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Neuroanatomical correlates of personality in the elderly.

Extraversion and neuroticism are two important and frequently studied dimensions of human personality. They describe individual differences in emotional responding that are quite stable across the adult lifespan. Neuroimaging research has begun to provide evidence that neuroticism and extraversion have specific neuroanatomical correlates within the cerebral cortex and amygdala of young adults. However, these brain areas undergo alterations in size with aging, which may influence the nature of these personality factor-brain structure associations in the elderly. One study in the elderly demonstrated associations between perisylvian cortex structure and measures of self transcendence [Kaasinen, V., Maguire, R.P., Kurki, T., Bruck, A., Rinne, J.O., 2005. Mapping brain structure and personality in late adulthood. NeuroImage 24, 315-322], but the neuroanatomical correlates of extraversion and neuroticism, or other measures of the Five Factor Model of personality have not been explored. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the structural correlates of neuroticism and extraversion in healthy elderly subjects (n=29) using neuroanatomic measures of the cerebral cortex and amygdala. We observed that the thickness of specific lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) regions, but not amygdala volume, correlates with measures of extraversion and neuroticism. The results suggest differences in the regional neuroanatomic correlates of specific personality traits with aging. We speculate that this relates to the influences of age-related structural changes in the PFC.

Aged↗

Imaging the mind.

At the forefront of cognitive neuroscience research in normal humans are the new techniques of functional brain imaging: positron emission tomography (PET) and, more recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The signal used by PET is based on the fact that changes in the cellular activity of the brain of normal, awake humans and laboratory animals are accompanied almost invariably by changes in local blood flow. This robust, empirical relationship has fascinated scientists for well over a hundred years. PET provided a level of precision in the measurement of blood flow that opened up the modern era of functional human brain mapping. Further, the discovery with PET that these changes in blood flow are unaccompanied by quantitatively similar changes in oxygen consumption has paved the way for the explosive rise in the use of MRI in functional brain imaging. The remarkable success of this enterprise is a fitting tribute to men like Michel Ter-Pogossian. He pioneered the use of positron emitting radionuclides in biology and medicine when most had abandoned them in favor of more conventional nuclear medicine radionuclides. Importantly, also, he welcomed into his laboratory young scientists with a broad range of talents, many of whom subsequently became leaders in imaging the mind in research centers throughout the world.

Animals↗

Anatomical correlates of representational map reorganization induced by partial vibrissectomy in the barrel cortex of adult mice.

We examined the potential for changes in cortical connectivity to accompany long-term plastic changes in functional cortical representations of mystacial vibrissae. Plasticity in the barrel cortex of young adult mice was evoked by vibrissectomy that spared row C of whiskers. We found that 2-deoxyglucose brain mapping causes a progressive expansion of cortical representation of the spared vibrissae. Two months after vibrissectomy, when the width of the cortical map of the spared row of vibrissae doubled, living cortical slices of the barrel cortex were injected with fluorescent dextrans. The injections were centered on spared, deprived and control vibrissal columns. The injections labeled three intracortical projection systems: (i) local connections from one vibrissal column to neighboring columns; (ii) long-range projections running in the septa and walls of the barrels and spanning several barrels; and (iii) very-long-range fibers running horizontally in the lower part of layer V. The local, short-range projection system was analysed following small injections into the centers of columns in layers III and IV. We found that injections into spared barrels labeled axons extending for significantly greater distances in all layers (except layer V), and labeled cell bodies situated significantly further, than after injections into deprived or control barrels. Also, the total axonal density labeled by injections into the spared barrel was higher by 70% than for the deprived or control barrels. Alterations of topographical maps in adult somatosensory cortex may occur immediately after functional denervation, but may also increase with time, as in the case of our experimental situation. Our results indicate that persistent, long-term plastic change can remodel connectivity in the barrel cortex.

Animals↗

Neuroimaging of cognitive functions in human parietal cortex.

Functional neuroimaging has proven highly valuable in mapping human sensory regions, particularly visual areas in occipital cortex. Recent evidence suggests that human parietal cortex may also consist of numerous specialized subregions similar to those reported in neurophysiological studies of non-human primates. However, parietal activation generalizes across a wide variety of cognitive tasks and the extension of human brain mapping into higher-order "association cortex" may prove to be a challenge.

Animals↗

Very-high-field magnetic resonance imaging: instrumentation and safety issues.

Because of their advantage in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, high-field magnetic resonance imaging systems have become favored in the last few years for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) applications. In many ways the conceptual development of these high-field scanners has involved more-or-less straightforward extensions of practices at lower field strengths. However, in other ways specific engineering challenges have been encountered and largely overcome in the quest for scanners capable of realizing the advantages of high-field systems. An understanding of the technical trade-offs that can be made in terms of hardware performance is useful in deciding on the optimum system for a given fMRI application. In this article the technical issues surrounding high-field scanning are reviewed in the context of a typical brain mapping protocol. In addition there is a discussion of the safety issues related to the use of these systems.

