Sleep Dysfunction and Grey Matter Volume

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

With the voxel-based morphometry (VBM), structural imaging studies turned into new directions aiming to explore neurological disorders differently. This approach helps identify possible pathophysiological correlations between neuroanatomical grey matter (GM) structures in patients with sleep dysfunction. This article reviews recent findings on GM structure in various sleep disorders and possible causes of disturbed sleep and discusses the future perspectives.

RECENT FINDINGS

At present, research on the effect of GM volume changes in specific brain areas on the pathogenesis of sleep disturbances is incomplete. It remains unknown if the GM thickness reduction in patients with REM sleep behaviour disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and insomnia is due to complex disease presentation or direct response to disturbed sleep. Additionally, many VBM studies have yielded inconsistent results showing either reduction or increase in GM. The spatiotemporal complexity of whole-brain networks and state transitions during sleep and the role of GM changes increase new debates. Having multimodal data from large sample studies can help model sleep network dynamics in different disorders and provide novel data for possible therapeutic interventions.

Disassociated and concurrent structural and functional abnormalities in the drug-naïve first-episode early onset schizophrenia

Schizophrenia which is an abnormally developmental disease has been widely reported to show abnormal brain structure and function. Enhanced functional integration is a predominant neural marker for brain mature. Abnormal development of structure and functional integration may be a biomarker for early diagnosis of schizophrenia. Fifty-five patients with early onset schizophrenia (EOS) and 79 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and functional connectivity density (FCD) were performed to explore gray matter volume (GMV) lesion, abnormal functional integration, and concurrent structural and functional abnormalities in the brain. Furthermore, the relationships between abnormalities structural and function and clinical characteristics were evaluated in EOS. Compared with healthy controls, EOS showed significantly decreased GMV in the bilateral OFC, frontal, temporal, occipital, parietal and limbic system. EOS also showed decreased FCD in precuneus and increased FCD in cerebellum. Moreover, we found concurrent changes of structure and function in left lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC). Finally, correlation analyses did not find significant correlation between abnormal neural measurements and clinical characteristic in EOS. The results reveal disassociated and bound structural and functional abnormalities patterns in EOS suggesting structural and functional measurements play different roles in delineating the abnormal patterns of EOS. The concurrent structural and functional changes in lOFC may be a biomarker for early diagnosis of schizophrenia. Our findings will deepen our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms in EOS.

Interactive effects of polygenic risk and cognitive subtype on brain morphology in schizophrenia spectrum and bipolar disorders

Grey matter volume (GMV) may be associated with polygenic risk for schizophrenia (PRS-SZ) and severe cognitive deficits in people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder (collectively SSD), and bipolar disorder (BD). This study examined the interactive effects of PRS-SZ and cognitive subtypes of SSD and BD in relation to GMV. Two-step cluster analysis was performed on 146 clinical cases (69 SSD and 77 BD) assessed on eight cognitive domains (verbal and visual memory, executive function, processing speed, visual processing, language ability, working memory, and planning). Among them, 55 BD, 51 SSD, and 58 healthy controls (HC), contributed to focal analyses of the relationships between cognitive subtypes, PRS-SZ and their interaction on GMV. Two distinct cognitive subtypes were evident among the combined sample of cases: a 'cognitive deficit' group (CD; N = 31, 20SSD/11BD) showed severe impairment across all cognitive indices, and a 'cognitively spared' (CS; N = 75; 31SSD/44BD) group showed intermediate cognitive performance that was significantly worse than the HC group but better than the CD subgroup. A cognitive subgroup-by-PRS-SZ interaction was significantly associated with GMV in the left precentral gyrus. Moderation analyses revealed a significant negative relationship between PRS-SZ and GMV in the CD group only. At low and average (but not high) PRS-SZ, larger precentral GMV was evident in the CD group compared to both CS and HC groups, and in the CS group compared to HCs. This study provides evidence for a relationship between regional GMV changes and PRS-SZ in psychosis spectrum cases with cognitive deficits, but not in cases cognitively spared.

