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Vidal-Piñeiro D, Martin-Trias P, Arenaza-Urquijo EM, Sala-Llonch R, Clemente IC, Mena-Sánchez I, Bargalló N, Falcón C, Pascual-Leone Á, Bartrés-Faz D. Task-dependent activity and connectivity predict episodic memory network-based responses to brain stimulation in healthy aging. Brain Stimul 2014; 7:287-96. [PMID: 24485466 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2013.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Revised: 12/17/2013] [Accepted: 12/31/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can affect episodic memory, one of the main cognitive hallmarks of aging, but the mechanisms of action remain unclear. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the behavioral and functional impact of excitatory TMS in a group of healthy elders. METHODS We applied a paradigm of repetitive TMS - intermittent theta-burst stimulation - over left inferior frontal gyrus in healthy elders (n = 24) and evaluated its impact on the performance of an episodic memory task with two levels of processing and the associated brain activity as captured by a pre and post fMRI scans. RESULTS In the post-TMS fMRI we found TMS-related activity increases in left prefrontal and cerebellum-occipital areas specifically during deep encoding but not during shallow encoding or at rest. Furthermore, we found a task-dependent change in connectivity during the encoding task between cerebellum-occipital areas and the TMS-targeted left inferior frontal region. This connectivity change correlated with the TMS effects over brain networks. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the aged brain responds to brain stimulation in a state-dependent manner as engaged by different tasks components and that TMS effect is related to inter-individual connectivity changes measures. These findings reveal fundamental insights into brain network dynamics in aging and the capacity to probe them with combined behavioral and stimulation approaches.
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Pereira JB, Valls-Pedret C, Ros E, Palacios E, Falcón C, Bargalló N, Bartrés-Faz D, Wahlund LO, Westman E, Junque C. Regional vulnerability of hippocampal subfields to aging measured by structural and diffusion MRI. Hippocampus 2013; 24:403-14. [PMID: 24339261 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Revised: 12/02/2013] [Accepted: 12/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
In the past few years, there has been an increasing awareness of the regional vulnerability of the hippocampus to age-related processes. However, to date, no studies have assessed the effects of age on different structural magnetic resonance parameters in the specific hippocampal subfields. In this study, we measured volume, mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) in the presubiculum, subiculum, fimbria, cornu ammonis (CA) 1,2-3,4-DG and the whole hippocampus in fifty cognitively intact elder adults between 50 and 75 years of age (20 men, 30 women). Segmentation of hippocampal subfields was performed using FreeSurfer. Individual MD and FA images were coregistered to T1-weighted volumes using FLIRT of FSL. Linear regression analyses were performed to assess the effects of age on the anatomical measures of each subfield. In addition, multiple regression analyses were also carried out to assess which of the anatomical measures that showed a correlation with age in the previous analyses, were the best age predictors in the hippocampus. In agreement with previous studies, our results showed a significant association between age and volume (P < 0.001) as well as MD (P < 0.001) in the whole hippocampus. Regarding the specific hippocampal subfields, we found that age had a significant negative effect on volume in CA2-3 (P < 0.001) and CA4-DG (P < 0.001). Importantly, we found a positive effect of age on MD in CA2-3 (P < 0.001) and fimbria (P < 0.001) as well as a negative age effect on FA in the subiculum (P < 0.001). Multiple regression analyses revealed that the best overall predictors of age in the hippocampus were MD in the fimbria and volume of CA2-3, which explained 73.8% of the age variance. These results indicate that age has an effect both on volume and diffusion tensor imaging measures in different subfields, suggesting they provide complementary information on age-related processes in the hippocampus.
