不同亚型轻度认知障碍患者静息态脑功能局部一致性研究

目的探讨遗忘型和非遗忘型轻度认知障碍(mild cognition impairment,MCI)患者局部自发脑活动特点。方法纳入遗忘型MCI(amnesicMCI,aMCI)患者25例,非遗忘型MCI(non-amnesticMCI,naMCI)患者21例和正常对照(normal control,NC)15名进行静息态功能磁共振扫描,通过计算每个给定体素与其最邻近26个体素时间序列的相似性获得全脑局部一致性(regional homogeneity,ReHo)图,比较三组被试全脑ReHo差异。结果 aMCI组右侧额叶ReHo值低于NC组,左侧颞中回和左侧小脑ReHo值高于NC组(P0.05,Alphasim校正);naMCI组前扣带回和右侧额中回ReHo值低于NC组,右侧海马旁回、右侧颞中回和右侧楔前叶ReHo值高于NC组(P0.05,Alphasim校正);aMCI左侧前额叶和左侧颞中回ReHo值高于naMCI组,右侧小脑ReHo值低于naMCI组(P0.05,Alphasim校正)。结论 aMCI和naMCI患者左侧前额叶、左侧颞中回及右侧小脑自发脑功能活动存在差异,这为区别aMCI和naMCI两者脑功能活动特点提供了初步影像学依据。     

Altered intra- and interregional synchronization in the absence of the corpus callosum: a resting-state fMRI study

Agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) can result in subtle to severe cognitive deficits. Individuals with impaired cognition often show abnormalities on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). This study used rs-fMRI to investigate changes in regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC) among individuals with AgCC. AgCC individuals (n = 10) and age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy control subjects (n = 19) were included in this study. The ReHo values were calculated to represent spontaneous brain activity. The regions which showed altered ReHo were selected as seeds to compare FC with the whole brain between the AgCC group and the healthy control group. Compared with healthy control subjects, the AgCC individuals had increased ReHo in the left anterior cingulate gyrus, left rolandic operculum, and right precuneus and decreased ReHo in the right calcarine, right cingual gyrus and right cuneus gyrus. The right calcarine and the right lingual gyrus in the AgCC exhibited decreased FC with bilateral cuneus, superior occipital gyrus, Rolandic operculum, superior temporal gyrus, posterior central gyrus, and midcingulate gyrus.The right cuneus gyrus in the AgCC individuals exhibited decreased FC with the bilateral calcarine gyrus, left cuneus, and left superior occipital gyrus. Our study revealed several subareas within the visual cortex exhibited remarkable abnormalities of spontaneous brain activity and decreased FC with the higher-order cognitive cortex.The abnormalities of ReHo and FC in AgCC individuals may provide new insights into the neurological pathophysiology.     

Neural correlates of the ‘good life’: eudaimonic well-being is associated with insular cortex volume

Eudaimonic well-being reflects traits concerned with personal growth, self-acceptance, purpose in life and autonomy (among others) and is a substantial predictor of life events, including health. Although interest in the aetiology of eudaimonic well-being has blossomed in recent years, little is known of the underlying neural substrates of this construct. To address this gap in our knowledge, here we examined whether regional gray matter (GM) volume was associated with eudaimonic well-being. Structural magnetic resonance images from 70 young, healthy adults who also completed Ryff’s 42-item measure of the six core facets of eudaimonia, were analysed with voxel-based morphometry techniques. We found that eudaimonic well-being was positively associated with right insular cortex GM volume. This association was also reflected in three of the sub-scales of eudaimonia: personal growth, positive relations and purpose in life. Positive relations also showed a significant association with left insula volume. No other significant associations were observed, although personal growth was marginally associated with left insula, and purpose in life exhibited a marginally significant negative association with middle temporal gyrus GM volume. These findings are the first to our knowledge linking eudaimonic well-being with regional brain structure.     

