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Lv Q, Wang X, Lin P, Wang X. Neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging in the study of mental disorder: A systematic review. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2024; 339:111785. [PMID: 38325165 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2024.111785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Dopamine and norepinephrine are implicated in the pathophysiology of mental disorders, but non-invasive study of their neuronal function remains challenging. Recent research suggests that neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (NM-MRI) techniques may overcome this limitation by enabling the non-invasive imaging of the substantia nigra (SN)/ ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic and locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic systems. A review of 19 studies that met the criteria for NM-MRI application in mental disorders found that despite the use of heterogeneous sequence parameters and metrics, nearly all studies reported differences in contrast ratio (CNR) of LC or SN/VTA between patients with mental disorders and healthy controls. These findings suggest that NM-MRI is a valuable tool in psychiatry, but the differences in sequence parameters across studies hinder comparability, and a standardized analysis pipeline is needed to improve the reliability of results. Further research using standardized methods is needed to better understand the role of dopamine and norepinephrine in mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyu Lv
- Department of Psychology and Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China; Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China
| | - Xuanyi Wang
- Department of Psychology and Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China; Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China
| | - Pan Lin
- Department of Psychology and Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China; Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China
| | - Xiang Wang
- Medical Psychological Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, PR China.; China National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Xiangya), Changsha, Hunan, PR China..
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2
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Pagliaccio D, Wengler K, Durham K, Fontaine M, Rueppel M, Becker H, Bilek E, Pieper S, Risdon C, Horga G, Fitzgerald KD, Marsh R. Probing midbrain dopamine function in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder via neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:3075-3082. [PMID: 37198261 PMCID: PMC10189717 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02105-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an impairing psychiatric condition, which often onsets in childhood. Growing research highlights dopaminergic alterations in adult OCD, yet pediatric studies are limited by methodological constraints. This is the first study to utilize neuromelanin-sensitive MRI as a proxy for dopaminergic function among children with OCD. N = 135 youth (6-14-year-olds) completed high-resolution neuromelanin-sensitive MRI across two sites; n = 64 had an OCD diagnosis. N = 47 children with OCD completed a second scan after cognitive-behavioral therapy. Voxel-wise analyses identified that neuromelanin-MRI signal was higher among children with OCD compared to those without (483 voxels, permutation-corrected p = 0.018). Effects were significant within both the substania nigra pars compacta (p = 0.004, Cohen's d = 0.51) and ventral tegmental area (p = 0.006, d = 0.50). Follow-up analyses indicated that more severe lifetime symptoms (t = -2.72, p = 0.009) and longer illness duration (t = -2.22, p = 0.03) related to lower neuromelanin-MRI signal. Despite significant symptom reduction with therapy (p < 0.001, d = 1.44), neither baseline nor change in neuromelanin-MRI signal associated with symptom improvement. Current results provide the first demonstration of the utility of neuromelanin-MRI in pediatric psychiatry, specifically highlighting in vivo evidence for midbrain dopamine alterations in treatment-seeking youth with OCD. Neuromelanin-MRI likely indexes accumulating alterations over time, herein, implicating dopamine hyperactivity in OCD. Given evidence of increased neuromelanin signal in pediatric OCD but negative association with symptom severity, additional work is needed to parse potential longitudinal or compensatory mechanisms. Future studies should explore the utility of neuromelanin-MRI biomarkers to identify early risk prior to onset, parse OCD subtypes or symptom heterogeneity, and explore prediction of pharmacotherapy response.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Pagliaccio
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Kenneth Wengler
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katherine Durham
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Martine Fontaine
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Meryl Rueppel
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hannah Becker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Emily Bilek
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sarah Pieper
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Caroline Risdon
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Guillermo Horga
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kate D Fitzgerald
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rachel Marsh
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
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3
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Lu C, Zhu X, Feng Y, Ao W, Li J, Gao Z, Luo H, Chen M, Cai F, Zhan S, Li H, Sun W, Hu J. Atypical antipsychotics antagonize GABA A receptors in the ventral tegmental area GABA neurons to relieve psychotic behaviors. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2107-2121. [PMID: 36754983 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01982-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Psychosis is an abnormal mental condition that can cause patients to lose contact with reality. It is a common symptom of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, sleep deprivation, and other mental disorders. Clinically, antipsychotic medications, such as olanzapine and clozapine, are very effective in treatment for psychosis. To investigate the neural circuit mechanism that is affected by antipsychotics and identify more selective therapeutic targets, we employed a strategy by using these effective antipsychotics to identify antipsychotic neural substrates. We observed that local injection of antipsychotics into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) could reverse the sensorimotor gating defects induced by MK-801 injection in mice. Using in vivo fiber photometry, electrophysiological techniques, and chemogenetics, we found that antipsychotics could activate VTA gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons by blocking GABAA receptors. Moreover, we found that the VTAGABA nucleus accumbens (NAc) projection was crucially involved in such antipsychotic effects. In summary, our study identifies a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of psychosis and underscores the utility of a 'bedside-to-bench' approach for identifying neural circuits that influence psychotic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Lu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 201210, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaona Zhu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 201210, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yifan Feng
