NeuroImage最新文献_第7页

Distinct social dynamics of joint action represented by interpersonal neural coupling in congruent and incongruent joint musical performances 一致与不一致联合音乐表演中以人际神经耦合为代表的联合动作的独特社会动力。

IF 4.5 2区医学 Q1 NEUROIMAGING

NeuroImage

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121662

Di Yuan , Jonathan Chan , Zeshan Shoaib , Kai-Young Chan , Adam Kielman , Patrick C. M. Wong

Collective human behavior plays a crucial role in the development of culture. However, whether and how different forms of collective behavior contain different social dynamics remains a cross-disciplinary debate regarding the mentalization during joint action in psychology as well as the sociality of music in ethnomusicology. This study delves into the comparison between congruent and incongruent joint actions from an interpersonal neural standpoint within the context of a joint musical performance. Simultaneously recording the neural activities of fifty pairs of string players during performance, we identified distinct regions within the mentalizing network, specifically the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the left temporoparietal junction (TPJ), that support congruent (unison) and incongruent (melody-accompaniment) musical performances, respectively. During incongruent performances, higher levels of interpersonal neural coupling (INC) were observed in the left TPJ, an area responsible for adjusting the differences between self and others. In contrast, during congruent performances, higher INC was seen in the PFC, an area associated with monitoring and predicting the actions of others. Quantitative and qualitative data showed converging evidence that incongruent performances were more demanding, requiring more attention to the partner and precise coordination of intonation and rhythm. Moreover, the melody player led the accompanist in terms of INC during incongruent performances, which also revealed greater consensus in ratings between players and the audience. Our study highlighted the social significance of incongruent joint actions.

人类集体行为在文化的发展中起着至关重要的作用。然而，不同形式的集体行为是否以及如何包含不同的社会动力，仍然是一个跨学科的争论，涉及心理学中联合行动中的心理化以及民族音乐学中音乐的社会性。本研究从人际神经的角度，探讨了在联合音乐表演的背景下，一致和不一致的联合动作的比较。同时记录50对弦乐演奏者在演奏过程中的神经活动，我们在心智化网络中确定了不同的区域，特别是前额叶皮层（PFC）和左颞顶叶连接（TPJ），分别支持一致（一致）和不一致（旋律伴奏）的音乐表演。在不一致的表现中，在负责调节自我和他人之间差异的左TPJ区域观察到更高水平的人际神经耦合（INC）。相比之下，在一致的表现中，在PFC中可以看到更高的INC，这是一个与监视和预测他人行为相关的区域。定量和定性数据显示，越来越多的证据表明，不一致的表演对搭档的要求更高，需要更多的注意力和准确的语调和节奏协调。此外，在不一致的演奏中，主旋律演奏者在INC方面领先于伴奏者，这也揭示了演奏者和观众在评分上的更大共识。我们的研究强调了不一致的联合行动的社会意义。

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引用次数: 0

Task-optimized brain parcellations reveal latent functional organization for enhanced connectivity-based neuroimaging classification 任务优化的脑包裹揭示潜在的功能组织增强连接为基础的神经成像分类。

IF 4.5 2区医学 Q1 NEUROIMAGING

NeuroImage

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121689

Andrew Hannum, Mario A. Lopez

Brain parcellation schemes are fundamental to neuroimaging, yet general-purpose atlases may obscure the specific functional architecture relevant to a given cognitive task or clinical condition. This reflects a growing consensus that the “optimal” brain map is context-dependent. Here, we introduce a novel framework that validates this principle by generating task-optimized human brain parcellation maps directly from supervised learning objectives. Our method defines functional parcels by grouping brain regions based on the similarity of their contributions to a classifier’s decision boundary for a specific goal (e.g., cognitive state decoding or clinical group separation). This approach prioritizes a region’s discriminative role over simple signal homogeneity or spatial contiguity. We demonstrate that these objective-driven parcellations reveal a latent functional organization of the brain, an implicit task-relevant architecture defined not by signal homogeneity but by the shared discriminative role of brain regions. On Human Connectome Project data, our parcellations significantly improved cognitive state decoding, and on ADNI data, they enhanced Alzheimer’s Disease classification. Beyond improving accuracy, the resulting parcellations exhibited unique neurobiological properties: they identified spatially coherent, high-resolution maps of task-relevant information that were obscured by standard atlases and showed a trade-off between task-specificity and overall signal homogeneity. These optimized maps generalized across independent datasets, highlighting that they capture robust principles of task-dependent brain organization. This work provides a framework for moving beyond universal atlases, enabling the generation of context-specific brain maps that offer a new window into the functional architecture underlying specific cognitive processes and disease states.

