Occipital cortical gyrification reductions associate with decreased functional connectivity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abstract

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.

An augmented aging process in brain white matter in HIV

“…In the test sample, participants completed a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery used in prior studies 16 , which assessed neurocognitive function at both the global and domain level. Six cognitive domains were measured: (1) Processing Speed - Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) Digit Symbol and Symbol Search subtests 17 , Trail Making Test—Part A 18 , and Stroop—Color Naming and Word Reading 19 ; (2) Learning - Hopkins Verbal Learning Test—Revised 20 and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test—Revised 21 ; (3) Memory - Hopkins Verbal Learning Test—Revised 20 and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test—Revised 20, 21 (delayed recall); (4) Language/Verbal Fluency - Controlled Oral Word Association Test 22 (FAS and Animals); (5) Executive Function - WAIS-IV Letter-Number Sequencing subtest 17 , Trail Making Test—Part B 18 , and Stroop-Color-Word Interference Test 19 ; and (6) Motor Speed - Grooved Pegboard test 23 (dominant and non-dominant hands).…”

Sensorimotor and pain‐related alterations of the gray matter and white matter in Type 2 diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy

“…Each T1‐weighted MRI scan was processed using the Freesurfer package (version 6.0.0) to obtain a three‐dimensional model of the cortical surface for cortical thickness and surface area measurements. The technical details of these processing procedures can be found in previous publications (Wang et al, ; Zhang et al, , ). Briefly, the T1‐weighted MRI scan was intensity‐corrected and skull‐stripped.…”

Cortical Surface Area Rather Than Cortical Thickness Potentially Differentiates Radiation Encephalopathy at Early Stage in Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

“…Using VBM, Lv et al (2014) reported a decreased GM volume in the bilateral temporal lobes, right fusiform gyrus, right precentral gyrus, and right inferior parietal lobule following RT in the NPC patients. However, interpreting such results is difficult, given that an actual physical characteristic is not measured directly (Singh et al, 2006; Zhang et al, 2017). Furthermore, the specific contribution of the anatomical properties of the cortical mantle to these results remains unknown since VBM provides a mixed measure of cortical GM, including cortical thickness, cortical surface area, and/or cortical folding (Grant et al, 2015; Zhang et al, 2017).…”

“…However, interpreting such results is difficult, given that an actual physical characteristic is not measured directly (Singh et al, 2006; Zhang et al, 2017). Furthermore, the specific contribution of the anatomical properties of the cortical mantle to these results remains unknown since VBM provides a mixed measure of cortical GM, including cortical thickness, cortical surface area, and/or cortical folding (Grant et al, 2015; Zhang et al, 2017). In contrast, SBM allows us to fractionate the specific contributions of such physical properties.…”