Human brain mapping
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Human brain mapping · Jun 2014
Development of superficial white matter and its structural interplay with cortical gray matter in children and adolescents.
Healthy human brain undergoes significant changes during development. The developmental trajectory of superficial white matter (SWM) is less understood relative to cortical gray matter (GM) and deep white matter. In this study, a multimodal imaging strategy was applied to vertexwise map SWM microstructure and cortical thickness to characterize their developmental pattern and elucidate SWM-GM associations in children and adolescents. ⋯ Unimodal sensory areas showed positive correlation between GM thickness and FA whereas polymodal regions showed negative correlation. Axonal coherence and differences in interstitial neuron composition between unimodal and polymodal regions may account for these SWM-GM association patterns. Intrinsic SWM-GM relationships unveiled by neuroimaging in vivo can be useful for examining psychiatric disorders with known WM/GM disturbances.
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Human brain mapping · Jun 2014
Interhemispheric differences of fMRI responses to visual stimuli in patients with side-fixed migraine aura.
Migraine sufferers with aura often report photosensitivity and visual discomfort outside of attacks and many consider bright or flickering light an attack-precipitating factor. The nature of this visual hypersensitivity and its relation to the underlying pathophysiology of the migraine aura is unknown. Using fMRI measurements during visual stimulation we examined the visual cortical responsiveness of patients with migraine with aura. ⋯ The patients also had significantly increased response in the same cortical areas when compared to controls (P < 0.05). We discovered a lateralized alteration of a visually driven functional network in patients with side-fixed aura. These findings suggest a hyperexcitability of the visual system in the interictal phase of migraine with visual aura.