脑包裹方案是神经成像的基础，然而通用图集可能会模糊与给定认知任务或临床状况相关的特定功能结构。这反映了一个日益增长的共识，即“最佳”大脑地图是依赖于上下文的。在这里，我们引入了一个新的框架，通过直接从监督学习目标生成任务优化的人脑分割图来验证这一原则。我们的方法是根据大脑区域对分类器特定目标决策边界（例如，认知状态解码或临床分组分离）的相似性对大脑区域进行分组，从而定义功能包。这种方法优先考虑区域的判别作用，而不是简单的信号同质性或空间连续性。我们证明，这些目标驱动的分割揭示了大脑的潜在功能组织，一种隐含的任务相关架构，不是由信号同质性定义的，而是由大脑区域的共享区别作用定义的。在人类连接组项目数据中，我们的分组显著改善了认知状态解码，在ADNI数据中，它们增强了阿尔茨海默病的分类。除了提高准确性之外，由此产生的分块显示出独特的神经生物学特性：它们识别出了被标准地图集所掩盖的任务相关信息的空间连贯、高分辨率地图，并显示出任务特异性和整体信号均匀性之间的权衡。这些经过优化的地图在独立的数据集上进行了推广，突出表明它们捕获了任务依赖的大脑组织的稳健原则。这项工作提供了一个超越通用图谱的框架，能够生成特定情境的大脑图谱，为研究特定认知过程和疾病状态的功能架构提供了一个新的窗口。

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引用次数: 0

Long-term visual-to-tactile stimulation induces functional reorganization of thalamic pathways to achieve visual perception 长期的视-触觉刺激诱导丘脑通路的功能重组以实现视觉感知。

IF 4.5 2区医学 Q1 NEUROIMAGING

NeuroImage

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121652

Elena Ortiz-Teran , Laura Ortiz-Teran , David L Perez , Tomas Ortiz , Ibai Diez

Sensory substitution devices (SSDs) have shown promising results in restoring basic visual function in blind subjects by translating visual information into tactile stimuli. However, the specific neuroplastic changes enabling this process remain poorly defined. Although cross-modal plasticity has been widely described through a range of intermediate cortical steps from somatosensory regions to the primary visual cortex, the brain’s ability to search for a direct route makes the thalamo-occipital pathway the most viable reorganization option after long-term passive tactile stimulation. In this study, we use resting-state fMRI to investigate whether SSD training could redirect functional connections from the somatosensory thalamic nuclei to the primary occipital areas. After 6 months of training, blind children showed increased connectivity between the somatosensory thalamic nuclei and the occipital regions. This stronger connectivity was associated with improved performance in identifying tactile stimuli. These findings support the hypothesis that long-term passive tactile training leads to subcortical functional reorganization rather than cortical changes. Specifically, the results showed an increase in connectivity between somatosensorial and multimodal integration thalamic nuclei and the visual cortical regions.

感官替代装置（SSDs）通过将视觉信息转化为触觉刺激，在恢复盲人基本视觉功能方面显示出良好的效果。然而，具体的神经可塑性改变使这一过程仍然不明确。虽然跨模态可塑性已经被广泛地描述为从体感区到初级视觉皮层的一系列中间皮层步骤，但大脑寻找直接途径的能力使得丘脑-枕叶通路成为长期被动触觉刺激后最可行的重组选择。在这项研究中，我们使用静息状态fMRI来研究SSD训练是否可以将从体感丘脑核到初级枕区的功能连接重新定向。经过6个月的训练，盲人受试者的体感丘脑核和枕区之间的连通性有所增加。这种更强的连通性与识别触觉刺激的能力提高有关。这些发现支持了长期被动触觉训练导致皮层下功能重组而不是皮层变化的假设。具体来说，结果显示体感核和多模式整合丘脑核与视觉皮质区域之间的连通性增加。

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引用次数: 0

Abnormalities in sensorimotor brain function are related to chronicity of low back pain 感觉运动脑功能异常与慢性腰痛有关。