Basal ganglia correlates of wellbeing in early adolescence

It has been suggested that biological markers that define mental health are different to those that define mental illness. The basal ganglia changes dramatically over adolescence and has been linked to wellbeing and mental health disorders in young people. However, there remains a paucity of research on wellbeing and brain structure in early adolescence. This cross-sectional study examined relationships between grey matter volume (GMV) of basal ganglia regions (caudate, putamen, pallidum and nucleus accumbens) and self-reported wellbeing (COMPAS-W), in a sample of Australian adolescents aged 12 years (N = 49, M = 12.6, 46.9% female). Significant negative associations were found between left hemisphere caudate GMV and scores on 'total wellbeing', 'composure' and 'positivity'. The results of this study indicate that smaller caudate GMV at age 12 is linked to increased subjective wellbeing. While seemingly counter-intuitive, our finding is consistent with previous research of decreased GMV in the pons and increased COMPAS-W scores in adults. Our results suggest that protective neurobiological factors may be identifiable early in adolescence and be linked to specific types of wellbeing (such as positive affect and optimism). This has implications for interventions targeted at building resilience against mental health disorders in young people.

Structural correlates of trauma-induced hyperarousal in mice

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic disease caused by traumatic incidents. Numerous studies have revealed grey matter volume differences in affected individuals. The nature of the disease renders it difficult to distinguish between a priori versus a posteriori changes. To overcome this difficulty, we studied the consequences of a traumatic event on brain morphology in mice before and 4 weeks after exposure to brief foot shocks (or sham treatment), and correlated morphology with symptoms of hyperarousal. In the latter context, we assessed hyperarousal upon confrontation with acoustic, visual, or composite (acoustic/visual/tactile) threats and integrated the individual readouts into a single Hyperarousal Score using logistic regression analysis. MRI scans with subsequent whole-brain deformation-based morphometry (DBM) analysis revealed a volume decrease of the dorsal hippocampus and an increase of the reticular nucleus in shocked mice when compared to non-shocked controls. Using the Hyperarousal Score as regressor for the post-exposure MRI measurement, we observed negative correlations with several brain structures including the dorsal hippocampus. If the development of changes with respect to the basal MRI was considered, reduction in globus pallidus volume reflected hyperarousal severity. Our findings demonstrate that a brief traumatic incident can cause volume changes in defined brain structures and suggest the globus pallidus as an important hub for the control of fear responses to threatening stimuli of different sensory modalities.

Schizotypy, childhood trauma and brain morphometry

BACKGROUND

Childhood trauma confers risk for psychosis and is associated with increased 'schizotypy' (a multi-dimensional construct reflecting risk for psychosis in the general population). Structural brain alterations are associated with both childhood trauma and schizotypy, but the potential role of trauma exposure in moderating associations between schizotypy and brain morphology has yet to be determined.

METHODS

Participants were 160 healthy individuals (mean age: 40.08 years, SD = 13.64, range 18-64; 52.5% female). Childhood trauma exposure was assessed using the Childhood Adversity Questionnaire, and schizotypy was assessed using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. Univariate voxel-based morphometry and multivariate analyses of grey matter volume covariation (GMC; derived from independent component analysis) were performed to determine the main effects of schizotypy, trauma exposure and their interaction on these indices of grey matter volume. Moderation analyses were performed following significant interaction.

RESULTS

Levels of schizotypy, in particular the Cognitive-Perceptual and Interpersonal dimensions, were negatively associated with GMC in the striatum, the hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus, thalamus and insulae. Trauma exposure was negatively associated with GMC of the middle frontal gyrus and parietal lobule, while negatively associated with GMC in the cerebellum. Levels of schizotypy (total scores, and the cognitive-perceptual dimension) were negatively associated with striatal GMC in individuals not exposed to trauma, but not in those exposed to trauma.

CONCLUSIONS

Schizotypy and childhood trauma were independently associated with changes of grey matter in brain regions critical for cognition and social cognition. In individuals not exposed to trauma, increased schizotypy was associated with decreased striatal and limbic grey matter.

