Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100302
S. Wehle, C. Gundlach, M.M. Müller
In a probabilistic spatial cueing experiment, we cued one out of four objects/arcs that were arranged in a circle to test whether the cued arc/object would result in strictly object-based processing restricting facilitation of features to the cued object, or whether we observe global feature-based spread across object boundaries. Four arcs flickered at different frequencies, respectively, to evoke steady state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), allowing to investigate neural temporal dynamics in the early visual cortex following the presentation of the spatial cue. Initially, all arcs had identical colors and with spatial cue onset switched to a specific color configuration. In one configuration, one uncued arc had the same color as the cued one. We found global feature-based spread to same-colored elements across object boundaries in SSVEPs and behavioral responses. Once spatial attention was shifted to the cued location/arc, SSVEP amplitudes elicited by the cued arc and the same-colored uncued arc showed a temporally overlapping increase early after the spatial cue. Importantly, color processing was not required to perform the task, indicating that global feature-based spread occurs automatically, independent of task demands.
{"title":"Temporally parallel facilitation of same-colored objects beyond spatial selection","authors":"S. Wehle, C. Gundlach, M.M. Müller","doi":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100302","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100302","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In a probabilistic spatial cueing experiment, we cued one out of four objects/arcs that were arranged in a circle to test whether the cued arc/object would result in strictly object-based processing restricting facilitation of features to the cued object, or whether we observe global feature-based spread across object boundaries. Four arcs flickered at different frequencies, respectively, to evoke steady state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), allowing to investigate neural temporal dynamics in the early visual cortex following the presentation of the spatial cue. Initially, all arcs had identical colors and with spatial cue onset switched to a specific color configuration. In one configuration, one uncued arc had the same color as the cued one. We found global feature-based spread to same-colored elements across object boundaries in SSVEPs and behavioral responses. Once spatial attention was shifted to the cued location/arc, SSVEP amplitudes elicited by the cued arc and the same-colored uncued arc showed a temporally overlapping increase early after the spatial cue. Importantly, color processing was not required to perform the task, indicating that global feature-based spread occurs automatically, independent of task demands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74277,"journal":{"name":"Neuroimage. Reports","volume":"5 4","pages":"Article 100302"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100303
William T. Stauber , Tyler McGaughey , Nick Evans , Sean Snyder , Julie A. Brefczynski-Lewis , James W. Lewis
Sensory nerves from contracting skeletal muscles can alter autonomic functions mediated by connections in the medulla and hypothalamus. We hypothesized that low-frequency, non-voluntary, rhythmical electrical stimulation of small muscles of the hand, in contrast to continuous sensory stimulation of the overlying skin, will change functional connectivity in the brain revealing specific regions of the muscle afferent–pituitary axis. Using a 2x2 design, eight healthy young participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) immediately before and after a 45-min electrical stimulation session with 2 Hz to the left hand muscles and a counterbalanced session with continuous 100 Hz skin stimulation to the same region. Using standardized CONN toolbox software, functional connectivity data were analyzed. Rhythmic muscle stimulation led to significant differences in connectivity associated with the autonomic and limbic systems such as the hypothalamus, amygdala, periaqueductal gray, thalamus, basal ganglia, plus insulae and cingulate cortices. In addition, the muscle stimulation led to changes in several resting state networks. Importantly, using a tightly controlled 2x2 rsfMRI design, the different stimulation protocols were applied to each subject (within-subject design), which led to significant differences in patterns of functional connectivity changes after the muscle versus skin stimulation conditions with only a small number of participants. In conclusion, significant differences in brain networks involving autonomic and limbic systems were activated by using low-frequency, rhythmical stimulation of small hand muscles. In contrast to skin electrical stimulation, which primarily entailed exteroceptive input, muscle electrical stimulation significantly engaged neural networks implicated in interoception, including the insula and hypothalamus.
