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Although abnormal resting state connectivity within several brain networks has been repeatedly reported in depression, little is known about connectivity in patients with early onset chronic depression. We compared resting state connectivity in a homogenous sample of 32 unmedicated patients with early onset chronic depression and 40 healthy control participants in a seed-to-voxel-analysis. According to previous meta-analyses on resting state connectivity in depression, 12 regions implicated in default mode, limbic, frontoparietal and ventral attention networks were chosen as seeds. We also investigated associations between connectivity values and severity of depression. Patients with chronic depression exhibited stronger connectivity between precuneus and right pre-supplementary motor area than healthy control participants, possibly reflecting aberrant information processing and emotion regulation deficits in depression. Higher depression severity scores (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression) were strongly and selectively associated with weaker connectivity between the precuneus and the subcallosal anterior cingulate. Our findings correspond to results obtained in studies including both episodic and chronic depression. This suggests that there may be no strong differences between subtypes of depression regarding the seeds analyzed here. To further clarify this issue, future studies should directly compare patients with different courses of depression.

Background The underlying pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease is complex, involving different molecular pathways, including brain iron deposition and mitochondrial dysfunction. At a molecular level, these disease mechanisms are likely interconnected. Therefore, they offer potential strategies for disease-modifying treatments. We aimed to investigate subcortical brain iron deposition as a potential predictor of the bioenergetic status in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Methods Thirty patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease underwent multimodal MR imaging (T1, susceptibility-weighted imaging, SWI) and 31phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging. SWI contrast-to-noise ratios served as a measure for brain iron deposition in the putamen, caudate, globus pallidus, and thalamus and were used in a multiple linear regression model to predict in-vivo energy metabolite ratios. Results Subcortical brain iron deposition, particularly in the putamen and globus pallidus, was highly predictive of the region-specific amount of high-energy-containing phosphorus metabolites in our subjects. Conclusions Our study suggests that brain iron deposition but not the variability of individual volumetric measurements are highly predictive of mitochondrial impairment in vivo. These findings offer the opportunity, e.g., by using chelating therapies, to improve mitochondrial bioenergetics in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Contains fulltext : 241328.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Many studies point toward volume reductions in the amygdala as a potential neurostructural marker for trait aggression. However, most of these findings stem from clinical samples, rendering unclear whether the findings generalize to non-clinical populations. Furthermore, the notion of neural networks suggests that interregional correlations in gray matter volume (i.e., structural covariance) can explain individual differences in aggressive behavior beyond local univariate associations. Here, we tested whether structural covariance between amygdala subregions and the rest of the brain is associated with self-reported aggression in a large sample of healthy young students (n = 263; 49% women). Salivary testosterone concentrations were measured for a subset of n = 40 male and n = 36 female subjects, allowing us to investigate the influence of endogenous testosterone on structural covariance. Aggressive individuals showed enhanced covariance between left superficial amygdala (SFA) and left dorsal anterior insula (dAI), but lower covariance between right laterobasal amygdala (LBA) and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). These structural patterns overlap with functional networks involved in the genesis and regulation of aggressive behavior, respectively. With increasing endogenous testosterone, we observed stronger structural covariance between right centromedial amygdala (CMA) and right medial prefrontal cortex in men and between left CMA and bilateral orbitofrontal cortex in women. These results speak for structural covariance of amygdala subregions as a robust correlate of trait aggression in healthy individuals. Moreover, regions that showed structural covariance with the amygdala modulated by either testosterone or aggression did not overlap, suggesting a complex role of testosterone in human social behavior beyond facilitating aggressiveness. 09 juli 2021 14 p.

