Spatial heterogeneity of the relation between resting-state connectivity and blood flow: an important consideration for pharmacological studies

Resting-state functional MRI investigation of the effect of long-term alcohol exposure on the brain function in rhesus monkey

BACKGROUND

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of long-term exposure of alcohol on the resting-state brain functions in rhesus monkey by using the 3.0 T resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The animal models were developed by exposing six male rhesus monkeys to alcohol for different time points: P0 (non-exposed), P1 (1 month), P2 (3 months), P3 (6 months), and P4 (36 months). A multi-period rsfMRI scan was performed before and after exposure of animals to alcohol. The collected data were analyzed by the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and the regional homogeneity (ReHo) method, and the different brain regions were compared for their respective functions through differences in the fALFF and ReHo values.

RESULTS

The results showed statistical significances in different brain regions. The left superior parietal lobule and the left fusiform gyrus showed statistically different fALFF values (p < 0.01). Similarly, the left medial orbital gyrus and the right postcentral gyrus showed statistically different ReHo values (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The long-term exposure of rhesus monkeys to alcohol mainly induced changes in four parts of the brain, including the left superior parietal lobule, left fusiform gyrus, left medial orbital gyrus, and the right postcentral gyrus. These changes in different brain parts, over the study period, with most significant changes found within 6 months of exposure of rhesus monkeys to alcohol.

Altered coupling between resting-state glucose metabolism and functional activity in epilepsy

OBJECTIVE

Altered functional activities and hypometabolism have been found in medial temporal lobe epilepsy patients with hippocampal sclerosis (mTLE-HS). Hybrid PET/MR scanners provide opportunities to explore the relationship between resting-state energy consumption and functional activities, but whether repeated seizures disturb the bioenergetic coupling and its relationship with seizure outcomes remain unknown.

METHODS

¹⁸ F-FDG PET and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) scans were performed with hybrid PET/MR in 26 patients with mTLE-HS and in healthy controls. Energy consumption was quantified by ¹⁸ F-FDG standardized uptake value ratio(SUVR) relative to cerebellum. Spontaneous neural activities were estimated using regional homogeneity (ReHo), fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) from rs-fMRI. Between-group differences in SUVR and rs-fMRI derived metrics were evaluated by two-sample t test. Voxel-wise spatial correlations were explored between SUVR and ReHo, fALFF across gray matter and compared between groups. Furthermore, the relationships between altered fALFF/SUVR and ReHo/SUVR coupling and surgical outcomes were evaluated.

RESULTS

Both the patients and healthy controls showed significant positive correlations between SUVR and rs-fMRI metrics. Spatial correlations between SUVR and fMRI-derived metrics across gray matter were significantly higher in patients with mTLE-HS compared with healthy controls (fALFF/SUVR, P < 0.001; ReHo/SUVR, P = 0.022). Higher fALFF/SUVR couplings were found in patients who had Engel class IA after surgery than all other (P = 0.025), while altered ReHo/SUVR couplings (P = 0.097) were not.

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrated altered bioenergetic coupling across gray matter and its relationship with seizure outcomes, which may provide novel insights into pathogenesis of mTLE-HS and potential biomarkers for epilepsy surgery planning.

Brain activation and subjective anxiety during an anticipatory anxiety task is related to clinical outcome during prazosin treatment for alcohol use disorder

BACKGROUND

Higher levels of anxiety, negative affect, and impaired emotion regulation are associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and contribute to relapse and worse treatment outcomes. Prazosin, while typically used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety disorders, has shown promise for treating AUD. In order to better understand these underlying neural processes in individuals with AUD, our aims in this study were to measure brain activation during an anticipatory anxiety task before treatment to determine whether observed patterns supported previous work. We then aimed to measure the effects of prazosin on patients with AUD and explore whether greater baseline anticipatory anxiety (as measured by subjective and neural measures) predicts better treatment outcomes.

METHODS

Thirty-four individuals seeking treatment for AUD participated in a six-week placebo-controlled study of prazosin and underwent an anticipatory anxiety task during fMRI scans at baseline and three weeks. Alcohol use over six weeks was measured.

