Brain mechanism of acupuncture for children with anisometropic amblyopia: a resting functional magnetic resonance imaging study based on voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity

AIM:To explore the brain mechanism of acupuncture for children with anisometropic amblyopia using the voxelmirror homotopic connectivity(VMHC)analysis method of resting functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)technology based on clinical effectiveness.METHODS:Eighty children with anisometropic monocular amblyopia were randomly divided into two groups:control(40 cases,1 case of shedding)and acupuncture(40 cases,1 case of shedding)groups.The control group was treated with glasses,red flash,grating,and visual stimulations,with each procedure conducted for 5min per time.Based on routine treatment,the acupuncture group underwent acupuncture of“regulating qi and unblocking meridians to bright eyes”,Jingming(BL1),Cuanzhu(BL2),Guangming(GB37),Fengchi(GB20)acupoints were taken on both sides,with the needle kept for 30min each time.Both groups were treated once every other day,three times per week,for a total of 4wk.After the treatment,the overall curative effect of the two groups and the latency and amplitude changes of P100 wave of pattern visual-evoked potential were counted.At the same time,nine children with left eye amblyopia were randomly selected from the two groups and were scanned with rsfMRI before and after treatment.The differences in the brain regions between the two groups were compared and analyzed with VMHC.RESULTS:Chi-square test showed a notable difference in the total efficiency rate between the acupuncture(94.87%)and control groups(79.49%).Regarding the P100 wave latency and amplitude,the acupuncture group had significantly shorter latency and higher amplitude of P100 wave than the control group.Moreover,the VMHC values of the bilateral temporal lobe,superior temporal gyrus,and middle temporal gyrus were notably increased in the acupuncture group after treatment.CONCLUSION:Acupuncture combined with conventional treatment can significantly improve the corrected visual acuity and optic nerve conduction in children with anisometropic amblyopia.Compared with the conventional treatment,the regulation of acupuncture on the functional activities of the relevant brain areas in the anterior cerebellum may be an effective acupuncture mechanism for anisometropic amblyopia.

Vulnerable brain regions in adolescent major depressive disorder:A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Adolescent major depressive disorder(MDD)is a significant mental health concern that often leads to recurrent depression in adulthood.Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)offers unique insights into the neural mechanisms underlying this condition.However,despite previous research,the specific vulnerable brain regions affected in adolescent MDD patients have not been fully elucidated.AIM To identify consistent vulnerable brain regions in adolescent MDD patients using rs-fMRI and activation likelihood estimation(ALE)meta-analysis.METHODS We performed a comprehensive literature search through July 12,2023,for studies investigating brain functional changes in adolescent MDD patients.We utilized regional homogeneity(ReHo),amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations(ALFF)and fractional ALFF(fALFF)analyses.We compared the regions of aberrant spontaneous neural activity in adolescents with MDD vs healthy controls(HCs)using ALE.RESULTS Ten studies(369 adolescent MDD patients and 313 HCs)were included.Combining the ReHo and ALFF/fALFF data,the results revealed that the activity in the right cuneus and left precuneus was lower in the adolescent MDD patients than in the HCs(voxel size:648 mm3,P<0.05),and no brain region exhibited increased activity.Based on the ALFF data,we found decreased activity in the right cuneus and left precuneus in adolescent MDD patients(voxel size:736 mm3,P<0.05),with no regions exhibiting increased activity.CONCLUSION Through ALE meta-analysis,we consistently identified the right cuneus and left precuneus as vulnerable brain regions in adolescent MDD patients,increasing our understanding of the neuropathology of affected adolescents.

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and support vector machines for the diagnosis of major depressive disorder in adolescents

BACKGROUND Research has found that the amygdala plays a significant role in underlying pathology of major depressive disorder(MDD).However,few studies have explored machine learning-assisted diagnostic biomarkers based on amygdala functional connectivity(FC).AIM To investigate the analysis of neuroimaging biomarkers as a streamlined approach for the diagnosis of MDD in adolescents.METHODS Forty-four adolescents diagnosed with MDD and 43 healthy controls were enrolled in the study.Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging,the FC was compared between the adolescents with MDD and the healthy controls,with the bilateral amygdala serving as the seed point,followed by statistical analysis of the results.The support vector machine(SVM)method was then applied to classify functional connections in various brain regions and to evaluate the neurophysiological characteristics associated with MDD.RESULTS Compared to the controls and using the bilateral amygdala as the region of interest,patients with MDD showed significantly lower FC values in the left inferior temporal gyrus,bilateral calcarine,right lingual gyrus,and left superior occipital gyrus.However,there was an increase in the FC value in Vermis-10.The SVM analysis revealed that the reduction in the FC value in the right lingual gyrus could effectively differentiate patients with MDD from healthy controls,achieving a diagnostic accuracy of 83.91%,sensitivity of 79.55%,specificity of 88.37%,and an area under the curve of 67.65%.CONCLUSION The results showed that an abnormal FC value in the right lingual gyrus was effective as a neuroimaging biomarker to distinguish patients with MDD from healthy controls.