We examined the effect of galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) on resting state brain activity using fMRI (rs‐fMRI) in patients with bilateral vestibulopathy. Based on our previous findings, we hypothesized that GVS, which excites the vestibular nerve fibers, (a) increases functional connectivity in temporoparietal regions processing vestibular signals, and (b) alleviates abnormal visual–vestibular interaction. Rs‐fMRI of 26 patients and 26 age‐matched healthy control subjects was compared before and after GVS. The stimulation elicited a motion percept in all participants. Using different analyses (degree centrality, DC; fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations [fALFF] and seed‐based functional connectivity, FC), group comparisons revealed smaller rs‐fMRI in the right Rolandic operculum of patients. After GVS, rs‐fMRI increased in the right Rolandic operculum in both groups and in the patients' cerebellar Crus 1 which was related to vestibular hypofunction. GVS elicited a fALFF increase in the visual cortex of patients that was inversely correlated with the patients' rating of perceived dizziness. After GVS, FC between parietoinsular cortex and higher visual areas increased in healthy controls but not in patients. In conclusion, short‐term GVS is able to modulate rs‐fMRI in healthy controls and BV patients. GVS elicits an increase of the reduced rs‐fMRI in the patients' right Rolandic operculum, which may be an important contribution to restore the disturbed visual–vestibular interaction. The GVS‐induced changes in the cerebellum and the visual cortex were associated with lower dizziness‐related handicaps in patients, possibly reflecting beneficial neural plasticity that might subserve visual–vestibular compensation of deficient self‐motion perception.

Motivational influences on cognitive control play an important role in shaping human behavior. Cognitive facilitation through motivators such as prospective reward or punishment is thought to depend on regions from the dopaminergic mesocortical network, primarily the ventral tegmental area (VTA), inferior frontal junction (IFJ), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). However, how interactions between these regions relate to motivated control remains elusive. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we used dynamic causal modeling (DCM) to investigate effective connectivity between left IFJ, ACC, and VTA in a task‐switching paradigm comprising three distinct motivational conditions (prospective monetary reward or punishment and a control condition). We found that while prospective punishment significantly facilitated switching between tasks on a behavioral level, interactions between IFJ, ACC, and VTA were characterized by modulations through prospective reward but not punishment. Our DCM results show that IFJ and VTA modulate ACC activity in parallel rather than by interaction to serve task demands in reward‐based cognitive control. Our findings further demonstrate that prospective reward and punishment differentially affect neural control mechanisms to initiate decision‐making., Dynamic causal modeling (DCM) in functional magnetic resonance imaging data was applied to investigate effective connectivity between left IFJ, ACC, and VTA in a task‐switching paradigm comprising three distinct motivational conditions (prospective monetary reward or punishment and a control condition). Prospective punishment significantly facilitated switching between tasks on a behavioral level, while interactions between IFJ, ACC, and VTA were characterized by modulations through prospective reward. Our DCM results show that IFJ and VTA modulate ACC activity in parallel rather than by interaction to serve task demands in reward‐based cognitive control.

Contains fulltext : 233159.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Winners are commonly assumed to compete more aggressively than losers. Here, we find overwhelming evidence for the opposite. We first demonstrate that low-ranking teams commit more fouls than they receive in top-tier soccer, ice hockey, and basketball men's leagues. We replicate this effect in the laboratory, showing that male participants deliver louder sound blasts to a rival when placed in a low-status position. Using neuroimaging, we characterize brain activity patterns that encode competitive status as well as those that facilitate status-dependent aggression in healthy young men. These analyses reveal three key findings. First, anterior hippocampus and striatum contain multivariate representations of competitive status. Second, interindividual differences in status-dependent aggression are linked with a sharper status differentiation in the striatum and with greater reactivity to status-enhancing victories in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Third, activity in ventromedial, ventrolateral, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is associated with trial-wise increases in status-dependent aggressive behavior. Taken together, our results run counter to narratives glorifying aggression in competitive situations. Rather, we show that those in the lower ranks of skill-based hierarchies are more likely to behave aggressively and identify the potential neural basis of this phenomenon. 15 p.