RESULTS

Greater levels of subjective anxiety and deactivation in posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) were observed during high-threat stimuli compared to low-threat stimuli. Compared to placebo, prazosin reduced subjective anxiety to high-threat stimuli but there were no observed significant effects of prazosin on brain activation during the task. However, AUD patients with greater vmPFC deactivation during high threat relative to low threat and patients with low baseline anticipatory anxiety during the task had worse clinical outcomes on prazosin.

CONCLUSIONS

Deactivation in PCC and vmPFC to high-threat stimuli replicated previous work and shows promise for further study as a marker for AUD. Although prazosin did not affect brain activation in the regions of interest during the anticipatory anxiety task, subjective levels of anxiety and brain activation in vmPFC predicted treatment outcomes in individuals with AUD undergoing treatment with prazosin, highlighting individuals more likely to benefit from prazosin than others.

Neurovascular decoupling in type 2 diabetes mellitus without mild cognitive impairment: Potential biomarker for early cognitive impairment

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a significant risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the acceleration of MCI to dementia. The high glucose level induce disturbance of neurovascular (NV) coupling is suggested to be one potential mechanism, however, the neuroimaging evidence is still lacking. To assess the NV decoupling pattern in early diabetic status, 33 T2DM without MCI patients and 33 healthy control subjects were prospectively enrolled. Then, they underwent resting state functional MRI and arterial spin labeling imaging to explore the hub-based networks and to estimate the coupling of voxel-wise cerebral blood flow (CBF)-degree centrality (DC), CBF-mean amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (mALFF) and CBF- mean regional homogeneity (mReHo). We further evaluated the relationship between NV coupling pattern and cognitive performance (false discovery rate corrected). T2DM without MCI patients displayed significant decrease in the absolute CBF-mALFF, CBF-mReHo coupling of CBFnetwork and in the CBF-DC coupling of DCnetwork. Besides, networks which involved CBF and DC hubs mainly located in the default mode network (DMN). Furthermore, less severe disease and better cognitive performance in T2DM patients were significantly correlated with higher coupling of CBF-DC, CBF-mALFF or CBF-mReHo, especially for the cognitive dimensions of general function and executive function. Thus, coupling of CBF-DC, CBF-mALFF and CBF-mReHo may serve as promising indicators to reflect NV coupling state and to explain the T2DM related early cognitive impairment.

Can neuroimaging help combat the opioid epidemic? A systematic review of clinical and pharmacological challenge fMRI studies with recommendations for future research

The current opioid epidemic is an urgent public health problem, with enormous individual, societal, and healthcare costs. Despite effective, evidence-based treatments, there is significant individual variability in treatment responses and relapse rates are high. In addition, the neurobiology of opioid-use disorder (OUD) and its treatment is not well understood. This review synthesizes published fMRI literature relevant to OUD, with an emphasis on findings related to opioid medications and treatment, and proposes areas for further research. We conducted a systematic literature review of Medline and Psychinfo to identify (i) fMRI studies comparing OUD and control participants; (ii) studies related to medication, treatment, abstinence or withdrawal effects in OUD; and (iii) studies involving manipulation of the opioid system in healthy individuals. Following application of exclusionary criteria (e.g., insufficient sample size), 45 studies were retained comprising data from ~1400 individuals. We found convergent evidence that individuals with OUD display widespread heightened neural activation to heroin cues. This pattern is potentiated by heroin, attenuated by medication-assisted treatments for opioids, predicts treatment response, and is reduced following extended abstinence. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of literature examining neural characteristics of OUD and its treatment. We discuss limitations of extant research and identify critical areas for future neuroimaging studies, including the urgent need for studies examining prescription opioid users, assessing sex differences and utilizing a wider range of clinically relevant task-based fMRI paradigms across different stages of addiction.

A Longitudinal Study on Resting State Functional Connectivity in Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) are the most common types of early-onset dementia. We applied longitudinal resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to delineate functional brain connections relevant for disease progression and diagnostic accuracy.

