Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Brain Connectivity, AUD, withdrawal, diffusion, microstructure

Motivation: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a widely spread disorder responsible for 6% of global mortality. Alcohol affects a substantial portion of the population in various aspects and part of these changes may be related to brain modifications.

Goal(s): To identify the effects of alcohol withdrawal on the brain and their link with symptom improvement.

Approach: Combination of connectivity matrices and microstructural models based on diffusion MRI tested during withdrawal period.

Results: The study of global brain connectivity revealed six connections, four of which also showed microstructure changes during withdrawal that were beneficial for recovery in areas heavily affected by increased alcohol consumption.

Impact: We presented an exploratory way to evaluate the effects of short-term withdrawal using connectivity and microstructural models based on diffusion MRI. It revealed four brain connections that deserve to be studied in greater depth in the case of this pathology.

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Brain, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Motivation: Neurochemical alterations in PTSD are well-researched across various brain regions, yet understanding their connection to symptoms remains unexplored. 

Goal(s): Our aim was to determine the association between the neurochemical profile and emotional/cognitive symptoms in diagnosed PTSD individuals and healthy controls.

Approach: Participants underwent an MRS scan and CNS Vital Signs survey. Correlations between metabolites and survey scores were examined.

Results: We found significant differences across several PTSD symptoms, for which the severity correlated with metabolite levels alterations in the ACC and hippocampus.

Impact: By understanding correlation between neurochemical alternations and clinical symptom severity, this study provides valuable insights into the pathways of PTSD. It paves the way for innovative approaches in managing neurological disorders.

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Metabolism, Brain, Glutamate, GABA, Addiction

Motivation: Nicotine addiction is a neuropsychiatric disorder with worldwide deaths. Nicotine affects dopaminergic system. However, the dose dependent effect of nicotine on neurometabolic activity is not clear.

Goal(s): To evaluate the impact of dose dependence of acute nicotine on the metabolic activity of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the prefrontal cortex in mice.

Approach: Different acute subcutaneous doses of nicotine were given to mice. Prefrontal cortex extracts were analysed by ¹H-[¹³C]-NMR spectroscopy to quantify ¹³C labelled amino acids and rate of glucose oxidation in neurons.

Results: Nicotine at low dose has excitatory but at high doses has inhibitory effect on neuronal activity in mice.

Impact: Our data shows that nicotine at 0.025 mg/kg increases metabolic activity of glutamatergic neurons but at 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg decreases. Additionally, nicotine at 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg suppresses metabolic activity of GABAergic neurons.

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders

Motivation: To uncover the neuropathological changes that influence the persistence and progression of symptoms in individuals with chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), particularly among World Trade Center (WTC) responders.

Goal(s): The goal is to identify and characterize the neuroanatomical differences associated with chronic PTSD in World Trade Center responders using diffusion tensor neuroimaging and graph theory techniques.

Approach: employing graph theory to examine network alterations using brain diffusion images.

Results: The results of the study indicated significant differences in the neuroanatomical distances between white matter nodes—measured by weighted characteristic path lengths (CPL)—in World Trade Center responders with chronic PTSD compared to those without PTSD.

Impact: The impact of this study lies in advancing the understanding of PTSD as a disorder with anatomical basis. The association of increased characteristic path lengths with PTSD suggests that the disorder might involve diminished efficiency in the brain's communication networks.

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Neuroscience

Motivation: The structural alterations of hypothalamic subunits involved in the pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) remain undetermined.

Goal(s): To investigate the common and distinct alterations in the volumes and structural covariance networks (SCN) of hypothalamic subunits between AN and BN.

Approach: The MRI data were subsegmented and underwent multistage quality control using FreeSurfer, in conjunction with MANCOVA and graph theory analysis.

Results: Larger volumes in the right a-iHyp were  found in BN, smaller volumes in the left infTub and right supTub were  found in AN, compared to HCs. Global efficacy and characteristic path length altered in AN relative to BN.

Impact: We depict distinct alterations of hypothalamic subunits involved in the pathophysiology of AN and BN. These findings provide novel insight into the role of the hypothalamus in both AN and BN.

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Neuroscience

Motivation:  The effects of stimulant treatment (e.g. methylphenidate) on the brain’s dopamine system remain unclear. While animal studies and short-term human trials suggest potential lasting impacts, a comprehensive understanding is lacking.