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 201210, Shanghai, China
| | - Weizhen Ao
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 201210, Shanghai, China
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, 201210, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Li
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 200030, Shanghai, China
| | - Zilong Gao
- School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, 310024, Hangzhou, China
| | - Huoqing Luo
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 201210, Shanghai, China
| | - Ming Chen
- Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, 200032, Shanghai, China
| | - Fang Cai
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 201210, Shanghai, China
| | - Shulu Zhan
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 201210, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongxia Li
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 200025, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenzhi Sun
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, 102206, Beijing, China.
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, 100069, Beijing, China.
| | - Ji Hu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 201210, Shanghai, China.
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4
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van Hooijdonk CFM, van der Pluijm M, Bosch I, van Amelsvoort TAMJ, Booij J, de Haan L, Selten JP, Giessen EVD. The substantia nigra in the pathology of schizophrenia: A review on post-mortem and molecular imaging findings. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2023; 68:57-77. [PMID: 36640734 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2022.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Dysregulation of striatal dopamine is considered to be an important driver of pathophysiological processes in schizophrenia. Despite being one of the main origins of dopaminergic input to the striatum, the (dys)functioning of the substantia nigra (SN) has been relatively understudied in schizophrenia. Hence, this paper aims to review different molecular aspects of nigral functioning in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls by integrating post-mortem and molecular imaging studies. We found evidence for hyperdopaminergic functioning in the SN of patients with schizophrenia (i.e. increased AADC activity in antipsychotic-free/-naïve patients and elevated neuromelanin accumulation). Reduced GABAergic inhibition (i.e. decreased density of GABAergic synapses, lower VGAT mRNA levels and lower mRNA levels for GABAA receptor subunits), excessive glutamatergic excitation (i.e. increased NR1 and Glur5 mRNA levels and a reduced number of astrocytes), and several other disturbances implicating the SN (i.e. immune functioning and copper concentrations) could potentially underlie this nigral hyperactivity and associated striatal hyperdopaminergic functioning in schizophrenia. These results highlight the importance of the SN in schizophrenia pathology and suggest that some aspects of molecular functioning in the SN could potentially be used as treatment targets or biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen F M van Hooijdonk
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs), University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Rivierduinen, Institute for Mental Health Care, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Marieke van der Pluijm
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Iris Bosch
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Therese A M J van Amelsvoort
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs), University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Jan Booij
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Lieuwe de Haan
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jean-Paul Selten
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs), University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Rivierduinen, Institute for Mental Health Care, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Elsmarieke van de Giessen
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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5
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Morris LS, Mehta M, Ahn C, Corniquel M, Verma G, Delman B, Hof PR, Jacob Y, Balchandani P, Murrough JW. Ventral tegmental area integrity measured with high-resolution 7-Tesla MRI relates to motivation across depression and anxiety diagnoses. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119704. [PMID: 36349598 PMCID: PMC9801251 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is one of the major sources of dopamine in the brain and has been associated with reward prediction, error-based reward learning, volitional drive and anhedonia. However, precise anatomical investigations of the VTA have been prevented by the use of standard-resolution MRI, reliance on subjective manual tracings, and lack of quantitative measures of dopamine-related signal. Here, we combine ultra-high field 400 µm3 quantitative MRI with dopamine-related signal mapping, and a mixture of machine learning and supervised computational techniques to delineate the VTA in a transdiagnostic sample of subjects with and without depression and anxiety disorders. Subjects also underwent cognitive testing to measure intrinsic and extrinsic motivational tone. Fifty-one subjects were scanned in total, including healthy control (HC) and mood/anxiety (MA) disorder subjects. MA subjects had significantly larger VTA volumes compared to HC but significantly lower signal intensity within VTA compared to HC, indicating reduced structural integrity of the dopaminergic VTA. Interestingly, while VTA integrity did not significantly correlate with self-reported depression or anxiety symptoms, it was correlated with an objective cognitive measure of extrinsic motivation, whereby lower VTA integrity was associated with lower motivation. This is the first study to demonstrate a computational pipeline for detecting and delineating the VTA in human subjects with 400 μm3 resolution. We highlight the use of objective transdiagnostic measures of cognitive function that link neural integrity to behavior across clinical and non-clinical groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel S Morris
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.
