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Levakov G, Sporns O, Avidan G. Fine-scale dynamics of functional connectivity in the face-processing network during movie watching. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112585. [PMID: 37285265 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112585] [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: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Mapping the human face-processing network is typically done during rest or using isolated, static face images, overlooking widespread cortical interactions obtained in response to naturalistic face dynamics and context. To determine how inter-subject functional correlation (ISFC) relates to face recognition scores, we measure cortical connectivity patterns in response to a dynamic movie in typical adults (N = 517). We find a positive correlation with recognition scores in edges connecting the occipital visual and anterior temporal regions and a negative correlation in edges connecting the attentional dorsal, frontal default, and occipital visual regions. We measure the inter-subject stimulus-evoked response at a single TR resolution and demonstrate that co-fluctuations in face-selective edges are related to activity in core face-selective regions and that the ISFC patterns peak during boundaries between movie segments rather than during the presence of faces. Our approach demonstrates how face processing is linked to fine-scale dynamics in attentional, memory, and perceptual neural circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gidon Levakov
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
| | - Olaf Sporns
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Galia Avidan
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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2
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Han X, Zhu Z, Luan J, Lv P, Xin X, Zhang X, Shmuel A, Yao Z, Ma G, Zhang B. Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and their underlying neural mechanisms evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging-based brain connectivity network analyses. Eur J Radiol Open 2023; 10:100495. [PMID: 37396489 PMCID: PMC10311181 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejro.2023.100495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive brain modulation and rehabilitation technique used in patients with neuropsychiatric diseases. rTMS can structurally remodel or functionally induce activities of specific cortical regions and has developed to an important therapeutic method in such patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides brain data that can be used as an explanation tool for the neural mechanisms underlying rTMS effects; brain alterations related to different functions or structures may be reflected in changes in the interaction and influence of brain connections within intrinsic specific networks. In this review, we discuss the technical details of rTMS and the biological interpretation of brain networks identified with MRI analyses, comprehensively summarize the neurobiological effects in rTMS-modulated individuals, and elaborate on changes in the brain network in patients with various neuropsychiatric diseases receiving rehabilitation treatment with rTMS. We conclude that brain connectivity network analysis based on MRI can reflect alterations in functional and structural connectivity networks comprising adjacent and separated brain regions related to stimulation sites, thus reflecting the occurrence of intrinsic functional integration and neuroplasticity. Therefore, MRI is a valuable tool for understanding the neural mechanisms of rTMS and practically tailoring treatment plans for patients with neuropsychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Han
- Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, China
- Medical Imaging Center, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
- Nanjing University Institute of Medical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence, Nanjing University, China
| | - Zhengyang Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, China
- Medical Imaging Center, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
- Nanjing University Institute of Medical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence, Nanjing University, China
| | - Jixin Luan
- China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, China
| | - Pin Lv
- Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, China
- Medical Imaging Center, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
- Nanjing University Institute of Medical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence, Nanjing University, China
| | - Xiaoyan Xin
- Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, China
- Medical Imaging Center, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
- Nanjing University Institute of Medical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence, Nanjing University, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, China
- Medical Imaging Center, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
- Nanjing University Institute of Medical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence, Nanjing University, China
| | - Amir Shmuel
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Canada
| | - Zeshan Yao
- Biomedical Engineering Institute, Jingjinji National Center of Technology Innovation, China
| | - Guolin Ma
- Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, China
| | - Bing Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, China
- Medical Imaging Center, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China
- Nanjing University Institute of Medical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence, Nanjing University, China
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3
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Chen X, Sorenson E, Hwang K. Thalamocortical contributions to working memory processes during the n-back task. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 197:107701. [PMID: 36435360 PMCID: PMC9805524 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107701] [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: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Working memory allows individuals to temporally maintain and manipulate information that is no longer accessible from the sensorium. Whereas prior studies have detailed frontoparietal contributions to working memory processes, less emphasis has been placed on subcortical regions, in particular the human thalamus. The thalamus has a complex anatomy that consists of several distinct nuclei, many of which have dense anatomical connectivity with frontoparietal regions, and thus might play an important yet underspecified role for working memory. The goal of our study is to characterize the detailed functional neuroanatomy of the human thalamus and thalamocortical interactions during the n-back task. To that end, we analyzed an n-back fMRI dataset consisting of 395 subjects from the Human Connectome Project (HCP). We found that thalamic nuclei in the anterior, medial, ventral lateral, and posterior medial thalamus showed stronger evoked responses in response to higher working memory load. Activity in most thalamic nuclei were only modulated by working memory load, but not by categorical membership of the memorized stimuli, suggesting that thalamic function supports domain-general processing for working memory. To determine whether thalamocortical interactions contribute to cortical activity for working memory, we employed an activity flow mapping analysis to test whether thalamocortical interactions can predict cortical task activity patterns. In support, this data-driven thalamocortical interaction model explained a significant amount of variance in the observed cortical activity patterns modulated by working memory load. Our results suggest that the anterior, medial, and posterior medial thalamus, and their associated thalamocortical interactions, contribute to the modulations of distributed cortical activity during working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xitong Chen
- Cognitive Control Collaborative, The University of Iowa, 340 Iowa Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242-1407, United States; Department of Psychological and Brain Science, The University of Iowa, 340 Iowa Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242-1407, United States; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, 169 Newton Road, 2312, Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
| | - Evan Sorenson
- Cognitive Control Collaborative, The University of Iowa, 340 Iowa Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242-1407, United States; Department of Psychological and Brain Science, The University of Iowa, 340 Iowa Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242-1407, United States; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, 169 Newton Road, 2312, Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Kai Hwang
- Cognitive Control Collaborative, The University of Iowa, 340 Iowa Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242-1407, United States; Department of Psychological and Brain Science, The University of Iowa, 340 Iowa Ave, Iowa City, IA 52242-1407, United States; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, 169 Newton Road, 2312, Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
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Hwang K, Shine JM, Cole MW, Sorenson E. Thalamocortical contributions to cognitive task activity. eLife 2022; 11:e81282. [PMID: 36537658 PMCID: PMC9799971 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Thalamocortical interaction is a ubiquitous functional motif in the mammalian brain. Previously (Hwang et al., 2021), we reported that lesions to network hubs in the human thalamus are associated with multi-domain behavioral impairments in language, memory, and executive functions. Here, we show how task-evoked thalamic activity is organized to support these broad cognitive abilities. We analyzed functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from human subjects that performed 127 tasks encompassing a broad range of cognitive representations. We first investigated the spatial organization of task-evoked activity and found a basis set of activity patterns evoked to support processing needs of each task. Specifically, the anterior, medial, and posterior-medial thalamus exhibit hub-like activity profiles that are suggestive of broad functional participation. These thalamic task hubs overlapped with network hubs interlinking cortical systems. To further determine the cognitive relevance of thalamic activity and thalamocortical functional connectivity, we built a data-driven thalamocortical model to test whether thalamic activity can be used to predict cortical task activity. The thalamocortical model predicted task-specific cortical activity patterns, and outperformed comparison models built on cortical, hippocampal, and striatal regions. Simulated lesions to low-dimensional, multi-task thalamic hub regions impaired task activity prediction. This simulation result was further supported by profiles of neuropsychological impairments in human patients with focal thalamic lesions. In summary, our results suggest a general organizational principle of how the human thalamocortical system supports cognitive task activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Hwang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of IowaIowa CityUnited States
- Cognitive Control Collaborative, University of IowaIowa CityUnited States
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of IowaIowa CityUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of IowaIowa CityUnited States
| | - James M Shine
- Brain and Mind Center, University of SydneySydneyAustralia
| | - Michael W Cole
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-NewarkNewarkUnited States
| | - Evan Sorenson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of IowaIowa CityUnited States
- Cognitive Control Collaborative, University of IowaIowa CityUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of IowaIowa CityUnited States
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Ou Y, Dai P, Zhou X, Xiong T, Li Y, Chen Z, Zou B. A strategy of model space search for dynamic causal modeling in task fMRI data exploratory analysis. Phys Eng Sci Med 2022; 45:867-882. [PMID: 35849323 DOI: 10.1007/s13246-022-01156-w] [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: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Dynamic causal modeling (DCM) is a tool used for effective connectivity (EC) estimation in neuroimage analysis. But it is a model-driven analysis method, and the structure of the EC network needs to be determined in advance based on a large amount of prior knowledge. This characteristic makes it difficult to apply DCM to the exploratory brain network analysis. The exploratory analysis of DCM can be realized from two perspectives: one is to reduce the computational cost of the model; the other is to reduce the model space. From the perspective of model space reduction, a model space exploration strategy is proposed, including two algorithms. One algorithm, named GreedyEC, starts with reducing EC from full model, and the other, named GreedyROI, start with adding EC from one node model. Then the two algorithms were applied to the task state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of visual object recognition and selected the best DCM model from the perspective of model comparison based on Bayesian model compare method. Results show that combining the results of the two algorithms can further improve the effect of DCM exploratory analysis. For convenience in application, the algorithms were encapsulated into MATLAB function based on SPM to help neuroscience researchers to analyze the brain causal information flow network. The strategy provides a model space exploration tool that may obtain the best model from the perspective of model comparison and lower the threshold of DCM analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilin Ou
