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Jornkokgoud K, Baggio T, Bakiaj R, Wongupparaj P, Job R, Grecucci A. Narcissus reflected: Grey and white matter features joint contribution to the default mode network in predicting narcissistic personality traits. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:3273-3291. [PMID: 38649337 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16345] [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: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Despite the clinical significance of narcissistic personality, its neural bases have not been clarified yet, primarily because of methodological limitations of the previous studies, such as the low sample size, the use of univariate techniques and the focus on only one brain modality. In this study, we employed for the first time a combination of unsupervised and supervised machine learning methods, to identify the joint contributions of grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM) to narcissistic personality traits (NPT). After preprocessing, the brain scans of 135 participants were decomposed into eight independent networks of covarying GM and WM via parallel ICA. Subsequently, stepwise regression and Random Forest were used to predict NPT. We hypothesized that a fronto-temporo parietal network, mainly related to the default mode network, may be involved in NPT and associated WM regions. Results demonstrated a distributed network that included GM alterations in fronto-temporal regions, the insula and the cingulate cortex, along with WM alterations in cerebellar and thalamic regions. To assess the specificity of our findings, we also examined whether the brain network predicting narcissism could also predict other personality traits (i.e., histrionic, paranoid and avoidant personalities). Notably, this network did not predict such personality traits. Additionally, a supervised machine learning model (Random Forest) was used to extract a predictive model for generalization to new cases. Results confirmed that the same network could predict new cases. These findings hold promise for advancing our understanding of personality traits and potentially uncovering brain biomarkers associated with narcissism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khanitin Jornkokgoud
- Department of Research and Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, Burapha University, Chonburi, Thailand
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science (DiPSCo), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Teresa Baggio
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science (DiPSCo), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Richard Bakiaj
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science (DiPSCo), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Peera Wongupparaj
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Burapha University, Chonburi, Thailand
| | - Remo Job
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science (DiPSCo), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Alessandro Grecucci
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science (DiPSCo), University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Centre for Medical Sciences (CISMed), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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Kaur A, Angarita Fonseca A, Lissaman R, Behlouli H, Rajah MN, Pilote L. Sex Differences in the Association of Age at Hypertension Diagnosis With Brain Structure. Hypertension 2024; 81:291-301. [PMID: 38112100 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.123.22180] [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: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sex differences exist in the likelihood of cognitive decline. The age at hypertension diagnosis is a unique contributor to brain structural changes associated with cerebral small vessel disease. However, whether this relationship differs between sexes remains unclear. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate sex differences in the association between the age at hypertension diagnosis and cerebral small vessel disease-related brain structural changes. METHODS We used data from the UK Biobank to select participants with a known age at hypertension diagnosis and brain magnetic resonance imaging (n=9430) and stratified them by sex and age at hypertension diagnosis. Control participants with magnetic resonance imaging scans but no hypertension were chosen at random matched by using propensity score matching. For morphological brain structural changes, generalized linear models were used while adjusting for other vascular risk factors. For the assessment of white matter microstructure, principal component analysis led to a reduction in the number of fractional anisotropy variables, followed by regression analysis with major principal components as outcomes. RESULTS Males but not females with a younger age at hypertension diagnosis exhibited lower brain gray and white matter volume compared with normotensive controls. The volume of white matter hyperintensities was greater in both males and females with hypertension than normotensive controls, significantly higher in older females with hypertension. Compared with normotensive controls, white matter microstructural integrity was lower in individuals with hypertension, which became more prominent with increasing age. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that the effect of hypertension on cerebral small vessel disease-related brain structure differs by sex and by age at hypertension diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanpreet Kaur
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada (A.K., L.P.)
- Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada (A.K., A.A.F., H.B., L.P.)
| | - Adriana Angarita Fonseca
- Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada (A.K., A.A.F., H.B., L.P.)
| | - Rikki Lissaman
- Douglas Institute Research Centre (R.L.), McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (R.L., M.N.R.), McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Hassan Behlouli
- Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada (A.K., A.A.F., H.B., L.P.)
| | - M Natasha Rajah
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (R.L., M.N.R.), McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada (M.N.R.)
| | - Louise Pilote
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada (A.K., L.P.)
- Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada (A.K., A.A.F., H.B., L.P.)