| | - Marishka Mehta
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Christopher Ahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Morgan Corniquel
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Gaurav Verma
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Bradley Delman
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Yael Jacob
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Priti Balchandani
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - James W Murrough
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
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6
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Lu C, Feng Y, Li H, Gao Z, Zhu X, Hu J. A preclinical study of deep brain stimulation in the ventral tegmental area for alleviating positive psychotic-like behaviors in mice. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:945912. [PMID: 36034113 PMCID: PMC9399924 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.945912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a clinical intervention for the treatment of movement disorders. It has also been applied to the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as depression, anorexia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia. Psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression can lead to psychosis, which can cause patients to lose touch with reality. The ventral tegmental area (VTA), located near the midline of the midbrain, is an important region involved in psychosis. However, the clinical application of electrical stimulation of the VTA to treat psychotic diseases has been limited, and related mechanisms have not been thoroughly studied. In the present study, hyperlocomotion and stereotyped behaviors of the mice were employed to mimic and evaluate the positive-psychotic-like behaviors. We attempted to treat positive psychotic-like behaviors by electrically stimulating the VTA in mice and exploring the neural mechanisms behind behavioral effects. Local field potential recording and in vivo fiber photometry to observe the behavioral effects and changes in neural activities caused by DBS in the VTA of mice. Optogenetic techniques were used to verify the neural mechanisms underlying the behavioral effects induced by DBS. Our results showed that electrical stimulation of the VTA activates local gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons, and dopamine (DA) neurons, reduces hyperlocomotion, and relieves stereotyped behaviors induced by MK-801 (dizocilpine) injection. The results of optogenetic manipulation showed that the activation of the VTA GABA neurons, but not DA neurons, is involved in the alleviation of hyperlocomotion and stereotyped behaviors. We visualized changes in the activity of specific types in specific brain areas induced by DBS, and explored the neural mechanism of DBS in alleviating positive psychotic-like behaviors. This preclinical study not only proposes new technical means of exploring the mechanism of DBS, but also provides experimental justification for the clinical treatment of psychotic diseases by electrical stimulation of the VTA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Lu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yifan Feng
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongxia Li
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zilong Gao
- School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaona Zhu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Ji Hu Xiaona Zhu
| | - Ji Hu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Ji Hu Xiaona Zhu
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7
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Sadeghi D, Shoeibi A, Ghassemi N, Moridian P, Khadem A, Alizadehsani R, Teshnehlab M, Gorriz JM, Khozeimeh F, Zhang YD, Nahavandi S, Acharya UR. An overview of artificial intelligence techniques for diagnosis of Schizophrenia based on magnetic resonance imaging modalities: Methods, challenges, and future works. Comput Biol Med 2022; 146:105554. [DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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8
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Schulz J, Zimmermann J, Sorg C, Menegaux A, Brandl F. Magnetic resonance imaging of the dopamine system in schizophrenia - A scoping review. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:925476. [PMID: 36203848 PMCID: PMC9530597 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.925476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
For decades, aberrant dopamine transmission has been proposed to play a central role in schizophrenia pathophysiology. These theories are supported by human in vivo molecular imaging studies of dopamine transmission, particularly positron emission tomography. However, there are several downsides to such approaches, for example limited spatial resolution or restriction of the measurement to synaptic processes of dopaminergic neurons. To overcome these limitations and to measure complementary aspects of dopamine transmission, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based approaches investigating the macrostructure, metabolism, and connectivity of dopaminergic nuclei, i.e., substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area, can be employed. In this scoping review, we focus on four dopamine MRI methods that have been employed in patients with schizophrenia so far: neuromelanin MRI, which is thought to measure long-term dopamine function in dopaminergic nuclei; morphometric MRI, which is assumed to measure the volume of dopaminergic nuclei; diffusion MRI, which is assumed to measure fiber-based structural connectivity of dopaminergic nuclei; and resting-state blood-oxygenation-level-dependent functional MRI, which is thought to measure functional connectivity of dopaminergic nuclei based on correlated blood oxygenation fluctuations. For each method, we describe the underlying signal, outcome measures, and downsides. We present the current state of research in schizophrenia and compare it to other disorders with either similar (psychotic) symptoms, i.e., bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, or dopaminergic abnormalities, i.e., substance use disorder and Parkinson's disease. Finally, we discuss overarching issues and outline future research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Schulz
