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Zhang X, Pan Y, Wu T, Zhao W, Zhang H, Ding J, Ji Q, Jia X, Li X, Lee Z, Zhang J, Bai L. Brain age prediction using interpretable multi-feature-based convolutional neural network in mild traumatic brain injury. Neuroimage 2024; 297:120751. [PMID: 39048043 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Convolutional neural network (CNN) can capture the structural features changes of brain aging based on MRI, thus predict brain age in healthy individuals accurately. However, most studies use single feature to predict brain age in healthy individuals, ignoring adding information from multiple sources and the changes in brain aging patterns after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) were still unclear. METHODS Here, we leveraged the structural data from a large, heterogeneous dataset (N = 1464) to implement an interpretable 3D combined CNN model for brain-age prediction. In addition, we also built an atlas-based occlusion analysis scheme with a fine-grained human Brainnetome Atlas to reveal the age-sstratified contributed brain regions for brain-age prediction in healthy controls (HCs) and mTBI patients. The correlations between brain predicted age gaps (brain-PAG) following mTBI and individual's cognitive impairment, as well as the level of plasma neurofilament light were also examined. RESULTS Our model utilized multiple 3D features derived from T1w data as inputs, and reduced the mean absolute error (MAE) of age prediction to 3.08 years and improved Pearson's r to 0.97 on 154 HCs. The strong generalizability of our model was also validated across different centers. Regions contributing the most significantly to brain age prediction were the caudate and thalamus for HCs and patients with mTBI, and the contributive regions were mostly located in the subcortical areas throughout the adult lifespan. The left hemisphere was confirmed to contribute more in brain age prediction throughout the adult lifespan. Our research showed that brain-PAG in mTBI patients was significantly higher than that in HCs in both acute and chronic phases. The increased brain-PAG in mTBI patients was also highly correlated with cognitive impairment and a higher level of plasma neurofilament light, a marker of neurodegeneration. The higher brain-PAG and its correlation with severe cognitive impairment showed a longitudinal and persistent nature in patients with follow-up examinations. CONCLUSION We proposed an interpretable deep learning framework on a relatively large dataset to accurately predict brain age in both healthy individuals and mTBI patients. The interpretable analysis revealed that the caudate and thalamus became the most contributive role across the adult lifespan in both HCs and patients with mTBI. The left hemisphere contributed significantly to brain age prediction may enlighten us to be concerned about the lateralization of brain abnormality in neurological diseases in the future. The proposed interpretable deep learning framework might also provide hope for testing the performance of related drugs and treatments in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Yizhen Pan
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Tingting Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Wenpu Zhao
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Haonan Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Jierui Ding
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Qiuyu Ji
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Xiaoyan Jia
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Xuan Li
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Zhiqi Lee
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Radiation Medicine, School of Preventive Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
| | - Lijun Bai
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
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Graves WW, Levinson HJ, Staples R, Boukrina O, Rothlein D, Purcell J. An inclusive multivariate approach to neural localization of language components. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:1243-1263. [PMID: 38693340 PMCID: PMC11147878 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02800-9] [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: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
To determine how language is implemented in the brain, it is important to know which brain areas are primarily engaged in language processing and which are not. Existing protocols for localizing language are typically univariate, treating each small unit of brain volume as independent. One prominent example that focuses on the overall language network in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) uses a contrast between neural responses to sentences and sets of pseudowords (pronounceable nonwords). This contrast reliably activates peri-sylvian language areas but is less sensitive to extra-sylvian areas that are also known to support aspects of language such as word meanings (semantics). In this study, we assess areas where a multivariate, pattern-based approach shows high reproducibility across multiple measurements and participants, identifying these areas as multivariate regions of interest (mROI). We then perform a representational similarity analysis (RSA) of an fMRI dataset where participants made familiarity judgments on written words. We also compare those results to univariate regions of interest (uROI) taken from previous sentences > pseudowords contrasts. RSA with word stimuli defined in terms of their semantic distance showed greater correspondence with neural patterns in mROI than uROI. This was confirmed in two independent datasets, one involving single-word recognition, and the other focused on the meaning of noun-noun phrases by contrasting meaningful phrases > pseudowords. In all cases, areas of spatial overlap between mROI and uROI showed the greatest neural association. This suggests that ROIs defined in terms of multivariate reproducibility can help localize components of language such as semantics. The multivariate approach can also be extended to focus on other aspects of language such as phonology, and can be used along with the univariate approach for inclusively mapping language cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- William W Graves
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Smith Hall, Room 301, 101 Warren Street, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA.
| | - Hillary J Levinson
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Smith Hall, Room 301, 101 Warren Street, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
| | - Ryan Staples
- Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
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Sun C, Zhang J, Bu L, Lu J, Yao Y, Wu J. A speech fluency brain network derived from gliomas. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae153. [PMID: 38756538 PMCID: PMC11098038 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The brain network of speech fluency has not yet been investigated via a study with a large and homogenous sample. This study analysed multimodal imaging data from 115 patients with low-grade glioma to explore the brain network of speech fluency. We applied voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping to identify domain-specific regions and white matter pathways associated with speech fluency. Direct cortical stimulation validated the domain-specific regions intra-operatively. We then performed connectivity-behaviour analysis with the aim of identifying connections that significantly correlated with speech fluency. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping analysis showed that damage to domain-specific regions (the middle frontal gyrus, the precentral gyrus, the orbital part of inferior frontal gyrus and the insula) and white matter pathways (corticospinal fasciculus, internal capsule, arcuate fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, frontal aslant tract) are associated with reduced speech fluency. Furthermore, we identified connections emanating from these domain-specific regions that exhibited significant correlations with speech fluency. These findings illuminate the interaction between domain-specific regions and 17 domain-general regions-encompassing the superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus and rolandic operculum, superior temporal gyrus, temporal pole, inferior temporal pole, middle cingulate gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, inferior parietal lobe, as well as subcortical structures such as thalamus-implicating their collective role in supporting fluent speech. Our detailed mapping of the speech fluency network offers a strategic foundation for clinicians to safeguard language function during the surgical intervention for brain tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cechen Sun
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health & National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai 201107, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai 200040, China
- Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Linghao Bu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai 201107, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai 200040, China
- Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Junfeng Lu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai 201107, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai 200040, China
- Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Ye Yao
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health & National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of Ministry of Education, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jinsong Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai 201107, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai 200040, China
- Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
- Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Shanghai 200040, China
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Bulut T, Hagoort P. Contributions of the left and right thalami to language: A meta-analytic approach. Brain Struct Funct 2024:10.1007/s00429-024-02795-3. [PMID: 38625556 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02795-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite a pervasive cortico-centric view in cognitive neuroscience, subcortical structures including the thalamus have been shown to be increasingly involved in higher cognitive functions. Previous structural and functional imaging studies demonstrated cortico-thalamo-cortical loops which may support various cognitive functions including language. However, large-scale functional connectivity of the thalamus during language tasks has not been examined before. METHODS The present study employed meta-analytic connectivity modeling to identify language-related coactivation patterns of the left and right thalami. The left and right thalami were used as regions of interest to search the BrainMap functional database for neuroimaging experiments with healthy participants reporting language-related activations in each region of interest. Activation likelihood estimation analyses were then carried out on the foci extracted from the identified studies to estimate functional convergence for each thalamus. A functional decoding analysis based on the same database was conducted to characterize thalamic contributions to different language functions. RESULTS The results revealed bilateral frontotemporal and bilateral subcortical (basal ganglia) coactivation patterns for both the left and right thalami, and also right cerebellar coactivations for the left thalamus, during language processing. In light of previous empirical studies and theoretical frameworks, the present connectivity and functional decoding findings suggest that cortico-subcortical-cerebellar-cortical loops modulate and fine-tune information transfer within the bilateral frontotemporal cortices during language processing, especially during production and semantic operations, but also other language (e.g., syntax, phonology) and cognitive operations (e.g., attention, cognitive control). CONCLUSION The current findings show that the language-relevant network extends beyond the classical left perisylvian cortices and spans bilateral cortical, bilateral subcortical (bilateral thalamus, bilateral basal ganglia) and right cerebellar regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talat Bulut
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Department of Speech and Language Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Peter Hagoort
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Tankus A, Lustig-Barzelay Y, Gurevitch G, Faust-Socher A, Strauss I. Neuronal Encoding of Speech Features in the Human Thalamus in Parkinson's Disease and Essential Tremor Patients. Neurosurgery 2024; 94:307-316. [PMID: 37695053 DOI: 10.1227/neu.0000000000002665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The human thalamus is known, from stimulation studies and functional imaging, to participate in high-level language tasks. The goal of this study is to find whether and how speech features, in particular, vowel phonemes, are encoded in the neuronal activity of the thalamus, and specifically of the left ventralis intermediate nucleus (Vim), during speech production, perception, and imagery. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, we intraoperatively recorded single neuron activity in the left Vim of eight neurosurgical patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) (n = 4) or essential tremor (n = 4) undergoing implantation of deep brain stimulation (n = 3) or radiofrequency lesioning (n = 5) while patients articulated the five monophthongal vowel sounds. RESULTS In this article, we report that single neurons in the left Vim encode individual vowel phonemes mainly during speech production but also during perception and imagery. They mainly use one of two encoding schemes: broad or sharp tuning, with a similar percentage of units each. Sinusoidal tuning has been demonstrated in almost half of the broadly tuned units. Patients with PD had a lower percentage of speech-related units in each aspect of speech (production, perception, and imagery), a significantly lower percentage of broadly tuned units, and significantly lower median firing rates during speech production and perception, but significantly higher rates during imagery, than patients with essential tremor. CONCLUSION The results suggest that the left Vim uses mixed encoding schemes for speech features. Our findings explain, at the single neuron level, why deep brain stimulation and radiofrequency lesioning of the left Vim are likely to cause speech side effects. Moreover, they may indicate that speech-related units in the left Vim of patients with PD may be degraded even in the subclinical phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Tankus
- Functional Neurosurgery Unit, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv , Israel
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv , Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv , Israel
| | - Yael Lustig-Barzelay
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv , Israel
| | - Guy Gurevitch
- Sagol Brain Institute, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv , Israel
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv , Israel
| | - Achinoam Faust-Socher
- Movement Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv , Israel
| | - Ido Strauss
- Functional Neurosurgery Unit, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv , Israel
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv , Israel
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6
