1
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Bray NW, Pieruccini-Faria F, Witt ST, Bartha R, Doherty TJ, Nagamatsu LS, Almeida QJ, Liu-Ambrose T, Middleton LE, Bherer L, Montero-Odasso M. Combining exercise with cognitive training and vitamin D 3 to improve functional brain connectivity (FBC) in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Results from the SYNERGIC trial. GeroScience 2023:10.1007/s11357-023-00805-6. [PMID: 37162700 PMCID: PMC10170058 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-023-00805-6] [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] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in functional brain connectivity (FBC) may indicate how lifestyle modifications can prevent the progression to dementia; FBC identifies areas that are spatially separate but temporally synchronized in their activation and is altered in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a prodromal state between healthy cognitive aging and dementia. Participants with MCI were randomly assigned to one of five study arms. Three times per week for 20-weeks, participants performed 30-min of (control) cognitive training, followed by 60-min of (control) physical exercise. Additionally, a vitamin D3 (10,000 IU/pill) or a placebo capsule was ingested three times per week for 20-weeks. Using the CONN toolbox, we measured FBC change (Post-Pre) across four statistical models that collapsed for and/or included some or all study arms. We conducted Pearson correlations between FBC change and changes in physical and cognitive functioning. Our sample included 120 participants (mean age: 73.89 ± 6.50). Compared to the pure control, physical exercise (model one; p-False Discovery Rate (FDR) < 0.01 & < 0.05) with cognitive training (model two; p-FDR = < 0.001), and all three interventions combined (model four; p-FDR = < 0.01) demonstrated an increase in FBC between regions of the Default-Mode Network (i.e., hippocampus and angular gyrus). After controlling for false discovery rate, there were no significant correlations between change in connectivity and change in cognitive or physical function. Physical exercise alone appears to be as efficacious as combined interventional strategies in altering FBC, but implications for behavioral outcomes remain unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick W Bray
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
- Gait and Brain Lab, Parkwood Institute, Lawson Health Research Institute, 550 Wellington Road, Room A3-116, London, ON, N6C-0A7, Canada.
| | - Frederico Pieruccini-Faria
- Gait and Brain Lab, Parkwood Institute, Lawson Health Research Institute, 550 Wellington Road, Room A3-116, London, ON, N6C-0A7, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A-5C1, Canada
| | - Suzanne T Witt
- BrainsCAN, Western University, London, ON, N6A-3K7, Canada
| | - Robert Bartha
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A-5C1, Canada
- Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, ON, N6A-5B7, Canada
| | - Timothy J Doherty
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A-5C1, Canada
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A-5C1, Canada
| | - Lindsay S Nagamatsu
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, N6G-2V4, Canada
| | - Quincy J Almeida
- Faculty of Science, Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, N2L-3C5, Canada
| | - Teresa Liu-Ambrose
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T-1Z3, Canada
- Centre for Aging SMART at Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Laura E Middleton
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L-3G1, Canada
| | - Louis Bherer
- Department of Medicine, University of Montréal, Montréal, QC, H3T-1J4, Canada
- Research Centre, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC, H1T-1C8, Canada
| | - Manuel Montero-Odasso
- Gait and Brain Lab, Parkwood Institute, Lawson Health Research Institute, 550 Wellington Road, Room A3-116, London, ON, N6C-0A7, Canada.
- Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A-5C1, Canada.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A-5C1, Canada.