Present project is concerned with the possibility to modulate the neural regulation of food intake by non-invasive stimulation of the vagus nerve. This nerve carries viscero-afferent information from the gut and other internal organs and therefore serves an important role in ingestive behavior. The electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve (VNS) is a qualified procedure in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy and depression. Since weight loss is a known common side effect of VNS treatment in patients with implanted devices, VNS is evaluated as a treatment of obesity. To investigate potential VNS-related changes in the cognitive processing of food-related items, 21 healthy participants were recorded in a 3-Tesla scanner in two counterbalanced sessions. Participants were presented with 72 food pictures and asked to rate how much they liked that food. Before entering the scanner subjects received a 1-h sham or verum stimulation, which was implemented transcutanously with a Cerbomed NEMOS® device. We found significant activations in core areas of the vagal afferent pathway, including left brainstem, thalamus, temporal pole, amygdala, insula, hippocampus, and supplementary motor area for the interaction between ratings (high vs low) and session (verum vs sham stimulation). Significant activations were also found for the main effect of verum compared to sham stimulation in the left inferior and superior parietal cortex. These results demonstrate an effect of tVNS on food image processing even with a preceding short stimulation period. This is a necessary prerequisite for a therapeutic application of tVNS which has to be evaluated in longer-term studies.

In humans, food is considered a powerful primary reinforcer, whereas money is a secondary reinforcer, as it gains a value through learning experience. Here, we aimed to identify the neural regions supporting the processing of food-related reinforcers, relate it to the neural underpinnings of monetary reinforcers, and explore their modulation by metabolic state (hunger vs satiety). Twenty healthy male participants were tested in two experimental sessions, once hungry and once satiated, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants performed an associative learning task, receiving food or monetary rewards (in the form of images) on separate blocks. Irrespective of incentive type, both food and monetary rewards engaged ventral striatum, medial orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala, regions that have been previously associated with reward processing. Food incentives additionally engaged the opercular part of the inferior frontal gyrus and the insula, collectively known as a primary gustatory cortex. Moreover, in response to negative feedback (here, reward omission), robust activation was observed in anterior insula, supplementary motor area and lateral parts of the prefrontal cortex, including middle and inferior frontal gyrus. Furthermore, the interaction between metabolic state and incentive type resulted in supramarginal gyrus (SMG) activity, among other motor and sensory-related regions. Finally, functional connectivity analysis showed correlation in the hungry state between the SMG and mesolimbic regions, including the hippocampus, midbrain and cingulate areas. Also, the interaction between metabolic state and incentive type revealed coupling between SMG and ventral striatum. Whereas general purpose reward-related regions process incentives of different kinds, the current results suggest that the SMG might play a key role in integrating the information related to current metabolic state and available incentive type.

Empathy is an essential ability for prosocial behavior. Previous imaging studies identified a number of brain regions implicated in affective and cognitive aspects of empathy. In this study, we investigated the neural correlates of empathy from a network perspective using graph theory and beta-series correlations. Two independent data sets were acquired using the same paradigm that elicited empathic responses to socio-affective stimuli. One data set was used to define the network nodes and modular structure, the other data set was used to investigate the effects of emotional versus neutral stimuli on network connectivity. Emotional relative to neutral stimuli increased connectivity between 74 nodes belonging to different networks. Most of these nodes belonged to an extended default mode network (eDMN). The other nodes belonged to a cognitive control network or visual networks. Within the eDMN, posterior STG/TPJ regions were identified as provincial hubs. The eDMN also showed stronger connectivity to the cognitive control network encompassing lateral PFC regions. Connector hubs between the two networks were posterior cingulate cortex and ventrolateral PFC. This stresses the advantage of a network approach as regions similarly modulated by task conditions can be dissociated into distinct networks and regions crucial for network integration can be identified.

The pleiotropic function of thyroid hormones (TH) is mediated by an organ specific expression of thyroid hormone transporters, deiodinases and TH receptors. In a series of studies we used the model of an experimentally induced hyper- or hypothyroidism in human volunteers to delineate TH action on the brain. A battery of neuropsychological testing paradigms was employed and complemented by structural and functional multimodal neuroimaging. Experimentally induced mild thyrotoxicosis for 6 weeks was associated with changes in brain structure (determined with voxel-based morphometry), resting state functional connectivity, and task-related functional activation in a working memory paradigm. Partial withdrawal of TH replacement in patients without thyroid (subclinical hypothyroidism) likewise lead to changes on multiple functional and structural brain measures. Importantly, the series of studies reviewed here identified the cerebellum as one crucial site of action.

