Regional Gray Matter Correlates of Perceived Emotional Intelligence

Coping with stressful life events requires a degree of skill in the ability to attend to, comprehend, label, communicate and regulate emotions. Individuals vary in the extent to which these skills are developed, with the term ‘alexithymia’ often applied in the clinical and personality literature to those individuals most compromised in these skills. Although a frontal lobe model of alexithymia is emerging, it is unclear whether such a model satisfactorily reflects brain-related patterns associated with perceived emotional intelligence at the facet level. To determine whether these trait meta-mood facets (ability to attend to, have clarity of and repair emotions) have unique gray matter volume correlates, a voxel-based morphometry study was conducted in 30 healthy adults using the Trait Meta Mood Scale while co-varying for potentially confounding sociodemographic variables. Poorer Attention to Emotion was associated with lower gray matter volume in clusters distributed primarily throughout the frontal lobe, with peak correlation in the left medial frontal gyrus. Poorer Mood Repair was related to lower gray matter volume in three clusters in frontal and inferior parietal areas, with peak correlation in the left anterior cingulate. No significant volumetric correlations emerged for the Clarity of Emotion facet. We discuss the localization of these areas in the context of cortical circuits known to be involved in processes of self-reflection and cognitive control

Hybrid Diffusion Imaging to Detect Acute White Matter Injury after Mild TBI

poster abstractIntroduction: In the present study we used multi-shell Hybrid Diffusion Imaging (HYDI) to study white matter changes in the acute stage of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Non-parametric diffusion analysis, q-space imaging as well as parametric analyses including conventional DTI and novel neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) were used to analyze the HYDI data. Method: Nineteen mTBI patients and 23 trauma-controlled subjects were recruited from the Emergency Department. Participants received T1W SPGR and HYDI in a Philips 3T Achieve TX scanner with 8-channel head coil and SENSE parallel imaging. The diffusion-weighting (DW) pulse sequence scan-time was about 24 min similar to (1). Results: Forty-eight WM ROIs were defined in the standard MNI space by intersecting subjects’ mean WM skeleton with WM atlas of Johns Hopkins University (JHU) ICBM-DTI-81(2). Linear model analysis was used to test the significance of diffusion metrics between mTBI and trauma-controlled groups with gender and age as covariates (model 3 in Table 1). Maps of DTI, q-space and NODDI diffusion metrics of an mTBI subject are shown in Figure 1. Among various diffusion metrics, only the NODDI derived parenchymal axonal density (Vic) was sensitive to mTBI with significant decreases in 60% of WM ROIs (Table 1). The mTBI subjects had an approximately 4% decrease in Vic. The affected WM tracts concentrated on pyramidal tracts and its cortical projections (bilateral corona radiatae). Most of the cerebella related tracts and hippocampal tracts are spared. Conclusion: HYDI and its diffusion metrics provide insights about microstructural changes of WM in the acute stage of mTBI and may prove useful as a marker of injury

Regional Gray Matter Correlates of Perceived Emotional Intelligence

Coping with stressful life events requires a degree of skill in the ability to attend to, comprehend, label, communicate and regulate emotions. Individuals vary in the extent to which these skills are developed, with the term ‘alexithymia’ often applied in the clinical and personality literature to those individuals most compromised in these skills. Although a frontal lobe model of alexithymia is emerging, it is unclear whether such a model satisfactorily reflects brain-related patterns associated with perceived emotional intelligence at the facet level. To determine whether these trait meta-mood facets (ability to attend to, have clarity of and repair emotions) have unique gray matter volume correlates, a voxel-based morphometry study was conducted in 30 healthy adults using the Trait Meta Mood Scale while co-varying for potentially confounding sociodemographic variables. Poorer Attention to Emotion was associated with lower gray matter volume in clusters distributed primarily throughout the frontal lobe, with peak correlation in the left medial frontal gyrus. Poorer Mood Repair was related to lower gray matter volume in three clusters in frontal and inferior parietal areas, with peak correlation in the left anterior cingulate. No significant volumetric correlations emerged for the Clarity of Emotion facet. We discuss the localization of these areas in the context of cortical circuits known to be involved in processes of self-reflection and cognitive control

