NeuroImage
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Anatomical, clinical and imaging findings suggest that the cerebellum is engaged in cognitive and affective functions as well as motor control. Evidence from converging modalities also indicates that there is a functional topography in the human cerebellum for overt control of movement vs. higher functions, such that the cerebellum can be divided into zones depending on connectivity with sensorimotor vs. multimodal association cortices. Using functional MRI, we show that regions active during overt movement differ from those involved in higher-level language, spatial processing and working memory tasks. ⋯ The cerebellar functional topography identified in this study reflects the involvement of different cerebro-cerebellar circuits depending on the demands of the task being performed: overt movement activated sensorimotor cortices along with contralateral cerebellar lobules IV-V and VIII, whereas more cognitively demanding tasks engaged prefrontal and parietal cortices along with cerebellar lobules VI and VII. These findings provide further support for a cerebellar role in both motor and cognitive tasks, and better establish the existence of functional subregions in the cerebellum. Future studies are needed to determine the exact contribution of the cerebellum - and different cerebro-cerebellar circuits - to task performance.
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This study investigated whether diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) could identify potential abnormalities in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients without cognitive complaints compared to healthy controls. In addition, the existence of associations between diffusion measures and clinical parameters was examined. Forty T2DM patients and 97 non-diabetic controls completed a clinical and biochemistry examination. ⋯ For the T2DM patients, however, the MD of the brain parenchyma was significantly increased compared to controls and was positively correlated with disease duration. The voxel based analyses revealed (i) a significantly decreased FA in the bilateral frontal WM compared to controls which was mainly caused by an increased TD and not a decreased AD within these regions; (ii) a significant association between disease duration and microstructural properties in several brain regions including bilateral cerebellum, temporal lobe WM, right caudate, bilateral cingulate gyrus, pons, and parahippocampal gyrus. Our findings indicate that microstructural WM abnormalities and associations with clinical measurements can be detected with DTI in T2DM patients.
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Emotions are complex events recruiting distributed cortical and subcortical cerebral structures, where the functional integration dynamics within the involved neural circuits in relation to the nature of the different emotions are still unknown. Using fMRI, we measured the neural responses elicited by films representing basic emotions (fear, disgust, sadness, happiness). The amygdala and the associative cortex were conjointly activated by all basic emotions. ⋯ Such findings informed the definition of three effective connectivity models, testing for the functional integration of visual cortex and amygdala, as regions processing all emotions, with domain-specific regions, namely: i) for fear, the frontoparietal system involved in preparing adaptive motor responses; ii) for disgust, the somatosensory system, reflecting protective responses against contaminating stimuli; iii) for happiness: medial prefrontal and temporoparietal cortices involved in understanding joyful interactions. Consistently with these domain-specific models, the results of the effective connectivity analysis indicate that the amygdala is involved in distinct functional integration effects with cortical networks processing sensorimotor, somatosensory, or cognitive aspects of basic emotions. The resulting effective connectivity networks may serve to regulate motor and cognitive behavior based on the quality of the induced emotional experience.
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Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging has played an essential role in understanding neural circuitry and brain diseases. The vast majority of RSFC studies have been focused on positive RSFC, whereas our understanding about its conceptual counterpart - negative RSFC (i.e. anticorrelation) - remains elusive. To date, anticorrelated RSFC has yet been observed without the commonly used preprocessing step of global signal correction. ⋯ Interestingly, this anticorrelated relationship was absent in anesthetized rats even with global signal correction, further supporting its functional significance. Establishing negative RSFC independent of data preprocessing methods will significantly enhance the applicability of RSFC in better understanding neural circuitries and brain networks. In addition, combining the neurobiological data of the IL-amygdala circuit in rodents, the finding of the present study will enable further investigation of the neurobiological basis underlying anticorrelation.
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Gradient-echo MRI has revealed anisotropic magnetic susceptibility in the brain white matter. This magnetic susceptibility anisotropy can be measured and characterized with susceptibility tensor imaging (STI). In this study, a method of fiber tractography based on STI is proposed and demonstrated in the mouse brain. ⋯ The relationship between STI and DTI fiber tracts was explored with similarities and differences identified. It is anticipated that the proposed method of STI tractography may provide a new way to study white matter fiber architecture. As STI tractography is based on physical principles that are fundamentally different from DTI, it may also be valuable for the ongoing validation of DTI tractography.