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2
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Drissi NM, Szakács A, Witt ST, Wretman A, Ulander M, Ståhlbrandt H, Darin N, Hallböök T, Landtblom AM, Engström M. Corrigendum: Altered Brain Microstate Dynamics in Adolescents With Narcolepsy. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:385. [PMID: 31762738 PMCID: PMC6851531 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00385] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00369.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha M Drissi
- Department of Medical and Health Sciences (IMH), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.,Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Attila Szakács
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Suzanne T Witt
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Anna Wretman
- Department of Behavioral Science and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Martin Ulander
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | | | - Niklas Darin
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tove Hallböök
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Anne-Marie Landtblom
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.,Department of Neurology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Maria Engström
- Department of Medical and Health Sciences (IMH), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.,Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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3
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Icenhour A, Tapper S, Bednarska O, Witt ST, Tisell A, Lundberg P, Elsenbruch S, Walter S. Elucidating the putative link between prefrontal neurotransmission, functional connectivity, and affective symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13590. [PMID: 31537890 PMCID: PMC6753205 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50024-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [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: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Altered neural mechanisms are well-acknowledged in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disorder of brain-gut-communication highly comorbid with anxiety and depression. As a key hub in corticolimbic inhibition, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) may be involved in disturbed emotion regulation in IBS. However, aberrant mPFC excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission potentially contributing to psychological symptoms in IBS remains unknown. Using quantitative magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qMRS), we compared mPFC glutamate + glutamine (Glx) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA+) concentrations in 64 women with IBS and 32 age-matched healthy women (HCs) and investigated their association with anxiety and depression in correlational and subgroup analyses. Applying functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we explored whether altered neurotransmission was paralleled by aberrant mPFC resting-state functional connectivity (FC). IBS patients did not differ from HCs with respect to mPFC GABA+ or Glx levels. Anxiety was positively associated with mPFC GABA+ concentrations in IBS, whereas Glx was unrelated to psychological or gastrointestinal symptoms. Subgroup comparisons of patients with high or low anxiety symptom severity and HCs revealed increased GABA+ in patients with high symptom severity, and lower mPFC FC with adjacent anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a crucial region of emotion modulation. Our findings provide novel evidence that altered prefrontal inhibitory neurotransmission may be linked to anxiety in IBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriane Icenhour
- Department of Gastroenterology and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Immunobiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
| | - Sofie Tapper
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Olga Bednarska
- Department of Gastroenterology and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Suzanne T Witt
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Anders Tisell
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Radiation Physics, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Radiology, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Peter Lundberg
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Radiation Physics, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Radiology, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Sigrid Elsenbruch
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Immunobiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Susanna Walter
- Department of Gastroenterology and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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4
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Georgiopoulos C, Witt ST, Haller S, Dizdar N, Zachrisson H, Engström M, Larsson EM. A study of neural activity and functional connectivity within the olfactory brain network in Parkinson's disease. Neuroimage Clin 2019; 23:101946. [PMID: 31491835 PMCID: PMC6661283 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Revised: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Olfactory dysfunction is an early manifestation of Parkinson's disease (PD). The present study aimed to illustrate potential differences between PD patients and healthy controls in terms of neural activity and functional connectivity within the olfactory brain network. Twenty PD patients and twenty healthy controls were examined with olfactory fMRI and resting-state fMRI. Data analysis of olfactory fMRI included data-driven tensorial independent component (ICA) and task-driven general linear model (GLM) analyses. Data analysis of resting-state fMRI included probabilistic ICA based on temporal concatenation and functional connectivity analysis within the olfactory network. ICA of olfactory fMRI identified an olfactory network consisting of the posterior piriform cortex, insula, right orbitofrontal cortex and thalamus. Recruitment of this network was less significant for PD patients. GLM analysis revealed significantly lower activity in the insula bilaterally and the right orbitofrontal cortex in PD compared to healthy controls but no significant differences in the olfactory cortex itself. Analysis of resting-state fMRI did not reveal any differences in the functional connectivity within the olfactory, default mode, salience or central executive networks between the two groups. In conclusion, olfactory dysfunction in PD is associated with less significant recruitment of the olfactory brain network. ICA could demonstrate differences in both the olfactory cortex and its main projections, compared to GLM that revealed differences only on the latter. Resting-state fMRI did not reveal any significant differences in functional connectivity within the olfactory, default mode, salience and central executive networks in this cohort. Less significant recruitment of the olfactory brain network was found in Parkinson's disease. Independent component analysis reveals differences in both olfactory cortex and its projections. Differences in functional connectivity within the olfactory network were not significant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charalampos Georgiopoulos