基于核磁共振成像技术的甲状腺功能减退伴焦虑患者的脑功能区研究

目的 探讨甲状腺功能减退伴焦虑患者脑功能区核磁共振成像(Magnetic resonance imaging,MRI)表现。方法 选取本院2018年5月-2019年8月收治的甲状腺功能减退伴焦虑患者30例为观察组,并选取同期体检健康者30例为对照组; 收集2组研究对象的一般资料,并对脑功能区进行功能磁共振成像(Functional magnetic resonance imaging,fMRI)扫描,采用局部一致性(Regional homogeneity,ReHo)值找出基础状态下自发异常脑功能活动区,Speaeman分析异常脑功能区与甲状腺激素水平、神经精神症状的相关性。结果 fMRI扫描显示甲状腺功能减退患者右海马旁回、左侧颞下回、左右前扣带回脑功能区的ReHo值明显高于对照组(0.81±0.02 vs. 0.78±0.04、0.73±0.07 vs. 0.69±0.05、0.89±0.12 vs.0.84±0.09、0.87±0.11 vs. 0.83±0.07)(P<0.05),左侧内额上回ReHo值明显低于对照组(0.77±0.13 vs. 0.72±0.11)(P<0.05); 不同焦虑程度的右海马旁回、左侧颞下回、左前扣带回、右前扣带回、左侧内侧额上回5个异常脑功能区ReHo值相近(P>0.05); 左、右前扣带回ReHo值与游离甲状腺素(Free thyroxine,FT4)水平显著相关(r=-0.398,P=0.023; r=-0.424,P=0.031); 左、右前扣带回ReHo值与焦虑等级显著相关(r=0.425,P=0.533; r=0.027,P=0.017)。结论 海马旁回、颞下回、前扣带回、内侧额上回4个脑功能区可能参与甲状腺功能减退患者引发焦虑症状的脑部生理机制,甲状腺功能减退患者焦虑症状的脑神经反常活动与前扣带回自发异常活动密切相关,可为甲状腺功能减退伴焦虑患者的临床诊疗提供新思路。     

fMRI of syntactic processing in typically developing children: structural correlates in the inferior frontal gyrus

Development of syntactic processing was examined to evaluate maturational processes including left language lateralization functions and increased specialization of brain regions important for syntactic processing. We utilized multimodal methods, including indices of brain activity from fMRI during a syntactic processing task, cortical thickness measurements from structural MRI, and neuropsychological measures. To evaluate hypotheses about increasing lateralization and specialization with development, we examined relationships between cortical thickness and magnitude and spatial activation extent within the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and its right hemisphere homologue. We predicted that increased activation in the left and decreased activation in the right IFG would be associated with increased syntactic proficiency. As predicted, a more mature pattern of increased thickness in the right pars triangularis was associated with decreased activation intensity and extent in the right IFG. These findings suggest a maturational shift towards decreased involvement of the right IFG for syntactic processing. Better syntactic skills were associated with increased activation in the left IFG independent from age, suggesting increased specialization of the left IFG with increased proficiency. Overall, our findings show relationships between structural and functional neurodevelopment that co-occur with improved syntactic processing in critical language regions of the IFG in typically developing children.     

Overweight adolescents’ brain response to sweetened beverages mirrors addiction pathways

Many adolescents struggle with overweight/obesity, which exponentially increases in the transition to adulthood. Overweight/obesity places youth at risk for serious health conditions, including type 2 diabetes. In adults, neural substrates implicated in addiction (e.g., orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), striatum, amygdala, and ventral tegmental area) have been found to be relevant to risk for overweight/obesity. In this study, we examined three hypotheses to disentangle the potential overlap between addiction and overweight/obesity processing by examining (1) brain response to high vs. low calorie beverages, (2) the strength of correspondence between biometrics, including body mass index (BMI) and insulin resistance, and brain response and (3) the relationship between a measure of food addiction and brain response using an established fMRI gustatory cue exposure task with a sample of overweight/obese youth (M age = 16.46; M BMI = 33.1). Greater BOLD response was observed across the OFC, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), nucleus accumbens, right amygdala, and additional frontoparietal and temporal regions in neural processing of high vs. low calorie beverages. Further, BMI scores positively correlated with BOLD activation in the high calorie > low calorie contrast in the right postcentral gyrus and central operculum. Insulin resistance positively correlated with BOLD activation across the bilateral middle/superior temporal gyrus, left OFC, and superior parietal lobe. No relationships were observed between measures of food addiction and brain response. These findings support the activation of parallel addiction-related neural pathways in adolescents’ high calorie processing, while also suggesting the importance of refining conceptual and neurocognitive models to fit this developmental period.     

