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Beheshti I, Perron J, Ko JH. Neuroanatomical Signature of the Transition from Normal Cognition to MCI in Parkinson's Disease. Aging Dis 2024:AD.2024.0323. [PMID: 38913040 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2024.0323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The progression of Parkinson's disease (PD) is often accompanied by cognitive decline. We had previously developed a brain age estimation program utilizing structural MRI data of 949 healthy individuals from publicly available sources. Structural MRI data of 244 PD patients who were cognitively normal at baseline was acquired from the Parkinson Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). 192 of these showed stable normal cognitive function from baseline out to 5 years (PD-SNC), and the remaining 52 had unstable normal cognition and developed mild cognitive impairment within 5 years (PD-UNC). 105 healthy controls were also included in the analysis as a reference. First, we examined if there were any baseline differences in regional brain structure between PD-UNC and PD-SNC cohorts utilizing the three most widely used atrophy estimation pipelines, i.e., voxel-based morphometry (VBM), deformation-based morphometry and cortical thickness analyses. We then investigated if accelerated brain age estimation with our multivariate regressive machine learning algorithm was different across these groups (HC, PD-SNC, and PD-UNC). As per the VBM analysis, PD-UNC patients demonstrated a noticeable increase in GM volume in the posterior and anterior lobes of the cerebellum, sub-lobar, extra-nuclear, thalamus, and pulvinar regions when compared to PD-SNC at baseline. PD-UNC patients were observed to have significantly older brain age compared to both PD-SNC patients (p=0.009) and healthy controls (p<0.009). The increase in GM volume in the PD-UNC group could potentially indicate an inflammatory or neuronal hypertrophy response, which could serve as a biomarker for future cognitive decline among this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Beheshti
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- PrairieNeuro Research Centre, Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine, Health Science Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Jarrad Perron
- PrairieNeuro Research Centre, Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine, Health Science Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, Price Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Ji Hyun Ko
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- PrairieNeuro Research Centre, Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine, Health Science Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, Price Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
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Newman-Norlund RD, Kudravalli S, Merchant AT, Fridriksson J, Rorden C. Exploring the link between tooth loss, cognitive function, and brain wellness in the context of healthy aging. J Periodontal Res 2024. [PMID: 38708940 DOI: 10.1111/jre.13280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
AIMS The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of using MRI-derived tooth count, an indirect and nonspecific indicator of oral/periodontal health, and brain age gap (BAG), an MRI-based measure of premature brain aging, in predicting cognition in a population of otherwise healthy adults. METHODS This retrospective study utilized data from 329 participants from the University of South Carolina's Aging Brain Cohort Repository. Participants underwent neuropsychological testing including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), completed an oral/periodontal health questionnaire, and submitted to high-resolution structural MRI imaging. The study compared variability on cognitive scores (MoCA) accounted for by MRI-derived BAG, MRI-derived total tooth count, and self-reported oral/periodontal health. RESULTS We report a significant positive correlation between the total number of teeth and MoCA total scores after controlling for age, sex, and race, indicating a robust relationship between tooth count and cognition, r(208) = .233, p < .001. In a subsample of participants identified as being at risk for MCI (MoCA <= 25, N = 36) inclusion of MRI-based tooth count resulted in an R2 change of .192 (H0 = 0.138 → H1 = 0.330), F(1,31) = 8.86, p = .006. Notably, inclusion of BAG, a valid and reliable measure of overall brain health, did not significantly improve prediction of MoCA scores in similar linear regression models. CONCLUSIONS Our data support the idea that inclusion of MRI-based total tooth count may enhance the ability to predict clinically meaningful differences in cognitive abilities in healthy adults. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence linking oral/periodontal health with cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger D Newman-Norlund
- Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Santosh Kudravalli
- Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Anwar T Merchant
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Julius Fridriksson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Chris Rorden
- Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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Petzold J, Pochon JBF, Ghahremani DG, London ED. Structural indices of brain aging in methamphetamine use disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend 2024; 256:111107. [PMID: 38330525 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111107] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Methamphetamine use is surging globally. It has been linked to premature stroke, Parkinsonism, and dementia, suggesting that it may accelerate brain aging. METHODS We performed a retrospective study to determine if structural indices of brain aging were more prevalent prior to old age (26 - 54 years) in individuals with Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD), who were in early abstinence (M ± SD = 22.1 ± 25.6 days) than in healthy control (HC) participants. We compared T1-weighted MRI brain scans in age- and sex-matched groups (n = 89/group) on three structural features of brain aging: the brain volume/cerebrospinal fluid (BV/CSF) index, volume of white matter hypointensities/lesions, and choroid plexus volume. RESULTS The MUD group had a lower mean BV/CSF index and larger volumes of white matter hypointensities and choroid plexus (p-values < 0.01). Regression analyses showed significant age-by-group effects, indicating different age trajectories of the BV/CSF index and choroid plexus volume, consistent with abnormal global brain atrophy and choroid plexus pathology in the MUD group. Significant age and group main effects reflected a larger volume of white matter hypointensities for older participants across groups and for the MUD group irrespective of age. None of the three measures of brain aging correlated significantly with recent use or duration of recent abstinence from methamphetamine. CONCLUSIONS Premature brain pathology, which may reflect cerebrovascular damage and dysfunction of the choroid plexus, occurs in people with MUD. Such pathology may affect cognition and thereby efficacy of behavioral treatments for MUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Petzold