- Department of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Juliana Zimmermann
- Department of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Sorg
- Department of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Aurore Menegaux
- Department of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Felix Brandl
- Department of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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9
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Antunes ASLM, Saia-Cereda VM, Crunfli F, Martins-de-Souza D. 14-3-3 proteins at the crossroads of neurodevelopment and schizophrenia. World J Biol Psychiatry 2022; 23:14-32. [PMID: 33952049 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2021.1925585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The 14-3-3 family comprises multifunctional proteins that play a role in neurogenesis, neuronal migration, neuronal differentiation, synaptogenesis and dopamine synthesis. 14-3-3 members function as adaptor proteins and impact a wide variety of cellular and physiological processes involved in the pathophysiology of neurological disorders. Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder and knowledge about its pathophysiology is still limited. 14-3-3 have been proven to be linked with the dopaminergic, glutamatergic and neurodevelopmental hypotheses of schizophrenia. Further, research using genetic models has demonstrated the role played by 14-3-3 proteins in neurodevelopment and neuronal circuits, however a more integrative and comprehensive approach is needed for a better understanding of their role in schizophrenia. For instance, we still lack an integrated assessment of the processes affected by 14-3-3 proteins in the dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems. In this context, it is also paramount to understand their involvement in the biology of brain cells other than neurons. Here, we present previous and recent research that has led to our current understanding of the roles 14-3-3 proteins play in brain development and schizophrenia, perform an assessment of their functional protein association network and discuss the use of protein-protein interaction modulators to target 14-3-3 as a potential therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- André S L M Antunes
- Laboratory of Neuroproteomics, Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Verônica M Saia-Cereda
- Laboratory of Neuroproteomics, Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Crunfli
- Laboratory of Neuroproteomics, Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Daniel Martins-de-Souza
- Laboratory of Neuroproteomics, Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.,Experimental Medicine Research Cluster (EMRC), University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil.,D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), São Paulo, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Biomarcadores em Neuropsiquiatria (INBION), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, São Paulo, Brazil
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10
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Ueno F, Iwata Y, Nakajima S, Caravaggio F, Rubio JM, Horga G, Cassidy CM, Torres-Carmona E, de Luca V, Tsugawa S, Honda S, Moriguchi S, Noda Y, Gerretsen P, Graff-Guerrero A. Neuromelanin accumulation in patients with schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:1205-1213. [PMID: 34718049 PMCID: PMC9059704 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Although schizophrenia is associated with increased presynaptic dopamine function in the striatum, it remains unclear if neuromelanin levels, which are thought to serve as a biomarker for midbrain dopamine neuron function, are increased in patients with schizophrenia. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and postmortem studies comparing neuromelanin (NM) levels between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls (HCs). Standard mean differences were calculated to assess group differences in NM accumulation levels between patients with schizophrenia and HCs. This study included 7 articles in total. Five studies employed NM-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) and two were postmortem brain studies. The patient group (n = 163) showed higher NM levels in the substantia nigra (SN) than HCs (n = 228) in both the analysis of the seven studies and the subgroup analysis of the 5 NM-MRI studies. This analysis suggest increased NM levels in the SN may be a potential biomarker for stratifying schizophrenia, warranting further research that accounts for the heterogeneity of this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumihiko Ueno
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yusuke Iwata
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Yamanashi, Faculty of Medicine, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Shinichiro Nakajima
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Fernando Caravaggio
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jose M Rubio
- Barbara and Donald Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University - Northwell Health, Hempstead, NY, USA; Institute of Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes of Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA; Division of Psychiatry Research, Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, NY, USA
| | - Guillermo Horga
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Division of Translational Imaging, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Clifford M Cassidy
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research Affiliated with the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Edgardo Torres-Carmona
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vincenzo de Luca
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, CAMH, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sakiko Tsugawa
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shiori Honda
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sho Moriguchi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Noda
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Philip Gerretsen
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, CAMH, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ariel Graff-Guerrero
- Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, CAMH, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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11
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Imaging of the dopamine system with focus on pharmacological MRI and neuromelanin imaging. Eur J Radiol 2021; 140:109752. [PMID: 34004428 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2021.109752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The dopamine system in the brain is involved in a variety of neurologic and psychiatric disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and psychosis. Different aspects of the dopamine system can be visualized and measured with positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), including dopamine receptors, dopamine transporters, and dopamine release. New developments in MR imaging also provide proxy measures of the dopamine system in the brain, offering alternatives with the advantages MR imaging, i.e. no radiation, lower costs, usually less invasive and time consuming. This review will give an overview of these developments with a focus on the most developed techniques: pharmacological MRI (phMRI) and neuromelanin sensitive MRI (NM-MRI). PhMRI is a collective term for functional MRI techniques that administer a pharmacological challenge to assess its effects on brain hemodynamics. By doing so, it indirectly assesses brain neurotransmitter function such as dopamine function. NM-MRI is an upcoming MRI technique that enables in vivo visualization and semi-quantification of neuromelanin in the substantia nigra. Neuromelanin is located in the cell bodies of dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal pathway and can be used as a proxy measure for long term dopamine function or degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Both techniques are still primarily used in clinical research, but there is promise for clinical application, in particular for NM-MRI in dopaminergic neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease.
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12
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Wieland L, Fromm S, Hetzer S, Schlagenhauf F, Kaminski J. Neuromelanin-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analysis of Case-Control Studies. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:770282. [PMID: 34777070 PMCID: PMC8581671 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.770282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Psychiatry is in urgent need of reliable biomarkers. Novel neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (NM-MRI) sequences provide a time-efficient and non-invasive way to investigate the human brain in-vivo. This gives insight into the metabolites of dopaminergic signaling and may provide further evidence for potential dopaminergic alterations in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). The present systematic review provides a meta-analysis of case-control studies using neuromelanin-sensitive sequences in SCZ vs. healthy controls (HC). Methods: According to predefined search terms and inclusion criteria studies were extracted on PubMed. Meta-analyses with a fixed and random-effects model with inverse variance method, DerSimonian-Laird estimator for τ2, and Cohen's d were calculated. Bias was assessed using funnel plots. The primary study outcome was contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the substantia nigra compared between HC and SCZ. Results: The total sample of k = 6 studies included n = 183 cases and n = 162 controls. Across all studies we found a significant elevation of CNR in the substantia nigra (d = 0.42 [0.187; 0.655], z = 3.521, p < 0.001) in cases compared to controls. We found no significant difference in the control region of locus coeruleus (d = -0.07 [-0.446; 0.302], z = -0.192, p = 0.847), with CNR for the latter only reported in k = 3 studies. Conclusion: CNR in the substantia nigra were significantly elevated in cases compared to controls. Our results support neuromelanin as a candidate biomarker for dopaminergic dysfunction in schizophrenia. Further studies need to assess this candidate marker in large, longitudinal cohorts and address potential effects of disease state, medication and correlations with symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Wieland
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Charité Campus Mitte, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Charité Campus Mitte, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sophie Fromm
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Charité Campus Mitte, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Charité Campus Mitte, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Hetzer
- Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Schlagenhauf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Charité Campus Mitte, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jakob Kaminski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Charité Campus Mitte, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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13
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Wengler K, He X, Abi-Dargham A, Horga G. Reproducibility assessment of neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging protocols for region-of-interest and voxelwise analyses. Neuroimage 2019; 208:116457. [PMID: 31841683 PMCID: PMC7118586 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) provides a noninvasive measure of the content of neuromelanin (NM), a product of dopamine metabolism that accumulates with age in dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra (SN). NM-MRI has been validated as a measure of both dopamine neuron loss, with applications in neurodegenerative disease, and dopamine function, with applications in psychiatric disease. Furthermore, a voxelwise-analysis approach has been validated to resolve substructures, such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA), within midbrain dopaminergic nuclei thought to have distinct anatomical targets and functional roles. NM-MRI is thus a promising tool that could have diverse research and clinical applications to noninvasively interrogate in vivo the dopamine system in