NeuroImage
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Spontaneous fluctuations in MRI signals from gray matter (GM) in the brain are interpreted as originating from variations in neural activity, and their inter-regional correlations may be analyzed to reveal functional connectivity. However, most studies of intrinsic neuronal activity have ignored the spontaneous fluctuations that also arise in white matter (WM). In this work, we explore spontaneous fluctuations in resting state MRI signals in WM based on spatial independent component analyses (ICA), a data-driven approach that separates signals into independent sources without making specific modeling assumptions. ⋯ These functionally-related structures are grossly symmetric and coincide with corresponding tracts identified from diffusion MRI. Finally, functional connectivity was quantified by calculating correlations between pairs of structures to explore the synchronicity of resting state BOLD signals across WM regions, and the experimental results revealed that there exist two distinct groupings of functional correlations in WM tracts at rest. Our study provides further insights into the nature of activation patterns, functional responses and connectivity in WM, and support previous suggestions that BOLD signals in WM show similarities with cortical activations and are characterized by distinct underlying structures in tasks and at rest.
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The brain's white matter undergoes profound changes during early childhood, which are believed to underlie the rapid development of cognitive and behavioral skills during this period. Neurite density, and complexity of axonal projections, have been shown to change across the life span, though changes during early childhood are poorly characterized. Here, we utilize neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) to investigate maturational changes in tract-wise neurite density index (NDI) and orientation dispersion index (ODI) during early childhood. Additionally, we assess hemispheric asymmetry of tract-wise NDI and ODI values, and longitudinal changes. ⋯ These findings suggest that neurite density, but not orientation dispersion, increases with age during early childhood. In relation to NDI growth trends reported in infancy and late-childhood, our results suggest that early childhood may be a transitional period for neurite density maturation wherein commissural/projection fibers are approaching maturity, maturation in long range association fibers is increasing, and changes in limbic/frontal fibers remain modest. Rightward asymmetry in NDI and ODI values, but no asymmetry in developmental changes, suggests that rightward asymmetry of neurite density and orientation dispersion is established prior to age 4.
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The salience network is responsive during a range of conditions requiring immediate behavioral responses, including pain processing. Resting-state functional connectivity of the salience network to the sensorimotor cortex is altered in chronic pain. However, little is understood about their fundamental communication in the absence of pain. ⋯ Using a cortical flatmap to visualize the entire sensorimotor surface, we observed similar heterogeneity in both cohorts. In general, the somatotopic representation of proximal body regions (trunk/face) had higher salience network resting-state functional connectivity compared to distal body regions (upper/lower limbs). We conclude that sensorimotor cortex is spatially heterogeneous in its interaction with the salience network in healthy individuals.
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It is well recognized that in primates, including humans, noxious body stimulation evokes a neural response in the posterior bank of the central sulcus, in Brodmann cytoarchitectonic subdivisions 3b and 1 of the primary somatosensory cortex. This response is associated with the 1st/sharp pain and contributes to sensory discriminative aspects of pain perception and spatial localization of the noxious stimulus. However, neurophysiological studies in New World monkeys predict that in humans noxious stimulation also evokes a separate neural response-mediated by C-afferent drive and associated with the 2nd/burning pain-in the depth of the central sulcus in Brodmann area 3a (BA3a) at the transition between the somatosensory and motor cortices. ⋯ Review of the available evidence suggests that the nociresponsive region in the depth of the central sulcus is a structurally and functionally distinct cortical area that should not be confused with proprioceptive BA3a. It is most likely engaged in interoception and control of the autonomic nervous system, and contributes to the sympathetic response to noxious stimulation, arguably the most intolerable aspect of pain experience. Ablation of this region has been shown to reduce pain sensibility and might offer an effective means of ameliorating some pathological pain conditions.