scholarly journals Decreased Regional Grey Matter Volume in Women with Chronic Whiplash-Associated Disorders: Relationships with Cognitive Deficits and Disturbed Pain Processing

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (20;7) ◽  
pp. E1025-E1051
Author(s):  
Iris Coppieters
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Left Posterior ◽  
Whiplash Associated Disorders ◽  
The Right ◽  
Chronic Whiplash ◽  
The Brain

Background: Patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (CWAD) are characterized by pain of traumatic origin, cognitive deficits, and central sensitization (CS). Previous neuroimaging studies revealed altered grey matter volume (GMV) in mild traumatic brain injury patients and chronic pain conditions also characterized by CS. It can therefore be hypothesized that GMV alterations also play a role in the persistent complaints of CWAD. However, brain alterations remain poorly investigated in these patients. Objectives: This study examined regional GMV alterations in patients with CWAD compared to patients with non-traumatic chronic idiopathic neck pain (CINP), who normally do not show CS at a group level, and healthy controls. Additionally, in both patient groups, relationships between regional GMV and measures of cognition as well as pain processing were assessed. Study Design: A cross-sectional case-control study. Setting: This study was performed at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy of Ghent University in cooperation with the Ghent Institute for Functional and Metabolic Imaging. Methods: Ninety-three women (28 healthy controls, 34 CINP patients, and 31 CWAD patients) were enrolled. First, T1-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRIs) were acquired to examine GMV alterations in the brain regions involved in processing cognition and pain. Next, cognitive performance, pain cognitions, and CS symptoms were assessed. Finally, hyperalgesia and conditioned pain modulation efficacy were examined. Results: Regional GMV of the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex, left supramarginal cortex, and left posterior cingulate cortex was decreased in CWAD patients compared to healthy controls (P = 0.023; P = 0.012; P = 0.047, respectively). Additionally, GMV of the right superior parietal cortex and left posterior cingulate cortex was decreased in CWAD patients compared to CINP patients (P = 0.008; P = 0.035, respectively). Decreased regional GMV correlated with worse cognitive performance, higher maladapted pain cognitions, CS symptoms, and hyperalgesia in CWAD patients (rs = -0.515 to -0.657; P < 0.01). In CINP patients, decreased regional GMV correlated only with worse cognitive performance (rs = -0.499 to -0.619; P < 0.01), and no GMV differences compared with the controls could be revealed. Limitations: No conclusions about the causality of the observed relationships can be drawn. Conclusions: These results provide the first evidence for reduced GMV in cortical regions involved in processing cognition and pain in patients with CWAD. Accordingly, it is recommended that therapy approaches for CWAD patients should address the brain and take into account neuroplasticity of the central nervous system (CNS). Key words: Whiplash injuries, neck pain, magnetic resonance imaging, grey matter, cognitive dysfunction, pain catastrophizing, central sensitization

scholarly journals INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOTIC EPISODES ON GREY MATTER VOLUME CHANGES IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonija Ružić Baršić ◽  
Gordana Rubeša ◽  
Diana Mance ◽  
Damir Miletić ◽  
Lea Gudelj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grey Matter ◽  
Disease Duration ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Voxel Based Morphometry ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Multiple Regions ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
The Brain

Background: Schizophrenia is a severe illness whose clinical course is characterized by various numbers of psychotic episodes (PE). The neurotoxic hypothesis (NH) of schizophrenia assumes that psychosis is biologically toxic. The aim of the study was to investigate whether schizophrenia patients (SP) with multiple PE have greater grey matter volume (GMV) reduction compared to SP with fewer PE.Subjects and methods: We enrolled 106 adult SP and 63 healthy controls. Demographic and clinical data were collected and statistically analysed for all included subjects. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was acquired on a 1.5 T scanner. SP were grouped according to the number of PE into a group with up to 3 PE (SCHG-1) and with 4 or more PE (SCHG-2). SCHG-1 was further subdivided into two groups regarding to disease duration (DD). Voxel based morphometry (VBM) analyses were performed between SP groups as well as between SP groups and the healthy controls group (HCG).Results: No relevant GMV differences were detected between SP groups. Comparison between HCG and SCHG-1 showed only 3 regions with reduced GMV, while multiple regions with reduced GMV were detected when comparing HCG and SCHG-2. Conclusions: GMV reduction in schizophrenia varies depending on the number of PE when compared to HCG, regardless of disease duration (DD), but PE is not the only contributing factor that leads to neurotoxicity.

