Psychoradiology最新文献

The brain controls the nerve system, allowing complex emotional and cognitive activities. The microbiota-gut-brain axis is a bidirectional neural, hormonal, and immune signaling pathway that could link the gastrointestinal tract to the brain. Over the past few decades, gut microbiota has been demonstrated to be an essential component of the gastrointestinal tract that plays a crucial role in regulating most functions of various body organs. The effects of the microbiota on the brain occur through the production of neurotransmitters, hormones, and metabolites, regulation of host-produced metabolites, or through the synthesis of metabolites by the microbiota themselves. This affects the host's behavior, mood, attention state, and the brain's food reward system. Meanwhile, there is an intimate association between the gut microbiota and exercise. Exercise can change gut microbiota numerically and qualitatively, which may be partially responsible for the widespread benefits of regular physical activity on human health. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive method to show areas of brain activity enabling the delineation of specific brain regions involved in neurocognitive disorders. Through combining exercise tasks and fMRI techniques, researchers can observe the effects of exercise on higher brain functions. However, exercise's effects on brain health via gut microbiota have been little studied. This article reviews and highlights the connections between these three interactions, which will help us to further understand the positive effects of exercise on brain health and provide new strategies and approaches for the prevention and treatment of brain diseases.

Whereas autism spectrum condition is known for its social and communicative challenges, some autistic children demonstrate unusual islets of abilities including those related to mathematics, the neurobiological underpinnings of which are increasingly becoming the focus of research. Here we describe an 8-year-old autistic boy with intellectual and language challenges, yet exceptional arithmetic ability. He can perform verbal-based multiplication of three- and even four-digit numbers within 20 seconds. To gain insights into the neural basis of his talent, we investigated the gray matter in the child's brain in comparison to typical development, applying voxel-based morphometry to magnetic resonance imaging data. The case exhibited reduced gray matter volume in regions associated with arithmetic, which may suggest an accelerated development of brain regions with arithmetic compared to typically developing individuals: potentially a key factor contributing to his exceptional talent. Taken together, this case report describes an example of the neurodiversity of autism. Our research provides valuable insights into the potential neural basis of exceptional arithmetic abilities in individuals with the autism spectrum and its potential contribution to depicting the diversity and complexity of autism.

Dementia is an escalating global health challenge, with Alzheimer's disease (AD) at its forefront. Substantial evidence highlights the accumulation of AD-related pathological proteins in specific brain regions and their subsequent dissemination throughout the broader area along the brain network, leading to disruptions in both individual brain regions and their interconnections. Although a comprehensive understanding of the neurodegeneration-brain network link is lacking, it is undeniable that brain networks play a pivotal role in the development and progression of AD. To thoroughly elucidate the intricate network of elements and connections constituting the human brain, the concept of the brain connectome was introduced. Research based on the connectome holds immense potential for revealing the mechanisms underlying disease development, and it has become a prominent topic that has attracted the attention of numerous researchers. In this review, we aim to systematically summarize studies on brain networks within the context of AD, critically analyze the strengths and weaknesses of existing methodologies, and offer novel perspectives and insights, intending to serve as inspiration for future research.