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Li KE, Dimitrijevic A, Gordon KA, Pang EW, Greiner HM, Kadis DS. Age-related increases in right hemisphere support for prosodic processing in children. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15849. [PMID: 37740012 PMCID: PMC10516972 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43027-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Language comprehension is a complex process involving an extensive brain network. Brain regions responsible for prosodic processing have been studied in adults; however, much less is known about the neural bases of prosodic processing in children. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we mapped regions supporting speech envelope tracking (a marker of prosodic processing) in 80 typically developing children, ages 4-18 years, completing a stories listening paradigm. Neuromagnetic signals coherent with the speech envelope were localized using dynamic imaging of coherent sources (DICS). Across the group, we observed coherence in bilateral perisylvian cortex. We observed age-related increases in coherence to the speech envelope in the right superior temporal gyrus (r = 0.31, df = 78, p = 0.0047) and primary auditory cortex (r = 0.27, df = 78, p = 0.016); age-related decreases in coherence to the speech envelope were observed in the left superior temporal gyrus (r = - 0.25, df = 78, p = 0.026). This pattern may indicate a refinement of the networks responsible for prosodic processing during development, where language areas in the right hemisphere become increasingly specialized for prosodic processing. Altogether, these results reveal a distinct neurodevelopmental trajectory for the processing of prosodic cues, highlighting the presence of supportive language functions in the right hemisphere. Findings from this dataset of typically developing children may serve as a potential reference timeline for assessing children with neurodevelopmental hearing and speech disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen E Li
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Andrew Dimitrijevic
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Otolaryngology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Karen A Gordon
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
- Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hansel M Greiner
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Darren S Kadis
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada.
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Phan L, Tariq A, Lam G, Mirza M, Paiva D, Lazic M, Emami Z, Anagnostou E, Gordon KA, Pang EW. Children with autism spectrum disorder who demonstrate normal language scores use a bottom-up semantic processing strategy: Evidence from N400 recordings. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e3158. [PMID: 37475679 PMCID: PMC10498076 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The N400 is an electrophysiological component that reflects lexical access and integration of words with mental representations. METHODS Thirty-five young children with a range of language capabilities (n = 21 neurotypical controls, 10 males, mean age = 6.3 ± 0.9 years; n = 14 children with autism, 12 males, mean age = 6.4 ± 1.1 years) completed an auditory semantic categorization paradigm to evoke the N400. Electroencephalograph (EEG) data were acquired with a 64-channel electrode cap as children listened via ear inserts to binaurally presented single syllable words and decided whether the words were congruent (in) or incongruent (out) with a pre-specified category. EEG data were filtered, epoched, and averaged referenced, and global field power (GFP) was computed. The amplitude of the N400 peak in the GFP was submitted to a multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS N400 amplitude was found to predict language scores only for the children with ASD who have language scores in the normal range (r2 = 0.72). CONCLUSIONS This finding that N400 amplitude only predicted language scores in children with ASD and normal language scores suggests that these children may rely more on basic semantic processing (as reflected by the N400) and less on anticipating and predicting upcoming words. This suggests preferential utilization of a bottom-up strategy to access higher order language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Phan
- SickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- University of TorontoDepartment of PaediatricsTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Alina Tariq
- SickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Garbo Lam
- SickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- University of British ColumbiaPsychologyVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Maaz Mirza
- SickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- Division of NeurologyHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Dylan Paiva
- SickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- University of TorontoDepartment of PaediatricsTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Milan Lazic
- SickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- University of TorontoDepartment of PaediatricsTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Zahra Emami
- SickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- University of TorontoDepartment of PaediatricsTorontoOntarioCanada
- Division of NeurologyHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- SickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- University of TorontoDepartment of PaediatricsTorontoOntarioCanada
- Division of NeurologyHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation HospitalEast YorkOntarioCanada
| | - Karen A. Gordon
- SickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- University of TorontoDepartment of PaediatricsTorontoOntarioCanada
- Division of NeurologyHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Elizabeth W. Pang
- SickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- University of TorontoDepartment of PaediatricsTorontoOntarioCanada
- Division of NeurologyHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
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Safar K, Pang EW, Vandewouw MM, de Villa K, Arnold PD, Iaboni A, Ayub M, Kelley E, Lerch JP, Anagnostou E, Taylor MJ. Atypical oscillatory dynamics during emotional face processing in paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder with MEG. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 38:103408. [PMID: 37087819 PMCID: PMC10149418 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Children and youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) demonstrate difficulties with social, emotional and cognitive functions in addition to the core diagnosis of obsessions and compulsions. This is the first magnetoencephalography (MEG) study to examine whole-brain neurophysiological functional connectivity of emotional face processing networks in paediatric OCD. Seventy-two participants (OCD: n = 36; age 8-17 yrs; typically developing controls: n = 36, age 8-17 yrs) completed an implicit emotional face processing task in the MEG. Functional connectivity networks in canonical frequency bands were compared between groups, and within OCD and control groups between emotions (angry vs. happy). Between groups, participants with OCD showed increased functional connectivity in the gamma band to angry faces, suggesting atypical perception of angry faces in OCD. Within groups, the OCD group showed greater engagement of the beta band, suggesting the over-use of top-down processing when perceiving happy versus angry emotions, while controls engaged in bottom-up gamma processing, also greater to happy faces. Over-activation of top-down processing has been linked to difficulties modifying one's cognitive set. Findings establish altered patterns of neurophysiological connectivity in children with OCD, and are striking in their oscillatory specificity. Our results contribute to a greater understanding of the neurobiology of the disorder, and are foundational for the possibility of alternative targets for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Safar
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Marlee M Vandewouw
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Autism Research Centre, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Kathrina de Villa
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Paul D Arnold
- The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Departments of Psychiatry and Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Alana Iaboni
- Autism Research Centre, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Muhammed Ayub
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Kelley
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Autism Research Centre, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Panda EJ, Kember J, Emami Z, Nayman C, Valiante TA, Pang EW. Corrigendum to "Dynamic functional brain network connectivity during pseudoword processing relates to children's reading skill" [Neuropsychologia 168 (2022) 108181]. Neuropsychologia 2023; 183:108531. [PMID: 36905698 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- E J Panda
- Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, 1812, Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Ontario, Canada; Epilepsy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Neurology/Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children/SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - J Kember
- Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, 1812, Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Ontario, Canada
| | - Z Emami
- Division of Neurology/Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children/SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - C Nayman
- Division of Neurology/Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children/SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - T A Valiante
- Epilepsy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network and Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - E W Pang
- Epilepsy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Neurology/Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children/SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Vandewouw MM, Pang EW, Lai MC, Kelley E, Ayub M, Lerch JP, Taylor MJ, Anagnostou E. Richer than we thought: neurophysiological methods reveal rich-club network development is frequency- and sex-dependent. iScience 2023; 26:106384. [PMID: 37009221 PMCID: PMC10064222 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
A set of highly connected brain regions called the "rich-club" are vital in integrating information across the functional connectome. Although the literature has identified some changes in rich-club organization with age, little is known about potential sex-specific developmental trajectories, and neurophysiologically relevant frequency-dependent changes have not been established. Here we examine the frequency- and sex-dependent development of rich-club organization using magnetoencephalography in a large normative sample (N = 383) over a wide age span (4-39 years). We report strong divergence between males and females across alpha, beta, and gamma frequencies. While males show increased or no change in rich-club organization with age, females show a consistent, non-linear trajectory that increases through childhood, shifting direction in early adolescence. Using neurophysiological modalities for capturing complex inter-relations between oscillatory dynamics, age, and sex, we establish diverging, sex-specific developmental trajectories of the brain's core functional organization, critically important to our understanding of brain health and disease.
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Pang EW, Hammill C, Taylor MJ, Near J, Schachar R, Crosbie J, Arnold PD, Anagnostou E, Lerch JP. Cerebellar gamma-aminobutyric acid: Investigation of group effects in neurodevelopmental disorders. Autism Res 2023; 16:535-542. [PMID: 36626308 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are thought to arise in part from the disruption in the excitatory/inhibitory balance of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in the brain. Recent evidence has shown the involvement of the cerebellum in cognition and affect regulation, and cerebellar atypical function or damage is reported frequently in NDDs. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies have reported decreases in GABA in cortical brain areas in the NDDs, however, GABA levels in the cerebellum have not been examined. To determine possible group effects, we used a MEGA-PRESS acquisition to investigate GABA+ levels in a cerebellar voxel in 343 individuals (aged 2.5-22 years) with ASD, ADHD, OCD and controls. Using a mixed effects model, we found no significant differences between groups in GABA+ concentration. Our findings suggest that cerebellar GABA+ levels do not differentiate NDD groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth W Pang
- Division of Neurology/Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Chris Hammill
- Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Diagnostic Imaging/Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto and Departments of Medical Imaging and Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jamie Near
- Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Russell Schachar
- Department of Psychiatry/Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jennifer Crosbie
- Department of Psychiatry/Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Paul D Arnold
- The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Autism Research Centre, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Pang EW, Lawn ND, Chan J, Lee J, Dunne JW. COVID-19 vaccination-related exacerbation of seizures in persons with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2023; 138:109024. [PMID: 36495798 PMCID: PMC9705196 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2022.109024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Although vaccines are generally safe in persons with epilepsy (PWE), seizures can be associated with vaccination, including COVID-19. This study assessed the occurrence of COVID-19 vaccination-related seizure exacerbations in PWE. Adult PWE who had received a COVID-19 vaccine were consecutively recruited at a tertiary epilepsy clinic between June 2021 and April 2022. Patient demographics, including epilepsy history, vaccination details, and reported adverse effects were recorded. Seizure exacerbation, defined as occurring within one week of vaccination, was assessed. Five hundred and thirty PWE received the COVID-19 vaccine. 75 % received the Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine as their initial dose. Most patients (72 %) were taking ≥ 2 antiseizure medications (ASM) and had focal epilepsy (73 %). One-third were 12 months seizure free at their first vaccination. 13 patients (2.5 %) reported a seizure exacerbation following their first vaccination, three of whom required admission. None were seizure-free at baseline. Six of these patients (46 %) had a further exacerbation of seizures with their second vaccine. An additional four patients reported increased seizures only with the second vaccine dose. Seizure exacerbations are infrequently associated with COVID-19 vaccination, mainly in patients with ongoing seizures. The likelihood of COVID-19 infection complications in PWE outweighs the risk of vaccination-related seizure exacerbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- E W Pang
- Western Australian Adult Epilepsy Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Neurology Department, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia.