Thalamic and Cerebellar Gray Matter Volume Reduction in Synthetic Cannabinoids Users

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 315-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serdar Nurmedov ◽  
Baris Metin ◽  
Sehadet Ekmen ◽  
Onur Noyan ◽  
Onat Yilmaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grey Matter ◽  
Cannabinoid Receptors ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Synthetic Cannabinoids ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Cerebellar Gray Matter ◽  
Morphological Differences ◽  
The Brain

Background: Synthetic cannabinoids are compounds that bind cannabinoid receptors with a high potency and have been used widely in Europe by young people. However, little is known about the pharmacology and morphological effects of this group of substances in the brain. This study is aimed at investigating the morphological differences among synthetic cannabinoids users and healthy controls. Methods: Voxel-based morphometry was used to investigate the differences in brain tissue composition in 20 patients with synthetic cannabinoids use and 20 healthy controls. All participants were male. Results: Compared to healthy controls, voxel of interest analyses showed that regional grey matter volume in both left and right thalamus and left cerebellum was significantly reduced in synthetic cannabinoids users (p < 0.05). No correlation has been found between the age of first cannabis use, duration of use, frequency of use and grey matter volume. Discussion: These preliminary results suggest an evidence of some structural differences in the brain of synthetic cannabinoids users, and point the need for further investigation of morphological effects of synthetic cannabinoids in the brain.

scholarly journals Sex differences in neural correlates of common psychopathological symptoms in early adolescence

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Francesca Biondo ◽  
Charlotte Nymberg Thunell ◽  
Bing Xu ◽  
Congying Chu ◽  
Tianye Jia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Female Adolescents ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Psychopathological Symptom ◽  
Strengths And Difficulties ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background Sex-related differences in psychopathology are known phenomena, with externalizing and internalizing symptoms typically more common in boys and girls, respectively. However, the neural correlates of these sex-by-psychopathology interactions are underinvestigated, particularly in adolescence. Methods Participants were 14 years of age and part of the IMAGEN study, a large (N = 1526) community-based sample. To test for sex-by-psychopathology interactions in structural grey matter volume (GMV), we used whole-brain, voxel-wise neuroimaging analyses based on robust non-parametric methods. Psychopathological symptom data were derived from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results We found a sex-by-hyperactivity/inattention interaction in four brain clusters: right temporoparietal-opercular region (p < 0.01, Cohen's d = −0.24), bilateral anterior and mid-cingulum (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = −0.18), right cerebellum and fusiform (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = −0.20) and left frontal superior and middle gyri (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = −0.26). Higher symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention were associated with lower GMV in all four brain clusters in boys, and with higher GMV in the temporoparietal-opercular and cerebellar-fusiform clusters in girls. Conclusions Using a large, sex-balanced and community-based sample, our study lends support to the idea that externalizing symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention may be associated with different neural structures in male and female adolescents. The brain regions we report have been associated with a myriad of important cognitive functions, in particular, attention, cognitive and motor control, and timing, that are potentially relevant to understand the behavioural manifestations of hyperactive and inattentive symptoms. This study highlights the importance of considering sex in our efforts to uncover mechanisms underlying psychopathology during adolescence.

scholarly journals Neuroanatomical correlates of different vulnerability states for psychosis and their clinical outcomes

2009 ◽  
Vol 195 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaos Koutsouleris ◽  
Gisela J. E. Schmitt ◽  
Christian Gaser ◽  
Ronald Bottlender ◽  
Johanna Scheuerecker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Clinical Outcome ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
At Risk Mental State