Objective X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP) is a neurodegenerative disease with adult onset dystonia and subsequent parkinsonism. Postmortem and imaging studies revealed remarkable striatal pathology, with a predominant involvement of the striosomal compartment in the early phase. Here, we aimed to disentangle sequential neurodegeneration in the striatum of XDP patients, provide evidence for preferential loss of distinct striatal areas in the early phase, and investigate whether iron accumulation is present. Methods We used multimodal structural magnetic resonance imaging (voxel-based morphometry and relaxometry) in 18 male XDP patients carrying a TAF1 mutation and 19 age-matched male controls. Results Voxel-based relaxometry and morphometry revealed (1) a cluster in the anteromedial putamen showing high iron content and severe atrophy (-55%) and (2) a cluster with reduced relaxation rates as a marker for increased water levels and a lower degree of atrophy (-20%) in the dorsolateral putamen. Iron deposition correlated with the degree of atrophy (ρ = -0.585, p = 0.011) and disease duration (ρ = 0.632, p = 0.005) in the anteromedial putamen. In the dorsolateral putamen, sensorimotor putamen atrophy correlated with disease severity (ρ = -0.649, p = 0.004). Interpretation This multimodal approach identified a patchy pattern of atrophy within the putamen. Atrophy is advanced and associated with iron accumulation in rostral regions of the striatum, whereas neurodegeneration is moderate and still ongoing in dorsolateral areas. Given the short disease duration and predominant dystonic phenotype, these results are well in line with early and preferential degeneration of striosome-rich striatal areas in XDP. ANN NEUROL 2019;86:517-526.

Objective The aim of this study was to experimentally evaluate the effects of subclinical mild hypothyroidism on brain network connectivity as determined by resting state fMRI (rsfMRI) which serves as a proxy for global changes in brain function. Methods Fifteen otherwise healthy patients with complete hypothyroidism under stable, long term levothyroxine substitution volunteered for the study. They reduced their pretest levothyroxine dosage by 30% for 52–56 days. Basally and after partial levothyroxine withdrawal, rsfMRI along with a neuropsychological analysis was performed. RsfMRI was subjected to graph-theory-based analysis to investigate whole-brain intrinsic functional connectivity. Results The desired subclinical hypothyroidism was achieved in all subjects. This was associated with a significant decrease in resting-state functional connectivity specifically in the cuneus (0.05 FWE corrected at cluster level) which was mainly caused by a weaker functional connectivity to the cerebellum and regions of the default mode network, i.e. the medial prefrontal cortex, the precuneus and the bilateral angular gyri. The decrease in cuneus connectivity was correlated to the increase in TSH serum levels. A working memory task showed a slightly longer reaction time and less accuracy after partial levothyroxine withdrawal. Conclusion Even short-term partial levothyroxine partial withdrawal leads to deficits in working memory tasks and to a weaker integration of the cuneus within the default mode network.

Hypothyroidism is associated with memory impairments. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of partial withdrawal of levothyroxine on working memory tasks and brain function. Fifteen subjects under long-term levothyroxine substitution as a result of complete hypothyroidism participated in the present study. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed using a working memory task (n-back task) and neuropsychological tests were performed before and 52-54 days after the induction of subclinical hypothyroidism by reducing the pretest levothyroxine dosage by 30%. Reaction time of subjects under partial levothyroxine withdrawal was significantly longer and less accurate with respect to solving the working memory tasks. Functional MRI revealed significant activation changes after medication withdrawal in the cerebellum, insula, parietal, frontal, temporal and occipital lobes, lingual gyrus, and the cuneus. Partial withdrawal of levothyroxine may lead to deficits in a working memory task and to an activation of brain areas associated with working memory ability.