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Lázaro L, Andrés S, Calvo A, Cullell C, Moreno E, Plana MT, Falcón C, Bargalló N, Castro-Fornieles J. Normal gray and white matter volume after weight restoration in adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord 2013; 46:841-8. [PMID: 23904101 DOI: 10.1002/eat.22161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine whether treated, weight-stabilized adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) present brain volume differences in comparison with healthy controls. METHOD Thirty-five adolescents with weight-recovered AN and 17 healthy controls were assessed by means of psychopathology scales and magnetic resonance imaging. Axial three-dimensional T1-weighted images were obtained in a 1.5 Tesla scanner and analyzed using optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM). RESULTS There were no significant differences between controls and weight-stabilized AN patients with regard to global volumes of either gray or white brain matter, or in the regional VBM study. Differences were not significant between patients with psychopharmacological treatment and without, between those with amenorrhea and without, as well as between patients with restrictive versus purgative AN. DISCUSSION The present findings reveal no global or regional gray or white matter abnormalities in this sample of adolescents following weight restoration.
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Macías JE, Clerc MG, Falcón C, García-Ñustes MA. Spatially modulated kinks in shallow granular layers. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2013; 88:020201. [PMID: 24032762 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.88.020201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2013] [Revised: 06/30/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We report on the experimental observation of spatially modulated kinks in a shallow one-dimensional fluidized granular layer subjected to a periodic air flow. We show the appearance of these solutions as the layer undergoes a parametric instability. Due to the inherent fluctuations of the granular layer, the kink profile exhibits an effective wavelength, a precursor, which modulates spatially the homogeneous states and drastically modifies the kink dynamics. We characterize the average and fluctuating properties of this solution. Finally, we show that the temporal evolution of these kinks is dominated by a hopping dynamics, related directly to the underlying spatial structure.
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Sierra-Marcos A, Maestro I, Falcón C, Donaire A, Setoain J, Aparicio J, Rumià J, Pintor L, Boget T, Carreño M, Bargalló N. Ictal EEG-fMRI in localization of epileptogenic area in patients with refractory neocortical focal epilepsy. Epilepsia 2013; 54:1688-98. [DOI: 10.1111/epi.12329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Alemany S, Mas A, Goldberg X, Falcón C, Fatjó-Vilas M, Arias B, Bargalló N, Nenadic I, Gastó C, Fañanás L. Regional gray matter reductions are associated with genetic liability for anxiety and depression: an MRI twin study. J Affect Disord 2013; 149:175-81. [PMID: 23433857 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2013.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2012] [Revised: 12/23/2012] [Accepted: 01/24/2013] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The influence of genetic and/or environmental factors on the volumetric brain changes observed in subjects affected by anxiety and depression disorders remains unclear. The current study aimed to investigate whether genetic and environmental liabilities make different contributions to abnormalities in gray matter volume (GMV) in anxiety and depression using a concordant and discordant MZ twin pairs design. METHODS Fifty-three magnetic resonance imaging (3T) brain scans were obtained from monozygotic (MZ) twins concordant (6 pairs) and discordant (10 pairs) for lifetime anxiety and depression disorders and from healthy twins (21 subjects). We applied voxel-based morphometry to analyse GMV differences. Concordant affected twins were compared to healthy twins and within-pairs comparisons were performed in the discordant group. RESULTS GMV reductions in bilateral fusiform gyrus and amygdala were observed in concordant affected twins for anxiety and depression compared to healthy twins. No intrapair differences were found in GMV between discordant affected twins and their healthy co-twins. LIMITATIONS The sample size was modest. This might explain why no intrapair differences were found in the discordant MZ twin group. CONCLUSIONS As concordant affected MZ twins are believed to have a particularly high genetic liability for the disorder, our findings suggest that fusiform gyrus and amygdala gray matter reductions are related to a genetic risk for anxiety and depression. Discrepancies in regard to brain abnormalities in anxiety and depression may be related to the admixture of patients with GMV abnormalities mainly accounted for by genetic factors with patients presenting GMV mainly accounted for by environmental factors.