Investigation of structural brain correlates of neurological soft signs in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis

Increased severity of neurological soft signs (NSS) in schizophrenia have been associated with abnormal brain morphology in cerebello-thalamo-cortical structures, but it is unclear whether similar structures underlie NSS prior to the onset of psychosis. The present study investigated the relationship between severity of NSS and grey matter volume (GMV) in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR) stratified for later conversion to psychosis. Structural T1-weighted MRI scans were obtained from 56 antipsychotic-naïve UHR individuals and 35 healthy controls (HC). The UHR individuals had follow-up data (mean follow-up: 5.2 years) to ascertain clinical outcome. Using whole-brain voxel-based morphometry, the relationship between NSS and GMV at baseline was assessed in UHR, HC, as well as individuals who later transitioned (UHR-P, n = 25) and did not transition (UHR-NP, n = 31) to psychosis. NSS total and subscale scores except motor coordination were significantly higher in UHR compared to HC. Higher signs were also found in UHR-P, but not UHR-NP. Total NSS was not associated with GMV in the whole sample or in each group. However, in UHR-P individuals, greater deficits in sensory integration was associated with lower GMV in the left cerebellum, right insula, and right middle frontal gyrus. In conclusion, NSS are present in UHR individuals, particularly those who later transitioned to a psychotic disorder. While these signs show little overall variation with GMV, the association of sensory integration deficits with lower GMV in UHR-P suggests that certain brain areas may be implicated in the development of specific neurological abnormalities in the psychosis prodrome.

Multivariate morphological brain signatures enable individualized prediction of dispositional need for closure

Need for closure (NFC) reflects stable individual differences in the desire for a quick, definite, and stable answer to a question. A large body of research has documented the association between NFC and various cognitive, emotional and social processes. Despite considerable interest in psychology, little effort has been made to uncover the neural substrates of individual variations in NFC. Herein, we took a data-driven approach to predict NFC trait combining machine learning framework and the whole-brain grey matter volume (GMV) features, which represent a reliable brain imaging measure and have been commonly employed to explore neural basis underlying individual differences of cognition and behaviors. Brain regions contributing to the prediction were then subjected to functional connectivity and decoding analyses for a quantitative inference on their psychophysiological functions. Our results indicated that multivariate patterns of GMV derived from multiple regions across distributed brain systems predicted NFC at individual level. The contributing regions are distributed across the emotional processing network (e.g., striatum), cognitive control network (e.g., lateral prefrontal cortex), social cognition network (e.g., temporoparietal junction) and perceptual processing network (e.g., occipital cortex). The current study provided the first evidence that dispositional NFC is embodied in multiple large-scale brain networks, helping to delineate a more complete picture about the neuropsychological processes that support individual differences in NFC. Beyond these findings, the current interdisciplinary approach to constructing and interpreting neuroimaging-based prediction model of personality traits would be informative to a wide range of future studies on personality.

Increased subcortical region volume induced by electroconvulsive therapy in patients with schizophrenia

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been widely used to treat patients with schizophrenia. However, the underlying mechanisms of ECT remain unknown. In the present study, the treatment effects of ECT on brain structure in patients with schizophrenia were explored. Seventy patients with schizophrenia were scanned using structural magnetic resonance imaging. Patients in the drug group were scanned at baseline (time 1) and follow-up (time 2, 6 weeks of treatment). Patients in the ECT group were scanned before ECT treatment (baseline, time 1) and 10-12 h after the last ECT treatment (time 2). Voxel-based morphometry was applied to analyze the imaging data. Patients in the ECT group showed significantly increased gray matter volume (GMV) in the bilateral hippocampus/amygdala and left superior temporal gyrus (STG)/middle temporal gyrus (MTG) after ECT combined with antipsychotic therapy at time 2. In contrast, patients in the drug group showed decreased GMV in widespread brain regions. Correlation analysis results showed significantly negative correlations between the increased GMV in the bilateral hippocampus/amygdala and PANSS scores at baseline in the ECT group. ECT may modulate brain structure in patients with schizophrenia. The GMV in distinct subcortical regions was related to the individual therapeutic response in patients with schizophrenia.

Lateral ankle instability-induced neuroplasticity in brain grey matter: A voxel-based morphometry MRI study

OBJECTIVES

The deficits in sensory pathways caused by peripheral edema, pain, and inflammation of the damaged ligaments may induce maladaptive changes within the central nervous system. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with lateral ankle instability (LAI) exhibit morphological differences of brain grey matter when compared with healthy controls, and then assess the relationships between the observed differences and the characteristics of patients.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

METHODS

Thirty patients with LAI and 32 healthy controls without LAI underwent MRI scans using anatomical T1 sequences. A voxel-wise general linear model was used to compare the grey matter volume throughout the whole brain between patients and controls. Linear regression analyses were performed for the grey matter volume within the significant clusters to assess their relationship with age, sex, the existence of acute injury, pain level, sports activity level, and the duration of LAI within the patient group.