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jean-Baptiste F Pochon
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Dara G Ghahremani
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Edythe D London
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Zhang Y, Xie R, Beheshti I, Liu X, Zheng G, Wang Y, Zhang Z, Zheng W, Yao Z, Hu B. Improving brain age prediction with anatomical feature attention-enhanced 3D-CNN. Comput Biol Med 2024; 169:107873. [PMID: 38181606 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.107873] [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: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
Currently, significant progress has been made in predicting brain age from structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI) data using deep learning techniques. However, despite the valuable structural information they contain, the traditional engineering features known as anatomical features have been largely overlooked in this context. To address this issue, we propose an attention-based network design that integrates anatomical and deep convolutional features, leveraging an anatomical feature attention (AFA) module to effectively capture salient anatomical features. In addition, we introduce a fully convolutional network, which simplifies the extraction of deep convolutional features and overcomes the high computational memory requirements associated with deep learning. Our approach outperforms several widely-used models on eight publicly available datasets (n = 2501), with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 2.20 years in predicting brain age. Comparisons with deep learning models lacking the AFA module demonstrate that our fusion model effectively improves overall performance. These findings provide a promising approach for combining anatomical and deep convolutional features from sMRI data to predict brain age, with potential applications in clinical diagnosis and treatment, particularly for populations with age-related cognitive decline or neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Wearable Computing, School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, China
| | - Rui Xie
- Department of Psychiatric, Tianshui Third People's Hospital, Tianshui, 741000, China
| | - Iman Beheshti
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba, Canada
| | - Xia Liu
- School of Computer Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, Qinghai Province, China
| | - Guowei Zheng
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai, China
| | - Yin Wang
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Wearable Computing, School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, China
| | - Zhenwen Zhang
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Wearable Computing, School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, China
| | - Weihao Zheng
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Wearable Computing, School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, China.
| | - Zhijun Yao
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Wearable Computing, School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, China.
| | - Bin Hu
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Wearable Computing, School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, China; School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; Joint Research Center for Cognitive Neurosensor Technology of Lanzhou University & Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
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Jönemo J, Eklund A. Brain Age Prediction Using 2D Projections Based on Higher-Order Statistical Moments and Eigenslices from 3D Magnetic Resonance Imaging Volumes. J Imaging 2023; 9:271. [PMID: 38132689 PMCID: PMC10743800 DOI: 10.3390/jimaging9120271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain age prediction from 3D MRI volumes using deep learning has recently become a popular research topic, as brain age has been shown to be an important biomarker. Training deep networks can be very computationally demanding for large datasets like the U.K. Biobank (currently 29,035 subjects). In our previous work, it was demonstrated that using a few 2D projections (mean and standard deviation along three axes) instead of each full 3D volume leads to much faster training at the cost of a reduction in prediction accuracy. Here, we investigated if another set of 2D projections, based on higher-order statistical central moments and eigenslices, leads to a higher accuracy. Our results show that higher-order moments do not lead to a higher accuracy, but that eigenslices provide a small improvement. We also show that an ensemble of such models provides further improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Jönemo
- Division of Medical Informatics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Anders Eklund
- Division of Medical Informatics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
- Division of Statistics and Machine Learning, Department of Computer and Information Science, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
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Ansari MY, Qaraqe M, Charafeddine F, Serpedin E, Righetti R, Qaraqe K. Estimating age and gender from electrocardiogram signals: A comprehensive review of the past decade. Artif Intell Med 2023; 146:102690. [PMID: 38042607 DOI: 10.1016/j.artmed.2023.102690] [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: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
