正常中老年人词语联想任务功能磁共振成像研究

目的 采用功能磁共振成像(fMRI)技术对正常中老年人进行研究,检测与词语联想功能相关脑区的激活特点.方法 采用GE 1.5 T磁共振扫描仪对23例(男12例,女11例)正常中老年人行组块设计的词语联想任务fMRI研究.采用SPM 2软件进行数据处理和统计分析,通过组分析获得平均脑激活图,观察脑激活区的部位和激活强度.结果 12例符合入组条件,激活脑区为运动前区(PMC)、双侧额下回后部(Broca区及Broca镜像区)、双侧辅助运动区(SMA)、左侧顶后皮层、双侧岛叶、双侧扣带回前部、双侧基底节、左侧丘脑以及右侧小脑半球.全脑以左侧PMC激活强度最大.激活强度左侧大于右侧的脑区为额下回后部、背侧PMC及SMA;右侧大于左侧的脑区为腹侧PMC、岛叶、扣带回前部、基底节.结论 中老年人参与运动性语言表达的脑区,由包括Broca区在内的多个脑区组成复杂的神经网络,且相关脑区存在偏侧化现象,以左侧大脑半球和右侧小脑半球激活为主.     

基于全脑功能连接的网络游戏障碍分类研究

目的：利用静息态磁共振数据构建全脑功能连接网络，通过多元模式分析建立诊断模型，实现网络游戏障碍(internet gaming disorder, IGD)和正常对照组之间的分类识别。方法：采集71例IGD患者及88例正常对照的大脑静息态磁共振数据，采用功能连接分析技术构建全脑功能连接网络。将大脑功能连接作为分类特征，采用支持向量机和多种特征选择方法，探索IGD患者区别于正常人的异常网络模式。综合多种特征选择方法筛选的共有特征最终确定IGD客观识别的影像学标志。结果：基于全脑功能连接建立的分类模型准确率最高可达80.6%（敏感性为78.5%，特异性为81.2%）。用于区分IGD患者和正常对照的神经影像学标记主要位于左侧背外侧前额叶、右侧前扣带回、左侧眶额回、右侧海马旁回和双侧颞叶等负责认知控制、动机和学习记忆的脑区。结论：基于静息态全脑功能连接的诊断模型对IGD有较好的区分能力，未来可以为临床智能诊断提供补充手段。     

静息态脑功能技术对平衡针治疗中枢机制的分析应用

背景：平衡针治疗疾病疗效显著,但缺乏相关现代科学理论机制。 目的：利用静息态脑功能成像技术探讨平衡针疗法的中枢作用机制。 方法：纳入10例腰椎间盘突出腰腿痛患者及10例正常受试者,于平衡针针刺前后进行功能磁共振扫描,通过AFNI软件对与双侧杏仁核表现为显著联系的脑区进行功能连接分析,并对平衡针刺后腰椎间盘突出患者及正常受试者的脑功能连接的差异进行探讨。 结果与结论：经平衡针治疗后10例腰椎间盘突出患者疼痛均有好转。脑功能连接分析显示腰椎间盘突出患者丘脑、脑干、腹前核、腹外侧核、额内侧回、额上回、额叶眶上回、额下回、颞上回、颞中回、海马回、扣带回、岛叶等脑区功能连接增强。正常受试者双侧颞中回、双侧眶上回、双侧尾状核头、双侧岛叶、左侧腹背侧核、双侧额上回、左侧额中回、前扣带回、右侧顶下小叶与杏仁核连接增强;双侧小脑齿状核、小脑蚓、左侧小脑坡、双侧舌回、左侧枕中回、右侧额上回、右侧中央前回、双侧顶下小叶、右侧顶上小叶、右侧中央后回与杏仁核连接下降。提示通过静息脑功能成像技术对杏仁核的研究有助于更深入理解平衡针灸治疗腰腿痛的中枢机制。     