- Department of Radiology and Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Suzanne T Witt
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Sven Haller
- Centre Imagerie Rive Droite SA, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Surgical Sciences/Radiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Nil Dizdar
- Department of Neurology and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Helene Zachrisson
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Maria Engström
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Elna-Marie Larsson
- Department of Surgical Sciences/Radiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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5
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Georgiopoulos C, Witt ST, Haller S, Dizdar N, Zachrisson H, Engström M, Larsson EM. Olfactory fMRI: Implications of Stimulation Length and Repetition Time. Chem Senses 2019; 43:389-398. [PMID: 29726890 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjy025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying olfaction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) poses various methodological challenges. This study aimed to investigate the effects of stimulation length and repetition time (TR) on the activation pattern of 4 olfactory brain regions: the anterior and the posterior piriform cortex, the orbitofrontal cortex, and the insula. Twenty-two healthy participants with normal olfaction were examined with fMRI, with 2 stimulation lengths (6 s and 15 s) and 2 TRs (0.901 s and 1.34 s). Data were analyzed using General Linear Model (GLM), Tensorial Independent Component Analysis (TICA), and by plotting the event-related time course of brain activation in the 4 olfactory regions of interest. The statistical analysis of the time courses revealed that short TR was associated with more pronounced signal increase and short stimulation was associated with shorter time to peak signal. Additionally, both long stimulation and short TR were associated with oscillatory time courses, whereas both short stimulation and short TR resulted in more typical time courses. GLM analysis showed that the combination of short stimulation and short TR could result in visually larger activation within these olfactory areas. TICA validated that the tested paradigm was spatially and temporally associated with a functionally connected network that included all 4 olfactory regions. In conclusion, the combination of short stimulation and short TR is associated with higher signal increase and shorter time to peak, making it more amenable to standard GLM-type analyses than long stimulation and long TR, and it should, thus, be preferable for olfactory fMRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charalampos Georgiopoulos
- Department of Radiology and Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Röntgenkliniken, Universitetssjukhuset, Linköping, Sweden.,Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Suzanne T Witt
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Sven Haller
- Affidea CDRC Centre de Diagnostic Radiologique de Carouge SA, clos de la Fonderie, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Surgical Sciences/Radiology, Uppsala University, Akademiska sjukhuset Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Nil Dizdar
- Department of Neurology and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Helene Zachrisson
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Maria Engström
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.,Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Sandbäcksgatan, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Elna-Marie Larsson
- Department of Surgical Sciences/Radiology, Uppsala University, Akademiska sjukhuset Uppsala, Sweden
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6
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Witt ST, Drissi NM, Tapper S, Wretman A, Szakács A, Hallböök T, Landtblom AM, Karlsson T, Lundberg P, Engström M. Evidence for cognitive resource imbalance in adolescents with narcolepsy. Brain Imaging Behav 2019; 12:411-424. [PMID: 28321606 PMCID: PMC5880867 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-017-9706-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/29/2022]
Abstract
The study investigated brain activity changes during performance of a verbal working memory task in a population of adolescents with narcolepsy. Seventeen narcolepsy patients and twenty healthy controls performed a verbal working memory task during simultaneous fMRI and EEG acquisition. All subjects also underwent MRS to measure GABA and Glutamate concentrations in the medial prefrontal cortex. Activation levels in the default mode network and left middle frontal gyrus were examined to investigate whether narcolepsy is characterized by an imbalance in cognitive resources. Significantly increased deactivation within the default mode network during task performance was observed for the narcolepsy patients for both the encoding and recognition phases of the task. No evidence for task performance deficits or reduced activation within the left middle frontal gyrus was noted for the narcolepsy patients. Correlation analyses between the spectroscopy and fMRI data indicated that deactivation of the anterior aspect of the default mode in narcolepsy patients correlated more with increased concentrations of Glutamate and decreased concentrations of GABA. In contrast, deactivation in the default mode was correlated with increased concentrations of GABA and decreased concentrations of Glutamate in controls. The results suggested that narcolepsy is not characterized by a deficit in working memory but rather an imbalance of cognitive resources in favor of monitoring and maintaining attention over actual task performance. This points towards dysregulation within the sustained attention system being the origin behind self-reported cognitive difficulties in narcolepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne T Witt
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköpings universitet/US, SE-581 85, Linköping, SE, Sweden.