Apathy Is Associated With Ventral Striatum Volume in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder

Apathy is prevalent in schizophrenia, but its etiology has received little investigation. The ventral striatum (VS), a key brain region involved in motivated behavior, has been implicated in studies of apathy. We therefore evaluated whether apathy is associated with volume of the VS on MRI in 23 patients with schizophrenia using voxel-based morphometry. Results indicated that greater self-reported apathy severity was associated with smaller volume of the right VS even when controlling for age, gender, depression, and total gray matter volume. The finding suggests that apathy is related to abnormality of brain circuitry subserving motivated behavior in patients with schizophrenia

Alpha-synuclein (SNCA) polymorphisms exert protective effects on memory after mild traumatic brain injury

Problems with attention and short-term learning and memory are commonly reported after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Due to the known relationships between α-synuclein (SNCA), dopaminergic transmission, and neurologic deficits, we hypothesized that SNCA polymorphisms might be associated with cognitive outcome after mTBI. A cohort of 91 mTBI patients one month after injury and 86 healthy controls completed a series of cognitive tests assessing baseline intellectual function, attentional function, and memory, and was genotyped at 13 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the SNCA gene. Significant differences in two memory measures (p = 0.001 and 0.002), but not baseline intellectual function or attentional function tasks, were found between the mTBI group and controls. A highly significant protective association between memory performance and SNCA promoter SNP rs1372525 was observed in the mTBI patients (p = 0.006 and 0.029 for the long and short delay conditions of the California Verbal Learning Tests, respectively), where the presence of at least one copy of the A (minor) allele was protective after mTBI. These results may help elucidate the pathophysiology of cognitive alterations after mTBI, and thus warrant further investigation

Comparison of Season-Long Diffusivity Measures in a Cohort of Non-Concussed Contact and Non-Contact Athletes

Introduction: Concern surrounding short- and long-term consequences of participation in contact sports has become a significant public health topic. Previous literature utilizing diffusion tensor imaging in sports-related concussion has exhibited notable variety of analysis methods and analyzed regions of interest, and largely focuses on acute effects of concussion. The current study aimed to compare diffusivity metrics across a single season within athlete cohorts with no history of concussion. Methods: A prospective cohort of 75 contact and 79 non-contact division I athletes were compared across diffusion tensor imaging metrics (i.e. TRACULA); examinations were also performed assessing the relationship between neuroimaging metrics, head impact exposure metrics (in-helmet accelerometer), and neurocognitive variables. Assessment occurred at pre-and post-season time points. Results: Seasonal changes in fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values did not differ between athlete cohorts, nor did they differ within cohort groups, across pre- and post-season scans. Specific to contact athletes, positive associations were found between uncinate fasciculus mean diffusivity values and season linear acceleration (p =.018), season rotational acceleration (p =.017), and season hit severity (p =.021). Conclusions: Results suggest an influence of impact frequency, type, and severity on white matter integrity in select brain regions in contact athletes. Current findings expand our knowledge of anatomical changes over the course of a single season, and underscore the importance of considering methodology when interpreting findings in this population, as differing image analysis techniques may lead to different conclusions regarding significant effects

Cholinergic enhancement of brain activation in mild cognitive impairment during episodic memory encoding

Objective: To determine the physiological impact of treatment with donepezil (Aricept) on neural circuitry supporting episodic memory encoding in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods: Eighteen patients with MCI and 20 age-matched healthy controls (HC) were scanned twice while performing an event-related verbal episodic encoding task. MCI participants were scanned before treatment and after approximately 3 months on donepezil; HCwere untreated but rescanned at the same interval.Voxel-level analyses assessed treatment effects on activation profiles in MCI patients relative to retest changes in non-treated HC. Changes in task-related connectivity in medial temporal circuitry were also evaluated, as were associations between brain activation, task-related functional connectivity, task performance, and clinical measures of cognition. Results: At baseline, the MCI group showed reduced activation during encoding relative to HC in the right medial temporal lobe (MTL; hippocampal/parahippocampal) and additional regions, as well as attenuated task-related deactivation, relative to rest, in a medial parietal lobe cluster. After treatment, the MCI group showed normalized MTL activation and improved parietal deactivation. These changes were associated with cognitive performance. After treatment, the MCI group also demonstrated increased task-related functional connectivity from the right MTL cluster seed region to a network of other sites including the basal nucleus/caudate and bilateral frontal lobes. Increased functional connectivity was associated with improved task performance. Conclusion: Pharmacologic enhancement of cholinergic function in amnestic MCI is associated with changes in brain activation and functional connectivity during episodic memory processing which are in turn related to increased cognitive performance. fMRI is a promising biomarker for assessing treatment related changes in brain function