Background Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder which is characterized by recurrent intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and ritualized, repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions). The gold standard for the treatment of OCD is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention. This is the first study exploring the predictive value of resting-state functional connectivity for the outcome of CBT. Methods We assessed whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity in a group of 17 un-medicated OCD inpatients prior to CBT compared to 19 healthy controls using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The graph theoretical metric degree centrality served as indicator for altered voxel-wise whole-brain functional connectivity. The relative change in the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) score was used to evaluate treatment outcome. Results The degree centrality of the right basolateral nuclei group of the amygdala was positively correlated with the response to subsequent CBT. OCD patients showed a lower degree centrality of the superficial amygdala (bilateral). Conclusions Our results suggest that two different sub-regions of the amygdala and their respective neural networks are affected in OCD: the superficial amygdala and networks related to evaluation of reinforcers and risk anticipation and the basolateral amygdala which is implicated in fear processing. The diminished CBT response in patients showing a lower degree centrality of the basolateral amygdala reflects a deficient fear circuit in these patients which may impact fear extinction as a core mechanism of exposure-based CBT.

Objective: Spatial orientation and navigation depends on information from the vestibular system. Previous work suggested impaired spatial navigation in patients with bilateral vestibular failure (BVF). The aim of this study was to investigate event-related brain activity by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during spatial navigation and visual memory tasks in BVF patients. Methods: Twenty-three BVF patients and healthy age- and gender matched control subjects performed learning sessions of spatial navigation by watching short films taking them through various streets from a driver’s perspective along a route to the Cathedral of Cologne using virtual reality videos (adopted and modified from Google Earth®). In the scanner, participants were asked to respond to questions testing for visual memory or spatial navigation while they viewed short video clips. From a similar but not identical perspective depicted video frames of routes were displayed which they had previously seen or which were completely novel to them. Results: Compared with controls, posterior cerebellar activity in BVF patients was higher during spatial navigation than during visual memory tasks, in the absence of performance differences. This cerebellar activity correlated with disease duration. Conclusions: Cerebellar activity during spatial navigation in BVF patients may reflect increased non-vestibular efforts to counteract the development of spatial navigation deficits in BVF. Conceivably, cerebellar activity indicates a change in navigational strategy of BVF patients, i.e. from a more allocentric, landmark or place-based strategy (hippocampus) to a more sequence-based strategy. This interpretation would be in accord with recent evidence for a cerebellar role in sequence-based navigation.

Background In primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) fatigue is a major clinical challenge of unknown etiology. By demonstrating that fatigue in PBC is associated with an impaired cognitive performance, previous studies have pointed out the possibility of brain abnormalities underlying fatigue in PBC. Whether structural brain changes are present in PBC patients with fatigue, however, is unclear. To evaluate the role of structural brain abnormalities in PBC patients severely affected from fatigue we, therefore, performed a case-control cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) study and correlated changes of white and grey brain matter with the cognitive and attention performance. Methods 20 female patients with PBC and 20 female age-matched controls were examined in this study. The assessment of fatigue, psychological symptoms, cognitive and attention performance included clinical questionnaires, established cognition tests and a computerized test battery of attention performance. T1-weighted cMRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans were acquired with a 3 Tesla scanner. Structural brain alterations were investigated with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and DTI analyses. Results were correlated to the cognitive and attention performance. Results Compared to healthy controls, PBC patients had significantly higher levels of fatigue and associated psychological symptoms. Except for an impairment of verbal fluency, no cognitive or attention deficits were found in the PBC cohort. The VBM and DTI analyses revealed neither major structural brain abnormalities in the PBC cohort nor correlations with the cognitive and attention performance. Conclusions Despite the high burden of fatigue and selected cognitive deficits, the attention performance of PBC patients appears to be comparable to healthy people. As structural brain alterations do not seem to be present in PBC patients with fatigue, fatigue in PBC must be regarded as purely functional. Future studies should evaluate, whether functional brain changes underlie fatigue in PBC.

