Altered resting-state functional connectivity in emotion-processing brain regions in adults who were born very preterm

Background. Very preterm birth (VPT; <32 weeks of gestation) has been associated with impairments in emotion regulation, social competence and communicative skills. However, the neuroanatomical mechanisms underlying such impairments have not been systematically studied. Here we investigated the functional integrity of the amygdala connectivity network in relation to the ability to recognize emotions from facial expressions in VPT adults. Method. Thirty-six VPT-born adults and 38 age-matched controls were scanned at rest in a 3-T MRI scanner. Restingstate functional connectivity (rs-fc) was assessed with SPM8. A seed-based analysis focusing on three amygdalar subregions (centro-medial/latero-basal/superficial) was performed. Participants’ ability to recognize emotions was assessed using dynamic stimuli of human faces expressing six emotions at different intensities with the Emotion Recognition Task (ERT). Results. VPT individuals compared to controls showed reduced rs-fc between the superficial subregion of the left amygdala, and the right posterior cingulate cortex (p = 0.017) and the left precuneus (p = 0.002). The VPT group further showed elevated rs-fc between the left superficial amygdala and the superior temporal sulcus (p = 0.008). Performance on the ERT showed that the VPT group was less able than controls to recognize anger at low levels of intensity. Anger scores were significantly associated with rs-fc between the superficial amygdala and the posterior cingulate cortex in controls but not in VPT individuals. Conclusions. These findings suggest that alterations in rs-fc between the amygdala, parietal and temporal cortices could represent the mechanism linking VPT birth and deficits in emotion processing

Prognostic value of cortically induced motor evoked activity by TMS in chronic stroke: caveats from a very revealing single clinical case

Background: We report the case of a chronic stroke patient (62 months after injury) showing total absence of motor activity evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of spared regions of the left motor cortex, but near-to-complete recovery of motor abilities in the affected hand. Case presentation: Multimodal investigations included detailed TMS based motor mapping, motor evoked potentials (MEP), and Cortical Silent period (CSP) as well as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of motor activity, MRI based lesion analysis and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) Tractography of corticospinal tract (CST). Anatomical analysis revealed a left hemisphere subinsular lesion interrupting the descending left CST at the level of the internal capsule. The absence of MEPs after intense TMS pulses to the ipsilesional M1, and the reversible suppression of ongoing electromyographic (EMG) activity (indexed by CSP) demonstrate a weak modulation of subcortical systems by the ipsilesional left frontal cortex, but an inability to induce efficient descending volleys from those cortical locations to right hand and forearm muscles. Functional MRI recordings under grasping and finger tapping patterns involving the affected hand showed slight signs of subcortical recruitment, as compared to the unaffected hand and hemisphere, as well as the expected cortical activations. Conclusions: The potential sources of motor voluntary activity for the affected hand in absence of MEPs are discussed. We conclude that multimodal analysis may contribute to a more accurate prognosis of stroke patients

Accelerating the Evolution of Nonhuman Primate Neuroimaging

Nonhuman primate neuroimaging is on the cusp of a transformation, much in the same way its human counterpart was in 2010, when the Human Connectome Project was launched to accelerate progress. Inspired by an open data-sharing initiative, the global community recently met and, in this article, breaks through obstacles to define its ambitions

An Open Resource for Non-human Primate Imaging.

Non-human primate neuroimaging is a rapidly growing area of research that promises to transform and scale translational and cross-species comparative neuroscience. Unfortunately, the technological and methodological advances of the past two decades have outpaced the accrual of data, which is particularly challenging given the relatively few centers that have the necessary facilities and capabilities. The PRIMatE Data Exchange (PRIME-DE) addresses this challenge by aggregating independently acquired non-human primate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets and openly sharing them via the International Neuroimaging Data-sharing Initiative (INDI). Here, we present the rationale, design, and procedures for the PRIME-DE consortium, as well as the initial release, consisting of 25 independent data collections aggregated across 22 sites (total = 217 non-human primates). We also outline the unique pitfalls and challenges that should be considered in the analysis of non-human primate MRI datasets, including providing automated quality assessment of the contributed datasets