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Valduvieco Ruiz I, Verger Fransoy E, Pujol T, Falcón C, Herreros A, Caral L, Graus F, Pineda E, Oleaga L. Best oral presentation: Glioblastomas with complete resection: Changes in relative cerebral blood volume in white matter irradiated. Rep Pract Oncol Radiother 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rpor.2013.03.730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
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Pereira JB, Junqué C, Bartrés-Faz D, Martí MJ, Sala-Llonch R, Compta Y, Falcón C, Vendrell P, Pascual-Leone Á, Valls-Solé J, Tolosa E. Modulation of verbal fluency networks by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in Parkinson’s disease. Brain Stimul 2013; 6:16-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2012.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2011] [Revised: 12/26/2011] [Accepted: 01/17/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
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Lázaro L, Bargalló N, Andrés S, Falcón C, Morer A, Junqué C, Castro-Fornieles J. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: longitudinal study before and after treatment. Psychiatry Res 2012; 201:17-24. [PMID: 22281202 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2011.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2009] [Revised: 01/22/2011] [Accepted: 01/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Abnormalities in neurochemical compounds in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may help increase our knowledge of neurobiological abnormalities in the fronto-subcortical circuits. The aims of this exploratory study were to identify with in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) the possible alterations in neurometabolites in a group of drug naïve children and adolescents with OCD in comparison with a control group and to determine whether there was any effect of treatment on the metabolite levels. Eleven OCD children and adolescents (age range 9-17 years; 6 male, 5 female) and twelve healthy subjects with similar age, sex and estimated intellectual quotient were studied. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 1.5 T was used. We placed 3 voxels, one bilaterally located involving anterior cingulate-medial frontal regions, and one in each striatal region involving the caudate and putaminal regions. Concentrations of creatine (Cr), myo-inositol (mI), total Cho (glycerophosphocholine+phosphocholine), total NAA (N-acetyl aspartate+N-acetyl aspartylglutamate), and total Glx (glutamate+glutamine) were calculated. We found significantly lower concentrations of total Cho in left striatum in OCD patients compared with healthy subjects. The difference in Cho concentrations in left striatum between the two groups did not change over time and persisted at follow-up assessment. Like the control subjects, OCD patients undergoing pharmacological treatment and clinical recovery showed no significant changes in neurometabolic activity between the first and second evaluations.
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Lázaro L, Castro-Fornieles J, Cullell C, Andrés S, Falcón C, Calvo R, Bargalló N. A voxel-based morphometric MRI study of stabilized obsessive-compulsive adolescent patients. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2011; 35:1863-9. [PMID: 21840363 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2011.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2011] [Revised: 07/29/2011] [Accepted: 07/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to determine whether treated stabilized adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) present brain structure differences in comparison with healthy control subjects. METHODS Twenty-seven adolescents with already-treated OCD and 27 healthy controls matched by age, sex and estimated intellectual level were assessed by means of psychopathological scales and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Axial three-dimensional T1-weighted images were obtained in a 1.5 T scanner and analyzed using optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM). RESULTS Compared with controls, stabilized patients with OCD did not present any statistical differences in the whole brain. However, a small volume correction analysis yielded significant results that survived correction for multiple comparisons, showing decreased white matter (WM) volume in a small area of the parietal cortex (t=3.39, p=0.045 FWE (family wise error)-corrected) of OCD patients in comparison with healthy controls. There was no significant correlation between decreased WM volume in the parietal cortex and obsessive-compulsive symptomatology. CONCLUSION There were no global significant differences in either gray matter (GM) or WM. Small differences were found between adolescent patients with stabilized OCD and healthy controls as regards in WM volume in right parietal areas. The parietal lobe may play a role in the pathophysiology of OCD, even in clinically stabilized patients.
