Neuroscience
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Contralateral regions play critical role in functional compensation in glioma patients. Voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) characterizes the intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) of the brain, considered to have a regional functional basis. We aimed to investigate the alterations of brain regional function and VMHC in patients with frontal glioma, and further investigated the correlation between these alterations and cognition. ⋯ R were significantly positively correlated with cognitive functions. We preliminarily confirmed glioma causes regional dysfunction and disturbs long-distance FC, and long-distance FC showed strong instability in patients with frontal glioma. Meanwhile, the correlation analyses indicated directions for cognitive protection in patients with frontal glioma.
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We previously showed that both open-loop (beat of a metronome) and closed-loop (phase-dependent tactile feedback) cueing may be similarly effective in reducing Freezing of Gait (FoG), assessed with a quantitative FoG Index, while turning in place in the laboratory in a group of people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite the similar changes on the FoG Index, it is not known whether both cueing responses require attentional control, which would explain FoG Index improvement. The mechanisms underlying cueing responses are poorly understood. ⋯ The interaction of the salience network and retrosplenial-temporal networks was the best predictor of responsiveness to open-loop cueing, presenting the largest effect size (d = 1.16). The interaction between the salience network and subcortical as well as cingulo-parietal and subcortical networks were the strongest predictors of responsiveness to closed-loop cueing, presenting the largest effect sizes (d = 1.06 and d = 0.84, respectively). Salience network activity was a common predictor of responsiveness to both cueing, which suggests that auditory and proprioceptive stimuli during turning may require some level of cognitive and insular activity, anchored within the salience network, which explain FoG Index improvements in people with PD.
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Accumulating evidence indicates that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) ameliorates motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD); however, patients' responses to rTMS are different. Here, we aimed to explore neural activity changes in patients with PD exhibiting different responses to high-frequency rTMS treatments using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We treated 24 patients with PD using 10-session rTMS (10 Hz) over the supplementary motor area (SMA) for 10 days. ⋯ We identified increased fALFF values in the left Crus II of the cerebellar hemisphere and bilateral thalamus as responsive signs to rTMS. Furthermore, the motor response to rTMS over the SMA, measured by the reduction in UPDRS-III and bradykinesia scores, was positively associated with increased fALFF values in the left Crus2 of cerebellar hemisphere, left lobule VIIB of cerebellar hemisphere, right lobule VI of the cerebellar hemisphere, and the right postcentral gyrus. These findings provide evidence for the involvement of cerebellar activity in the motor response to rTMS treatment.
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Cytokines and nitric oxide have been associated with impulsive and aggressive personality traits. We conducted the first study that investigated the role of SNPs in cytokines and nitric oxide genes and the influence in the progression of aggressive and impulsive behavior in 107 of cocaine and crack users. In this case-control, IL-10 (-819C/T), TNFA (-308G/A) and ENOS (-786T/C) polymorphisms were determined by Real-Time PCR. ⋯ The GA genotype (b = 0.22; p = 0.01) and the A allele (b = 0.15; p = 0.02) of -308 G/A polymorphism of the TNFA were positively correlated with aggressiveness physical. The GA genotype (b = 0.20; p = 0.03) was positively correlated with aggressiveness verbal. IL-10 (-819C/T), TNFA (-308G/A) and ENOS (-786T/C) polymorphisms might be associated with high risk of aggressive and impulsive behavior.
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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has been shown to significantly impair brain connectivity, as alterations in functional and structural networks have been identified and associated with clinical status, particularly cognitive deficits. We aimed to identify structural connectivity changes in grey matter networks following cognitive rehabilitation (CR) in persons with MS (PwMS). Fifteen long-standing PwMS underwent a 5-week CR-program and five healthy controls (HC) were also investigated. ⋯ Before CR, PwMS displayed lower values for D in the left parietal lobe (p = 0.009) compared to HC. After CR, significant increases in Cl located in frontal (p = 0.024) and temporal (p = 0.026) regions in PwMS were accompanied by significant decreases in PL located in the right parietal lobe (p = 0.025) and BC globally (p = 0.010). Overall, CR may prevent a network worsening in long-standing PwMS by increasing local efficiency of the brain and therefore facilitating compensation mechanisms.