Brain Research Bulletin最新文献

{"title":"Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and tryptophan hydroxylase-2 methylation interaction in major depressive disorder","authors":"Zhi Xu ,&nbsp;Tingting Tan ,&nbsp;Yan Jiang ,&nbsp;Haiping Tang ,&nbsp;Bingwei Chen ,&nbsp;Wenji Chen ,&nbsp;Yonggui Yuan","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111469","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111469","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Functional abnormalities in different brain regions are related to major depressive disorder (MDD). In our previous study, we demonstrated that DNA methylation of Tryptophan Hydroxylase-2 (TPH2) is related to the occurrence of MDD. The present study aimed to identify the interaction of the functional activities of brain regions identified as regions of interest (RoI) in MDD with TPH2 gene methylation to explore their relationship.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Data from 98 patients with MDD and 63 controls were utilized. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional ALFF (fALFF), were used to identify ROIs regions in the RESTPlus Software of MATLAB. General linear regression (GLM) was performed to analyze the association between functional connectivity (FC) found in rs-fMRI and the effect of TPH2 DNA methylation in patients with MDD and controls.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In the rs-fMRI analysis, the ALFF of right superior generalized gyrus (STG) was significantly different between the MDD and HCs groups (p &lt; 0.05). The ReHo of right Middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and left middle occipital gyrus (MOG) were significantly different between the two groups (p &lt; 0.05). These ROIs were used to further analyze the FC differences between MDD and HCs, and it was found that the FC of right STG and right superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and the FC of right MTG and right MOG were significantly different between the two groups (p &lt; 0.05). It was further found that the interaction between ALFF activity of the right STG and TPH2–5–203 methylation (β=-2.108, p = 0.004), ReHo activity level of the right MTG, and TPH2–5–203 methylation were correlated with the occurrence of MDD (β=-1.720, p = 0.018).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study found that the functional activities of the temporal lobe, middle occipital gyrus, and superior frontal gyrus were abnormal in patients with MDD compared to HCs. Furthermore, the interaction of functional activities of the right superior temporal gyrus /middle temporal gyrus and TPH2 methylation were associated with the occurrence of MDD, suggesting that the combination of functional activities and DNA methylation was helpful for diagnosis of MDD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 111469"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144658410","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":"KAT5 knockdown alleviates microglial inflammatory injury following acute cerebral ischemia through enhanced STAT6 activity","authors":"Yixin Li ,&nbsp;Li Peng ,&nbsp;Yang Zhou ,&nbsp;Yan You ,&nbsp;Jin Jiang ,&nbsp;Yong Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111467","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111467","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In ischemic stroke (IS), microglia exhibit dynamic functional shifts, contributing to tissue damage during the acute phase and promoting repair in the chronic phase. The mechanisms underlying these transitions are poorly understood. We utilized a KAT5 knockdown rat model in conjunction with a BV2 cell model to investigate the negative regulatory mechanism of Lysine Acetyltransferase 5 (KAT5) on Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 6 (STAT6) and its effects in IS. We determined that STAT6 activation occurred following an increase in STAT6 protein levels and its acetylation, suggesting negative regulation of STAT6 during the early stages of IS. Given that acetylation inhibits STAT6 activity, KAT5 was identified as a potential acetyltransferase for STAT6 through an online acetyltransferase prediction tool combined with mass spectrometry analysis. We observed increased KAT5 protein levels and KAT5-positive microglia/macrophages at 12 h post-ischemic injury. Co-immunoprecipitation confirmed the interaction between STAT6 and KAT5. KAT5 knockdown in microglia <em>in vitro</em> significantly reduced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and increased anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) levels by decreasing STAT6 acetylation and enhancing its transcriptional activity. KAT5 knockdown <em>in vivo</em> improved modified neurological severity scores (mNSS), food intake, and reduced infarct volumes, pathological damage, and microglial-mediated pro-inflammatory responses. These findings indicated that KAT5 is integral to the early suppression of STAT6 activity in microglia following cerebral ischemia. Therefore, targeting KAT5 to restore STAT6 activity represents a potential therapeutic approach to mitigate microglial inflammatory injury in the acute phase of IS.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 111467"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144658408","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":"Alterations in whole-brain white matter fiber networks in individuals with autism spectrum disorder after social skills training","authors":"Gang-Qiang Han ,&nbsp;Siu-Ching Kat ,&nbsp;Hui Wang ,&nbsp;Yu-Lu Yang ,&nbsp;Zeng-Hui Ma ,&nbsp;Ting-Ni Yin ,&nbsp;Ya-Jing Sun ,&nbsp;Xin-Zhou Tang ,&nbsp;Xiao-Yun Gong ,&nbsp;Duo Wang ,&nbsp;Lei Li ,&nbsp;Bing-Xi Sun ,&nbsp;Li-Yang Zhao ,&nbsp;Xing Su ,&nbsp;Jia-Lu Chen ,&nbsp;Xiao Chen ,&nbsp;Han-Lin Wang ,&nbsp;Xue-Ying Li ,&nbsp;Hai-Long Liu ,&nbsp;Xue Li ,&nbsp;Jing Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111466","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111466","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social skills training (SST) has demonstrated efficacy in improving social deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated alterations in whole-brain white matter network topology after SST in ASD individuals and explored potential correlation with improvements in social interaction deficits. 