{"title":"Resting-state functional connectivity changes in the human brain from electrically-stimulated (2 Hz), rhythmic muscle contractions to the hand: An exploratory study","authors":"William T. Stauber , Tyler McGaughey , Nick Evans , Sean Snyder , Julie A. Brefczynski-Lewis , James W. Lewis","doi":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100303","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100303","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sensory nerves from contracting skeletal muscles can alter autonomic functions mediated by connections in the medulla and hypothalamus. We hypothesized that low-frequency, non-voluntary, rhythmical electrical stimulation of small muscles of the hand, in contrast to continuous sensory stimulation of the overlying skin, will change functional connectivity in the brain revealing specific regions of the muscle afferent–pituitary axis. Using a 2x2 design, eight healthy young participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) immediately before and after a 45-min electrical stimulation session with 2 Hz to the left hand muscles and a counterbalanced session with continuous 100 Hz skin stimulation to the same region. Using standardized CONN toolbox software, functional connectivity data were analyzed. Rhythmic muscle stimulation led to significant differences in connectivity associated with the autonomic and limbic systems such as the hypothalamus, amygdala, periaqueductal gray, thalamus, basal ganglia, plus insulae and cingulate cortices. In addition, the muscle stimulation led to changes in several resting state networks. Importantly, using a tightly controlled 2x2 rsfMRI design, the different stimulation protocols were applied to each subject (within-subject design), which led to significant differences in patterns of functional connectivity changes after the muscle versus skin stimulation conditions with only a small number of participants. In conclusion, significant differences in brain networks involving autonomic and limbic systems were activated by using low-frequency, rhythmical stimulation of small hand muscles. In contrast to skin electrical stimulation, which primarily entailed exteroceptive input, muscle electrical stimulation significantly engaged neural networks implicated in interoception, including the insula and hypothalamus.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74277,"journal":{"name":"Neuroimage. Reports","volume":"5 4","pages":"Article 100303"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145693448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100301
Anne E.M. Leenders , Bruno M.de Brito Robalo , John H. Maduro , Marta Fiocco , Maarten Lequin , Eelco Hoving , Marita Partanen
Background
Increasing survival rates in pediatric brain tumor patients highlight the importance of understanding treatment-related neurodevelopmental consequences. The posterior fossa is a primary site for many of these tumors, which are treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy that could impact brain function and structure. This retrospective longitudinal study examines changes in subcortical brain structures of pediatric posterior fossa tumor patients over five years post-diagnosis and compares patients who were treated for low- and high-grade tumors.
Methods
We analyzed 558 T1-weighted (T1w) brain MR images of 57 pediatric posterior fossa tumor patients (mean age at diagnosis = 9.65 (SD 4.06), 44 % female). There were 39 patients with a low-grade tumor treated with surgery and/or chemotherapy and 18 patients with a high-grade tumor treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment. Volumes of the globus pallidus, caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, thalamus and hippocampus were calculated using SPM CAT12 (Statistical Parametric Mapping Computational Anatomy Toolbox). Linear mixed effect models were estimated to study the association between volumetric changes and time for these 7 subcortical structures.
Results
Significant interactions between time and group were shown in the hippocampus (β = −0.06, SE = 0.02, p < .001) and globus pallidus (β = 0.01, SE = 0.00, p = .016). Patients treated for low-grade tumors exhibited increasing hippocampal volume over time, while those treated for high-grade tumors experienced a decline. In the globus pallidus, volume decreased over time for the low-grade tumor group but remained stable for the high-grade tumor group. Patients with a history of hydrocephalus had smaller thalamic (β = −0.40, SE = 0.14, p = .004) and hippocampal (β = −0.31, SE = 0.12, p = .012) volumes. Younger age at diagnosis was associated with smaller putamen and thalamus, and male sex was associated with larger volumes of the putamen, nucleus accumbens and amygdala.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that children who received treatment for low- or high-grade tumors had different subcortical volumes over time, which may be related to treatment, complications, or demographic factors such as age and sex. These results suggest that while brain tumor treatment primarily aims to cure patients, it may inevitably affect neural development and may contribute to a range of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional long-term deficits. This emphasizes the need for long-term monitoring and prospective longitudinal studies into structural and functional brain changes after treatment for pediatric brain tumor.