METHODS

We used two-center resting state fMRI data of 20 AD patients (65.1±8.0 years), 12 bvFTD patients (64.7±5.4 years), and 22 control subjects (63.8±5.0 years) at baseline and 1.8-year follow-up. We used whole-network and voxel-based network-to-region analyses to study group differences in functional connectivity at baseline and follow-up, and longitudinal changes in connectivity within and between groups.

RESULTS

At baseline, connectivity between paracingulate gyrus and executive control network, between cuneal cortex and medial visual network, and between paracingulate gyrus and salience network was higher in AD compared with controls. These differences were also present after 1.8 years. At follow-up, connectivity between angular gyrus and right frontoparietal network, and between paracingulate gyrus and default mode network was lower in bvFTD compared with controls, and lower compared with AD between anterior cingulate gyrus and executive control network, and between lateral occipital cortex and medial visual network. Over time, connectivity decreased in AD between precuneus and right frontoparietal network and in bvFTD between inferior frontal gyrus and left frontoparietal network. Longitudinal changes in connectivity between supramarginal gyrus and right frontoparietal network differ between both patient groups and controls.

CONCLUSION

We found disease-specific brain regions with longitudinal connectivity changes. This suggests the potential of longitudinal resting state fMRI to delineate regions relevant for disease progression and for diagnostic accuracy, although no group differences in longitudinal changes in the direct comparison of AD and bvFTD were found.

The role of fMRI in drug development

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been known for over a decade to have the potential to greatly enhance the process of developing novel therapeutic drugs for prevalent health conditions. However, the use of fMRI in drug development continues to be relatively limited because of a variety of technical, biological, and strategic barriers that continue to limit progress. Here, we briefly review the roles that fMRI can have in the drug development process and the requirements it must meet to be useful in this setting. We then provide an update on our current understanding of the strengths and limitations of fMRI as a tool for drug developers and recommend activities to enhance its utility.

Evaluation of prolonged administration of isoflurane on cerebral blood flow and default mode network in macaque monkeys anesthetized with different maintenance doses

OBJECT

Isoflurane is a commonly used volatile anesthetic agent in clinical anesthesia and biomedical research. Prior study suggested the cerebral blood flow (CBF) and default mode network (DMN) could be changed after prolonged administration of isoflurane. The normal maintenance doses of isoflurane may vary from light (∼0.75%) to deep (∼1.5 or 2%) anesthesia. However, it is not clear how the duration effects are affected by the altered doses. The present study is aimed to examine if the duration effects are affected when isoflurane concentration is altered within normal maintenance doses.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Adult rhesus monkeys (n=5, 8-12 years old, 8-10kg) were anesthetized and maintained at isoflurane levels 0.89±0.03%, 1.05±0.12%, or 1.19±0.08%. CBF and DMN of monkeys were examined using arterial spin-labeling perfusion and resting state functional MRI techniques.

RESULTS

the functional connectivity (FC) in the dominant DMN (posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) to anterior cingulated cortex (ACC) or media prefrontal cortex (MPFC)) decreased substantially and similarly during 4-h administration of isoflurane at any given maintenance dosage. CBF changes varied with isoflurane dosage. At the low dose (∼0.89%), CBF decreased in most brain regions. In contrast, no obvious changes was seen in those regions (except for the subcortex) when higher doses of isoflurane were applied.

CONCLUSION

FC in DMN was reduced substantially during prolonged administration of isoflurane. The FC reduction was not varying significantly with maintenance doses of isoflurane but the duration effect on CBF was dose-dependent. Such duration effects of isoflurane administration on DMN and CBF should be considered in the interpretation of the outcome in related neuroimaging studies of anesthetized subjects.

Alcohol affects brain functional connectivity and its coupling with behavior: greater effects in male heavy drinkers

