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Tian T, Fang J, Liu D, Qin Y, Zhu H, Li J, Li Y, Zhu W. Long-term effects of childhood single-parent family structure on brain connectivity and psychological well-being. Brain Imaging Behav 2024:10.1007/s11682-024-00887-6. [PMID: 38809332 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-024-00887-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
The high and increasing proportion of single-parent families is considered a risk factor associated with various childhood trauma experiences. Consequently, concerns have been raised regarding the potential long-term effects of the childhood single-parent family structure. In this study, we employed advanced magnetic resonance imaging technology, including morphometric similarity mapping, functional connectivity density, and network-based analysis, to investigate brain connectivity and behavioral differences among young adults who were raised in single-parent families. Our study also aimed to explore the relationship between these differences and childhood trauma experiences. The results showed that individuals who grew up in single-parent families exhibited higher levels of anxiety, depression, and harm-avoidant personality. The multimodal MRI analysis further showed differences in regional and network-based connectivity properties in the single-parent family group, including increased functional connectivity density in the left inferior parietal lobule, enhanced cortical structural connectivity between the left isthmus cingulate cortex and peri-calcarine cortex, and an increase in temporal functional connectivity. Moreover, elevated levels of anxiety and depression, along with heightened functional connectivity density in the left inferior parietal lobule and increased temporal functional connectivity, were found to be correlated with a greater number of childhood trauma experiences. Through analyzing multiple data patterns, our study provides objective neuropsychobiological evidence for the enduring impact of childhood single-parent family structure on psychiatric vulnerability in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Tian
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China
| | - Jicheng Fang
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China
| | - Dong Liu
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanyuan Qin
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongquan Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China
| | - Jia Li
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanhao Li
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China.
| | - Wenzhen Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China.
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2
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Kizilirmak JM, Soch J, Schütze H, Düzel E, Feldhoff H, Fischer L, Knopf L, Maass A, Raschick M, Schult A, Yakupov R, Richter A, Schott BH. The relationship between resting-state amplitude fluctuations and memory-related deactivations of the default mode network in young and older adults. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:3586-3609. [PMID: 37051727 PMCID: PMC10203811 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) typically exhibits deactivations during demanding tasks compared to periods of relative rest. In functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of episodic memory encoding, increased activity in DMN regions even predicts later forgetting in young healthy adults. This association is attenuated in older adults and, in some instances, increased DMN activity even predicts remembering rather than forgetting. It is yet unclear whether this phenomenon is due to a compensatory mechanism, such as self-referential or schema-dependent encoding, or whether it reflects overall reduced DMN activity modulation in older age. We approached this question by systematically comparing DMN activity during successful encoding and tonic, task-independent, DMN activity at rest in a sample of 106 young (18-35 years) and 111 older (60-80 years) healthy participants. Using voxel-wise multimodal analyses, we assessed the age-dependent relationship between DMN resting-state amplitude (mean percent amplitude of fluctuation, mPerAF) and DMN fMRI signals related to successful memory encoding, as well as their modulation by age-related hippocampal volume loss, while controlling for regional grey matter volume. Older adults showed lower resting-state DMN amplitudes and lower task-related deactivations. However, a negative relationship between resting-state mPerAF and subsequent memory effect within the precuneus was observed only in young, but not older adults. Hippocampal volumes showed no relationship with the DMN subsequent memory effect or mPerAF. Lastly, older adults with higher mPerAF in the DMN at rest tend to show higher memory performance, pointing towards the importance of a maintained ability to modulate DMN activity in old age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin M. Kizilirmak
- Cognitive Geriatric PsychiatryGerman Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesGöttingenGermany
- Neurodidactics and NeuroLabInstitute for Psychology, University of HildesheimHildesheimGermany
- German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science StudiesHannoverGermany
| | - Joram Soch
- Cognitive Geriatric PsychiatryGerman Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesGöttingenGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational NeuroscienceBerlinGermany
| | - Hartmut Schütze
- Medical Faculty, Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia ResearchOtto‐von‐Guericke‐UniversityMagdeburgGermany
- Center for Behavioral Brain SciencesMagdeburgGermany
| | - Emrah Düzel
- Medical Faculty, Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia ResearchOtto‐von‐Guericke‐UniversityMagdeburgGermany
- Center for Behavioral Brain SciencesMagdeburgGermany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesMagdeburgGermany
| | | | | | - Lea Knopf
- Leibniz Institute for NeurobiologyMagdeburgGermany
| | - Anne Maass
- German Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesMagdeburgGermany
| | | | | | - Renat Yakupov
- German Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesMagdeburgGermany
| | - Anni Richter
- Leibniz Institute for NeurobiologyMagdeburgGermany
- Center for Intervention and Research on Adaptive and Maladaptive Brain Circuits Underlying Mental Health (C‐I‐R‐C)Jena‐Magdeburg‐HalleGermany
| | - Björn H. Schott
- Cognitive Geriatric PsychiatryGerman Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesGöttingenGermany
- Center for Behavioral Brain SciencesMagdeburgGermany
- Leibniz Institute for NeurobiologyMagdeburgGermany
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Medical Center GöttingenGöttingenGermany