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Dai Z, Song L, Luo C, Liu D, Li M, Han Z. Hemispheric lateralization of language processing: insights from network-based symptom mapping and patient subgroups. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad437. [PMID: 38031356 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad437] [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: 02/26/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The hemispheric laterality of language processing has become a hot topic in modern neuroscience. Although most previous studies have reported left-lateralized language processing, other studies found it to be bilateral. A previous neurocomputational model has proposed a unified framework to explain that the above discrepancy might be from healthy and patient individuals. This model posits an initial symmetry but imbalanced capacity in language processing for healthy individuals, with this imbalance contributing to language recovery disparities following different hemispheric injuries. The present study investigated this model by analyzing the lateralization patterns of language subnetworks across multiple attributes with a group of 99 patients (compared to nonlanguage processing) and examining the lateralization patterns of language subnetworks in subgroups with damage to different hemispheres. Subnetworks were identified using a whole-brain network-based lesion-symptom mapping method, and the lateralization index was quantitatively measured. We found that all the subnetworks in language processing were left-lateralized, while subnetworks in nonlanguage processing had different lateralization patterns. Moreover, diverse hemisphere-injury subgroups exhibited distinct language recovery effects. These findings provide robust support for the proposed neurocomputational model of language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyun Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Luping Song
- Shenzhen Sixth People's Hospital (Nanshan Hospital), Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen 518052, China
| | - Chongjing Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Di Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Mingyang Li
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Zaizhu Han
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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Boeken OJ, Cieslik EC, Langner R, Markett S. Characterizing functional modules in the human thalamus: coactivation-based parcellation and systems-level functional decoding. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:1811-1834. [PMID: 36547707 PMCID: PMC10516793 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02603-w] [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: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The human thalamus relays sensory signals to the cortex and facilitates brain-wide communication. The thalamus is also more directly involved in sensorimotor and various cognitive functions but a full characterization of its functional repertoire, particularly in regard to its internal anatomical structure, is still outstanding. As a putative hub in the human connectome, the thalamus might reveal its functional profile only in conjunction with interconnected brain areas. We therefore developed a novel systems-level Bayesian reverse inference decoding that complements the traditional neuroinformatics approach towards a network account of thalamic function. The systems-level decoding considers the functional repertoire (i.e., the terms associated with a brain region) of all regions showing co-activations with a predefined seed region in a brain-wide fashion. Here, we used task-constrained meta-analytic connectivity-based parcellation (MACM-CBP) to identify thalamic subregions as seed regions and applied the systems-level decoding to these subregions in conjunction with functionally connected cortical regions. Our results confirm thalamic structure-function relationships known from animal and clinical studies and revealed further associations with language, memory, and locomotion that have not been detailed in the cognitive neuroscience literature before. The systems-level decoding further uncovered large systems engaged in autobiographical memory and nociception. We propose this novel decoding approach as a useful tool to detect previously unknown structure-function relationships at the brain network level, and to build viable starting points for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ole J Boeken
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Molecular Psychology, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, 12489, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Edna C Cieslik
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Robert Langner
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Markett
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Molecular Psychology, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, 12489, Berlin, Germany
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Chen L, Wang Y, Wu Z, Shan Y, Li T, Hung SC, Xing L, Zhu H, Wang L, Lin W, Li G. Four-dimensional mapping of dynamic longitudinal brain subcortical development and early learning functions in infants. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3727. [PMID: 37349301 PMCID: PMC10287661 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38974-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain subcortical structures are paramount in many cognitive functions and their aberrations during infancy are predisposed to various neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, making it highly essential to characterize the early subcortical normative growth patterns. This study investigates the volumetric development and surface area expansion of six subcortical structures and their associations with Mullen scales of early learning by leveraging 513 high-resolution longitudinal MRI scans within the first two postnatal years. Results show that (1) each subcortical structure (except for the amygdala with an approximately linear increase) undergoes rapid nonlinear volumetric growth after birth, which slows down at a structure-specific age with bilaterally similar developmental patterns; (2) Subcortical local area expansion reveals structure-specific and spatiotemporally heterogeneous patterns; (3) Positive associations between thalamus and both receptive and expressive languages and between caudate and putamen and fine motor are revealed. This study advances our understanding of the dynamic early subcortical developmental patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangjun Chen
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Ya Wang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Zhengwang Wu
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Yue Shan
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Tengfei Li
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Sheng-Che Hung
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Lei Xing
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 116 Manning Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Hongtu Zhu
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Weili Lin
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Gang Li
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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Stockert A, Hormig-Rauber S, Wawrzyniak M, Klingbeil J, Schneider HR, Pirlich M, Schob S, Hoffmann KT, Saur D. Involvement of Thalamocortical Networks in Patients With Poststroke Thalamic Aphasia. Neurology 2023; 100:e485-e496. [PMID: 36302664 PMCID: PMC9931083 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000201488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Theories assume that thalamic stroke may cause aphasia because of dysfunction in connected cortical networks. This takes into account that brain functions are organized in distributed networks, and in turn, localized damage may result in a network disorder such as thalamic aphasia. With this study, we investigate whether the integration of the thalamus into specific thalamocortical networks underlies symptoms after thalamic stroke. We hypothesize that thalamic lesions in patients with language impairments are functionally connected to cortical networks for language and cognition. METHODS We combined nonparametric lesion mapping methods in a retrospective cohort of patients with acute or subacute first-ever thalamic stroke. A relationship between lesion location and language impairments was assessed using nonparametric voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping. This method reveals regions more frequently damaged in patients with compared with those without a symptom of interest. To test whether these symptoms are linked to a common thalamocortical network, we additionally performed lesion-network-symptom mapping. This method uses normative connectome data from resting-state fMRI of healthy participants (n = 65) for functional connectivity analyses, with lesion sites serving as seeds. Resulting lesion-dependent network connectivity of patients with language impairments was compared with those with motor and sensory deficits as baseline. RESULTS A total of 101 patients (mean [SD] age 64.1 [14.6] years, 57 left, 42 right, and 2 bilateral lesions) were included in the study. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping showed an association of language impairments with damage to left mediodorsal thalamic nucleus lesions. Lesion-network-symptom mapping revealed that language compared with sensory deficits were associated with higher normative lesion-dependent network connectivity to left frontotemporal language networks and bilateral prefrontal, insulo-opercular, midline cingular, and parietal domain-general networks. Lesions related to motor and sensory deficits showed higher lesion-dependent network connectivity within the sensorimotor network spanning prefrontal, precentral, and postcentral cortices. DISCUSSION Thalamic aphasia relates to lesions in the left mediodorsal thalamic nucleus and to functionally connected left cortical language and bilateral cortical networks for cognitive control. This suggests that dysfunction in thalamocortical networks contributes to thalamic aphasia. We propose that inefficient integration between otherwise undamaged domain-general and language networks may cause thalamic aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anika Stockert
- From the Language and Aphasia Laboratory (A.S., S.H.-R., M.W., J.K., H.R.S., M.P., D.S.), Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology (S.S.), Clinic and Policlinic of Radiology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany; and Department of Neuroradiology (K.-T.H.), University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Sophia Hormig-Rauber
- From the Language and Aphasia Laboratory (A.S., S.H.-R., M.W., J.K., H.R.S., M.P., D.S.), Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology (S.S.), Clinic and Policlinic of Radiology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany; and Department of Neuroradiology (K.-T.H.), University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Max Wawrzyniak
- From the Language and Aphasia Laboratory (A.S., S.H.-R., M.W., J.K., H.R.S., M.P., D.S.), Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology (S.S.), Clinic and Policlinic of Radiology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany; and Department of Neuroradiology (K.-T.H.), University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julian Klingbeil
- From the Language and Aphasia Laboratory (A.S., S.H.-R., M.W., J.K., H.R.S., M.P., D.S.), Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology (S.S.), Clinic and Policlinic of Radiology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany; and Department of Neuroradiology (K.-T.H.), University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hans Ralf Schneider
- From the Language and Aphasia Laboratory (A.S., S.H.-R., M.W., J.K., H.R.S., M.P., D.S.), Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology (S.S.), Clinic and Policlinic of Radiology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany; and Department of Neuroradiology (K.-T.H.), University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mandy Pirlich
- From the Language and Aphasia Laboratory (A.S., S.H.-R., M.W., J.K., H.R.S., M.P., D.S.), Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology (S.S.), Clinic and Policlinic of Radiology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany; and Department of Neuroradiology (K.-T.H.), University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefan Schob
- From the Language and Aphasia Laboratory (A.S., S.H.-R., M.W., J.K., H.R.S., M.P., D.S.), Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology (S.S.), Clinic and Policlinic of Radiology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany; and Department of Neuroradiology (K.-T.H.), University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Karl-Titus Hoffmann
- From the Language and Aphasia Laboratory (A.S., S.H.-R., M.W., J.K., H.R.S., M.P., D.S.), Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology (S.S.), Clinic and Policlinic of Radiology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany; and Department of Neuroradiology (K.-T.H.), University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dorothee Saur
- From the Language and Aphasia Laboratory (A.S., S.H.-R., M.W., J.K., H.R.S., M.P., D.S.), Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neuroradiology (S.S.), Clinic and Policlinic of Radiology, University Hospital Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany; and Department of Neuroradiology (K.-T.H.), University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
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10
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Torres Y, Celis C, Acurio J, Escudero C. Language Impairment in Children of Mothers with Gestational Diabetes, Preeclampsia, and Preterm Delivery: Current Hypothesis and Potential Underlying Mechanisms : Language Impartment and Pregnancy Complications. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1428:245-267. [PMID: 37466777 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-32554-0_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Many conditions may impair or delay language development, including socioeconomic status, parent's education, or intrauterine environment. Accordingly, increasing evidence has described that pregnancy complications, including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preeclampsia, and preterm delivery, are associated with the offspring's impaired neurodevelopment. Since language is one of the high brain functions, alterations in this function are another sign of neurodevelopment impairment. How these maternal conditions may generate language impairment has yet to be entirely understood. However, since language development requires adequate structural formation and function/connectivity of the brain, these processes must be affected by alterations in maternal conditions. However, the underlying mechanisms of these structural alterations are largely unknown. This manuscript critically analyzes the literature focused on the risk of developing language impairment in children of mothers with GDM, preeclampsia, and preterm delivery. Furthermore, we highlight potential underlying molecular mechanisms associated with these alterations, such as neuroinflammatory and metabolic and cerebrovascular alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yesenia Torres
- Vascular Physiology Laboratory, Department of Basic Science, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad of Bio Bio, Chillán, Chile
- Brainlab-Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Cristian Celis
- Vascular Physiology Laboratory, Department of Basic Science, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad of Bio Bio, Chillán, Chile
- Centro terapéutico , ABCfonoaudiologia, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jesenia Acurio
- Vascular Physiology Laboratory, Department of Basic Science, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad of Bio Bio, Chillán, Chile
- Group of Research and Innovation in Vascular Health (GRIVAS Health), Chillán, Chile
| | - Carlos Escudero
- Vascular Physiology Laboratory, Department of Basic Science, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad of Bio Bio, Chillán, Chile.
