Enhanced White Matter Integrity in Corpus Callosum of Long-Term Brahmakumaris Rajayoga Meditators

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanishka Sharma ◽  
Richa Trivedi ◽  
Sushil Chandra ◽  
Prabhjot Kaur ◽  
Pawan Kumar ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Tao ◽  
Yuan Xiao ◽  
Hengyi Cao ◽  
Wenjing Zhang ◽  
Chengmin Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The corpus callosum (CC) deficits have been well documented in chronic schizophrenia. However, the long-term impacts of antipsychotic monotherapies on callosal anatomy remain unclear. This cross-sectional study sought to explore micro- and macro-structural characteristics of the CC in never-treated patients and those with long-term mono-antipsychotic treatment. Methods The study included 23 clozapine-treated schizophrenia patients (CT-SCZ), 19 risperidone-treated schizophrenia patients (RT-SCZ), 23 never-treated schizophrenia patients (NT-SCZ), and 35 healthy controls (HCs). High resolution structural images and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data for each participant were obtained via a 3.0 T MR scanner. FreeSurfer was used to examine the volumes and fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the CC for each participant. Results There were significant deficits in the total and sub-regional CC volume and white matter integrity in NT-SCZ in comparison with healthy subjects. Compared with NT-SCZ, both CT-SCZ and RT-SCZ showed significantly increased FA values in the anterior CC region, while only RT-SCZ showed significantly increased volume in the mid-anterior CC region. Moreover, the volume of the mid-anterior CC region was significantly smaller in CT-SCZ compared to HCs. No correlations of clinical symptoms with callosal metrics were observed in schizophrenia patients. Conclusions Our findings provide insight into micro- and macro-structural characteristics of the CC in chronic schizophrenia patients with or without antipsychotics. These results suggest that the pathology itself is responsible for cerebral abnormalities in schizophrenia and that chronic exposure to antipsychotics may have an impact on white matter structure of schizophrenia patients, especially in those with risperidone treatment.


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shubei Ma

Objectives: Stroke is the leading cause of long term neurological disability with limited therapeutic options. Human recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is currently the only FDA approved drug for the thrombolytic treatment of ischemic stroke. Emerging evidence suggests that the effects of tPA in ischemic brain may extend beyond its thrombolytic activity. In this study, we investigated the role of tPA in long term stroke recovery. Methods: Cortical infarct was induced by distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (dMCAO) in tPA knockout (KO) and wild type (WT) mice. Sensorimotor functions were evaluated at 3-35 days after dMCAO. White matter integrity was assessed by luxol fast blue staining, immunohistochemistry for SMI-32, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The neuronal tracer biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) was used to label the corticorubral tract and the corticospinal tract. For rescue experiment, tPA (2mg/kg) was delivered intranasally to tPA KO mice once a day for 14 days starting 6h after dMCAO. Results: Infarct volume was comparable between tPA KO and WT mice after dMCAO. Sensorimotor deficits after dMCAO were exacerbated in tPA KO mice than WT mice. tPA KO mice also showed more severe demyelination in post-stroke white matter and reduced axonal sprouting at 35 days after dMCAO compared to WT mice. DTI studies revealed deteriorated white matter integrity in tPA KO mice, as manifested by decreased fractional anisotropy. Intranasal delivery of tPA after dMCAO rescued the neurological phenotype shown by tPA KO mice. Conclusion: Endogenous tPA promotes white matter integrity and is essential for functional recovery after ischemic stroke. tPA may be a novel neurorestorative therapy for stroke recovery.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen A Champagne ◽  
Emile Peponoulas ◽  
Itamar Terem ◽  
Andrew Ross ◽  
Maryam Tayebi ◽  
...  

Abstract Increasing evidence for the cumulative effects of head trauma on structural integrity of the brain has emphasized the need to understand the relationship between tissue mechanic properties and injury susceptibility. Here, diffusion tensor imaging, helmet accelerometers and amplified magnetic resonance imaging were combined to gather insight about the region-specific vulnerability of the corpus callosum to microstructural changes in white-matter integrity upon exposure to sub-concussive impacts. A total of 33 male Canadian football players (meanage = 20.3 ± 1.4 years) were assessed at three time points during a football season (baseline pre-season, mid-season and post-season). The athletes were split into a LOW (N = 16) and HIGH (N = 17) exposure group based on the frequency of sub-concussive impacts sustained on a per-session basis, measured using the helmet-mounted accelerometers. Longitudinal decreases in fractional anisotropy were observed in anterior and posterior regions of the corpus callosum (average cluster size = 40.0 ± 4.4 voxels; P < 0.05, corrected) for athletes from the HIGH exposure group. These results suggest that the white-matter tract may be vulnerable to repetitive sub-concussive collisions sustained over the course of a football season. Using these findings as a basis for further investigation, a novel exploratory analysis of strain derived from sub-voxel motion of brain tissues in response to cardiac impulses was developed using amplified magnetic resonance imaging. This approach revealed specific differences in strain (and thus possibly stiffness) along the white-matter tract (P < 0.0001) suggesting a possible signature relationship between changes in white-matter integrity and tissue mechanical properties. In light of these findings, additional information about the viscoelastic behaviour of white-matter tissues may be imperative in elucidating the mechanisms responsible for region-specific differences in injury susceptibility observed, for instance, through changes in microstructural integrity following exposure to sub-concussive head impacts.


Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 2628-2636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijuan Han ◽  
Wei Cai ◽  
Leilei Mao ◽  
Jia Liu ◽  
Peiying Li ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. S117
Author(s):  
Beatrix Krause ◽  
Roza Vlasova ◽  
Amber Leaver ◽  
Kelsey T. Laird ◽  
Prabha Siddarth ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 3190-3199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dajung J. Kim ◽  
Manyoel Lim ◽  
June Sic Kim ◽  
Kyeong Min Son ◽  
Hyun Ah Kim ◽  
...  

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