Human reasoning on social interactions in ecological contexts: insights from the theory of mind brain circuits.

Introduction: The relationship between neural social cognition patterns and performance on social cognition tasks in daily life is a topic of debate, with key consideration given to the extent to which theory of mind (ToM) brain circuits share properties reflecting everyday social functioning. To test the efficacy of ecological stimuli in eliciting brain activation within the ToM brain circuits, we adapted the Edinburgh Social Cognition test social scenarios, consisting of dynamic ecological contextually embedded social stimuli, to a fMRI paradigm.

Methods: Forty-two adults (21 men, mean age ± SD = 34.

Surface-based integration approach for fNIRS-fMRI reliability assessment.

Introduction: Studies integrating functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) with functional MRI (fMRI) employ heterogeneous methods in defining common regions of interest in which similarities are assessed. Therefore, spatial agreement and temporal correlation may not be reproducible across studies. In the present work, we address this issue by proposing a novel method for integration and analysis of fNIRS and fMRI over the cortical surface.

Optimal echo times for quantitative susceptibility mapping: A test-retest study on basal ganglia and subcortical brain nuclei.

Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) is a recent MRI-technique able to quantify the bulk magnetic susceptibility of myelin, iron, and calcium in the brain. Its variability across different acquisition parameters has prompted the need for standardisation across multiple centres and MRI vendors. However, a high level of agreement between repeated imaging acquisitions is equally important.

Normative values of the topological metrics of the structural connectome: A multi-site reproducibility study across the Italian Neuroscience network.

Purpose: The use of topological metrics to derive quantitative descriptors from structural connectomes is receiving increasing attention but deserves specific studies to investigate their reproducibility and variability in the clinical context. This work exploits the harmonization of diffusion-weighted acquisition for neuroimaging data performed by the Italian Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation Network initiative to obtain normative values of topological metrics and to investigate their reproducibility and variability across centers.

Methods: Different topological metrics, at global and local level, were calculated on multishell diffusion-weighted data acquired at high-field (e.

Unconsciousness or unresponsiveness in akinetic mutism? Insights from a multimodal longitudinal exploration.

The clinical assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) relies on the observation of behavioural responses to standardised sensory stimulation. However, several medical comorbidities may directly impair the production of reproducible and appropriate responses, thus reducing the sensitivity of behaviour-based diagnoses. One such comorbidity is akinetic mutism (AM), a rare neurological syndrome characterised by the inability to initiate volitional motor responses, sometimes associated with clinical presentations that overlap with those of DoC.

Affective Theory of Mind as a residual ability to preserve mentalizing in amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A 12-months longitudinal study.

Introduction: Theory of Mind (ToM) decline has been outlined in people with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), but evidence from longitudinal studies is lacking. This longitudinal study aims to investigate changes in cognitive and affective ToM performance in an aMCI sample ( = 28; 14 females, mean age = 76.54 ± 4.

MRI data quality assessment for the RIN - Neuroimaging Network using the ACR phantoms.

Purpose: Generating big-data is becoming imperative with the advent of machine learning. RIN-Neuroimaging Network addresses this need by developing harmonized protocols for multisite studies to identify quantitative MRI (qMRI) biomarkers for neurological diseases. In this context, image quality control (QC) is essential.

Multi-centre and multi-vendor reproducibility of a standardized protocol for quantitative susceptibility Mapping of the human brain at 3T.

Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) is an MRI-based technique allowing the non-invasive quantification of iron content and myelination in the brain. The RIN - Neuroimaging Network established an optimized and harmonized protocol for QSM across ten sites with 3T MRI systems from three different vendors to enable multicentric studies. The assessment of the reproducibility of this protocol is crucial to establish susceptibility as a quantitative biomarker.

Cardiac and Respiratory Influences on Intracranial and Neck Venous Flow, Estimated Using Real-Time Phase-Contrast MRI.

The study of brain venous drainage has gained attention due to its hypothesized link with various neurological conditions. Intracranial and neck venous flow rate may be estimated using cardiac-gated cine phase-contrast (PC)-MRI. Although previous studies showed that breathing influences the neck's venous flow, this aspect could not be studied using the conventional segmented PC-MRI since it reconstructs a single cardiac cycle.

Mid-term MRI evaluation reveals microstructural white matter alterations in COVID-19 fully recovered subjects with anosmia presentation.

Background: Little is still known about the mid/long-term effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the brain, especially in subjects who have never been hospitalized due to the infection. In this neuroimaging exploratory study, we analyzed the medium-term effect of COVID-19 on the brain of people who recovered from COVID-19, experienced anosmia during the acute phase of the disease, and have never been hospitalized due to SARS-Co-V-2 infection.

Methods: Forty-three individuals who had (COV+,  = 22) or had not (COV-,  = 21) been infected with SARS-Co-V-2 were included in the study; the two groups were age- and sex-matched and were investigated using 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Incipient chronic traumatic encephalopathy in active American football players: neuropsychological assessment and brain perfusion measures.

Background And Aims: Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative disease caused by repetitive traumatic brain injury (TBI). Because CTE can be definitely diagnosed only post-mortem, it would be important to explore clinical and radiological correlates of CTE and TBI. The aims of this study were to assess (1) the relationship between the neuropsychological profile of active American football players and the traumatic load; (2) whether traumatic brain injury associated with American football activity has a specific cerebral perfusion pattern; and (3) whether this perfusion pattern correlates with neuropsychological performances.

Quantitative MRI Harmonization to Maximize Clinical Impact: The RIN-Neuroimaging Network.