IF 4.5 2区医学 Q1 NEUROIMAGING

NeuroImage

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121651

Jo Armour Smith , Rongwen Tain , Kelli G. Sharp , Laura M Glynn , Linda R. Van Dillen , Jesse V. Jacobs , Steven C. Cramer

Maladaptive plasticity in the brain may contribute to chronic low back pain (LBP) and underlie the altered postural control of the lumbopelvic musculature that is evident in some individuals with LBP. We recently described an MRI-compatible leg-raise paradigm to measure brain activity associated with lumbopelvic postural control. The objective of this study was to compare brain function in young adults with and without a history of LBP and to determine relationships between brain function, pain, and postural control characteristics. We recruited 55 participants with a history of LBP, who were asymptomatic when studied, and 30 healthy controls. Postural control during leg-raise tasks were quantified using electromyography and ground reaction forces. Group differences in movement-related brain activation during the leg-raise tasks were assessed with fMRI and associations among brain activation, postural control, and pain characteristics were examined. Compared with controls, participants with LBP had greater activation in the angular gyri, posterior cingulate cortices; and greater peak signal change in the right angular gyrus, right pre-central gyrus, and left globus pallidus. Abnormal postural control was associated with greater activation in right pre-central gyrus and left posterior cingulate cortex. Worse pain characteristics associated with less activation in left posterior cingulate cortex and more activation in right angular gyrus. Pathological changes in movement-related brain function are evident early in the time-course of LBP, persist between symptomatic episodes, and associate with clinical characteristics. These findings suggest biomarkers of dysfunction in pain-related circuits associated with LBP and have implications for pathophysiology of this condition.

大脑的不适应可塑性可能导致慢性腰痛（LBP），并可能导致腰盆腔肌肉的姿势控制改变，这在一些腰bp患者中很明显。我们最近描述了一个mri兼容的抬腿模式来测量与腰骨盆姿势控制相关的大脑活动。本研究的目的是比较有和没有腰痛病史的年轻人的脑功能，并确定脑功能、疼痛和姿势控制特征之间的关系。我们招募了55名有腰痛病史且研究时无症状的参与者，以及30名健康对照者。通过肌电图和地面反作用力对抬腿任务中的姿势控制进行量化。在抬腿任务中，用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）评估各组运动相关脑激活的差异，并检查脑激活、姿势控制和疼痛特征之间的关联。与对照组相比，患有LBP的参与者在角回、后扣带皮层有更大的激活；右侧角回、右侧中央前回和左侧苍白球的峰值信号变化更大。异常的姿势控制与右侧中央前回和左侧后扣带皮层的更大激活有关。较严重的疼痛特征与左侧后扣带皮层激活较少和右侧角回激活较多有关。运动相关脑功能的病理改变在LBP的病程早期是明显的，在症状发作之间持续存在，并与临床特征相关。这些发现提示了与LBP相关的疼痛相关回路功能障碍的生物标志物，并对这种疾病的病理生理学有影响。

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引用次数: 0

Gray matter volume predicts decision speed and reveals stage-specific contributions of large-scale brain networks in gambling tasks 灰质体积预测决策速度并揭示赌博任务中大规模大脑网络的阶段性贡献。

IF 4.5 2区医学 Q1 NEUROIMAGING

NeuroImage

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121659

Tingting Zhang, Qiuzhu Zhang, Ronglong Xiong, Junjun Zhang, Zhenlan Jin, Ling Li

Large-scale brain networks are well-established in resting-state research and are increasingly being used in task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. However, the mechanisms by which brain networks dynamically reorganize across the various stages of decision-making remain unclear. Here, we investigated the neural basis of decision-making by integrating voxel-based morphometry and fMRI within a modified “Wheel of Fortune” gambling task. Stage-specific brain activation was characterized using the Yeo-7 network atlas to delineate large-scale network dynamics across task stages. We found that: (1) Reaction time (RTs) were significantly longer during choose conditions compared to follow conditions; (2) Gray matter volume correlated with individual variability in RT and predicted RT during choose conditions using multivariate pattern analysis with a Kernel Ridge Regression model, effects absent during follow conditions; (3) A negative correlation was observed between RT and activation in the right superior temporal gyrus and left mid-cingulate cortex; (4) Choice stage involved more extensive network engagement than the result and rating stages, with the rating stage showing the lowest overall activation. Network-specific fractional contributions revealed dominant engagement of the ventral attention network, default mode network, and somato-motor network during the choice stage; the frontoparietal network (FPN), dorsal attention network (DAN), and visual network during the result stage; and the DAN and FPN during the rating stage. These findings provide structural and functional explanations for individual differences in decision speed within a gambling paradigm, revealing the distinct and dynamic roles of brain networks across decision stages and offering mechanistic insights into the neural architecture of this process.