背景：儿童脑肿瘤患者生存率的提高凸显了了解治疗相关神经发育后果的重要性。后窝是许多此类肿瘤的原发部位，这些肿瘤可通过手术、化疗和/或放射治疗来治疗，这可能会影响大脑功能和结构。这项回顾性的纵向研究检查了儿童后窝肿瘤患者在诊断后5年内皮质下脑结构的变化，并比较了接受低级别和高级别肿瘤治疗的患者。方法分析57例小儿后窝肿瘤患者558张t1加权（T1w）脑MR图像（诊断时平均年龄9.65岁（SD 4.06），女性占44%）。39例低级别肿瘤患者接受手术和/或化疗，18例高级别肿瘤患者接受手术、化疗和放疗。使用SPM CAT12（统计参数映射计算解剖工具箱）计算苍白球、尾状核、壳核、伏隔核、杏仁核、丘脑和海马的体积。估计线性混合效应模型来研究这7种皮质下结构的体积变化与时间之间的关系。结果海马（β = - 0.06, SE = 0.02, p < 0.001）和苍白球（β = 0.01, SE = 0.00, p = 0.016）与时间和组间存在显著交互作用。治疗低级别肿瘤的患者海马体积随着时间的推移而增加，而治疗高级别肿瘤的患者海马体积则下降。低度肿瘤组的苍白球体积随时间减少，而高级别肿瘤组的苍白球体积保持稳定。有脑积水病史的患者丘脑（β = - 0.40, SE = 0.14, p = 0.004）和海马（β = - 0.31, SE = 0.12, p = 0.012）体积较小。诊断时年龄越小，壳核和丘脑越小，男性的壳核、伏隔核和杏仁核体积越大。结论：这些发现表明，接受低级别或高级别肿瘤治疗的儿童随着时间的推移具有不同的皮质下体积，这可能与治疗、并发症或年龄和性别等人口统计学因素有关。这些结果表明，虽然脑肿瘤治疗的主要目的是治愈患者，但它可能不可避免地影响神经发育，并可能导致一系列认知、行为和情感的长期缺陷。这强调了对儿童脑肿瘤治疗后大脑结构和功能变化进行长期监测和前瞻性纵向研究的必要性。
{"title":"Subcortical alterations following pediatric posterior fossa brain tumor treatment: A longitudinal MRI study","authors":"Anne E.M. Leenders , Bruno M.de Brito Robalo , John H. Maduro , Marta Fiocco , Maarten Lequin , Eelco Hoving , Marita Partanen","doi":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100301","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100301","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Increasing survival rates in pediatric brain tumor patients highlight the importance of understanding treatment-related neurodevelopmental consequences. The posterior fossa is a primary site for many of these tumors, which are treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy that could impact brain function and structure. This retrospective longitudinal study examines changes in subcortical brain structures of pediatric posterior fossa tumor patients over five years post-diagnosis and compares patients who were treated for low- and high-grade tumors.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed 558 T1-weighted (T1w) brain MR images of 57 pediatric posterior fossa tumor patients (mean age at diagnosis = 9.65 (SD 4.06), 44 % female). There were 39 patients with a low-grade tumor treated with surgery and/or chemotherapy and 18 patients with a high-grade tumor treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment. Volumes of the globus pallidus, caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, thalamus and hippocampus were calculated using SPM CAT12 (Statistical Parametric Mapping Computational Anatomy Toolbox). Linear mixed effect models were estimated to study the association between volumetric changes and time for these 7 subcortical structures.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Significant interactions between time and group were shown in the hippocampus (β = −0.06, SE = 0.02, p < .001) and globus pallidus (β = 0.01, SE = 0.00, p = .016). Patients treated for low-grade tumors exhibited increasing hippocampal volume over time, while those treated for high-grade tumors experienced a decline. In the globus pallidus, volume decreased over time for the low-grade tumor group but remained stable for the high-grade tumor group. Patients with a history of hydrocephalus had smaller thalamic (β = −0.40, SE = 0.14, p = .004) and hippocampal (β = −0.31, SE = 0.12, p = .012) volumes. Younger age at diagnosis was associated with smaller putamen and thalamus, and male sex was associated with larger volumes of the putamen, nucleus accumbens and amygdala.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings suggest that children who received treatment for low- or high-grade tumors had different subcortical volumes over time, which may be related to treatment, complications, or demographic factors such as age and sex. These results suggest that while brain tumor treatment primarily aims to cure patients, it may inevitably affect neural development and may contribute to a range of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional long-term deficits. This emphasizes the need for long-term monitoring and prospective longitudinal studies into structural and functional brain changes after treatment for pediatric brain tumor.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74277,"journal":{"name":"Neuroimage. Reports","volume":"5 4","pages":"Article 100301"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-20DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100300
Niloufar Benam , Courtney Pollock , Jill G. Zwicker , Shannon B. Lim , Kaya Yoshida , Julia Schmidt
The ability to complete activities of daily living (ADLs) is an important part of daily life and can promote well-being and independence. There is currently limited knowledge of brain activity during ADLs (e.g. dressing tasks). Previous studies explored brain activity during dressing using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); however, the supine position during fMRI is not a natural dressing posture and may impact findings. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a promising method of data collection as it can investigate brain activity in a natural state (sitting) during dressing. In this study, to understand brain activity during buttoning in unimpaired adults, twenty participants (25–65 years) completed an upper extremity task of buttoning in three 20 s repetitions with 15 s rest in between each activity block. Brain activation patterns were recorded using fNIRS over the prefrontal, premotor, supplementary motor, sensorimotor, and posterior parietal cortices. Compared to the resting period, significantly higher activation during the activity block was observed in all recorded regions but the posterior parietal cortex. Understanding brain activity in unimpaired adults during the performance of activities of daily living is a critical first-step for investigating brain activation in different clinical populations.