| | - N D Lawn
- Western Australian Adult Epilepsy Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Neurology Department, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | - J Chan
- Western Australian Adult Epilepsy Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Neurology Department, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | - J Lee
- Western Australian Adult Epilepsy Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - J W Dunne
- Western Australian Adult Epilepsy Service, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Discipline of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Royal Perth Hospital Unit, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Mossad SI, Vandewouw MM, de Villa K, Pang EW, Taylor MJ. Characterising the spatial and oscillatory unfolding of Theory of Mind in adults using fMRI and MEG. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:921347. [PMID: 36204717 PMCID: PMC9530400 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.921347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory of Mind (ToM) is a core social cognitive skill that refers to the ability to attribute mental states to others. ToM involves understanding that others have beliefs, thoughts and desires that may be different from one's own and from reality. ToM is crucial to predict behaviour and navigate social interactions. This study employed the complementary methodological advantages of both functional MRI (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) to examine the neural underpinnings of ToM in adults. Twenty healthy adults were first recruited to rate and describe 28 videos (15s long), each containing three moving shapes designed to depict either social interactions or random motion (control condition). The first sample of adults produced consistent narratives for 6 of those social videos and of those, 4 social videos and 4 control videos were chosen to include in the neuroimaging study. Another sample of twenty-five adults were then recruited to complete the neuroimaging in MEG and fMRI. In fMRI, we found increased activation in frontal-parietal regions in the social compared to the control condition corroborating previous fMRI findings. In MEG, we found recruitment of ToM networks in the social condition in theta, beta and gamma bands. The right supramarginal and angular gyri (right temporal parietal junction), right inferior parietal lobe and right temporal pole were recruited in the first 5s of the videos. Frontal regions such as the superior frontal gyrus were recruited in the second time window (5–10s). Brain regions such as the bilateral amygdalae were also recruited (5–10s), indicating that various social processes were integrated in understanding the social videos. Our study is one of the first to combine multi-modal neuroimaging to examine the neural networks underlying social cognitive processes, combining the strengths of the spatial resolution of fMRI and temporal resolution of MEG. Understanding this information from both modalities helped delineate the mechanism by which ToM processing unfolds over time in healthy adults. This allows us to determine a benchmark against which clinical populations can be compared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah I. Mossad
- Department of Psychology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Sarah I. Mossad
| | - Marlee M. Vandewouw
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Autism Research Center, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kathrina de Villa
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W. Pang
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Margot J. Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Departments of Psychology and of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Panda EJ, Kember J, Emami Z, Nayman C, Valiante TA, Pang EW. Dynamic functional brain network connectivity during pseudoword processing relates to children's reading skill. Neuropsychologia 2022; 168:108181. [PMID: 35167858 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Learning to read requires children to link print (orthography) with its corresponding speech sounds (phonology). Yet, most EEG studies of reading development focus on emerging functional specialization (e.g., developing increasingly refined orthographic representations), rather than directly measuring the functional connectivity that links orthography and phonology in real time. In this proof-of-concept study we relate children's reading skill to both orthographic specialization for print (via the N170, also called the N1, event related potential, ERP) and orthographic-phonological integration (via dynamic/event-related EEG phase synchronization - an index of functional brain network connectivity). Typically developing English speaking children (n = 24; 4-14 years) and control adults (n = 20; 18-35 years) viewed pseudowords, consonants and unfamiliar false fonts during a 1-back memory task while 64-channel EEG was recorded. Orthographic specialization (larger N170 for pseudowords vs. false fonts) became more left-lateralized with age, but not with reading skill. Conversely, children's reading skill correlated with functional brain network connectivity during pseudoword processing that requires orthography-phonology linking. This was seen during two periods of simultaneous low frequency synchronization/high frequency desynchronization of posterior-occipital brain network activity. Specifically, in stronger readers, left posterior-occipital activity showed more delta (1-3Hz) synchronization around 300-500 ms (simultaneous with gamma 30-80 Hz desynchronization) and more gamma desynchronization around 600-1000 ms (simultaneous with theta 3-7Hz synchronization) during pseudoword vs. false font processing. These effects were significant even when controlling for age (moderate - large effect sizes). Dynamic functional brain network connectivity measures the brain's real-time sound-print linking. It may offer an under-explored, yet sensitive, index of the neural plasticity associated with reading development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin J Panda
- Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, 1812, Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Ontario, Canada; Epilepsy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Neurology / Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children / SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Jonah Kember
- Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, 1812, Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Zahra Emami
- Division of Neurology / Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children / SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Candace Nayman
- Division of Neurology / Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children / SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Taufik A Valiante
- Epilepsy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network and Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Epilepsy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Neurology / Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children / SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Safar K, Vandewouw MM, Pang EW, de Villa K, Crosbie J, Schachar R, Iaboni A, Georgiades S, Nicolson R, Kelley E, Ayub M, Lerch JP, Anagnostou E, Taylor MJ. Shared and Distinct Patterns of Functional Connectivity to Emotional Faces in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Children. Front Psychol 2022; 13:826527. [PMID: 35356352 PMCID: PMC8959934 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.826527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Impairments in emotional face processing are demonstrated by individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is associated with altered emotion processing networks. Despite accumulating evidence of high rates of diagnostic overlap and shared symptoms between ASD and ADHD, functional connectivity underpinning emotion processing across these two neurodevelopmental disorders, compared to typical developing peers, has rarely been examined. The current study used magnetoencephalography to investigate whole-brain functional connectivity during the presentation of happy and angry faces in 258 children (5–19 years), including ASD, ADHD and typically developing (TD) groups to determine possible differences in emotion processing. Data-driven clustering was also applied to determine whether the patterns of connectivity differed among diagnostic groups. We found reduced functional connectivity in the beta band in ASD compared to TD, and a further reduction in the ADHD group compared to the ASD and the TD groups, across emotions. A group-by-emotion interaction in the gamma frequency band was also observed. Greater connectivity to happy compared to angry faces was found in the ADHD and TD groups, while the opposite pattern was seen in ASD. Data-driven subgrouping identified two distinct subgroups: NDD-dominant and TD-dominant; these subgroups demonstrated emotion- and frequency-specific differences in connectivity. Atypicalities in specific brain networks were strongly correlated with the severity of diagnosis-specific symptoms. Functional connectivity strength in the beta network was negatively correlated with difficulties in attention; in the gamma network, functional connectivity strength to happy faces was positively correlated with adaptive behavioural functioning, but in contrast, negatively correlated to angry faces. Our findings establish atypical frequency- and emotion-specific patterns of functional connectivity between NDD and TD children. Data-driven clustering further highlights a high degree of comorbidity and symptom overlap between the ASD and ADHD children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Safar
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marlee M Vandewouw
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Autism Research Centre, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kathrina de Villa
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer Crosbie
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Russell Schachar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alana Iaboni
- Autism Research Centre, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stelios Georgiades
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Robert Nicolson
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Kelley
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry,Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Muhammed Ayub
- Department of Psychiatry,Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Autism Research Centre, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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11
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Vandewouw MM, Safar K, Sato J, Hunt BAE, Urbain CM, Pang EW, Anagnostou E, Taylor MJ. Ignore the faces: Neural characterisation of emotional inhibition from childhood to adulthood using MEG. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:5747-5760. [PMID: 34582067 PMCID: PMC8559465 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to effectively and automatically regulate one's response to emotional information is a basic, fundamental skill for social functioning. The neural mechanisms underlying emotion regulation processing have been assessed, however few investigations have leveraged neurophysiological techniques, particularly magnetoencephalography (MEG) to determine the development of this critical ability. The current MEG study is the first to examine developmental changes in the neural mechanisms supporting automatic emotion regulation. We used an emotional go/no-go task with happy and angry faces in a single-site cohort of 97 healthy participants, 4-40 years of age. We found age-related changes as a function of emotion and condition in brain regions key to emotion regulation, including the right inferior frontal gyrus, orbitofrontal cortices and primarily right-lateralized temporal areas. Interaction effects, including an age by emotion and condition, were also found in the left angular gyrus, an area critical in emotion regulation and attention. Findings demonstrate protracted and nonlinear development, due to the adolescent group, of emotion regulation processing from child to adulthood, and highlight that age-related differences in emotion regulation are modulated by emotional face type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlee M Vandewouw
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Autism Research Centre, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Kristina Safar
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Julie Sato
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Benjamin A E Hunt
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Charline M Urbain
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group at CRCN, Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences, ULB Neurosciences Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.,Laboratoire de Cartographie Fonctionnelle du Cerveau, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Autism Research Centre, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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12
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Mossad SI, Young JM, Wong SM, Dunkley BT, Hunt BAE, Pang EW, Taylor MJ. The Very Preterm Brain at Rest: Longitudinal Social-Cognitive Network Connectivity During Childhood. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 17:377-386. [PMID: 34654932 PMCID: PMC8972272 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Very preterm (VPT: ≤32 weeks of gestational age) birth poses an increased risk for social and cognitive morbidities that persist throughout life. Resting-state functional network connectivity studies provide information about the intrinsic capacity for cognitive processing. We studied the following four social–cognitive resting-state networks: the default mode, salience, frontal-parietal and language networks. We examined functional connectivity using magnetoencephalography with individual head localization using each participant’s MRI at 6 (n = 40) and 8 (n = 40) years of age compared to age- and sex-matched full-term (FT) born children (n = 38 at 6 years and n = 43 at 8 years). VPT children showed increased connectivity compared to FT children in the gamma band (30–80 Hz) at 6 years within the default mode network (DMN), and between the DMN and the salience, frontal-parietal and language networks, pointing to more diffuse, less segregated processing across networks at this age. At 8 years, VPT children had more social and academic difficulties. Increased DMN connectivity at 6 years was associated with social and working memory difficulties at 8 years. Therefore, we suggest that increased DMN connectivity contributes to the observed emerging social and cognitive morbidities in school age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah I Mossad
- Department of Psychology, Hospital for Sick Children, Canada
| | - Julia M Young
- Department of Psychology, Hospital for Sick Children, Canada
| | - Simeon M Wong
- Neurosciences & Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Canada.,Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- Neurosciences & Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Canada.,Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Benjamin A E Hunt
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neurosciences & Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Canada.,Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Neurosciences & Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada.,Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
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13