大尺度脑网络在静息状态研究中已经建立，并越来越多地用于基于任务的功能磁共振成像（fMRI）研究。然而，大脑网络在决策的各个阶段动态重组的机制仍不清楚。在这里，我们通过整合基于体素的形态测量和fMRI在一个改进的“命运之轮”赌博任务中研究决策的神经基础。使用Yeo-7网络图谱来描述跨任务阶段的大规模网络动态，表征了特定阶段的大脑激活。研究发现：(1)选择条件下受试者的反应时间显著长于跟随条件；(2)基于核岭回归模型的多变量模式分析表明，在选择条件下，脑灰质体积与RT的个体变异相关，预测RT，而在后续条件下不存在这种影响；(3) RT与右侧颞上回和左侧中扣带皮层的激活呈负相关；(4)选择阶段的网络参与比结果和评分阶段更广泛，评分阶段的整体激活程度最低。网络特异性分数贡献揭示了腹侧注意网络、默认模式网络和躯体运动网络在选择阶段的主导参与；结果阶段的额顶叶网络（FPN）、背侧注意网络（DAN）和视觉网络；评分阶段的DAN和FPN。这些发现为赌博范式中决策速度的个体差异提供了结构和功能上的解释，揭示了大脑网络在决策阶段的独特和动态作用，并为这一过程的神经结构提供了机制上的见解。

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引用次数: 0

Sleep deprivation disrupts postural balance and sensorimotor integration: A combined psychophysiological–behavioral analysis 睡眠剥夺破坏体位平衡和感觉运动整合：一项综合心理生理行为分析。

IF 4.5 2区医学 Q1 NEUROIMAGING

NeuroImage

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121667

Lin Xu , Lei Peng , Xin An , Xiao Zhong , Yongcong Shao , Yuefang Dong , Weiwei Fu

Background

Sleep is crucial for optimal sensorimotor integration, a fundamental process enabling coordinated motor responses to sensory inputs. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms through which acute sleep deprivation impairs this integration remain incompletely understood. This study investigates the impact of acute sleep deprivation on postural balance and elucidates the underlying multilayered mechanisms using a combination of behavioral, psychophysiological, and neuroimaging indicators.

Methods

Twenty-five healthy young participants underwent 36 h of total sleep deprivation. Before and after the deprivation period, data were collected on postural stability metrics, psychomotor vigilance (PVT), critical flicker fusion frequency (CFF), resting-state electroencephalography (EEG), and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Correlation analyses were performed to examine the associations between changes in behavioral performance (postural balance, PVT, and CFF) and alterations in psychophysiological measures (EEG spectral power and fMRI resting-state activity).

Results

Sleep deprivation significantly impaired balance, particularly with eyes closed, and was associated with reduced alertness and increased visual fatigue. EEG revealed elevated low-frequency power in occipital and frontal regions. fMRI showed altered activity in sensorimotor-related areas, especially the caudate nucleus, cerebellum, and thalamus.

Conclusion

Acute sleep deprivation impairs postural stability by disrupting key nodes and networks involved in sensorimotor integration. This disruption manifests as reduced visual cortical excitability (affecting sensory input), weakened cognitive regulation within the frontoparietal network (impairing sensory processing and motor planning), and altered functional status of subcortical sensorimotor hubs (compromising motor coordination and feedback). These findings demonstrate that sleep deprivation compromises the neural circuitry governing the transformation of sensory information into appropriate motor outputs for balance control. This study provides comprehensive multimodal neuroimaging evidence for the neurobiological mechanisms linking insufficient sleep to impaired sensorimotor function.