Neuroimaging studies often lack reproducibility, one of the cardinal features of the scientific method. Multisite collaboration initiatives increase sample size and limit methodological flexibility, therefore providing the foundation for increased statistical power and generalizable results. However, multisite collaborative initiatives are inherently limited by hardware, software, and pulse and sequence design heterogeneities of both clinical and preclinical MRI scanners and the lack of benchmark for acquisition protocols, data analysis, and data sharing.

Development and Testing of SPIDER-NET: An Interactive Tool for Brain Connectogram Visualization, Sub-Network Exploration and Graph Metrics Quantification.

Brain connectomics consists in the modeling of human brain as networks, mathematically represented as numerical connectivity matrices. However, this representation may result in difficult interpretation of the data. To overcome this limitation, graphical representation by connectograms is currently used via open-source tools, which, however, lack user-friendly interfaces and options to explore specific sub-networks.

Resting-state functional brain connectivity for human mentalizing: biobehavioral mechanisms of theory of mind in multiple sclerosis.

Although neural hubs of mentalizing are acknowledged, the brain mechanisms underlying mentalizing deficit, characterizing different neurological conditions, are still a matter of debate. To investigate the neural underpinning of theory of mind (ToM) deficit in multiple sclerosis (MS), a region of interest (ROI)-based resting-state fMRI study was proposed. In total, 37 MS patients (23 females, mean age = 54.

Neuroplasticity and Motor Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review on MRI Markers of Functional and Structural Changes.

Motor rehabilitation is routinely used in clinical practice as an effective method to reduce progressive disability gain in multiple sclerosis (MS), but rehabilitation approaches are typically unstandardized, and only few studies have investigated the impact of rehabilitation on brain neuroplasticity. To summarize and critically analyze studies applying MRI markers of functional connectivity and structural changes to assess the effect of motor rehabilitation on brain neuroplasticity in MS. Literature search was performed using PubMed and EMBASE, selecting studies having as a subject motor rehabilitation and advanced MRI techniques investigating neuroplasticity in adult patients affected by MS.

Neuroplasticity mediated by motor rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review on structural and functional MRI markers.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurological disease affecting the elderly population Pharmacological and surgical interventions usually employed for PD treatment show transient effectiveness and are associated with the insurgence of side effects. Therefore, motor rehabilitation has been proposed as a promising supplement in the treatment of PD, reducing the global burden of the disease and improving patients quality of life. The present systematic review aimed to critically analyse the literature concerning MRI markers of brain functional and structural response to motor rehabilitation in PD.

Quantitative MRI using STrategically Acquired Gradient Echo (STAGE): optimization for 1.5 T scanners and T1 relaxation map validation.

Objectives: The strategically acquired gradient echo (STAGE) protocol, developed for 3T scanners, allows one to derive quantitative maps such as T1, T2*, proton density, and quantitative susceptibility mapping in about 5 min. Our aim was to adapt the STAGE sequences for 1.5T scanners which are still commonly used in clinical practice.

Consistent Cerebral Blood Flow Covariance Networks across Healthy Individuals and Their Similarity with Resting State Networks and Vascular Territories.

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) represents the local blood supply to the brain, and it can be considered a proxy for neuronal activation. Independent component analysis (ICA) can be applied to CBF maps to derive patterns of spatial covariance across subjects. In the present study, we aimed to assess the consistency of the independent components derived from CBF maps (CBF-ICs) across a cohort of 92 healthy individuals.

Early Life Adversities and Borderline Intellectual Functioning Negatively Impact Limbic System Connectivity in Childhood: A Connectomics-Based Study.

Early life adversity (ELA) in childhood is a major risk factor for borderline intellectual functioning (BIF). BIF affects both adaptive and intellectual abilities, commonly leading to school failure and to an increased risk to develop mental and social problems in the adulthood. This study aimed to investigate the neurobiological underpinnings of ELA associated with BIF in terms of global topological organization and structural connectivity and their relation with intellectual functioning.

Multimodal Evaluation of Neurovascular Functionality in Early Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multisystem neurological condition affecting different neurotransmitter pathways characterized by aberrant functional connectivity (FC) and perfusion alteration. Since the FC, measuring neuronal activity, and cerebral blood flow (CBF) are closely related through the neurovascular coupling (NVC) mechanism, we aim to assess whether FC changes found in PD mirror perfusion ones. A multimodal MRI study was implemented by acquiring resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) and arterial spin labeling (ASL) datasets on a group of 26 early PD (66.

Parietal Perfusion Alterations in Parkinson's Disease Patients Without Dementia.

Fronto-parietal regions are involved in cognitive processes that are commonly affected in Parkinson's disease (PD). The aims of this study were to investigate cerebral blood flow (CBF) and gray matter (GM) volume within the regions belonging to the fronto-parietal circuit in people with PD (pwPD) without dementia, and to assess their association with cognitive performance. Twenty-seven pwPD without dementia (mean [SD] age = 67.

Theory of mind network in multiple Sclerosis: A double disconnection mechanism.

The relationship between cognitive and affective theory of mind (ToM), clinical variables, and brain tissue injury is still a subject of debate in multiple sclerosis (MS). By adopting a ToM Networks model, we investigated ToM performance, and brain imaging correlates in relapsing-remitting (RR) and progressive (Pr) MS. 16RR, 19Pr, and 21 healthy controls were assessed with both cognitive (CToM) and affective ToM (AToM) tests and neuropsychological tools and were evaluated with MRI.