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Lv K, Liu Y, Chen Y, Buch S, Wang Y, Yu Z, Wang H, Zhao C, Fu D, Wang H, Wang B, Zhang S, Luo Y, Haacke EM, Shen W, Chai C, Xia S. The iron burden of cerebral microbleeds contributes to brain atrophy through the mediating effect of white matter hyperintensity. Neuroimage 2023; 281:120370. [PMID: 37716591 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120370] [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: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The goal of this work was to explore the total iron burden of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) using a semi-automatic quantitative susceptibility mapping and to establish its effect on brain atrophy through the mediating effect of white matter hyperintensities (WMH). A total of 95 community-dwelling people were enrolled. Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) combined with a dynamic programming algorithm (DPA) was used to measure the characteristics of 1309 CMBs. WMH were evaluated according to the Fazekas scale, and brain atrophy was assessed using a 2D linear measurement method. Histogram analysis was used to explore the distribution of CMBs susceptibility, volume, and total iron burden, while a correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between volume and susceptibility. Stepwise regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors for CMBs and their contribution to brain atrophy. Mediation analysis was used to explore the interrelationship between CMBs and brain atrophy. We found that the frequency distribution of susceptibility of the CMBs was Gaussian in nature with a mean of 201 ppb and a standard deviation of 84 ppb; however, the volume and total iron burden of CMBs were more Rician in nature. A weak but significant correlation between the susceptibility and volume of CMBs was found (r = -0.113, P < 0.001). The periventricular WMH (PVWMH) was a risk factor for the presence of CMBs (number: β = 0.251, P = 0.014; volume: β = 0.237, P = 0.042; total iron burden: β = 0.238, P = 0.020) and was a risk factor for brain atrophy (third ventricle width: β = 0.325, P = 0.001; Evans's index: β = 0.323, P = 0.001). PVWMH had a significant mediating effect on the correlation between CMBs and brain atrophy. In conclusion, QSM along with the DPA can measure the total iron burden of CMBs. PVWMH might be a risk factor for CMBs and may mediate the effect of CMBs on brain atrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Lv
- Department of Radiology, First Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yanzhen Liu
- Department of Radiology, Tianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Yongsheng Chen
- Department of Neurology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Sagar Buch
- Department of Neurology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Ying Wang
- Magnetic Resonance Innovations, Inc., Bingham Farms, MI, USA; Department of Radiology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Zhuo Yu
- Department of Radiology, First Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Huiying Wang
- The School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Chenxi Zhao
- Department of Radiology, First Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Dingwei Fu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, Anhui Province, China
| | - Huapeng Wang
- Department of Radiology, First Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Beini Wang
- Department of Radiology, First Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | | | - Yu Luo
- Department of Radiology, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - E Mark Haacke
- Department of Neurology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA; Magnetic Resonance Innovations, Inc., Bingham Farms, MI, USA; Department of Radiology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Wen Shen
- Department of Radiology, Tianjin Institute of Imaging Medicine, Tianjin First Central Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Chao Chai
- Department of Radiology, Tianjin Institute of Imaging Medicine, Tianjin First Central Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
| | - Shuang Xia
- Department of Radiology, Tianjin Institute of Imaging Medicine, Tianjin First Central Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
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Szcześniak D, Lenart-Bugla M, Misiak B, Zimny A, Sąsiadek M, Połtyn-Zaradna K, Zatońska K, Zatoński T, Szuba A, Smith EE, Yusuf S, Rymaszewska J. Unraveling the Protective Effects of Cognitive Reserve on Cognition and Brain: A Cross-Sectional Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:12228. [PMID: 36231530 PMCID: PMC9566249 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that brain maintenance expressed in white matter hyperintensities and brain reserves, defined as gray and white matter volumes, mediate the association between cognitive reserve (CR) and cognitive performance. A cross-sectional population-based observational study was conducted, and the final study sample consisted of 763 participants (282 men and 481 women) with a mean age of 61.11 years (±9.0). Data from different categories were collected from study participants, such as demographic, lifestyle, medical, and psycho-social characteristics. All participants underwent a detailed psychometric evaluation (MoCA and DSST) followed by a brain MRI. Volumetric measurements of the total gray matter (GMvol), total white matter (WMvol), and white matter hyperintensities (WMHvol) were performed using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox 12 (CAT12) and Statistical Parametric Maps 12 (SPM12) based on 3D T1-weighted sequence. Significant direct and indirect effects of cognitive reserve on cognitive functioning were measured with both scales-the MoCA and DSST. In each mediation model, the volumes of WMH and GM were significant mediators for the association between cognitive reserve and cognitive performance. This study confirms the importance of strengthening the cognitive reserve in the course of life through potentially modifiable effects on both cognition and the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Szcześniak
- Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 10, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Marta Lenart-Bugla
- Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 10, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Błażej Misiak
- Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 10, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Anna Zimny
- Department of General and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Marek Sąsiadek
- Department of General and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
| | | | - Katarzyna Zatońska
- Department of Social Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Bujwida 44, 50-345 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Zatoński
- Department and Clinic of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Andrzej Szuba
- Department of Angiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Eric E. Smith
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Radiology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Salim Yusuf
- Population Health Research Institute and Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8L 2X2, Canada
| | - Joanna Rymaszewska
- Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 10, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
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