Brain Mapping↗

Scalp potential and current density mapping with an enhanced spherical spline interpolation.

A method for producing rapid and accurate scalp electroencephalography, evoked potential and current density mapping is described. This method is based on the spherical spline interpolation, which has been validated as the most suitable function for this application. In comparison with the basic algorithm, the proposed technique is accurate and fast: it reduces the computation time by a factor of 10, while preserving the desired precision level. Furthermore, we study the choice of an optimal configuration and number of electrodes in order to produce a good reconstruction of brain electrical activity with this method. The implementation and application of this enhanced method in a three-dimensional brain mapping system is shown.

Algorithms↗

Small-world anatomical networks in the human brain revealed by cortical thickness from MRI.

An important issue in neuroscience is the characterization for the underlying architectures of complex brain networks. However, little is known about the network of anatomical connections in the human brain. Here, we investigated large-scale anatomical connection patterns of the human cerebral cortex using cortical thickness measurements from magnetic resonance images. Two areas were considered anatomically connected if they showed statistically significant correlations in cortical thickness and we constructed the network of such connections using 124 brains from the International Consortium for Brain Mapping database. Significant short- and long-range connections were found in both intra- and interhemispheric regions, many of which were consistent with known neuroanatomical pathways measured by human diffusion imaging. More importantly, we showed that the human brain anatomical network had robust small-world properties with cohesive neighborhoods and short mean distances between regions that were insensitive to the selection of correlation thresholds. Additionally, we also found that this network and the probability of finding a connection between 2 regions for a given anatomical distance had both exponentially truncated power-law distributions. Our results demonstrated the basic organizational principles for the anatomical network in the human brain compatible with previous functional networks studies, which provides important implications of how functional brain states originate from their structural underpinnings. To our knowledge, this study provides the first report of small-world properties and degree distribution of anatomical networks in the human brain using cortical thickness measurements.

Brain↗

A new concept for EEG/MEG signal analysis: detection of interacting spatial modes.

We propose a new concept for analyzing EEG/MEG data. The concept is based on a projection of the spatiotemporal signal into the relevant phase space and the interpretation of the brain dynamics in terms of dynamical systems theory. The projection is obtained by a simultaneous determination of spatial modes and coefficients of differential equations. The resulting spatiotemporal model can be characterized by stationary points and corresponding potential field maps. Brain information processing can be interpreted by attraction and repulsion of spatial field distributions given by these stationary points. This allows an objective and quantitative characterization of the brain dynamics. We outline this concept and the underlying algorithm. Results of the application of this method to an event related potential (ERP) study of auditory memory processes are discussed.

Algorithms↗

Functional MRI and its applications to the clinical neurosciences.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an emerging methodology for studying regional brain function in vivo at relatively high spatial and temporal resolution. Because MRI methods are comparatively inexpensive and entirely noninvasive, fMRI has rapidly become one of the most popular approaches for brain mapping in cognitive and systems neuroscience. There has also been great interest in using fMRI to assist in clinical diagnosis and management, with promising demonstrations of feasibility in a number of applications. Both resting and task-specific regional brain activity can be measured, primarily utilizing alterations in regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) as a surrogate marker for neural function. This article reviews the biophysical and physiological bases of fMRI and its applications to the clinical neurosciences, with particular attention to potential challenges of fMRI under pathophysiological conditions. Carefully controlled prospective evaluation of clinical fMRI in its various potential applications will be required for fMRI to be validated as a clinically useful tool. Because the technology for fMRI is widely available, its impact could be substantial.

Animals↗

The quest to establish the neural substrates of anxiety.

Recent developments in neuroanatomic, lesion and stimulation, and functional brain mapping studies offer great promise in the search for the neural substrates of anxiety. Animal studies have provided important clues about the neural pathways that underlie certain aspects of the evaluative and expressive components of anxiety. As a brain-imaging technique that safely permits the study of the living human brain, positron emission tomography is likely to provide additional information about the neural structures that underlie the evaluation, expression, and experience of anxiety in each of its normal and pathologic forms. The quest to establish the neural substrates of anxiety has two parts: identification of the elementary psychophysiologic operations that define anxiety and identification of the precise neural pathways that underlie each of these operations. To paraphrase an investigator who is involved in this quest, the challenge and charm of this field are that studies of both the mind and the brain are required.

