NeuroImage. Clinical
-
NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialEnhancing treatment of osteoarthritis knee pain by boosting expectancy: A functional neuroimaging study.
Expectation can significantly modulate pain and treatment effects. This study aims to investigate if boosting patients' expectancy can enhance the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and its underlying brain mechanism. ⋯ Our study provides a novel method and mechanism for boosting the treatment of pain in patients with KOA. Our findings may shed light on enhancing outcomes of pharmacological and integrative medicines in clinical settings.
-
NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2018
Common and distinct abnormal frontal-limbic system structural and functional patterns in patients with major depression and bipolar disorder.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) are common severe affective diseases. Although previous neuroimaging studies have investigated brain abnormalities in MDD or BD, the structural and functional differences between these two disorders remain unclear. In this study, we adopted a multimodal approach, combining voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and functional connectivity (FC), to study the common and distinct structural and functional alterations in unmedicated MDD and BD patients. ⋯ We found that both the MDD and BD groups had decreased RSFC between the ACC_L and the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC_L) and that the MDD group had decreased RSFC between the SFG_L and the HIP_L, compared with the healthy controls. Our results revealed that the MDD and BD patients were more similar than different in GMV and RSFC. These findings indicate that investigating the frontal-limbic system could be useful for understanding the underlying mechanisms of these two disorders.
-
NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2018
Gray-matter-specific MR imaging improves the detection of epileptogenic zones in focal cortical dysplasia: A new sequence called fluid and white matter suppression (FLAWS).
To evaluate the diagnostic value and characteristic features of FCD epileptogenic zones using a novel sequence called fluid and white matter suppression (FLAWS). ⋯ FLAWS can help in the detection of FCD epileptogenic zones. It is recommended that epileptogenic zone on FLAWS be diagnosed based on a combination of two features, one of which should be the "blurred junction of the gray-white matter" in types I and II. In type III, the combination of "the blurred junction of the gray-white matter" with "abnormal signal intensity of subcortical white matter" is recommended.
-
NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2018
Short timescale abnormalities in the states of spontaneous synchrony in the functional neural networks in Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative condition that can lead to severe cognitive and functional deterioration. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) revealed abnormalities in AD in intrinsic synchronization between spatially separate regions in the so-called default mode network (DMN) of the brain. To understand the relationship between this disruption in large-scale synchrony and the cognitive impairment in AD, it is critical to determine whether and how the deficit in the low frequency hemodynamic fluctuations recorded by fMRI translates to much faster timescales of memory and other cognitive processes. ⋯ These findings highlight relevance of studying short-scale temporal evolution of spontaneous activity in functional neural networks to understanding the AD pathophysiology. Capacity of flexible intrinsic synchronization in the DMN may be crucial for memory and other higher cognitive functions. Our analysis yielded metrics that quantify distinct features of the neural synchrony disorder in AD and may offer sensitive indicators of the neural network health for future investigations.
-
NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2018
Isolated focal dystonia phenotypes are associated with distinct patterns of altered microstructure.
Isolated adult-onset focal dystonia is considered a network disorder with disturbances to the motor basal ganglia and cerebellar circuits playing a pathophysiological role, but why specific body regions become affected remains unknown. We aimed to use diffusion tensor imaging to determine if the two most common phenotypes of focal dystonia are associated with distinguishing microstructural changes affecting the motor network. ⋯ Different focal dystonia phenotypes are associated with distinct patterns of altered microstructure within constituent regions of basal ganglia and cerebellar circuits.