neuronal synchrony. Both structural magnetic resonance imaging and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were collected from nine Parkinson＇s disease patients with right resting tremor, and from eight age-matched normal controls. Regional homogeneity was compared between Parkinson＇s disease patients and controls. The results revealed that regional homogeneity was increased in several brain regions, including the right precuneus, right superior parietal gyrus, left anterior cingulate cortex, right middle frontal gyrus and right inferior frontal gyrus. Conversely, regional homogeneity was decreased in the cerebellar vermis in Parkinson＇s disease patients compared with healthy controls.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81403455(to JQC)
文摘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).
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundationof China,No.30973165
文摘The Kinect-based virtual reality system for the Xbox 360 enables users to control and interact with the game console without the need to touch a game controller, and provides rehabilitation training for stroke patients with lower limb dysfunctions. However, the underlying mechanism remains un- clear. In this study, 18 healthy subjects and five patients after subacute stroke were included. The five patients were scanned using functional MRI prior to training, 3 weeks after training and at a 12-week follow-up, and then compared with healthy subjects. The FugI-Meyer Assessment and Wolf Motor Function Test scores of the hemiplegic upper limbs of stroke patients were significantly increased 3 weeks after training and at the 12-week follow-up. Functional MRI results showed that contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex was activated after Kinect-based virtual reality training in the stroke patients compared with the healthy subjects. Contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex, the bilateral supplementary motor area and the ipsilateral cerebellum were also activated during hand-clenching in all 18 healthy subjects. Our findings indicate that Kinect-based virtual reality training could promote the recovery of upper limb motor function in subacute stroke patients, and brain reorganization by Kinect-based virtual reality training may be linked to the contralateral sen- sorimotor cortex.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,No. 2011zr001Athe Key Project for Science and Technology of Anhui Province, No. 07010302205
文摘Previous research using functional MRI has shown that specific brain regions associated with drug dependence and cue-elicited heroin craving are activated by environmental cues. Craving is an important trigger of heroin relapse, and acupuncture may inhibit craving. In this study, we performed functional MRI in heroin addicts and control subjects. We compared differences in brain activation between the two groups during heroin cue exposure, heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point （ST36） without twirling of the needle, and heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle. Heroin cue exposure elicited significant activation in craving-related brain regions mainly in the frontal lobes and callosal gyri. Acupuncture without twirling did not significantly affect the range of brain activation induced by heroin cue exposure, but significantly changed the extent of the activation in the heroin addicts group. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle significantly decreased both the range and extent of activation induced by heroin cue exposure compared with heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture without twirling of the needle. These experimental findings indicate that presentation of heroin cues can induce activation in craving-related brain regions, which are involved in reward, learning and memory, cognition and emotion. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point can rapidly suppress the activation of specific brain regions related to craving, supporting its potential as an intervention for drug craving.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province of China,No.2016A030313327the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangzhou City of China,No.201607010185+1 种基金the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province of China,No.2016A020215226the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81401869
文摘Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that is a common consequence of stroke.The pathogenesis of the disease is not fully understood,and as a result,current treatment options are not satisfactory.Here,we used blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate the activation of bilateral cortices in patients with Broca＇s aphasia 1 to 3 months after stroke.Our results showed that language expression was associated with multiple brain regions in which the right hemisphere participated in the generation of language.The activation areas in the left hemisphere of aphasia patients were significantly smaller compared with those in healthy adults.The activation frequency,volumes,and intensity in the regions related to language,such as the left inferior frontal gyrus（Broca＇s area）,the left superior temporal gyrus,and the right inferior frontal gyrus（the mirror region of Broca＇s area）,were lower in patients compared with healthy adults.In contrast,activation in the right superior temporal gyrus,the bilateral superior parietal lobule,and the left inferior temporal gyrus was stronger in patients compared with healthy controls.These results suggest that the right inferior frontal gyrus plays a role in the recovery of language function in the subacute stage of stroke-related aphasia by increasing the engagement of related brain areas.
