{"title":"Cortical thickness alternation in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients compared with healthy controls.","authors":"Chunyu Dong, Hao Zheng, Hailong Shen, Yu Wan, Yinghong Xu, Ying Li, Liangliang Ping, Hao Yu, Chuanxin Liu, Jian Cui, Kun Li, Cong Zhou","doi":"10.1007/s11682-025-01010-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11682-025-01010-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neuropathological changes, such as those found in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), often include cortical morphological abnormalities. Neuroimaging research has indicated that individuals with OCD typically exhibit altered cortical thickness (CTh) through surface-based morphometry (SBM) analyses. Yet, the findings have been hit or miss, with inconsistent results across various studies. We are employing meta-analytic techniques on comprehensive brain imaging data to examine variations in CTh in patients with OCD. This approach could refine spatial precision in detection, thereby sharpening our diagnostic capabilities for OCD and paving the way for more targeted therapeutic interventions. The seed-based d mapping (SDM) method was utilized to perform a vertex-wise, coordinate-based meta-analysis (CBMA) examining CTh differences across whole-brain studies in OCD patients relative to healthy controls (HCs). This analytical approach systematically compared structural neuroimaging findings between clinical and control groups. A comprehensive review of existing research uncovered 9 relevant studies (containing 9 distinct datasets) examining CTh in OCD. The analysis incorporated data from 518 OCD patients and 449 HCs. The findings revealed significant cortical thinning in the left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri, along with the right insula among OCD patients. Conversely, increased CTh was observed in several left-hemisphere regions, including the lingual gyrus, orbital portion of the inferior frontal gyrus, and dorsolateral aspect of the superior frontal gyrus. Moreover, the meta-regression results indicated an inverse relationship between age and the thickness of the right insula cortex in those suffering from OCD. However, the analysis was constrained by the small pool of studies and samples, as well as incomplete data from certain participants, which hindered a thorough subgroup examination. Additionally, the results of the meta-regression should be viewed with caution, as they are based on a relatively limited number of studies. The analysis did show changes in CTh in certain brain areas for OCD patients, which adds to our knowledge of the intricate workings of OCD-related brain abnormalities. These insights could potentially serve as valuable landmarks for diagnosing and treating OCD. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.</p>","PeriodicalId":9192,"journal":{"name":"Brain Imaging and Behavior","volume":" ","pages":"821-834"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143965804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"White matter microstructural alterations and brain metabolism distributions in Parkinson's disease.","authors":"Mengjiao Wang, Yansong Liu, Wei Han, Yifeng Yang, Yuying Jiao, Yujie Hu, Yang Yang, Linhan Zhang, Yangyang Wang, Peng Fu, Changjiu Zhao","doi":"10.1007/s11682-025-01023-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11682-025-01023-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to use simultaneous <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/MRI based on Automated Fiber Quantification (AFQ) to determine whether there is a relationship between white matter microstructure changes and glucose metabolism distribution in PD. The study involved 38 subjects, including 23 parkinson's disease (PD) patients and 15 age and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). Primary clinical data and cognitive assessments were collected. All subjects underwent a simultaneous <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/MRI scan. AFQ was utilized to calculate tract-wise diffusion properties of 20 major white matter tracts. PD patients showed reduced mean Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores compared to HC subjects (P < 0.05). PD patients showed higher mean diffusivity (MD) (P = 0.047) and axial diffusivity (AD) (P = 0.02) along the right corticospinal tract (CST) compared to HC. The microstructural change of CST was mainly located in the parietal part (node 67-100). Compared to HC, PD patients had FDG hypermetabolism in the right paracentral lobule (P = 0.0204) and bilateral putamen (left: P = 0.0075; right: P = 0.0155) and hypometabolism in the right calcarine (P = 0.0489). Hypermetabolism was found in the right paracentral lobule, which connects with the cortex of the right CST, and positively correlated with MD (r = 0.612, P < 0.001) and AD (r = 0.516, P < 0.001). We observed microstructural changes and glucose metabolism distribution characteristics in PD patients. These results may provide imaging evidence for studying the pathology of PD.</p>","PeriodicalId":9192,"journal":{"name":"Brain Imaging and Behavior","volume":" ","pages":"938-948"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12310890/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144207712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiyuan Wang, Jing Huang, Xiong Kang, Huiqing Dong, Jie Lu