Developing Reliable Digital Healthcare Service Using Semi-Quantitative Functional Resonance Analysis

Since entering the era of Industry 4.0,the concept of Healthcare 4.0 has also been put forward and explored by researchers.How to use Information Technology(IT)to better serve people’s healthcare is one of the most featured emerging directions in the academic circle.An important field of Healthcare 4.0 research is the reliability engineering of healthcare service.Because healthcare systems often affect the health and even life of their users,developers must be very cautious in the design,development,and operation of these healthcare systems and services.The problems to be solved include the reliability of business process,system functions,and personal healthcare data.The Functional Resonance Analysis Method(FRAM)has been applied in reliability engineering for safety-critical systems in available studies,using both qualitative and quantitative approaches.However,the method has not been applied in the field of digital healthcare services development.Therefore,to narrow the gap,we present in this paper a semi-quantitative functional resonance analysis method to develop reliable healthcare services for diabetics.Moreover,this paper has tried to improve the reliability design of the service-oriented architecture(SOA)of traditional insulin pump therapy by system thinking.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging study of group independent components underpinning item responses to paranoid-depressive scale

BACKGROUND Our study expand upon a large body of evidence in the field of neuropsychiatric imaging with cognitive,affective and behavioral tasks,adapted for the functional magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)(fMRI)experimental environment.There is sufficient evidence that common networks underpin activations in task-based fMRI across different mental disorders.AIM To investigate whether there exist specific neural circuits which underpin differ-ential item responses to depressive,paranoid and neutral items(DN)in patients respectively with schizophrenia(SCZ)and major depressive disorder(MDD).METHODS 60 patients were recruited with SCZ and MDD.All patients have been scanned on 3T magnetic resonance tomography platform with functional MRI paradigm,comprised of block design,including blocks with items from diagnostic paranoid(DP),depression specific(DS)and DN from general interest scale.We performed a two-sample t-test between the two groups-SCZ patients and depressive patients.Our purpose was to observe different brain networks which were activated during a specific condition of the task,respectively DS,DP,DN.RESULTS Several significant results are demonstrated in the comparison between SCZ and depressive groups while performing this task.We identified one component that is task-related and independent of condition(shared between all three conditions),composed by regions within the temporal(right superior and middle temporal gyri),frontal(left middle and inferior frontal gyri)and limbic/salience system(right anterior insula).Another com-ponent is related to both diagnostic specific conditions(DS and DP)e.g.It is shared between DEP and SCZ,and includes frontal motor/language and parietal areas.One specific component is modulated preferentially by to the DP condition,and is related mainly to prefrontal regions,whereas other two components are significantly modulated with the DS condition and include clusters within the default mode network such as posterior cingulate and precuneus,several occipital areas,including lingual and fusiform gyrus,as well as parahippocampal gyrus.Finally,component 12 appeared to be unique for the neutral condition.In addition,there have been determined circuits across components,which are either common,or distinct in the preferential processing of the sub-scales of the task.CONCLUSION This study has delivers further evidence in support of the model of trans-disciplinary cross-validation in psychiatry.

Brain Functional Network Changes in Patients with Poststroke Cognitive Impairment Following Acupuncture Therapy

