Impact of cognition-related single nucleotide polymorphisms on brain imaging phenotype in Parkinson’s disease

Multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms may contribute to cognitive decline in Parkinson’s disease. However, the mechanism by which these single nucleotide polymorphisms modify brain imaging phenotype remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential effects of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms on brain imaging phenotype in Parkinson’s disease. Forty-eight Parkinson’s disease patients and 39 matched healthy controls underwent genotyping and 7 T magnetic resonance imaging. A cognitive-weighted polygenic risk score model was designed, in which the effect sizes were determined individually for 36 single nucleotide polymorphisms. The correlations between polygenic risk score, neuroimaging features, and clinical data were analyzed. Furthermore, individual single nucleotide polymorphism analysis was performed to explore the main effects of genotypes and their interactive effects with Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. We found that, in Parkinson’s disease, the polygenic risk score was correlated with the neural activity of the hippocampus, parahippocampus, and fusiform gyrus, and with hippocampal-prefrontal and fusiform-temporal connectivity, as well as with gray matter alterations in the orbitofrontal cortex. In addition, we found that single nucleotide polymorphisms in α-synuclein(SNCA) were associated with white matter microstructural changes in the superior corona radiata, corpus callosum, and external capsule. A single nucleotide polymorphism in catechol-O-methyltransferase was associated with the neural activities of the lingual, fusiform, and occipital gyri, which are involved in visual cognitive dysfunction. Furthermore, DRD3 was associated with frontal and temporal lobe function and structure. In conclusion, imaging genetics is useful for providing a better understanding of the genetic pathways involved in the pathophysiologic processes underlying Parkinson’s disease. This study provides evidence of an association between genetic factors, cognitive functions, and multi-modality neuroimaging biomarkers in Parkinson’s disease.

The Significance of Image Schema in Embodied Cognition

As a recurring pattern of sensory-motor-affective experience, image schema is not only a concept discussed in linguistics and psychology, but also a significant one in the study of embodied cognition. Through analyzing the features of image schema considered by the authors as embodiment, recessiveness, sedimentation, logicality, scientificity, and dependency to cognitive metaphors and reviewing the definition of embodied cognition, the paper argues that image schema is an integration of bodily property and mental property, and accordingly a core and inseparable concept of embodied cognition by bridging body and mind. Image schema can help to explain how abstraction and inference generate from body-environment interactions, thus making the theory of embodied cognition more persuasive and reliable.

Research on Teaching Method of Children’s Image Cognition Based on AR Technology

In this paper,the research on the teaching method of children’s image cognition based on AR technology is carried out.By analyzing the principle ofARtechnology to recognize images,we understand thatARtechnology can promote children’s image cognition,and this teaching method is in line with the Tower of Experience theory.It further analyzes the current situation of children’s image cognition teaching with simple teaching methods,backward AR teaching tools,and poor perception of teaching objects.Teachers’traditional image teaching methods cannot effectively and efficiently improve children’s image cognition.Therefore,based on AR technology,two commonly used image cognition teaching methods are proposed:AR interactive picture book education andARinteractive game education.Both of these educational methods can improve children’s ability to recognize images.

Characterization of cerebrovascular changes in Alzheimer's disease mice by photoacoustic imaging

The cerebral vasculature plays a significant role in the development of Alzheimer's disease(AD),however,the specific association between them remains unclear.In this paper,based on the benefits of photoacoustic imaging(PAI),including label-free,high-resolution,in vivo imaging of vessels,we investigated the structural changes of cerebral vascular in wild-type(WT)mice and AD mice at different ages,analyzed the characteristics of the vascular in different brain regions,and correlated vascular characteristics with cognitive behaviors.The results showed that vascular density and vascular branching index in the cortical and frontal regions of both WT and AD mice decreased with age.Meanwhile,vascular lacunarity increased with age,and the changes in vascular structure were more pronounced in AD mice.The trend of vascular dysfunction aligns with the worsening cognitive dysfunction as the disease progresses.Here,we utilized in vivo PAI to analyze the changes in vascular structure during the progression of AD,elucidating the spatial and temporal correlation with cognitive impairment,which will provide more intuitive data for the study of the correlation between cerebrovascular and the development of AD.