- Group of Research and Innovation in Vascular Health (GRIVAS Health), Chillán, Chile.
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11
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Sharif MS, Goldberg EB, Walker A, Hillis AE, Meier EL. The contribution of white matter pathology, hypoperfusion, lesion load, and stroke recurrence to language deficits following acute subcortical left hemisphere stroke. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0275664. [PMID: 36288353 PMCID: PMC9604977 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Aphasia, the loss of language ability following damage to the brain, is among the most disabling and common consequences of stroke. Subcortical stroke, occurring in the basal ganglia, thalamus, and/or deep white matter can result in aphasia, often characterized by word fluency, motor speech output, or sentence generation impairments. The link between greater lesion volume and acute aphasia is well documented, but the independent contributions of lesion location, cortical hypoperfusion, prior stroke, and white matter degeneration (leukoaraiosis) remain unclear, particularly in subcortical aphasia. Thus, we aimed to disentangle the contributions of each factor on language impairments in left hemisphere acute subcortical stroke survivors. Eighty patients with acute ischemic left hemisphere subcortical stroke (less than 10 days post-onset) participated. We manually traced acute lesions on diffusion-weighted scans and prior lesions on T2-weighted scans. Leukoaraiosis was rated on T2-weighted scans using the Fazekas et al. (1987) scale. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) scans were evaluated for hyperintense vessels in each vascular territory, providing an indirect measure of hypoperfusion in lieu of perfusion-weighted imaging. We found that language performance was negatively correlated with acute/total lesion volumes and greater damage to substructures of the deep white matter and basal ganglia. We conducted a LASSO regression that included all variables for which we found significant univariate relationships to language performance, plus nuisance regressors. Only total lesion volume was a significant predictor of global language impairment severity. Further examination of three participants with severe language impairments suggests that their deficits result from impairment in domain-general, rather than linguistic, processes. Given the variability in language deficits and imaging markers associated with such deficits, it seems likely that subcortical aphasia is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome with distinct causes across individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massoud S. Sharif
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Emily B. Goldberg
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Alexandra Walker
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Argye E. Hillis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Erin L. Meier
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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12
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Forkel SJ, Labache L, Nachev P, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Hesling I. Stroke disconnectome decodes reading networks. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:2897-2908. [PMID: 36192557 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02575-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive functional neuroimaging has been around for over 30 years and has shed light on the brain areas relevant for reading. However, new methodological developments enable mapping the interaction between functional imaging and the underlying white matter networks. In this study, we used such a novel method, called the disconnectome, to decode the reading circuitry in the brain. We used the resulting disconnection patterns to predict a typical lesion that would lead to reading deficits after brain damage. Our results suggest that white matter connections critical for reading include fronto-parietal U-shaped fibres and the vertical occipital fasciculus (VOF). The lesion most predictive of a reading deficit would impinge on the left temporal, occipital, and inferior parietal gyri. This novel framework can systematically be applied to bridge the gap between the neuropathology of language and cognitive neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie J Forkel
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France. .,Donders Centre for Cognition, Radboud University, Thomas van Aquinostraat 4, 6525 GD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. .,Department of Neuroimaging, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. .,Department of Neurosurgery, Technical University of Munich School of Medicine, Munich, Germany.
| | - Loïc Labache
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Parashkev Nachev
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3GB, UK
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France.,Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives-UMR 5293, CNRS, CEA University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Isabelle Hesling
- Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives-UMR 5293, CNRS, CEA University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
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13
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Natalizi F, Piras F, Vecchio D, Spalletta G, Piras F. Preoperative Navigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: New Insight for Brain Tumor-Related Language Mapping. J Pers Med 2022; 12:1589. [PMID: 36294728 PMCID: PMC9604795 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12101589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 08/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Preoperative brain mapping methods are particularly important in modern neuro-oncology when a tumor affects eloquent language areas since damage to parts of the language circuits can cause significant impairments in daily life. This narrative review examines the literature regarding preoperative and intraoperative language mapping using repetitive navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rnTMS) with or without direct electrical stimulation (DES) in adult patients with tumors in eloquent language areas. The literature shows that rnTMS is accurate in detecting preexisting language disorders and positive intraoperative mapping regions. In terms of the region extent and clinical outcomes, rnTMS has been shown to be accurate in identifying positive sites to guide resection, reducing surgery duration and craniotomy size and thus improving clinical outcomes. Before incorporating rnTMS into the neurosurgical workflow, the refinement of protocols and a consensus within the neuro-oncology community are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Natalizi
- Laboratory of Neurophychiatry, IRCSS Santa Lucia Fundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00134 Rome, Italy
- Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy
- PhD Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Piras
- Laboratory of Neurophychiatry, IRCSS Santa Lucia Fundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00134 Rome, Italy
| | - Daniela Vecchio
- Laboratory of Neurophychiatry, IRCSS Santa Lucia Fundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00134 Rome, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Spalletta
- Laboratory of Neurophychiatry, IRCSS Santa Lucia Fundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00134 Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Piras
- Laboratory of Neurophychiatry, IRCSS Santa Lucia Fundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00134 Rome, Italy
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14
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Common Neuroanatomical Substrate of Cholinergic Pathways and Language-Related Brain Regions as an Explanatory Framework for Evaluating the Efficacy of Cholinergic Pharmacotherapy in Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Review. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12101273. [PMID: 36291207 PMCID: PMC9599395 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12101273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the relative scarcity of studies focusing on pharmacotherapy in aphasia, there is evidence in the literature indicating that remediation of language disorders via pharmaceutical agents could be a promising aphasia treatment option. Among the various agents used to treat chronic aphasic deficits, cholinergic drugs have provided meaningful results. In the current review, we focused on published reports investigating the impact of acetylcholine on language and other cognitive disturbances. It has been suggested that acetylcholine plays an important role in neuroplasticity and is related to several aspects of cognition, such as memory and attention. Moreover, cholinergic input is diffused to a wide network of cortical areas, which have been associated with language sub-processes. This could be a possible explanation for the positive reported outcomes of cholinergic drugs in aphasia recovery, and specifically in distinct language processes, such as naming and comprehension, as well as overall communication competence. However, evidence with regard to functional alterations in specific brain areas after pharmacotherapy is rather limited. Finally, despite the positive results derived from the relevant studies, cholinergic pharmacotherapy treatment in post-stroke aphasia has not been widely implemented. The present review aims to provide an overview of the existing literature in the common neuroanatomical substrate of cholinergic pathways and language related brain areas as a framework for interpreting the efficacy of cholinergic pharmacotherapy interventions in post-stroke aphasia, following an integrated approach by converging evidence from neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neuropsychology.
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15
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Marin-Marin L, Costumero V, Ávila C, Pliatsikas C. Dynamic Effects of Immersive Bilingualism on Cortical and Subcortical Grey Matter Volumes. Front Psychol 2022; 13:886222. [PMID: 35586234 PMCID: PMC9109104 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.886222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilingualism has been shown to induce neuroplasticity in the brain, but conflicting evidence regarding its specific effects in grey matter continues to emerge, probably due to methodological differences between studies, as well as approaches that may miss the variability and dynamicity of bilingual experience. In our study, we devised a continuous score of bilingual experiences and we investigated their non-linear effects on regional GM volume in a sample of young healthy participants from an immersive and naturalistic bilingual environment. We focused our analyses on cortical and subcortical regions that had been previously proposed as part of the bilingual speech pipeline and language control network. Our results showed a non-linear relationship between bilingualism score and grey matter volume of the inferior frontal gyrus. We also found linear increases in volumes of putamen and cerebellum as a function of bilingualism score. These results go in line with predictions for immersive and naturalistic bilingual environments with increased intensity and diversity of language use and provide further evidence supporting the dynamicity of bilingualism’s effects on brain structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidón Marin-Marin
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinic and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - Victor Costumero
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinic and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - César Ávila
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Christos Pliatsikas
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom.,Centro de Investigación Nebrija en Cognición, Universidad Nebrija, Madrid, Spain
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16
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McKenna MC, Li Hi Shing S, Murad A, Lope J, Hardiman O, Hutchinson S, Bede P. Focal thalamus pathology in frontotemporal dementia: Phenotype-associated thalamic profiles. J Neurol Sci 2022; 436:120221. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2022.120221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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17