Associations between neuropsychiatric and health status outcomes in individuals with probable mTBI

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common occurrence, and may impact distal outcomes in a subgroup of individuals. Improved characterization of health outcomes and identification of factors associated with poor outcomes is needed to better understand the impact of mTBI, particularly in those with co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants in a data repository of the Injury and Traumatic Stress (INTRuST) Clinical Consortium (n = 625) completed functional disability [FD] and health-related quality of life [HRQOL] questionnaires, and a subset completed a neuropsychological assessment. FD and HRQOL were compared among participants with probable mTBI (mTBI), probable mTBI with PTSD (mTBI/PTSD), and health comparison participants (HC). Associations between symptoms, neuropsychological performance, and health outcomes were examined in those with probable mTBI with and without PTSD (n = 316). Individuals in the mTBI/PTSD group endorsed poorer health outcomes than those in the mTBI group, who endorsed poorer outcomes than those in the HC group. Individuals in either mTBI group performed worse than those in the HC on verbal learning and memory and psychomotor speed. Health outcomes were correlated with mental health and postconcussive symptoms, as well as neuropsychological variables. mTBI may adversely impact self-reported health, with the greatest effect observed in individuals with co-occurring mTBI/PTSD

Test–retest, retest, and retest: Growth curve models of repeat testing with Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT)

Computerized neuropsychological testing has become an important tool in the identification and management of sports-related concussions; however, the psychometric effect of repeat testing has not been studied extensively beyond test–retest statistics. The current study analyzed data from Division I collegiate athletes who completed Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) baseline assessments at four sequential time points that varied over the course of their athletic careers. Administrations were part of a larger National Institutes of Health (NIH) study. Growth curve modeling showed that the two memory composite scores increased significantly with successive administrations: Change in Verbal Memory was best represented with a quadratic model, while a linear model best fit Visual Memory. Visual Motor Speed and Reaction Time composites showed no significant linear or quadratic growth. The results demonstrate the effect of repeated test administrations for memory composite scores, while speed composites were not significantly impacted by repeat testing. Acceptable test–retest reliability was demonstrated for all four composites as well

Effect of head impacts on diffusivity measures in a cohort of collegiate contact sport athletes

Objective: To determine whether exposure to repetitive head impacts over a single season affects white matter diffusion measures in collegiate contact sport athletes. Methods: A prospective cohort study at a Division I NCAA athletic program of 80 nonconcussed varsity football and ice hockey players who wore instrumented helmets that recorded the acceleration time history of the head following impact, and 79 non–contact sport athletes. Assessment occurred preseason and shortly after the season with diffusion tensor imaging and neurocognitive measures. Results: There was a significant (p 5 0.011) athlete-group difference for mean diffusivity (MD) in the corpus callosum. Postseason fractional anisotropy (FA) differed (p 5 0.001) in the amygdala (0.238 vs 0.233). Measures of head impact exposure correlated with white matter diffusivity measures in several brain regions, including the corpus callosum, amygdala, cerebellar white matter, hippocampus, and thalamus. The magnitude of change in corpus callosum MD postseason was associated with poorer performance on a measure of verbal learning and memory. Conclusion: This study suggests a relationship between head impact exposure, white matter diffusion measures, and cognition over the course of a single season, even in the absence of diagnosed concussion, in a cohort of college athletes. Further work is needed to assess whether such effects are short term or persisten