Research progresses of resting-state functional MRI in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease(AD)is a prevalent neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive decline in the early stage.Mild cognitive impairment(MCI)is considered as an intermediate stage between normal aging and AD.In recent years,studies related to resting-state functional MRI(rs-fMRI)indicated that the occurrence and development process of MCI and AD might be closely linked to spontaneous brain activity and alterations in functional connectivity among brain regions,and rs-fMRI could provide important reference for specific diagnosis and early treatment of MCI and AD.The research progresses of rs-fMRI for MCI and AD were reviewed in this article.

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.

Cognitive Computing-Based Mammographic Image Classification on an Internet of Medical

Recently,the Internet of Medical Things(IoMT)has become a research hotspot due to its various applicability in medical field.However,the data analysis and management in IoMT remain challenging owing to the existence of a massive number of devices linked to the server environment,generating a massive quantity of healthcare data.In such cases,cognitive computing can be employed that uses many intelligent technologies-machine learning(ML),deep learning(DL),artificial intelligence(AI),natural language processing(NLP)and others-to comprehend data expansively.Furthermore,breast cancer(BC)has been found to be a major cause of mortality among ladies globally.Earlier detection and classification of BC using digital mammograms can decrease the mortality rate.This paper presents a novel deep learning-enabled multi-objective mayfly optimization algorithm(DLMOMFO)for BC diagnosis and classification in the IoMT environment.The goal of this paper is to integrate deep learning(DL)and cognitive computing-based techniques for e-healthcare applications as a part of IoMT technology to detect and classify BC.The proposed DL-MOMFO algorithm involved Adaptive Weighted Mean Filter(AWMF)-based noise removal and contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalisation(CLAHE)-based contrast improvement techniques to improve the quality of the digital mammograms.In addition,a U-Net architecture-based segmentation method was utilised to detect diseased regions in the mammograms.Moreover,a SqueezeNet-based feature extraction and a fuzzy support vector machine(FSVM)classifier were used in the presented technique.To enhance the diagnostic performance of the presented method,the MOMFO algorithm was used to effectively tune the parameters of the SqueezeNet and FSVM techniques.The DL-MOMFO technique was tested on the MIAS database,and the experimental outcomes revealed that the DL-MOMFO technique outperformed existing techniques.

Analysis of the Tourism Image of Urban Waterfront Nanjing City

The quantitative analysis method was used to measure the tourism image of Nanjing waterfront to make clear its composition.An evaluation method was also adopted in terms of cognitive image,affective image and the whole image,which may offer some references for the evaluation of other tourism images in urban waterfront of the same kind.

Differentiating between Alzheimer’s disease, amnestic mild cognitive impairment, and normal aging via diffusion kurtosis imaging

Diffusion kurtosis imaging can be used to assess pathophysiological changes in tissue structure and to diagnose central nervous system diseases. However, its sensitivity in assessing hippocampal differences between patients with Alzheimer’s disease and those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment has not been characterized. Here, we examined 20 individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (11 men and 9 women, mean 73.2 ± 4.49 years), 20 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (10 men and 10 women, mean 71.55 ± 4.77 years), and 20 normal controls (11 men and 9 women, mean 70.45 ± 5.04 years). We conducted diffusion kurtosis imaging, using a 3.0 T magnetic resonance scanner, to compare hippocampal differences among the three groups. The results demonstrated that the right hippocampal volume and bilateral mean kurtosis were remarkably smaller in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease compared with those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and normal controls. Further, the mean kurtosis was lower in the amnestic mild cognitive impairment group compared with the normal control group. The mean diffusion in the left hippocampus was lower in the Alzheimer’s disease group than in the amnestic mild cognitive impairment and normal control groups, while the mean diffusion in the right hippocampus was lower in the Alzheimer’s disease group than in the normal control group. Fractional anisotropy was similar among the three groups. These results verify that bilateral mean kurtosis and mean diffusion are sensitive to the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment. This study was approved by the Ethics Review Board of Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China on May 4, 2010 (approval No. 2010(C)-6).