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Rangus I, Fritsch M, Endres M, Udke B, Nolte CH. Frequency and phenotype of thalamic aphasia. J Neurol 2022; 269:368-376. [PMID: 34100990 PMCID: PMC8739316 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-021-10640-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aphasia is a recognized presenting symptom of thalamic lesions. Little is known regarding its frequency and phenotype. We examined the frequency of thalamic aphasia following Isolated Acute unilateral ischemic Lesions in the Thalamus (IALT) with respect to lesion location. Furthermore, we characterized thalamic aphasia according to affected language domains and severity. METHODS Fifty-two patients with IALT were analyzed [44% female, median age: 73 years (IQR: 60-79)]. Lesion location was determined using 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging and categorized as anterior, posterior, paramedian or inferolateral. Standardized language assessment was performed using the validated Aphasia checklist (ACL) directly after symptom onset. Aphasia was defined as an ACL sum score of < 135 (range: 0-148). RESULTS Of 52 patients, 23 (44%) fulfilled the ACL diagnostic criteria for aphasia, including nearly all lesion locations and both sides. The average ACL sum score was 132 ± 11 (range: 98-147). Aphasia was characterized by deficits within domains of complex understanding of speech and verbal fluency. Patients with left anterior IALT were most severely affected, having significantly lower ACL scores than all other patients (117 ± 13 vs. 135 ± 8; p < 0.001). In particular, aphasia in patients with left anterior IALT was characterized by significantly worse performance in the rating of verbal communication, verbal fluency, and naming (all p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION Aphasia occurs in almost half of patients with focal thalamic lesions. Thalamic aphasia is not confined to one predefined thalamic lesion location, but language deficits are particularly pronounced in patients with left anterior IALT presenting with a distinct pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Rangus
- Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Merve Fritsch
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthias Endres
- Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,ExcellenceCluster NeuroCure, Berlin, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany.,German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Berlin, Germany
| | - Birgit Udke
- Department of Audiology and Phoniatrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian H Nolte
- Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany.,German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Berlin, Germany
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18
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Fritsch M, Rangus I, Nolte CH. Thalamic Aphasia: a Review. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2022; 22:855-865. [PMID: 36383308 PMCID: PMC9750901 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-022-01242-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Thalamic aphasia is a rare language disorder resulting from lesions to the thalamus. While most patients exhibit mild symptoms with a predominance of lexical-semantic difficulties, variations in phenotype have been described. Overall, the exact mechanisms of thalamic aphasia await empirical research. The article reviews recent findings regarding phenotypes and possible underlying mechanisms of thalamic aphasia. RECENT FINDINGS Variations in phenotype of thalamic aphasia may be related to different lesion locations. Overall, the thalamus' role in language is thought to be due to its involvement in cortico-thalamic language networks with lesioning of certain nuclei resulting in the diachisis of otherwise interconnected areas. Its possible monitoring function in such a network might be due to its different cellular firing modes. However, no specific evidence has been collected to date. While recent findings show a more distinct understanding of thalamic aphasia phenotypes and possible underlying mechanisms, further research is needed. Additionally, as standard language testing might oftentimes not pick up on its subtle symptoms, thalamic aphasia might be underdiagnosed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merve Fritsch
- grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ida Rangus
- grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Department of Neurology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany ,grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian H. Nolte
- grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Department of Neurology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany ,grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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19
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Ahn H, Yi D, Chu K, Joung H, Lee Y, Jung G, Sung K, Han D, Lee JH, Byun MS, Lee DY. Functional Neural Correlates of Semantic Fluency Task Performance in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease: An FDG-PET Study. J Alzheimers Dis 2022; 85:1689-1700. [PMID: 34958036 PMCID: PMC9210291 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Total score (TS) of semantic verbal fluency test (SVFT) is generally used to interpret results, but it is ambiguous as to specific neural functions it reflects. Different SVFT strategy scores reflecting qualitative aspects are proposed to identify specific cognitive functions to overcome limitations of using the TS. OBJECTIVE Functional neural correlates of the TS as well as the other strategy scores in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia using Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). METHODS Correlations between various SVFT scores (i.e., TS, mean cluster size, switching (SW), hard switching, cluster switching (CSW)) and cerebral glucose metabolism were explored using voxelwise whole-brain approach. Subgroup analyses were also performed based on the diagnosis and investigated the effects of disease severity on the associations. RESULTS Significant positive correlation between TS and cerebral glucose metabolism was found in prefrontal, parietal, cingulate, temporal cortex, and subcortical regions. Significantly increased glucose metabolism associated with the SW were found in similar but smaller regions, mainly in the fronto-parieto-temporal regions. CSW was only correlated with the caudate. In the subgroup analysis conducted to assess different contribution of clinical severity, differential associations between the strategy scores and regional glucose metabolism were found. CONCLUSION SW and CSW may reflect specific language and executive functions better than the TS. The SVFT is influenced by brain dysfunction due to the progression of AD, as demonstrated by the SW with larger involvement of temporal lobe for the AD, and CSW with significant association only for the MCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyejin Ahn
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dahyun Yi
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea,Correspondence to: Dong Young Lee, MD, PhD, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital & Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea. Tel.: +82 2 2072 2205; Fax: +82 2 744 7241; and Dahyun Yi, PhD, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea. Tel.: +82 2 2072 1722;
| | - Kyungjin Chu
- Korea Counseling Center for Fertility and Depression, National Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Haejung Joung
- Interdisciplinary Program of Cognitive Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Younghwa Lee
- Interdisciplinary Program of Cognitive Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Gijung Jung
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kiyoung Sung
- Department of Psychiatry, Nowon Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongkyun Han
- Jamsil Forest Neuropsychiatric Clinic, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun Ho Lee
- Mind Lab The Place Psychiatric Clinic, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Soo Byun
- Department of Psychiatry, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Young Lee
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea,Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea,Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea,Correspondence to: Dong Young Lee, MD, PhD, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital & Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea. Tel.: +82 2 2072 2205; Fax: +82 2 744 7241; and Dahyun Yi, PhD, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea. Tel.: +82 2 2072 1722;
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20
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Chrabaszcz A, Wang D, Lipski W, Bush A, Crammond D, Shaiman S, Dickey M, Holt L, Turner R, Fiez J, Richardson R. Simultaneously recorded subthalamic and cortical LFPs reveal different lexicality effects during reading aloud. JOURNAL OF NEUROLINGUISTICS 2021; 60:101019. [PMID: 34305315 PMCID: PMC8294107 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroling.2021.101019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Many language functions are traditionally assigned to cortical brain areas, leaving the contributions of subcortical structures to language processing largely unspecified. The present study examines a potential role of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in lexical processing, specifically, reading aloud of words (e.g., 'fate') and pseudowords (e.g., 'fape'). We recorded local field potentials simultaneously from the STN and the cortex (precentral, postcentral, and superior temporal gyri) of 13 people with Parkinson's disease undergoing awake deep brain stimulation and compared STN's lexicality-related neural activity with that of the cortex. Both STN and cortical activity demonstrated significant task-related modulations, but the lexicality effects were different in the two brain structures. In the STN, an increase in gamma band activity (31-70 Hz) was present in pseudoword trials compared to word trials during subjects' spoken response. In the cortex, a greater decrease in beta band activity (12-30 Hz) was observed for pseudowords in the precentral gyrus. Additionally, 11 individual cortical sites showed lexicality effects with varying temporal and topographic characteristics in the alpha and beta frequency bands. These findings suggest that the STN and the sampled cortical regions are involved differently in the processing of lexical distinctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Chrabaszcz
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
| | - D. Wang
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, 100084
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
| | - W.J. Lipski
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
| | - A. Bush
- Brain Modulation Lab, Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA, 02114
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, 02115
| | - D.J. Crammond
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
| | - S. Shaiman
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
| | - M.W. Dickey
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
| | - L.L. Holt
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
| | - R.S. Turner
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
- University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
| | - J.A. Fiez
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
- University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, Pittsburgh, USA, 15213
| | - R.M. Richardson
- Brain Modulation Lab, Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA, 02114
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, 02115
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21
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Structural and functional motor-network disruptions predict selective action-concept deficits: Evidence from frontal lobe epilepsy. Cortex 2021; 144:43-55. [PMID: 34637999 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Built on neurodegenerative lesions models, the disrupted motor grounding hypothesis (DMGH) posits that motor-system alterations selectively impair action comprehension. However, major doubts remain concerning the dissociability, neural signatures, and etiological generalizability of such deficits. Few studies have compared action-concept outcomes between disorders affecting and sparing motor circuitry, and none has examined their multimodal network predictors via data-driven approaches. Here, we first assessed action- and object-concept processing in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE), patients with posterior cortex epilepsy (PCE), and healthy controls. Then, we examined structural and functional network signatures via diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state connectivity measures. Finally, we used these measures to predict behavioral performance with an XGBoost machine learning regression algorithm. Relative to controls, FLE (but not PCE) patients exhibited selective action-concept deficits together with structural and functional abnormalities along motor networks. The XGBoost model reached a significantly large effect size only for action-concept outcomes in FLE, mainly predicted by structural (cortico-spinal tract, anterior thalamic radiation, uncinate fasciculus) and functional (M1-parietal/supramarginal connectivity) motor networks. These results extend the DMGH, suggesting that action-concept deficits are dissociable markers of frontal/motor (relative to posterior) disruptions, directly related to the structural and functional integrity of motor networks, and traceable beyond canonical movement disorders.