| | - Natasha Morales Drissi
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköpings universitet/US, SE-581 85, Linköping, SE, Sweden.,Department of Medical and Health Sciences (IMH), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Sofie Tapper
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköpings universitet/US, SE-581 85, Linköping, SE, Sweden.,Radiation Physics, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Anna Wretman
- Linnaeus Center HEAD, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Attila Szakács
- Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tove Hallböök
- Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Anne-Marie Landtblom
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköpings universitet/US, SE-581 85, Linköping, SE, Sweden.,Department of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.,Department of Neuroscience and Neurology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Thomas Karlsson
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköpings universitet/US, SE-581 85, Linköping, SE, Sweden.,Linnaeus Center HEAD, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.,Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Peter Lundberg
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköpings universitet/US, SE-581 85, Linköping, SE, Sweden.,Radiation Physics, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.,Radiology, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Maria Engström
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköpings universitet/US, SE-581 85, Linköping, SE, Sweden.,Department of Medical and Health Sciences (IMH), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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7
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Witt ST, Warntjes M, Engström M. Increased fMRI Sensitivity at Equal Data Burden Using Averaged Shifted Echo Acquisition. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:544. [PMID: 27932947 PMCID: PMC5120083 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence as to the benefits of collecting BOLD fMRI data with increased sampling rates. However, many of the newly developed acquisition techniques developed to collect BOLD data with ultra-short TRs require hardware, software, and non-standard analytic pipelines that may not be accessible to all researchers. We propose to incorporate the method of shifted echo into a standard multi-slice, gradient echo EPI sequence to achieve a higher sampling rate with a TR of <1 s with acceptable spatial resolution. We further propose to incorporate temporal averaging of consecutively acquired EPI volumes to both ameliorate the reduced temporal signal-to-noise inherent in ultra-fast EPI sequences and reduce the data burden. BOLD data were collected from 11 healthy subjects performing a simple, event-related visual-motor task with four different EPI sequences: (1) reference EPI sequence with TR = 1440 ms, (2) shifted echo EPI sequence with TR = 700 ms, (3) shifted echo EPI sequence with every two consecutively acquired EPI volumes averaged and effective TR = 1400 ms, and (4) shifted echo EPI sequence with every four consecutively acquired EPI volumes averaged and effective TR = 2800 ms. Both the temporally averaged sequences exhibited increased temporal signal-to-noise over the shifted echo EPI sequence. The shifted echo sequence with every two EPI volumes averaged also had significantly increased BOLD signal change compared with the other three sequences, while the shifted echo sequence with every four EPI volumes averaged had significantly decreased BOLD signal change compared with the other three sequences. The results indicated that incorporating the method of shifted echo into a standard multi-slice EPI sequence is a viable method for achieving increased sampling rate for collecting event-related BOLD data. Further, consecutively averaging every two consecutively acquired EPI volumes significantly increased the measured BOLD signal change and the subsequently calculated activation map statistics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne T Witt
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization, Linköping University Linköping, Sweden
| | - Marcel Warntjes
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
| | - Maria Engström
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden; Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
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8
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Drissi NM, Szakács A, Witt ST, Wretman A, Ulander M, Ståhlbrandt H, Darin N, Hallböök T, Landtblom AM, Engström M. Altered Brain Microstate Dynamics in Adolescents with Narcolepsy. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:369. [PMID: 27536225 PMCID: PMC4971065 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [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: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder caused by a loss of hypocretin-1 producing neurons in the hypothalamus. Previous neuroimaging studies have investigated brain function in narcolepsy during rest using positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). In addition to hypothalamic and thalamic dysfunction they showed aberrant prefrontal perfusion and glucose metabolism in narcolepsy. Given these findings in brain structure and metabolism in narcolepsy, we anticipated that changes in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) resting state network (RSN) dynamics might also be apparent in patients with narcolepsy. The objective of this study was to investigate and describe brain microstate activity in adolescents with narcolepsy and correlate these to RSNs using simultaneous fMRI and electroencephalography (EEG). Sixteen adolescents (ages 13-20) with a confirmed diagnosis of narcolepsy were recruited and compared to age-matched healthy controls. Simultaneous EEG and fMRI data were collected during 10 min of wakeful rest. EEG data were analyzed for microstates, which are discrete epochs of stable global brain states obtained from topographical EEG analysis. Functional MRI data were analyzed for RSNs. Data showed that narcolepsy patients were less likely than controls to spend time in a microstate which we found to be related to the default mode network and may suggest a disruption of this network that is disease specific. We concluded that adolescents with narcolepsy have altered resting state brain dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha M Drissi
