Neuroscience
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Chronic insomnia (CI) is a common sleep disorder in middle-aged and elderly individuals. Long-term sleep deprivation can lead to physical, mental, and cognitive damage. Resting-state networks (RSNs) in the brain are closely linked to cognition and behavior. ⋯ Moreover, FC values in the right middle frontal gyrus within right frontal parietal network of CI-I patients were negatively correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination scores. These results may explain hyperarousal, attention deficit and motor impairments in CI patients. Furthermore, the aberrant alterations of RSNs in CI-I patients may play a crucial role in the onset and progression of cognitive impairment in CI patients.
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Observational Study
Cerebellar activity and functional connectivity in subacute subcortical aphasia: Association with language recovery.
Loss of language function (aphasia) is a common complication after stroke, and post-stroke recovery remains highly unpredictable due to the absence of reliable neurobiomarkers. Growing evidence points to involvement of the cerebellum in language processing; however, it is unclear if abnormal cerebellar activity and altered functional connectivity (FC) to language-related regions of cerebral cortex are underlying neural mechanisms for subcortical aphasia. In this longitudinal observational study, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine potential abnormalities in spontaneous cerebellar activity and resting-state (rs)FC with language networks among post-stroke patients with subacute subcortical aphasia (n = 19) compared to healthy controls (HCs, n = 18). ⋯ Baseline rCrus II-LIFG rsFC was also positively correlated with spontaneous speech and naming scores at follow-up. A stronger baseline rCrus II-LIFG rsFC predicted superior recovery of language function post-stroke. We conclude that the right cerebellum may be an effective therapeutic target for subcortical aphasia.
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Heart failure (HF) frequently suffers from brain abnormalities and cognitive impairments. This study aims to investigate brain structure and function alteration in patients with chronic HF. This retrospective study included 49 chronic HF and 49 health controls (HCs). ⋯ Decreased GMV showed positive correlations with cognitive performance (r = 0.025-0.577, p = 0.025-0.001), while decreased fractional anisotropy was negatively correlated with anxiety scores (r = -0.339, p = 0.040) in patients with chronic HF. This study revealed that patients with chronic HF exhibited brain structure injury affecting gray matter and white matter, as well as FC abnormalities of brain regions responsible for cognition, sensorimotor and visual function. These findings suggest GMV could serve as a neuroimaging biomarker for cognitive impairments and a potential target for neuroprotective therapies in patients with chronic HF.
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This study was aimed to investigate frequency-specific LFO changes and their correlation with gene pathways in PACG using transcriptome-neuroimaging analysis. ⋯ This study establishes a connection between the molecular mechanisms of PACG and alterations in brain function and gene expression, providing valuable perspectives on the fundamental processes impacting low-frequency oscillations in PACG.
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Controversy persists regarding the representation of linguistically negated actions, specifically concerning activation and inhibitory mechanisms in the motor system, and whether negated action sentences evoke an initial motor simulation of the action to be negated. We conducted two experiments probing corticospinal excitability (CSE) and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) in the primary motor cortex at different latencies while reading affirmative and negative action sentences. In experiment one, twenty-six participants read action and non-action sentences in affirmative or negative forms. ⋯ Negated action sentences showed the same motor excitability as affirmed action sentences with no additional inhibition at early latencies. These results lend support for the idea that actions to be negated are initially simulated within the motor system. Neural differences between affirmative and negative action sentences may occur outside the primary motor cortex.