青少年广泛性焦虑障碍患者静息态功能磁共振成像研究

目的:运用局部一致性(ReHo)方法研究首发青少年广泛性焦虑障碍患者的局部自发性脑活动. 方法:对19例首发青少年广泛性焦虑障碍患者及14名年龄、性别与其相匹配的正常对照进行静息态脑功能磁共振成像扫描,通过计算每个给定体素与其最邻近的26个体素之间的肯德尔和谐系数(KCC)来获得全脑的局部一致性(ReHo)图,利用双样本t检验分析两组受试者静息态下局部一致性的差异. 结果:与正常对照相比,青少年广泛性焦虑障碍患者局部一致性降低的脑区包括双侧额中回、枕中回,左侧额上回、颞下回、前扣带回及右侧顶下回、枕下回(P ＜0.005,未校正);局部一致性增高的脑区包括:右侧楔前叶、角回及左侧枕上回(P ＜0.005,未校正). 结论:青少年广泛性焦虑障碍患者静息态脑功能局部一致性存在异常.     

Resting state functional connectivity of the nucleus accumbens in youth with a family history of alcoholism

Adolescents with a family history of alcoholism (FHP) are at heightened risk for developing alcohol use disorders (AUDs). The nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a key brain region for reward processing, is implicated in the development of AUDs. Thus, functional connectivity of the NAcc may be an important marker of risk in FHP youth. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fcMRI) was used to examine the intrinsic connectivity of the NAcc in 47 FHP and 50 family history negative (FHN) youth, ages 10–16 years old. FHP and FHN adolescents showed significant group differences in resting state synchrony between the left NAcc and bilateral inferior frontal gyri and the left postcentral gyrus (PG). Additionally, FHP youth differed from FHN youth in right NAcc functional connectivity with the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), left superior temporal gyrus, right cerebellum, left PG, and right occipital cortex. These results indicate that FHP youth have less segregation between the NAcc and executive functioning brain regions, and less integration with reward-related brain areas, such as the OFC. The findings of the current study highlight that premorbid atypical connectivity of appetitive systems, in the absence of heavy alcohol use, may be a risk marker in FHP adolescents.     

The neural basis of unwanted thoughts during resting state

Human beings are constantly engaged in thought. Sometimes thoughts occur repetitively and can become distressing. Up to now the neural bases of these intrusive or unwanted thoughts is largely unexplored. To study the neural correlates of unwanted thoughts, we acquired resting-state fMRI data of 41 female healthy subjects and assessed the self-reported amount of unwanted thoughts during measurement. We analyzed local connectivity by means of regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity of a seed region. More unwanted thoughts (state) were associated with lower ReHo in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and higher ReHo in left striatum (putamen). Additional seed-based analysis revealed higher functional connectivity of the left striatum with left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in participants reporting more unwanted thoughts. The state-dependent higher connectivty in left striatum was positively correlated with rumination assessed with a dedicated questionnaire focussing on trait aspects. Unwanted thoughts are associated with activity in the fronto-striatal brain circuitry. The reduction of local connectivity in DLPFC could reflect deficiencies in thought suppression processes, whereas the hightened activity in left striatum could imply an imbalance of gating mechanisms housed in basal ganglia. Its functional connectivity to left IFG is discussed as the result of thought-related speech processes.     

Positive affect is inversely related to the salience and emotion network’s connectivity

Increasing evidence has shown that positive affect enhances many aspects of daily functioning. Yet, how dispositional positive affect is represented in the intrinsic brain networks remains unclear. Here, we used resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to test how trait positive and negative affect of an individual were associated with the intrinsic connectivity of brain regions within the salience and emotion network and the default mode network in 70 healthy young adults. We observed that positive affect was negatively associated with connectivity within the salience and emotion network, particularly with the bidirectional connections spanning the left anterior insula and left nucleus accumbens. For connections between the salience and emotion network and the rest of the brain, we observed that positive affect was negatively related to the connectivity between the right amygdala and the right middle temporal gyrus. Affect-based modulations of connectivity were specific to positive affect and to the salience and emotion network. Our findings highlight the critical role of salience and emotion network in the neural relations of positive affect, and lay the groundwork for future studies on modeling the connectivity of salience and emotion network to predict mental well-being.