- Department of Medical and Health Sciences (IMH), Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden; Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
| | - Attila Szakács
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Suzanne T Witt
- Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University Linköping, Sweden
| | - Anna Wretman
- Department of Behavioral Science and Learning, Linköping University Linköping, Sweden
| | - Martin Ulander
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University Linköping, Sweden
| | | | - Niklas Darin
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tove Hallböök
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Anne-Marie Landtblom
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden; Department of Neurology, Uppsala UniversityUppsala, Sweden
| | - Maria Engström
- Department of Medical and Health Sciences (IMH), Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden; Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
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9
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Witt ST, Stevens MC. Relationship between white matter microstructure abnormalities and ADHD symptomatology in adolescents. Psychiatry Res 2015; 232:168-74. [PMID: 25795595 PMCID: PMC4417010 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [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] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2014] [Revised: 10/17/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The present study sought to evaluate whether white matter microstructure abnormalities observed in a cohort of adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have specific relationships with either or both Hyperactivity/Impulsivity and Inattentive ADHD symptom domains that would support a dimensional view of ADHD as adopted in the DSM-V. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were acquired on 22 adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. Multiple regression analyses were performed to determine whether scalar DTI measures in 13 tracts-of-interest demonstrated meaningful associations with Hyperactivity/Impulsivity or Inattentive symptom severity. Fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity measures of white matter integrity exhibited significant linear relationships with Hyperactivity/Impulsivity and Inattentive symptom severity. However, only radial diffusivity in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus was specifically linked to Inattentive symptom severity and not Hyperactivity/Impulsivity symptom severity. Our results provide preliminary evidence that symptom domains in ADHD are linked to neuroanatomical substrates and confirm the value in examining ADHD from a dimensional perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne T. Witt
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, 200 Retreat Avenue, ONRC, Whitehall Building, Hartford, CT 06106, USA,Center for Medical Imaging and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, SE-581 85 Linköping, SWEDEN
| | - Michael C. Stevens
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, 200 Retreat Avenue, ONRC, Whitehall Building, Hartford, CT 06106, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite 901, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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Tolin DF, Witt ST, Stevens MC. Hoarding disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder show different patterns of neural activity during response inhibition. Psychiatry Res 2014; 221:142-8. [PMID: 24389161 PMCID: PMC3946244 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2013.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2013] [Revised: 10/24/2013] [Accepted: 11/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Although hoarding disorder (HD) has been historically conceptualized as a subtype or dimension of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), preliminary evidence suggests that these two disorders have distinct neural underpinnings. The aim of the present study was to compare the hemodynamic responses of HD patients, OCD patients, and healthy controls (HC) during response inhibition on a high-conflict Go/NoGo task that has previously proved sensitive to OCD. Participants comprised 24 HD patients, 24 OCD patients, and 24 HCs who completed a Go/NoGo task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Although behavioral data showed no difference among the groups in Go/NoGo task performance, significant differences in hemodynamic activity were noted. During correct rejects (successful response inhibition), HD patients showed greater right precentral gyrus activation, whereas OCD patients exhibited greater right orbitofrontal activation, as assessed using a region of interest approach. During errors of commission (response inhibition failures), OCD patients, but not HD patients, were characterized by excessive activity in left and right orbitofrontal gyrus. The present results lend further support to the biological distinction between HD and OCD, and they are consistent with previous research suggesting frontal hypoactivity in HD patients during hoarding-unrelated tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- David F Tolin
- The Institute of Living and Yale University School of Medicine, 200 Retreat Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106, USA.