Twelve lead electrocardiogram signals capture unique fingerprints about the body's biological processes and electrical activity of heart muscles. Machine learning and deep learning-based models can learn the embedded patterns in the electrocardiogram to estimate complex metrics such as age and gender that depend on multiple aspects of human physiology. ECG estimated age with respect to the chronological age reflects the overall well-being of the cardiovascular system, with significant positive deviations indicating an aged cardiovascular system and a higher likelihood of cardiovascular mortality. Several conventional, machine learning, and deep learning-based methods have been proposed to estimate age from electronic health records, health surveys, and ECG data. This manuscript comprehensively reviews the methodologies proposed for ECG-based age and gender estimation over the last decade. Specifically, the review highlights that elevated ECG age is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, abnormal peripheral endothelial dysfunction, and high mortality, among many other cardiovascular disorders. Furthermore, the survey presents overarching observations and insights across methods for age and gender estimation. This paper also presents several essential methodological improvements and clinical applications of ECG-estimated age and gender to encourage further improvements of the state-of-the-art methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Yusuf Ansari
- Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Marwa Qaraqe
- Division of Information and Computing Technology, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar; Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha, Qatar
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Beheshti I. Cocaine Destroys Gray Matter Brain Cells and Accelerates Brain Aging. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12050752. [PMID: 37237564 DOI: 10.3390/biology12050752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by a strong desire to obtain, consume, and misuse cocaine. Little is known about how cocaine affects the structure of the brain. In this study, we first investigated the anatomical brain changes in individuals with CUD compared to their matched healthy controls, and then explored whether these anatomical brain abnormalities contribute to considerably accelerated brain aging among this population. Methods: At the first stage, we used anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, voxel-based morphometry (VBM), and deformation-based morphometry techniques to uncover the morphological and macroscopic anatomical brain changes in 74 CUD patients compared to 62 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) obtained from the SUDMEX CONN dataset, the Mexican MRI dataset of patients with CUD. Then, we computed brain-predicted age difference (i.e., brain-PAD: the brain-predicted age minus the actual age) in CUD and HC groups using a robust brain age estimation framework. Using a multiple regression analysis, we also investigated the regional gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) changes associated with the brain-PAD. Results: Using a whole-brain VBM analysis, we observed widespread gray matter atrophy in CUD patients located in the temporal lobe, frontal lobe, insula, middle frontal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, rectal gyrus, and limbic lobe regions compared to the HCs. In contrast, we did not observe any swelling in the GM, changes in the WM, or local brain tissue atrophy or expansion between the CUD and HC groups. Furthermore, we found a significantly higher brain-PAD in CUD patients compared to matched HCs (mean difference = 2.62 years, Cohen's d = 0.54; t-test = 3.16, p = 0.002). The regression analysis showed significant negative changes in GM volume associated with brain-PAD in the CUD group, particularly in the limbic lobe, subcallosal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, and anterior cingulate regions. Discussion: The results of our investigation reveal that chronic cocaine use is linked to significant changes in gray matter, which hasten the process of structural brain aging in individuals who use the drug. These findings offer valuable insights into the impact of cocaine on the composition of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Beheshti
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada
- Neuroscience Research Program, Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3J7, Canada
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Sone D. Neurobiological mechanisms of psychosis in epilepsy: Findings from neuroimaging studies. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1079295. [PMID: 36506456 PMCID: PMC9728542 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1079295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the high prevalence and clinical importance of comorbid psychosis in epilepsy, its neurobiological mechanisms remain understudied. This narrative mini-review aims to provide an overview of recent updates in in vivo neuroimaging studies on psychosis in epilepsy, including structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional and molecular imaging, and to discuss future directions in this field. While the conventional morphological analysis of structural MRI has provided relatively inconsistent results, advanced methods, including brain network analysis, hippocampal subregion volumetry, and machine learning models, have recently provided novel findings. Diffusion MRI, for example, has revealed a reduction in white matter integrity mainly in the frontal and temporal lobes, as well as a disruption of brain white matter networks. Functional neuroimaging, such as perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), often identifies hyperactivity in various brain regions. The current limitations of these more recent studies may include small and sometimes heterogeneous samples, insufficient control groups, the effects of psychoactive drugs, and the lack of longitudinal analysis. Further investigations are required to establish novel treatments and identify clinical diagnostic or disease-monitoring biomarkers in psychosis in epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daichi Sone
- Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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