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Peña-Gómez C, Sala-Lonch R, Junqué C, Clemente IC, Vidal D, Bargalló N, Falcón C, Valls-Solé J, Pascual-Leone Á, Bartrés-Faz D. Modulation of large-scale brain networks by transcranial direct current stimulation evidenced by resting-state functional MRI. Brain Stimul 2011; 5:252-263. [PMID: 21962981 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2011.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 214] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2011] [Revised: 08/03/2011] [Accepted: 08/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brain areas interact mutually to perform particular complex brain functions such as memory or language. Furthermore, under resting-state conditions several spatial patterns have been identified that resemble functional systems involved in cognitive functions. Among these, the default-mode network (DMN), which is consistently deactivated during task periods and is related to a variety of cognitive functions, has attracted most attention. In addition, in resting-state conditions some brain areas engaged in focused attention (such as the anticorrelated network, AN) show a strong negative correlation with DMN; as task demand increases, AN activity rises, and DMN activity falls. OBJECTIVE We combined transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate these brain network dynamics. METHODS Ten healthy young volunteers underwent four blocks of resting-state fMRI (10-minutes), each of them immediately after 20 minutes of sham or active tDCS (2 mA), on two different days. On the first day the anodal electrode was placed over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (part of the AN) with the cathode over the contralateral supraorbital area, and on the second day, the electrode arrangement was reversed (anode right-DLPFC, cathode left-supraorbital). RESULTS After active stimulation, functional network connectivity revealed increased synchrony within the AN components and reduced synchrony in the DMN components. CONCLUSIONS Our study reveals a reconfiguration of intrinsic brain activity networks after active tDCS. These effects may help to explain earlier reports of improvements in cognitive functions after anodal-tDCS, where increasing cortical excitability may have facilitated reconfiguration of functional brain networks to address upcoming cognitive demands.
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Horga G, Parellada E, Lomeña F, Fernández-Egea E, Mané A, Font M, Falcón C, Konova AB, Pavia J, Ros D, Bernardo M. Differential brain glucose metabolic patterns in antipsychotic-naïve first-episode schizophrenia with and without auditory verbal hallucinations. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2011; 36:312-21. [PMID: 21266125 PMCID: PMC3163647 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.100085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are a core symptom of schizophrenia. Previous reports on neural activity patterns associated with AVHs are inconsistent, arguably owing to the lack of an adequate control group (i.e., patients with similar characteristics but without AVHs) and neglect of the potential confounding effects of medication. METHODS The current study was conducted in a homogeneous group of patients with schizophrenia to assess whether the presence or absence of AVHs was associated with differential regional cerebral glucose metabolic patterns. We investigated differences between patients with commenting AVHs and patients without AVHs among a group of dextral antipsychotic-naive inpatients with acute first-episode schizophrenia examined with [(18)F]fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) at rest. Univariate and multivariate approaches were used to establish between-group differences. RESULTS We included 9 patients with AVHs and 7 patients without AVHs in this study. Patients experiencing AVHs during FDG uptake had significantly higher metabolic rates in the left superior and middle temporal cortices, bilateral superior medial frontal cortex and left caudate nucleus (cluster level p < 0.005, family wise error-corrected, and bootstrap ratio > 3.3, respectively). Additionally, the multivariate method identified hippocampal-parahippocampal, cerebellar and parietal relative hypoactivity during AVHs in both hemispheres (bootstrap ratio < -3.3). LIMITATIONS The FDG-PET imaging technique does not provide information regarding the temporal course of neural activity. The limited sample size may have increased the risk of false-negative findings. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that AVHs in patients with schizophrenia may be mediated by an alteration of neural pathways responsible for normal language function. Our findings also point to the potential role of the dominant caudate nucleus and the parahippocampal gyri in the pathophysiology of AVHs. We discuss the relevance of phenomenology-based grouping in the study of AVHs.