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Wong SM, Arski ON, Warsi NM, Pang EW, Kerr E, Smith ML, Dunkley BT, Ochi A, Otsubo H, Sharma R, Jain P, Donner E, Snead OC, Ibrahim GM. Phase Resetting in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex Subserves Childhood Attention and Is Impaired by Epilepsy. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:29-40. [PMID: 34255825 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural mechanisms that underlie selective attention in children are poorly understood. By administering a set-shifting task to children with intracranial electrodes stereotactically implanted within anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) for epilepsy monitoring, we demonstrate that selective attention in a set-shifting task is dependent upon theta-band phase resetting immediately following stimulus onset and that the preferred theta phase angle is predictive of reaction time during attentional shift. We also observe selective enhancement of oscillatory coupling between the ACC and the dorsal attention network and decoupling with the default mode network during task performance. When transient focal epileptic activity occurs around the time of stimulus onset, phase resetting is impaired, connectivity changes with attentional and default mode networks are abolished, and reaction times are prolonged. The results of the present work highlight the fundamental mechanistic role of oscillatory phase in ACC in supporting attentional circuitry and present novel opportunities to remediate attention deficits in children with epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon M Wong
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College St Room 407, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada.,Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, 686 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Olivia N Arski
- Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, 686 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 0A4, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 27 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A1, Canada
| | - Nebras M Warsi
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College St Room 407, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada.,Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, 686 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 0A4, Canada.,Division of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, 686 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 0A4, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Kerr
- Department of Psychology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Mary Lou Smith
- Department of Psychology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College St Room 407, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Ayako Ochi
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Hiroshi Otsubo
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Roy Sharma
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Puneet Jain
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Donner
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - O Carter Snead
- Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, 686 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 0A4, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 27 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A1, Canada
| | - George M Ibrahim
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College St Room 407, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada.,Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, 686 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario, M5G 0A4, Canada.,Division of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 27 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A1, Canada
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14
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Kamino D, Almazrooei A, Pang EW, Widjaja E, Moore AM, Chau V, Tam EWY. Abnormalities in evoked potentials associated with abnormal glycemia and brain injury in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Clin Neurophysiol 2020; 132:307-313. [PMID: 33158762 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2020.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate how functional integrity of ascending sensory pathways measured by visual and somatosensory evoked potentials (VEP & SEP) is associated with abnormal glycemia and brain injury in newborns treated with hypothermia for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). METHODS Fifty-four neonates ≥ 36 weeks gestational age with HIE underwent glucose testing, VEPs, SEPs, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) the first week of life. Minimum and maximum glucose values recorded prior to evoked potential (EP) testing were compared with VEP and SEP measures using generalized estimating equations. Relationships between VEP and SEP measures and brain injury on MRI were assessed. RESULTS Maximum glucose is associated with decreased P200 amplitude, and increased odds that N300 peak will be delayed/absent. Minimum glucose is associated with decreased P22 amplitude. Presence of P200 and N300 peaks is associated with decreased odds of brain injury in the visual processing pathway, with delayed/absent N300 peak associated with increased odds of brain injury in posterior white matter. CONCLUSIONS Deviations from normoglycemia are associated with abnormal EPs, and abnormal VEPs are associated with brain injury on MRI in cooled neonates with HIE. SIGNIFICANCE Glucose is a modifiable risk factor associated with atypical brain function in neonates with HIE despite hypothermia treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daphne Kamino
- The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Department of Pediatrics (Division of Neurology), Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Asma Almazrooei
- The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Department of Pediatrics (Division of Neurology), Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Department of Pediatrics (Division of Neurology), Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Elysa Widjaja
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Aideen M Moore
- The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Department of Pediatrics (Division of Neonatology), Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Vann Chau
- The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Department of Pediatrics (Division of Neurology), Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Emily W Y Tam
- The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Department of Pediatrics (Division of Neurology), Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada.
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15
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Mossad SI, Muscat C, Pang EW, Taylor M. Emerging atypical connectivity networks for processing angry and fearful faces in very preterm born children. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:3794-3806. [PMID: 32533810 PMCID: PMC7416058 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Very preterm born (VPT) children are those born before 32/40 weeks' gestational age and comprise 10% of the 15 million babies born prematurely worldwide each year. Due to advancements in neonatal medicine, the survival rate of VPT birth has increased, but few studies have investigated the nonmedical, social-cognitive morbidities that affect these children. In this study, we examined emotional face processing networks in VPT compared to age and sex matched full-term born (FT) children. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to test VPT and FT born children at 6 years (n = 78) and 8 years (n = 83). Children were assessed using an implicit emotion face-processing task. Happy, fearful, and angry faces were presented for 150 ms, but children were asked to respond by button press to the location of a control pixelated image of the face displayed on the side of the screen opposite to the face. Children rated the valence of the images on a five-point scale. Group differences showed that VPT children rated angry faces more positively than their FT peers. VPT children had reduced connectivity for angry and fearful faces at 8 years in networks including regions such as the bilateral amygdala, superior temporal sulci, and anterior cingulate gyrus. Interventions should target both emotion recognition, as well as higher cognitive processes related to emotional control and thinking about one's own emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah I Mossad
- Department of Diagnostic ImagingThe Hospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
- Neurosciences & Mental HealthSickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Christine Muscat
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Elizabeth W. Pang
- Neurosciences & Mental HealthSickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- Division of NeurologyHospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Margot Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic ImagingThe Hospital for Sick ChildrenTorontoOntarioCanada
- Neurosciences & Mental HealthSickKids Research InstituteTorontoOntarioCanada
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
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16
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Panda EJ, Emami Z, Valiante TA, Pang EW. EEG phase synchronization during semantic unification relates to individual differences in children's vocabulary skill. Dev Sci 2020; 24:e12984. [PMID: 32384181 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
As we listen to speech, our ability to understand what was said requires us to retrieve and bind together individual word meanings into a coherent discourse representation. This so-called semantic unification is a fundamental cognitive skill, and its development relies on the integration of neural activity throughout widely distributed functional brain networks. In this proof-of-concept study, we examine, for the first time, how these functional brain networks develop in children. Twenty-six children (ages 4-17) listened to well-formed sentences and sentences containing a semantic violation, while EEG was recorded. Children with stronger vocabulary showed N400 effects that were more concentrated to centroparietal electrodes and greater EEG phase synchrony (phase lag index; PLI) between right centroparietal and bilateral frontocentral electrodes in the delta frequency band (1-3 Hz) 1.27-1.53 s after listening to well-formed sentences compared to sentences containing a semantic violation. These effects related specifically to individual differences in receptive vocabulary, perhaps pointing to greater recruitment of functional brain networks important for top-down semantic unification with development. Less skilled children showed greater delta phase synchrony for violation sentences 3.41-3.64 s after critical word onset. This later effect was partly driven by individual differences in nonverbal reasoning, perhaps pointing to non-verbal compensatory processing to extract meaning from speech in children with less developed vocabulary. We suggest that functional brain network communication, as measured by momentary changes in the phase synchrony of EEG oscillations, develops throughout the school years to support language comprehension in different ways depending on children's verbal and nonverbal skill levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin J Panda
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Epilespy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Zahra Emami
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Taufik A Valiante
- Epilespy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network and Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Epilespy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
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17
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Bowyer SM, Pang EW, Huang M, Papanicolaou AC, Lee RR. Presurgical Functional Mapping with Magnetoencephalography. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 2020; 30:159-174. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2020.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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18
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Dunkley BT, Jetly R, Pang EW, Taylor MJ. New perspectives on the neurobiology of PTSD: High-resolution imaging of neural circuit (dys)function with magnetoencephalography. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health 2020. [DOI: 10.3138/jmvfh.2019-0029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is increasingly conceptualized in psychiatry as a disorder of dysfunctional neural circuits. Advances in neuroimaging have enabled the study of those networks non-invasively. PTSD is currently assessed using subjective self-reporting to inform crucial decisions, such as fitness to deploy, but objective markers would aid in diagnosis and return-to-deployment decisions. Methods: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) allows investigation of neural circuit function via imaging of brain waves (known as neural oscillations) that index information processing in the brain and would prove a reliable, objective, biomarker. These measures of brain function establish how regions communicate to form brain circuits that support thinking and behaviour. Results: Studies into intrinsic brain function, both during rest and when engaged in a task designed to tap into cognitive dysfunction, have found these neurobiological mechanisms are disrupted in PTSD and are a reliable objective marker of illness. We now know that these alterations in brain function are directly related to core symptoms of PTSD and comorbid cognitive-behavioural challenges. Discussion: Continued characterization of neural function using MEG and related methods will advance understanding of the neurobiology underlying PTSD; allow for the identification of biomarkers that, coupled with machine learning, will aid in diagnoses; provide individualized therapeutic targets for neurostimulation; predict treatment outcomes; and track disorder remission in military personnel and Veterans who are disproportionately affected by this devastating illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T. Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto
- Neurosciences & Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Research Institute, Toronto
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto
- Department of National Defence, Canadian Forces Health Services Group, Department of National Defence, Ottawa
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto
- Neurosciences & Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Research Institute, Toronto
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto
- Department of National Defence, Canadian Forces Health Services Group, Department of National Defence, Ottawa
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto
| | - Elizabeth W. Pang
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto
- Neurosciences & Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Research Institute, Toronto
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto
- Department of National Defence, Canadian Forces Health Services Group, Department of National Defence, Ottawa
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto
| | - Margot J. Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto
- Neurosciences & Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Research Institute, Toronto
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto
- Department of National Defence, Canadian Forces Health Services Group, Department of National Defence, Ottawa
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto
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19
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Emami Z, Dunkley BT, Westmacott R, Robertson A, Krishnan P, Bhathal I, Moharir M, MacGregor D, Pang EW, Dlamini N. Abstract TMP114: Functional and Structural Network Reorganization in Higher-Order Language Following Neonatal Stroke. Stroke 2020. [DOI: 10.1161/str.51.suppl_1.tmp114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Introduction:
Neonatal arterial ischemic stroke (NAIS) is a common form of pediatric stroke often affecting classical language areas in the brain’s left hemisphere. While children with NAIS can acquire basic language skills, adolescence typically reveals the emergence of deficits in higher-order language, such as syntactic language. The reorganization of functional and structural brain networks may provide insight into later-emerging language outcomes and serve as a biomarker in prognostication.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study of eight children with unilateral NAIS (5F; 12.3±3.3 years) and seven neurotypical children (2F; 13.4±2.7 years) was conducted. Participants listened to syntactically correct and incorrect sentences while magnetoencephalography was recorded, and task-related functional connectivity in the time window and frequency band of interest was determined. Structural connectivity between brain regions was investigated using DTI tractography, and language outcomes were assessed using neuropsychological tests.