neuropsychiatric illness. Although a test-retest reliability study by Langley et al. using the standard NM-MRI protocol recently reported high reliability, a systematic and comprehensive investigation of the performance of the method for various acquisition parameters and preprocessing methods has not been conducted. In particular, most previous studies used relatively thick MRI slices (~3 mm), compared to the typical in-plane resolution (~0.5 mm) and to the height of the SN (~15 mm), to overcome technical limitations such as specific absorption rate and signal-to-noise ratio, at the cost of partial-volume effects. Here, we evaluated the effect of various acquisition and preprocessing parameters on the strength and test-retest reliability of the NM-MRI signal to determine optimized protocols for both region-of-interest (including whole SN-VTA complex and atlas-defined dopaminergic nuclei) and voxelwise measures. Namely, we determined a combination of parameters that optimizes the strength and reliability of the NM-MRI signal, including acquisition time, slice-thickness, spatial-normalization software, and degree of spatial smoothing. Using a newly developed, detailed acquisition protocol, across two scans separated by 13 days on average, we obtained intra-class correlation values indicating excellent reliability and high contrast, which could be achieved with a different set of parameters depending on the measures of interest and experimental constraints such as acquisition time. Based on this, we provide detailed guidelines covering acquisition through analysis and recommendations for performing NM-MRI experiments with high quality and reproducibility. This work provides a foundation for the optimization and standardization of NM-MRI, a promising MRI approach with growing applications throughout clinical and basic neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Wengler
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
| | - Xiang He
- Department of Radiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Anissa Abi-Dargham
- Department of Radiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Guillermo Horga
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
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14
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Cassidy CM, Zucca FA, Girgis RR, Baker SC, Weinstein JJ, Sharp ME, Bellei C, Valmadre A, Vanegas N, Kegeles LS, Brucato G, Kang UJ, Sulzer D, Zecca L, Abi-Dargham A, Horga G. Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI as a noninvasive proxy measure of dopamine function in the human brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:5108-5117. [PMID: 30796187 PMCID: PMC6421437 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1807983116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) purports to detect the content of neuromelanin (NM), a product of dopamine metabolism that accumulates with age in dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra (SN). Interindividual variability in dopamine function may result in varying levels of NM accumulation in the SN; however, the ability of NM-MRI to measure dopamine function in nonneurodegenerative conditions has not been established. Here, we validated that NM-MRI signal intensity in postmortem midbrain specimens correlated with regional NM concentration even in the absence of neurodegeneration, a prerequisite for its use as a proxy for dopamine function. We then validated a voxelwise NM-MRI approach with sufficient anatomical sensitivity to resolve SN subregions. Using this approach and a multimodal dataset of molecular PET and fMRI data, we further showed the NM-MRI signal was related to both dopamine release in the dorsal striatum and resting blood flow within the SN. These results suggest that NM-MRI signal in the SN is a proxy for function of dopamine neurons in the nigrostriatal pathway. As a proof of concept for its clinical utility, we show that the NM-MRI signal correlated to severity of psychosis in schizophrenia and individuals at risk for schizophrenia, consistent with the well-established dysfunction of the nigrostriatal pathway in psychosis. Our results indicate that noninvasive NM-MRI is a promising tool that could have diverse research and clinical applications to investigate in vivo the role of dopamine in neuropsychiatric illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clifford M Cassidy
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032;
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, affiliated with The Royal, Ottawa, ON K1Z 8N3, Canada
| | - Fabio A Zucca
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council of Italy, Segrate, 20090 Milan, Italy
| | - Ragy R Girgis
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
| | - Seth C Baker
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
| | - Jodi J Weinstein
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
- Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
| | - Madeleine E Sharp
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Chiara Bellei
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council of Italy, Segrate, 20090 Milan, Italy
| | - Alice Valmadre
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council of Italy, Segrate, 20090 Milan, Italy
| | - Nora Vanegas
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
| | - Lawrence S Kegeles
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
| | - Gary Brucato
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
| | - Un Jung Kang
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
| | - David Sulzer
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
| | - Luigi Zecca
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council of Italy, Segrate, 20090 Milan, Italy
| | - Anissa Abi-Dargham
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
- Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
| | - Guillermo Horga
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032;
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15