{"title":"Exploring brain activation during a buttoning task in adults: A functional near infrared spectroscopy investigation","authors":"Niloufar Benam , Courtney Pollock , Jill G. Zwicker , Shannon B. Lim , Kaya Yoshida , Julia Schmidt","doi":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100300","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100300","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ability to complete activities of daily living (ADLs) is an important part of daily life and can promote well-being and independence. There is currently limited knowledge of brain activity during ADLs (e.g. dressing tasks). Previous studies explored brain activity during dressing using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); however, the supine position during fMRI is not a natural dressing posture and may impact findings. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a promising method of data collection as it can investigate brain activity in a natural state (sitting) during dressing. In this study, to understand brain activity during buttoning in unimpaired adults, twenty participants (25–65 years) completed an upper extremity task of buttoning in three 20 s repetitions with 15 s rest in between each activity block. Brain activation patterns were recorded using fNIRS over the prefrontal, premotor, supplementary motor, sensorimotor, and posterior parietal cortices. Compared to the resting period, significantly higher activation during the activity block was observed in all recorded regions but the posterior parietal cortex. Understanding brain activity in unimpaired adults during the performance of activities of daily living is a critical first-step for investigating brain activation in different clinical populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74277,"journal":{"name":"Neuroimage. Reports","volume":"5 4","pages":"Article 100300"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-12DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100299
Hunter P. Twedt , Brooke E. Yeager , Jacob E. Simmering , Jordan L. Schultz , Nandakumar S. Narayanan
Cognitive symptoms are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and have debilitating effects on quality of life and disease trajectory; however, the underlying brain mechanisms remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we investigated the relationship between functional connectivity and cognition at multiple time points using longitudinal functional MRI (fMRI) and cognitive assessments from the Parkinson's Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI). We calculated resting-state functional connectivity across three distinct time points. We analyzed functional connectivity within and between three key cortical brain networks that have been linked with higher-order cognitive function in PD: the frontoparietal network (FPN); the salience network (SAL); and the default mode network (DMN). Global cognitive functioning was assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) at each of the three time points, and this was our primary dependent variable. Linear mixed-effects modeling revealed that decreased FPN-DMN functional connectivity is associated with lower MoCA scores over time. A similar trend was found for SAL-DMN functional connectivity. These relationships were specific to cognition, as there were no significant associations between functional connectivity and motor symptoms, as measured with the Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-Part III (MDS-UPDRS-III). These findings suggests that cortical connectivity is associated with and may contribute to the progression of cognitive symptoms in PD. Our findings advance knowledge about cognitive changes in PD and emphasize the importance of functional brain network architecture.
{"title":"Cortical connectivity is associated with cognition across time in Parkinson's disease","authors":"Hunter P. Twedt , Brooke E. Yeager , Jacob E. Simmering , Jordan L. Schultz , Nandakumar S. Narayanan","doi":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100299","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100299","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cognitive symptoms are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and have debilitating effects on quality of life and disease trajectory; however, the underlying brain mechanisms remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we investigated the relationship between functional connectivity and cognition at multiple time points using longitudinal functional MRI (fMRI) and cognitive assessments from the Parkinson's Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI). We calculated resting-state functional connectivity across three distinct time points. We analyzed functional connectivity within and between three key cortical brain networks that have been linked with higher-order cognitive function in PD: the frontoparietal network (FPN); the salience network (SAL); and the default mode network (DMN). Global cognitive functioning was assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) at each of the three time points, and this was our primary dependent variable. Linear mixed-effects modeling revealed that decreased FPN-DMN functional connectivity is associated with lower MoCA scores over time. A similar trend was found for SAL-DMN functional connectivity. These relationships were specific to cognition, as there were no significant associations between functional connectivity and motor symptoms, as measured with the Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-Part III (MDS-UPDRS-III). These findings suggests that cortical connectivity is associated with and may contribute to the progression of cognitive symptoms in PD. Our findings advance knowledge about cognitive changes in PD and emphasize the importance of functional brain network architecture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74277,"journal":{"name":"Neuroimage. Reports","volume":"5 4","pages":"Article 100299"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145528538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-25DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100298