原发性失眠患者大脑背外侧前额叶的异常静息态功能连接

目的:利用功能连接方法观察原发性失眠患者静息态下的背外侧前额叶的异常功能连接。方法:采集33 例原 发性失眠患者以及33 例年龄、性别和受教育程度相匹配的健康对照的功能磁共振图像,以背外侧前额叶为感兴趣区 域,与全脑其他体素进行功能连接分析,得到两组之间功能连接的差异脑区,再对异常功能连接脑区与临床的量表分 数做相关分析。结果:与对照组相比,发现失眠患者左侧背外侧前额叶与左侧枕下回、右侧枕下回、右侧枕中回、右侧 颞叶、左侧额中回,左侧额下回以及右侧梭状回之间的功能连接增强（P<0.05,体素簇个数≥100,FDR校正）,与左侧前 扣带皮层、右侧海马旁回、右侧脑岛、右侧背外侧额上回、右侧顶上回、右侧中央后回以及右侧中央前回之间的功能连 接减弱（P<0.05,体素簇个数≥100,FDR校正）。并且左侧背外侧前额叶与左侧枕叶下回的功能连接值与睡眠状况自评 量表分数成正相关（P=0.035）。结论:原发性失眠患者背外侧前额叶与大脑多个脑区出现异常的功能连接,可能为理 解原发性失眠患者的神经机制提供一些新的影像学依据。     

广泛性焦虑障碍和强迫障碍的基于体素的大脑灰质体积研究

目的:应用磁共振成像(MRI)技术探讨广泛性焦虑障碍(GAD)和强迫障碍(OCD)患者大脑灰质体积的特征性表现。方法:选取符合精神障碍诊断与统计手册第四修订版(DSM-IV-TR)或疾病和有关健康问题的国际统计分类第十次修订本(ICD-10)诊断标准的28例GAD、25例OCD及39例健康对照。全部研究对象完成高分辨率结构磁共振成像扫描,使用汉密顿焦虑量表(HAMA)和耶鲁布朗强迫量表(Y-BOCS)评估患者的焦虑或强迫症状严重程度。在全脑范围内采用基于体素的形态学分析方法,分别比较各组研究对象之间灰质体积的差异,并探讨GAD和OCD患者全脑灰质体积与HAMA和Y-BOCS总分的相关性。结果:与健康对照相比,GAD左侧前扣带回脑区灰质体积增加(P=0.016,小体积校正),OCD患者双侧眶额皮层等脑区灰质体积下降(P0.001,未校正);GAD患者较OCD患者在双侧眶额皮层等多个脑区灰质体积增加(P0.001,未校正)。GAD患者的HAMA总分与右侧颞叶的灰质体积增加相关,而OCD患者的HAMA总分则与眶额皮层等脑区的灰质体积变化相关(P0.001,未校正)。讨论:GAD和OCD患者并未共享相同的灰质体积异常脑区,两种疾病可能具有完全不同的大脑结构特征,并且其焦虑症状具有不同的神经机制。     

利用脑局部一致性方法对儿童全身强直发作性癫痫的研究

目的　应用静息态功能磁共振局部一致性方法研究儿童全身强直发作性癫痫患者脑区异常活动,探讨其发生的病理生理机制。 方法　对8例儿童全身强直发作性癫痫患者和30例正常儿童进行磁共振扫描,并计算全脑局部一致性的值,进行组间比较并研究局部一致性与病程的相关性。 结果　与对照组相比,癫痫组ReHo值增高的脑区为大脑深部核团（扣带回,丘脑,楔前叶等）,运动相关脑区,额下回,枕叶,颞叶和小脑;ReHo值降低的脑区为双侧额中回、右侧颞中回、左侧颞上回、双侧中央后回、左侧舌回。全身强直发作性癫痫与病程呈正相关的脑区为左侧楔前叶、左侧顶上小叶、右侧中央前回、右侧中央后回;与病程呈负相关的脑区为右侧楔前叶、右侧角回、中央旁小叶。 结论　局部一致性分析方法可以有效地反映癫痫患者异常的神经功能变化,有助于发现强直发作性癫痫发生的病理生理机制。     

气质四成分理论的神经基础

基于近年来与心理病理学相关的神经科学研究,综述表明气质的神经基础主要包括:皮层调节系统—背外侧前额叶、眶额皮层、前扣带回,中脑边缘评价系统—杏仁核、海马、岛叶、上颞沟、腹侧被盖区、伏隔核,但不同气质成分的神经基础取决于调节系统和评价系统的不同组合。未来研究主要致力于气质的调节系统和评价系统如何相互作用影响不同的心理病理学发展。     