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22
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Antunes FM, Malmierca MS. Corticothalamic Pathways in Auditory Processing: Recent Advances and Insights From Other Sensory Systems. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:721186. [PMID: 34489648 PMCID: PMC8418311 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.721186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The corticothalamic (CT) pathways emanate from either Layer 5 (L5) or 6 (L6) of the neocortex and largely outnumber the ascending, thalamocortical pathways. The CT pathways provide the anatomical foundations for an intricate, bidirectional communication between thalamus and cortex. They act as dynamic circuits of information transfer with the ability to modulate or even drive the response properties of target neurons at each synaptic node of the circuit. L6 CT feedback pathways enable the cortex to shape the nature of its driving inputs, by directly modulating the sensory message arriving at the thalamus. L5 CT pathways can drive the postsynaptic neurons and initiate a transthalamic corticocortical circuit by which cortical areas communicate with each other. For this reason, L5 CT pathways place the thalamus at the heart of information transfer through the cortical hierarchy. Recent evidence goes even further to suggest that the thalamus via CT pathways regulates functional connectivity within and across cortical regions, and might be engaged in cognition, behavior, and perceptual inference. As descending pathways that enable reciprocal and context-dependent communication between thalamus and cortex, we venture that CT projections are particularly interesting in the context of hierarchical perceptual inference formulations such as those contemplated in predictive processing schemes, which so far heavily rely on cortical implementations. We discuss recent proposals suggesting that the thalamus, and particularly higher order thalamus via transthalamic pathways, could coordinate and contextualize hierarchical inference in cortical hierarchies. We will explore these ideas with a focus on the auditory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flora M. Antunes
- Cognitive and Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory (CANELAB), Institute of Neuroscience of Castilla y León (INCYL), University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Manuel S. Malmierca
- Cognitive and Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory (CANELAB), Institute of Neuroscience of Castilla y León (INCYL), University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
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23
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Moguilner S, Birba A, Fino D, Isoardi R, Huetagoyena C, Otoya R, Tirapu V, Cremaschi F, Sedeño L, Ibáñez A, García AM. Multimodal neurocognitive markers of frontal lobe epilepsy: Insights from ecological text processing. Neuroimage 2021; 235:117998. [PMID: 33789131 PMCID: PMC8272524 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The pressing call to detect sensitive cognitive markers of frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) remains poorly addressed. Standard frameworks prove nosologically unspecific (as they reveal deficits that also emerge across other epilepsy subtypes), possess low ecological validity, and are rarely supported by multimodal neuroimaging assessments. To bridge these gaps, we examined naturalistic action and non-action text comprehension, combined with structural and functional connectivity measures, in 19 FLE patients, 19 healthy controls, and 20 posterior cortex epilepsy (PCE) patients. Our analyses integrated inferential statistics and data-driven machine-learning classifiers. FLE patients were selectively and specifically impaired in action comprehension, irrespective of their neuropsychological profile. These deficits selectively and specifically correlated with (a) reduced integrity of the anterior thalamic radiation, a subcortical structure underlying motoric and action-language processing as well as epileptic seizure spread in this subtype; and (b) hypoconnectivity between the primary motor cortex and the left-parietal/supramarginal regions, two putative substrates of action-language comprehension. Moreover, machine-learning classifiers based on the above neurocognitive measures yielded 75% accuracy rates in discriminating individual FLE patients from both controls and PCE patients. Briefly, action-text assessments, combined with structural and functional connectivity measures, seem to capture ecological cognitive deficits that are specific to FLE, opening new avenues for discriminatory characterizations among epilepsy types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Moguilner
- Global Brain Health Institute, UCSF, California, US, & Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Nuclear Medicine School Foundation (FUESMEN), National Commission of Atomic Energy (CNEA), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Agustina Birba
- University of San Andres, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Daniel Fino
- Nuclear Medicine School Foundation (FUESMEN), National Commission of Atomic Energy (CNEA), Mendoza, Argentina; Fundación Argentina para el Desarrollo en Salud, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Roberto Isoardi
- Nuclear Medicine School Foundation (FUESMEN), National Commission of Atomic Energy (CNEA), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Celeste Huetagoyena
- Neuromed, Clinical Neuroscience, Mendoza, Argentina; Universidad Católica Argentina
| | - Raúl Otoya
- Neuromed, Clinical Neuroscience, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Viviana Tirapu
- Nuclear Medicine School Foundation (FUESMEN), National Commission of Atomic Energy (CNEA), Mendoza, Argentina; Neuromed, Clinical Neuroscience, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Fabián Cremaschi
- Nuclear Medicine School Foundation (FUESMEN), National Commission of Atomic Energy (CNEA), Mendoza, Argentina; Neuroscience Department of the School of Medicine, National University of Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina; Santa Isabel de Hungría Hospital, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Lucas Sedeño
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Global Brain Health Institute, UCSF, California, US, & Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; University of San Andres, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Adolfo M García
- Global Brain Health Institute, UCSF, California, US, & Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; University of San Andres, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Faculty of Education, National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza, Argentina; Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
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24
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Tiedt HO, Ehlen F, Wyrobnik M, Klostermann F. Thalamic but Not Subthalamic Neuromodulation Simplifies Word Use in Spontaneous Language. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:656188. [PMID: 34093151 PMCID: PMC8173144 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.656188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Several investigations have shown language impairments following electrode implantation surgery for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in movement disorders. The impact of the actual stimulation, however, differs between DBS targets with further deterioration in formal language tests induced by thalamic DBS in contrast to subtle improvement observed in subthalamic DBS. Here, we studied speech samples from interviews with participants treated with DBS of the thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) for essential tremor (ET), or the subthalamic nucleus (STN) for Parkinson’s disease (PD), and healthy volunteers (each n = 13). We analyzed word frequency and the use of open and closed class words. Active DBS increased word frequency in case of VIM, but not STN stimulation. Further, relative to controls, both DBS groups produced fewer open class words. Whereas VIM DBS further decreased the proportion of open class words, it was increased by STN DBS. Thus, VIM DBS favors the use of relatively common words in spontaneous language, compatible with the idea of lexical simplification under thalamic stimulation. The absence or even partial reversal of these effects in patients receiving STN DBS is of interest with respect to biolinguistic concepts suggesting dichotomous thalamic vs. basal ganglia roles in language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannes Ole Tiedt
- Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Felicitas Ehlen
- Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Jüdisches Krankenhaus Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michelle Wyrobnik
- Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Klostermann
- Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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25
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Álvarez CG, Torres Morales F, Culcay LC, Bascuñán Vidal JA. Cavernomas cerebrales en la infancia y desarrollo atípico de la comunicación y el lenguaje. REVISTA DE INVESTIGACIÓN EN LOGOPEDIA 2021. [DOI: 10.5209/rlog.70738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Los cavernomas cerebrales corresponden a malformaciones vasculares del sistema nervioso central, con baja prevalencia en la población pediátrica. Estas malformaciones pueden aparecer como lesiones únicas o múltiples. La manifestación sintomatológica de los cavernomas se ha asociado, principalmente, a la ubicación topográfica de las lesiones. En este artículo se reportan las habilidades de comunicación y lenguaje de un niño de 3 años 10 meses, diagnosticado con cavernomatosis cerebral múltiple, y se discute la posible relación entre las habilidades evidenciadas y el cuadro neurológico de base. La indagatoria se efectuó mediante la aplicación de los siguientes tres procedimientos: 1. compilación y análisis de antecedentes clínicos en ficha médica, 2. elaboración y análisis de muestra naturalista de comunicación y lenguaje, 3. aplicación y análisis de instrumento Inventario de Desarrollo Comunicativo MacArthur. El análisis cualitativo de los antecedentes recabados permite sugerir una asociación entre las habilidades atípicas de comunicación y lenguaje observadas y el diagnóstico de cavernomatosis cerebral múltiple, en particular, debido a la ubicación topográfica de las lesiones. A nuestro entender, este artículo representa la primera descripción de habilidades atípicas de comunicación y lenguaje, asociadas al diagnóstico de cavernomatosis cerebral múltiple en edad pediátrica.
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26
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Keser Z, Meier EL, Stockbridge MD, Breining BL, Sebastian R, Hillis AE. Thalamic Nuclei and Thalamocortical Pathways After Left Hemispheric Stroke and Their Association with Picture Naming. Brain Connect 2021; 11:553-565. [PMID: 33797954 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2020.0831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Previous studies utilized lesion-centric approaches to study the role of the thalamus in language. In this study, we tested the hypotheses that non-lesioned dorsomedial and ventral anterior nuclei (DMVAC) and pulvinar lateral posterior nuclei complexes (PLC) of the thalamus and their projections to the left hemisphere show secondary effects of the strokes, and that their microstructural integrity is closely related to language-related functions. Methods: Subjects with language impairments after a left-hemispheric cortical and/or subcortical, early stroke (n = 31, ≤6 months) or late stroke (n = 30, ≥12 months) sparing thalamus underwent the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The tissue integrity of DMVAC, PLC, and their cortical projections was quantified with DTI. The right-left asymmetry profiles of these structures were evaluated in relation to the time since stroke. The association between microstructural integrity and BNT score was investigated in relation to stroke chronicity with partial correlation analyses adjusted for confounds. Results: In both early stroke and late stroke groups, left-sided tracts showed significantly higher mean diffusivities (MDs), which were likely due to Wallerian degeneration. Higher MD values of the cortical projections from the left PLC (r = -0.5, p = 0.005) and DMVAC (r = -0.53, p = 0.002) were correlated with lower BNT score in the late stroke but not early stroke group. Conclusion: Nonlesioned thalamic nuclei and thalamocortical pathways show rightward lateralization of the microstructural integrity after a left hemispheric stroke, and this pattern is associated with poorer naming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zafer Keser
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Erin L Meier
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Melissa D Stockbridge
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Bonnie L Breining
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Rajani Sebastian
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Argye E Hillis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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27
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Janssen N, Mendieta CCR. The Dynamics of Speech Motor Control Revealed with Time-Resolved fMRI. Cereb Cortex 2021; 30:241-255. [PMID: 31070731 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Holding a conversation means that speech must be started, maintained, and stopped continuously. The brain networks that underlie these aspects of speech motor control remain poorly understood. Here we collected functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data while participants produced normal and fast rate speech in response to sequences of visually presented objects. We took a non-conventional approach to fMRI data analysis that allowed us to study speech motor behavior as it unfolded over time. To this end, whole-brain fMRI signals were extracted in stimulus-locked epochs using slice-based fMRI. These data were then subjected to group independent component analysis to discover spatially independent networks that were associated with different temporal activation profiles. The results revealed two basic brain networks with different temporal dynamics: a cortical network that was activated continuously during speech production, and a second cortico-subcortical network that increased in activity during the initiation and suppression of speech production. Additional analyses explored whether key areas involved in motor suppression such as the right inferior frontal gyrus, sub-thalamic nucleus and pre-supplementary motor area provide first-order signals to stop speech. The results reveal for the first time the brain networks associated with the initiation, maintenance, and suppression of speech motor behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels Janssen
- Psychology Department, Universidad de la Laguna, La Laguna, Spain.,Instituto de Tecnologías Biomédicas, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain.,Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad de la Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
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28
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Asilador A, Llano DA. Top-Down Inference in the Auditory System: Potential Roles for Corticofugal Projections. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 14:615259. [PMID: 33551756 PMCID: PMC7862336 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2020.615259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