Results:
An analysis of the syntactic language network (4-7 Hz, 1.2-1.4s) indicated that unlike the typical correlation between left-lateralized functional connectivity and language skill (
p
<0.01), good outcome in patients is correlated with bilateral frontal connectivity (p<0.01). Furthermore, patients exhibit a significant reduction in structural connectivity between the left and right supplementary motor area, compared with controls (
p
=0.007), and the bilateral structural connectivity of this region is positively correlated with measures of working memory and information processing (
p
=0.036).
Conclusions:
The preliminary results suggest that reorganization of functional networks towards bilateral connectivity may support language outcome following early stroke. The supplementary motor area’s role in coordination of interhemispheric functions and in information processing may position it as a key structural region in supporting the compensatory reorganization of functional networks underlying language. Ultimately, measures of functional and structural networks may be used as a prognostic tool for language development in pediatric stroke in order to improve long-term outcomes.
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20
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Mogadam A, Keller AE, Arnold PD, Schachar R, Lerch JP, Anagnostou E, Pang EW. Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain activity during a mental flexibility task suggests some shared neurobiology in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. J Neurodev Disord 2019; 11:19. [PMID: 31426750 PMCID: PMC6701152 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-019-9280-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) exhibit a shared phenotype that involves executive dysfunctions including impairments in mental flexibility (MF). It is of interest to understand if this phenotype stems from some shared neurobiology. METHODS To investigate this possibility, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) neuroimaging to compare brain activity in children (n = 88; 8-15 years) with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as they completed a set-shifting/mental flexibility task. RESULTS Neuroimaging results revealed a similar parietal activation profile across the NDD, groups suggesting a link to their shared phenotype. Differences in frontal activity differentiated the three clinical groups. Brain-behaviour analyses showed a link with repetitive behaviours suggesting shared dysfunction in the associative loop of the corticostriatal system. CONCLUSION Our study supports the notion that NDDs may exist along a complex phenotypic/biological continuum. All NDD groups showed a sustained parietal activity profile suggesting that they share a strong reliance on the posterior parietal cortices to complete the mental flexibility task; future studies could elucidate whether this is due to delayed brain development or compensatory functioning. The differences in frontal activity may play a role in differentiating the NDDs. The OCD group showed sustained prefrontal activity that may be reflective of hyperfrontality. The ASD group showed reduced frontal activation suggestive of frontal dysfunction and the ADHD group showed an extensive hypoactivity that included frontal and parietal regions. Brain-behaviour analyses showed a significant correlation with repetitive behaviours which may reflect dysfunction in the associative loop of the corticostriatal system, linked to inflexible behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Mogadam
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Anne E Keller
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Paul D Arnold
- Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Genetics and Genome Biology, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Russell Schachar
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Mouse Imaging Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. .,Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada. .,Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, M5G 1X8, Canada.
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21
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Leung RC, Pang EW, Brian JA, Taylor MJ. Happy and Angry Faces Elicit Atypical Neural Activation in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging 2019; 4:1021-1030. [PMID: 31171500 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant impairments in social interactions and communication. The ability to accurately perceive and interpret emotional faces is critical to successful social interactions. However, few studies have investigated the spatiotemporal profile of the neural mechanisms underlying emotional face processing in ASD, particularly in children. The current study fills this important gap. METHODS Participants were 55 children: 28 children with ASD (mean age = 9.5 ± 1.3 years) and 27 control children (mean age = 8.5 ± 1.3 years). All children completed an implicit emotional face task while magnetoencephalography was recorded. We examined spatiotemporal differences between the groups in neural activation during implicit processing of emotional faces. RESULTS Within-group analyses demonstrated greater right middle temporal (300-375 ms) and superior temporal (300-400 ms) activation to angry faces than to happy faces in control children, while children with ASD showed greater activation from 250 to 500 ms to happy faces than to angry faces across frontal and temporal regions. Between-group analyses demonstrated that children with ASD showed similar patterns of late (425-500 ms) posterior cingulate and thalamic underactivity to both angry and happy faces relative to control children, suggesting general atypical processing of emotional information. CONCLUSIONS Atypical posterior cingulate cortex and thalamus recruitment in children with ASD to emotional faces suggests poor modulation of toggling between the default mode network and task-based processing. Increased neural activity to happy faces compared with angry faces in children with ASD suggests reduced salience or immature response to anger, which in turn could contribute to deficits in social cognition in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C Leung
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jessica A Brian
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Autism Research Centre, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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22
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Abstract
We consider whether a deep neural network trained with raw MEG data can be used to predict the age of children performing a verb-generation task, a monosyllable speech-elicitation task, and a multi-syllabic speech-elicitation task. Furthermore, we argue that the network makes predictions on the grounds of differences in speech development. Previous work has explored taking 'deep' neural networks (DNNs) designed for, or trained with, images to classify encephalographic recordings with some success, but this does little to acknowledge the structure of these data. Simple neural networks have been used extensively to classify data expressed as features, but require extensive feature engineering and pre-processing. We present novel DNNs trained using raw magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) recordings that mimic the feature-engineering pipeline. We highlight criteria the networks use, including relative weighting of channels and preferred spectro-temporal characteristics of re-weighted channels. Our data feature 92 subjects aged 4-18, recorded using a 151-channel MEG system. Our proposed model scores over 95% mean cross-validation accuracy distinguishing above and below 10 years of age in single trials of un-seen subjects, and can classify publicly available EEG with state-of-the-art accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Demetres Kostas
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
- Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Frank Rudzicz
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Toronto, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada
- Surgical Safety Technologies Inc, Toronto, Canada
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23
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Emami Z, Dunkley BT, Robertson A, Hess M, Westmacott R, Krishnan P, Pang EW, Dlamini N. Abstract 53: Reorganization of Functional Language Networks Following Neonatal Arterial Ischemic Stroke. Stroke 2019. [DOI: 10.1161/str.50.suppl_1.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Introduction:
Neonatal arterial ischemic stroke (NAIS) is the most common form of childhood stroke. Unlike adults with stroke, children with left middle cerebral artery (MCA) NAIS seldom become aphasic, although adolescence often reveals the emergence of higher-order language deficits. Functional language networks may be predictive of later-emerging language outcomes, and can aid to identify at-risk children with NAIS.
Methods:
Five neurotypical children (2F; 5 RH; mean 12.7 ± 2.6 years), and five children with unilateral-MCA NAIS (3F; 5 RH; mean 11.3 ± 2.0 years) listened to semantically correct and incorrect sentences while magnetoencephalography (MEG) was recorded. Task-related functional connectivity was calculated using the phase lag index (PLI) across regions of interest. The relationship between the functional brain networks and language skill was examined.
Results:
Neurotypical children showed increased global functional connectivity for semantically correct sentences 1.8 to 2.0 seconds from stimulus onset in the theta band (4-7 Hz;
p
<0.05). The top connections in the theta band and time window of interest involved a significantly greater number of nodes in the left frontal lobe for controls compared to patients (
p
<0.05), while patients recruited a greater number of temporal lobe nodes than controls (
p
<0.05). Furthermore, patient language networks demonstrated a more bilateral distribution than those of typically-developed children (37.5% vs. 30% of top connections). The mean connectivity strength in the language network was positively correlated with vocabulary skill (r=0.84) for patients, and with word reading ability for both patients and neurotypical children (r=0.95, r=0.88, respectively).
Conclusions:
These results suggest reorganization of expected unilateral and frontal language networks towards a bilateral and temporal distribution following stroke, with less reliance on traditional language nodes. Such reorganization may underlie the language ability trajectory of children with neonatal MCA stroke. Reorganization of functional brain networks may be used as a predictive marker for language development following neonatal stroke, which can ultimately guide precision medicine and improve long-term outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Pradeep Krishnan
- Dept of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hosp for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
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24
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Shah-Basak PP, Dunkley BT, Ye AX, Wong S, da Costa L, Pang EW. Altered beta-band functional connectivity may be related to 'performance slowing' in good outcome aneurysmal subarachnoid patients. Neurosci Lett 2019; 699:64-70. [PMID: 30711525 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.01.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that good neurological outcome in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) does not equate to good neuropsychological and cognitive outcome. These individuals continue to face cognitive difficulties in tasks involving mental flexibility, short-term memory and attention, resulting in decreased independence in daily living and reduced ability to return to work. In the current study, we examined the functional connectivity profiles using magnetoencephalography (MEG) in SAH patients, versus controls, during a visual short-term memory, 1-back, task. Our results found that a global measure of MEG-based phase synchrony in the beta band (15-30 Hz), derived from a time window during correct recognition, significantly differentiated the controls from the patients. During correct recognition, the connectivity patterns in the controls were characterized by inter-hemispheric parieto-frontal connections, involving the posterior parietal cortex, while patients appeared to recruit an entirely different network of regions, involving the anterior frontal and temporal regions. Reduced beta-band synchrony during recognition was associated with overall poorer performance, demonstrated as lower accuracy and slower reaction times in patients, but not in controls. This differentiation between groups suggests an important and distinct role of beta-band phase synchronization, perhaps for memory retrieval, associated with good performance. Performance slowing, short-term memory and attention deficits in these patients may be attributed to the impaired beta-band connectivity among prefrontal regions and the posterior parietal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka P Shah-Basak
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada; Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Annette X Ye
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Canada
| | - Simeon Wong
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Canada
| | - Leodante da Costa
- Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Canada.