针刺足三里的静息态脑功能局部一致性研究简

目的观察针刺足三里的静息态脑区功能局部一致性（Reho）,探讨针刺穴位的作用机制。方法选择10例健康志愿者,其中男性4例,女性6例;年龄20～34岁,中位年龄23岁。利用GESigna HDxt3.0T磁共振成像系统对针刺前（对照组）、针刺足三里后分别进行静息态扫描,运用统计参数图（SPM8）软件,采用Reho的数据后处理方法,分析2组被试不同脑区Reho值的差异.并运用错误发现校正（FDR-corrected）,得到有统计学差异的脑区。结果针刺足三里组与针刺前相比,Reho值增高的脑区有右侧前扣带回（8.17）、左侧额中回（4.84）;Reho值减低的脑区有左侧小脑半球（-7.75）、右侧后扣带回（-6.66）、左侧豆状核（-6.87）、右侧岛叶皮层（-7.57）、左侧胼胝体（-5.71）、左侧楔前叶（-4.68）、右侧额叶内侧回（-8.59）。结论针刺足三里后造成局部脑组织血氧水平信号同步性改变,提示针刺足三里不仅有特异的脑功能激活区.而且引起的脑功能活动存在Reho差异。     

额神经末支解剖特点及其在前额除皱术中的意义

目的：为了前额除皱术切口位置和分离平面的选择提供解剖学依据。方法：对18例成人头部标本进行大体和显微解剖研究以及组织切片观察。结果：（1）眶上神经绕过眶上缘后分为溶，浅二支，浅支位额肌深面并穿过该肌分布于额部皮肤，深支行于额肌，帽状腱膜与骨膜之间直达人字缝；（2）滑车上神经在皱眉肌外侧和穿经皱眉肌后穿过额肌到达头皮，结论：（1）前额除皱术中冠状切口应尽量靠近人字缝，并在骨膜下剥离皮瓣，以避免损伤眶上神经，（2）切断皱眉肌时宜在直 下仔细操作以减少对滑车上神经的损伤。     

品行障碍青少年疼痛共情异常的脑激活特征

目的:利用功能磁共振技术,探讨品行障碍(Conduct disorder,CD)青少年和健康对照组(Healthy control,HC)在共情任务下大脑活动的差异。方法:通过磁共振扫描疼痛共情任务时被试的大脑活动,分析其在共情任务时大脑活动特点;提取感兴趣脑区的激活信号,分别与共情、冲动、攻击、冷漠无情特质的行为学指标做相关分析。结果:CD青少年冲动、攻击、冷漠无情特质得分显著高于HC组。观看疼痛视频时,CD组右侧岛叶、顶下小叶和左侧前扣带回的激活水平明显高于HC组。右侧岛叶、顶下小叶和左侧前扣带回的激活水平和两组青少年的攻击性、冲动性、冷漠无情特质得分存在正相关。结论:右侧岛叶、顶下小叶和左侧前扣带回的过度激活可能是CD青少年疼痛共情能力缺陷的神经机制。     

Neurocognitive effects of HF-rTMS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on the attentional processing of emotional information in healthy women: an event-related fMRI study

Current evidence concerning the neurocircuitry underlying the interplay between attention and emotion is mainly correlational. We used high-frequency repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (HF-rTMS) to experimentally manipulate activity within the right or left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of healthy women and examined changes in attentional processing of emotional information using an emotional modification of the exogenous cueing task during event-related fMRI. Right prefrontal HF-rTMS resulted in impaired disengagement from angry faces, associated with decreased activation within the right DLPFC, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and left superior parietal gyrus, combined with increased activity within the right amygdala. Left prefrontal HF-rTMS resulted in diminished attentional engagement by angry faces and was associated with increased activity within the right DLPFC, dACC, right superior parietal gyrus and left orbitofrontal cortex. The present observations are in line with reports of a functionally interactive network of cortical-limbic pathways that play a central role in emotion regulation.     

Developmental changes in the functional brain responses of adolescents to images of high and low-calorie foods

We examined cerebral responses to visually presented food images in children and adolescents. Eight healthy normal-weight females (ages 9-15) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while viewing photographs of high- and low-calorie foods and dining utensils. In general, food images yielded significant activation within the inferior orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus, and fusiform gyri. High calorie food images activated the left hippocampus and subgenual cingulate, and age correlated positively with activity within the orbitofrontal cortex but negatively with activity within the anterior cingulate gyrus. Low-calorie foods activated the fusiform gyrus and demonstrated age-related increases in the left superior temporal gyrus and anterior cingulate. Utensils activated the fusiform gyrus and showed age-related increases in the prefrontal cortex. Data were also compared statistically to a sample of adults exposed to the same stimulus conditions. Findings support a developmental model of adolescent maturation whereby age-related changes in cerebral functioning develop from lower-order sensory processing toward higher-order processing of stimuli via prefrontal cortical systems involved in reward anticipation, self-monitoring, and behavioral inhibition.     