Alicia E. Cronin , Anna Combes , Grace Sweeney , Logan Prock , Delaney Houston , Isabella Stuart , Seth Stubblefield , Colin D. McKnight , Francesca Bagnato , Kristin P. O'Grady , Seth A. Smith
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system, characterized by demyelination. Exploring pathological changes in the spinal cord could improve our understanding of the mechanisms that cause neurological dysfunction and clinical symptoms; however, conventional MRI is not sensitive to molecular changes within the tissue. Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) can probe tissue biochemistry with high resolution and sensitivity, without exogenous contrasts. However, CEST measurements in vivo are contaminated by concurrent effects including semi-solid magnetization transfer (MT), direct water saturation, and T1-relaxation, which can be altered in MS and need to be removed to accurately quantify changes. Fifty-three people with relapsing-remitting MS (pwRRMS) and 45 healthy controls (HCs) were imaged at 3 T to quantify amide and nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) CEST effects in the cervical spinal cord. Using Lorentzian fitting, confounding effects were removed, and the apparent exchange-dependent relaxation (AREX) contrast was calculated. Uncorrected and corrected AREX amide and NOE contrasts were compared across groups and tissue types. In pwRRMS, AREX NOE was significantly different in lesions compared to normal-appearing white matter. Greater heterogeneity in both CEST contrasts was observed in pwRRMS compared to the HCs. In a sub-analysis of pwRRMS separated by neurological disability, AREX amide was significantly different between pwRRMS with and without disability. The correction of confounding factors in this study highlights the importance of isolating CEST effects in the cervical spinal cord for more specific characterization and to better understand changes in tissue pathology and relationship to disease severity.
{"title":"Relaxation-compensated chemical exchange saturation transfer MRI in the cervical spinal cord at 3T: An application in multiple sclerosis","authors":"Alicia E. Cronin , Anna Combes , Grace Sweeney , Logan Prock , Delaney Houston , Isabella Stuart , Seth Stubblefield , Colin D. McKnight , Francesca Bagnato , Kristin P. O'Grady , Seth A. Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100298","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100298","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system, characterized by demyelination. Exploring pathological changes in the spinal cord could improve our understanding of the mechanisms that cause neurological dysfunction and clinical symptoms; however, conventional MRI is not sensitive to molecular changes within the tissue. Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) can probe tissue biochemistry with high resolution and sensitivity, without exogenous contrasts. However, CEST measurements in vivo are contaminated by concurrent effects including semi-solid magnetization transfer (MT), direct water saturation, and T1-relaxation, which can be altered in MS and need to be removed to accurately quantify changes. Fifty-three people with relapsing-remitting MS (pwRRMS) and 45 healthy controls (HCs) were imaged at 3 T to quantify amide and nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) CEST effects in the cervical spinal cord. Using Lorentzian fitting, confounding effects were removed, and the apparent exchange-dependent relaxation (AREX) contrast was calculated. Uncorrected and corrected AREX amide and NOE contrasts were compared across groups and tissue types. In pwRRMS, AREX NOE was significantly different in lesions compared to normal-appearing white matter. Greater heterogeneity in both CEST contrasts was observed in pwRRMS compared to the HCs. In a sub-analysis of pwRRMS separated by neurological disability, AREX amide was significantly different between pwRRMS with and without disability. The correction of confounding factors in this study highlights the importance of isolating CEST effects in the cervical spinal cord for more specific characterization and to better understand changes in tissue pathology and relationship to disease severity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74277,"journal":{"name":"Neuroimage. Reports","volume":"5 4","pages":"Article 100298"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-24DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100297
Hendrik Woeste , Laura van Agen , Michael Müller
Rett syndrome (RTT) is associated with a systemic redox imbalance, potentially provoking cellular dysfunction and contributing to some of the disease symptoms. While previous studies have reported these redox alterations also in brain, the exact cerebral redox pattern remains unclear. We therefore generated MeCP2-deficient mice expressing the cytosolic redox sensor roGFPc in excitatory projection neurons. Taking advantage of the earlier developed excitation ratiometric 2-photon imaging, we mapped the redox conditions of individual hippocampal and cortical neurons in acute brain tissue slices of female mice. These quantitative redox analyses revealed clear brain-regional differences in the degree of roGFPc oxidation, with dentate gyrus and CA3 being most oxidized, CA1 being least oxidized and cortical areas presenting intermediate oxidation levels. On postnatal day p50, hardly any RTT-related differences were evident. With maturation (>p100), redox conditions became more reducing in WT females. This was, however, not the case in MeCP2-deficient females, whose hippocampal and especially cortical neurons now appeared clearly more oxidized. By correlative redox microscopy, we succeeded to relate cellular redox-conditions to cellular MeCP2 expression. Validation in CA1 and somatosensory cortex revealed that, based on improved discrimination sensitivity, a more oxidized redox balance became detectable in MeCP2-deficient cortical neurons already on p50. Expression of a mitochondrial catalase efficiently abolished the more oxidizing redox milieu in MeCP2-deficient cortical neurons. This confirms a widespread oxidative burden in forebrain neurons, which manifests already in pre-symptomatic MeCP2-deficient female mice and intensifies with disease progression. Stabilizing mitochondrial function by targeted catalase expression proved potentially protective.