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Köhler S, Wagner G, Bär KJ. Activation of brainstem and midbrain nuclei during cognitive control in medicated patients with schizophrenia. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:202-213. [PMID: 30184301 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence suggests that cognitive control functions as well as the underlying brain network, anchored by the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), are dysfunctional in schizophrenia. Catecholamine producing midbrain and brainstem nuclei are densely connected with the PFC and dACC and exert profound contributions to cognitive control processes. Dysfunctions within the underlying neurotransmitter systems are considered to play a central role in the occurrence of various symptoms of schizophrenia. We sought to investigate the putatively abnormal activation pattern of the dopaminergic midbrain nuclei, that is, ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra as well as that of the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) in patients with schizophrenia during cognitive control. A total of 28 medicated patients and 27 healthy controls were investigated with the manual version of the Stroop task using event-related fMRI. The main finding was a reduced BOLD activation in the VTA during both Stroop task conditions in patients in comparison to controls, which correlated significantly with the degree of negative symptoms. We further detected a comparable LC activation in in patients and healthy controls. However, in controls LC activation was significantly correlated with the Stroop interference time, which was not observed in patients. The finding of reduced VTA activation in schizophrenia patients lends further support to the assumed dysfunction of the DA system in schizophrenia. In addition, despite comparable LC activation, the nonsignificant correlation with the Stroop interference time might indicate altered LC functioning in schizophrenia and, thus, needs further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Köhler
- Psychiatric Brain and Body Research Group Jena, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Gerd Wagner
- Psychiatric Brain and Body Research Group Jena, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Karl-Jürgen Bär
- Psychiatric Brain and Body Research Group Jena, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany
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16
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De Marco M, Venneri A. Volume and Connectivity of the Ventral Tegmental Area are Linked to Neurocognitive Signatures of Alzheimer’s Disease in Humans. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 63:167-180. [DOI: 10.3233/jad-171018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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17
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Nakamura Y, Okada N, Kunimatsu A, Kasai K, Koike S. Anatomical Templates of the Midbrain Ventral Tegmental Area and Substantia Nigra for Asian Populations. Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:383. [PMID: 30210369 PMCID: PMC6121162 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence shows that the midbrain dopaminergic system is involved in various functions. However, details of the role of the midbrain dopaminergic system in these functions are still to be determined in humans. Considering that the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SN) in the midbrain are the primary dopamine producers, creating reliable anatomical templates of the VTA and SN through neuroimaging studies would be useful for achieving a detailed understanding of this dopaminergic system. Although VTA and SN anatomical templates have been created, no specific templates exist for the Asian population. Thus, we conducted anatomical and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies to create VTA and SN templates for the Asian population. First, a neuromelanin-sensitive MRI technique was used to visualize the VTA and SN, and then individual hand-drawn VTA and SN regions of interests (ROIs) were traced on a small sample of neuromelanin-sensitive MRIs (dataset 1). Second, individual hand-drawn VTA and SN ROIs were normalized to create normalized VTA and SN templates for the Asian population. Third, a seed-based functional connectivity analysis was performed on rs-fMRI data using hand-drawn ROIs to calculate neural networks of VTA and SN in dataset 1. Fourth, a seed-based functional connectivity analysis was performed using VTA and SN seeds that were created based on normalized templates from dataset 1. Subsequently, a seed-based functional connectivity analysis was performed using VTA and SN seeds in another, larger sample (dataset 2) to assess whether neural networks of VTA or SN seeds from dataset 1 would be replicated in dataset 2. The Asian VTA template was smaller and located in a more posterior and inferior part of the midbrain compared to the published VTA template, while the Asian SN template, relative to the published SN template, did not differ in size but was located in the more inferior part of the midbrain. The neural networks of the VTA and SN seeds in dataset 1 were replicated in dataset 2. Altogether, our normalized template of the VTA and SN could be used for measuring fMRI activities related to the VTA and SN in the Asian population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Nakamura
- Center for Integrative Science of Human Behavior, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naohiro Okada
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,World Premier International Research Initiative (WPI), International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN), University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akira Kunimatsu
- Department of Radiology, IMSUT Hospital, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kiyoto Kasai
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,World Premier International Research Initiative (WPI), International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN), University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Koike
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,World Premier International Research Initiative (WPI), International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN), University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,University of Tokyo Institute for Diversity & Adaptation of Human Mind (UTIDAHM), Tokyo, Japan.,Center for Evolutionary Cognitive Science at the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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