NeuroImage. Clinical
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NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2015
Multiple sclerosis, cannabis, and cognition: A structural MRI study.
A subset of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) smoke cannabis to relieve symptoms including spasticity and pain. Recent evidence suggests that smoking cannabis further impairs cognition in people with MS and is linked to impaired functional brain changes. No such association, however, has been reported between cannabis use and structural brain changes, hence the focus of the present study. ⋯ These results suggest that cannabis use in MS results in more widespread cognitive deficits, which correlate with tissue volume in subcortical, medial temporal, and prefrontal regions. These are the first findings demonstrating an association between cannabis use, cognitive impairment and structural brain changes in MS patients.
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NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2015
Linked alterations in gray and white matter morphology in adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder: a multimodal brain imaging study.
Growing evidence suggests that a broad range of behavioral anomalies in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be linked with morphological and functional alterations in the brain. However, the neuroanatomical underpinnings of ASD have been investigated using either structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and the relationships between abnormalities revealed by these two modalities remain unclear. This study applied a multimodal data-fusion method, known as linked independent component analysis (ICA), to a set of structural MRI and DTI data acquired from 46 adult males with ASD and 46 matched controls in order to elucidate associations between different aspects of atypical neuroanatomy of ASD. ⋯ These GM changes were linked with a pattern of decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in several white matter tracts, such as the bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculi, bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi, and bilateral corticospinal tracts. Furthermore, unimodal analysis for DTI data revealed significant reductions of FA along with increased mean diffusivity in those tracts for ASD, providing further evidence of disrupted anatomical connectivity. Taken together, our findings suggest that, in ASD, alterations in different aspects of brain morphology may co-occur in specific brain networks, providing a comprehensive view for understanding the neuroanatomy of this disorder.
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NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2015
EEG resting state analysis of cortical sources in patients with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes.
Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is the most common idiopathic childhood epilepsy, which is often associated with developmental disorders in children. In the present study, we analyzed resting state EEG spectral changes in the sensor and source spaces in eight BECTS patients compared with nine age-matched controls. Using high-resolution scalp EEG data, we assessed statistical differences in spatial distributions of EEG power spectra and cortical sources of resting state EEG rhythms in five frequency bands: δ (0.5-3.5 Hz), θ (4-8 Hz), α (8.5-13 Hz), β1 (13.5-20 Hz) and β2 (20.5-30 Hz) under the eyes-closed resting state condition. ⋯ However, the spectral differences between patients and controls were more pronounced in the presence of spikes. This observation emphasized the impact of benign epilepsy on cortical source power, especially in the right centrotemporal regions. Spectral changes in bilateral frontal and parieto-occipital areas may also suggest alterations in the default mode network in BECTS patients.
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NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2015
ReviewNeuroimaging and neuromodulation approaches to study eating behavior and prevent and treat eating disorders and obesity.
Functional, molecular and genetic neuroimaging has highlighted the existence of brain anomalies and neural vulnerability factors related to obesity and eating disorders such as binge eating or anorexia nervosa. In particular, decreased basal metabolism in the prefrontal cortex and striatum as well as dopaminergic alterations have been described in obese subjects, in parallel with increased activation of reward brain areas in response to palatable food cues. Elevated reward region responsivity may trigger food craving and predict future weight gain. ⋯ First, we will discuss the possibility to identify new biological markers of brain functions. Second, we will highlight the potential of neuroimaging and neuromodulation in individualized medicine. Third, we will introduce the ethical questions that are concomitant to the emergence of new neuromodulation therapies.
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NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2015
Meta AnalysisAnatomical likelihood estimation meta-analysis of grey and white matter anomalies in autism spectrum disorders.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by impairments in social communication and restrictive, repetitive behaviors. While behavioral symptoms are well-documented, investigations into the neurobiological underpinnings of ASD have not resulted in firm biomarkers. Variability in findings across structural neuroimaging studies has contributed to difficulty in reliably characterizing the brain morphology of individuals with ASD. ⋯ White matter alterations included fiber tracts thought to play key roles in information processing and sensory integration. Many current theories of pathobiology ASD suggest that the brains of individuals with ASD may have less-functional long-range (anterior-to-posterior) connections. Our findings of decreased cortical matter in parietal-temporal and occipital regions, and thickening in frontal cortices in older adults with ASD may entail altered cortical anatomy, and neurodevelopmental adaptations.