38 ASD patients aged 12 - 30 years were recruited, including 19 who completed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and social responsiveness scale (SRS) assessments at both baseline and the endpoint of a 14-week SST (training group) and 19 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched patients who underwent MRI scans and SRS assessment at the same time points but did not receive SST (control group). White matter connectivity matrices were constructed using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and graph theory analysis was used to assess global and nodal network properties. Paired t-tests and independent-samples t-tests were used for within- and between-group comparisons, respectively. Pearson's partial correlation was used to examine associations between network changes and SRS scores changes. After SST, four edges showed significant changes in white matter connectivity (FDR-corrected), with three increased and one decreased in the training group. Changes in nodal betweenness were also observed. While SRS scores significantly decreased in the training group, no significant correlations were found between neuroimaging changes and behavioral improvements, possibly due to the limited sample size. These findings suggest that SST may reshape white matter network, offering insights into its neural mechanisms and informing novel ASD intervention strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 111466"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144648643","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":"A multimodal functional structure-based graph neural network for fatigue detection.","authors":"Dongrui Gao, Zhihong Zhou, Zongyao Peng, Haokai Zhang, Shihong Liu, Manqing Wang, Hongli Chang","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111420","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111420","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fatigue detection remains a critical research focus in the field. Recent studies have attempted to enhance detection performance through multimodal information fusion, yet they largely overlook the impact of functional connectivity among multimodal signals. To address this limitation, we propose a novel multimodal fatigue classification framework integrating electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals.The framework employs differential entropy (DE) features extracted from filtered EEG signals and heart rate variability (HRV) features derived from ECG signals as dual input streams, capturing distinct internal-external interaction patterns. Specifically, we first construct cross-modal interaction graphs by calculating correlation coefficient matrices between DE and HRV features, utilizing Laplacian eigenvalues and singular value decomposition (SVD).An innovative intra- and inter-channel separable convolution module is designed to extract deep interaction patterns through parallel convolution operations within and across signal channels. The graph neural network dynamically generates frequency-band-channel correlation matrices and adaptively assigns channel weights through learnable parameters.To evaluate channel configuration effects, we conducted experiments with two electrode configurations: 64-channel (63 EEG + 1 ECG) and 17-channel (16 EEG + 1 ECG), performing both binary and four-class classification. The experimental results show that the framework is able to effectively capture multimodal features in fatigue state and provides a new solution for fatigue classification.</p>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"111420"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144648642","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":"Septohippocampal acetylcholine and theta oscillations can modulate memory encoding and retrieval: Insights from a neural masses network","authors":"Gabriele Pirazzini,&nbsp;Mauro Ursino","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111465","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111465","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The hippocampus' ability to encode new information while simultaneously avoiding disruptive interference poses a fundamental challenge to cognitive neuroscience. It has been supposed that dynamical changes in acetylcholine (ACh), a neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory, can facilitate a shifting between encoding and retrieval: high ACh levels promote encoding by enhancing synaptic plasticity while concurrently suppressing retrieval-related networks; low ACh levels favor retrieval, suppressing external inputs and synaptic potentiation. The primary source of ACh in the hippocampus, the medial septum/diagonal band of Broca, is also a key determinant of hippocampal theta: these two aspects could therefore be integrated, with ACh and theta fluctuations modulating encoding and retrieval phases. Here, we present a computational model based on neural masses, simulating the possible role of ACh on hippocampal function. A first set of simulations was performed assuming that ACh’s dynamics are comparable to those of theta. Simulations support the hypothesis that ACh can orchestrate encoding and retrieval at different phases of the theta cycle, but they require an ACh time constant of the order of a few milliseconds, which is much faster than that currently measured. A second set of simulations considers the effect of a slower ACh time scale. Moreover, the network isolated from the environment with constant low ACh levels, spontaneously retrieves stored information, offering early insights into the hippocampal role during states such as imagination, rumination, and slow-wave sleep. Finally, sensitive analysis of model parameters may elucidate the pathophysiology of mnemonic disorders characterized by cholinergic dysfunction, like dementia and amnesia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 