CORRESPONDENCE ANALYSIS ON IMAGES OF JIANGXI PROVINCE AS A TOURIST DESTINATION

This paper delineates the images of Jiangxi Province as tourist destination perceived by about 2000 sample visitors at Lushan Mountain and other 3 famous resorts (Jinggangshan Mountains, Longhushan Mountain, and Sanqingshan Mountain), with a result that the most common image is the famous scenic mountain image with partial attribute of image of religious culture destination. In order to reveal the similarities and dissimilarities of images among the four destinations, a correspondence analysis on 16 image attributes was employed. The results indicate that the tourists’ images on Longhushan Mountain, Sanqingshan Mountain and Lushan Mountain are very similar: having a lot of good tourist sites, famous mountain scenery, being close to nature and having good guide service, and others, but religious culture and good shopping facilities having not made deep impression on tourist, while Jinggangshan Mountains is famous for its red culture. The correspondence analysis visualizes the strengths and weaknesses of the destinations, which is useful for market positioning among the competitive places. Finally, some marketing suggestions for the four destinations were provided.

Neuroimaging mechanisms of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of amnestic mild cognitive impairment:a double-blind randomized sham-controlled trial

Individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment(aMCI)have a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.Although repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS)is considered a potentially effective treatment for cognitive impairment in patients with aMCI,the neuroimaging mechanisms are poorly understood.Therefore,we performed a double-blind randomized sham-controlled trial in which rTMS was applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of aMCI patients recruited from a community near the Third Hospital Affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University,China.Twenty-four patients with aMCI were randomly assigned to receive true rTMS(treatment group,n=12,6 men and 6 women;age 65.08±4.89 years)or sham stimulation(sham group,n=12,5 men and 7 women;age 64.67±4.77 years).rTMS parameters included a stimulation frequency of 10 Hz,stimulation duration of 2 seconds,stimulation interval of 8 seconds,20 repetitions at 80%of the motor threshold,and 400 pulses per session.rTMS/sham stimulation was performed five times per week over a period of 4 consecutive weeks.Our results showed that compared with baseline,Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores were significantly increased and the value of the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation(ALFF)was significantly increased at the end of treatment and 1 month after treatment.Compared with the sham group,the ALFF values in the right inferior frontal gyrus,triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus,right precuneus,left angular gyrus,and right supramarginal gyrus were significantly increased,and the ALFF values in the right superior frontal gyrus were significantly decreased in the treatment group.These findings suggest that high-frequency rTMS can effectively improve cognitive function in aMCI patients and alter spontaneous brain activity in cognitive-related brain areas.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shenzhen Baoan Hospital of Southern Medical University,China(approval No.BYL20190901)on September 3,2019 and registered in the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry(registration No.ChiCTR1900028180)on December 14,2019.

Correlation of diffusion tensor imaging and cognitive function in patients with leukoaraiosis

Conventional imaging technology does not measure white matter lesions of the brain or cognitive impairment. Diffusion tensor imaging is able to detect changes in the microstructure of white matter, and correlating vascular risk factors with cognitive dysfunction seems feasible using this technique. A total of 60 leukoaraiosis patients and 30 healthy elderly controls received diffusion tensor imaging examination to detect the average diffusion coefficient and fractional anisotropy of leukoaraiosis lesion and normal white matter. Leukoaraiosis severity positively correlated with average diffusion coefficient but negatively correlated with fraction anisotropy. Neuropsychology tests （mini-mental state examination） were related to average diffusion coefficient and fraction anisotropy of normal white matter in leukoaraiosis patients, especially in the anterior horn and centrum semiovale. The average diffusion coefficient and fraction anisotropy of leukoaraiosis displayed characteristic changes. Therefore, diffusion tensor imaging can detect the macrostructural changes in white matter with normal magnetic resonance imaging, and these changes are related to cognitive function. Application of diffusion tensor imaging techniques to analyze the correlation between vascular risk factors and cognitive dysfunction is feasible.