It has become widely accepted that humans use contextual information to infer the meaning of ambiguous acoustic signals. In speech, for example, high-level semantic, syntactic, or lexical information shape our understanding of a phoneme buried in noise. Most current theories to explain this phenomenon rely on hierarchical predictive coding models involving a set of Bayesian priors emanating from high-level brain regions (e.g., prefrontal cortex) that are used to influence processing at lower-levels of the cortical sensory hierarchy (e.g., auditory cortex). As such, virtually all proposed models to explain top-down facilitation are focused on intracortical connections, and consequently, subcortical nuclei have scarcely been discussed in this context. However, subcortical auditory nuclei receive massive, heterogeneous, and cascading descending projections at every level of the sensory hierarchy, and activation of these systems has been shown to improve speech recognition. It is not yet clear whether or how top-down modulation to resolve ambiguous sounds calls upon these corticofugal projections. Here, we review the literature on top-down modulation in the auditory system, primarily focused on humans and cortical imaging/recording methods, and attempt to relate these findings to a growing animal literature, which has primarily been focused on corticofugal projections. We argue that corticofugal pathways contain the requisite circuitry to implement predictive coding mechanisms to facilitate perception of complex sounds and that top-down modulation at early (i.e., subcortical) stages of processing complement modulation at later (i.e., cortical) stages of processing. Finally, we suggest experimental approaches for future studies on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Asilador
- Neuroscience Program, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Daniel A. Llano
- Neuroscience Program, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Urbana, IL, United States
- Molecular and Integrative Physiology, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
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29
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Obayashi S. Cognitive and linguistic dysfunction after thalamic stroke and recovery process: possible mechanism. AIMS Neurosci 2021; 9:1-11. [PMID: 35434274 PMCID: PMC8941189 DOI: 10.3934/neuroscience.2022001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
<abstract>
<p>Thalamic stroke may result in cognitive and linguistic problems, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Especially, it is still a matter of debate why thalamic aphasia occasionally occurs and then mostly recovers to some degree. We begin with a brief overview of the cognitive dysfunction and aphasia, and then review previous hypotheses of the underlying mechanism. We introduced a unique characteristic of relatively transient “word retrieval difficulty” of patients in acute phase of thalamic stroke. Word retrieval ability involves both executive function and speech production. Furthermore, SMA aphasia and thalamic aphasia may resemble in terms of the rapid recovery, thus suggesting a shared neural system. This ability is attributable to the supplementary motor area (SMA) and inferior frontal cortex (IFG) via the frontal aslant tract (FAT). To explore the possible mechanism, we applied unique hybrid neuroimaging techniques: single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (f-NIRS). SPECT can visualize the brain distribution associated with word retrieval difficulty, cognitive disability or aphasia after thalamic stroke, and f-NIRS focuses on SMA and monitors long-term changes in hemodynamic SMA responses during phonemic verbal task. SPECT yielded common perfusion abnormalities not only in the fronto–parieto–cerebellar–thalamic loop, but also in bilateral brain regions such as SMA, IFG and language-relevant regions. f-NIRS demonstrated that thalamic stroke developed significant word retrieval decline, which was intimately linked to posterior SMA responses. Word retrieval difficulty was rapidly recovered with increased bilateral SMA responses at follow-up NIRS. Together, we propose that the cognitive domain affected by thalamic stroke may be related to the fronto–parieto–cerebellar–thalamic loop, while the linguistic region may be attributable to SMA, IFG and language-related brain areas. Especially, bilateral SMA may play a crucial role in the recovery of word retrieval, and right language-related region, including IFG, angular gyrus and supramarginal gyrus may determine recovery from thalamic aphasia.</p>
</abstract>
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeru Obayashi
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, 1981 Kamoda, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-8550, Japan
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Chiba-Hokusoh hospital, Nippon Medical School, 1715 Kamagari, Inzai, Chiba 270-1694, Japan
- * Correspondence:
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30
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Campanella W, Pedrini R, Vestito L, Marinelli L, Trompetto C, Mori L. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in the Treatment of Subacute Post-Stroke Thalamic Aphasia. Eur J Case Rep Intern Med 2020; 7:001794. [PMID: 33194851 DOI: 10.12890/2020_001794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Although many studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in improving speech recovery in post-stroke aphasia, as far as we know patients affected by thalamic aphasia have never been investigated. Patient and method A 65-year-old man with severe non-fluent aphasia due to a left thalamic haemorrhagic stroke underwent intensive daily speech therapy combined with tDCS. Results The patient showed progressive improvement with almost complete recovery of his speech disorder, behavioural disinhibition and apathy. Conclusions Our findings suggest that tDCS with concurrent speech therapy can be useful in patients with subcortical stroke lesions. LEARNING POINTS The thalamus has a central role in the development of the higher functions, such as memory, regulation of behaviour and emotions, and language elaboration.Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the cerebral cortex is a promising tool for improving language recovery in patients with post-stroke aphasia.Combined treatment with tDCS and speech and language therapy (SLT) was effective in a patient with subacute thalamic aphasia, who showed improvement in all aspects of linguistic and behavioural communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Campanella
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Riccardo Pedrini
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Lucio Marinelli
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Carlo Trompetto
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Laura Mori
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
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Beaulieu C, Yip E, Low PB, Mädler B, Lebel CA, Siegel L, Mackay AL, Laule C. Myelin Water Imaging Demonstrates Lower Brain Myelination in Children and Adolescents With Poor Reading Ability. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:568395. [PMID: 33192398 PMCID: PMC7596275 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.568395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a means to non-invasively investigate the neurological links with dyslexia, a learning disability that affects one’s ability to read. Most previous brain MRI studies of dyslexia and reading skill have used structural or diffusion imaging to reveal regional brain abnormalities. However, volumetric and diffusion MRI lack specificity in their interpretation at the microstructural level. Myelin is a critical neural component for brain function and plasticity, and as such, deficits in myelin may impact reading ability. MRI can estimate myelin using myelin water fraction (MWF) imaging, which is based on evaluation of the proportion of short T2 myelin-associated water from multi-exponential T2 relaxation analysis, but has not yet been applied to the study of reading or dyslexia. In this study, MWF MRI, intelligence, and reading assessments were acquired in 20 participants aged 10–18 years with a wide range of reading ability to investigate the relationship between reading ability and myelination. Group comparisons showed markedly lower MWF by 16–69% in poor readers relative to good readers in the left and right thalamus, as well as the left posterior limb of the internal capsule, left/right anterior limb of the internal capsule, left/right centrum semiovale, and splenium of the corpus callosum. MWF over the entire group also correlated positively with three different reading scores in the bilateral thalamus as well as white matter, including the splenium of the corpus callosum, left posterior limb of the internal capsule, left anterior limb of the internal capsule, and left centrum semiovale. MWF imaging from T2 relaxation suggests that myelination, particularly in the bilateral thalamus, splenium, and left hemisphere white matter, plays a role in reading abilities. Myelin water imaging thus provides a potentially valuable in vivo imaging tool for the study of dyslexia and its remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Beaulieu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Eugene Yip
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Pauline B Low
- Department of Education and Counseling Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - Linda Siegel
- Department of Education and Counseling Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Alex L Mackay
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Cornelia Laule
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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32
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Koyama MS, Molfese PJ, Milham MP, Mencl WE, Pugh KR. Thalamus is a common locus of reading, arithmetic, and IQ: Analysis of local intrinsic functional properties. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2020; 209:104835. [PMID: 32738503 PMCID: PMC8087146 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies of basic achievement skills - reading and arithmetic - often control for the effect of IQ to identify unique neural correlates of each skill. This may underestimate possible effects of common factors between achievement and IQ measures on neuroimaging results. Here, we simultaneously examined achievement (reading and arithmetic) and IQ measures in young adults, aiming to identify MRI correlates of their common factors. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) data were analyzed using two metrics assessing local intrinsic functional properties; regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional amplitude low frequency fluctuation (fALFF), measuring local intrinsic functional connectivity and intrinsic functional activity, respectively. ReHo highlighted the thalamus/pulvinar (a subcortical region implied for selective attention) as a common locus for both achievement skills and IQ. More specifically, the higher the ReHo values, the lower the achievement and IQ scores. For fALFF, the left superior parietal lobule, part of the dorsal attention network, was positively associated with reading and IQ. Collectively, our results highlight attention-related regions, particularly the thalamus/pulvinar as a key region related to individual differences in performance on all the three measures. ReHo in the thalamus/pulvinar may serve as a tool to examine brain mechanisms underlying a comorbidity of reading and arithmetic difficulties, which could co-occur with weakness in general intellectual abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki S Koyama
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA; Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Peter J Molfese
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA; Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Michael P Milham
- Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute, New York, NY, USA; Center for Biomedical Imagingand Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
| | | | - Kenneth R Pugh
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, New Haven, CT, USA; University of Connecticut, Department of Psychology, Storrs, CT, USA.
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Yao B, Neggers SFW, Kahn RS, Thakkar KN. Altered thalamocortical structural connectivity in persons with schizophrenia and healthy siblings. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 28:102370. [PMID: 32798913 PMCID: PMC7451425 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Thalamo-prefrontal structural connectivity reduced in persons with schizophrenia. Similar reduction in thalamo-prefrontal connectivity in healthy siblings. Thalamo-motor structural connectivity increased in persons with schizophrenia. No alterations in thalamo-motor structural connectivity in healthy siblings.
Schizophrenia has long been framed as a disorder of altered brain connectivity, with dysfunction in thalamocortical circuity potentially playing a key role in the development of the illness phenotype, including psychotic symptomatology and cognitive impairments. There is emerging evidence for functional and structural hypoconnectivity between thalamus and prefrontal cortex in persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, as well as hyperconnectivity between thalamus and sensory and motor cortices. However, it is unclear whether thalamocortical dysconnectivity is a general marker of vulnerability to schizophrenia or a specific mechanism of schizophrenia pathophysiology. This study aimed to answer this question by using diffusion-weighted imaging to examine thalamocortical structural connectivity in 22 persons with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SZ), 20 siblings of individuals with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SIB), and 44 healthy controls (HC) of either sex. Probabilistic tractography was used to quantify structural connectivity between thalamus and six cortical regions of interest. Thalamocortical structural connectivity was compared among the three groups using cross-thalamic and voxel-wise approaches. Thalamo-prefrontal structural connectivity was reduced in both SZ and SIB relative to HC, while SZ and SIB did not differ from each other. Thalamo-motor structural connectivity was increased in SZ relative to SIB and HC, while SIB and HC did not differ from each other. Hemispheric differences also emerged in thalamic connectivity with motor, posterior parietal, and temporal cortices across all groups. The results support the hypothesis that altered thalamo-prefrontal structural connectivity is a general marker of vulnerability to schizophrenia, whereas altered connectivity between thalamus and motor cortex is related to illness expression or illness-related secondary factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beier Yao
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | | | - René S Kahn
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katharine N Thakkar
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA.
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Local and whole-network topologies reveal that pulvinar and semantic hub interactions correlate with picture vocabulary. Neuroreport 2020; 31:590-596. [PMID: 32366811 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Evidence from cognitive neuroscience indicates that subcortical regions, especially the pulvinar region of the thalamus, are involved in semantic processing. In the current study, graph-based methods were used to investigate whether a cortical-subcortical network is involved in vocabulary processing. In addition to traditional resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) analysis between local brain areas, we applied a novel method to validate the interaction between semantic network hubs and the pulvinar. Unlike the traditional rsFC, the new metrics assessed rsFC pattern similarity (rsFCS), which was calculated with a cosine similarity algorithm based on whole-network topological information. We also applied a support vector regression program based on left pulvinar connectivity patterns. A brain-behavior analysis was conducted based on 100 randomly selected unrelated participants from the Human Connectome Project S1200 database. After controlling for the visuospatial and attention test scores, the rsFC between the left middle temporal gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, and left pulvinar was significantly positively correlated with age-adjusted picture vocabulary scores. Similar results were confirmed based on the new rsFCS analysis. The support vector regression procedures also showed a clearly relationship between picture vocabulary scores and left pulvinar-related rsFCs. Our study verified a role for a subcortical-cortical network in vocabulary processing that is based on local and whole-network topologies.
