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The ability to solve cognitive tasks depends upon adaptive changes in the organization of whole-brain functional networks. However, the link between task-induced network reconfigurations and their underlying energy demands is poorly understood. We address this by multimodal network analyses integrating functional and molecular neuroimaging acquired concurrently during a complex cognitive task. Task engagement elicited a marked increase in the association between glucose consumption and functional brain network reorganization. This convergence between metabolic and neural processes was specific to feedforward connections linking the visual and dorsal attention networks, in accordance with task requirements of visuo-spatial reasoning. Further increases in cognitive load above initial task engagement did not affect the relationship between metabolism and network reorganization but only modulated existing interactions. Our findings show how the upregulation of key computational mechanisms to support cognitive performance unveils the complex, interdependent changes in neural metabolism and neuro-vascular responses.

The investigation of cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRGlu) at baseline and during specific tasks previously required separate scans with the drawback of high intrasubject variability. We aimed to validate a novel approach to assessing baseline glucose metabolism and task-specific changes in a single measurement with a constant infusion of 18 F-FDG. Methods: Fifteen healthy subjects underwent two PET measurements with arterial blood sampling. As a reference, baseline CMRGlu was quantified from a 60-min scan after 18 F-FDG bolus application using the Patlak plot (eyes closed). For the other scan, a constant radioligand infusion was applied for 95 min, during which the subjects opened their eyes at 10-20 min and 60-70 min and tapped their right thumb to their fingers at 35-45 min and 85-95 min. The constant-infusion scan was quantified in two steps. First, the general linear model was used to fit regional time-activity curves with regressors for baseline metabolism, task-specific changes for the eyes-open and finger-tapping conditions, and movement parameters. Second, the Patlak plot was used for quantification of CMRGlu. Multiplication of the baseline regressor by β-values from the general linear model yielded regionally specific time-activity curves for baseline metabolism. Further, taskspecific changes in metabolism are directly proportional to changes in the slope of the time-activity curve and hence to changes in CMRGlu. Results: Baseline CMRGlu from the constant-infusion scan matched that from the bolus application (test-retest variability, 1.1% ± 24.7%), which was not the case for a previously suggested approach (variability, −39.9% ± 25.2%, P , 0.001). Task-specific CMRGlu increased in the primary visual and motor cortices for eyes open and finger tapping, respectively (P , 0.05, familywise errorcorrected), with absolute changes of up to 2.1 μmol/100 g/min and 6.3% relative to baseline. For eyes open, a decreased CMRGlu was observed in default-mode regions (P , 0.05, familywise errorcorrected). CMRGlu quantified with venous blood samples (n 5 6) showed excellent agreement with results obtained from arterial samples (r . 0.99). Conclusion: Baseline glucose metabolism and taskspecific changes can be quantified in a single measurement with constant infusion of 18 F-FDG and venous blood sampling. The high sensitivity and regional specificity of the approach offer novel possibilities for functional and multimodal brain imaging.

Background:Schizophrenia has been associated with disturbances of thalamic functioning. In light of recent evidence suggesting a significant impact of the glutamatergic system on key symptoms of schizophrenia, we assessed whether modulation of the glutamatergic system via blockage of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor might lead to changes of thalamic functional connectivity.Methods:Based on the ketamine model of psychosis, we investigated changes in cortico-thalamic functional connectivity by intravenous ketamine challenge during a 55-minute resting-state scan. Thirty healthy volunteers were measured with pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design.Results:Functional connectivity analysis revealed significant ketamine-specific changes within the thalamus hub network, more precisely, an increase of cortico-thalamic connectivity of the somatosensory and temporal cortex.Conclusions:Our results indicate that changes of thalamic functioning as described for schizophrenia can be partly mimicked by NMDA-receptor blockage. This adds substantial knowledge about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the profound changes of perception and behavior during the application of NMDA-receptor antagonists.

BackgroundElectroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the treatment of choice for severe mental illness including treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Increases in volume of the hippocampus and amygdala following ECT have consistently been reported.AimsTo investigate neuroplastic changes after ECT in specific hippocampal subfields and amygdala nuclei using high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov – NCT02379767).MethodMRI scans were carried out in 14 patients (11 women, 46.9 years (s.d. = 8.1)) with unipolar TRD twice before and once after a series of right unilateral ECT in a pre–post study design. Volumes of subcortical structures, including subfields of the hippocampus and amygdala, and cortical thickness were extracted using FreeSurfer. The effect of ECT was tested using repeated-measures ANOVA. Correlations of imaging and clinical parameters were explored.ResultsIncreases in volume of the right hippocampus by 139.4 mm3 (s.d. = 34.9), right amygdala by 82.3 mm3 (s.d. = 43.9) and right putamen by 73.9 mm3 (s.d. = 77.0) were observed. These changes were localised in the basal and lateral nuclei, and the corticoamygdaloid transition area of the amygdala, the hippocampal–amygdaloid transition area and the granule cell and molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. Cortical thickness increased in the temporal, parietal and insular cortices of the right hemisphere.ConclusionsFollowing ECT structural changes were observed in hippocampal subfields and amygdala nuclei that are specifically implicated in the pathophysiology of depression and stress-related disorders and retain a high potential for neuroplasticity in adulthood.Declaration of interestS.K. has received grants/research support, consulting fees and/or honoraria within the past 3 years from Angelini, AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals AG, AstraZeneca, Celegne GmbH, Eli Lilly, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, KRKA-Pharma, Lundbeck A/S, Neuraxpharm, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Schwabe and Servier. R.L. received travel grants and/or conference speaker honoraria from Shire, AstraZeneca, Lundbeck A/S, Dr. Willmar Schwabe GmbH, Orphan Pharmaceuticals AG, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, and Roche Austria GmbH.

Ketamine constitutes a novel, rapid and efficacious treatment option for patients suffering from treatment resistant depression and exhibits rapid and significant anti-suicidal effects. New administration routes might serve as alternative to intravenous regimes for potential usage in outpatient settings. However, long-term side effects are not known and short duration of antidepressant response need ways to prolong ketamine's efficacy.

Except for task-specific functional MRI, the vast majority of imaging studies assessed human brain function at resting conditions. However, tracking task-specific neuronal activity yields important insight how the brain responds to stimulation. We specifically investigated changes in glucose metabolism, functional connectivity and white matter microstructure during task performance using several recent methodological advancements. Opening the eyes and right finger tapping had elicited an increased glucose metabolism in primary visual and motor cortices, respectively. Furthermore, a decreased metabolism was observed in the regions of the default mode network, which allowed absolute quantification of commonly described deactivations during cognitive tasks. These brain regions showed widespread task-specific changes in functional connectivity, which stretched beyond their primary resting-state networks and presumably reflected the level of recruitment of certain brain regions for each task. Finally, the corresponding white matter fiber pathways exhibited changes in axial and radial diffusivity during the tasks, which were regionally distinctive for certain tract groups. These results highlight that even simple task performance leads to substantial changes of entire brain networks. Exploiting the complementary nature of the different imaging modalities may reveal novel insights how the brain processes external stimuli and which networks are involved in certain tasks.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00429-017-1558-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Using machine learning algorithms, we could demonstrate success rates of 0.737 for predicting TRD and 0.850 for predicting remission, surpassing predictive capabilities of clinicians. Our results strengthen data mining and suggest the benefit of focus on interaction-based statistics. Considering that all predictors can easily be obtained in a clinical setting, we hope that our model can be tested by other research groups.