背景：睡眠对最佳感觉运动整合至关重要，这是一个基本的过程，可以协调运动对感觉输入的反应。然而，急性睡眠剥夺损害这种整合的神经生理机制仍然不完全清楚。本研究探讨了急性睡眠剥夺对体位平衡的影响，并结合行为、心理生理和神经影像学指标阐明了其潜在的多层机制。方法：25名健康的年轻参与者接受了36小时的完全睡眠剥夺。在剥夺期前后，收集体位稳定性指标、精神运动警觉性（PVT）、临界闪烁融合频率（CFF）、静息状态脑电图（EEG）和静息状态功能磁共振成像（fMRI）数据。进行相关分析以检验行为表现（姿势平衡、PVT和CFF）的变化与心理生理指标（脑电图频谱功率和fMRI静息状态活动）的变化之间的关联。结果：睡眠剥夺严重损害了平衡，特别是闭上眼睛时，并且与警觉性降低和视觉疲劳增加有关。脑电图显示枕叶和额叶低频功率升高。fMRI显示感觉运动相关区域的活动发生改变，尤其是尾状核、小脑和丘脑。结论：急性睡眠剥夺通过破坏涉及感觉运动整合的关键节点和网络来损害姿势稳定性。这种破坏表现为视觉皮层兴奋性降低（影响感觉输入），额顶叶网络中的认知调节减弱（损害感觉加工和运动规划），皮层下感觉运动中枢功能状态改变（损害运动协调和反馈）。这些发现表明，睡眠剥夺损害了控制将感觉信息转化为适当的运动输出以控制平衡的神经回路。本研究为睡眠不足与感觉运动功能受损的神经生物学机制提供了全面的多模态神经影像学证据。

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引用次数: 0

Reward reactivity as a buffer against negative mental health consequences of pandemic-related stress: a preregistered analysis in the human connectome project in development 奖励反应作为对流行病相关压力的负面心理健康后果的缓冲：人类连接组项目发展中的预登记分析。

IF 4.5 2区医学 Q1 NEUROIMAGING

NeuroImage

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121672

Catherine A. Mikkelsen , Emma C. Robertson , Leah H. Somerville , Makeda M. Mayes , Andrew N. Meltzoff , Katie A. McLaughlin , Maya L. Rosen

The COVID-19 pandemic presented numerous novel stressors to youth which have been associated with worsening mental health. Previous work has shown that individuals with high reward sensitivity show resilience in the face of individualized stressors. Here, we sought to investigate whether individuals with high reward sensitivity prior to pandemic onset would be resilient to the community-level stressor of the pandemic. Sensitivity to reward was defined here as neural activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and striatum for wins as compared to losses in a reward-based task measured prior to the pandemic. We used data from the Human Connectome Project in Development collected before the pandemic onset, and follow-up data which was collected from the same participants during the pandemic. Activity in the left vmPFC moderated the association between pandemic-related stressors and change in internalizing psychopathology. Although those with low reward sensitivity showed a positive association between exposure to stressors and increase in psychopathology during the pandemic relative to baseline, those with high sensitivity to reward did not show increased symptoms with increased stressors. We found no effect of activity in the striatum or right vmPFC on the association between stressors and change in psychopathology. Additionally, we did not find a moderating effect of neural reward reactivity and change in externalizing psychopathology. These findings add to a growing literature highlighting reward sensitivity, measured prior to stressor onset, as a source of stress resilience.

2019冠状病毒病大流行给青少年带来了许多新的压力，这些压力与心理健康恶化有关。先前的研究表明，具有高奖励敏感性的个体在面对个性化的压力源时表现出弹性。在这里，我们试图调查在大流行发生之前具有高奖励敏感性的个体是否能够适应大流行的社区水平压力源。对奖励的敏感性在这里被定义为在大流行之前测量的基于奖励的任务中，与输赢相比，腹内侧前额叶皮层（vmPFC）和纹状体的神经激活。我们使用了在大流行开始前收集的人类连接组发展项目的数据，以及在大流行期间从同一参与者收集的随访数据。左侧vmPFC的活动调节了流行病相关压力源与内化精神病理变化之间的关联。尽管与基线相比，奖励敏感性低的人在大流行期间暴露于压力源与精神病理增加之间表现出正相关，但对奖励敏感性高的人在压力源增加时并未表现出症状增加。我们发现纹状体或右侧vmPFC的活动对压力源和精神病理变化之间的关联没有影响。此外，我们没有发现神经奖励反应和外化精神病理变化的调节作用。这些发现增加了越来越多的文献强调奖励敏感性，在压力源开始之前测量，作为压力恢复力的来源。