{"title":"Progressive brain function changes in patients with neuromyelitis optica: insights from resting-state fMRI.","authors":"Jiyuan Wang, Jing Huang, Xiong Kang, Huiqing Dong, Jie Lu","doi":"10.1007/s11682-025-01012-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11682-025-01012-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) is a neuroinflammatory disease marked by severe attacks on the optic nerves and spinal cord. While it is established that NMO affects brain function, the detailed progression of these impacts over time remains poorly investigated. The objective of this study is to investigate spontaneous temporal changes in brain function in patients with NMO and to explore the associations between these changes and clinical assessment. This longitudinal study recruited 31 non-relapsing patients with NMO, for whom resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data were collected at baseline and follow-up. Besides, 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included and assessed only at baseline. Neural activity was quantitatively assessed using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF). We analyzed differences in brain function between NMO patients and HCs, as well as changes within the patient group over time. Additionally, we examined correlations between changes in ALFF and clinical outcomes, including the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and visual acuity. At baseline, significant ALFF reductions were observed in NMO patients, particularly in the bilateral paracentral lobules, posterior central gyrus, inferior temporal gyri, lingual gyri, right precentral gyrus, middle and inferior occipital gyri, and fusiform gyrus. Over time, affected areas expanded, particularly in the occipital and temporal lobes, and initially unaffected regions like the superior temporal gyrus and calcarine areas showed significant reductions at follow-up. Initially, NMO patients exhibited higher ALFF in the cerebellum, bilateral pons, parahippocampus, thalamus, posterior and anterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus. However, by the follow-up, elevated ALFF persisted only in the medial superior frontal gyrus. During follow-up, progressive decreases in ALFF were specifically noted in the right lingual gyrus, calcarine, fusiform gyrus, precuneus, and parahippocampus within the NMO patient group. Significant correlations were identified between improvements in EDSS scores and increases in ALFF in the paracentral lobule, precentral, and postcentral gyri. Additionally, enhancements in visual acuity were linked to increased ALFF in the medial superior frontal gyrus. Rs-fMRI reveals progressive brain function declines in NMO, evidenced by decreasing ALFF in key sensory and motor areas, alongside occasional compensatory increases observed. Strong correlations between these changes and clinical measures like EDSS scores and visual acuity highlight ALFF's value as a biomarker for monitoring disease spontaneous progression and assessing treatment impacts.</p>","PeriodicalId":9192,"journal":{"name":"Brain Imaging and Behavior","volume":" ","pages":"856-864"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144131909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Investigation of the effective connectivity between the anti-NMDAR encephalitis default mode network and the medial temporal lobe network using spectral dynamic causal modelling.","authors":"Zijun Liu, Muzi Li, Jingwen Li, Guang Xu, Junzhang Tian, Xiaofen Ma","doi":"10.1007/s11682-025-01041-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-025-01041-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Research has indicated that anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis involves global network dysfunction, linking memory deficits to connectivity in the hippocampus, default mode network (DMN), and medial temporal lobe network (MTL). Most relevant cognitive studies have focused on functional connectivity (FC) rather than effective connectivity (EC), meaning that the directed interactions and causal relationships between the DMN and MTL remain unexplored.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Herein, we collected resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) data from 23 patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis (mean age 30.04 ± 12.67 years) and 23 matched controls (mean age 28.87 ± 9.36 years). Spectral dynamic causal modelling (spDCM) was applied to assess the effective connectivity among the 12 predefined regions of interest in the DMN and MTL.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Effective connectivity (EC) within and between the DMN and MTL networks significantly differed in the NMDAR-resistant encephalitis group compared to controls; the positive EC within the DMN and from the MTL to the DMN was enhanced, while the negative EC from the DMN to the MTL increased, and the positive EC within the MTL decreased. The mean DMN connectivity values in the anti-NMDAR group were negatively correlated with California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) and Modified Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, an effect which remained significant after adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study identified differences in the connectivity between the DMN and MTL networks in patients with post-acute anti-NMDAR encephalitis, suggesting a possible disconnection. The parahippocampal gyrus (PHG) mediates connections between the hippocampus and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Structural or functional loss of the PHG may affect the integration between the MTL memory system and DMN nodes, correlating with cognitive deficits. This study provides crucial results to improve our understanding of the directed integration between the DMN and MTL networks, providing new evidence.