Goal(s): This study aimed to investigate the persistent effects of stimulant treatment on the dopamine system.

Approach: Using data from a naturalistic follow-up of an ADHD trial, we examined the cerebral blood flow (CBF) response to methylphenidate as a proxy for dopamine function. 

Results: Our findings reveal age-dependent effects. Specifically, we observed a negative association between medication use and CBF response in adolescents, while such an association was absent in adults.

Impact: We found an association between patterns of stimulant treatment for ADHD and the cerebral blood flow response to a dopamine-challenge in adolescents, but not adults. This suggests potential for personalization of stimulant treatment approaches for adolescents with ADHD.

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Brain, Obesity, Anorexia Nervosa, quantitative T1

Motivation: The key structure for maintaining energy balance is the hypothalamus (HT), a small structure organized in multiple nuclei difficult to individualize with MR imaging.

Goal(s): To study in vivo the modulation in Obesity and Anorexia Nervosa of morphometry and microstructure of HT nuclei involved in food networks.

Approach: Characterization of T1 and volumes of HT nuclei (Neudorfer atlas) of 28 young women (13 Controls, 7 AN, 8O) using 3D-MP2RAGE 7T MRI.

Results: Differences in T1 values and volumes were observed in Obese and AN in HT nuclei involved in food networks (bilateral AN, left PVN)

Impact: Quantitative high resolution T1 MRI at 7T allows to characterize the morpho-structural modulation of HT nuclei involved in food networks in obesity and AN. These biomarkers may have a crucial role to monitor adaptation of food networks during therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, High-Field MRI, Major Depression, Body Mass Index, Gray/White Matter Ratio

Motivation: Better understand the relationship between depression, obesity and the brain.

Goal(s): Investigate the relationship between body mass index and brain gray and white matter volumes using high-resolution 7T MRI in a population of healthy controls and major depression patients.

Approach: T1-weighted MRI was obtained at 7T and segmented using FreeSurfer. 44 MDD patients and 47 healthy controls of comparable age and body mass index (BMI) were scanned.

Results: BMI showed significant positive correlation with white matter volume and negative correlation between gray matter volume and gray/white ratios in healthy controls and combined cohorts. Similar, though non-significant trends were observed in MDD patients.

Impact: The presented study is the first to ultrahigh field MRI to detect significant correlations between BMI and gray/white matter brain volumes. Differences in these correlations were observed between MDD patients and healthy controls.

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders

Motivation: Trauma can lead to plastic alterations to regional cortical intrinsic activity, and dysregulation in a normal adaption to stress could contribute to PTSD. However, few previous studies disentangled trauma-related adaptation and maladaptation related to PTSD in regional cortical intrinsic activity.

Goal(s): To disentangle trauma-related and PTSD-related abnormalities in regional cortical intrinsic activity.

Approach: We compared the (fraction) amplitude of low frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity among PTSD patients, traumatized and non-traumatized subjects.

Results: In all trauma-related results, we found decreased (f)ALFF in the bilateral cerebellum, inferior temporal gyrus and middle occipital gyrus was also PTSD-related. 

Impact: We disentangled the distinction between trauma-related and PTSD specific alteration as measured by regional cortical intrinsic activity. It suggested trauma may cause decreased (f)ALFF in cerebellum, however, severe dysfunction exceeding individul’ capabilities to cope with stress may lead to PTSD.

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, fMRI (resting state), Methamphetamine, Independent component analysis, Functional network connectivity

Motivation:  There are limited researches on functional network connectivity related to methamphetamine (MA), with existing studies predominantly focused on MA abstainers and lacking studies on the MA dependence.

Goal(s): This study aims to investigate the alterations in functional connectivity within and between resting-state networks (RSNs) in MA-dependence.

Approach: Using independent component analysis to acquire RSNs, calculate FCs within and between RSNs, and perform group comparison and correlation analysis.

Results: The MA group presented not only decreased rs-FC within the cerebellar network, but abnormal inter-networks rs-FC, especially between the cerebellar network and multiple cerebral networks, which is also associated with the severity of psychotic symptoms.

Impact: The cerebellar network of MA dependent individuals needs to be emphasized in future studies.