Background: The mechanisms by which acupuncture affects poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) remain unclear. Objective: To investigate brain functional network (BFN) changes in patients with PSCI after acupuncture therapy. Methods: Twenty-two PSCI patients who underwent acupuncture therapy in our hospital were enrolled as research subjects. Another 14 people matched for age, sex, and education level were included in the normal control (HC) group. All the subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans;the PSCI patients underwent one scan before acupuncture therapy and another after. The network metric difference between PSCI patients and HCs was analyzed via the independent-sample t test, whereas the paired-sample t test was employed to analyze the network metric changes in PSCI patients before vs. after treatment. Results: Small-world network attributes were observed in both groups for sparsities between 0.1 and 0.28. Compared with the HC group, the PSCI group presented significantly lower values for the global topological properties (γ, Cp, and Eloc) of the brain;significantly greater values for the nodal attributes of betweenness centrality in the CUN. L and the HES. R, degree centrality in the SFGdor. L, PCG. L, IPL. L, and HES. R, and nodal local efficiency in the ORBsup. R, ORBsupmed. R, DCG. L, SMG. R, and TPOsup. L;and decreased degree centrality in the MFG. R, IFGoperc. R, and SOG. R. After treatment, PSCI patients presented increased degree centrality in the LING.L, LING.R, and IOG. L and nodal local efficiency in PHG. L, IOG. R, FFG. L, and the HES. L, and decreased betweenness centrality in the PCG. L and CUN. L, degree centrality in the ORBsupmed. R, and nodal local efficiency in ANG. R. Conclusion: Cognitive decline in PSCI patients may be related to BFN disorders;acupuncture therapy may modulate the topological properties of the BFNs of PSCI patients.

Remodeling of motor cortex function in acute cerebral infarction patients following human urinary kallidinogenase A functional magnetic resonance imaging evaluation after 6 months

A total of 29 patients were treated within 48 hours after acute subcortical cerebral infarction with Xuesaitong or Xuesaitong plus human urinary kallidinogenase for 14 days. Neurological deficits, activity of daily living, and evaluations of distal upper limb motor functions at the 6-month follow-up showed that patients treated with Xuesaitong plus human urinary kallidinogenase recovered better than with Xuesaitong alone. In addition, functional MRI revealed that activation sites were primarily at the ipsilesional side of injury in all patients. Human urinary kallidinogenase induced hyperactivation of the ipsilesional primary sensorimotor cortex, premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, and contralesional posterior parietal cortex. Results showed that human urinary kallidinogenase improved symptoms of neurological deficiency by enhancing remodeling of long-term cortical motor function in patients with acute cerebral infarction.

Patterns of cortical reorganization in facial synkinesis:a task functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Facial synkinesis,a sequela of peripheral facial nerve palsy,is characterized by simultaneous involuntary facial movement during a voluntary desired one.Maladaptive cortical plasticity might be involved in the dysfunction of facial muscles.This cohort study investigated the cortical functional alterations in patients with unilateral facial synkinesis,using the task functional magnetic resonance imaging.Facial motor tasks,including blinking and smiling,were performed by 16 patients（aged 30.6 ± 4.5 years,14 females/2 males） and 24 age-and sex-matched healthy controls（aged 29.1 ± 4.2 years,19 females/5 males）.Results demonstrated that activation in the cortico-facial motor representation area was lower during tasks in patients with facial synkinesis compared with healthy controls.Facial movements on either side performed by patients caused more intensive activation of the supplementary motor area on the contralateral side of the affected face,than those on the unaffected side.Our results revealed that there was cortical reorganization in the primary sensorimotor area and the supplementary motor area.This study was registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry（registration number： Chi CTR1800014630）.

Brain changes detected by functional magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy in patients with Crohn's disease

Crohn’s disease(CD)is a chronic,non-specific granulomatous inflammatory disorder that commonly affects the small intestine and is a phenotype of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).CD is prone to relapse,and its incidence displays a persistent increase in developing countries.However,the pathogenesis of CD is poorly understood,with some studies emphasizing the link between CD and the intestinal microbiota.Specifically,studies point to the brain-gut-enteric microbiota axis as a key player in the occurrence and development of CD.Furthermore,investigations have shown whitematter lesions and neurologic deficits in patients with IBD.Based on these findings,brain activity changes in CD patients have been detected by blood oxygenation level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging(BOLD-f MRI).BOLD-f MRI functions by detecting a local increase in relative blood oxygenation that results from neurotransmitter activity and thus reflects local neuronal firing rates.Therefore,biochemical concentrations of neurotransmitters or metabolites may change in corresponding brain regions of CD patients.To further study this phenomenon,brain changes of CD patients can be detected non-invasively,effectively and accurately by BOLD-f MRI combined with magnetic resonance spectroscopy(MRS).This approach can further shed light on the mechanisms of the occurrence and development of neurological CD.Overall,this paper reviews the current status and prospects on fMRI and MRS for evaluation of patients with CD based on the brain-gut-enteric microbiota axis.