Animals↗

Localization of vasopressin binding sites in rat brain by in vitro autoradiography using a radioiodinated V1 receptor antagonist.

Vasopressin may act in the brain as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator to influence blood pressure, memory, body temperature and brain development. In order to localize probable central nervous system sites for these actions, we have used 125I-labelled 1-d(CH2)5, 7-sarcosine-8-arginine vasopressin, a specific V1-receptor antagonist, and in vitro autoradiography to map brain vasopressin binding sites. High levels of binding were found in the choroid plexus, blood vessels, lateral septum, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, accumbens nucleus, central nucleus of amygdala, stigmoid hypothalamic nucleus, suprachiasmatic nucleus, arcuate nucleus, nucleus of the solitary tract, area postrema and parts of the hippocampus, thalamus, superior colliculus, and inferior olivary nuclei. Many of these regions are known to be vasopressin-sensitive and to contain vasopressin fibres. Significantly there was no binding to the paraventricular nor the supraoptic nuclei. Displacement of the radioligand from the lateral septum with unlabelled vasopressin analogues gave a rank order of potencies: d(CH2)5-D-Tyr2(Et)Val4-desGly9-arginine-vasopressin approximately equal to d(CH2)5-Tyr2-(Me)arginine-vasopressin approximately equal to arginine-vasopressin approximately equal to d(CH2)5-Sar7-arginine-vasopressin greater than [1-deamino, 8-D-arginine]-vasopressin approximately equal to oxytocin much greater than vasopressin4-9, consistent with binding to V1 receptor subtype. These studies confirm and extend previous findings of V1 receptors in the rat brain. In particular, several new regions of vasopressin receptor binding have been identified, possibly due to the advantages of a radioiodinated ligand with high receptor affinity without binding to neurophysins. Future study of these regions may prove fruitful in elucidating the central actions of vasopressin.

Animals↗

Psychotropic drug profiles: comparisons by topographic maps of absolute power.

In a double-blind fourfold crossover design, 11 subjects were randomly assigned to placebo, 10 mg diazepam, 75 mg amitriptyline, and 75 mg chlorpromazine. During a simple vigilance task, 12 midline and left hemisphere leads were recorded before and 3 h after drug administration. The EEG was quantified by spectrum analysis, the topographic structure displayed by brain mapping techniques, and the results compared with earlier studies which used the same design and drugs. Diazepam showed the expected increase in beta; however, fast beta was increased as much as slow beta. Amitriptyline showed an increase of slow wave power and a reduction of alpha. In contrast to earlier studies, a decrease of fast beta was found. In addition, the spatial pattern of alpha changed from an occipital to a parietal maximum. Chlorpromazine showed an increase in the theta band. In occipital regions, there was a small decrease of fast beta; however, centrally there was an increase of both slow and fast beta. These results were confirmed by a multivariate analysis of variance.

Adult↗

Probabilistic mapping and volume measurement of human primary auditory cortex.

Despite their potential utility in clinical and research settings, the range of intra- and interindividual variations in size and location of cytoarchitectonically defined human primary auditory cortex (PAC) is largely unknown. This study demonstrates that gyral patterns and the size and location of PAC vary independently to a considerable degree. Thus, the cytoarchitectonic borders of PAC cannot be reliably inferred from macroscopic-MR visible-anatomy. Given the remarkable topographical variability of architectonic areal borders, standard brain mapping which is made solely on the basis of macroanatomic landmarks may lead to structural-functional mismatch. Consequently, interpretations of individual auditory activity patterns might often be inaccurate. In view of the anatomic discrepancies, we generated probability maps of PAC in which the degree of intersubject overlap in each stereotaxic position was quantified. These maps show that the location of PAC in Talairach space differs considerably between hemispheres and individuals. In contrast to earlier cytoarchitectonic work which is based in most cases on studies of single brains, our systematic approach provides extensive microanatomic data as a reference system for studies of human auditory function.

Adult↗

The pattern flash elicited P300-complex (PF-P300): dynamics of its topographic scalp distribution in different states of visual attention.

PF-P300 has been recorded from 13 healthy male subjects (21-35 years) in two different conditions of visual attention (transient versus sustained attention) at 16 electrode locations (10/20-system) against linked mastoids. The PFP300 complexes were measured and mapped. Thus, we obtained the following: (1) N250 did not show any significant differences between both conditions. (2) PF-P300, however, showed significantly different (p less than or equal to .05) maps between both conditions, especially bilateral frontal and left occipital with the measured PFP300a-amplitudes being higher (p less than or equal to .01) under sustained attention. The PFP300a-latencies did not show such differences. (3) N400 showed similar (p less than or equal to .001) differences in its mean peak distribution, but its latencies were shorter (p less than or equal to .01 resp. .0001) at all recording sites (except Fz, Pz) in condition (2). (4) Further evaluation of the PFP300-complex under sustained attention by means of increment mapping and multichannel potential measurements showed that PFP300 first rises at Fz, Pz, then spreads over the left occipital region and culminates bilateral frontal and parieto-occipital. Interestingly, the latencies of N250 and PFP300a were shorter at O1 (p less than or equal to .01) than at O2. With the help of electrical brain mapping it is possible to study the dynamics of both the PFP300 scalp distribution between two distinct mental states and within one mental state.