{"title":"Mapping of neuronal redox conditions in a mouse model of Rett syndrome","authors":"Hendrik Woeste , Laura van Agen , Michael Müller","doi":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100297","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100297","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rett syndrome (RTT) is associated with a systemic redox imbalance, potentially provoking cellular dysfunction and contributing to some of the disease symptoms. While previous studies have reported these redox alterations also in brain, the exact cerebral redox pattern remains unclear. We therefore generated MeCP2-deficient mice expressing the cytosolic redox sensor roGFPc in excitatory projection neurons. Taking advantage of the earlier developed excitation ratiometric 2-photon imaging, we mapped the redox conditions of individual hippocampal and cortical neurons in acute brain tissue slices of female mice. These quantitative redox analyses revealed clear brain-regional differences in the degree of roGFPc oxidation, with dentate gyrus and CA3 being most oxidized, CA1 being least oxidized and cortical areas presenting intermediate oxidation levels. On postnatal day p50, hardly any RTT-related differences were evident. With maturation (>p100), redox conditions became more reducing in WT females. This was, however, not the case in MeCP2-deficient females, whose hippocampal and especially cortical neurons now appeared clearly more oxidized. By correlative redox microscopy, we succeeded to relate cellular redox-conditions to cellular MeCP2 expression. Validation in CA1 and somatosensory cortex revealed that, based on improved discrimination sensitivity, a more oxidized redox balance became detectable in MeCP2-deficient cortical neurons already on p50. Expression of a mitochondrial catalase efficiently abolished the more oxidizing redox milieu in MeCP2-deficient cortical neurons. This confirms a widespread oxidative burden in forebrain neurons, which manifests already in pre-symptomatic MeCP2-deficient female mice and intensifies with disease progression. Stabilizing mitochondrial function by targeted catalase expression proved potentially protective.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74277,"journal":{"name":"Neuroimage. Reports","volume":"5 4","pages":"Article 100297"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-22DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100296
Jeffrey P. Johnson , Michael Walsh Dickey , Jason W. Bohland , William D. Hula
There is a growing interest in using resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) to investigate language processing and recovery in post-stroke aphasia due to its limited dependence on an individual's ability to follow directions and perform tasks, or the severity of their aphasia. However, the test-retest reliability of RSFC in people with aphasia has not been established, raising questions about the strength and validity of inferences based on this technique. In this study, we examined the reliability of RSFC at the level of individual edges (i.e., connections) in 14 adults with chronic aphasia due to left-hemisphere stroke. Intraclass correlations (ICCs) between two resting-state scans obtained over a few days were computed for every edge in a whole-brain network and several cognitive and language subnetworks. Based on median ICCs, reliability was fair at longer scan durations (10–12 min) and better in most subnetworks than the whole brain. Reliability was also positively associated with connectivity strength and had a weak negative relationship with inter-node distance (i.e., the distance between the regions that form an edge). Edges in the right hemisphere were more reliable than those in the left hemisphere and between hemispheres, though all three sets of edges were fairly reliable. The results indicate that edge-level RSFC is acceptably reliable for continued use in aphasia research but highlight the need for strategies to ensure that inferences are based on valid results, such as using sufficiently long scans and focusing analyses on established subnetworks, especially in longitudinal contexts.