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25
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White EJ, Nayman C, Dunkley BT, Keller AE, Valiante TA, Pang EW. Addressing the Language Binding Problem With Dynamic Functional Connectivity During Meaningful Spoken Language Comprehension. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1960. [PMID: 30369900 PMCID: PMC6194231 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During speech, how does the brain integrate information processed on different timescales and in separate brain areas so we can understand what is said? This is the language binding problem. Dynamic functional connectivity (brief periods of synchronization in the phase of EEG oscillations) may provide some answers. Here we investigate time and frequency characteristics of oscillatory power and phase synchrony (dynamic functional connectivity) during speech comprehension. Twenty adults listened to meaningful English sentences and non-sensical “Jabberwocky” sentences in which pseudo-words replaced all content words, while EEG was recorded. Results showed greater oscillatory power and global connectivity strength (mean phase lag index) in the gamma frequency range (30–80 Hz) for English compared to Jabberwocky. Increased power and connectivity relative to baseline was also seen in the theta frequency range (4–7 Hz), but was similar for English and Jabberwocky. High-frequency gamma oscillations may reflect a mechanism by which the brain transfers and integrates linguistic information so we can extract meaning and understand what is said. Slower frequency theta oscillations may support domain-general processing of the rhythmic features of speech. Our findings suggest that constructing a meaningful representation of speech involves dynamic interactions among distributed brain regions that communicate through frequency-specific functional networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin J White
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Epilespy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Candace Nayman
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anne E Keller
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Epilespy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Taufik A Valiante
- Epilespy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network and Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Epilespy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
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26
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Yuk V, Urbain C, Pang EW, Anagnostou E, Buchsbaum D, Taylor MJ. Do you know what I'm thinking? Temporal and spatial brain activity during a theory-of-mind task in children with autism. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 34:139-147. [PMID: 30415185 PMCID: PMC6969351 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
First MEG study of neural underpinnings of theory of mind differences in autism. Children with autism show decreased LTPJ activity from 300 to 375 and 425 to 500 ms. Children with autism also show increased RIFG activity from 325 to 375 ms. Co-incident lower LTPJ and higher RIFG activity implies compensatory use of RIFG. Executive functions may augment impaired theory of mind in autism.
The social impairments observed in children with autism spectrum disorder are thought to arise in part from deficits in theory of mind, the ability to understand other people’s thoughts and feelings. To determine the temporal-spatial dynamics of brain activity underlying these atypical theory-of-mind processes, we used magnetoencephalography to characterize the sequence of functional brain patterns (i.e. when and where) related to theory-of-mind reasoning in 19 high-functioning children with autism compared to 22 age- and sex-matched typically-developing children aged 8–12 during a false-belief (theory-of-mind) task. While task performance did not differ between the two groups, children with autism showed reduced activation in the left temporoparietal junction between 300–375 and 425–500 ms, as well as increased activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus from 325 to 375 ms compared to controls. The overlap in decreased temporoparietal junction activity and increased right inferior frontal gyrus activation from 325 to 375 ms suggests that in children with autism, the right inferior frontal gyrus may compensate for deficits in the temporoparietal junction, a neural theory-of-mind network hub. As the right inferior frontal gyrus is involved in inhibitory control, this finding suggests that children with autism rely on executive functions to bolster their false-belief understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Yuk
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, SickKids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Charline Urbain
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, SickKids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, SickKids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Department of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Daphna Buchsbaum
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, SickKids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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27
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Lepock JR, Mizrahi R, Korostil M, Bagby RM, Pang EW, Kiang M. Event-Related Potentials in the Clinical High-Risk (CHR) State for Psychosis: A Systematic Review. Clin EEG Neurosci 2018; 49:215-225. [PMID: 29382210 DOI: 10.1177/1550059418755212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
There is emerging evidence that identification and treatment of individuals in the prodromal or clinical high-risk (CHR) state for psychosis can reduce the probability that they will develop a psychotic disorder. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) are a noninvasive neurophysiological technique that holds promise for improving our understanding of neurocognitive processes underlying the CHR state. We aimed to systematically review the current literature on cognitive ERP studies of the CHR population, in order to summarize and synthesize the results, and their implications for our understanding of the CHR state. Across studies, amplitudes of the auditory P300 and duration mismatch negativity (MMN) ERPs appear reliably reduced in CHR individuals, suggesting that underlying impairments in detecting changes in auditory stimuli are a sensitive early marker of the psychotic disease process. There are more limited data indicating that an earlier-latency auditory ERP response, the N100, is also reduced in amplitude, and in the degree to which it is modulated by stimulus characteristics, in the CHR population. There is also evidence that a number of auditory ERP measures (including P300, MMN and N100 amplitudes, and N100 gating in response to repeated stimuli) can further refine our ability to detect which CHR individuals are most at risk for developing psychosis. Thus, further research is warranted to optimize the predictive power of algorithms incorporating these measures, which could help efforts to target psychosis prevention interventions toward those most in need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer R Lepock
- 1 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Romina Mizrahi
- 1 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,2 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,3 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michele Korostil
- 1 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,2 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,3 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,4 Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - R Michael Bagby
- 1 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,2 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,3 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,5 Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- 1 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,6 Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,7 Neuroscience and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Kiang
- 1 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,2 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,3 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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28
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da Costa L, Shah-Basak PP, Dunkley BT, Robertson AD, Pang EW. Visual Working Memory Encoding and Recognition in Good Outcome Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Patients. Front Neurol 2018; 9:494. [PMID: 29997567 PMCID: PMC6028596 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) accounts for less than 5% of strokes but is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Amongst survivors, neurocognitive complaints are common, often despite normal imaging. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate neurophysiological function during a visual working memory task in aSAH survivors with good recovery and normal structural imaging. Methods: Patients with aSAH treated with coiling and exhibiting good outcome measured by Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) and without related parenchymal structural lesions in post-treatment MRI, were recruited and compared to age- and sex-matched controls. All participants underwent intelligence and cognitive screening, structural MRI, and MEG testing in conjunction with a 1-back visual working memory task. Sensor-level global field power and virtual electrode source analysis of neuronal activity and connectivity in aSAH were assessed. Results: Thirteen patients and 13 matched controls were enrolled (age: 56 ± 11 years, 19 female). The 1-back task was completed with similar accuracy despite a trend for a longer reaction time in aSAH patients (p = 0.054). During encoding and recognition phases, aSAH patients showed significantly increased neuronal activation and hyperconnectivity in periventricular areas, specifically the anterior and posterior cingulate gyri. Conclusions: Increased posterior and anterior cingulate gyri neuronal activity is demonstrated in aSAH patients during visual working memory tasks, in the absence of structural lesions. These areas work mainly as a hub to “organize” memory storage and retrieval. Increased activity in these areas might be compensatory due to injury and consequently loss of neuronal response in connected areas in the working memory networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leodante da Costa
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Priyanka P Shah-Basak
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew D Robertson
- Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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29
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Dunkley BT, Urban K, Da Costa L, Wong SM, Pang EW, Taylor MJ. Default Mode Network Oscillatory Coupling Is Increased Following Concussion. Front Neurol 2018; 9:280. [PMID: 29755402 PMCID: PMC5932404 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Concussion is a common form of mild traumatic brain injury. Despite the descriptor "mild," a single injury can leave long-lasting and sustained alterations to brain function, including changes to localized activity and large-scale interregional communication. Cognitive complaints are thought to arise from such functional deficits. We investigated the impact of injury on neurophysiological and functionally specialized resting networks, known as intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs), using magnetoencephalography. We assessed neurophysiological connectivity in 40 males, 20 with concussion and 20 without. Regions-of-interest that comprise nodes of ICNs were defined, and their time courses derived using a beamformer approach. Pairwise fluctuations and covariations in band-limited amplitude envelopes were computed reflecting measures of functional connectivity. Intra-network connectivity was compared between groups using permutation testing and correlated with symptoms. We observed increased resting spectral connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) and motor networks (MOTs) in our concussion group when compared with controls, across alpha through gamma ranges. Moreover, these differences were not explained by power spectrum density within the ICNs. Furthermore, this increased coupling was significantly associated with symptoms in the DMN and MOTs-but once accounting for comorbidities (including, depression, anxiety, and ADHD) only the DMN continued to be associated with symptoms. The DMN plays a critical role in shifting between cognitive tasks. These data suggest even a single concussion can perturb the intrinsic coupling of this functionally specialized network in the brain, and may explain persistent and wide-ranging symptomatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T. Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, Sick Kids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Karolina Urban
- Holland-Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Simeon M Wong
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W. Pang
- Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, Sick Kids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Margot J. Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, Sick Kids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Taylor MJ, Robertson A, Keller AE, Sato J, Urbain C, Pang EW. Inhibition in the face of emotion: Characterization of the spatial-temporal dynamics that facilitate automatic emotion regulation. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:2907-2916. [PMID: 29573366 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Revised: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotion regulation mediates socio-cognitive functions and is essential for interactions with others. The capacity to automatically inhibit responses to emotional stimuli is an important aspect of emotion regulation; the underlying neural mechanisms of this ability have been rarely investigated. Forty adults completed a Go/No-go task during magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings, where they responded rapidly to either a blue or purple frame which contained angry or happy faces. Subjects responded to the target color in an inhibition (75% Go trials) and a vigilance condition (25% Go trials). As expected, inhibition processes showed early, sustained activation (200-450 ms) in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Emotion-related inhibition processes showed greater activity with angry faces bilaterally in the orbital-frontal gyri (OFG) starting at 225 ms and temporal poles from 250 ms, with right hemisphere dominance. The presence of happy faces elicited earlier activity in the right OFG. This study demonstrates that the timing of inhibition processes varies with the emotional context and that there is much greater activation in the presence of angry faces. It underscores the importance of the right IFG for inhibition processes, but the OFG in automatic emotion regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Amanda Robertson
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anne E Keller
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie Sato
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Charline Urbain
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Abstract