Adult↗

Estimation of the local statistical noise in positron emission tomography revisited: practical implementation.

The purpose of this report is to implement novel modifications to overcome the limitations of an existing algorithm for estimating the local statistical noise in a positron emission tomography (PET) image without performing repeated measures. The original algorithm is based on a modification of the filtered back-projection algorithm that allows the variance to be estimated using only a single sinogram. In addition, the effects of photon absorption, random coincidences, radioactive decay, and detector nonuniformity are taken into account. However, there are some limitations when applying this method with modern scanners. In particular, it is common practice to interleave the projections in the sinogram (to increase the sampling rate along each projection) and to perform an interpolation when actually back-projecting to reconstruct the images. Both of these procedures introduce covariance among the elements of the projections, which is cumbersome and impractical to deal with using the existing technique for creating a variance image. An alternative image reconstruction scheme that is shown to be equivalent to image reconstruction using traditional filtered back-projection greatly simplifies the estimation of the variance image. The proposed methods were tested by Monte Carlo simulations and by using repeated scans of a uniform phantom filled with F-18. Results demonstrate that the proposed methods are very rigorous and stable when compared to calculations of the local variance using either repeated measures with a large number of measurements, or region-of-interest estimates of the variance, assuming homogeneous variance structure. In addition, strategies for extending the proposed technique are discussed that would permit the estimation of the variance due to measurement error of a pixel in a brain map from both single subjects and pooled group data.

Algorithms↗

Analysis of cerebral bioelectrical activity during the compression phase of a saturation dive.

Considering previous studies on EEG brain mapping in the course of saturation dives, the authors studied the same standards of EEG performance during the compression phase of a saturation dive reaching -250 m. An increase of theta and beta rhythms was observed, especially in the midline anterior regions of the brain, during the entire compression period, while an increase of delta activity was noted only at -100 m. These results confirm our hypothesis that the compression profile is physiologically correct, because the EEG modifications decreased during the stay at maximum depth.

Air Pressure↗

Spatial-anatomical mapping of NoGo-P3 in the offspring of alcoholics: evidence of cognitive and neural disinhibition as a risk for alcoholism.

OBJECTIVE: The concept of disinhibition as a behavioral and biological trait has been considered to be involved in the etiology of alcoholism and its co-existing disorders. The magnitude and functional mapping of event-related potential P3(00) components were analyzed, in order to examine the possible response inhibition deficits in the offspring of alcoholics. METHODS: The P3 components were compared between 50 offspring of alcoholics (OA) and a matched normal control group (NC) using a visual Go/NoGo task. The low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) was used to analyze the functional brain mapping between groups. RESULTS: The results indicated that the OA group manifested decreased P3 amplitude during the NoGo but not the Go condition compared to the NC group. The voxel-by-voxel analysis in LORETA showed group differences at several brain regions including prefrontal areas during the processing of NoGo but not Go signals. CONCLUSIONS: The decreased NoGo-P3 suggests that cognitive and neural disinhibition in offspring of alcoholics may serve as a neurocognitive index for a phenotypic marker in the development of alcoholism and related disorders. SIGNIFICANCE: Dysfunctional neural and response inhibition in the offspring of alcoholics perhaps provides an endophenotypic marker of risk for the development of alcoholism and related disorders.

Adolescent↗

In vivo detection of 13C-enriched glucose metabolites in mouse brain by T-SEDOR imaging.

Protons J-coupled to 13C were selectively detected in the mouse head by in vivo 1H NMR imaging based on Twin Spin Echo DOuble Resonance (T-SEDOR) excitation. This pulse sequence combines a good chemical specificity with high sensitivity, requires no solvent pre-saturation and is well adapted to the imaging modality. 1H T-SEDOR maps of the mouse head allowed detection of areas of preferential accumulation of 13C-enriched compounds, upon repeated injections of uniformly 13C-labelled glucose, which induced hyperglycemia. The results demonstrated the feasibility, both in time scale and metabolite concentration, of applying T-SEDOR MRI for in vivo mapping brain areas characterized by enhanced rates of glucose uptake and/or accumulation of its metabolites.

Animals↗