Acute and chronic alcohol exposure significantly affect behavior but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are still poorly understood. Here, we used functional connectivity density (FCD) mapping to study alcohol-related changes in resting brain activity and their association with behavior. Heavy drinkers (HD, N=16, 16 males) and normal controls (NM, N=24, 14 males) were tested after placebo and after acute alcohol administration. Group comparisons showed that NM had higher FCD in visual and prefrontal cortices, default mode network regions and thalamus, while HD had higher FCD in cerebellum. Acute alcohol significantly increased FCD within the thalamus, impaired cognitive and motor functions, and affected self-reports of mood/drug effects in both groups. Partial least squares regression showed that alcohol-induced changes in mood/drug effects were associated with changes in thalamic FCD in both groups. Disruptions in motor function were associated with increases in cerebellar FCD in NM and thalamus FCD in HD. Alcohol-induced declines in cognitive performance were associated with connectivity increases in visual cortex and thalamus in NM, but in HD, increases in precuneus FCD were associated with improved cognitive performance. Acute alcohol reduced 'neurocognitive coupling', the association between behavioral performance and FCD (indexing brain activity), an effect that was accentuated in HD compared with NM. Findings suggest that reduced cortical connectivity in HD contribute to decline in cognitive abilities associated with heavy alcohol consumption, whereas increased cerebellar connectivity in HD may have compensatory effects on behavioral performance. The results reveal how drinking history alters the association between brain FCD and individual differences in behavioral performance.

Resting-state BOLD oscillation frequency predicts vigilance task performance at both normal and high environmental temperatures

Hyperthermia may impair vigilance functions and lead to slower reaction times (RTs) in the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) and possibly disturbing cerebral hemodynamic rhythms. To test these hypotheses, we acquired the resting-state BOLD and cerebral blood flow (CBF) data, as well as PVTRTs from 15 participants in two simulated environmental thermal conditions (50 °C/25 °C). We adopted a data-driven method, frequency component analysis, to quantify the mean frequency of the BOLD series of each voxel. Across-subject correlation analysis was employed to detect the brain areas whose BOLD oscillation frequency was correlated with the RTs. Significant changes of BOLD frequency and CBF within these areas were compared between hyperthermia and normothermia conditions. Spatial correlations between BOLD frequency and CBF were calculated within different brain areas for each subject under both thermal conditions. Results showed that, under both thermal conditions, the RTs correlated with the BOLD frequency positively in the default mode network (DMN) and negatively in the sensorimotor network (SMN). The increase of BOLD frequency in the thalamus and ventral medial prefrontal cortex was correlated with the increase of RTs in hyperthermia compared with normothermia. Hyperthermia decreased BOLD frequency and CBF in the SMN, while it increased CBF in the thalamus and posterior cingulate. In both thermal conditions, the spatial distribution of CBF negatively correlated with the spatial distribution of BOLD oscillation frequency in most cortical areas, especially in cingulate cortices, precuneus, and primary visual cortex. These results suggest that hyperthermia might deteriorate task performance by interfering with the resting-state CBF, and with BOLD rhythms. The overlapping of the thermoregulatory and vigilance functions in the SMN and DMN might underlie the neural mechanisms of the cognitive-behavioral impairments induced by hyperthermia.

Multi-modal analysis of functional connectivity and cerebral blood flow reveals shared and unique effects of propofol in large-scale brain networks

Anesthesia-induced changes in functional connectivity and cerebral blow flow (CBF) in large-scale brain networks have emerged as key markers of reduced consciousness. However, studies of functional connectivity disagree on which large-scale networks are altered or preserved during anesthesia, making it difficult to find a consensus amount studies. Additionally, pharmacological alterations in CBF could amplify or occlude changes in connectivity due to the shared variance between CBF and connectivity. Here, we used data-driven connectivity methods and multi-modal imaging to investigate shared and unique neural correlates of reduced consciousness for connectivity in large-scale brain networks. Rs-fMRI and CBF data were collected from the same subjects during an awake and deep sedation condition induced by propofol. We measured whole-brain connectivity using the intrinsic connectivity distribution (ICD), a method not reliant on pre-defined seed regions, networks of interest, or connectivity thresholds. The shared and unique variance between connectivity and CBF were investigated. Finally, to account for shared variance, we present a novel extension to ICD that incorporates cerebral blood flow (CBF) as a scaling factor in the calculation of global connectivity, labeled CBF-adjusted ICD). We observed altered connectivity in multiple large-scale brain networks including the default mode (DMN), salience, visual, and motor networks and reduced CBF in the DMN, frontoparietal network, and thalamus. Regional connectivity and CBF were significantly correlated during both the awake and propofol condition. Nevertheless changes in connectivity and CBF between the awake and deep sedation condition were only significantly correlated in a subsystem of the DMN, suggesting that, while there is significant shared variance between the modalities, changes due to propofol are relatively unique. Similar, but less significant, results were observed in the CBF-adjusted ICD analysis, providing additional evidence that connectivity differences were not fully explained by CBF. In conclusion, these results provide further evidence of alterations in large-scale brain networks are associated with reduced consciousness and suggest that different modalities capture unique aspects of these large scale changes.