| | - Suzanne T Witt
- The Institute of Living and Yale University School of Medicine, 200 Retreat Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
| | - Michael C Stevens
- The Institute of Living and Yale University School of Medicine, 200 Retreat Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
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11
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Witt ST, Stevens MC. fMRI task parameters influence hemodynamic activity in regions implicated in mental set switching. Neuroimage 2013; 65:139-51. [PMID: 23079572 PMCID: PMC3523276 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.09.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [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: 12/08/2011] [Revised: 09/22/2012] [Accepted: 09/30/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Mental set switching is a complex executive function that is required when the focus of attention must be altered in order to adapt to a frequently-changing environment. While there is generally acceptance that switching is subserved by a fronto-parietal network, there is a considerable lack of consistency across studies as to other brain regions involved in executing mental set switches. This functional magnetic resonance imaging study sought to determine whether paradigmatic design aspects such as stimulus complexity, motor response complexity, and stimulus ordering could account for the differences in reporting of brain regions associated with mental set switching across previous studies. Several brain regions, including the striatum and anterior cingulate, previously associated with mental set switching were found to be related more to resolving intra-stimulus interference conferred by increased stimulus complexity and increased motor response complexity than to executing the mental set switch. In considering stimulus ordering, defined as the number of non-switch trials preceding a switch trial, brain activity was not observed in the fronto-parietal regions typically associated with switching but rather in regions in the anterior prefrontal cortex, sensorimotor cortex, and secondary visual cortices. Our results indicate that these important paradigm design aspects that are theoretically unrelated to set switching per se should be balanced and controlled for in future experiments, so as not to obscure clear identification of brain regions truly engaged in mental set switching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne T. Witt
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Address: 200 Retreat Avenue, ONRC, Whitehall Building, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
| | - Michael C. Stevens
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Address: 200 Retreat Avenue, ONRC, Whitehall Building, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, Address: Department of Psychiatry, 300 George Street, Suite 901, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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12
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Stevens MC, Lovejoy D, Kim J, Oakes H, Kureshi I, Witt ST. Multiple resting state network functional connectivity abnormalities in mild traumatic brain injury. Brain Imaging Behav 2012; 6:293-318. [PMID: 22555821 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-012-9157-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Several reports show that traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in abnormalities in the coordinated activation among brain regions. Because most previous studies examined moderate/severe TBI, the extensiveness of functional connectivity abnormalities and their relationship to postconcussive complaints or white matter microstructural damage are unclear in mild TBI. This study characterized widespread injury effects on multiple integrated neural networks typically observed during a task-unconstrained "resting state" in mild TBI patients. Whole brain functional connectivity for twelve separate networks was identified using independent component analysis (ICA) of fMRI data collected from thirty mild TBI patients mostly free of macroscopic intracerebral injury and thirty demographically-matched healthy control participants. Voxelwise group comparisons found abnormal mild TBI functional connectivity in every brain network identified by ICA, including visual processing, motor, limbic, and numerous circuits believed to underlie executive cognition. Abnormalities not only included functional connectivity deficits, but also enhancements possibly reflecting compensatory neural processes. Postconcussive symptom severity was linked to abnormal regional connectivity within nearly every brain network identified, particularly anterior cingulate. A recently developed multivariate technique that identifies links between whole brain profiles of functional and anatomical connectivity identified several novel mild TBI abnormalities, and represents a potentially important new tool in the study of the complex neurobiological sequelae of TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Stevens
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, The Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital, CT, USA.