Processing of autobiographical memory retrieval cues in borderline personality disorder

BACKGROUND: Affective dysregulation in borderline personality disorder (BPD) in response to both external stimuli and memories has been shown to be associated with functional alterations of limbic and prefrontal brain areas. This study aimed to examine neuronal networks involved in autobiographical memory retrieval using standardized stimuli that gain autobiographical significance by illustrating marked solitary and social situations of human life. METHODS: Using event-related functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), we examined the processing of pictures from the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) in 14 BPD patients and 14 controls. RESULTS: In both groups, TAT stimuli activated brain areas known to be involved in autobiographical memory retrieval. BPD subjects lacked differential amygdala, orbitofrontal and cingulate activations for TAT versus neutral stimuli. In the TAT condition, compared to controls, BPD subjects displayed increased BOLD responses in the bilateral orbitofrontal and insular regions, in the left anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex, as well as in the parietal and parahippocampal areas, consistent with a more aversive and arousing experience assessed by self-reports. CONCLUSIONS: Increased BOLD responses during TAT processing in BPD subjects were in line with previously reported changes in anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortices, which are known to be involved in memory retrieval. However, BPD subjects displayed hyperactivation in these areas for both TAT and neutral stimuli. The deficit of selective activation of areas involved in autobiographical memory retrieval suggests a general tendency towards a self-referential mode of information processing in BPD, or a failure to switch between emotionally salient and neutral stimuli.     

Modified expression of Bcl-2 and SOD1 proteins in lymphocytes from sporadic ALS patients

The main goal of this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was to identify the neural correlates of a mystical experience. The brain activity of Carmelite nuns was measured while they were subjectively in a state of union with God. This state was associated with significant loci of activation in the right medial orbitofrontal cortex, right middle temporal cortex, right inferior and superior parietal lobules, right caudate, left medial prefrontal cortex, left anterior cingulate cortex, left inferior parietal lobule, left insula, left caudate, and left brainstem. Other loci of activation were seen in the extra-striate visual cortex. These results suggest that mystical experiences are mediated by several brain regions and systems.     

Regional brain responses to pleasant and unpleasant IAPS pictures: different networks

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the brain circuitry involved in the processing of both positive and negative emotions in normal healthy subjects. Method: we have recruited 15 healthy volunteers (9 males and 6 females, age range 30-60). In this block-design fMRI study, we compared the blood oxygen level dependant (BOLD) signal change as response to pleasant and unpleasant IAPS pictures, each compared to a neutral condition. Results: Pleasant pictures versus neutral condition contrast demonstrated significant activation (p(FDRcorrected) <0.05) in bilateral pre-frontal cortex (PFC), anterior and posterior cingulate gyri and temporal lobe. Unpleasant pictures relative to neutral condition exhibit significant activation (p(FDRcorrected) <0.05) in amygdala, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyri, temporal lobe, visual cortex, fusiform gyri, PFC and anterior cingulate gyrus. Conclusion: Amygdala is mainly involved in the processing of negative emotions. Although an overlap in regions involved in the processing of pleasant and unpleasant IAPS pictures exists, the neural network for each is unique.     

Analysis of music-brain interaction with simultaneous measurement of regional cerebral blood flow and electroencephalogram beta rhythm in human subjects

To elucidate the neural substrates of the receptive aspect of music, we measured regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) with positron emission tomography (PET) and simultaneously recorded the electroencephalogram (EEG) in eight normal volunteers. Compared with the rest condition, listening to music caused a significant increase in EEG beta power spectrum (13-30 Hz) averaged over the posterior two third of the scalp. The averaged beta power spectrum was positively correlated with rCBF in the premotor cortex and adjacent prefrontal cortices bilaterally, the anterior portion of the precuneus and the anterior cingulate cortex in both the rest and the music conditions. Listening to music newly recruited the posterior portion of the precuneus bilaterally. This may reflect the interaction of the music with the cognitive processes, such as music-evoked memory recall or visual imagery.     