Biomarkers, designs, and interpretations of resting-state fMRI in translational pharmacological research: A review of state-of-the-Art, challenges, and opportunities for studying brain chemistry

A decade of research and development in resting-state functional MRI (RSfMRI) has opened new translational and clinical research frontiers. This review aims to bridge between technical and clinical researchers who seek reliable neuroimaging biomarkers for studying drug interactions with the brain. About 85 pharma-RSfMRI studies using BOLD signal (75% of all) or arterial spin labeling (ASL) were surveyed to investigate the acute effects of psychoactive drugs. Experimental designs and objectives include drug fingerprinting dose-response evaluation, biomarker validation and calibration, and translational studies. Common biomarkers in these studies include functional connectivity, graph metrics, cerebral blood flow and the amplitude and spectrum of BOLD fluctuations. Overall, RSfMRI-derived biomarkers seem to be sensitive to spatiotemporal dynamics of drug interactions with the brain. However, drugs cause both central and peripheral effects, thus exacerbate difficulties related to biological confounds, structured noise from motion and physiological confounds, as well as modeling and inference testing. Currently, these issues are not well explored, and heterogeneities in experimental design, data acquisition and preprocessing make comparative or meta-analysis of existing reports impossible. A unifying collaborative framework for data-sharing and data-mining is thus necessary for investigating the commonalities and differences in biomarker sensitivity and specificity, and establishing guidelines. Multimodal datasets including sham-placebo or active control sessions and repeated measurements of various psychometric, physiological, metabolic and neuroimaging phenotypes are essential for pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling and interpretation of the findings. We provide a list of basic minimum and advanced options that can be considered in design and analyses of future pharma-RSfMRI studies. Hum Brain Mapp 38:2276-2325, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Time related effects on functional brain connectivity after serotonergic and cholinergic neuromodulation

Psychopharmacological research, if properly designed, may offer insight into both timing and area of effect, increasing our understanding of the brain's neurotransmitter systems. For that purpose, the acute influence of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram (30 mg) and the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor galantamine (8 mg) was repeatedly measured in 12 healthy young volunteers with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS‐fMRI). Eighteen RS‐fMRI scans were acquired per subject during this randomized, double blind, placebo‐controlled, crossover study. Within‐group comparisons of voxelwise functional connectivity with 10 functional networks were examined (P < 0.05, FWE‐corrected) using a non‐parametric multivariate approach with cerebrospinal fluid, white matter, heart rate, and baseline measurements as covariates. Although both compounds did not change cognitive performance on several tests, significant effects were found on connectivity with multiple resting state networks. Serotonergic stimulation primarily reduced connectivity with the sensorimotor network and structures that are related to self‐referential mechanisms, whereas galantamine affected networks and regions that are more involved in learning, memory, and visual perception and processing. These results are consistent with the serotonergic and cholinergic trajectories and their functional relevance. In addition, this study demonstrates the power of using repeated measures after drug administration, which offers the chance to explore both combined and time specific effects. Hum Brain Mapp 38:308–325, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Influence of Vascular Variant of the Posterior Cerebral Artery (PCA) on Cerebral Blood Flow, Vascular Response to CO2 and Static Functional Connectivity

Introduction

The fetal origin of the posterior cerebral artery (fPCA) is a frequent vascular variant in 11–29% of the population. For the fPCA, blood flow in the PCA originates from the anterior instead of the posterior circulation. We tested whether this blood supply variant impacts the cerebral blood flow assessed by arterial spin labeling (ASL), cerebrovascular reserve as well as resting-state static functional connectivity (sFC) in the sense of a systematic confound.