{"title":"Test-retest reliability of edge-level resting-state functional connectivity in people with aphasia","authors":"Jeffrey P. Johnson , Michael Walsh Dickey , Jason W. Bohland , William D. Hula","doi":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100296","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100296","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is a growing interest in using resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) to investigate language processing and recovery in post-stroke aphasia due to its limited dependence on an individual's ability to follow directions and perform tasks, or the severity of their aphasia. However, the test-retest reliability of RSFC in people with aphasia has not been established, raising questions about the strength and validity of inferences based on this technique. In this study, we examined the reliability of RSFC at the level of individual edges (i.e., connections) in 14 adults with chronic aphasia due to left-hemisphere stroke. Intraclass correlations (ICCs) between two resting-state scans obtained over a few days were computed for every edge in a whole-brain network and several cognitive and language subnetworks. Based on median ICCs, reliability was fair at longer scan durations (10–12 min) and better in most subnetworks than the whole brain. Reliability was also positively associated with connectivity strength and had a weak negative relationship with inter-node distance (i.e., the distance between the regions that form an edge). Edges in the right hemisphere were more reliable than those in the left hemisphere and between hemispheres, though all three sets of edges were fairly reliable. The results indicate that edge-level RSFC is acceptably reliable for continued use in aphasia research but highlight the need for strategies to ensure that inferences are based on valid results, such as using sufficiently long scans and focusing analyses on established subnetworks, especially in longitudinal contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74277,"journal":{"name":"Neuroimage. Reports","volume":"5 4","pages":"Article 100296"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100295
Michael Gay , Xiaoxiao Bai , Owen Griffith , Linda Papa , Wayne Sebastianelli , Kevin Cockroft , Krishnamoorthy Thamburaj , Semyon Slobounov
Purpose
The glymphatic system plays a crucial role in both short-term and long-term brain health through the clearance of neural waste and is vulnerable to disruption following head trauma. This study aimed to determine whether exposure to a season of sub-clinical head acceleration events (HAEs) in collegiate American football affects glymphatic function, and whether this effect varies by player position or concussion history.
Methods
Sixty-six male NCAA Division I football athletes underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) before and after a competitive football season. Glymphatic function was quantified using the Diffusion Tensor Imaging Along the Perivascular Space (DTI-ALPS) index. Participants were categorized by player position (Speed vs. Non-Speed) and concussion history (Yes vs. No). Linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate changes in DTI-ALPS index by time point, hemisphere, position, and concussion history.
Results
There were no significant changes in DTI-ALPS values from pre-to post-season in either hemisphere across the full cohort. However, a significant main effect of player position was observed in the right hemisphere (p = 0.025), with Speed position players demonstrating lower DTI-ALPS indices compared to Non-Speed players, suggesting reduced glymphatic function. No significant effects of concussion history or interaction terms were found.
Conclusions
These findings indicate that positional differences in HAEs experienced by Speed players, even absent clinical concussion, may contribute to impaired glymphatic function. Speed position players may be at increased risk due to the nature and magnitude of head impacts. The DTI-ALPS index may serve as a sensitive biomarker for early, sub-clinical brain dysfunction in athletes participating in contact sports.
{"title":"Glymphatic system dysfunction associated with player position in collegiate American football players: A DTI-ALPS study","authors":"Michael Gay , Xiaoxiao Bai , Owen Griffith , Linda Papa , Wayne Sebastianelli , Kevin Cockroft , Krishnamoorthy Thamburaj , Semyon Slobounov","doi":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100295","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100295","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>The glymphatic system plays a crucial role in both short-term and long-term brain health through the clearance of neural waste and is vulnerable to disruption following head trauma. This study aimed to determine whether exposure to a season of sub-clinical head acceleration events (HAEs) in collegiate American football affects glymphatic function, and whether this effect varies by player position or concussion history.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Sixty-six male NCAA Division I football athletes underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) before and after a competitive football season. Glymphatic function was quantified using the Diffusion Tensor Imaging Along the Perivascular Space (DTI-ALPS) index. Participants were categorized by player position (Speed vs. Non-Speed) and concussion history (Yes vs. No). Linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate changes in DTI-ALPS index by time point, hemisphere, position, and concussion history.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>There were no significant changes in DTI-ALPS values from pre-to post-season in either hemisphere across the full cohort. However, a significant main effect of player position was observed in the right hemisphere (p = 0.025), with Speed position players demonstrating lower DTI-ALPS indices compared to Non-Speed players, suggesting reduced glymphatic function. No significant effects of concussion history or interaction terms were found.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings indicate that positional differences in HAEs experienced by Speed players, even absent clinical concussion, may contribute to impaired glymphatic function. Speed position players may be at increased risk due to the nature and magnitude of head impacts. The DTI-ALPS index may serve as a sensitive biomarker for early, sub-clinical brain dysfunction in athletes participating in contact sports.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74277,"journal":{"name":"Neuroimage. Reports","volume":"5 4","pages":"Article 100295"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145333286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-06DOI: 10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100293
Adriana Racki , Anushka Shah , Ruby Slabicki , Julia Wallace , Vince K. Lee , Rafael Ceschin
Neurodevelopmental disabilities are common sequelae in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), although limited research has investigated the mechanistic underpinnings of these findings. Our study investigates whether olfactory bulb (OB) anomalies predict neurodevelopmental outcomes in adolescents with CHD.