Focal brain lesions may induce dysfunctions in distant brain regions leading to behavioral impairments. Based on this concept of 'diaschisis', spatial neglect following stroke has been related to structural damage of the right-lateralized ventral attention network (VAN) and disrupted inter-hemispheric functional connectivity (FC) in the bilateral dorsal attention network (DAN). We questioned whether neglect-related behavioral deficits may be determined by local dysfunction of a specific region within these brain networks. We investigated acute right-hemisphere stroke patients with left hemispatial neglect using resting-state functional MRI, neuropsychological tests of spatial attention and clinical assessment of neglect-related functional disability. In addition to conventional FC analyses between different cortical regions of interest (ROIs) in the DAN/VAN, we extracted the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) from each ROI as a marker of regional spontaneous neuronal activity. Although DAN regions (as opposed to the VAN regions) were largely spared from structural brain damage, they exhibited a significant reduction of inter-hemispheric FC. However, significant fMRI-behavior correlations were revealed specifically for the fALFF of one DAN-ROI in the right superior parietal lobule (SPL): the smaller the fALFF in the right posterior intraparietal sulcus, the more severe the patient's pathological attention bias and neglect-related functional impairment. In line with 'diaschisis', our findings confirm a crucial role of the non-lesioned but dysfunctional right SPL for the emergence of spatial neglect and its behavioral consequences. They further support targeting the SPL dysfunction by non-invasive brain stimulation in neglect rehabilitation.

Patients with bilateral vestibular failure (BVF) suffer from gait unsteadiness, oscillopsia and impaired spatial orientation. Brain imaging studies applying caloric irrigation to patients with BVF have shown altered neural activity of cortical visual–vestibular interaction: decreased bilateral neural activity in the posterior insula and parietal operculum and decreased deactivations in the visual cortex. It is unknown how this affects functional connectivity in the resting brain and how changes in connectivity are related to vestibular impairment. We applied a novel data driven approach based on graph theory to investigate altered whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity in BVF patients (n= 22) compared to age- and gender-matched healthy controls (n= 25) using resting-state fMRI. Changes in functional connectivity were related to subjective (vestibular scores) and objective functional parameters of vestibular impairment, specifically, the adaptive changes during active (self-guided) and passive (investigator driven) head impulse test (HIT) which reflects the integrity of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). BVF patients showed lower bilateral connectivity in the posterior insula and parietal operculum but higher connectivity in the posterior cerebellum compared to controls. Seed-based analysis revealed stronger connectivity from the right posterior insula to the precuneus, anterior insula, anterior cingulate cortex and the middle frontal gyrus. Excitingly, functional connectivity in the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) of the inferior parietal lobe and posterior cerebellum correlated with the increase of VOR gain during active as compared to passive HIT, i.e., the larger the adaptive VOR changes the larger was the increase in regional functional connectivity. Using whole brain resting-state connectivity analysis in BVF patients we show that enduring bilateral deficient or missing vestibular input leads to changes in resting-state connectivity of the brain. These changes in the resting brain are robust and task-independent as they were found in the absence of sensory stimulation and without a region-related a priori hypothesis. Therefore they may indicate a fundamental disease-related change in the resting brain. They may account for the patients' persistent deficits in visuo-spatial attention, spatial orientation and unsteadiness. The relation of increasing connectivity in the inferior parietal lobe, specifically SMG, to improvement of VOR during active head movements reflects cortical plasticity in BVF and may play a clinical role in vestibular rehabilitation., Highlights • Resting-state connectivity was investigated in bilateral vestibular failure patients. • Patients showed lower connectivity in the posterior insula and parietal operculum. • Connectivity increased with improved VOR gain during self-initiated head movements. • This may indicate adaptive mechanisms in response to bilateral vestibular failure.