     

Regional Homogeneity Brain Alterations in Schizophrenia: An Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis

ObjectiveResting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) provides a lot of evidence for local abnormal brain activity in schizophrenia, but the results are not consistent. Our aim is to find out the consistent abnormal brain regions of the patients with schizophrenia by using regional homogeneity (ReHo), and indirectly understand the degree of brain damage of the patients with drug-naive first episode schizophrenia (Dn-FES) and chronic schizophrenia. MethodsWe performed the experiment by activation likelihood estimation (ALE) software to analysis the differences between people with schizophrenia group (all schizophrenia group and chronic schizophrenia group) and healthy controls. ResultsThirteen functional imaging studies were included in quantitative meta-analysis. All schizophrenia group showed decreased ReHo in bilateral precentral gyrus (PreCG) and left middle occipital gyrus (MOG), and increased ReHo in bilateral superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and right insula. Chronic schizophrenia group showed decreased ReHo in bilateral MOG, right fusiform gyrus, left PreCG, left cerebellum, right precuneus, left medial frontal gyrus and left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). No significant increased brain areas were found in patients with chronic schizophrenia. ConclusionOur findings suggest that patients with chronic schizophrenia have more extensive brain damage than FES, which may contribute to our understanding of the progressive pathophysiology of schizophrenia.     

Recovery of superior frontal gyrus cortical thickness and resting‐state functional connectivity in abstinent heroin users after 8 months of follow‐up

Compared with healthy controls, heroin users (HUs) show evidence of structural and functional brain alterations. However, little is known about the possibility of brain recovery after protracted heroin abstinence. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether brain recovery is possible after protracted abstinence in HUs. A total of 108 subjects with heroin addiction completed structural and functional scans, and 61 of those subjects completed 8‐month follow‐up scans. Resting‐state data and 3D‐T1 MR images were collected for all participants, first at baseline and again after 8 months. Cognitive function and craving were measured by the Trail Making Test‐A (TMT‐A) and Visual Analog Scale for Craving, respectively. The cortical thickness and resting‐state functional connectivity (RSFC) differences were then analyzed and compared between baseline and follow‐up, and correlations were obtained between neuroimaging and behavioral changes. HUs demonstrated improved cognition (shorter TMT‐A time) and reduced craving at the follow‐up (HU2) relative to baseline (HU1), and the cortical thickness in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus (SFG) was significantly greater at HU2 than at HU1. Additionally, the RSFC of the left SFG with the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), insula, and nucleus accumbens and that of the right SFG with the IFG, insula and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) were increased at HU2. The changes in TMT‐A time were negatively correlated with the RSFC changes between the left SFG and the bilateral IFG, the bilateral caudate, and the right insula. The changes in craving were negatively correlated with the RSFC changes between the left OFC and the bilateral SFG. Our results demonstrated that impaired frontal‐limbic neurocircuitry can be partially restored, which might enable improved cognition as well as reduced craving in substance‐abusing individuals. We provided novel scientific evidence for the partial recovery of brain circuits implicated in cognition and craving after protracted abstinence.     

Expertise modulates local regional homogeneity of spontaneous brain activity in the resting brain: An fMRI study using the model of skilled acupuncturists

