Can structure predict function at individual level in the human connectome?
AbstractSeveral studies predicting Functional Connectivity (FC) from Structural Connectivity (SC) at individual level have been published in recent years, each promising increased performance and utility. We investigated three of these studies, analyzing whether the results truly represent a meaningful individual-level mapping from SC to FC. Using data from the Human Connectome Project shared accross the three studies, we constructed a predictor by averaging FC of training data and analyzed its performance in the same way. In each case, we found that group average FC is an equivalent or better predictor of individual FC th...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 24, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Functional mapping of the somatosensory cortex using noninvasive fMRI and touch in awake dogs
AbstractDogs are increasingly used as a model for neuroscience due to their ability to undergo functional MRI fully awake and unrestrained, after extensive behavioral training. Still, we know rather little about dogs ’ basic functional neuroanatomy, including how basic perceptual and motor functions are localized in their brains. This is a major shortcoming in interpreting activations obtained in dog fMRI. The aim of this preregistered study was to localize areas associated with somatosensory processing. To th is end, we touchedN = 22 dogs undergoing fMRI scanning on their left and right flanks using a wooden rod. We...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 20, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Recruitment of hippocampal and thalamic pathways to the central amygdala in the control of feeding behavior under novelty
AbstractIt is adaptive to restrict eating under uncertainty, such as during habituation to novel foods and unfamiliar environments. However, sustained restrictive eating can become maladaptive. Currently, the neural substrates of restrictive eating are poorly understood. Using a model of feeding avoidance under novelty, our recent study identified forebrain activation patterns and found evidence that the central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) is a core integrating node. The current study analyzed the activity of CEA inputs in male and female rats to determine if specific pathways are recruited during feeding under novelty. ...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 16, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Contributions of the left and right thalami to language: A meta-analytic approach
Conclusion: The current findings show that the language-relevant network extends beyond the classical left perisylvian cortices and spans bilateral cortical, bilateral subcortical (bilateral thalamus, bilateral basal ganglia) and right cerebellar regions. (Source: Anatomy and Embryology)
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 16, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
The degeneration of locus coeruleus occurring during Alzheimer ’s disease clinical progression: a neuroimaging follow-up investigation
AbstractThe noradrenergic nucleus Locus Coeruleus (LC) is precociously involved in Alzheimer ’s Disease (AD) pathology, and its degeneration progresses during the course of the disease. Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), researchers showed also in vivo in patients the disruption of LC, which can be observed both in Mild Cognitively Impaired individuals and AD demented patients. In th is study, we report the results of a follow-up neuroradiological assessment, in which we evaluated the LC degeneration overtime in a group of cognitively impaired patients, submitted to MRI both at baseline and at the end of a 2.5-year ...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 16, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Involvement of the claustrum in the cortico-basal ganglia circuitry: connectional study in the non-human primate
AbstractThe claustrum is an ancient telencephalic subcortical structure displaying extensive, reciprocal connections with much of the cortex and receiving projections from thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus. This structure has a general role in modulating cortical excitability and is considered to be engaged in different cognitive and motor functions, such as sensory integration and perceptual binding, salience-guided attention, top-down executive functions, as well as in the control of brain states, such as sleep and its interhemispheric integration. The present study is the first to describe in detail a projection from ...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 14, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Function-guided differences of arcuate fascicle and inferior fronto-occipital fascicle tractography as diagnostic indicators for surgical risk stratification
ConclusionFunctionally relevant qualitative and quantitative differences in AF and IFOF provide a pre- and postoperative pathophysiological and clinically relevant diagnostic indicator that supports surgical risk stratification. (Source: Anatomy and Embryology)
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 10, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Common and specific activations supporting optic flow processing and navigation as revealed by a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies
AbstractOptic flow provides useful information in service of spatial navigation. However, whether brain networks supporting these two functions overlap is still unclear. Here we used Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to assess the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and spatial navigation and their specific neural activations. Since computational and connectivity evidence suggests that visual input from optic flow provides information mainly during egocentric navigation, we further tested the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and that of both egocentric and a...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 9, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Wernicke ’s functional neuroanatomy model of language turns 150: what became of its psychological reflex arcs?