Hypo- and hyperthyroidism have effects on brain structure and function, as well as cognitive processes, including memory. However, little is known about the influence of thyroid hormones on brain perfusion and the relationship of such perfusion changes with cognition. The present study aimed to demonstrate the effect of short-term experimental hyperthyroidism on brain perfusion in healthy volunteers and to assess whether perfusion changes, if present, are related to cognitive performance. It is known that an interaction exists between brain perfusion and cerebral oxygen consumption rate and it is considered that neural activation increases cerebral regional perfusion rate in brain areas associated with memory. Measuring cerebral blood flow may therefore represent a proxy for neural activity. Therefore, arterial spin labelling (ASL) measurements were conducted and later analysed to evaluate brain perfusion in 29 healthy men before and after ingesting thyroid hormones for 8 weeks. Psychological tests concerning memory were performed at the same time-points and the results were correlated with the imaging results. In the hyperthyroid condition, perfusion was increased in the posterior cerebellum in regions connected with cerebral networks associated with cognitive control and the visual cortex compared to the euthyroid condition. In addition, these perfusion changes were positively correlated with changes of performance in the German version of the Auditory Verbal Learning Task [AVLT, Verbaler Lern-und-Merkfähigkeits-Test (VLMT)]. Cerebellar perfusion and function therefore appears to be modulated by thyroid hormones, likely because the cerebellum hosts a high number of thyroid hormone receptors.

Background The cerebellum integrates proprioceptive, vestibular and visual signals for postural control. Cerebellar patients with downbeat nystagmus (DBN) complain of unsteadiness of stance and gait as well as blurred vision and oscillopsia. Objectives The aim of this study was to elucidate the differential role of visual input, gaze eccentricity, vestibular and proprioceptive input on the postural stability in a large cohort of cerebellar patients with DBN, in comparison to healthy age-matched control subjects. Methods Oculomotor (nystagmus, smooth pursuit eye movements) and postural (postural sway speed) parameters were recorded and related to each other and volumetric changes of the cerebellum (voxel-based morphometry, SPM). Results Twenty-seven patients showed larger postural instability in all experimental conditions. Postural sway increased with nystagmus in the eyes closed condition but not with the eyes open. Romberg's ratio remained stable and was not different from healthy controls. Postural sway did not change with gaze position or graviceptive input. It increased with attenuated proprioceptive input and on tandem stance in both groups but Romberg's ratio also did not differ. Cerebellar atrophy (vermal lobule VI, VIII) correlated with the severity of impaired smooth pursuit eye movements of DBN patients. Conclusions Postural ataxia of cerebellar patients with DBN cannot be explained by impaired visual feedback. Despite oscillopsia visual feedback control on cerebellar postural control seems to be preserved as postural sway was strongest on visual deprivation. The increase in postural ataxia is neither related to modulations of single components characterizing nystagmus nor to deprivation of single sensory (visual, proprioceptive) inputs usually stabilizing stance. Re-weighting of multisensory signals and/or inappropriate cerebellar motor commands might account for this postural ataxia.

Aims Disturbed levels of thyroid hormones are associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, including memory impairments. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of mild induced thyrotoxicosis on working memory and its neural correlates. Methods Twenty-nine healthy, male subjects with normal thyroid state participated in the study. Functional MRI was acquired during a working memory task (n-back task) before and after ingesting 250 μg L-thyroxin per day for a period of eight weeks. In addition, neuropsychological tests were performed. Results In the hyperthyroid condition the subjects showed slower reaction times, but a higher accuracy in the 0-back version of the memory tasks. Fewer differences between euthyroid and hyperthyroid state were seen for the more difficult conditions of the n-back task. FMRI revealed effects of difficulty in the parahippocampal gyrus, supplementary motor area, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cerebellum, rolandic operculum and insula (p