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引用次数: 0

Neural dynamics during heat pain threshold assessment using the method of limits 使用极限法评估热痛阈值时的神经动力学。

IF 4.5 2区医学 Q1 NEUROIMAGING

NeuroImage

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121681

Christian Sprenger , Iris-Carola Eichler , Christian Büchel , Christian Zöllner

The assessment of the heat pain threshold (HPT) as part of quantitative sensory testing (QST) protocols is a widely applied method which is used both in experimental settings and for the characterization of clinical populations. The neuronal responses that occur during clinically utilized HPT assessments, however, have been scarcely investigated directly. To address this gap, we investigated the peristimulus BOLD time courses in response to ascending thermal ramps employing the "Method of Limits" (MoL) approach of HPT testing in 30 healthy male participants. This showed that several brain regions, such as rostro-dorsal parts of the anterior insula (aINS), exhibit stimulus-response (SR) behavior that approximates a linear pattern corresponding to stimulus intensity. In contrast, other regions, including the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC), the primary somatosensory cortex (SI), and ventral sections of the aINS, show a sudden signal increase upon exceeding the HPT. The Neurological Pain Signature (NPS), a well-known biomarker for nociceptive pain, demonstrated good prediction of the HPT at the group level and moderate accuracy at the individual level. Notably, NPS subregions overlapped spatially with brain areas predominantly exhibiting linear SR behavior, indicating that the NPS response may be partly driven by stimulus intensity. Employing a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to also capture distributional properties of the BOLD responses, along with appropriate transition probabilities, enabled a reliable prediction of the individual Method of Limits-derived HPT and provides probabilistic insights into how the brain responds during the transition from heat to pain.

作为定量感官测试（QST）协议的一部分，热痛阈值（HPT）的评估是一种广泛应用的方法，既用于实验环境，也用于临床人群的表征。然而，在临床应用HPT评估期间发生的神经元反应几乎没有直接研究。为了解决这一差距，我们采用HPT测试的“极限法”（MoL）方法，研究了30名健康男性参与者在热斜坡上升时的刺激前后BOLD时间过程。这表明，一些大脑区域，如前脑岛（aINS）的前背部分，表现出与刺激强度相对应的近似线性模式的刺激-反应（SR）行为。相比之下，其他区域，包括前扣带皮层（aMCC）、初级体感皮层（SI）和ais的腹侧部分，在超过HPT时表现出突然的信号增加。神经疼痛特征（NPS）是一种众所周知的伤害性疼痛的生物标志物，在群体水平上显示出良好的HPT预测能力，在个体水平上显示出中等的准确性。值得注意的是，NPS亚区与主要表现线性SR行为的脑区在空间上重叠，表明NPS反应可能部分受刺激强度驱动。利用隐马尔可夫模型（HMM）捕捉BOLD反应的分布特性，以及适当的转换概率，可以可靠地预测极限法衍生的HPT个体，并提供从概率角度了解大脑在从热到痛的转换过程中的反应。

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引用次数: 0

The roles of human hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex in cognitive map-guided social transitive inference 人海马和眶额皮质在认知地图引导的社会传递推理中的作用。

IF 4.5 2区医学 Q1 NEUROIMAGING

NeuroImage

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121680

Yuanyuan Yang , Jinhui Li , Yidan Qiu , Xiaoqian Jiang , Xiaoyan Wu , Ruiwang Huang

Cognitive maps support flexible inference by organizing relational structures across experiences. This enables humans and animals to integrate knowledge and infer indirect relationships, a process known as transitive inference (TI). While the hippocampus (HPC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are both important for cognitive mapping, their specific roles in TI remain unclear. Here, we obtained behavioral and fMRI data from 25 healthy adults to study how they learned face rankings along two social dimensions (competence and popularity) and how they inferred novel relationships between untrained face pairs. Compared with control condition, we found that during TI, the bilateral HPC, left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), insula, and superior temporal gyrus (STG) showed significantly greater activation and stronger functional connectivity (FC) within the TI network. The HPC can significantly distinguish the dimension-related from dimension-unrelated hub faces. In addition, we found that the HPC had stronger FC with the regions of the default mode network, dorsal attention network, and mid-cingulate cortex when processing dimension-related hubs compared to dimension-unrelated hubs. These findings revealed the key role of the HPC in encoding abstract relational structure and how it collaborates with large-scale brain networks to support cognitive map-guided transitive inference.