Studies on training/expertise‐related effects on human brain in context of neuroplasticity have revealed that plastic changes modulate not only task activations but also patterns and strength of internetworks and intranetworks functional connectivity in the resting state. Much has known about plastic changes in resting state on global level; however, how training/expertise‐related effect affects patterns of local spontaneous activity in resting brain remains elusive. We investigated the homogeneity of local blood oxygen level‐dependent fluctuations in the resting state using a regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis among 16 acupuncturists and 16 matched nonacupuncturists (NA). To prove acupuncturists' expertise, we used a series of psychophysical tests. Our results demonstrated that, acupuncturists significantly outperformed NA in tactile‐motor and emotional regulation domain and the acupuncturist group showed increased coherence in local BOLD signal fluctuations in the left primary motor cortex (MI), the left primary somatosensory cortex (SI) and the left ventral medial prefrontal cortex/orbitofrontal cortex (VMPFC/OFC). Regression analysis displayed that, in the acupuncturists group, ReHo of VMPFC/OFC could predict behavioral outcomes, evidenced by negative correlation between unpleasantness ratings and ReHo of VMPFC/OFC and ReHo of SI and MI positively correlated with the duration of acupuncture practice. We suggest that expertise could modulate patterns of local resting state activity by increasing regional clustering strength, which is likely to contribute to advanced local information processing efficiency. Our study completes the understanding of neuroplasticity changes by adding the evidence of local resting state activity alterations, which is helpful for elucidating in what manner training effect extends beyond resting state. Hum Brain Mapp 35:1074–1084, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Regional homogeneity changes in social anxiety disorder: a resting-state fMRI study

The previous task-based or resting perfusion studies in social anxiety disorder (SAD) patients have highlighted specific differences in brain response. Little is known about the changes in the local synchronization of spontaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals that occur in SAD during the resting state. We investigated altered neural activity in the resting state using a regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis on 20 SAD and 20 healthy controls (HC). Compared with HC, SAD patients exhibited decreased coherence (ReHo) in the bilateral angular gyrus and the left medial prefrontal cortex within the default mode network (DMN), suggesting functional impairment of the perception of socially relevant emotional state and self-related mental representations; and also in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right inferior parietal gyrus within the central-executive network (CEN), reflecting the deficit of cognitive control of social anxiety. Significantly increased coherence (ReHo) was found in the left middle occipital gyrus, which would be consistent with their hypervigilance and hyperprosexia to the social communication even in the resting state. Our results might supply a novel way to look into neuro-pathophysiological mechanisms in SAD patients.     

以妄想为主的男性精神分裂症患者脑局部一致性的功能磁共振研究

目的：探讨男性偏执型精神分裂症患者在静息状态下是否存在脑功能活动异常及其区域。方法：采用病例一对照研究方法,对20例以妄想为主的男性精神分裂症患者（患者组）和20名性别、年龄、受教育程度相匹配的正常对照者（正常对照组）进行功能磁共振成像（fMRI）扫描,分析静息状态下各脑区的局部一致性（regionalhomogeneity,ReHo）的差异。结果：设P〈0．05、体素范围（k值）≥85,与正常对照组比较,患者组双侧额上回、双侧颞中回、左额中回、左中央前回、左小脑脚和右扣带回局部一致性（ReHo值）减低,右颞上回和左颞下回ReHo值增高,而左梭状回ReHo值既有增高也有减低。结论：以妄想为主的男性精神分裂症患者在静息状态下可能存在广泛分布的脑区功能异常。     

抑郁症首次发病患者静息态脑功能局部一致性的研究

目的 利用功能磁共振(fMRI)和局部一致性(regional homogeneity,ReHo)探讨抑郁症首次发病(以下简称首发)患者在静息态脑功能是否存在异常及异常部位.方法 对34例符合美国精神疾病诊断与统计手册第4版诊断标准的首发抑郁症患者(抑郁症组)和34名性别、年龄、文化程度匹配的健康志愿者(对照组)进行静息态fMRI扫描.结果 抑郁症组静息态脑血氧水平依赖信号的ReHo高于对照组的脑区有左侧额叶眶回、顶下小叶、颞上回,右侧额内侧回、顶下小叶、小脑后叶;低于对照组的脑区有左颞下回、右颞上同和胼胝体、双侧后扣带回(P＜0.005,K≥10).结论首发抑郁症患者在静息态存在多个腩区功能活动的异常,并可能和抑郁症的病理机制有关.     