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Yoon HM, Jo Y, Shim WH, Lee JS, Ko TS, Koo JH, Yum MS. Disrupted Functional and Structural Connectivity in Angelman Syndrome. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2020; 41:889-897. [PMID: 32381544 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a6531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE This work investigated alterations in functional connectivity (FC) and associated structures in patients with Angelman syndrome (AS) by using integrated quantitative imaging analysis and connectivity measures. MATERIALS AND METHODS We obtained 3T brain MR imaging, including resting-state functional MR imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, and 3D T1-weighted imaging from children with AS (n = 14) and age- and sex-matched controls (n = 28). The brains of patients with AS were analyzed by measuring FC, white matter microstructural analysis, cortical thickness, and brain volumes; these were compared with brains of controls. RESULTS Interregional FC analysis revealed significantly reduced intra- and interhemispheric FC, especially in the basal ganglia and thalamus, in patients with AS. Significant reductions in fractional anisotropy were found in the corpus callosum, cingulum, posterior limb of the internal capsules, and arcuate fasciculus in patients with AS. Quantitative structural analysis also showed gray matter volume loss of the basal ganglia and diffuse WM volume reduction in AS compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS This integrated quantitative MR imaging analysis demonstrated poor functional and structural connectivity, as well as brain volume reduction, in children with AS, which may explain the motor and language dysfunction observed in this well-characterized neurobehavioral phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- H M Yoon
- From the Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology (H.M.Y., W.H.S., J.S.L., J.H.K.)
| | - Y Jo
- Asan Institute for Life Sciences (Y.J., W.H.S.), Asan Medical Center
| | - W H Shim
- From the Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology (H.M.Y., W.H.S., J.S.L., J.H.K.)
- Asan Institute for Life Sciences (Y.J., W.H.S.), Asan Medical Center
| | - J S Lee
- From the Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology (H.M.Y., W.H.S., J.S.L., J.H.K.)
| | - T S Ko
- Department of Pediatrics (T.S.K., M.S.Y.), Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - J H Koo
- From the Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology (H.M.Y., W.H.S., J.S.L., J.H.K.)
| | - M S Yum
- Department of Pediatrics (T.S.K., M.S.Y.), Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
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36
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The Supplementary Motor Area Responsible for Word Retrieval Decline After Acute Thalamic Stroke Revealed by Coupled SPECT and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10040247. [PMID: 32331319 PMCID: PMC7226437 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10040247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Damage to the thalamus may affect cognition and language, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In particular, it remains a riddle why thalamic aphasia occasionally occurs and then mostly recovers to some degree. To explore the mechanism of the affected cognition and language, we used two neuroimaging techniques—single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), suitable for viewing the affected brain distribution after acute thalamic stroke, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (f-NIRS), focusing on hemodynamic responses of the supplementary motor area (SMA) responsible for speech production in conjunction with the frontal aslant tract (FAT) pathway. SPECT yielded common perfusion abnormalities not only in the fronto–parieto–cerebellar loop, but also in the SMA, IFG and surrounding language-relevant regions. In NIRS sessions during a phonemic verbal fluency task, we found significant word retrieval decline in acute thalamic patients relative to age-matched healthy volunteers. Further, NIRS showed strong correlation between word retrieval and posterior SMA responses. In addition, follow-up NIRS exhibited increased bilateral SMA responses linked to improving word retrieval ability. The findings suggest that cognitive dysfunction may be related to the fronto–parieto–cerebellar loop, while language dysfunction is attributed to the SMA, IFG and language-related brain areas. SMA may contribute to the recovery of word retrieval difficulty and aphasia after thalamic stroke.
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37
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Brandel MG, Lee RR, U HS. Transient Aphasia Following Resection of a Thalamic Cavernous Malformation. World Neurosurg 2020; 136:390-393.e3. [PMID: 32004743 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2020.01.156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The thalamus has a demonstrated role in language, particularly through its connectivity to frontal language cortices. CASE DESCRIPTION A 59-year-old man with transient mixed aphasia following resection of a left-sided thalamic cavernous malformation is reported. No operative complications were encountered, and there was no surgical contact with cortical language areas. The patient recovered full language function within a week postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS The role of thalamic nuclei in language processes and other reports of transient thalamic aphasia are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Brandel
- Department of Neurosurgery, Veterans Administration Healthcare System, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA.
| | - Roland R Lee
- Department of Radiology, Veterans Administration Healthcare System, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Hoi Sang U
- Department of Neurosurgery, Veterans Administration Healthcare System, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
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38
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Thalamic aphasia secondary to glioblastoma multiforme. J Clin Neurosci 2020; 74:234-238. [PMID: 31973919 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2020.01.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thalamic aphasia is an unusual clinical presentation of brain neoplasm with few cases reported. Herein, we present a case of an adult woman with thalamic aphasia due to glioblastoma of the thalamus. CASE PRESENTATION A 57-year-old female patient presented with difficulty walking, slow speech and cognition and altered mental status. At baseline, she was conversant and interactive. Physical examination showed right hemiparesis in addition to word finding difficulties, an impaired naming of objects and semantic paraphasia but preserved repetition and comprehension. The remaining neurological exam was otherwise unremarkable. Brain CT and brain MRI scans showed a left thalamic lesion that is centrally necrotic and peripherally enhancing suggestive of a high-grade neoplasm. Eventually, histopathological examination of brain biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme. Thalamic aphasia was proposed as an explanation for the neurological symptoms observed in this patient. CONCLUSIONS This patient demonstrates an unusual presentation of glioblastoma multiforme as thalamic aphasia. It may also point to the potential contribution of the understanding of how thalamic aphasia evolves to characterize the role of the thalamus in language functions.
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39
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Hansen SJ, McMahon KL, de Zubicaray GI. The neurobiology of taboo language processing: fMRI evidence during spoken word production. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:271-279. [PMID: 30715549 PMCID: PMC6399611 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Every language has words deemed to be socially inappropriate or ‘taboo’ to utter. Taboo word production appears prominently in language disorders following brain injury. Yet, we know little about the cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in processing taboo compared to neutral language. In the present study, we introduced taboo distractor words in the picture word interference paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate how these words influence spoken word production. Taboo distractor words significantly slowed picture-naming latencies compared to neutral words. This interference effect was associated with increased blood oxygen level dependent signal across a distributed thalamo-cortical network including bilateral anterior cingulate cortex and left inferior frontal gyrus, left posterior middle temporal gyrus and right thalamus. We interpret our findings as being consistent with an account integrating both domain-general attention-capture/distractor blocking and language-specific mechanisms in processing taboo words during spoken word production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Hansen
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Katie L McMahon
- Herston Imaging Research Facility and School of Clinical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Faculty of Health, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Greig I de Zubicaray
- Faculty of Health, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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40
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Esmaeeli S, Murphy K, Swords GM, Ibrahim BA, Brown JW, Llano DA. Visual hallucinations, thalamocortical physiology and Lewy body disease: A review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 103:337-351. [PMID: 31195000 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
One of the core diagnostic criteria for Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is the presence of visual hallucinations. The presence of hallucinations, along with fluctuations in the level of arousal and sleep disturbance, point to potential pathological mechanisms at the level of the thalamus. However, the potential role of thalamic dysfunction in DLB, particularly as it relates to the presence of formed visual hallucinations is not known. Here, we review the literature on the pathophysiology of DLB with respect to modern theories of thalamocortical function and attempt to derive an understanding of how such hallucinations arise. Based on the available literature, we propose that combined thalamic-thalamic reticular nucleus and thalamocortical pathology may explain the phenomenology of visual hallucinations in DLB. In particular, diminished α7 cholinergic activity in the thalamic reticular nucleus may critically disinhibit thalamocortical activity. Further, concentrated pathological changes within the posterior regions of the thalamus may explain the predilection for the hallucinations to be visual in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shooka Esmaeeli
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Kathleen Murphy
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Gabriel M Swords
- University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Baher A Ibrahim
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Jeffrey W Brown
- University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Daniel A Llano
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States; Carle Neuroscience Institute, Urbana, IL, United States.
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41
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Caplan R. Epilepsy, language, and social skills. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 193:18-30. [PMID: 28987707 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2017.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2015] [Revised: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/27/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Language and social skills are essential for intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning and quality of life. Since epilepsy impacts these important domains of individuals' functioning, understanding the psychosocial and biological factors involved in the relationship among epilepsy, language, and social skills has important theoretical and clinical implications. This review first describes the psychosocial and biological factors involved in the association between language and social behavior in children and in adults and their relevance for epilepsy. It reviews the findings of studies of social skills and the few studies conducted on the inter-relationship of language and social skills in pediatric and adult epilepsy. The paper concludes with suggested future research and clinical directions that will enhance early identification and treatment of epilepsy patients at risk for impaired language and social skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rochelle Caplan
- UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, United States.
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42
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Redefining bilingualism as a spectrum of experiences that differentially affects brain structure and function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:7565-7574. [PMID: 30914463 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1811513116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning and using an additional language is shown to have an impact on the structure and function of the brain, including in regions involved in cognitive control and the connections between them. However, the available evidence remains variable in terms of the localization, extent, and trajectory of these effects. Variability likely stems from the fact that bilingualism has been routinely operationalized as a categorical variable (bilingual/monolingual), whereas it is a complex and dynamic experience with a number of potentially deterministic factors affecting neural plasticity. Here we present a study investigating the combined effects of experience-based factors (EBFs) in bilingual language use on brain structure and functional connectivity. EBFs include an array of measures of everyday usage of a second language in different types of immersive settings (e.g., amount of use in social settings). Analyses reveal specific adaptations in the brain, both structural and functional, correlated to individual EBFs and their combined effects. Taken together, the data show that the brain adapts to be maximally efficient in the processing and control of two languages, although modulated ultimately by individual language experience.