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Fernández S, Donaire A, Maestro I, Seres E, Setoain X, Bargalló N, Rumià J, Boget T, Falcón C, Carreño M. Functional neuroimaging in startle epilepsy: Involvement of a mesial frontoparietal network. Epilepsia 2011; 52:1725-32. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2011.03172.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Pino F, Roé N, Orero A, Falcón C, Rojas S, Benlloch JM, Ros D, Pavía J. Development of a variable-radius pinhole SPECT system with a portable gamma camera. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 30:286-91. [PMID: 21640439 DOI: 10.1016/j.remn.2011.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2011] [Accepted: 03/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To develop a small-animal SPECT system using a low cost commercial portable gamma camera equipped with a pinhole collimator, a continuous scintillation crystal and a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube. MATERIAL AND METHODS The gamma camera was attached to a variable radius system, which enabled us to optimize sensitivity and resolution by adjusting the radius of rotation to the size of the object. To investigate the capability of the SPECT system for small animal imaging, the dependence of resolution and calibration parameters on radius was assessed and acquisitions of small phantoms and mice were carried out. RESULTS Resolution values, ranging from 1.0mm for a radius of 21.4mm and 1.4mm for a radius of 37.2mm were obtained, thereby justifying the interest of a variable radius SPECT system. CONCLUSIONS The image quality of phantoms and animals were satisfactory, thus confirming the usefulness of the system for small animal SPECT imaging.
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Padilla N, Falcón C, Sanz-Cortés M, Figueras F, Bargallo N, Crispi F, Eixarch E, Arranz A, Botet F, Gratacós E. Differential effects of intrauterine growth restriction on brain structure and development in preterm infants: A magnetic resonance imaging study. Brain Res 2011; 1382:98-108. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2010] [Revised: 01/10/2011] [Accepted: 01/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Castro-Fornieles J, Caldú X, Andrés-Perpiñá S, Lázaro L, Bargalló N, Falcón C, Plana MT, Junqué C. A cross-sectional and follow-up functional MRI study with a working memory task in adolescent anorexia nervosa. Neuropsychologia 2010; 48:4111-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2010] [Revised: 09/07/2010] [Accepted: 10/01/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Serra-Grabulosa JM, Adan A, Falcón C, Bargalló N. Glucose and caffeine effects on sustained attention: an exploratory fMRI study. Hum Psychopharmacol 2010; 25:543-52. [PMID: 21312288 DOI: 10.1002/hup.1150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2010] [Accepted: 08/11/2010] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Caffeine and glucose can have beneficial effects on cognitive performance. However, neural basis of these effects remain unknown. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of caffeine and glucose on sustained attention, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS Forty young right-handed, healthy, low caffeine-consuming subjects participated in the study. In a double-blind, randomised design, subjects received one of the following beverages: vehicle (water, 150 ml); vehicle plus 75 g of glucose; vehicle plus 75 mg of caffeine; vehicle plus 75 g of glucose and 75 mg of caffeine. Participants underwent two scanning fMRI sessions (before and 30 min after of the administration of the beverage). A continuous performance test was used to assess sustained attention. RESULTS Participants who received combined caffeine and glucose had similar performance to the others but had a decrease in activation in the bilateral parietal and left prefrontal cortex. CONCLUSIONS Since these areas have been related to the sustained attention and working memory processes, results would suggest that combined caffeine and glucose could increase the efficiency of the attentional system. However, more studies using larger samples and different levels of caffeine and glucose are necessary to better understand the combined effects of both substances.