Model of music cognition and amusia

Introduction: The study of the neural networks involved in music processing has received less attention than work researching the brain's language networks. For the last two decades there has been a growing interest in discovering the functional mechanisms of the musical brain and understanding those disorders in which brain regions linked with perception and production of music are damaged. Discussion: Congenital and acquired musical deficits in their various forms (perception, execution, music-memory) are grouped together under the generic term amusia. In this selective review we present the “cutting edge” studies on the cognitive and neural processes implicated in music and the various forms of amusia. Conclusions: Musical processing requires a large cortico-subcortical network which is distributed throughout both cerebral hemispheres and the cerebellum. The analysis of healthy subjects using functional neuroimaging and examination of selective deficits (e.g., tone, rhythm, timbre, melodic contours) in patients will improve our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in musical processing and the latter's relationship with other cognitive processes. Resumen: Introducción: El estudio de las redes neuronales implicadas en el procesamiento de la música ha recibido menos atención que la dispensada al lenguaje proposicional. Desde hace dos décadas existe un interés creciente en conocer los mecanismos funcionales del cerebro musical y los trastornos que surgen del daño de las estructuras implicadas en la percepción y producción de la música. Desarrollo: Los déficits congénitos y adquiridos del procesamiento musical en cualquiera de sus componentes (percepción, ejecución, memoria musical) se engloban dentro del término genérico amusia. En este trabajo se presenta una revisión selectiva del «estado-del-arte» de los procesos cognitivos y neurales implicados en la música y los diferentes tipos de amusias. Conclusiones: El procesamiento musical depende de una amplia red neural córtico-subcortical distribuida en ambos hemisferios cerebrales y cerebelo. El análisis de sujetos sanos con neuroimagen funcional y de los déficits selectivos en los componentes musicales (p. ej., tono, ritmo, timbre, contorno melódico) en pacientes con amusia mejorarán nuestro conocimiento acerca de los mecanismos implicados en el procesamiento musical y su relación con otros procesos cognitivos. Keywords: Amusia, Music cognition, Brain and music, Musical perception, Musical memory, Musical neuroscience, Musical rehabilitation, Palabras clave: Amusia, Cognición musical, Cerebro y música, Percepción musical, Memoria musical, Neurociencia de la música, Rehabilitación y músic

Modelo de cognición musical y amusia

Resumen: Introducción: El estudio de las redes neuronales implicadas en el procesamiento de la música ha recibido menos atención que la dispensada al lenguaje proposicional. Desde hace dos décadas existe un interés creciente en conocer los mecanismos funcionales del cerebro musical y los trastornos que surgen del daño de las estructuras implicadas en la percepción y producción de la música. Desarrollo: Los déficits congénitos y adquiridos del procesamiento musical en cualquiera de sus componentes (percepción, ejecución, memoria musical) se engloban dentro del término genérico amusia. En este trabajo se presenta una revisión selectiva del «estado-del-arte» de los procesos cognitivos y neurales implicados en la música y los diferentes tipos de amusias. Conclusiones: El procesamiento musical depende de una amplia red neural córtico-subcortical distribuida en ambos hemisferios cerebrales y cerebelo. El análisis de sujetos sanos con neuroimagen funcional y de los déficits selectivos en los componentes musicales (p. ej., tono, ritmo, timbre, contorno melódico) en pacientes con amusia mejorarán nuestro conocimiento acerca de los mecanismos implicados en el procesamiento musical y su relación con otros procesos cognitivos. Abstract: Introduction: The study of the neural networks involved in music processing has received less attention than work researching the brain's language networks. For the last two decades there has been a growing interest in discovering the functional mechanisms of the musical brain and understanding those disorders in which brain regions linked with perception and production of music are damaged. Discussion: Congenital and acquired musical deficits in their various forms (perception, execution, music-memory) are grouped together under the generic term amusia. In this selective review we present the “cutting edge” studies on the cognitive and neural processes implicated in music and the various forms of amusia. Conclusions: Musical processing requires a large cortico-subcortical network which is distributed throughout both cerebral hemispheres and the cerebellum. The analysis of healthy subjects using functional neuroimaging and examination of selective deficits (e.g., tone, rhythm, timbre, melodic contours) in patients will improve our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in musical processing and the latter's relationship with other cognitive processes. Palabras clave: Amusia, Cognición musical, Cerebro y música, Percepción musical, Memoria musical, Neurociencia de la música, Rehabilitación y música, Keywords: Amusia, Music cognition, Brain and music, Musical perception, Musical memory, Musical neuroscience, Musical rehabilitatio