Brain imaging of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

The rapidly increasing prevalence of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer＇s disease has the potential to create a major worldwide healthcare crisis. Structural MRI studies in patients with Alzheimer＇s disease and mild cognitive impairment are currently attracting considerable interest. It is extremely important to study early structural and metabolic changes, such as those in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and gray matter structures in the medial temporal lobe, to allow the early detection of mild cognitive impairment and AIzheimer＇s disease. The microstructural integrity of white matter can be studied with diffusion tensor imaging. Increased mean diffusivity and decreased fractional anisotropy are found in subjects with white matter damage. Functional imaging studies with positron emission tomography tracer compounds enable detection of amyloid plaques in the living brain in patients with Alzheimer＇s disease. In this review, we will focus on key findings from brain imaging studies in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer＇s disease, including structural brain changes studied with MRI and white matter changes seen with diffusion tensor imaging, and other specific imaging methodologies will also be discussed.

Cognitive magnetic resonance imaging-ultrasound fusion transperineal targeted biopsy combined with randomized biopsy in detection of prostate cancer

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer(PCa)is one of the most common cancers among men.Various strategies for targeted biopsy based on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging(mp-MRI)have emerged,which may improve the accuracy of detecting clinically significant PCa in recent years.AIM To investigate the diagnostic efficiency of a template for cognitive MRIultrasound fusion transperineal targeted plus randomized biopsy in detecting PCa.METHODS Data from patients with an increasing prostate-specific antigen(PSA)level but less than 20 ng/mL and at least one lesion suspicious for PCa on MRI from December 2015 to June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.All patients underwent cognitive fusion transperineal template-guided targeted biopsy followed by randomized biopsy outside the targeted area.A total of 127 patients with complete data were included in the final analysis.A multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted,and a two-sided P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS PCa was detected in 66 of 127 patients,and 56 cases presented clinically significant PCa.Cognitive fusion targeted biopsy alone detected 59/127 cases of PCa,specifically 52/59 cases with clinically significant PCa and 7/59 cases with clinically insignificant PCa.A randomized biopsy detected seven cases of PCa negative on targeted biopsy,and four cases had clinically significant PCa.PSA density(OR:1.008,95%CI:1.003-1.012,P=0.001;OR:1.006,95%CI:1.002-1.010,P=0.004)and Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System(PI-RADS)scores(both P<0.001)were independently associated with the results of cognitive fusion targeted biopsy combined with randomized biopsy and targeted biopsy alone.CONCLUSION This single-centered study proposed a feasible template for cognitive MRIultrasound fusion transperineal targeted plus randomized biopsy.Patients with higher PSAD and PI-RADS scores were more likely to be diagnosed with PCa.

The neuroimaging of neurodegenerative and vascular disease in the secondary prevention of cognitive decline

Structural brain changes indicative of dementia occur up to 20 years before the onset of clinical symptoms. Efforts to modify the disease process after the onset of cognitive symptoms have been unsuccessful in recent years. Thus, future trials must begin during the preclinical phases of the disease before symptom onset. Age related cognitive decline is often the result of two coexisting brain pathologies: Alzheimer's disease(amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration) and vascular disease. This review article highlights some of the common neuroimaging techniques used to visualize the accumulation of neurodegenerative and vascular pathologies during the preclinical stages of dementia such as structural magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and white matter hyperintensities. We also describe some emerging neuroimaging techniques such as arterial spin labeling, diffusion tensor imaging, and quantitative susceptibility mapping. Recent literature suggests that structural imaging may be the most sensitive and cost-effective marker to detect cognitive decline, while molecular positron emission tomography is primarily useful for detecting disease specific pathology later in the disease process. Currently, the presence of vascular disease on magnetic resonance imaging provides a potential target for optimizing vascular risk reduction strategies, and the presence of vascular disease may be useful when combined with molecular and metabolic markers of neurodegeneration for identifying the risk of cognitive impairment.