A prospective, observational study of 54 CHD and 75 healthy subjects, ages 6–25 years old, was completed under the supervision of a senior pediatric neuroradiologist. T2 3D Space and T2 Blade 2 MM MRI images were manually segmented to extract volumetric bilateral regions of the OB and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using ITK-SNAP. Imaging metrics were correlated to OB asymmetry, CSF to OB ratio, total CSF volume, total OB volume, and independent left and right CSF and OB volumes. Executive function was determined by the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery, Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS).
No statistically significant results were reported between cohorts for asymmetry of OB, CSF to OB ratio, total CSF volume, total OB volume, nor between independent left and right CSF and OB volumes. Increased OB volume and asymmetry of the OB were associated with worse outcomes on the BRIEF Parent Report.
Our findings identify adolescents who are at risk for executive dysfunction, particularly those showing increased OB volume and/or asymmetry of the OB. This is especially concerning for the CHD population with atypical OB morphology, as they show significantly poorer outcomes on the BRIEF Parent Report and face a higher overall risk.
神经发育障碍是先天性心脏病（CHD）患者常见的后遗症，尽管有限的研究调查了这些发现的机制基础。我们的研究探讨嗅球（OB）异常是否能预测青少年冠心病患者的神经发育结局。在一名资深儿科神经放射学家的指导下，对54名冠心病患者和75名年龄在6-25岁的健康受试者进行了前瞻性观察研究。使用ITK-SNAP对T2 3D Space和T2 Blade 2 MM MRI图像进行手动分割，提取OB和脑脊液（CSF）的双侧体积区域。影像学指标与OB不对称、CSF与OB比值、CSF总容积、OB总容积以及独立的左、右CSF和OB容积相关。执行功能采用NIH工具箱认知电池、执行功能行为评定量表（BRIEF）和Delis-Kaplan执行功能系统（D-KEFS）测定。脑脊液、脑脊液与脑脊液比值、脑脊液总容积、脑脊液总容积的不对称性在队列间无统计学意义，独立的左右脑脊液和脑脊液容积之间无统计学意义。在BRIEF家长报告中，OB体积增加和OB不对称与较差的结果相关。我们的研究结果确定了有执行功能障碍风险的青少年，特别是那些OB体积增加和/或OB不对称的青少年。这对于OB形态不典型的冠心病人群尤其值得关注，因为他们在BRIEF家长报告中显示出明显较差的结果，面临更高的总体风险。
{"title":"Olfactory bulb volume and asymmetry as predictors of executive dysfunction in adolescents with congenital heart disease","authors":"Adriana Racki , Anushka Shah , Ruby Slabicki , Julia Wallace , Vince K. Lee , Rafael Ceschin","doi":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100293","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100293","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Neurodevelopmental disabilities are common sequelae in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), although limited research has investigated the mechanistic underpinnings of these findings. Our study investigates whether olfactory bulb (OB) anomalies predict neurodevelopmental outcomes in adolescents with CHD.</div><div>A prospective, observational study of 54 CHD and 75 healthy subjects, ages 6–25 years old, was completed under the supervision of a senior pediatric neuroradiologist. T2 3D Space and T2 Blade 2 MM MRI images were manually segmented to extract volumetric bilateral regions of the OB and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using ITK-SNAP. Imaging metrics were correlated to OB asymmetry, CSF to OB ratio, total CSF volume, total OB volume, and independent left and right CSF and OB volumes. Executive function was determined by the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery, Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS).</div><div>No statistically significant results were reported between cohorts for asymmetry of OB, CSF to OB ratio, total CSF volume, total OB volume, nor between independent left and right CSF and OB volumes. Increased OB volume and asymmetry of the OB were associated with worse outcomes on the BRIEF Parent Report.</div><div>Our findings identify adolescents who are at risk for executive dysfunction, particularly those showing increased OB volume and/or asymmetry of the OB. This is especially concerning for the CHD population with atypical OB morphology, as they show significantly poorer outcomes on the BRIEF Parent Report and face a higher overall risk.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":74277,"journal":{"name":"Neuroimage. Reports","volume":"5 4","pages":"Article 100293"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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