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Castro-Fornieles J, Garcia AI, Lazaro L, Andrés-Perpiñá S, Falcón C, Plana MT, Bargallo N. Prefrontal brain metabolites in short-term weight-recovered adolescent anorexia nervosa patients. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2010; 34:1049-53. [PMID: 20580920 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2010] [Revised: 05/19/2010] [Accepted: 05/19/2010] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Various neuroimaging techniques have revealed morphological and functional alterations in anorexia nervosa (AN), although few spectroscopic magnetic resonance studies have examined short-term weight-recovered AN patients. Subjects were 32 female adolescent patients (between 13 and 18 years old) seen consecutively in our department and who met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for AN. All of them had received a minimum of six months of treatment and were short-term weight-recovered (for one to three months) with a body mass index ranging from 18 to 23. A group of 20 healthy female volunteer controls of similar age were also included. All subjects were assessed with psychopathological scales and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Total choline (Cho) (p=0.007) and creatine (Cr) (p=0.008) levels were significantly higher in AN patients than in controls. AN patients receiving psychopharmacological treatment with SSRIs (N=9) had metabolite levels similar to control subjects, but patients without this treatment did not. The present study shows abnormalities in brain neurometabolites related to Cho compounds and Cr in the prefrontal cortex in short-term weight-recovered adolescent AN patients, principally in patients not undergoing psychopharmacological treatment. More studies with larger samples are necessary to test the generalizability of the present results.
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Segura B, Jurado MA, Freixenet N, Falcón C, Junqué C, Arboix A. Microstructural white matter changes in metabolic syndrome: a diffusion tensor imaging study. Neurology 2009; 73:438-44. [PMID: 19667318 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0b013e3181b163cd] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although metabolic syndrome is associated with cardiovascular disease and stroke, limited information is available on specific brain damage in patients with this syndrome. We investigated the relationship of the syndrome with white matter (WM) alteration using a voxel-based approach with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHODS We compared fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements of DTI in 19 patients with metabolic syndrome aged between 50 and 80 years and 19 age-matched controls without any vascular risk factors for the syndrome. RESULTS Patients with metabolic syndrome showed an anterior-posterior pattern of deterioration in WM with reduced FA and increased ADC values compared with controls. WM changes were not related to any isolated vascular risk factor. CONCLUSION Although the mechanism of this damage is not clear, the results indicate microstructural white matter alterations in patients with metabolic syndrome, mainly involving the frontal lobe.
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Menéndez-Colino LM, Traserra J, Falcón C, Berenguer J, Pujol T, Doménech J, Bernal-Sprekelsen M. Resultados en el estudio del córtex auditivo mediante resonancia magnética funcional (I): características generales y resultados individuales. ACTA OTORRINOLARINGOLOGICA ESPANOLA 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/s0001-6519(09)71225-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Bosch B, Bartrés-Faz D, Rami L, Arenaza-Urquijo EM, Fernández-Espejo D, Junqué C, Solé-Padullés C, Sánchez-Valle R, Bargalló N, Falcón C, Molinuevo JL. Cognitive reserve modulates task-induced activations and deactivations in healthy elders, amnestic mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease. Cortex 2009; 46:451-61. [PMID: 19560134 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2009.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2008] [Revised: 04/20/2009] [Accepted: 05/06/2009] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cognitive reserve (CR) reflects the capacity of the brain to endure neuropathology in order to minimize clinical manifestations. Previous studies showed that CR modulates the patterns of brain activity in both healthy and clinical populations. In the present study we sought to determine whether reorganizations of functional brain resources linked to CR could already be observed in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients when performing a task corresponding to an unaffected cognitive domain. We further investigated if activity in regions showing task-induced deactivations, usually identified as pertaining to the default-mode network (DMN), was also influenced by CR. METHODS Fifteen healthy elders, 15 a-MCI and 15 AD patients underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a speech comprehension task. Differences in the regression of slopes between CR proxies and blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signals across clinical groups were investigated for activation and deactivation areas. Correlations between significant fMRI results and a language comprehension test were also computed. RESULTS Among a-MCI and AD we observed positive correlations between CR measures and BOLD signals in task-induced activation areas directly processing speech, as well as greater deactivations in regions of the DMN. These relationships were inverted in healthy elders. We found no evidence that these results were mediated by gray matter volumes. Increased activity in left frontal areas and decreased activity in the anterior cingulate were related to better language comprehension in clinical evaluations. CONCLUSIONS The present findings provide evidence that the neurofunctional reorganizations related to CR among a-MCI and AD patients can be seen even when considering a preserved cognitive domain, being independent of gray matter atrophy. Areas showing both task-induced activations and deactivations are modulated by CR in an opposite manner when considering healthy elders versus patients. Brain reorganizations facilitated by CR may reflect behavioral compensatory mechanisms.