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3
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Vik A, Kociński M, Rye I, Lundervold AJ, Lundervold AS. Functional activity level reported by an informant is an early predictor of Alzheimer's disease. BMC Geriatr 2023; 23:205. [PMID: 37003981 PMCID: PMC10067216 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-023-03849-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Loss of autonomy in day-to-day functioning is one of the feared outcomes of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and relatives may have been worried by subtle behavioral changes in ordinary life situations long before these changes are given medical attention. In the present study, we ask if such subtle changes should be given weight as an early predictor of a future AD diagnosis. METHODS Longitudinal data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) were used to define a group of adults with a mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis remaining stable across several visits (sMCI, n=360; 55-91 years at baseline), and a group of adults who over time converted from having an MCI diagnosis to an AD diagnosis (cAD, n=320; 55-88 years at baseline). Eleven features were used as input in a Random Forest (RF) binary classifier (sMCI vs. cAD) model. This model was tested on an unseen holdout part of the dataset, and further explored by three different permutation-driven importance estimates and a comprehensive post hoc machine learning exploration. RESULTS The results consistently showed that measures of daily life functioning, verbal memory function, and a volume measure of hippocampus were the most important predictors of conversion from an MCI to an AD diagnosis. Results from the RF classification model showed a prediction accuracy of around 70% in the test set. Importantly, the post hoc analyses showed that even subtle changes in everyday functioning noticed by a close informant put MCI patients at increased risk for being on a path toward the major cognitive impairment of an AD diagnosis. CONCLUSION The results showed that even subtle changes in everyday functioning should be noticed when reported by relatives in a clinical evaluation of patients with MCI. Information of these changes should also be included in future longitudinal studies to investigate different pathways from normal cognitive aging to the cognitive decline characterizing different stages of AD and other neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Vik
- Mohn Medical Imaging and Visualization Centre (MMIV), Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Marek Kociński
- Mohn Medical Imaging and Visualization Centre (MMIV), Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ingrid Rye
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Astri J Lundervold
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Alexander S Lundervold
- Mohn Medical Imaging and Visualization Centre (MMIV), Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
- Department of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway.
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4
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Peven JC, Handen BL, Laymon CM, Fleming V, Piro-Gambetti B, Christian BT, Klunk W, Cohen AD, Okonkwo O, Hartley SL. Physical activity, memory function, and hippocampal volume in adults with Down syndrome. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:919711. [PMID: 36176326 PMCID: PMC9514120 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.919711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Higher engagement in moderate-intensity physical activity (PA) is related to better cognitive functioning in neurotypical adults; however, little is known about the effect of PA on cognitive aging in adults with Down syndrome (DS). Individuals with DS have three copies of chromosome 21, which includes the gene involved in the production of the amyloid precursor protein, resulting in an increased risk for an earlier onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The goal of this study was to understand the relationship between engagement in moderate PA, memory, and hippocampal volume in adults with DS. Adults with DS participated in an ancillary Lifestyle study linked to the Alzheimer’s Biomarkers Consortium for DS (ABC- DS; N = 71). A within-sample z-score memory composite was created from performance on the Cued Recall Test (CRT) and the Rivermead Picture Recognition Test. Participants wore a wrist-worn accelerometer (GT9X) to measure PA. Variables of interest included the average percentage of time spent in moderate PA and average daily steps. Structural MRI data were acquired within 18 months of actigraphy/cognitive data collection for a subset of participants (n = 54). Hippocampal volume was extracted using Freesurfer v5.3. Associations between moderate PA engagement, memory, and hippocampal volume were evaluated with hierarchical linear regressions controlling for relevant covariates [age, body mass index, intellectual disability level, sex, and intracranial volume]. Participants were 37.77 years old (SD = 8.21) and were 55.6% female. They spent 11.1% of their time engaged in moderate PA (SD = 7.5%) and took an average of 12,096.51 daily steps (SD = 4,315.66). After controlling for relevant covariates, higher memory composite score was associated with greater moderate PA engagement (β = 0.232, p = 0.027) and more daily steps (β = 0.209, p = 0.037). In a subset of participants, after controlling for relevant covariates, PA variables were not significantly associated with the hippocampal volume (all p-values ≥ 0.42). Greater hippocampal volume was associated with higher memory composite score after controlling for relevant covariates (β = 0.316, p = 0.017). More PA engagement was related to better memory function in adults with DS. While greater hippocampal volume was related to better memory performance, it was not associated with PA. Greater PA engagement may be a promising lifestyle behavior to preserve memory in adults with DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie C. Peven
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Jamie C. Peven
| | - Benjamin L. Handen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Charles M. Laymon
- Department of Radiology and Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Victoria Fleming
- School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Brianna Piro-Gambetti
- School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Bradley T. Christian
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - William Klunk
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Ann D. Cohen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Ozioma Okonkwo