Methods

The study included 385 healthy, elderly subjects (mean age: 74.18 years [range: 68.9–90.4]; 243 female). Participants were classified into normal vascular supply (n = 296, 76.88%), right fetal origin (n = 23, 5.97%), left fetal origin (n = 16, 4.16%), bilateral fetal origin (n = 4, 1.04%), and intermediate (n = 46, 11.95%, excluded from further analysis) groups. ASL-derived relative cerebral blood flow (relCBF) maps and cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) maps derived from a CO₂ challenge with blocks of 7% CO₂ were compared. Additionally, sFC between 90 regions of interest (ROIs) was compared between the groups.

Results

CVR was significantly reduced in subjects with ipsilateral fPCA, most prominently in the temporal lobe. ASL yielded a non-significant trend towards reduced relCBF in bilateral posterior watershed areas. In contrast, conventional atlas-based sFC did not differ between groups.

Conclusions

In conclusion, fPCA presence may bias the assessment of cerebrovascular reserve by reducing the response to CO₂. In contrast, its effect on ASL-assessed baseline perfusion was marginal. Moreover, fPCA presence did not systematically impact resting-state sFC. Taken together, this data implies that perfusion variables should take into account the vascularization patterns.

Evidence of Resting-state Activity in Propofol-anesthetized Patients with Intracranial Tumors

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Resting-state (RS) networks, revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in healthy volunteers, have never been evaluated in anesthetized patients with brain tumors. Our purpose was to examine the presence of residual brain activity on the auditory network during propofol-induced loss of consciousness in patients with brain tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty subjects with intracranial masses were prospectively studied by means of intraoperative RS-fMRI acquisitions before any craniectomy. After performing single-subject independent component analysis, spatial maps and time courses were assigned to an auditory RS network template from the literature and compared via spatial regression coefficients.

RESULTS

All fMRI data were of sufficient quality for further postprocessing. In all but two patients, the RS functional activity of the auditory network could be successfully mapped. In almost all patients, contralateral activation of the auditory network was present. No significant difference was found between the mean distance of the RS activity clusters and the lesion periphery for tumors located in the temporal gyri vs. those in other brain regions. The spatial deviation between the activated cluster in our experiment and the template was significantly (P = 0.04) higher in patients with tumors located in the temporal gyri than in patients with tumors located in other regions.

CONCLUSIONS

Propofol-induced anesthesia in patients with intracranial lesions does not alter the blood-oxygenation level-depended signal, and independent component analysis of intraoperative RS-fMRI may allow assessment of the auditory network in a clinical setting.

Characterizing Resting-State Brain Function Using Arterial Spin Labeling

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is an increasingly established magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that is finding broader applications in studying the healthy and diseased brain. This review addresses the use of ASL to assess brain function in the resting state. Following a brief technical description, we discuss the use of ASL in the following main categories: (1) resting-state functional connectivity (FC) measurement: the use of ASL-based cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements as an alternative to the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) technique to assess resting-state FC; (2) the link between network CBF and FC measurements: the use of network CBF as a surrogate of the metabolic activity within corresponding networks; and (3) the study of resting-state dynamic CBF-BOLD coupling and cerebral metabolism: the use of dynamic CBF information obtained using ASL to assess dynamic CBF-BOLD coupling and oxidative metabolism in the resting state. In addition, we summarize some future challenges and interesting research directions for ASL, including slice-accelerated (multiband) imaging as well as the effects of motion and other physiological confounds on perfusion-based FC measurement. In summary, this work reviews the state-of-the-art of ASL and establishes it as an increasingly viable MRI technique with high translational value in studying resting-state brain function.

Resting state functional connectivity differences between behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease

INTRODUCTION

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) are the most common types of early-onset dementia. Early differentiation between both types of dementia may be challenging due to heterogeneity and overlap of symptoms. Here, we apply resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study functional brain connectivity differences between AD and bvFTD.

METHODS

We used resting state fMRI data of 31 AD patients, 25 bvFTD patients, and 29 controls from two centers specialized in dementia. We studied functional connectivity throughout the entire brain, applying two different analysis techniques, studying network-to-region and region-to-region connectivity. A general linear model approach was used to study group differences, while controlling for physiological noise, age, gender, study center, and regional gray matter volume.