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13
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Witt ST, Stevens MC. Overcoming residual interference in mental set switching: neural correlates and developmental trajectory. Neuroimage 2012; 62:2055-64. [PMID: 22584223 PMCID: PMC3482401 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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] [Received: 11/14/2011] [Revised: 05/02/2012] [Accepted: 05/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mental set switching is a key facet of executive control measured behaviorally through reaction time or accuracy (i.e., 'switch costs') when shifting among task types. One of several experimentally dissociable influences on switch costs is 'task set inertia', conceptualized as the residual interference conferred when a previous stimulus-response tendency interferes with subsequent stimulus processing on a new task. Task set inertia is thought to represent the passive decay of the previous stimulus-response set from working memory, and its effects decrease with increased interstimulus interval. Closely spaced trials confer high task set inertia, while sparsely spaced trials confer low task set inertia. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study characterized, for the first time, two opposing brain systems engaged to resolve task set inertia: 1) a frontoparietal 'cortical control' network for overcoming high task set inertia interference and 2) a subcortical-motor network more active during trials with low task set inertia. These networks were distinct from brain regions showing general switching effects (i.e., switch>non-switch) and from other previously characterized interference effects. Moreover, there were ongoing maturational effects throughout adolescence for the brain regions engaged to overcome high task set inertia not seen for generalized switching effects. These novel findings represent a new avenue of exploration of cognitive set switching neural function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne T. Witt
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, 200 Retreat Avenue, ONRC, Whitehall Building, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
| | - Michael C. Stevens
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, 200 Retreat Avenue, ONRC, Whitehall Building, Hartford, CT 06106, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 300 George Street, Suite 901, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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Witt ST, Laird AR, Meyerand ME. Functional neuroimaging correlates of finger-tapping task variations: an ALE meta-analysis. Neuroimage 2008; 42:343-56. [PMID: 18511305 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 283] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2008] [Revised: 03/24/2008] [Accepted: 04/01/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Finger-tapping tasks are one of the most common paradigms used to study the human motor system in functional neuroimaging studies. These tasks can vary both in the presence or absence of a pacing stimulus as well as in the complexity of the tapping task. A voxel-wise, coordinate-based meta-analysis was performed on 685 sets of activation foci in Talairach space gathered from 38 published studies employing finger-tapping tasks. Clusters of concordance were identified within the primary sensorimotor cortices, supplementary motor area, premotor cortex, inferior parietal cortices, basal ganglia, and anterior cerebellum. Subsequent analyses performed on subsets of the primary set of foci demonstrated that the use of a pacing stimulus resulted in a larger, more diverse network of concordance clusters, in comparison to varying the complexity of the tapping task. The majority of the additional concordance clusters occurred in regions involved in the temporal aspects of the tapping task, rather than its execution. Tapping tasks employing a visual pacing stimulus recruited a set of nodes distinct from the results observed in those tasks employing either an auditory or no pacing stimulus, suggesting differing cognitive networks when integrating visual or auditory pacing stimuli into simple motor tasks. The relatively uniform network of concordance clusters observed across the more complex finger-tapping tasks suggests that further complexity, beyond the use of multi-finger sequences or bimanual tasks, may be required to fully reveal those brain regions necessary to execute truly complex movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne T Witt
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
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McMillan KM, Laird AR, Witt ST, Meyerand ME. Self-paced working memory: validation of verbal variations of the n-back paradigm. Brain Res 2006; 1139:133-42. [PMID: 17280644 PMCID: PMC1868514 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.12.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2005] [Revised: 09/05/2006] [Accepted: 12/08/2006] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Self-paced versions of many paradigms could have utility in probing cognitive systems. To validate several self-paced n-back paradigms, fourteen subjects performed four variations of the working memory task using visually presented letters as stimuli. Several areas in the frontal lobe, the anterior cingulate and a parietal network were consistently activated in the four variations: identity of black letters, location of black letters, color of colored letters and identity of colored letters. Since the n-back task is one of the more popular methods of investigating working memory, we validated the utility of several self-paced versions in normal subjects via quantitative, coordinate-based meta-analyses. The self-paced results agree well with meta-analyses and other published results, giving confidence that a self-paced n-back paradigm is robust in multiple variations. Behavioral results differ from other published reports, perhaps offering insight into true working memory strategy in normal subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn M McMillan
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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