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43
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Li MG, Chen YY, Chen ZY, Feng J, Liu MY, Lou X, Shu SY, Wang ZF, Ma L. Altered functional connectivity of the marginal division in Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment: A pilot resting-state fMRI study. J Magn Reson Imaging 2019; 50:183-192. [PMID: 30644620 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.26548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The marginal division (MrD) is an important subcortical center involved in learning and memory. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is commonly seen in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), but the neurobiological basis is yet to be elucidated. PURPOSE To use resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to explore the altered functional connectivity (FC) of the MrD in patients with PD-MCI. STUDY TYPE Prospective pilot study. POPULATION Twenty-five patients with PD-MCI; 25 PD patients and no cognitive impairment (PD-NCI); and 25 healthy control (HC) participants. SEQUENCE 3.0 T GE Healthcare MRI scanner; three-dimensional T1 -weighted fast spoiled gradient recalled echo (3D T1 -FSPGR); rs-fMRI. ASSESSMENT The MrD was defined using manual delineation, which was the seed point to compute the FC to examine correlations between low-frequency fMRI signal fluctuations in MrD and the whole brain. STATISTICAL TESTS Between-group comparisons of the rs-fMRI data were computed using two-sample t-tests in a voxelwise manner after controlling for age and sex, to determine the brain regions that showed significant differences in FC with the bilateral MrDs. Correlation analyses were performed for FC values and cognitive abilities in patients with PD. RESULTS In the PD-MCI group, compared with the PD-NCI group, we observed lesser FC between the MrD bilaterally and right putamen, left insula, left cerebellum, and left thalamus; greater FC between the MrD bilaterally and left middle cingulate cortex, left middle frontal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, left supplementary motor area, and left middle/inferior occipital gyrus. Moreover, the strength of FC between the MrD and regions that showed differences between the PD-MCI and PD-NCI groups was significantly correlated with neuropsychological scores in patients with PD. DATA CONCLUSION The current study suggests that MrD dysfunction may contribute to MCI in PD. However, the mechanisms underlying this process require further investigation. Level of Evidence 1. Technical Efficacy Stage 2. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:183-192.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Ge Li
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, P.R. China.,Department of Radiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | | | - Zhi-Ye Chen
- Department of Radiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Jie Feng
- Department of Radiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Meng-Yu Liu
- Department of Radiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Xin Lou
- Department of Radiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Si-Yun Shu
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Zhen-Fu Wang
- Department of Neurology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Lin Ma
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, P.R. China.,Department of Radiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
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Abou-Ghazaleh A, Khateb A, Nevat M. Lexical Competition between Spoken and Literary Arabic: A New Look into the Neural Basis of Diglossia Using fMRI. Neuroscience 2018; 393:83-96. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.09.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 09/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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45
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46
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Zhang Y, Wang K, Yue C, Mo N, Wu D, Wen X, Qiu J. The motor features of action verbs: fMRI evidence using picture naming. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2018; 179:22-32. [PMID: 29501856 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 12/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The processing disadvantage of verbs compared to nouns and the greater vulnerability of verbs in brain damage have been ascribed to greater processing demands of morpho-syntactical or/and semantic properties for verbs, or/and visual complexity in picture-naming studies. Using picture naming, the current functional magnetic resonance imaging study examined the neural substrates underlying the semantic distinction between nouns and verbs. Under forced (externally-elicited) or free (internally-motivated) conditions, participants named a set of pictorial stimuli as objects or actions performed on/with the objects in Chinese. Use of a language with impoverished inflectional morphology (i.e., Chinese) and the same set of pictures for naming objects and actions allows for the control of both morpho-syntactical and visual confounds. The results revealed specific neural correlates for action verbs in the cortical-subcortical motor system, irrespective of the naming conditions. Plausible accounts for the motor aspects of action-verb processing were interpreted basically on a semantic basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Zhang
- School of Foreign Languages, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing 401120, China; College of International Studies, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Center for Legal Language, Culture and Translation Studies, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing 401120, China
| | - Kangcheng Wang
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality of Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Chang Yue
- School of Foreign Languages, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing 401120, China
| | - Nina Mo
- Research Center for Language, Cognition and Language Application, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Deping Wu
- Graduate School, Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing 400031, China
| | - Xu Wen
- College of International Studies, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
| | - Jiang Qiu
- School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality of Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
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Exploring the role of subcortical structures in developmental reading impairments: evidence for subgroups differentiated by caudate activity. Neuroreport 2018; 29:271-279. [PMID: 29293169 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000000938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Although the role of cortical structures in skilled and impaired reading has been the topic of considerable investigation, the contribution of subcortical structures to reading performance is less well understood. Here, we assess the role of the caudate, putamen, and thalamus in adults with and without reading impairment. Thirty-three individuals (19 skilled readers and 14 reading impaired individuals) participated in two functional MRI tasks: (a) silent reading of real words and (b) silent reading of nonwords. Percent signal change was calculated for each of the three structures by evaluating the signal change relative to the baseline (i.e. no task or fixation crosses), and response time was measured for each reading condition. We found that for skilled readers, activity in the putamen predicted behavioral performance for both real words and nonwords. In contrast, we found evidence for two subgroups of impaired readers: a positive caudate activity group and a negative caudate activity group. Interestingly, brain activity differentially predicted reading performance depending on whether individuals had positive or negative caudate activity. We discuss our findings in the context of developmental reading impairments, print-to-speech networks, and language processing in general.
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Sebastian R, Long C, Purcell JJ, Faria AV, Lindquist M, Jarso S, Race D, Davis C, Posner J, Wright A, Hillis AE. Imaging network level language recovery after left PCA stroke. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2018; 34:473-89. [PMID: 27176918 PMCID: PMC5003759 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-150621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Purpose: The neural mechanisms that support aphasia recovery are not yet fully understood. Our goal was to evaluate longitudinal changes in naming recovery in participants with posterior cerebral artery (PCA) stroke using a case-by-case analysis. Methods: Using task based and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and detailed language testing, we longitudinally studied the recovery of the naming network in four participants with PCA stroke with naming deficits at the acute (0 week), sub acute (3–5 weeks), and chronic time point (5–7 months) post stroke. Behavioral and imaging analyses (task related and resting state functional connectivity) were carried out to elucidate longitudinal changes in naming recovery. Results: Behavioral and imaging analysis revealed that an improvement in naming accuracy from the acute to the chronic stage was reflected by increased connectivity within and between left and right hemisphere “language” regions. One participant who had persistent moderate naming deficit showed weak and decreasing connectivity longitudinally within and between left and right hemisphere language regions. Conclusions: These findings emphasize a network view of aphasia recovery, and show that the degree of inter- and intra- hemispheric balance between the language-specific regions is necessary for optimal recovery of naming, at least in participants with PCA stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajani Sebastian
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Charltien Long
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jeremy J Purcell
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andreia V Faria
- Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Martin Lindquist
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Samson Jarso
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - David Race
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Cameron Davis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joseph Posner
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Amy Wright
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Argye E Hillis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Responses to Predictable versus Random Temporally Complex Stimuli from Single Units in Auditory Thalamus: Impact of Aging and Anesthesia. J Neurosci 2017; 36:10696-10706. [PMID: 27733619 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1454-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 08/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human aging studies suggest that an increased use of top-down knowledge-based resources would compensate for degraded upstream acoustic information to accurately identify important temporally rich signals. Sinusoidal amplitude-modulated (SAM) stimuli have been used to mimic the fast-changing temporal features in speech and species-specific vocalizations. Single units were recorded from auditory thalamus [medial geniculate body (MGB)] of young awake, aged awake, young anesthetized, and aged anesthetized rats. SAM stimuli were modulated between 2 and 1024 Hz with the modulation frequency (fm) changed randomly (RAN) across trials or sequentially (SEQ) after several repeated trials. Units were found to be RAN-preferring, SEQ-preferring, or nonselective based on total firing rate. Significant anesthesia and age effects were found. The majority (86%) of young anesthetized units preferred RAN SAM stimuli; significantly fewer young awake units (51%, p < 0.0001) preferred RAN SAM signals with 16% preferring SEQ SAM. Compared with young awake units, there was a significant increase of aged awake units preferring SEQ SAM (30%, p < 0.05). We examined RAN versus SEQ differences across fms by measuring selective fm areas under the rate modulation transfer function curve. The largest age-related differences from awake animals were found for mid-to-high fms in MGB units, with young units preferring RAN SAM while aged units showed a greater preference for SEQ-presented SAM. Together, these findings suggest that aged MGB units/animals employ increased top-down mediated stimulus context to enhance processing of "expected" temporally rich stimuli, especially at more challenging higher fms. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Older individuals compensate for impaired ascending acoustic information by increasing use of cortical cognitive and attentional resources. The interplay between ascending and descending influences in the thalamus may serve to enhance the salience of speech signals that are degraded as they ascend to the cortex. The present findings demonstrate that medial geniculate body units from awake rats show an age-related preference for predictable modulated signals relative to randomly presented signals, especially at higher, more challenging modulation frequencies. Conversely, units from anesthetized animals, with little top-down influences, strongly preferred randomly presented modulated sequences. These results suggest a neuronal substrate for an age-related increase in experience/attentional-based influences in processing temporally complex auditory information in the auditory thalamus.
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Blumenthal-Dramé A, Glauche V, Bormann T, Weiller C, Musso M, Kortmann B. Frequency and Chunking in Derived Words: A Parametric fMRI Study. J Cogn Neurosci 2017; 29:1162-1177. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In usage-based linguistic theories, the assumption that high-frequency language strings are mentally represented as unitary chunks has been invoked to account for a wide range of phenomena. However, neurocognitive evidence in support of this assumption is still lacking. In line with Gestalt psychological assumptions, we propose that a language string qualifies as a chunk if the following two conditions are simultaneously satisfied: The perception of the whole string does not involve strong activation of its individual component parts, but the component parts in isolation strongly evoke the whole. Against this background, we explore the relationship between different frequency metrics and the chunk status of derived words (e.g., “government,” “worthless”) in a masked visual priming experiment with two conditions of interest. One condition investigates “whole-to-part” priming (worthless–WORTH), whereas the other one analyzes “part-to-whole” priming (tear–TEARLESS). Both conditions combine mixed-effects regression analyses of lexical decision RTs with a parametric fMRI design. Relative frequency (the frequency of the whole word relative to that of its onset-embedded part) emerges as the only frequency metric to correlate with chunk status in behavioral terms. The fMRI results show that relative frequency modulates activity in regions that have been related to morphological (de)composition or general task performance difficulty (notably left inferior frontal areas) and in regions associated with competition between whole, undecomposed words (right inferior frontal areas). We conclude that relative frequency affects early stages of processing, thereby supporting the usage-based concept of frequency-induced chunks.
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