111465"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144641797","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":"A holistic rat model to investigate therapeutic interventions in Parkinson's disease: viral induction of a slow-progressing motor phenotype, dopaminergic degeneration and early microglia neuroinflammation.","authors":"Ekaterini Kefalakes, Franziska Mewes, Diana Peristich, Clara Plötner, Volodymyr Shcherbatyy, Julia Schipke, Friederike Schneider, Christopher Käufer, Regina Rumpel","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111464","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111464","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parkinson's disease is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder, mostly manifesting in late adulthood. Patients suffering from this idiopathic disease of the nervous system develop cardinal motor symptoms that usually appear after non-motor symptoms. It is characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons located in the substantia nigra pars compacta and formation of insoluble intracellular protein inclusions of α-synuclein (Lewy Bodies). Another symptom is neuroinflammation, which often precedes dopaminergic neuron degeneration and the formation of aggregates. In this study, we aimed to establish a viral vector-mediated rat model of Parkinson's disease that mimics both the histological features of the disease and its slow, age-related progression, including the development of a motor phenotype over time. Evaluation of different adeno-associated viral serotypes overexpressing the human α-synuclein protein revealed that both AAV/6 and AAV/DJ equally transduce primary dopaminergic neurons in vitro with the latter being more efficient. In vivo transduction of dopaminergic neurons with AAV/DJ led to their degeneration in the substantia nigra pars compacta, which coincided with reduced dopaminergic fibers reaching the ipsilateral striatum. Microglia inflammatory response and accumulation thereof was evident at early disease stages. Simultaneously, behavioral assessment in the cylinder, the stepping and the staircase test showed a decrease in gross motor performance while rearing and stepping. Taken together, we established an early AAV/DJ-mediated model for Parkinson's disease in rats, which not only shows histological hallmarks but due to its progressive motor phenotype also provides a therapeutic window suitable for future pharmacological modification.</p>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"111464"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144636274","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":"Preconditioning with an enriched environment enhances neuroplasticity and functional recovery following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury","authors":"Yi Zhang ,&nbsp;Wen Liu ,&nbsp;Lingling Liu ,&nbsp;Yang Liu ,&nbsp;Youqing Yang ,&nbsp;Zhijie Yang ,&nbsp;Xiuping Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111459","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111459","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>This study aimed to examine the effects of preconditioning with an enriched environment (EE) on neuroplasticity following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and to elucidate its underlying neuroprotective mechanisms. While prior research has indicated that EE preconditioning may mitigate neuronal apoptosis, the molecular pathways contributing to neuroplasticity enhancement post-I/R injury remain insufficiently characterized.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Male Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated into three experimental groups: (1) Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) with pre-ischemic EE exposure (PIEE), (2) pre-ischemic standard condition (SC) exposure with MCAO (PISC), and (3) pre-ischemic SC exposure with sham surgery (Sham). Neurological function and infarct volume were assessed three days post-MCAO. The expression levels of neuroplasticity-related proteins, including neurofilament (NF), synaptophysin (Syn), and microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2), as well as neurotrophic factors such as nerve growth factor (NGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), were analyzed using western blot and immunohistochemical techniques. Correlation analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between protein expression and neurological outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Compared to the PISC group, the PIEE group demonstrated significant improvements in neurological function and reduced infarct volumes. Expression levels of NF, Syn, and MAP-2 were elevated in the ischemic penumbra cortex in the PIEE group. Additionally, EE preconditioning resulted in increased expression of NGF and bFGF. These molecular changes were positively correlated with functional recovery in the MCAO model.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Pre-ischemic exposure to an enriched environment may enhance neuroplasticity and support functional recovery following cerebral I/R injury, potentially through the upregulation of neuroplasticity-associated proteins and neurotrophic factors. These findings support the development of EE-based interventions for ischemic stroke prevention and rehabilitation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 111459"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144625394","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":"Effects of Chinese idioms and short sentences on language and cognitive in stroke non-fluent aphasia","authors":"Li Zhang,&nbsp;Weiwei Li,&nbsp;Mengqin Zhang,&nbsp;Lei Lei,&nbsp;Xiaojun He","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111455","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111455","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to investigate how rehabilitation training using Chinese idioms and short phrases affects stroke patients with non-fluent aphasia's language recovery and daily communication abilities. Random assignments were made to place the 82 stroke