Bilateral vestibular failure (BVF) is a severe chronic disorder of the labyrinth or the eighth cranial nerve characterized by unsteadiness of gait and disabling oscillopsia during head movements. According to animal data, vestibular input to the hippocampus is proposed to contribute to spatial memory and spatial navigation. Except for one seminal study showing the association of impaired spatial navigation and hippocampal atrophy, patient data in BVF are lacking. Therefore, we performed a voxel‐wise comparison of the hippocampal gray matter volume (GMV) in a clinically representative sample of 27 patients with incomplete BVF and 29 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls to test the hypothesis of hippocampal atrophy in BVF. Although the two groups did not generally differ in their hippocampal GMV, a reduction of GMV in the bilateral hippocampal CA3 region was significantly correlated with increased vestibulopathy‐related clinical impairment. We propose that GMV reduction in the hippocampus of BVF patients is related to the severity of vestibular‐induced disability which is in line with combined hippocampal atrophy and disorders of spatial navigation in complete vestibular deafferentation due to bilateral nerve section. Clinically, however, the most frequent etiologies of BVF cause incomplete lesions. Accordingly, hippocampus atrophy and deficits in spatial navigation occur possibly less frequently than previously suspected. Hum Brain Mapp 37:1998–2006, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Adult onset hyperthyroidism may impact on different cognitive domains, including attention and concentration, memory, perceptual function, language and executive function. Previous PET studies implicated changed functionality of limbic regions, the temporal and frontal lobes in hyperthyroidism, whereas it is unknown whether cognitive effects of hyperthyroidism may be due to changed brain connectivity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of experimentally induced short-term hyperthyroidism thyrotoxicosis on resting-state functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Twenty-nine healthy male right-handed subjects were examined twice, once prior and once after 8 weeks of oral administration of 250 μg levothyroxine per day. Resting-state fMRI was subjected to graph-theory based analysis methods to investigate whole-brain intrinsic functional connectivity. Despite a lack of subjective changes noticed by the subjects significant thyrotoxicosis was confirmed in all subjects. This induced a significant increase in resting-state functional connectivity specifically in the rostral temporal lobes (0.05 FDR corrected at the cluster level), which is caused by an increased connectivity to the cognitive control network. The increased connectivity between temporal poles and the cognitive control network shown here under experimental conditions supports an important function of thyroid hormones in the regulation of paralimbic structures.

Altered neural processing of social signals such as angry facial expressions has been associated with increased aggressive behavior, but evidence for this relationship in healthy persons using ecologically valid experimental designs is lacking. We presented socially relevant videos of facial expressions in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) version of the well-established Taylor Aggression Paradigm and investigated 41 healthy male participants, of whom 32 were included in the analysis. In each round of this competitive reaction time task, participants observed their opponent while he selected a punishment level for him, bearing either a neutral or angry facial expression. Afterward, participants in turn selected a punishment level for their opponent. Across participants, reactivity of the medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) to angry facial expressions was negatively related to aggressive behavior. Within participants and across trials, activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was positively related to aggressive behavior specifically in response to angry expressions. Moreover, we found an effect of angry expressions on neural activity patterns during later stages of the task, demonstrating that the effect of angry expressions on neural reactivity is more than just a short-lived, stimulus-driven response. Our results underscore the importance of OFC and ACC for the shaping of socially adaptive responses to provocation.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra leading to dysfunctional cortico-striato-thalamic-cortical loops. In addition to the characteristic motor symptoms, PD patients often show cognitive impairments, affective changes and other non-motor symptoms, suggesting system-wide effects on brain function. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging and graph-theory based analysis methods to investigate altered whole-brain intrinsic functional connectivity in PD patients (n = 37) compared to healthy controls (n = 20). Global network properties indicated less efficient processing in PD. Analysis of brain network modules pointed to increased connectivity within the sensorimotor network, but decreased interaction of the visual network with other brain modules. We found lower connectivity mainly between the cuneus and the ventral caudate, medial orbitofrontal cortex and the temporal lobe. To identify regions of altered connectivity, we mapped the degree of intrinsic functional connectivity both on ROI- and on voxel-level across the brain. Compared to healthy controls, PD patients showed lower connectedness in the medial and middle orbitofrontal cortex. The degree of connectivity was also decreased in the occipital lobe (cuneus and calcarine), but increased in the superior parietal cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus, supramarginal gyrus and supplementary motor area. Our results on global network and module properties indicated that PD manifests as a disconnection syndrome. This was most apparent in the visual network module. The higher connectedness within the sensorimotor module in PD patients may be related to compensation mechanism in order to overcome the functional deficit of the striato-cortical motor loops or to loss of mutual inhibition between brain networks. Abnormal connectivity in the visual network may be related to adaptation and compensation processes as a consequence of altered motor function. Our analysis approach proved sensitive for detecting disease-related localized effects as well as changes in network functions on intermediate and global scale.