Metaphor Analysis Based on Image Schema——Take the Poem Jie Fu Yin and its English Translation as an Example

There are many implied metaphors in the poetry of Tang dynasty. In this paper, the poem Reply of a Chaste Wife and its English version are analyzed through the image schema theory to explore the explanatory power of image schema to the poems of Tang dynasty.At the same time, a new perspective to the appreciation of the metaphors in the poems of Tang dynasty is provided.

Activation of medial septum cholinergic neurons restores cognitive function in temporal lobe epilepsy

Cognitive impairment is the most common complication in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal scle rosis.There is no effective treatment for cognitive impairment.Medial septum cholinergic neurons have been reported to be a potential target for controlling epileptic seizures in tempo ral lobe epile psy.However,their role in the cognitive impairment of temporal lobe epilepsy remains unclear.In this study,we found that patients with temporal lobe epile psy with hippocampal sclerosis had a low memory quotient and severe impairment in verbal memory,but had no impairment in nonverbal memory.The cognitive impairment was slightly correlated with reduced medial septum volume and medial septum-hippocampus tra cts measured by diffusion tensor imaging.In a mouse model of chronic temporal lobe epilepsy induced by kainic acid,the number of medial septum choline rgic neurons was reduced and acetylcholine release was reduced in the hippocampus.Furthermore,selective apoptosis of medial septum cholinergic neurons mimicked the cognitive deficits in epileptic mice,and activation of medial septum cholinergic neurons enhanced hippocampal acetylcholine release and restored cognitive function in both kainic acid-and kindling-induced epile psy models.These res ults suggest that activation of medial septum cholinergic neurons reduces cognitive deficits in temporal lobe epilepsy by increasing acetylcholine release via projections to the hippocampus.

Autism, social cognition and superior temporal sulcus

Results on brain imaging studies have led to a better understanding of the neural circuits involved in social cognition and its implication in autism spectrum disorders(ASD). It has been shown that the superior temporal sulcus(STS)is highly implicated in social processes, from perception of socially relevant information, such as body movements or eye gaze, to more complex social cognition processes. Furthermore, several multimodal brain imaging results point to anatomo-functional abnormalities in the STS in both children and adults with ASD. These results are highly consistent with social impairments in ASD, among which eye gaze perception is particularly relevant. Gaze abnormalities can now be objectively measured using eye-tracking methodology, leading to a better characterization of social perception impairments in autism. Moreover, these gaze abnormalities have been associated with STS abnormalities in ASD. Based on these results, our hypothesis is that anatomo-functional anomalies in the STS occurring early across brain development could constitute the first step in the cascade of neural dysfunction underlying autism. In the present work, we’ll review recent data of STS contribution to normal social cognition and it’s implication in autism.

Body Image and Meta-Worry as Mediators of Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Objectives: Meta-worry and attitudes towards the body have been largely overlooked as potential risk factors for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) despite theorizing that a negative body image may play a critical role in the development of this disorder. Participants: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the fit of a theoretical model specifying body image and meta-worry as mediators between cognitive, metacognitive beliefs and body dysmorphic disorder(BDD) in a nonclinical sample of 635 participants (304 male and 331 female). Results: The data supported the model, and meta-worry and body image significantly mediated the relationship between cognitive, metacognitive beliefs and BDD. These findings provide essential preliminary evidence that body image may represent a necessary but not sufficient risk factor for BDD and that treatment for BDD should consider targeting body-related pathology in addition to meta-worry. Conclusion: The model may prompt future research into body dysmorphic disorder.

Advances in multimodal magnetic resonance imaging of vascular mild cognitive impairment

Vascular mild cognitive impairment(VaMCI)represents the early stage of symptoms of vascular cognitive impairment(VCI).There are many intervention factors in this period.If the active treatment can delay the further development of the disease and even reduce the risk of transforming into vascular dementia(VaD).As a widely used imaging method,multi-mode magnetic resonance imaging can evaluate the brain structure and function of patients with VaMCI noninvasively and explore the relationship between brain structure,function and cognitive function change.It is beneficial to provide an idea for early diagnosis of VaMCI and to further understand the neuropathologic mechanism of its occurrence,which has broad application prospects.In this paper,the research status and new methods of VaMCI are reviewed by using multi-mode magnetic resonance imaging in recent years.