Social cognition is impaired in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The ability to perceive and interpret affect is integral to successful social functioning and has an extended developmental course. However, the neural mechanisms underlying emotional face processing in ASD are unclear. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), the present study explored neural activation during implicit emotional face processing in young adults with and without ASD. Twenty-six young adults with ASD and 26 healthy controls were recruited. Participants indicated the location of a scrambled pattern (target) that was presented alongside a happy or angry face. Emotion-related activation sources for each emotion were estimated using the Empirical Bayes Beamformer (pcorr ≤ 0.001) in Statistical Parametric Mapping 12 (SPM12). Emotional faces elicited elevated fusiform, amygdala and anterior insula and reduced anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity in adults with ASD relative to controls. Within group comparisons revealed that angry vs. happy faces elicited distinct neural activity in typically developing adults; there was no distinction in young adults with ASD. Our data suggest difficulties in affect processing in ASD reflect atypical recruitment of traditional emotional processing areas. These early differences may contribute to difficulties in deriving social reward from faces, ascribing salience to faces, and an immature threat processing system, which collectively could result in deficits in emotional face processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C Leung
- Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Bloorview Research Institute, Holland-Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Shah-Basak PP, Urbain C, Wong S, da Costa L, Pang EW, Dunkley BT, Taylor MJ. Concussion Alters the Functional Brain Processes of Visual Attention and Working Memory. J Neurotrauma 2017; 35:267-277. [PMID: 29020848 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2017.5117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Millions of North Americans sustain a concussion or a mild traumatic brain injury annually, and are at risk of cognitive, emotional, and physical sequelae. Although functional MRI (fMRI) studies have provided an initial framework for examining functional deficits induced by concussion, particularly working memory and attention, the temporal dynamics underlying these deficits are not well understood. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG), a modality with millisecond temporal resolution, in conjunction with a 1-back visual working memory (VWM) paradigm using scenes from everyday life to characterize spatiotemporal functional differences at specific VWM stages, in adults had had or had not had a recent concussion. MEG source-level differences between groups were determined by whole-brain analyses during encoding and recognition phases. Despite comparable behavioral performance, abnormal hypo- and hyperactivation patterns were found in brain areas involving frontoparietal, ventral occipitotemporal, temporal, and subcortical areas in concussed patients. These patterns and their timing varied as a function of VWM stagewise processing, linked to early attentional control, visuoperceptual scene processing, and VWM maintenance and retrieval processes. Parietal hypoactivation, starting at 60 ms during encoding, was correlated with symptom severity, possibly linked to impaired top-down attentional processing. Hyperactivation in the scene-selective occipitotemporal areas, the medial temporal complex, specifically the right hippocampus and orbitofrontal areas during encoding and/or recognition, lead us to posit inefficient but compensatory visuoperceptual, relational, and retrieval processing. Although injuries sustained after the concussion were considered "mild," these data suggest that they can have prolonged effects on early attentional and VWM processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka P Shah-Basak
- 1 Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 2 Rotman Research Institute , Baycrest Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Charline Urbain
- 1 Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 3 Laboratoire de Cartographie Fonctionnelle du Cerveau, Erasme Hospital , ULB Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Simeon Wong
- 1 Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Leodante da Costa
- 4 Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Hospital, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- 5 Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 6 Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- 1 Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 6 Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 7 Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Hospital, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- 1 Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 7 Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Hospital, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 8 Department of Psychology, Sunnybrook Hospital, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Mogadam A, Keller AE, Taylor MJ, Lerch JP, Anagnostou E, Pang EW. Mental flexibility: An MEG investigation in typically developing children. Brain Cogn 2017; 120:58-66. [PMID: 29065995 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2017.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Mental flexibility is a core property of cognitive executive functions, relying on an extended frontoparietal network in the brain. fMRI research comparing typically developing children and adults has found that children from an early age recruit the same "classic" brain areas associated with mental flexibility as adults; however, there is evidence that the timing of activation may be different. To investigate the temporal dynamics of brain activity associated with mental flexibility in children, we recruited 22 typically developing children (8-15 years) to complete a set-shifting task in the MEG. Our results showed that while the children relied on the same frontoparietal network of mental flexibility, there was a different emphasis on active brain regions, with children preferentially using their posterior parietal cortices. Additional areas such as the temporal pole and the premotor areas were also recruited, potentially playing a supporting role. Although children shared the same window of peak activity as adults, 75-350ms, we found a significant decrease in activation latency with increasing age, suggesting the presence of developmental differences in timing of brain activity in areas supporting mental flexibility during childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Mogadam
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Anne E Keller
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Departments of Psychology & Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Mouse Imaging Centre, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
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Mossad SI, Smith ML, Pang EW, Taylor MJ. Neural correlates of "Theory of Mind" in very preterm born children. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:5577-5589. [PMID: 28766907 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Revised: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Very preterm (VPT) birth (<32 weeks' gestational age) has been implicated in social-cognitive deficits including Theory of Mind (ToM); the ability to attribute mental states to others and understand that those beliefs can differ from one's own or reality. The neural bases for ToM deficits in VPT born children have not been examined. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) for its excellent spatial and temporal resolution to determine the neural underpinnings of ToM in 24 VPT and 24 full-term born (FT) children (7-13 years). VPT children performed more poorly on neuropsychological measures of ToM but not inhibition. In the MEG task, both FT children and VPT children recruited regions involved in false belief processing such as the rIFG (VPT: 275-350 ms, FT: 250-375 ms) and left inferior temporal gyrus (VPT: 375-450 ms, FT: 325-375 ms) and right fusiform gyrus (VPT: 150-200 ms, FT: 175-250 ms). The rIPL (included in the temporal-parietal junction) was recruited in FT children (475-575 ms) and the lTPJ in VPT children (500-575 ms). However, activations in all regions were reduced in the VPT compared to the FT group. We suggest that with increasing social-cognitive demands such as varying the type of scenarios in the standardized measure of ToM, reduced activations in the rIFG and TPJ in the VPT group may reflect the decreased performance. With access to both spatial and temporal information, we discuss the role of domain general and specific regions of the ToM network in both groups. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5577-5589, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah I Mossad
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Neuroscience & Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mary Lou Smith
- Department of Neuroscience & Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Department of Neuroscience & Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Neuroscience & Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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35
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Urbain C, Sato J, Pang EW, Taylor MJ. The temporal and spatial brain dynamics of automatic emotion regulation in children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 26:62-68. [PMID: 28527986 PMCID: PMC6987902 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Revised: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms for automatic emotion regulation (AER) are essential during childhood as they offset the impact of unwanted or negative emotional responses without drawing on limited attentional resources. Despite the importance of AER in improving the efficiency and flexibility of self-regulation, few research studies have investigated the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms. To fill this gap, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate AER-related brain processes in 25 children (∼10 years old) who performed a go/no–go task that included an incidental exposure to faces containing socio-emotional cues. Whole brain results revealed that the inhibition of angry faces (compared with happy faces) was associated with a stronger recruitment of several brain regions from 100 to 425 ms. These activations involved the right angular and occipital gyri from 100 to175 ms, the right orbito-frontal gyrus (OFG) from 250 to 325 ms (pcorr < 0.05), and finally, the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL) from 325 to 425 ms. Our results suggest a specific involvement of these regions in the automatic regulation of negative emotional stimuli in children. In the future, this knowledge may help understand developmental conditions where inhibition impairments are exacerbated by an emotional context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charline Urbain
- UR2NF-Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group at Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN) and ULB Neurosciences Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Julie Sato
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
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Dunkley BT, Pang EW, Sedge PA, Jetly R, Doesburg SM, Taylor MJ. Corrigendum to "Threatening faces induce fear circuitry hypersynchrony in soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder". Heliyon 2016; 2:e00145. [PMID: 28018983 PMCID: PMC5167234 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2016.e00145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Paul A Sedge
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Sam M Doesburg
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Vakorin VA, Doesburg SM, da Costa L, Jetly R, Pang EW, Taylor MJ. Detecting Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Using Resting State Magnetoencephalographic Connectivity. PLoS Comput Biol 2016; 12:e1004914. [PMID: 27906973 PMCID: PMC5131899 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Accurate means to detect mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) using objective and quantitative measures remain elusive. Conventional imaging typically detects no abnormalities despite post-concussive symptoms. In the present study, we recorded resting state magnetoencephalograms (MEG) from adults with mTBI and controls. Atlas-guided reconstruction of resting state activity was performed for 90 cortical and subcortical regions, and calculation of inter-regional oscillatory phase synchrony at various frequencies was performed. We demonstrate that mTBI is associated with reduced network connectivity in the delta and gamma frequency range (>30 Hz), together with increased connectivity in the slower alpha band (8–12 Hz). A similar temporal pattern was associated with correlations between network connectivity and the length of time between the injury and the MEG scan. Using such resting state MEG network synchrony we were able to detect mTBI with 88% accuracy. Classification confidence was also correlated with clinical symptom severity scores. These results provide the first evidence that imaging of MEG network connectivity, in combination with machine learning, has the potential to accurately detect and determine the severity of mTBI. Detecting concussion is typically not possible using currently clinically used brain imaging, such as MRI and CT scans. Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) imaging is able to directly measure brain activity at fast time scales, and this can be used to map how various areas of the brain interact. We recorded MEG from individuals who had suffered a concussion, as well as control subjects who had not. We found characteristic alterations of inter-regional interactions associated with concussion. Moreover, using a machine learning approach, we were able to detect concussion with 88% accuracy from MEG connectivity, and confidence of classification correlated with symptom severity. This potentially provides new quantitative and objective methods for detecting and assessing the severity of concussion using neuroimaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasily A. Vakorin
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Sam M. Doesburg
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Leodante da Costa
- Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Canadian Forces Health Services, Directorate of Mental Health, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W. Pang
- Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Margot J. Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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da Costa L, Dunkley BT, Bethune A, Robertson A, Keller A, Pang EW. Increased Frontal Lobe Activation After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. Stroke 2016; 47:2503-10. [PMID: 27531345 DOI: 10.1161/strokeaha.116.013786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Neurocognitive deficits are common among survivors of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, even among those with good outcomes and no structural lesions. This study aims to probe the neurophysiological underpinnings of cognitive dysfunction among patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms using magnetoencephalography (MEG). METHODS Thirteen patients who had undergone uncomplicated coiling for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and 13 matched controls were enrolled. Neuropsychological tests were done before magnetoencephalography scans. Magnetoencephalography data were acquired in a 151-channel, whole-head magnetoencephalography system for resting state and 2 cognitive tasks (go-no-go and set-shifting). Mean time from treatment to test was 18.8 months. RESULTS Cognitive tasks of inhibition (go-no-go) indicated greater activation in the right anterior cingulate and inferior frontal gyrus, and cognitive set-shifting tasks (mental flexibility) indicated greater activity in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex and right medial frontal gyrus among aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients, with significantly different timing of activation between groups. Resting-state, beta-band connectivity of the anterior cingulate correlated negatively with Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores (left: r=-0.56; P<0.01 and right: r=-0.55; P<0.01): higher connectivity of this region was linked to poorer cognitive test performance. CONCLUSIONS We have shown increased activation in areas of the anterior cingulate gyrus and frontobasal regions during the execution of more demanding tasks in good grade. The degree of activation in the anterior cingulate gyrus has a negative correlation with cognitive (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) scores. These subtle differences may be related to the common neurocognitive and behavioral complaints seen in this patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leodante da Costa
- From the Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C., A.B.), Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C.), Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children (B.T.D., A.R.), and Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children (A.K., E.W.P.), University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- From the Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C., A.B.), Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C.), Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children (B.T.D., A.R.), and Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children (A.K., E.W.P.), University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Allison Bethune
- From the Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C., A.B.), Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C.), Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children (B.T.D., A.R.), and Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children (A.K., E.W.P.), University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Amanda Robertson
- From the Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C., A.B.), Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C.), Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children (B.T.D., A.R.), and Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children (A.K., E.W.P.), University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anne Keller
- From the Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C., A.B.), Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C.), Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children (B.T.D., A.R.), and Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children (A.K., E.W.P.), University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- From the Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C., A.B.), Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (L.d.C.), Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children (B.T.D., A.R.), and Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children (A.K., E.W.P.), University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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39
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Pang EW, Snead III OC. From Structure to Circuits: The Contribution of MEG Connectivity Studies to Functional Neurosurgery. Front Neuroanat 2016; 10:67. [PMID: 27445705 PMCID: PMC4914570 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2016.00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
New advances in structural neuroimaging have revealed the intricate and extensive connections within the brain, data which have informed a number of ambitious projects such as the mapping of the human connectome. Elucidation of the structural connections of the brain, at both the macro and micro levels, promises new perspectives on brain structure and function that could translate into improved outcomes in functional neurosurgery. The understanding of neuronal structural connectivity afforded by these data now offers a vista on the brain, in both healthy and diseased states, that could not be seen with traditional neuroimaging. Concurrent with these developments in structural imaging, a complementary modality called magnetoencephalography (MEG) has been garnering great attention because it too holds promise for being able to shed light on the intricacies of functional brain connectivity. MEG is based upon the elemental principle of physics that an electrical current generates a magnetic field. Hence, MEG uses highly sensitive biomagnetometers to measure extracranial magnetic fields produced by intracellular neuronal currents. Put simply then, MEG is a measure of neurophysiological activity, which captures the magnetic fields generated by synchronized intraneuronal electrical activity. As such, MEG recordings offer exquisite resolution in the time and oscillatory domain and, as well, when co-registered with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), offer excellent resolution in the spatial domain. Recent advances in MEG computational and graph theoretical methods have led to studies of connectivity in the time-frequency domain. As such, MEG can elucidate a neurophysiological-based functional circuitry that may enhance what is seen with MRI connectivity studies. In particular, MEG may offer additional insight not possible by MRI when used to study complex eloquent function, where the precise timing and coordination of brain areas is critical. This article will review the traditional use of MEG for functional neurosurgery, describe recent advances in MEG connectivity analyses, and consider the additional benefits that could be gained with the inclusion of MEG connectivity studies. Since MEG has been most widely applied to the study of epilepsy, we will frame this article within the context of epilepsy surgery and functional neurosurgery for epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth W. Pang
- Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick ChildrenToronto, ON, Canada
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research InstituteToronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of TorontoToronto, ON, Canada
| | - O. C. Snead III
- Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick ChildrenToronto, ON, Canada
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research InstituteToronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of TorontoToronto, ON, Canada
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Sussman D, Pang EW, Jetly R, Dunkley BT, Taylor MJ. Neuroanatomical features in soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder. BMC Neurosci 2016; 17:13. [PMID: 27029195 PMCID: PMC4815085 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-016-0247-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to psychological trauma, impacts up to 20 % of soldiers returning from combat-related deployment. Advanced neuroimaging holds diagnostic and prognostic potential for furthering our understanding of its etiology. Previous imaging studies on combat-related PTSD have focused on selected structures, such as the hippocampi and cortex, but none conducted a comprehensive examination of both the cerebrum and cerebellum. The present study provides a complete analysis of cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar anatomy in a single cohort. Forty-seven magnetic resonance images (MRIs) were collected from 24 soldiers with PTSD and 23 Control soldiers. Each image was segmented into 78 cortical brain regions and 81,924 vertices using the corticometric iterative vertex based estimation of thickness algorithm, allowing for both a region-based and a vertex-based cortical analysis, respectively. Subcortical volumetric analyses of the hippocampi, cerebellum, thalamus, globus pallidus, caudate, putamen, and many sub-regions were conducted following their segmentation using Multiple Automatically Generated Templates Brain algorithm. Results Participants with PTSD were found to have reduced cortical thickness, primarily in the frontal and temporal lobes, with no preference for laterality. The region-based analyses further revealed localized thinning as well as thickening in several sub-regions. These results were accompanied by decreased volumes of the caudate and right hippocampus, as computed relative to total cerebral volume. Enlargement in several cerebellar lobules (relative to total cerebellar volume) was also observed in the PTSD group. Conclusions These data highlight the distributed structural differences between soldiers with and without PTSD, and emphasize the diagnostic potential of high-resolution MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Sussman
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - E W Pang
- Division of Neurology, Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - R Jetly
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - B T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
| | - M J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
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Dunkley BT, Pang EW, Sedge PA, Jetly R, Doesburg SM, Taylor MJ. Threatening faces induce fear circuitry hypersynchrony in soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder. Heliyon 2016; 2:e00063. [PMID: 27441243 PMCID: PMC4945901 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2015.e00063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2015] [Revised: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 12/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with atypical responses to emotional face stimuli with preferential processing given to threat-related facial expressions via hyperactive amygdalae disengaged from medial prefrontal modulation. METHOD We examined implicit emotional face perception in soldiers with (n = 20) and without (n = 25) PTSD using magnetoencephalography to define spatiotemporal network interactions, and a subsequent region-of-interest analysis to characterize the network role of the right amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex in threatening face perception. RESULTS Contrasts of network interactions revealed the PTSD group were hyperconnected compared to controls in the phase-locking response in the 2-24 Hz range for angry faces, but not for happy faces when contrasting groups. Hyperconnectivity in PTSD was greatest in the posterior cingulate, right ventromedial prefrontal cortex, right parietal regions and the right temporal pole, as well as the right amygdala. Graph measures of right amygdala and medial prefrontal connectivity revealed increases in node strength and clustering in PTSD, but not inter-node connectivity. Additionally, these measures were found to correlate with anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS In line with prior studies, amygdala hyperconnectivity was observed in PTSD in relation to threatening faces, but the medial prefrontal cortex also displayed enhanced connectivity in our network-based approach. Overall, these results support preferential neurophysiological encoding of threat-related facial expressions in those with PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Paul A Sedge
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Sam M Doesburg
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Pang EW, Dunkley BT, Doesburg SM, da Costa L, Taylor MJ. Reduced brain connectivity and mental flexibility in mild traumatic brain injury. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2015; 3:124-31. [PMID: 26900581 PMCID: PMC4748313 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion, has known neuropsychological sequelae, and neuroimaging shows disturbed brain connectivity during the resting state. We hypothesized that task-based functional connectivity measures, using magnetoencephalography (MEG), would better link the neurobiological underpinnings of cognitive deficits to specific brain damage. METHODS We used a mental flexibility task in the MEG and compared brain connectivity between adults with and without mTBI. RESULTS Affected individuals showed significant reductions in connectivity. When challenged with a more difficult task, these individuals were not able to "boost" their connectivity, and as such, showed deterioration in performance. INTERPRETATION We discuss these findings in the context of limitations in cognitive reserve as a consequence of a mTBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth W Pang
- Division of Neurology Hospital for Sick Children Toronto Ontario Canada; Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health Sick Kids Research Institute Toronto Ontario Canada; Faculty of Medicine University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- Faculty of Medicine University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada; Diagnostic Imaging Hospital for Sick Children Toronto Ontario Canada
| | | | - Leodante da Costa
- Faculty of Medicine University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health Sick Kids Research Institute Toronto Ontario Canada; Faculty of Medicine University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada; Department of Psychology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
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Todd RM, MacDonald MJ, Sedge P, Robertson A, Jetly R, Taylor MJ, Pang EW. Soldiers With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder See a World Full of Threat: Magnetoencephalography Reveals Enhanced Tuning to Combat-Related Cues. Biol Psychiatry 2015; 78:821-9. [PMID: 26094019 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Revised: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to elevated arousal and alterations in cognitive processes. Yet, whether a traumatic experience is linked to neural and behavioral differences in selective attentional tuning to traumatic stimuli is not known. The present study examined selective awareness of threat stimuli and underlying temporal-spatial patterns of brain activation associated with PTSD. METHODS Participants were 44 soldiers from the Canadian Armed Forces, 22 with PTSD and 22 without. All completed neuropsychological tests and clinical assessments. Magnetoencephalography data were collected while participants identified two targets in a rapidly presented stream of words. The first target was a number and the second target was either a combat-related or neutral word. The difference in accuracy for combat-related versus neutral words was used as a measure of attentional bias. RESULTS All soldiers showed a bias for combat-related words. This bias was enhanced in the PTSD group, and behavioral differences were associated with distinct patterns of brain activity. At early latencies, non-PTSD soldiers showed activation of midline frontal regions associated with fear regulation (90-340 ms after the second target presentation), whereas those with PTSD showed greater visual cortex activation linked to enhanced visual processing of trauma stimuli (200-300 ms). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that attentional biases in PTSD are linked to deficits in very rapid regulatory activation observed in healthy control subjects. Thus, sufferers with PTSD may literally see a world more populated by traumatic cues, contributing to a positive feedback loop that perpetuates the effects of trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M Todd
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.