RESULTS

Given gray matter differences, we observed decreased network-to-region connectivity in bvFTD between (a) lateral visual cortical network and lateral occipital and cuneal cortex, and (b) auditory system network and angular gyrus. In AD, we found decreased network-to-region connectivity between the dorsal visual stream network and lateral occipital and parietal opercular cortex. Region-to-region connectivity was decreased in bvFTD between superior temporal gyrus and cuneal, supracalcarine, intracalcarine cortex, and lingual gyrus.

CONCLUSION

We showed that the pathophysiology of functional brain connectivity is different between AD and bvFTD. Our findings support the hypothesis that resting state fMRI shows disease-specific functional connectivity differences and is useful to elucidate the pathophysiology of AD and bvFTD. However, the group differences in functional connectivity are less abundant than has been shown in previous studies.

Vascular risk factor burden correlates with cerebrovascular reactivity but not resting state coactivation in the default mode network

PURPOSE

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are prevalent among older adults and are often associated with cognitive decline and increased risk of stroke and dementia. Vascular risk factors (VRFs) are linked to WMH, yet the impact of multiple VRFs on gray matter function is still unclear. The goal of this study was to test for associations between the number of VRFs and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) and resting state (RS) coactivation among individuals with WMH.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-nine participants with suspected WMH were grouped based on the number of VRFs (subgroups: 0, 1, or ≥2). CVR and RS coactivation were measured with blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) imaging on a 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system during hypercapnia and rest, respectively. Default-mode (DMN), sensory-motor, and medial-visual networks, generated using independent component analysis of RS-BOLD, were selected as networks of interest (NOIs). CVR-BOLD was analyzed using two methods: 1) a model-based approach using CO2 traces, and 2) a dual-regression (DR) approach using NOIs as spatial inputs. Average CVR and RS coactivations within NOIs were compared between VRF subgroups. A secondary analysis investigated the correlation between CVR and RS coactivation.

RESULTS

VRF subgroup differences were detected using DR-based CVR in the DMN (F20,2  = 5.17, P = 0.015) but not the model-based CVR nor RS coactivation. DR-based CVR was correlated with RS coactivation in the DMN (r(2)  = 0.28, P = 0.006) but not the sensory-motor nor medial-visual NOIs.

CONCLUSION

In individuals with WMH, CVR in the DMN was inversely associated with the number of VRFs and correlated with RS coactivation.

Resting-state regional cerebral blood flow during adolescence: associations with initiation of substance use and prediction of future use disorders

BACKGROUND

Adolescence is a period of developmental flux when brain systems are vulnerable to influences of early substance use, which in turn relays increased risk for substance use disorders. Our study intent was to assess adolescent regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) as it relates to current and future alcohol use. The aim was to identify brain-based predictors for initiation of alcohol use and onset of future substance use disorders.

METHODS

Quantitative rCBF was assessed in 100 adolescents (age 12-15). Prospective behavioral assessments were conducted annually over a three-year follow-up period to characterize onset of alcohol initiation, future drinking patterns and use disorders. Comparisons amongst use groups (i.e., current-, future-, and non-alcohol using adolescents) identified rCBF associated with initiation of alcohol use. Regression by future drinking patterns identified rCBF predictive of heavier drinking. Survival analysis determined whether or not baseline rCBF predicted later development of use disorders.

RESULTS

Baseline rCBF was decreased to the parietal cortex and increased to mesolimbic regions in adolescents currently using alcohol as well as those who would use alcohol in the future. Higher baseline rCBF to the left fusiform gyrus and lower rCBF to the right inferior parietal cortex and left cerebellum was associated with future drinking patterns as well as predicted the onset of alcohol and substance use disorders in this cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

Variations in resting rCBF to regions within reward and default mode or control networks appear to represent trait markers of alcohol use initiation and are predictive of future development of use disorders.