patients with non-fluent aphasia either the intervention group (n = 41) or the control group (n = 41). In the realm of neurology, both groups received conventional treatment and rehabilitation. On the other hand, the intervention group received additional rehabilitation training that was concentrated on Chinese idioms and short phrases. The study findings indicated that the group being observed showed significant improvements in several areas including listening comprehension, paraphrasing, speaking, vocalization, reading, CADL score, FDA score, speech articulation, MPT, loudness, and MoCA following a four-week training session. Correlation analysis revealed substantial differences across the parameters, except for MPT and cloudiness. The results indicate that targeted language rehabilitation training that emphasizes Chinese idioms and short phrases may greatly improve listening, recounting, speaking, pronunciation, reading skills, as well as everyday communication and cognitive capacities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 111455"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144625392","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":"Environmental enrichment attenuates social isolation-exacerbated postoperative cognitive dysfunction in aged mice via inhibition of RAGE-HMGB1 proinflammatory signaling","authors":"Sha Li ,&nbsp;Hongyan Wang ,&nbsp;Mingzhe Qin ,&nbsp;Wei Huang ,&nbsp;Huifang Gao ,&nbsp;Xiaoyang Song ,&nbsp;Xiaolong Chen ,&nbsp;Bixi Li","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111462","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111462","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microglial overactivation, leading to neuroinflammation, plays a pivotal role in the development of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). However, the reasons behind varying inflammatory and cognitive reactions to similar surgical stresses among individuals remain enigmatic. Social isolation (SI), a prevalent psychosocial stressor among older adults, is known to intensify neuroinflammatory reactions and may represent a crucial but overlooked risk factor for POCD. Utilizing aged mouse models, our study reveals that four weeks of preoperative SI considerably worsens surgical-related cognitive deficits, specifically affecting spatial memory (evident from increased Barnes maze latency) and recognition memory (manifested by decreased novel object preference). From a mechanistic perspective, SI predominantly boosts HMGB1-RAGE signaling (rather than TLR4), leading to M1 microglial activation (marked by elevated iNOS and CD86 levels), synaptic destabilization (indicated by decreased PSD95 and SYN), and elevated proinflammatory cytokines. Genetic downregulation of RAGE reverses these alterations, whereas environmental enrichment (EE) offers neuroprotective effects by specifically blocking the RAGE–HMGB1 pathway. Notably, RAGE overexpression negates the beneficial effects of EE, emphasizing the key role of this receptor in SI-induced susceptibility to POCD. Our findings experimentally demonstrate that SI predisposes individuals to POCD via RAGE-dependent neuroinflammatory priming and suggest EE as a potential targeted intervention. These results could inform tailored preventative measures for elderly surgical patients at risk.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 111462"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144625393","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":"Articulation-function-associated brain developmental changes in cleft lip and palate patients","authors":"Wenjing Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhongtian Guan ,&nbsp;Lei Cao ,&nbsp;Liwei Sun ,&nbsp;Xu Zhang ,&nbsp;Renji Chen ,&nbsp;Chunlin Li ,&nbsp;Weiqun Song","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111458","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111458","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Cleft palate articulation disorder is the most common dysfunction in individuals with cleft lip and palate (CLP), significantly affecting communication and quality of life. Despite previous studies having examined structural and functional brain changes in CLP, age-related functional changes related to articulation disorders remain unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The purpose of this research was to investigate brain functional differences across age groups of CLP patients and correlations with articulation performance.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>A total of 127 participants were included: 25 CLP children, 34 healthy children, 44 CLP adults, and 24 healthy adults. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess brain activity. Voxel-based analysis, functional connectivity, and network topological properties were assessed, along with mediation analysis to explore relationships between age, brain function, and articulation performance.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>CLP adults and children showed significant differences in resting-state brain function, particularly in the cerebellar vermis, crus, right parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and right central region—key areas for semantic processing and motor control. CLP adults exhibited greater connectivity between the postcentral gyrus and cerebellar vermis and enhanced small-world properties. Mediation analysis indicated that regional homogeneity in the left medial superior frontal cortex fully mediated the relationship between articulation performance and age.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>CLP patients with articulation disorders exhibited altered brain functional synchronization as compared to controls, with adults showing further network development. Differences between children and adults highlight variations in treatment focus and stability, and this highlights the necessity of age-specific rehabilitation protocols.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 111458"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144625391","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}