认知地图通过组织跨经验的关系结构来支持灵活的推理。这使得人类和动物能够整合知识并推断间接关系，这一过程被称为传递推理（TI）。虽然海马体（HPC）和眶额皮质（OFC）对认知映射都很重要，但它们在TI中的具体作用尚不清楚。在这里，我们获得了25名健康成年人的行为和功能磁共振成像数据，以研究他们如何学习面孔在两个社会维度（能力和受欢迎程度）上的排名，以及他们如何推断未经训练的面孔对之间的新关系。与对照组相比，我们发现，在TI过程中，双侧HPC、左侧额叶中回（MFG）、脑岛和颞上回（STG）在TI网络中表现出更强的激活和更强的功能连接（FC）。HPC可以显著区分尺寸相关和尺寸无关的轮毂面。此外，我们发现在处理维度相关中枢时，HPC与默认模式网络、背侧注意网络和中扣带皮层的FC比处理维度无关中枢的FC更强。这些发现揭示了HPC在编码抽象关系结构中的关键作用，以及它如何与大规模脑网络协同支持认知地图引导的传递推理。

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引用次数: 0

Sex differences in regional hypothalamic volume and resting-state connectivity patterns: An ultra-high field functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation 下丘脑区域体积和静息状态连接模式的性别差异：超高场功能磁共振成像研究。

IF 4.5 2区医学 Q1 NEUROIMAGING

NeuroImage

Pub Date : 2026-01-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121664

Yun A. Huang , Rebecca V Robertson , Noemi Meylakh , Lewis S Crawford , James WM Kang , Paul M Macey , Vaughan G Macefield , Paul J Austin , Kevin A Keay , Luke A Henderson

The hypothalamus is a key homeostatic regulatory region which contains nuclei and subregions known to mediate a range of body functions. Numerous studies have revealed that the hypothalamus is critical in coordinating sexual dimorphism in neuroendocrine and behavioural phenotypes and displays sex-related structural differences. The hypothalamus is critical for the body’s stress response and cortisol release, and females are twice as likely as males to develop many diseases related to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction. Given this, it is important to understand the role sex plays in hypothalamic structure and function. In this study, we used ultra-high field functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine sex-related differences in regional hypothalamic resting state connectivity in 217 control participants: 123 females, 94 males. We found robust sex-related difference in the anatomy and function of the left supraoptic and anterior hypothalamic regions. Both hypothalamic regions displayed greater regional volumes in males compared with females. In addition, both regions displayed negative connectivity strengths in females and positive connectivity strengths in males with numerous brain regions, most significantly with association cortical areas such as the dorsolateral and medial prefrontal and cingulate cortices. These results reveal that discrete regions of the hypothalamus display sex-related differences in structure and function, as assessed by resting functional connectivity differences with various brain regions. These differences are critical for our understanding of the role of the hypothalamus in fundamental physiological processes and may underpin sex-specific vulnerabilities to neurological and psychiatric disorders.

下丘脑是一个关键的稳态调节区域，它包含核和亚区，已知介导一系列身体功能。大量研究表明，下丘脑在协调神经内分泌和行为表型的两性异形中起着至关重要的作用，并表现出与性别相关的结构差异。下丘脑对身体的应激反应和皮质醇释放至关重要，女性患与下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴功能障碍相关的许多疾病的可能性是男性的两倍。鉴于此，理解性在下丘脑结构和功能中的作用是很重要的。在这项研究中，我们使用超高场功能磁共振成像来确定217名对照参与者（123名女性，94名男性）下丘脑区域静息状态连通性的性别差异。我们发现在左侧视上和下丘脑前部的解剖结构和功能上存在明显的性别差异。与女性相比，男性的两个下丘脑区域显示出更大的区域容量。此外，在多个脑区中，这两个区域在女性中都表现出负连接强度，而在男性中则表现出正连接强度，其中最显著的是与背外侧、内侧前额叶和扣带皮层等关联皮质区。这些结果表明，下丘脑的离散区域在结构和功能上表现出与性别相关的差异，并评估了不同大脑区域的静息功能连接差异。这些差异对于我们理解下丘脑在基本生理过程中的作用至关重要，并且可能是神经和精神疾病的性别特异性脆弱性的基础。

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引用次数: 0