Ketamine interactions with biomarkers of stress: a randomized placebo-controlled repeated measures resting-state fMRI and PCASL pilot study in healthy men

Ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, is increasingly used to study the link between glutamatergic signaling dysregulation and mood and chronic pain disorders. Glutamatergic neurotransmission and stress corticosteroids (cortisol in human) are critical for Ca(2+) mediated neuroplasticity and behavioral adaptation. The mechanisms of action of glutamatergic neurotransmission and stress corticosteroids on the NMDA-receptors of the hippocampus have been long investigated in animals, but given little attention in human studies. In this randomized single-blinded placebo-controlled crossover study (12 healthy young men), five sets of resting-state fMRI (RSFMRI), pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (PCASL), and corresponding salivary cortisol samples were acquired over 4h, at given intervals under pharmacokinetically-controlled infusion of subanesthetic ketamine (20 & 40mg/70kg/h). An identical procedure was repeated under a sham placebo condition. Differences in the profile of ketamine versus placebo effect over time were examined. Compared to placebo, ketamine mimicked a stress-like response (increased cortisol, reduced calmness and alertness, and impaired working memory). Ketamine effects on the brain included a transient prefrontal hyperperfusion and a dose-related reduction of relative hippocampal perfusion, plus emerging hyperconnectivity between the hippocampus and the occipital, cingulate, precuneal, cerebellar and basal ganglia regions. The spatiotemporal profiles of ketamine effects on different hippocampal subnetworks suggest a topographically dissociable change in corticohippocampal functional connectivity. We discuss our findings in the context of the negative feedback inhibition theory of the hippocampal stress-control. This pilot study provides a methodological framework for multimodal functional neuroimaging under resting-state conditions, which may be generalized for translational studies of glutamatergic- or stress-related etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Decreased Default Mode Network connectivity correlates with age-associated structural and cognitive changes

Ageing entails cognitive and motor decline as well as brain changes such as loss of gray (GM) and white matter (WM) integrity, neurovascular and functional connectivity alterations. Regarding connectivity, reduced resting-state fMRI connectivity between anterior and posterior nodes of the Default Mode Network (DMN) relates to cognitive function and has been postulated to be a hallmark of ageing. However, the relationship between age-related connectivity changes and other neuroimaging-based measures in ageing is fragmentarily investigated. In a sample of 116 healthy elders we aimed to study the relationship between antero-posterior DMN connectivity and measures of WM integrity, GM integrity and cerebral blood flow (CBF), assessed with an arterial spin labeling sequence. First, we replicated previous findings demonstrating DMN connectivity decreases in ageing and an association between antero-posterior DMN connectivity and memory scores. The results showed that the functional connectivity between posterior midline structures and the medial prefrontal cortex was related to measures of WM and GM integrity but not to CBF. Gray and WM correlates of anterio-posterior DMN connectivity included, but were not limited to, DMN areas and cingulum bundle. These results resembled patterns of age-related vulnerability which was studied by comparing the correlates of antero-posterior DMN with age-effect maps. These age-effect maps were obtained after performing an independent analysis with a second sample including both young and old subjects. We argue that antero-posterior connectivity might be a sensitive measure of brain ageing over the brain. By using a comprehensive approach, the results provide valuable knowledge that may shed further light on DMN connectivity dysfunctions in ageing.

Circadian and homeostatic modulation of functional connectivity and regional cerebral blood flow in humans under normal entrained conditions

Diurnal rhythms have been observed in human behaviors as diverse as sleep, olfaction, and learning. Despite its potential impact, time of day is rarely considered when brain responses are studied by neuroimaging techniques. To address this issue, we explicitly examined the effects of circadian and homeostatic regulation on functional connectivity (FC) and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in healthy human volunteers, using whole-brain resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and arterial spin labeling (ASL). In common with many circadian studies, we collected salivary cortisol to represent the normal circadian activity and functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Intriguingly, the changes in FC and rCBF we observed indicated fundamental decreases in the functional integration of the default mode network (DMN) moving from morning to afternoon. Within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), our results indicate that morning cortisol levels are negatively correlated with rCBF. We hypothesize that the homeostatic mechanisms of the HPA axis has a role in modulating the functional integrity of the DMN (specifically, the ACC), and for the purposes of using fMRI as a tool to measure changes in disease processes or in response to treatment, we demonstrate that time of the day is important when interpreting resting-state data.