</p>","PeriodicalId":9192,"journal":{"name":"Brain Imaging and Behavior","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144648598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effect of a single dose of lorazepam on resting state functional connectivity in healthy adults.","authors":"Marie-Chantal Ferland, Ruiqi Wang, Jean-Marc Therrien-Blanchet, Sarah Remahi, Samantha Côté, Ann-Jessica Fréchette, Thien Thanh Dang-Vu, Hesheng Liu, Jean-François Lepage, Hugo Théoret","doi":"10.1007/s11682-025-01043-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-025-01043-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lorazepam is a fast-acting benzodiazepine that is widely used to manage anxiety symptoms through modulation of GABAergic activity. Despite being one of the most prescribed benzodiazepines, the effects of a single dose of lorazepam on brain functional connectivity at rest is not known. In this placebo-controlled, crossover study, twenty healthy adult participants (9 women; 26.2 ± 5.2 years) underwent two resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) scans following administration of either lorazepam (2.5 mg) or placebo. Imaging data were analyzed using an individual brain network parcellation approach and differences in functional connectivity among 78 individual-specific ROIs were estimated. Compared to placebo, functional connectivity was reduced following administration of lorazepam between the left medial paracentral lobule and left temporal pole and between the left posterior cingulate sulcus and right cuneus. Reduced connectivity within higher-order cognitive networks partly supports what has been reported for other benzodiazepines such as midazolam and alprazolam. However, differences across benzodiazepines - possibly due to pharmacokinetics, dosage and receptor selectivity - underscore the need for further research.</p>","PeriodicalId":9192,"journal":{"name":"Brain Imaging and Behavior","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144616144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lian Liu, Ke Xu, Qian Luo, TingTing Shen, Mei Kang, MingMing Ma, YuFan Wang, Fang Fang
{"title":"Structural connectivity of hippocampus is not altered in patients with type 2 diabetes and without peripheral microangiopathy.","authors":"Lian Liu, Ke Xu, Qian Luo, TingTing Shen, Mei Kang, MingMing Ma, YuFan Wang, Fang Fang","doi":"10.1007/s11682-025-01038-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-025-01038-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Functional hyper-connectivity in hippocampus has been recently observed in patients with an early stage of type 2 diabetes, however, the structural connectivity between hippocampus and other regions of the brain and its effects on neuropsychological performance are still unknown. Participants (82 patients with type 2 diabetes and without peripheral microvascular complications; 75 healthy controls) underwent detailed cognitive assessment and diffusion MRI. Probabilistic tractography based on a multifiber model was performed to investigate the fiber connections between hippocampus and other regions of the brain. The differences in hippocampal connectivity between groups were compared with age, sex, body mass index and education as covariates. The association between hippocampal connectivity and cognitive performances in patients with diabetes were further investigated. Patients had lower Stroop Accuracy and longer Stroop Reaction Time compared with age-, sex-, education-matched controls. Although lower hippocampal connectivities to widespread brain regions were observed in diabetic group, there were no statistical differences after FDR adjustment. Moreover, the strength of fiber connections was not associated with any cognitive performance in patients with diabetes. Taken together, worse executive function was observed in patients with an early stage of type 2 diabetes. However, it might not be related to hippocampal fiber connectivity. These findings suggested that structural connectivity in hippocampus was not an early predictor for diabetes-associated cognitive decrements.</p>","PeriodicalId":9192,"journal":{"name":"Brain Imaging and Behavior","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144616145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unveiling anomalies in visual processing regions in obsessive-compulsive disorder: evidence from gray matter volume and functional connectivity analyses.","authors":"Rui Liu, Fengxia Zhang, Pengchong Wang, Jia Luo, Yue Liu, Kaiyin Huang, Xiangyun Yang, Aihong Yu, Zhanjiang Li","doi":"10.1007/s11682-025-01039-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-025-01039-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent neurological condition characterized by recurring obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. The underlying mechanisms of the disorder remain poorly understood due to its considerable heterogeneity. Given the extensive brain impairments observed in OCD, this study aimed to investigate gray matter volume and functional connectivity in individuals with OCD using a multimodal neuroimaging approach, while also exploring the relationship between these neural changes and clinical symptom severity. Structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 56 OCD patients and 41 healthy controls. Voxel-based morphometry analysis was employed to identify gray matter volume differences between the patient and control groups. Compared to healthy controls, patients exhibited reduced gray matter volume in visual processing regions, including the cuneus, left calcarine, and middle occipital gyrus. Furthermore, whole-brain