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Brain Connectivity, Methamphetamine addiction, Resting-state functional connectivity, Effect connectivity, Dorsal raphe nucleus, Ventral tegmental area, Graph theory

Motivation: This study aims to investigate the role of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the mechanism of methamphetamine (MA) induced nerve injury.

Goal(s): To further explore the neural mechanism of MA addiction.

Approach: Analyze the functional connections, effect connections, and graph theory analysis between DRN and VTA with other brain regions.

Results: MA-dependent patients showed enhanced FC between the DRN and multiple brain regions in the whole brain. Topological analysis showed that multiple topological attributes of the dorsal raphe nucleus were abnormal.

Impact: Aberrations in the connecome of the dorsal raphe nucleus among individuals with methamphetamine dependence may provide novel insights into the neural mechanisms underpinning addiction to this substance

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Neuro, Morphometric similarity

Motivation: Chronic Insomnia Disorder (CID) influences various levels of brain organization, spanning macroscopic structures to microscopic genomics, the connection between genomic variations and structural brain alterations in CID was not clear.

Goal(s): This study analyzed structural brain alterations-related genomes in CID.

Approach: Using and morphometric similarity (MS) and imaging-transcription alanalysis

Results: The study identified MS reductions in the parietal and limbic regions, as well as enhancements in the temporal and frontal regions in CID patients. The study also discovered spatial correlations between MS alterations and genes associated with excitatory and inhibitory neurons, as well as genes implicated in chronic neuroinflammation processes.

Impact: This study bridges the gap between cortical structural changes and the molecular mechanisms in Chronic Insomnia Disorder (CID), shedding light on the genetic basis and brain alterations associated with CID.  

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, White Matter

Motivation: Subthreshold depression (SD) is a significant risk indicator of major depressive episodes. The inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT) technique has not been used to probe myelin abnormalities and its response to bright light therapy (BLT) in SD.

Goal(s): In this study, we used ihMT technique to investigate myelin integrity in a relatively large sample size of university students with SD.

Approach: The qihMT and ihMTR values of 50 white matter (WM) fibers were compared between SD and HCs.

Results: Macromolecular disruption of myelin in the posterior thalamic radiation (PTR), sagittal stratum, and uncinate fasciculus might exist in the early stages of depression.

Impact: These findings suggest the  myelin impairments in the posterior thalamic radiation could be reversed by bright light therapy, which might be used as the potential neural target for bright light therapy in subthreshold depression.

Keywords: fMRI Analysis, Quantitative Susceptibility mapping

Motivation: Abnormalities in cerebral oxygen metabolism can occur in many brain disorders.  Cerebral venous oxygen saturation (CS_VO₂) allows the assessment of cerebral oxygen metabolism in patients with insomnia and thus indirectly reflects brain function.

Goal(s): This study aimed to explore alterations in cerebral oxygen metabolism in patients with insomnia.

Approach: CS_VO₂ in patients with insomnia and healthy controls was measured by 3D-slicer on quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS.

Results: Cerebral oxygen metabolism was lower in insomnia patients than in healthy controls,  which was associated with sleep efficiency, R-phase share, and total sleep time.

Impact: Our study shows the impact of insomnia on cerebral oxygen metabolism and the ability to assess cerebral function noninvasively by QSM, which is useful in prompting early clinical intervention.

Keywords: Psychiatric Disorders, Treatment, Non-pharmacological therapies; Sleep; Chinese Medicine

Motivation: This study is motivated by the increasing interest in non-pharmacological approaches, like RN12-ARP, to improve sleep quality and address sleep-related problems.

Goal(s): The specific aim is to investigate RN12-ARP's effects on sleepiness, EEG patterns, and brain activity in individuals with insomnia, exploring its potential as a solution for sleep disturbances.

Approach: Seventeen participants undergo RN12-ARP sessions, collecting EEG, sleep diaries, and psychological assessments, analyzed using high-density EEG and MRI.

Results: The study shows that RN12-ARP induces immediate sleepiness, supported by EEG-fMRI. Psychological scales have limited effects, but sleep diaries hint at improved sleep, suggesting potential for insomnia treatment, pending further research.

Impact: The study might pave the way for non-pharmacological interventions like RN12-ARP to address insomnia, improving the well-being of patients with sleep disturbances. Further investigations into the mechanisms behind quick drowsiness are pending, offering hope for alternative approaches to sleep therapy.