RESULTS

The grey matter volume of a cluster within the cerebellar vermis (Vermis_4_5 in automated anatomical labeling template) was significantly reduced in patients with LAI (Gaussian Random Field corrections with two-tailed p-cluster < 0.05 and p-voxel < 0.001). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that the duration of LAI tended to be passively associated with the grey matter volume of this LAI-related vermal cluster (p = 0.092).

CONCLUSIONS

Participants with LAI exhibited a reduced grey matter volume of a cluster within the cerebellar vermis compared with participants without LAI, and the degree of volume reduction tended to be positively associated with the duration of LAI.

Structural brain alterations in older adults exposed to early-life adversity

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood events may have differential effects on the brain that persist into adulthood. Findings on structural brain alterations in older adults exposed to early-life adversity are inconsistent notably due to heterogeneity in imaging studies, population, psychiatric comorbidities, nature of adverse events, and genetic vulnerability. This study examines whether exposure related to physical or sexual maltreatment, emotional maltreatment, and global adverse environment during childhood are associated with specific alterations in grey matter volumes and if this varies according to sex and serotonin transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) genotype.

METHOD

Structural MRI was used to acquire anatomical scans from 398 community-dwelling older adults. Quantitative regional estimates of 23 subregional volumes were derived using FreeSurfer software. Retrospective reporting of childhood adversity was collected using structured self-reported questionnaire. Analyses adjusted for age, sex, brain volume, head injury, lifetime depression and anxiety disorder, psychiatric medication, and cardiovascular ischemic pathologies.

RESULTS

Exposure to adverse family environment was associated with smaller volumes of several frontal, cingulate, and parietal subregions and larger amygdala in the 5-HTTLPR SS genotype participants specifically but larger volumes of caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens in the SL genotype participants. Highly significant differences were found with excessive sharing of parent problems with children, associated with larger grey-matter volumes in the thalamus and several frontal and parietal regions in 5-HTTLPR SL male participants specifically.

CONCLUSIONS

Early-life adversity is associated with grey-matter volume alterations in older adults and this varies according to the type of adversity experienced, sex, and serotonergic genetic vulnerability; 5-HTTLPR SS participants appearing most vulnerable and SL individuals most resilient.

Neuroanatomical and cognitive correlates of visual hallucinations in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies: Voxel-based morphometry and neuropsychological meta-analysis

Visual hallucinations (VH) are common in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, two forms of Lewy body disease (LBD), but the neural substrates and mechanisms involved are still unclear. We conducted meta-analyses of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and neuropsychological studies investigating the neuroanatomical and cognitive correlates of VH in LBD. For VBM (12 studies), we used Seed-based d Mapping with Permutation of Subject Images (SDM-PSI), including statistical parametric maps for 50% of the studies. For neuropsychology (35 studies), we used MetaNSUE to consider non-statistically significant unreported effects. VH were associated with smaller grey matter volume in occipital, frontal, occipitotemporal, and parietal areas (peak Hedges' g -0.34 to -0.49). In patients with Parkinson's disease without dementia, VH were associated with lower verbal immediate memory performance (Hedges' g -0.52). Both results survived correction for multiple comparisons. Abnormalities in these brain regions might reflect dysfunctions in brain networks sustaining visuoperceptive, attention, and executive abilities, with the latter also being at the basis of poor immediate memory performance.

Cortical and Subcortical Grey Matter Abnormalities in White Matter Hyperintensities and Subsequent Cognitive Impairment

Grey matter (GM) alterations may contribute to cognitive decline in individuals with white matter hyperintensities (WMH) but no consensus has yet emerged. Here, we investigated cortical thickness and grey matter volume in 23 WMH patients with mild cognitive impairment (WMH-MCI), 43 WMH patients without cognitive impairment, and 55 healthy controls. Both WMH groups showed GM atrophy in the bilateral thalamus, fronto-insular cortices, and several parietal-temporal regions, and the WMH-MCI group showed more extensive and severe GM atrophy. The GM atrophy in the thalamus and fronto-insular cortices was associated with cognitive decline in the WMH-MCI patients and may mediate the relationship between WMH and cognition in WMH patients. Furthermore, the main results were well replicated in an independent dataset from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database and in other control analyses. These comprehensive results provide robust evidence of specific GM alterations underlying WMH and subsequent cognitive impairment.