BackgroundStructural brain abnormalities have been described in individuals with an at-risk mental state for psychosis. However, the neuroanatomical underpinnings of the early and late at-risk mental state relative to clinical outcome remain unclear.AimsTo investigate grey matter volume abnormalities in participants in a putatively early or late at-risk mental state relative to their prospective clinical outcome.MethodVoxel-based morphometry of magnetic resonance imaging data from 20 people with a putatively early at-risk mental state (ARMS–E group) and 26 people with a late at-risk mental state (ARMS–L group) as well as from 15 participants with at-risk mental states with subsequent disease transition (ARMS–T group) and 18 participants without subsequent disease transition (ARMS–NT group) were compared with 75 healthy volunteers.ResultsCompared with healthy controls, ARMS–L participants had grey matter volume losses in frontotemporolimbic structures. Participants in the ARMS–E group showed bilateral temporolimbic alterations and subtle prefrontal abnormalities. Participants in the ARMS–T group had prefrontal alterations relative to those in the ARMS–NT group and in the healthy controls that overlapped with the findings in the ARMS–L group.ConclusionsBrain alterations associated with the early at-risk mental state may relate to an elevated susceptibility to psychosis, whereas alterations underlying the late at-risk mental state may indicate a subsequent transition to psychosis.

scholarly journals Right Hemisphere Grey Matter Volume and Language Functions in Stroke Aphasia

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sladjana Lukic ◽  
Elena Barbieri ◽  
Xue Wang ◽  
David Caplan ◽  
Swathi Kiran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grey Matter ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Lesion Site ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Support Functions ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Lesion Symptom Mapping ◽  
The Right

The role of the right hemisphere (RH) in recovery from aphasia is incompletely understood. The present study quantified RH grey matter (GM) volume in individuals with chronic stroke-induced aphasia and cognitively healthy people using voxel-based morphometry. We compared group differences in GM volume in the entire RH and in RH regions-of-interest. Given that lesion site is a critical source of heterogeneity associated with poststroke language ability, we used voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM) to examine the relation between lesion site and language performance in the aphasic participants. Finally, using results derived from the VLSM as a covariate, we evaluated the relation between GM volume in the RH and language ability across domains, including comprehension and production processes both at the word and sentence levels and across spoken and written modalities. Between-subject comparisons showed that GM volume in the RH SMA was reduced in the aphasic group compared to the healthy controls. We also found that, for the aphasic group, increased RH volume in the MTG and the SMA was associated with better language comprehension and production scores, respectively. These data suggest that the RH may support functions previously performed by LH regions and have important implications for understanding poststroke reorganization.

scholarly journals Structural Brain Correlates of Creative Personality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya Sadana ◽  
Rajnish Kumar Gupta ◽  
S Senthil Kumaran ◽  
Sanjeev Jain ◽  
Jamuna Rajeswaran
Keyword(s):  
Grey Matter ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Voxel Based Morphometry ◽  
Creative Personality ◽  
Brain Correlates ◽  
The Right ◽  
Creative Artists ◽  
Age Range

Creative individuals and their enigmatic personalities have always been a subject of fascination. The current study explored the neuroanatomical basis of creative personality using voxel-based morphometry. The sample comprised of two groups - Creative (CR) group (professional creative artists) and matched controls with no demonstrated artistic creativity (NC) with 20 participants in each group, in the age range of 20-40 years, right-handed, and had minimum average intelligence (IQ > 90). Participants in CR were selected using the creativity achievement questionnaire, creativity was assessed using the Wallach & Kogan test of creativity, and personality was administered using NEO-FFI. Results indicated significantly higher openness to new experiences in CR which positively correlates with the right middle frontal gyrus. An increased grey matter volume in the inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus in CR, pointing towards the integration of cognitive and imaginative processes that might be implicated in creative personality.

scholarly journals Reduced Grey Matter Volume in Frontal and Temporal Areas in Depression: A Voxel Based Morphometry Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevdalina Kandilarova ◽  
Drozdstoy Stoyanov ◽  
Nickolay Sirakov ◽  
Michael Maes ◽  
Karsten Specht
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Major Depression ◽  
Mood Disorders ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Voxel Based Morphometry

