Studies of in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) patients with hippocampal sclerosis (HS) have reported reductions in both functional and structural connectivity between hippocampal structures and adjacent brain regions. However, little is known about the connectivity among the default mode network (DMN) in mTLE. Here, we hypothesized that both functional and structural connectivity within the DMN were disturbed in mTLE. To test this hypothesis, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were applied to examine the DMN connectivity of 20 mTLE patients, and 20 gender- and age-matched healthy controls. Combining these two techniques, we explored the changes in functional (temporal correlation coefficient derived from fMRI) and structural (path length and connection density derived from DTI tractography) connectivity of the DMN. Compared to the controls, we found that both functional and structural connectivity were significantly decreased between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus (PCUN) and bilateral mesial temporal lobes (mTLs) in patients. No significant between-group difference was found between the PCC/PCUN and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In addition, functional connectivity was found to be correlated with structural connectivity in two pairwise regions, namely between the PCC/PCUN and bilateral mTLs, respectively. Our results suggest that the decreased functional connectivity within the DMN in mTLE may be a consequence of the decreased connection density underpinning the degeneration of structural connectivity.

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Various functional imaging tools have been used to detect epileptic activity in the neural network underlying mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE). In the present fMRI study, a data-driven approach was employed to map interictal epileptic activity in mTLE patients by measuring the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal. Twenty-four left mTLE patients and 26 right mTLE patients were investigated by comparing with 25 healthy subjects. In the patients, the regions showing increased ALFF were consistently distributed in the mesial temporal lobe, thalamus, and a few of other cortical and subcortical structures composing a mesial temporal epilepsy network proposed previously, while the regions showing decreased ALFF were mostly located in the areas of so-called default-mode network. Data of simultaneous EEG-fMRI from a portion of the patients suggested that the increases in ALFF might be associated with the interictal epileptic activity. Individual analyses based on statistic parametric mapping revealed a moderate sensitivity and a fairly high specificity for the lateralization of unilateral mTLE. We conclude that the ALFF analysis may provide a useful tool in fMRI study of epilepsy.

Volvariella volvacea, the edible straw mushroom, is a highly nutritious food source that is widely cultivated on a commercial scale in many parts of Asia using agricultural wastes (rice straw, cotton wastes) as growth substrates. However, developments in V. volvacea cultivation have been limited due to a low biological efficiency (i.e. conversion of growth substrate to mushroom fruit bodies), sensitivity to low temperatures, and an unclear sexuality pattern that has restricted the breeding of improved strains. We have now sequenced the genome of V. volvacea and assembled it into 62 scaffolds with a total genome size of 35.7 megabases (Mb), containing 11,084 predicted gene models. Comparative analyses were performed with the model species in basidiomycete on mating type system, carbohydrate active enzymes, and fungal oxidative lignin enzymes. We also studied transcriptional regulation of the response to low temperature (4°C). We found that the genome of V. volvacea has many genes that code for enzymes, which are involved in the degradation of cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin. The molecular genetics of the mating type system in V. volvacea was also found to be similar to the bipolar system in basidiomycetes, suggesting that it is secondary homothallism. Sensitivity to low temperatures could be due to the lack of the initiation of the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, trehalose and glycogen biosyntheses in this mushroom. Genome sequencing of V. volvacea has improved our understanding of the biological characteristics related to the degradation of the cultivating compost consisting of agricultural waste, the sexual reproduction mechanism, and the sensitivity to low temperatures at the molecular level which in turn will enable us to increase the industrial production of this mushroom.

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Viewed as a neural network disorder, mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) may cause widespread deficits in human brain functions. Impairments in cognitive functions such as memory and language have been well addressed, but perceptual deficits have only been considered in terms of behavioral data. Little imaging research on perceptual deficits in mTLE has been reported. The present study is expected to reveal impairments in the perceptual networks in patients with mTLE using fMRI. The fMRI-based independent component analysis (ICA) was applied to 33 patients with mTLE and 33 matched healthy controls. In light of the resting-state networks (RSNs) corresponding to the basal functions of visual, auditory, and sensorimotor systems, the ICA data of functional connectivity within these RSNs were compared between the patients and controls. Compared with the controls, the mTLE patients presented decreased functional connectivity within the regions of the auditory and sensorimotor networks, as well increased functional connectivity in the primary visual cortex and decreased functional connectivity in the bilateral MT+ areas of the visual network. Our neuroimaging results are in agreement with the previous findings that specific perceptual functions are impaired in mTLE. Furthermore, our findings in the visual network support the belief that the primary visual function is not impaired and that there may be deficits in the high-order visual function in mTLE. Our fMRI study may contribute to the understanding of neuropathophysiological mechanisms underlying perceptual impairments in mTLE.