The Associations Between Grey Matter Volume Covariance Patterns and Gait Variability-The Tasmanian Study of Cognition and Gait

Greater gait variability predicts dementia. However, little is known about the neural correlates of gait variability. The aims of this study were to determine (1) grey matter volume covariance patterns associated with gait variability and (2) whether these patterns were associated with specific cognitive domains. Participants (n = 351; mean age 71.9 ± 7.1) were randomly selected from the Southern Tasmanian electoral roll. Step time, step length, step width and double support time were measured using an electronic walkway. Gait variability was calculated as the standard deviation of all steps for each gait measure. Voxel-based morphometry and multivariate covariance-based analyses were used to identify grey matter patterns associated with each gait variability measure. The individual expressions of grey matter patterns were correlated with processing speed, memory, executive and visuospatial functions. The grey matter covariance pattern of double support time variability included frontal, medial temporal, anterior cingulate, insula, cerebellar and striatal regions. Greater expression of this pattern was correlated with poorer performance in all cognitive functions (p < 0.001). The covariance pattern of step length variability included frontal, temporal, insula, occipital and cerebellar regions and was correlated with all cognitive functions (p < 0.05), except memory (p = 0.76). The covariance pattern of step width variability was limited to the cerebellum and correlated only with memory (p = 0.047). No significant pattern was identified for step time variability. In conclusion, different grey matter covariance patterns were associated with individual gait variability measures. These patterns were also correlated with specific cognitive functions, suggesting common neural networks may underlie both gait and cognition.

Systemic inflammation and grey matter volume in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: Moderation by childhood trauma severity

BACKGROUND

Elevated levels of systemic inflammation are consistently reported in both schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar-I disorder (BD), and are associated with childhood trauma exposure. We tested whether childhood trauma exposure moderates associations between systemic inflammation and brain morphology in people with these diagnoses.

METHODS

Participants were 55 SZ cases, 52 BD cases and 59 healthy controls (HC) who underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Systemic inflammation was measured using a composite z-score derived from serum concentrations of interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor alpha and C-reactive protein. Indices of grey matter volume covariation (GMC) were derived from independent component analysis. Childhood trauma was measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ Total score).

RESULTS

A series of moderated moderation analyses indicated that increased systemic inflammation were associated with increased GMC in the striatum and cerebellum among all participants. Severity of childhood trauma exposure moderated the relationship between systemic inflammation and GMC in one component, differently among the groups. Specifically, decreased GMC in the PCC/precuneus, parietal lobule and postcentral gyrus, and increased GMC in the left middle temporal gyrus was associated with increased systemic inflammation in HC individuals exposed to high (but not low or average) levels of trauma and in SZ cases exposed to low (but not average or high) levels of trauma, but not in BD cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased systemic inflammation is associated with grey matter changes in people with psychosis, and these relationships may be partially and differentially moderated by childhood trauma exposure according to diagnosis.

Experience-dependent structural plasticity in the adult brain: How the learning brain grows

Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown that intense learning can be associated with grey matter volume increases in the adult brain. The underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we used monocular deprivation in rats to analyze the mechanisms underlying use-dependent grey matter increases. Optometry for quantification of visual acuity was combined with volumetric magnetic resonance imaging and microscopic techniques in longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. We found an increased spatial vision of the open eye which was associated with a transient increase in the volumes of the contralateral visual and lateral entorhinal cortex. In these brain areas dendrites of neurons elongated, and there was a strong increase in the number of spines, the targets of synapses, which was followed by spine maturation and partial pruning. Astrocytes displayed a transient pronounced swelling and underwent a reorganization of their processes. The use-dependent increase in grey matter corresponded predominantly to the swelling of the astrocytes. Experience-dependent increase in brain grey matter volume indicates a gain of structure plasticity with both synaptic and astrocyte remodeling.

