72 research outputs found
Cognitive reserve in granulin-related frontotemporal dementia: from preclinical to clinical stages
OBJECTIVE
Consistent with the cognitive reserve hypothesis, higher education and occupation attainments may help persons with neurodegenerative dementias to better withstand neuropathology before developing cognitive impairment. We tested here the cognitive reserve hypothesis in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), with or without pathogenetic granulin mutations (GRN+ and GRN-), and in presymptomatic GRN mutation carriers (aGRN+).
METHODS
Education and occupation attainments were assessed and combined to define Reserve Index (RI) in 32 FTD patients, i.e. 12 GRN+ and 20 GRN-, and in 17 aGRN+. Changes in functional connectivity were estimated by resting state fMRI, focusing on the salience network (SN), executive network (EN) and bilateral frontoparietal networks (FPNs). Cognitive status was measured by FTD-modified Clinical Dementia Rating Scale.
RESULTS
In FTD patients higher level of premorbid cognitive reserve was associated with reduced connectivity within the SN and the EN. EN was more involved in FTD patients without GRN mutations, while SN was more affected in GRN pathology. In aGRN+, cognitive reserve was associated with reduced SN.
CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that cognitive reserve modulates functional connectivity in patients with FTD, even in monogenic disease. In GRN inherited FTD, cognitive reserve mechanisms operate even in presymptomatic to clinical stages
Brain Structural Networks Associated with Intelligence and Visuomotor Ability
Increasing evidence indicates that multiple structures in the brain are associated with intelligence
and cognitive function at the network level. The association between the grey matter (GM) structural
network and intelligence and cognition is not well understood. We applied a multivariate approach
to identify the pattern of GM and link the structural network to intelligence and cognitive functions.
Structural magnetic resonance imaging was acquired from 92 healthy individuals. Source-based
morphometry analysis was applied to the imaging data to extract GM structural covariance. We
assessed the intelligence, verbal fluency, processing speed, and executive functioning of the
participants and further investigated the correlations of the GM structural networks with intelligence
and cognitive functions. Six GM structural networks were identified. The cerebello-parietal component
and the frontal component were significantly associated with intelligence. The parietal and frontal
regions were each distinctively associated with intelligence by maintaining structural networks with
the cerebellum and the temporal region, respectively. The cerebellar component was associated
with visuomotor ability. Our results support the parieto-frontal integration theory of intelligence by
demonstrating how each core region for intelligence works in concert with other regions. In addition,
we revealed how the cerebellum is associated with intelligence and cognitive functions
Extra-Visual Functional and Structural Connection Abnormalities in Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
We assessed abnormalities within the principal brain resting state networks (RSNs) in patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) to define whether functional abnormalities in this disease are limited to the visual system or, conversely, tend to be more diffuse. We also defined the structural substrates of fMRI changes using a connectivity-based analysis of diffusion tensor (DT) MRI data. Neuro-ophthalmologic assessment, DT MRI and RS fMRI data were acquired from 13 LHON patients and 13 healthy controls. RS fMRI data were analyzed using independent component analysis and SPM5. A DT MRI connectivity-based parcellation analysis was performed using the primary visual and auditory cortices, bilaterally, as seed regions. Compared to controls, LHON patients had a significant increase of RS fluctuations in the primary visual and auditory cortices, bilaterally. They also showed decreased RS fluctuations in the right lateral occipital cortex and right temporal occipital fusiform cortex. Abnormalities of RS fluctuations were correlated significantly with retinal damage and disease duration. The DT MRI connectivity-based parcellation identified a higher number of clusters in the right auditory cortex in LHON vs. controls. Differences of cluster-centroid profiles were found between the two groups for all the four seeds analyzed. For three of these areas, a correspondence was found between abnormalities of functional and structural connectivities. These results suggest that functional and structural abnormalities extend beyond the visual network in LHON patients. Such abnormalities also involve the auditory network, thus corroborating the notion of a cross-modal plasticity between these sensory modalities in patients with severe visual deficits
Stronger Neural Modulation by Visual Motion Intensity in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Theories of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have focused on altered perceptual integration
of sensory features as a possible core deficit. Yet, there is little understanding of the
neuronal processing of elementary sensory features in ASD. For typically developed individuals,
we previously established a direct link between frequency-specific neural activity
and the intensity of a specific sensory feature: Gamma-band activity in the visual cortex
increased approximately linearly with the strength of visual motion. Using magnetoencephalography
(MEG), we investigated whether in individuals with ASD neural activity reflect the
coherence, and thus intensity, of visual motion in a similar fashion. Thirteen adult participants
with ASD and 14 control participants performed a motion direction discrimination task
with increasing levels of motion coherence. A polynomial regression analysis revealed that
gamma-band power increased significantly stronger with motion coherence in ASD compared
to controls, suggesting excessive visual activation with increasing stimulus intensity
originating from motion-responsive visual areas V3, V6 and hMT/V5. Enhanced neural
responses with increasing stimulus intensity suggest an enhanced response gain in ASD.
Response gain is controlled by excitatory-inhibitory interactions, which also drive high-frequency
oscillations in the gamma-band. Thus, our data suggest that a disturbed excitatoryinhibitory
balance underlies enhanced neural responses to coherent motion in ASD
The supernatural characters and powers of sacred trees in the Holy Land
This article surveys the beliefs concerning the supernatural characteristics and powers of sacred trees in Israel; it is based on a field study as well as a survey of the literature and includes 118 interviews with Muslims and Druze. Both the Muslims and Druze in this study attribute supernatural dimensions to sacred trees which are directly related to ancient, deep-rooted pagan traditions. The Muslims attribute similar divine powers to sacred trees as they do to the graves of their saints; the graves and the trees are both considered to be the abode of the soul of a saint which is the source of their miraculous powers. Any violation of a sacred tree would be strictly punished while leaving the opportunity for atonement and forgiveness. The Druze, who believe in the transmigration of souls, have similar traditions concerning sacred trees but with a different religious background. In polytheistic religions the sacred grove/forest is a centre of the community's official worship; any violation of the trees is regarded as a threat to the well being of the community. Punishments may thus be collective. In the monotheistic world (including Christianity, Islam and Druze) the pagan worship of trees was converted into the worship/adoration of saints/prophets; it is not a part of the official religion but rather a personal act and the punishments are exerted only on the violating individual
Removal of cyanobacteria toxins from drinking water by adsorption on activated carbon fibers
MetICA: independent component analysis for high-resolution mass-spectrometry based non-targeted metabolomics
Real-time controlled multidimensional gas chromatography with electronic pressure control - application to chlorobiphenyl analysis.
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