Functional MRI correlates of the recall of unresolved life events in borderline personality disorder

BACKGROUND: Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently report unresolved life events but it is still poorly understood, how these experiences are represented in the brain. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the present study aimed at investigating the neural correlates of the recall of unresolved life events in patients with BPD and healthy controls. METHOD: Twenty female BPD patients and 21 healthy control subjects underwent fMRI. During measurement subjects recalled unresolved and resolved negative life events. Individual cue words were used to stimulate autobiographical memory. After scanning, subjects rated their emotional states during the recall of both types of memories. RESULTS: When contrasting unresolved and resolved life events, patients showed significant bilateral activation of frontotemporal areas including the insula, amygdala, and the anterior cingulate cortex, the left posterior cingulate cortex, right occipital cortex, the bilateral cerebellum and the midbrain. In healthy subjects, no differential brain activation was related to these conditions. The 2 x 2 factorial analysis (DeltaBPD - Deltacontrols) revealed similar results with bilateral activation of the frontal cortex including parts of the insula and of the orbitofrontal cortex, temporal activation including the amygdala, activation of the right occipital cortex, and parts of the cerebellum. Patients but not controls reported higher levels of anxiety and helplessness during the unresolved versus resolved memory condition. CONCLUSIONS: The activation of both, the amygdala and prefrontal areas, might reflect an increased effortful but insufficient attempt to control intensive emotions during the recall of unresolved life events in patients with BPD.     

A distributed neural system for top-down face processing

Evidence suggests that the neural system associated with face processing is a distributed cortical network containing both bottom-up and top-down mechanisms. While bottom-up face processing has been the focus of many studies, the neural areas involved in the top-down face processing have not been extensively investigated due to difficulty in isolating top-down influences from the bottom-up response engendered by presentation of a face. In the present study, we used a novel experimental method to induce illusory face-detection. This method allowed for directly examining the neural systems involved in top-down face processing while minimizing the influence of bottom-up perceptual input. A distributed cortical network of top-down face processing was identified by analyzing the functional connectivity patterns of the right fusiform face area (FFA). This distributed cortical network model for face processing includes both “core” and “extended” face processing areas. It also includes left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), left premotor cortex, and left inferior parietal cortex. These findings suggest that top-down face processing contains not only regions for analyzing the visual appearance of faces, but also those involved in processing low spatial frequency (LSF) information, decision-making, and working memory.     

Neural correlates of regulation of positive and negative emotions: An fMRI study

Regulation of emotion is important for adaptive social functioning and mental well-being. This functional magnetic resonance imaging study identified neural correlates of regulation of positive or negative emotion. Twelve healthy female Chinese participants performed the experimental task that required them to simply view emotional pictures or to regulate their emotions induced by these pictures while their brain activities were monitored by a 1.5 T MRI scanner. The neuroimaging findings indicate that the left superior and lateral frontal regions (BA8/9) are common neural correlates of regulation of both emotions. For regulation of positive or negative emotion, changes of BOLD responses in the prefrontal regions and the left insula are associated with regulation of positive emotion; whereas activity of the left orbitofrontal gyrus, the left superior frontal gyrus, and the anterior cingulate gyrus appears to be involved in regulation of negative emotion. According to the participants’ self-report, they appeared to be more effective in regulating positive than negative emotions, which may relate to the distinct patterns of neural activity associated with regulation of the specific emotion. As a conclusion, our findings suggest that there are shared as well as valence-specific neurocognitive mechanisms underlying regulation of positive and negative emotions. Enhanced knowledge about the neural mechanisms of emotion regulation helps improve understanding of the complex interplay of emotion and cognition underlying human behaviors.     

Time, space and emotion: fMRI reveals content-specific activation during text comprehension

Story comprehension involves building a situation model of the text, i.e., a representation containing information on the who, where, when and why of the story. Using fMRI at 3T, domain-specific activations for three different information aspects were sought. Twenty participants read two sentence stories half of which contained inconsistencies concerning emotional, temporal or spatial information. Partly replicating previous results [E.C. Ferstl, M. Rinck, D.Y. von Cramon, Emotional and temporal aspects of situation model processing during text comprehension: an event-related fMRI study, J. Cogn. Neurosci. 17 (2005) 724-739], the anterior lateral prefrontal cortex/orbito-frontal cortex proved important for processing temporal information. The left anterior temporal lobe was particularly important during emotional stories. Most importantly, spatial information elicited bilateral activation in the collateral sulci and the posterior cingulate cortex, areas important for visuo-spatial cognition. These findings provide further evidence for content-specific processes during text comprehension.