Grey matter volume and structural covariance associated with schizotypy

In this study, we applied brain grey matter volume and structural covariance methods on T1 weighted images to delineate potential structural brain changes in individuals with high schizotypy, who were defined as healthy individuals scoring in the top tenth percentile of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Eighty-seven college students with high schizotypy and 122 controls were recruited in China. Differences in grey matter volume and volume covariance between the two groups, and correlations of grey matter volume with SPQ scores in the high schizotypy group were examined. We found that individuals with high schizotypy had decreased grey matter volume at the left medial superior frontal gyrus (medsFG) extending towards the superior frontal gyrus, decreased structural covariance within the right medsFG, between the right superior frontal gyrus (sFG), the right superior temporal gyrus and the right anterior insula; and increased structural covariance between the caudate and the right inferior temporal gyrus. Correlation analysis revealed that grey matter volume of the left middle temporal pole and the right sFG correlated positively with the SPQ total scores, volume of the bilateral cerebellum 9 sub-region correlated negatively with the SPQ cognitive-perceptual sub-scale scores, volume of the bilateral striatum correlated positively with the SPQ interpersonal sub-scale scores, and volume of the bilateral superior temporal pole correlated positively with the SPQ disorganization sub-scale scores in the high schizotypy group. These results highlight important grey matter structural changes in the medsFG in individuals with high schizotypy.

Neuroanatomical changes associated with age-related hearing loss and listening effort

Age-related hearing loss is associated with a decrease in hearing abilities for high frequencies and therefore leads to impairments in understanding speech—in particular, under adverse listening conditions. Growing evidence suggests that age-related hearing loss is related to various neural changes, for instance, affecting auditory and frontal brain regions. How the decreased auditory input and the increased listening effort in daily life are associated with structural changes is less clear, since previous evidence is scarce and mostly involved low sample sizes. Hence, the aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of age-related untreated hearing loss and subjectively rated daily life listening effort on grey matter and white matter changes in a large sample of participants (n = 71). For that aim, we conducted anatomical MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in elderly hard-of-hearing and age-matched normal-hearing participants. Our results showed significantly lower grey matter volume in the middle frontal cortex in hard-of-hearing compared to normal-hearing participants. Further, higher listening effort was associated with lower grey matter volume and cortical thickness in the orbitofrontal cortex and lower grey matter volume in the inferior frontal cortex. No significant relations between hearing abilities or listening effort were obtained for white matter integrity in tracts connecting auditory and prefrontal as well as visual areas. These findings provide evidence that hearing impairment as well as daily life listening effort seems to be associated with grey matter loss in prefrontal brain regions. We further conclude that alterations in cortical thickness seem to be linked to the increased listening effort rather than the hearing loss itself.

Depressogenic self-schemas are associated with smaller regional grey matter volume in never-depressed preadolescents

Self-referential processing (i.e., self-schemas that guide processing of self-descriptive information) emerges early in youth, with deeper encoding of negative self-descriptors and/or shallower encoding of positive self-descriptors causally linked to depression. However, the relationship between depressogenic self-schemas and brain structure is unclear. We investigated associations between self-schemas and regional grey matter volume (GMV) in 84 never-depressed preadolescents oversampled for depression risk based on maternal depression history. Self-schemas were assessed using a Self-Referent Encoding Task (SRET) and regional GMV was indexed via voxel-based morphometry analysis of structural magnetic resonance imaging data. Youths' positive self-schemas were associated with greater regional GMV within the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), while negative self-schemas were associated with smaller regional GMV within vlPFC and PCC, areas important to emotion regulation and self-referential processing. These associations remained significant after controlling for youths' concurrent depressive symptoms. Exploratory mediation analysis suggested that adolescents' depressogenic self-schemas may mediate associations between GMV and depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that the observed GMV variations within vlPFC and PCC may serve as neurobiological markers of depressogenic self-schemas during preadolescence.