Brain functional changes in facial expression recognition in patients with major depressive disorder before and after antidepressant treatment A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used during emotion recognition to identify changes in functional brain activation in 21 first-episode, treatment-naive major depressive disorder patients before and after antidepressant treatment. Following escitalopram oxalate treatment, patients exhibited decreased activation in bilateral precentral gyrus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, bilateral postcentral gyrus, left cingulate and right parahippocampal gyrus, and increased activation in right superior frontal gyrus, bilateral superior parietal Iobule and left occipital gyrus during sad facial expression recognition. After antidepressant treatment, patients also exhibited decreased activation in the bilateral middle frontal gyrus, bilateral cingulate and right parahippocampal gyrus, and increased activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus, left fusiform gyrus and right precuneus during happy facial expression recognition. Our experimental findings indicate that the limbic-cortical network might be a key target region for antidepressant treatment in major depressive disorder.

Is combined functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor tractography a useful tool for evaluation of somatosensory dysfunction recovery after intracerebral hemorrhage?

Diffusion tensor tractography allows the sensory fiber course of the medial lemniscus to be visualized. But diffusion tensor tractography for accurate evaluation of the repair of injured somatosensory tracts in stroke patients has been rarely reported. A 55-year-old female patient presented with severe somatosensory dysfunction of the left side caused by a spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage on the right side. The somatosensory function of the affected side recovered to a nearly normal state at 7 weeks from onset. Functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that at 3 weeks from onset, there was no cortical activation by touch at each hand; at 7 weeks, the contralateral cortex centered on the primary sensory cortex was found to be activated during touch and passive movements, and activation by passive movements was increased compared with that at 3 weeks. Diffusion tensor tractography revealed that a medial lemniscus on the affected （right） hemisphere was not observed at 3 weeks from onset, however, at 7 weeks, the unaffected （left） hemisphere passed along the medial lemniscus pathway from the pons to the primary sensory cortex. These findings indicate that combined functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor tractography would allow more accurate evaluation of the architecture and integrity of somatosensory tracts and is a useful method to investigate the recovery of somatosensory dysfunction in stroke patients.

Changes in brain function and anatomical structure following treatment of hyperbaric oxygen for visual pathway abnormalities in 16 cases Evaluation of functional magnetic resonance imaging combined with diffusion tensor imaging

BACKGROUND： There is a growing research focus on the combination of blood oxygenation level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging （BOLD-fMRI） and diffusion tensor imaging （DTI） to evaluate visual cortical function and structural changes in the cerebrum, as well as morphological changes to the white matter fiber tracks, after visual pathway lesions. However, the combined application of BOLD-fMRI and DTI in treating of visual pathway abnormalities still requires further studies. OBJECTIVE： To observe and evaluate the effects of hyperbaric oxygen on visual pathway abnormalities, and to evaluate the characteristics of cerebral function and anatomic structural changes by using BOLD-fMRI combined with DTI technique. DESIGN： Case contrast observation. SETTING： Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Military Area Command of Chinese PLA. PARTICIPANTS： Sixteen patients （9 males and 7 females, 15-77 years old） with lateral or bilateral visual disorder induced by visual pathway lesions were selected from the Department of Neurology, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Military Area Command of Chinese PLA from January 2006 to May 2007. These patients comprised the lesion group. Measures of interventional therapy： hyperbaric oxygen of two normal atmospheres for three courses （10 d/course） and routine internal medicine treatment. In addition, 12 healthy subjects of similar sex and age to the lesion group were regarded as the control group. The control group underwent routine ophthalmological and ocular fundus examinations; diagnostic results were normal. The experiment received confirmed consent from the local ethic committee, and all patients provided informed consent. METHODS： BOLD-fMRI and DTI manifestations in the lesion group were observed before and after hyperbaric oxygen intervention, and the results were compared with the control group. The subjects were positioned on their back, and BOLD-fMRI images were collected with the following GRE EPI sequence： TR = 2 000 ms, TE = 40 ms, layer thickness = 5 mm, and 20-layer successive scanning to cover the whole brain. While, DTI images were collected with SE EPI sequence of single excitation： TR=10 000 ms, TE = 112 ms, layer thickness = 4 mm, layer spacing = 0.5 mm, and a 30-layer successive scanning, matrix = 128×128. A diffusion gradient was applied at 13 directions, and one layer without diffusion weighted imaging was collected at b =1 000 s/mm^2. Numbers of activated voxels in cortical-activated regions, and fractional anisotropy in bilateral cerebral optical radiation regions, were calculated. Displacement, continuity, and destruction of fibrous tracts were analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Results of BOLD-fMRI and DTI examinations. RESULTS： All 16 patients and 12 controls were included in the final analysis. ① Numbers of activated voxels through the use of BOLD-fMRI： prior to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the number of activated voxels in the bilateral cortex of occipital lobe were significantly less in the lesion group than in the control group （t =3.23, P 〈 0.01）. In addition, the number of activated voxels significantly increased after treatment compared to before treatment （t = 2.46, P 〈 0.05）. ② Fractional anisotropy in optical radiation regions of bilateral cerebrum： fractional anisotropy in the lesion group was significantly less than the control group （t =2.89, P 〈 0.05）. In addition, fractional anisotropy after treatment was significantly higher than before treatment （t = 2.48, P 〈 0.05）. Moreover, fractional anisotropy of optical neuropathy was significantly higher in 6 patients in the lesion group than the occipital lobe optical central lesion （t = 2.35, P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： BOLD-fMRI combined with DTI can indicate the occurrence, development, and therapeutic course of action for optical pathway lesions. The results acquired from these methods can provide information for function and structure, which can provide reliable verification in the treatment of cerebral function.