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
| | - Peishan Dai
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Machine Vision and Intelligent Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
| | - Xiaoyan Zhou
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
| | - Tong Xiong
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
| | - Yang Li
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Machine Vision and Intelligent Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
| | - Zailiang Chen
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Machine Vision and Intelligent Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
| | - Beiji Zou
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center of Machine Vision and Intelligent Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
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6
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Yang Z, Sheng X, Qin R, Chen H, Shao P, Xu H, Yao W, Zhao H, Xu Y, Bai F. Cognitive Improvement via Left Angular Gyrus-Navigated Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Inducing the Neuroplasticity of Thalamic System in Amnesic Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients. J Alzheimers Dis 2022; 86:537-551. [PMID: 35068464 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Background: Stimulating superficial brain regions highly associated with the hippocampus by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may improve memory of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) spectrum patients. Objective: We recruited 16 amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and 6 AD patients in the study. All the patients were stimulated to the left angular gyrus, which was confirmed a strong link to the hippocampus through neuroimaging studies, by the neuro-navigated rTMS for four weeks. Methods: Automated fiber quantification using diffusion tensor imaging metrics and graph theory analysis on functional network were employed to detect the neuroplasticity of brain networks. Results: After neuro-navigated rTMS intervention, the episodic memory of aMCI patients and Montreal Cognitive Assessment score of two groups were significantly improved. Increased FA values of right anterior thalamic radiation among aMCI patients, while decreased functional network properties of thalamus subregions were observed, whereas similar changes not found in AD patients. It is worth noting that the improvement of cognition was associated with the neuroplasticity of thalamic system. Conclusion: We speculated that the rTMS intervention targeting left angular gyrus may be served as a strategy to improve cognitive impairment at the early stage of AD patients, supporting by the neuroplasticity of thalamic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyuan Yang
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoning Sheng
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ruomeng Qin
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Stroke Center for Diagnosis and Therapy, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Neuropsychiatry Clinic Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Haifeng Chen
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Stroke Center for Diagnosis and Therapy, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Neuropsychiatry Clinic Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Pengfei Shao
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hengheng Xu
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Weina Yao
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Hui Zhao
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Stroke Center for Diagnosis and Therapy, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Neuropsychiatry Clinic Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Yun Xu
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Stroke Center for Diagnosis and Therapy, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Neuropsychiatry Clinic Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Feng Bai
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Stroke Center for Diagnosis and Therapy, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Neuropsychiatry Clinic Medical Center, Nanjing, China
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Focal neural perturbations reshape low-dimensional trajectories of brain activity supporting cognitive performance. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4. [PMID: 35013147 PMCID: PMC8749005 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26978-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of distributed patterns of neural activity supporting brain functions and behavior can be understood by study of the brain's low-dimensional topology. Functional neuroimaging demonstrates that brain activity linked to adaptive behavior is constrained to low-dimensional manifolds. In human participants, we tested whether these low-dimensional constraints preserve working memory performance following local neuronal perturbations. We combined multi-session functional magnetic resonance imaging, non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and methods translated from the fields of complex systems and computational biology to assess the functional link between changes in local neural activity and the reshaping of task-related low dimensional trajectories of brain activity. We show that specific reconfigurations of low-dimensional trajectories of brain activity sustain effective working memory performance following TMS manipulation of local activity on, but not off, the space traversed by these trajectories. We highlight an association between the multi-scale changes in brain activity underpinning cognitive function.
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Response of multiple demand network to visual search demands. Neuroimage 2021; 229:117755. [PMID: 33454402 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies for human participants have shown that the activity in the multiple-demand (MD) network is associated with various kinds of cognitive demand. However, surprisingly, it remains unclear how this MD network is related to a core component of cognition, the process of searching for a target among distractors. This was because previous neuroimaging studies of visual search were confounded by task difficulty or time on task. To circumvent these limitations, we examined human brain activity while participants perform two different visual search tasks. The performance of a task was limited by increased attentional demand, while the other task was primarily limited by poor quality of input data or neural noise. Throughout the MD network, increased activity and strengthened functional connectivity among the MD regions were observed under the search task recruiting capacity-limited attentional resources. The present findings provide unequivocal evidence that the MD network mediates visual search, as well as other capacity-limited cognitive processes.
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