| | - Matt J MacDonald
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
| | - Paul Sedge
- Operational Stress Injury Clinic, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center, Ottawa; The Saint Lawrence Valley Correctional Treatment Center, Brockville
| | - Amanda Robertson
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto; Neurosciences and Mental Health Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto; Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto; Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Dunkley BT, Doesburg SM, Jetly R, Sedge PA, Pang EW, Taylor MJ. Characterising intra- and inter-intrinsic network synchrony in combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychiatry Res 2015; 234:172-81. [PMID: 26422117 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2015] [Revised: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit elevated gamma-band synchrony in left fronto-temporal cortex, and connectivity measures in these regions correlate with comorbidities and PTSD severity, which suggests increased gamma synchrony is related to symptomology. However, little is known about the role of intrinsic, phase-synchronised networks in the disorder. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we characterised spectral connectivity in the default-mode, salience, visual, and attention networks during resting-state in a PTSD population and a trauma-exposed control group. Intrinsic network connectivity was examined in canonical frequency bands. We observed increased inter-network synchronisation in the PTSD group compared with controls in the gamma (30-80 Hz) and high-gamma range (80-150 Hz). Analyses of connectivity and symptomology revealed that PTSD severity was positively associated with beta synchrony in the ventral-attention-to-salience networks, and gamma synchrony within the salience network, but also negatively correlated with beta synchrony within the visual network. These novel results show that frequency-specific, network-level atypicalities may reflect trauma-related alterations of ongoing functional connectivity, and correlations of beta synchrony in attentional-to-salience and visual networks with PTSD severity suggest complicated network interactions mediate symptoms. These results contribute to accumulating evidence that PTSD is a complicated network-based disorder expressed as altered neural interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Sam M Doesburg
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Paul A Sedge
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Urbain C, Vogan VM, Ye AX, Pang EW, Doesburg SM, Taylor MJ. Desynchronization of fronto-temporal networks during working memory processing in autism. Hum Brain Mapp 2015; 37:153-64. [PMID: 26485059 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2015] [Revised: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mounting evidence suggests that autism is a network disorder, characterized by atypical brain connectivity, especially in the context of high level cognitive processes such as working memory (WM). Accordingly, atypical WM processes have been related to the social and cognitive deficits observed in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate connectivity differences during a high memory load (2-back) WM task between 17 children with ASD and 20 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched controls. RESULTS We identified reduced inter-regional alpha-band (9-15 Hz) phase synchronization in children with ASD during the WM task. Reduced WM-related brain synchronization encompassed fronto-temporal networks (ps < 0.04 corrected) previously associated with challenging high-level conditions (i.e. the left insula and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)) and memory encoding and/or recognition (i.e. the right middle temporal gyrus and the right fusiform gyrus). Additionally, we found that reduced connectivity processes related to the right fusiform were correlated with the severity of symptoms in children with ASD, suggesting that such atypicalities could be directly related to the behavioural deficits observed. DISCUSSION This study provides new evidence of atypical long-range synchronization in children with ASD in fronto-temporal areas that crucially contribute to challenging WM tasks, but also emotion regulation and social cognition processes. Thus, these results support the network disorder hypothesis of ASD and argue for a specific pathophysiological contribution of brain processes related to working memory and executive functions on the symptomatology of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charline Urbain
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Vanessa M Vogan
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Annette X Ye
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sam M Doesburg
- Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Abstract
Synchronization of oscillations among brain areas is understood to mediate network communication supporting cognition, perception, and language. How task-dependent synchronization during word production develops throughout childhood and adolescence, as well as how such network coherence is related to the development of language abilities, remains poorly understood. To address this, we recorded magnetoencephalography while 73 participants aged 4-18 years performed a verb generation task. Atlas-guided source reconstruction was performed, and phase synchronization among regions was calculated. Task-dependent increases in synchronization were observed in the theta, alpha, and beta frequency ranges, and network synchronization differences were observed between age groups. Task-dependent synchronization was strongest in the theta band, as were differences between age groups. Network topologies were calculated for brain regions associated with verb generation and were significantly associated with both age and language abilities. These findings establish the maturational trajectory of network synchronization underlying expressive language abilities throughout childhood and adolescence and provide the first evidence for an association between large-scale neurophysiological network synchronization and individual differences in the development of language abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.,Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
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Pang EW, Valica T, MacDonald MJ, Taylor MJ, Brian J, Lerch JP, Anagnostou E. Abnormal Brain Dynamics Underlie Speech Production in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Res 2015; 9:249-61. [PMID: 26363154 PMCID: PMC4884085 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
A large proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have speech and/or language difficulties. While a number of structural and functional neuroimaging methods have been used to explore the brain differences in ASD with regards to speech and language comprehension and production, the neurobiology of basic speech function in ASD has not been examined. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a neuroimaging modality with high spatial and temporal resolution that can be applied to the examination of brain dynamics underlying speech as it can capture the fast responses fundamental to this function. We acquired MEG from 21 children with high‐functioning autism (mean age: 11.43 years) and 21 age‐ and sex‐matched controls as they performed a simple oromotor task, a phoneme production task and a phonemic sequencing task. Results showed significant differences in activation magnitude and peak latencies in primary motor cortex (Brodmann Area 4), motor planning areas (BA 6), temporal sequencing and sensorimotor integration areas (BA 22/13) and executive control areas (BA 9). Our findings of significant functional brain differences between these two groups on these simple oromotor and phonemic tasks suggest that these deficits may be foundational and could underlie the language deficits seen in ASD. Autism Res2016, 9: 249–261. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth W Pang
- Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children.,Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute.,Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
| | - Tatiana Valica
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
| | - Matt J MacDonald
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute.,Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute.,Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.,Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children
| | - Jessica Brian
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute.,Mouse Imaging Centre, Hospital for Sick Children.,Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,, M5G 1X8
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, Sick Kids Research Institute.,Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.,Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto
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da Costa L, Robertson A, Bethune A, MacDonald MJ, Shek PN, Taylor MJ, Pang EW. Delayed and disorganised brain activation detected with magnetoencephalography after mild traumatic brain injury. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2015; 86:1008-15. [PMID: 25324505 PMCID: PMC4552930 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2014-308571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2014] [Accepted: 09/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Awareness to neurocognitive issues after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is increasing, but currently no imaging markers are available for mTBI. Advanced structural imaging recently showed microstructural tissue changes and axonal injury, mild but likely sufficient to lead to functional deficits. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) has high temporal and spatial resolution, combining structural and electrophysiological information, and can be used to examine brain activation patterns of regions involved with specific tasks. METHODS 16 adults with mTBI and 16 matched controls were submitted to neuropsychological testing (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI); Conners; Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); Generalised Anxiety Disorder Seven-item Scale (GAD-7); Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9); Symptom Checklist and Symptom Severity Score (SCAT2)) and MEG while tested for mental flexibility (Intra-Extra Dimensional set-shifting tasks). Three-dimensional maps were generated using synthetic aperture magnetometry beamforming analyses to identify differences in regional activation and activation times. Reaction times and accuracy between groups were compared using 2×2 mixed analysis of variance. FINDINGS While accuracy was similar, patients with mTBI reaction time was delayed and sequence of activation of brain regions disorganised, with involvement of extra regions such as the occipital lobes, not used by controls. Examination of activation time showed significant delays in the right insula and left posterior parietal cortex in patients with mTBI. CONCLUSIONS Patients with mTBI showed significant delays in the activation of important areas involved in executive function. Also, more regions of the brain are involved in an apparent compensatory effort. Our study suggests that MEG can detect subtle neural changes associated with cognitive dysfunction and thus, may eventually be useful for capturing and tracking the onset and course of cognitive symptoms associated with mTBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leodante da Costa
- Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Amanda Robertson
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Allison Bethune
- Division of Neurosurgery, Sunnybrook Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Matt J MacDonald
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pang N Shek
- Military Medicine Section, Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neurosciences and Mental Health, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Yu VY, De Nil LF, Pang EW. Effects of Age, Sex and Syllable Number on Voice Onset Time: Evidence from Children's Voiceless Aspirated Stops. Lang Speech 2015; 58:152-67. [PMID: 26677640 PMCID: PMC4885737 DOI: 10.1177/0023830914522994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Voice onset time (VOT) is a temporal acoustic parameter that reflects motor speech coordination skills. This study investigated the patterns of age and sex differences across development of voice onset time in a group of 70 English-speaking children, ranging in age from 4.1 to 18.4 years, and 12 young adults. The effect of the number of syllables on VOT patterns was also examined. Speech samples were elicited by producing syllables /pa/ and /pataka/. Results supported previous findings showing that younger children produce longer VOT values with higher levels of variability. Markedly higher VOT values and increased variability were found for boys at ages between 8 and 11 years, confirming sex differences in VOT patterns and patterns of variability. In addition, all participants consistently produced shorter VOT with higher variability for multisyllables than monosyllables, indicating an effect of syllable number. Possible explanations for these findings and clinical implications are discussed.
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Dunkley BT, Sedge PA, Doesburg SM, Grodecki RJ, Jetly R, Shek PN, Taylor MJ, Pang EW. Theta, mental flexibility, and post-traumatic stress disorder: connecting in the parietal cortex. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0123541. [PMID: 25909654 PMCID: PMC4409115 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 03/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health injury characterised by re-experiencing, avoidance, numbing and hyperarousal. Whilst the aetiology of the disorder is relatively well understood, there is debate about the prevalence of cognitive sequelae that manifest in PTSD. In particular, there are conflicting reports about deficits in executive function and mental flexibility. Even less is known about the neural changes that underlie such deficits. Here, we used magnetoencephalography to study differences in functional connectivity during a mental flexibility task in combat-related PTSD (all males, mean age = 37.4, n = 18) versus a military control (all males, mean age = 33.05, n = 19) group. We observed large-scale increases in theta connectivity in the PTSD group compared to controls. The PTSD group performance was compromised in the more attentionally-demanding task and this was characterised by 'late-stage' theta hyperconnectivity, concentrated in network connections involving right parietal cortex. Furthermore, we observed significant correlations with the connectivity strength in this region with a number of cognitive-behavioural outcomes, including measures of attention, depression and anxiety. These findings suggest atypical coordination of neural synchronisation in large scale networks contributes to deficits in mental flexibility for PTSD populations in timed, attentionally-demanding tasks, and this propensity toward network hyperconnectivity may play a more general role in the cognitive sequelae evident in this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T. Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
| | - Paul A. Sedge
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Sam M. Doesburg
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Rakesh Jetly
- Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Pang N. Shek
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, Canada
| | - Margot J. Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Elizabeth W. Pang
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
- Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
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