Small-worldness of brain networks after brachial plexus injury: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Research on brain function after brachial plexus injury focuses on local cortical functional reorganization,and few studies have focused on brain networks after brachial plexus injury.Changes in brain networks may help understanding of brain plasticity at the global level.We hypothesized that topology of the global cerebral resting-state functional network changes after unilateral brachial plexus injury.Thus,in this cross-sectional study,we recruited eight male patients with unilateral brachial plexus injury（right handedness,mean age of 27.9±5.4years old）and eight male healthy controls（right handedness,mean age of 28.6±3.2）.After acquiring and preprocessing resting-state magnetic resonance imaging data,the cerebrum was divided into 90 regions and Pearson’s correlation coefficient calculated between regions.These correlation matrices were then converted into a binary matrix with affixed sparsity values of 0.1–0.46.Under sparsity conditions,both groups satisfied this small-world property.The clustering coefficient was markedly lower,while average shortest path remarkably higher in patients compared with healthy controls.These findings confirm that cerebral functional networks in patients still show smallworld characteristics,which are highly effective in information transmission in the brain,as well as normal controls.Alternatively,varied small-worldness suggests that capacity of information transmission and integration in different brain regions in brachial plexus injury patients is damaged.

Abnormal brain activity in adolescents with Internet addiction who attempt suicide: an assessment using functional magnetic resonance imaging

Internet addiction is associated with an increased risk of suicidal behavior and can lead to brain dysfunction among adolescents.However,whether brain dysfunction occurs in adolescents with Internet addiction who attempt suicide remains unknown.This observational cross-sectional study enrolled 41 young Internet addicts,aged from 15 to 20 years,from the Department of Psychiatry,the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University,China from January to May 2018.The participants included 21 individuals who attempted suicide and 20 individuals with Internet addiction without a suicidal attempt history.Brain images in the resting state were obtained by a 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging scanner.The results showed that activity in the gyrus frontalis inferior of the right pars triangularis and the right pars opercularis was significantly increased in the suicidal attempt group compared with the non-suicidal attempt group.In the resting state,the prefrontal lobe of adolescents who had attempted suicide because of Internet addiction exhibited functional abnormalities,which may provide a new basis for studying suicide pathogenesis in Internet addicts.The study was authorized by the Ethics Committee of Chongqing Medical University,China(approval No.2017 Scientific Research Ethics(2017-157))on December 11,2017.

Evidence of cortical reorganization of language networks after stroke with subacute Broca's aphasia:a blood oxygenation level dependent-functional magnetic resonance imaging study

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.

Specific cerebral activation following true and sham Waiguan(SJ 5) needling Functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence

Positive activation and negative activation of glucose metabolism can be detected in different brain regions under acupuncture conditions using functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI） which reveals acupoint function and location-acupoint specificity. This study observed the regional cerebral activation of the Waiguan （SJ 5） acupoint following true needling at the true Waiguan acupoint, sham needling at the true Waiguan acupoint and true needling at a sham point using fMRI. The fMRI results demonstrated that compared with sham needling, true needling at Waiguan activated the BA8 area and left cerebellum. Compared with needling at the sham point, needling at Waiguan activated the BA2 area, the left cerebellum and the right inferior semilunar lobule. Thus the activated brain areas caused by needling Waiguan may be the basis for treatment of certain diseases.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging and the brain: A brief review

Functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) is em-ployed in many behavior analysis studies, with blood oxygen level dependent-(BOLD-) contrast imaging being the main method used to generate images. The use of BOLD-contrast imaging in f MRI has been refined over the years, for example, the inclusion of a spin echo pulse and increased magnetic strength were shown to produce better recorded images. Taking careful precautions to control variables during measurement, comparisons between different specimen groups can be illustrated by f MRI imaging using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Differences have been observed in comparisons of active and resting, developing and aging, and defective and damaged brains in various studies. However, cognitive studies using f MRI still face a number of challenges in interpretation that can only be overcome by imaging large numbers of samples. Furthermore, f MRI studies of brain cancer, lesions and other brain pathologies of both humans and animals are still to be explored.

Chronic antiepileptic drug use and functional network efficiency: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

AIM To increase our insight in the neuronal mechanisms underlying cognitive side-effects of antiepileptic drug(AED) treatment.METHODS The relation between functional magnetic resonance-acquired brain network measures, AED use, and cognitive function was investigated. Three groups of patients with epilepsy with a different risk profile for developing cognitive side effects were included: A "low risk" category(lamotrigine or levetiracetam, n=16), an "intermediate risk" category(carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, or valproate, n=34) and a "high risk" category(topiramate, n=5). Brain connectivity was assessed using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging and graph theoretical network analysis. The Computerized Visual Searching Task was used to measure central information processing speed, a common cognitive side effect of AED treatment. RESULTS Central information processing speed was lower in patients taking AEDs from the intermediate and high risk categories, compared with patients from the low risk category. The effect of risk category on global efficiency was significant(P < 0.05, ANCOVA), with a significantly higher global efficiency for patient from the low category compared with the high risk category(P < 0.05, post-hoc test). Risk category had no significant effect on the clustering coefficient(ANCOVA, P > 0.2). Also no significant associations between information processing speed and global efficiency or the clustering coefficient(linear regression analysis, P > 0.15) were observed. CONCLUSION Only the four patients taking topiramate show aberrant network measures, suggesting that alterations in functional brain network organization may be only subtle and measureable in patients with more severe cognitive side effects.

Changes in cortical activation patterns accompanying somatosensory recovery in a stroke patient: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study

The somatosensory system plays a crucial role in executing precise movements by providing sensory feedback （Farrer et al., 2003; Rabin and Gordon, 2004）. Somatosensory dys- function is a common problem following stroke. In partic- ular, somatosensory impairments, such as impairment in touch, proprioception, light touch, and vibration have been frequently observed （Carey et al., 1993; Sullivan and Hed- man, 2008; Tyson et al., 2008）. Patients with somatosensory dysfunction show negative effects on motor control, and it sometimes becomes difficult to perform daily activities independently.

Aging effects of regional activation in a spatial task A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

BACKGROUND： An increasing number of studies have shown the effects of aging in basic cognitive processing and higher cognitive functions using functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI）. However, little is known about the aging effects in diverse cognitive abilities, such as spatial learning and reasoning. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the effect of aging on spatial cognitive performance and regional brain activation based on fMRI. DESIGN, TIME, AND SETTING： A block design for fMRI observation. This study was performed at the fMRI Laboratory, Brain Science Research Center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology from March 2006 to May 2009. PARTICIPANTS： Eight right-handed, male, college students in their 20s （mean age 21.5 years） and six right-handed, male, adults in their 40s （mean age 45.7 years）, who graduated from college, participated in the study. All subjects were healthy and had no prior history of psychiatric or neurological disorders. METHODS： A spatial task was presented while brain images were acquired using a 3T fMRI system （ISOL Technology, Korea）. The spatial tasks involved selecting a shape that corresponded to a given figure using four examples, as well as selecting a development figure of a diagram. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The accuracy rate （number of correct answers/total number of items x 100%） of spatial tasks was calculated. Using the subtraction procedure, the activated areas in the brain during spatial tasks were color-coded by T-score. The double subtraction method was used to analyze the effect of aging between the two age groups （20s versus 40s）. RESULTS： The cerebellum, occipital lobe, parietal lobe, and frontal lobe were similarly activated in the two age groups. Increased brain activations, however, were observed in bilateral parietal and superior frontal lobes of the younger group. More activation was observed in bilateral middle frontal and right inferior frontal lobes in the older group. Compared with the older group, the younger men exhibited greater spatial performance （P = 0.012）. CONCLUSION： Reduced cognitive function correlated with decreased activation areas in the parietal lobe and altered activation in the frontal lobe.