functional connectivity analysis was conducted on these regions with abnormal gray matter volume, showing increased connectivity between the visual processing areas and subcortical and prefrontal regions. Additionally, gray matter volume reductions in the left calcarine and middle temporal gyrus were significantly correlated with higher scores on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, suggesting a link between visual processing abnormalities and the severity of clinical symptoms. These findings highlight structural and functional alterations in visual-related brain regions as key contributors to the pathophysiology of OCD, providing valuable insights into its neural basis and potential avenues for therapeutic intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":9192,"journal":{"name":"Brain Imaging and Behavior","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144599420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julia C Hoyda, Hannah J Stewart, Jennifer Vannest, Karla N Washington, David R Moore
{"title":"Structural and pragmatic language skills in school-age children relate to resting state functional connectivity.","authors":"Julia C Hoyda, Hannah J Stewart, Jennifer Vannest, Karla N Washington, David R Moore","doi":"10.1007/s11682-025-01040-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-025-01040-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Language difficulties are common in school-age children but their etiology is often unknown. Although neural underpinnings of language have been well-studied in neurotypical individuals, functional connectivity differences between children with language difficulties and their typically-developing peers have not. There is little evidence regarding patterns of neural connectivity for children with language difficulties. Differences in neural networks related to degree of language difficulties and subtype of language skills (structural or pragmatic) are unclear. We examined expressive and receptive language networks, and an executive function network, in school-age children (8-12 years, n = 81) relative to their caregiver-reported language skills. We hypothesized that children with poorer structural and pragmatic language skills would have decreased connectivity in these networks. Participants were separated into groups by structural and pragmatic language scores: those with structural language difficulties (SLD), pragmatic language difficulties (PLD), and combined language difficulties (CLD, consisting of some participants in both SLD and PLD). The remainder of participants were in the typical language (TL) group. Results showed trends toward increased cross-hemispheric connectivity in age-matched controls relative to those with poorer language skills. Specifically, connectivity between bilateral inferior frontal gyri and areas including bilateral supplementary motor areas, cerebellar regions, and bilateral frontal gyri was associated with higher structural and pragmatic language scores. Connectivity among additional regions including bilateral superior temporal gyri and Heschl's gyrus showed both positive and negative correlation with both language scores. This suggests that reduced connectivity between regions involved in language processing may contribute to language difficulties in school-age children.</p>","PeriodicalId":9192,"journal":{"name":"Brain Imaging and Behavior","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144583124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tzipi Horowitz Kraus, Marwan Bebar, Adi Jacobson, John Hutton
{"title":"Functional connectivity of sensory and executive function networks during a story listening task is related to parent/child interaction during joint reading: a functional MRI diffusion map study.","authors":"Tzipi Horowitz Kraus, Marwan Bebar, Adi Jacobson, John Hutton","doi":"10.1007/s11682-025-01037-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-025-01037-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The quality of parent-child interaction during shared reading (\"shared reading quality\") is strongly linked to cognitive and relational benefits. However, the relationship between shared reading quality and activation and synchronization of reading-related brain networks has not yet been characterized. The current study involved 22 4-year-old girls who completed functional MRI including a validated stories listening task, and a primary parent. Prior to MRI, video observation of the parent and child reading together was conducted and later coded using a standardized scoring form quantifying parent-child verbal and nonverbal interaction. Behavioral measures included demographics and a maternal depression scale. To achieve this goal, fMRI stories-listening data was utilized to create a diffusion maps algorithm and then to classify the level of parent-child interaction during the shared reading observation. The algorithm clustered children with higher parent-child engagement scores with fMRI diffusion patterns in regions of the brain known to support reading. This study establishes proof-of-concept that applying this diffusion maps algorithm to brain functional connectivity data can reliably predict parent-child interaction during shared book reading. It also suggests that an algorithmic approach may be a novel, data-driven means to quantify parent-child interaction in different contexts (e.g., reading, play) and populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":9192,"journal":{"name":"Brain Imaging and Behavior","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144538924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}