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Sigan L. Hartley
- School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
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5
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Bråthen ACS, De Lange AMG, Fjell AM, Walhovd KB. Risk- and protective factors for memory plasticity in aging. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2020; 28:201-217. [PMID: 32098566 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2020.1727834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Risk and protective factors for cognitive function in aging may affect how much individuals benefit from their environment or life experiences by preserving or improving cognitive abilities. We investigated the relations between such factors and outcome from episodic-memory training in 136 healthy young and older adults. Tested risk factors included carrying the ɛ4 variant of the apolipoprotein E allele (APOE), age, body mass index, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Protective factors included higher levels of education, intelligence quotient (IQ), physical activity, fatty acids, and vitamin D. Average increases in memory performance were seen after training, with ample variation between individuals. Being young, female, and having higher IQ were positive predictors of memory improvement. No other relationships were observed. Similar benefit was observed across APOE allelic variation. This indicates that beyond IQ, age, and sex, known risk -and protective factors of cognitive function in aging were not significantly related to memory plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Cecilie Sjøli Bråthen
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo , Oslo, Norway
| | - Ann-Marie Glasø De Lange
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo , Oslo, Norway
| | - Anders M Fjell
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo , Oslo, Norway.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital , Oslo, Norway
| | - Kristine B Walhovd
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo , Oslo, Norway.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital , Oslo, Norway
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6
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Roheger M, Folkerts AK, Krohm F, Skoetz N, Kalbe E. Prognostic factors for change in memory test performance after memory training in healthy older adults: a systematic review and outline of statistical challenges. Diagn Progn Res 2020; 4:7. [PMID: 32478173 PMCID: PMC7240921 DOI: 10.1186/s41512-020-0071-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The goal is to investigate prognostic factors for change in memory test performance in healthy older adults and to report and discuss the different statistical procedures used for investigating this topic in the literature. METHODS Prognostic factors were here understood as any measures that were investigated to estimate change in memory test performance. MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, CENTRAL, and PsycInfo were searched up to November 2019. Prognostic factor and prognostic factor finding studies investigating prognostic factors on verbal and non-verbal short- and long-term memory after conducting memory training in healthy older adults were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the QUIPS tool. RESULTS Our search yielded 12,974 results. We included 29 studies that address prognostic factors of change in memory test performance, including sociodemographic, (neuro-)psychological, genetic, and biological parameters. Studies showed high variation and methodological shortcomings with regard to the assessment, statistical evaluation, and reporting of the investigated prognostic factors. Included studies used different types of dependent variables (change scores vs. post-test scores) when defining change in memory test performance leading to contradictory results. Age was the only variable investigated throughout most of the studies, showing that older adults benefit more from training when using the change score as the dependent variable. CONCLUSION Overall, there is a need for adequate reporting in studies of prognostic factors for change in memory test performance. Because of inconsistencies and methodological shortcomings in the literature, conclusions regarding prognostic factors remain uncertain. As a tentative conclusion, one may say that the higher the age of the participant, the more profound the improvement in memory test performance will be after memory training. TRIAL REGISTRATION CRD42019127479.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandy Roheger
- grid.6190.e0000 0000 8580 3777Department of Medical Psychology | Neuropsychology and Gender Studies & Center for Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 68, 50937 Cologne, Germany
| | - Ann-Kristin Folkerts
- grid.6190.e0000 0000 8580 3777Department of Medical Psychology | Neuropsychology and Gender Studies & Center for Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 68, 50937 Cologne, Germany
| | - Fabian Krohm
- grid.6190.e0000 0000 8580 3777Department of Medical Psychology | Neuropsychology and Gender Studies & Center for Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 68, 50937 Cologne, Germany
| | - Nicole Skoetz
- grid.6190.e0000 0000 8580 3777Evidence-Based Oncology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
| | - Elke Kalbe
- grid.6190.e0000 0000 8580 3777Department of Medical Psychology | Neuropsychology and Gender Studies & Center for Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 68, 50937 Cologne, Germany
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7
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Cui L, Yin H, Lyu S, Shen Q, Wang Y, Li X, Li J, Li Y, Zhu L. Tai Chi Chuan vs General Aerobic Exercise in Brain Plasticity: A Multimodal MRI Study. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17264. [PMID: 31754170 PMCID: PMC6872722 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53731-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This study contrasted the impact of Tai Chi Chuan and general aerobic exercise on brain plasticity in terms of an increased grey matter volume and functional connectivity during structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), explored the advantages of Tai Chi Chuan in improving brain structure and function. Thirty-six college students were grouped into Tai Chi Chuan (Bafa Wubu of Tai Chi), general aerobic exercise (brisk walking) and control groups. Individuals were assessed with a sMRI and rs-fMRI scan before and after an 8-week training period. The VBM toolbox was used to conduct grey matter volume analyses. The CONN toolbox was used to conduct several seed-to-voxel functional connectivity analyses. We can conclude that compared with general aerobic exercise, eight weeks of Tai Chi Chuan exercise has a stronger effect on brain plasticity, which is embodied in the increase of grey matter volume in left middle occipital gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus and right middle temporal gyrus and the enhancement of functional connectivity between the left middle frontal gyrus and left superior parietal lobule. These findings demonstrate the potential and advantages of Tai Chi Chuan exercises in eliciting brain plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Cui