Cerebellar Grey Matter Volume in Older Persons Is Associated with Worse Cognitive Functioning

The cerebellum is increasingly recognised for its role in modulation of cognition, behaviour, and affect. The present study examined the relation between structural cerebellar damage (grey matter volume (GMV), white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), lacunar infarcts (LIs) and microbleeds (MBs)) and measures of cognitive, psychological (i.e. symptoms of depression and apathy) and general daily functioning in a population of community-dwelling older persons with mild cognitive deficits, but without dementia. In 194 participants of the Discontinuation of Antihypertensive Treatment in Elderly People (DANTE) Study Leiden, the association between cerebellar GMV, WMHs, LIs and MBs and measures of cognitive, psychological and general daily functioning was analysed with linear regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, education and cerebral volume. Cerebellar GMV was associated with the overall cognition score (standardised beta 0.20 [95% CI, 0.06-0.33]). Specifically, posterior cerebellar GMV was associated with executive function (standardised beta 0.18 [95% CI, 0.03-0.16]). No relation was found between vascular pathology and cognition. Also, no consistent associations were found on the cerebellar GMV and vascular pathology measures and psychological and general daily functioning. In this population of community-dwelling elderly, less posterior cerebellar GMV but not vascular pathology was associated with worse cognitive function, specifically with poorer executive function. No relation was found between cerebellar pathology and psychological and general daily functioning.

Brain structural and functional alterations in MDD patient with gastrointestinal symptoms: A resting-state MRI study

OBJECTIVE

It is common for major depressive disorder (MDD) to be accompanied by gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, which are known to negatively impact the course and severity of the disease. Although previous studies have attempted to explore the neuropathology of MDD, few studies have focused on the pathogenesis of GI symptoms in MDD. In this study, we investigated the changes in regional gray matter volume (GMV) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) present in MDD accompanied by GI symptoms.

METHOD

The following images were obtained and analyzed: Structural and functional magnetic resonance images (MRI) of 36 patients with MDD accompanied by GI symptoms (GI symptoms group), 22 patients without GI symptoms (Non-GI symptoms group), and 27 healthy controls (HC. The 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) was administered. A correlation analysis was used to identify the possible associations between altered regional GMV, ReHo symptoms, GI symptoms, and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

The total scores from the HAMD-24 in the GI symptoms group were significantly higher than in the Non-GI symptoms group (P<0.05). Significant differences in both GMV and ReHo were observed among the three groups for the right parahippocampal gyrus, left precentral gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, and left inferior orbitofrontal gyrus (AlphaSim correction, P <0.001). The GI symptoms group exhibited significantly decreased GMV and ReHo in the left middle frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and middle frontal gyrus. Additionally, the GI symptoms group exhibited increased ReHo in the left superior temporal gyrus at a higher level than the non-GI symptoms group. (AlphaSim correction, P <0.001). These altered brain areas were correlated with GI symptoms (P<0.001) but not depressive symptoms (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Patients with MDD accompanied by GI symptoms have more severe depressive symptoms. The structural and functional changes of the brain may be the pathogenesis for the GI symptoms in patients with MDD.

Altered grey matter volume and white matter integrity in individuals with high schizo-obsessive traits, high schizotypal traits and obsessive-compulsive symptoms

Altered brain structures have been found in patients with schizo-obsessive disorder, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder in previous studies. However, it is unclear whether similar brain changes are also found in individuals with high schizo-obsessive traits (SOT), high schizotypal traits (SCT) and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS). We examined grey matter volume (GMV) and white matter integrity (WMI, including fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity) in 26 individuals with high SOT, 30 individuals with high SCT, 25 individuals with OCS and 30 individuals with low trait scores (LT) in this study. Correlation analysis between GMV, WMI, Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) scores and Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) scores in the subclinical groups was also carried out. We found that the SOT group exhibited increased GMV at the right superior occipital gyrus and the left postcentral gyrus compared with the LT group. The SCT group exhibited increased GMV at the right precentral gyrus and the bilateral cuneus compared with the LT group, and decreased fractional anisotropy at the anterior corona radiata compared with the other three groups. The OCS group exhibited increased GMV at the left superior temporal gyrus and decreased GMV at the left pre-supplementary motor area compared with the LT group. These findings highlight specific brain changes in individuals with high SOT, high SCT and OCS, and may thus provide new insights into the neurobiological changes that occur in sub-clinical populations of these disorders.

