Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive muscular weakness and atrophy. Several morphometric studies have been conducted to investigate the gray matter volume or thickness changes in ALS, whereas the cortical folding pattern remains poorly understood. In the present study, we applied a surface-based local gyrification index (LGI) from high resolution MRI data to quantify the cortical folding in matched samples of 25 ALS patients versus 25 healthy controls. Using resting-state fMRI data, we further conducted seed-based functional connectivity analysis to explore the functional correlate of the cortical folding changes. We found that ALS patients had significantly reduced LGI in right occipital cortex and that abnormality in this region associated with decreased functional connectivity in the bilateral precuneus. This set of findings was speculated to result from disturbed white matter connectivity in ALS. In the patient group, we revealed significant negative correlations between disease duration and the LGIs of a cluster in the left superior frontal gyrus, which may reflect the cognitive deterioration in ALS. In summary, our results suggest that LGI may provide a useful means to assess ALS-related neurodegeneration and to study the pathophysiology of ALS.

A good‐based model, the central neurobiological model of economic decision‐making, proposes that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) represents binary choice outcome, that is, the chosen good. A good is defined by a group of determinants characterizing the conditions in which the commodity is offered, including commodity type, cost, risk, time delay, and ambiguity. Previous studies have found that the OFC represents the binary choice outcome in decision‐making tasks involving commodity type, cost, risk, and delay. Real‐life decisions are often complex and involve uncertainty, rewards, and penalties; however, whether the OFC represents binary choice outcomes in a complex decision‐making situation, for example, Iowa gambling task (IGT), remains unclear. Here, we propose that the OFC represents binary choice outcome, that is, advantageous choice versus disadvantageous choice, in the IGT. We propose two hypotheses: first, the activity pattern in the human OFC represents an advantageous choice; and second, choice induces an OFC‐related functional network. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and advanced machine‐learning tools, we found that the OFC represented an advantageous choice in the IGT. The OFC representation of advantageous choice was related to decision‐making performance. Choice modulated the functional connectivity between the OFC and the superior medial gyrus. In conclusion, the OFC represents an advantageous choice during the IGT. In the framework of a good‐based model, the results extend the role of the OFC to complex decision‐making situation when making a binary choice.

Cue reactivity is often used to study alcohol cues brain responses. Standardized image sets are used, but the effect of viewing people interacting with the alcohol drink remains unclear, which is associated with the factors of alcohol cues that influence the degree of response to alcohol stimuli. The present study used fMRI to investigate the reactivity of alcohol dependence (AD) inpatients to alcohol cues with or without human drinking behavior. Cues with a human interacting with a drink were hypothesized to increase sensorimotor activation. In total, 30 AD inpatients were asked to view pictures with a factorial design of beverage types (alcoholic vs. non-alcoholic beverages) and cue types (with or without drink action). Whole-brain analyses were performed. A correlation analysis was conducted to confirm whether the whole-brain analysis revealed cue-related brain activations correlated with problem drinking duration. The left lingual gyrus showed significant beverage types through cue type interaction, and the bilateral temporal cortex showed significant activation in response to alcohol cues depicting human drinking behavior. The right and left lingual gyrus regions and left temporal cortex were positively correlated with problem drinking duration. Sensorimotor activations in the temporal cortex may reflect self-referential and memory-based scene processing. Thus, our findings indicate these regions are associated with alcohol use and suggest them for cue exposure treatment of alcohol addiction.

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