- College of P. E. and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - HengChan Yin
- College of P. E. and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - ShaoJun Lyu
- College of P. E. and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - QiQi Shen
- College of P. E. and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yuan Wang
- College of P. E. and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - XiuJuan Li
- College of P. E. and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Jing Li
- College of P. E. and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - YunFei Li
- College of P. E. and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - LiNa Zhu
- College of P. E. and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
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8
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Purcell JJ, Wiley RW, Rapp B. Re-learning to be different: Increased neural differentiation supports post-stroke language recovery. Neuroimage 2019; 202:116145. [PMID: 31479754 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying the neural changes that support recovery of cognitive functions after a brain lesion is important to advance our understanding of human neuroplasticity, which, in turn, forms the basis for the development of effective treatments. To date, the preponderance of neuroimaging studies has focused on localizing changes in average brain activity associated with functional recovery. Here, we took a novel approach by evaluating whether cognitive recovery in chronic stroke is related to increases in the differentiation of local neural response patterns. This approach is supported by research indicating that, in the intact brain, local neural representations become more differentiated (dissimilar) with learning (Glezer et al., 2015). We acquired fMRI data before and after 21 individuals received approximately 12 weeks of behavioral treatment for written language impairment due to a left-hemisphere stroke. We used Local-Heterogeneity Regression Analysis (Purcell and Rapp, 2018) to measure local neural response differentiation associated with written language processing, assuming that greater heterogeneity in the pattern of activity across adjacent neural areas indicates more well-differentiated neural representations. First, we observed pre to post-treatment increases in local neural differentiation (Local-Hreg) in the ventral occipital-temporal cortex of the left hemisphere. Second, we found that, in this region, higher local neural response differentiation prior to treatment was associated with less severe written language impairment, and that it also predicted greater future responsiveness to treatment. Third, we observed that changes in neural differentiation were systematically related to performance changes for trained and untrained items. Fourth, we did not observe these brain-behavior relationships for mean BOLD responses, only for Local-Hreg. Thus, this is the first investigation to quantify changes in local neural differentiation in the recovery of a cognitive function and the first to demonstrate the clear behavioral relevance of these changes. We conclude that the findings provide strong support for the novel hypothesis that the local re-differentiation of neural representations can play a significant role in functional recovery after brain lesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy J Purcell
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Robert W Wiley
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Brenda Rapp
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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9
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Bråthen ACS, de Lange AMG, Rohani DA, Sneve MH, Fjell AM, Walhovd KB. Multimodal cortical and hippocampal prediction of episodic-memory plasticity in young and older adults. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:4480-4492. [PMID: 30004603 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 05/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Episodic memory can be trained in both early and late adulthood, but there is considerable variation in cognitive improvement across individuals. Which brain characteristics make some individuals benefit more than others? We used a multimodal approach to investigate whether volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and resting-state functional MRI characteristics of the cortex and hippocampus, brain regions involved in episodic-memory function, were predictive of cognitive improvement after memory training. We hypothesized that these brain characteristics would differentially predict memory improvement in young and older adults, given the vulnerability of cortical regions as well as the hippocampus to healthy aging. Following structural and resting-state activity magnetic resonance scans, 50 young and 76 older participants completed 10 weeks of strategic episodic-memory training. Both age groups improved their memory performance, but the young adults more so than the older. Vertex-wise analyses of cortical volume showed no significant relation to memory benefit. When analyzing the two age groups separately, hippocampal volume was predictive of memory improvement in the group of older participants only. In this age group, the lower resting-state activity of the hippocampus was also predictive of memory improvement. Both volumetric and resting-state characteristics of the hippocampus explained unique variance of the improvement in the older participants suggesting that a multimodal imaging approach is valuable for the understanding of mechanisms underlying memory plasticity in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Cecilie Sjøli Bråthen
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ann-Marie Glasø de Lange
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Darius A Rohani
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Markus H Sneve
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anders M Fjell
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kristine B Walhovd
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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