Trait self-control mediates the association between resting-state neural correlates and emotional well-being in late adolescence

Trait self-control (TSC), defined as the capacity to alter predominant response to promote desirable long-term goals, has been found to facilitate emotional well-being (EWB). However, the neural correlates underlying this association remain unclear. The present study estimated resting-state brain activity and connectivity with amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuations (ALFFs) and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) among late adolescents. Whole‐brain correlation analysis showed that higher TSC was associated with increased ALFFs in regions within the executive control network (inferior frontal gyrus, IFG) and the salience network (anterior insula, AI) and decreased ALFF in regions (e.g. medial frontal gyrus, MFG; posterior cingulate, PC) within the default-mode network (DMN). TSC was also linked with the integration (e.g. increased IFG-PC connectivity) and segregation (e.g. decreased AI-MFG connectivity) among brain networks. Mediation analysis indicated that TSC totally mediated the links from the IFG and the precuneus, FC of the AI and regions of the DMN (e.g. bilateral PC and MFG), to EWB. Additionally, ALFF in the IFG and the MFG could predict negative affect in the pandemic through TSC. These findings suggest that TSC is involved in several regions and functional organizations within and between brain networks and mediated the association between neural correlates and emotional wellness in adolescence.     

抑郁症患者静息状态的功能磁共振成像研究

目的 了解在静息状态下抑郁症患者脑区的局部一致性特点.方法 采用功能磁共振成像(fMRI)技术,检测静息状态下27例抑郁症患者(患者组)和性别、年龄、受教育程度均与患者相匹配的27名正常人(对照组)的脑功能活动,并对两组进行比较.利用局部一致性方法 分析fMRI数据,用SPM2软件进行配对t检验(P＜0.005).结果 与对照组相比,患者组双侧额中回、右额下回、右颞上回、左前扣带回、右后扣带回、右岛叶、双侧豆状核、双侧屏状核、左尾状核局部一致性显著增高(P＜0.005,未校正,体素值＞10);未显示脑区有明显的局部一致性减低.结论 抑郁症患者神经环路脑区局部在静息状态下具有很高的一致性,其局部一致性的增高可能参与了抑郁症的代偿机制.     

Neural correlates of morphosyntactic and verb-argument structure processing: An EfMRI study

In the current study, we investigated the processing of ungrammatical sentences containing morphosyntactic and verb-argument structure violations in an fMRI paradigm. In the morphosyntactic condition, participants listened to German perfect tense sentences with morphosyntactic violations which were neither related to finiteness nor to agreement but which were based on a syntactic feature mismatch between two verbal elements. When compared to correct sentences, morphosyntactically ungrammatical sentences elicited an increase in brain activity in the left middle to posterior superior temporal gyrus (STG). In the verb-argument structure condition, sentences were either correct or contained an intransitive verb with an unlicensed direct object. Ungrammatical sentences of this type elicited brain activations in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) (BA 44). Thus, we found evidence for different brain activity patterns as a function of violation type. The left posterior STG, an area known to support lexical-syntactic integration was strongly implicated in morphosyntactic processing whereas the left dorsal IFG (BA 44) was seen to be involved in the processing of verb-argument structure. Our results suggest that lexical, syntactic and semantic features of verbal stimuli interact in a complex fashion during language comprehension.     

The neural correlate of speech rhythm as evidenced by metrical speech processing

The present study investigates the neural correlates of rhythm processing in speech perception. German pseudosentences spoken with an exaggerated (isochronous) or a conversational (nonisochronous) rhythm were compared in an auditory functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment. The subjects had to perform either a rhythm task (explicit rhythm processing) or a prosody task (implicit rhythm processing). The study revealed bilateral activation in the supplementary motor area (SMA), extending into the cingulate gyrus, and in the insulae, extending into the right basal ganglia (neostriatum), as well as activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) related to the performance of the rhythm task. A direct contrast between isochronous and nonisochronous sentences revealed differences in lateralization of activation for isochronous processing as a function of the explicit and implicit tasks. Explicit processing revealed activation in the right posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG), the right supramarginal gyrus, and the right parietal operculum. Implicit processing showed activation in the left supramarginal gyrus, the left pSTG, and the left parietal operculum. The present results indicate a function of the SMA and the insula beyond motor timing and speak for a role of these brain areas in the perception of acoustically temporal intervals. Secondly, the data speak for a specific task-related function of the right IFG in the processing of accent patterns. Finally, the data sustain the assumption that the right secondary auditory cortex is involved in the explicit perception of auditory suprasegmental cues and, moreover, that activity in the right secondary auditory cortex can be modulated by top-down processing mechanisms.