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Menéndez-Colino LM, Traserra J, Falcón C, Berenguer J, Pujol T, Doménech J, Bernal-Sprekelsen M. [Results of a functional magnetic resonance study of the primary auditory cortex (I): general characteristics and individual outcomes]. ACTA OTORRINOLARINGOLOGICA ESPANOLA 2009; 60:160-168. [PMID: 19558901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To demonstrate and investigate the activation patterns of the primary auditory cortex (Heschl's gyrus) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). MATERIAL AND METHODS Pure tone stimuli at 750 Hz and 2000 Hz were delivered to the right and left ear of 32 normal-hearing volunteers (18-49 years old) in 20-second on-off cycles. The fMRI data were obtained using a 1.5 Tesla scanner and processed with SPM2. RESULTS For both tone frequencies, bilateral hemispheric activation was identified in the transverse temporal gyrus (Heschl's gyrus) in 29 subjects (90.62 %) in response to pure tone stimuli with a probability level of p < 0.001. For monaural stimulation, bilateral hemispheric activation was observed with generally greater extent of activation in the Heschl's gyrus (HG) contralateral to the stimulated ear. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that fMRI is a useful imaging technique to investigate the auditory cortex. The contralateral auditory cortex is more responsive than the ipsilateral cortex to tones presented monaurally.
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Bartrés-Faz D, Solé-Padullés C, Junqué C, Rami L, Bosch B, Bargalló N, Falcón C, Sánchez-Valle R, Molinuevo JL. Interactions of cognitive reserve with regional brain anatomy and brain function during a working memory task in healthy elders. Biol Psychol 2009; 80:256-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2008.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2008] [Revised: 10/10/2008] [Accepted: 10/19/2008] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Crespo C, Gallego J, Cot A, Falcón C, Bullich S, Pareto D, Aguiar P, Sempau J, Lomeña F, Calviño F, Pavía J, Ros D. Quantification of dopaminergic neurotransmission SPECT studies with 123I-labelled radioligands. A comparison between different imaging systems and data acquisition protocols using Monte Carlo simulation. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2008; 35:1334-42. [DOI: 10.1007/s00259-007-0711-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2007] [Accepted: 12/26/2007] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Aguiar P, Pareto D, Gispert JD, Crespo C, Falcón C, Cot A, Lomeña F, Pavía J, Ros D. Effect of anatomical variability, reconstruction algorithms and scattered photons on the SPM output of brain PET studies. Neuroimage 2007; 39:1121-8. [PMID: 18042402 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.09.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2007] [Revised: 09/09/2007] [Accepted: 09/22/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) has become the standard technique to statistically evaluate differences between functional images. The aim of this paper was to assess the effect of anatomical variability of skull, the reconstruction algorithm and the scattering of photons in the brain on the output of an SPM analysis of brain PET studies. To this end, Monte Carlo simulation was used to generate suitable PET sinograms and bootstrap techniques were employed to increase the reliability of the conclusions. Activity distribution maps were obtained by segmenting thirty nine T1-weighted magnetic resonance images. Foci were placed on the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the superior temporal cortex (STC) and activation factors ranging between -25% and +25% were simulated. Preprocessing of the reconstructed images and statistical analysis were performed using SPM2. Our findings show that intersubject anatomical differences can cause the minimum sample size to increase between 10 and 42% for posterior cingulate Cortex and between 40 and 80% for superior temporal cortex. Ideal scatter correction (ISC) allowed us to diminish the sample size up to 18% and fully 3D reconstruction reduced the minimum sample size between 8 and 33%. Detection sensitivity was higher for hypo-activation than for hyper-activation situations and higher for superior temporal cortex than for posterior cingulate cortex.
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