Altered regional gray matter volume in Chinese female patients with bulimia nervosa

BACKGROUND

Bulimia nervosa (BN) is a psychiatric disorder with unclear pathophysiology. Several studies have associated BN with structural and functional changes in the brain, but findings have been inconsistent. Here we explored this potential association in a small group of Chinese women with BN.

METHODS

This retrospective study examined 34 women with BN and 34 age-matched healthy controls, all of whom underwent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Voxel-based morphometry was carried out to explore alterations in regional grey matter volume (GMV) that may be associated with BN.

RESULTS

The BN group showed smaller GMV in the left medial superior frontal gyrus (SFGmed.L), right superior temporal gyrus (STG.R), right median cingulate and paracingulate gyri (DCG.R), left median cingulate and paracingulate gyri (DCG.L) and left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus (SFGdor.L). No regions showing GMV increases in BN were identified. The GMV reduction did not correlate with body mass index, duration of illness, or patients' self-esteem or overall self-evaluation. GMV reduction correlated negatively with age in the SFGmed. L (r = - 0.516, P < 0.005), DCG. R (r = - 0.556, P < 0.005), DCG. L (r = - 0.576, P < 0.05) and SFGdor. L (r = - 0.576, P < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Women with BN show reduced GMV in several brain regions, but it is difficult to know whether these changes are the result of BN pathology or of binge-eating and compensatory behavior. These changes may be associated with impaired inhibitory control, body dissatisfaction and emotion dysregulation.

Alterations of grey matter volumes and network-level functions in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate structural and functional alterations of the brain in the patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and further investigate how these alterations correlated to parameters of pulmonary function test, cognitive function and disease duration in patients with COPD.

METHOD

Forty-five patients with stable COPD and forty age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled into this study. Both resting-state fMRI and structural MRI were acquired for each participant. Voxel-based morphology was utilized to analyze alterations of the grey matter volume (GMV), and the seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (FC) was used to evaluate the network-level functional alterations.

RESULTS

Compared to healthy controls, patients with stable COPD showed decreased GMV in the left supramarginal gyrus/precentral gyrus (SMG/PreCG), bilateral posterior midcingulate cortex (pMCC), right middle occipital gyrus (MOG) and right SMG. Furthermore, COPD patients mainly showed decreased FC within the visual network, frontoparietal network and other brain regions. Subsequent correlational analyses revealed that the decreased FC within visual network, frontoparietal network were positively correlated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score, language-domain score, attention-domain score and disease duration in patients with COPD.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provided evidence that COPD patients showed decreased GMV and regional and network-level functional alterations within the visual network, frontoparietal network and other networks. We speculated that atrophic GMV and FC of visual network and frontoparietal network are involved in the neural mechanism of mild cognitive impairment in stable COPD patients.

Functional and structural correlates of abnormal involuntary movements in psychosis risk and first episode psychosis

BACKGROUND

Abnormal involuntary movements (AIM) may occur throughout the course of psychosis. While AIM are thought to indicate striatal abnormalities, the functional and structural correlates of increased AIM remain elusive. Here, we examined the prevalence of AIM in patients with clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR), first episode psychosis (FEP) and clinical controls (CC). Furthermore, we tested the association of AIM with regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), grey matter volume (GMV), and premorbid IQ.

METHODS

We conducted a video-based analysis of AIM in patients with CHR (n = 45), FEP (n = 10) and CC (n = 39), recruited in the Early Detection and Intervention Center, Bern. Premorbid intelligence was evaluated using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary test. Additionally, arterial spin labeling MRIs and structural MRIs were acquired in a subgroup of the sample to investigate the association of AIM with rCBF and GMV.

RESULTS

Higher total AIM scores were detected in CHR (p = 0.02) and FEP (p = 0.04) as compared to CC. When separated for different muscle groups, lips and perioral movements were significantly increased in CHR patients as compared to CC (p = 0.009). AIM scores correlated positively with rCBF in the premotor cortex, Brodmann area 6 (p < 0.05, FWE corrected). Negative correlations were found between AIM and GMV of the corresponding caudal middle frontal gyrus (p = 0.04, FWE corrected) and premorbid intelligence (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

AIM were more frequent in the psychosis spectrum than in clinical controls. Neuroimaging findings indicate an involvement of cortical motor areas in abnormal motor behavior, instead of pure basal ganglia pathology.