AbstractWernicke (Der aphasische Symptomencomplex: Eine psychologische Studie auf anatomischer Basis. Cohn und Weigert, Breslau. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/dwv5w9rw, 1874) proposed a model of the functional neuroanatomy of spoken word repetition, production, and comprehension. At the heart of this epoch-making model are psychological reflex arcs underpinned by fiber tracts connecting sensory to motor areas. Here, I evaluate the central assumption of psychological reflex arcs in light of what we have learned about language in the brain during the past 150 years. I first describe Wernicke’s 1874 model and the...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 6, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Galaninergic and hypercapnia-activated neuronal projections to the ventral respiratory column
This study aimed to identify sources of galaninergic input to the VRC that contribute to central respiratory chemoreception. We employed a combination of retrograde neuronal tracing, in situ hybridisation and immunohistochemistry to investigate VRC-projecting neurons that synthesise galanin mRNA. In an additional series of experiments, we used acute hypercapnia exposure (10% CO2, 1 h) and c-Fos immunohistochemistry to ascertain which galaninergic nuclei projecting to the VRC are activated. Our findings reveal that a total of 30 brain nuclei and 51 subnuclei project to the VRC, with 12 of these containing galaninergic neu...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 5, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Effect of anticipatory multisensory integration on sensory –motor performance
Abstract
Multisensory integration (MSI) is a phenomenon that occurs in sensory areas after the presentation of multimodal stimuli. Nowadays, little is known about the anticipatory top-down processes taking place in the preparation stage of processing before the stimulus onset. Considering that the top-down modulation of modality-specific inputs might affect the MSI process, this study attempts to understand whether the direct modulation of the MSI process, beyond the well-known sensory effects, may lead to additional changes in multisensory processing also in non-sensory areas (i.e., those related to task preparation an...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - March 28, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Robust thalamic nuclei segmentation from T1-weighted MRI using polynomial intensity transformation
In conclusion, our findings highlight the efficacy and robustness of HIPS in enhancing tha lamic nuclei segmentation from standard T1w MRI. (Source: Anatomy and Embryology)
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - March 28, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Assigning a social status from face adornments: an fMRI study
AbstractFor at least 150,000 years, the human body has been culturally modified by the wearing of personal ornaments and probably by painting with red pigment. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the brain networks involved in attributing social status from face decorations. Results showed the fusiform gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, and salience network were involved in social encoding, categorization, and evaluation. The hippocampus and parahippocampus were activated due to the memory and associative skills required for the task, while the inferior frontal gyrus likely interpreted face or...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - March 28, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Comparative MRI analysis of the forebrain of three sauropsida models
AbstractThe study of the brain by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows to obtain detailed anatomical images, useful to describe specific encephalic structures and to analyze possible variabilities. It is widely used in clinical practice and is becoming increasingly used in veterinary medicine, even in exotic animals; however, despite its potential, its use in comparative neuroanatomy studies is still incipient. It is a technology that in recent years has significantly improved anatomical resolution, together with the fact that it is non-invasive and allows for systematic comparative analysis. All this makes it particula...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - March 28, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
White matter associations with spelling performance
AbstractMultiple neurocognitive processes are involved in the highly complex task of producing written words. Yet, little is known about the neural pathways that support spelling in healthy adults. We assessed the associations between performance on a difficult spelling-to-dictation task and microstructural properties of language-related white matter pathways, in a sample of 73 native English-speaking neurotypical adults. Participants completed a diffusion magnetic resonance imaging scan and a cognitive assessment battery. Using constrained spherical deconvolution modeling and probabilistic tractography, we reconstructed d...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - March 25, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