Objective: The aim of the current study was to examine whether and to what extent mood disorders, comprising major depression and bipolar disorder, are accompanied by structural changes in the brain as measured using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Methods: We have performed a VBM study using a 3Т MRI system (GE Discovery 750w) in patients with mood disorders (n=50), namely 39 with major depression and 11 with bipolar disorder, compared to 42 age, sex and education matched healthy controls. Results: Our results show that depression was associated with significant decreases in grey matter (GM) volume restricted to regions located in medial frontal and anterior cingulate cortex on the left side and middle frontal gyrus, medial orbital gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus (triangular and orbital parts), and middle temporal gyrus (extending to the superior temporal gyrus) on the right side. When the patient group was separated into bipolar disorder and major depression the reductions remained significant only for the patients with major depressive disorder. Conclusions: Using VBM the present study was able to replicate decreases in GM volume restricted to frontal and temporal regions in patients with mood disorders mainly major depression, as compared with healthy controls.&nbsp;

scholarly journals Human brain anatomy reflects separable genetic and environmental components of socioeconomic status

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeokmoon Kweon ◽  
Gokhan Aydogan ◽  
Alain Dagher ◽  
Danilo Bzdok ◽  
Christian C Ruff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Brain Anatomy ◽  
Additive Effects ◽  
Common Genetic Variation ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
The Brain

Recent studies report that socioeconomic status (SES) correlates with brain structure. Yet, such findings are variable and little is known about underlying causes. We present a well-powered voxel-based analysis of grey matter volume (GMV) across levels of SES, finding many small SES effects widely distributed across the brain, including cortical, subcortical and cerebellar regions. We also construct a polygenic index of SES to control for the additive effects of common genetic variation related to SES, which attenuates observed SES-GMV relations, to different degrees in different areas. Remaining variance, which may be attributable to environmental factors, is substantially accounted for by body mass index, a marker for lifestyle related to SES. In sum, SES affects multiple brain regions through measurable genetic and environmental effects.

scholarly journals Altered Topological Properties of Grey Matter Structural Covariance Networks in Complete Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury Patients: A Graph Theoretical Network Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Wen-Li Wang ◽  
Yu-Lin Li ◽  
Mou-Xiong Zheng ◽  
Xu-Yun Hua ◽  
Jia-Jia Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grey Matter ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Structural Covariance ◽  
Clinical Variables ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Network Properties ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Right

Purpose. This study is aimed at investigating brain structural changes and structural network properties in complete spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, as well as their relationship with clinical variables. Materials and Methods. Structural MRI of brain was acquired in 24 complete thoracic SCI patients ( 38.50 ± 11.19 years, 22 males) within the first postinjury year, while 26 age- and gender-matched healthy participants ( 38.38 ± 10.63 years, 24 males) were enrolled as control. The voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach and graph theoretical network analysis based on cross-subject grey matter volume- (GMV-) based structural covariance networks (SCNs) were conducted to investigate the impact of SCI on brain structure. Partial correlation analysis was performed to explore the relationship between the GMV of structurally changed brain regions and SCI patients’ clinical variables, including injury duration, injury level, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) scale, Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), after removing the effects of age and gender. Results. Compared with healthy controls, SCI patients showed higher SDS score ( t = 4.392 and p < 0.001 ). In the VBM analysis, significant GMV reduction was found in the left middle frontal cortex, right superior orbital frontal cortex (OFC), and left inferior OFC. No significant difference was found in global network properties between SCI patients and healthy controls. In the regional network properties, significantly higher betweenness centrality (BC) was noted in the right anterior cingulum cortex (ACC) and left inferior OFC and higher nodal degree and efficiency in bilateral middle OFCs, while decreased BC was noted in the right putamen in SCI patients. Only negative correlation was found between GMV of right middle OFC and SDS score in SCI patients ( r = − 0.503 and p = 0.017 ), while no significant correlation between other abnormal brain regions and any of the clinical variables (all p > 0.05 ). Conclusions. SCI patients would experience depressive and/or anxious feelings at the early stage. Their GMV reduction mainly involved psychology-cognition related rather than sensorimotor brain regions. The efficiency of regional information transmission in psychology-cognition regions increased. Greater GMV reduction in psychology region was related with more severe depressive feelings. Therefore, early neuropsychological intervention is suggested to prevent psychological and cognitive dysfunction as well as irreversible brain structure damage.

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