Altered Dynamic Functional Network Connectivity in Healthy Adults with Acute Pain: Findings from the Human Connectome Project.

Characterizing the neural signature of pain and its modulation is critical for assessing treatment efficacy and conducting translational clinical research. However, the dynamics of pain processing in the brain have remained largely unknown. In this study, we employed independent component analysis (ICA) as a data-driven clustering method on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to obtain intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) in a cohort of healthy adults from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) who were identified as having acute pain.

Relationships Between Brain Intrinsic Connectivity Networks and Measures of Cognition and Emotion: A Study of the Human Connectome Project Data.

Growing evidence suggests that variations in cognitive and emotional behavior are associated with variations in brain function. To achieve a more comprehensive assessment, data-driven techniques, specifically independent component analysis (ICA), can be employed to generate outcome variables that describe unique but complementary aspects of functional connectivity within and between networks. In this study, resting-state fMRI and behavioral data were collected from 50 healthy participants in the Human Connectome Project.

Examining the Influence of Spatial Smoothing on Spatiotemporal Features of Intrinsic Connectivity Networks at Low ICA Model Order.

Using a relatively high model order of independent component analysis (ICA with 75 ICs) of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, we have reported a clear effect of spatial smoothing Gaussian kernel size on spatiotemporal properties of intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs). However, many if not the majority of ICA fMRI studies are usually performed at low model order, e.g.

The Influence of Spatial Smoothing Kernel Size on the Whole-brain Dynamic Functional Network Connectivity and Meta-state Parameters.

In functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), spatial smoothing procedure is generally a stable step in the preprocessing stream. Previous research (including ours) suggested dependency of the static functional connectivity on the size of the spatial smoothing kernel size. But its impact on the time-varying patterns of functional connectivity has not been investigated.

The Influence of Spatial Smoothing Kernel Size on the Temporal Features of Intrinsic Connectivity Networks.

Spatial smoothing is a common preprocessing step in the analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. However, little is known about the effect of spatial smoothing kernel size on the temporal properties of functional brain networks. This study presents a pilot investigation on the influence of spatial smoothing using independent component analysis (ICA) as a data-driven technique to extract functional networks of brain in the form of intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs).

An ICA Investigation into the Effect of Physiological Noise Correction on Dimensionality and Spatial Maps of Intrinsic Connectivity Networks.

Physiological processes such as cardiac pulsations and respiration can induce signal modulations in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time series, and confound inferences made about neural processing from analyses of the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals. Retrospective image space correction of physiological noise (RETROICOR) is a widely used approach to reduce physiological signals in data. Independent component analysis (ICA) is a valuable blind source separation method for analyzing brain networks, referred to as intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs).

An ICA Investigation into the Effect of Physiological Noise Correction on Dynamic Functional Network Connectivity and Meta-state Metrics.

Physiological fluctuations such as cardiac pulsations (heart rate) and respiratory rhythm (breathing) have been studied in the resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies as the potential sources of confounds in functional connectivity. Independent component analysis (ICA) provides a data driven approach to investigate functional connectivity at the network level. However, the effect of physiological noise correction on the dynamic of ICA-derived networks has not yet been studied.

The Effects of Cardiorespiratory and Motor Skill Fitness on Intrinsic Functional Connectivity of Neural Networks in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Studies in aging older adults have shown the positive association between cognition and exercise related fitness, particularly cardiorespiratory fitness. These reports have also demonstrated the association of high cardiorespiratory fitness, as well as other types of fitness, on the reversal of age-related decline in neural network connectivity, highlighting the potential role of fitness on age- and disease-related brain changes. While the clinical benefits of exercise are well-documented in Parkinson's disease (PD), the extent to which cardiorespiratory fitness (assessed by estimated VO testing) or motor skill fitness (assessed by the Physical Performance Test (PPT)) affects neural network connectivity in PD remains to be investigated.

Thalamic volume mediates associations between cardiorespiratory fitness (VOmax) and cognition in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Cognitive deficits occur in Parkinson's disease (PD). Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with better cognitive performance in aging especially in executive function (EF) and memory. The association between CRF and cognitive performance is understudied in people with PD.

Impact of Intravesical Cold Sensation on Functional Network Connectivity Estimated Using ICA at Rest & During Interoceptive Task.

Afferent nerves that carry interoceptive signals from the viscera to the brain include Aδ and C-fibers. Previously, we examined the effects of detrusor distention (conveyed mainly by Aδ fibers) on the static functional network connectivity (FNC) of the brain using independent component analysis (ICA) of fMRI time series. In the present study, we investigate the impact of intravesical cold sensation (thought to be conveyed by C-fibers) on brain FNC using similar ICA approach.

Effects of Visceral Interoception on Topological Properties of the Brain - A Graph Theory Analysis of Resting state fMRI.

Recent neuroimaging studies have employed graph theory as a data-driven approach to describe topological organization of the brain under different neurological disorders or task conditions and across life span. In this exploratory study, we tested whether subtle differences in interoception related to intravesical fullness can alter brain topological architecture in healthy participants. 17 right-handed women underwent a series of resting state fMRI scans that included catheterization and partial bladder filling.

Mild cognitive impairment, psychiatric symptoms, and executive functioning in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Objective: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and psychiatric symptoms (anxiety, depression, and apathy) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD). While studies have supported the association between psychiatric symptoms and cognitive performance in PD, it is unclear if the magnitude of link between psychiatric symptoms and cognitive health is stronger by MCI status. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between cognitive performance and psychiatric symptoms in PD and whether MCI status moderates this association.

The Nature of the Task Influences Intrinsic Connectivity Networks: An Exploratory fMRI Study in Healthy Subjects.

Task-induced variations in neural activity and their effects on the topological architecture of intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) of the brain are still a matter of ongoing research. In this exploratory study, we used spatial independent component analysis (ICA) as a data-driven technique to characterize ICNs related to two different tasks in healthy subjects who underwent 3T blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The fMRI tasks consisted of (a) a viscerosensory stimulation of an internal organ (interoceptive task), and (b) passive viewing of emotionally expressive faces and pictures from the International Affective Picture System (exteroceptive emotion task).

Measuring the Influence of Physiological Noise Corrections on ICA Derived Intrinsic Connectivity Brain Networks in Rest and Task fMRI.

Physiological noise corrections using RETROICOR algorithm has been shown to increase signal sensitivity in resting state networks such as the default-mode network. However, independent component analysis (ICA)-based network approach may suffer from such corrections especially if there is any overlap between two sources in the decomposition domain. To address the extent the physiological noise corrections may impact ICA derived intrinsic connectivity brain networks, we measured network features including functional network connectivity (FNC), power spectra, and network spatial maps in the resting state and task functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data that were acquired in the same visit from a group of healthy volunteers.

Characterizing the Effects of MR Image Quality Metrics on Intrinsic Connectivity Brain Networks: A Multivariate Approach.

Motion-induced artifact detection has become a fixture in the assessment of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) quality control. However, the effects of other MR image quality (IQ) metrics on intrinsic connectivity brain networks are largely unexplored. Accordingly, we report herein the initial assessment of the effects of a comprehensive list of IQ metrics on resting state networks using a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) approach based on high-order spatial independent component analysis (ICA).

Cold Water Pressor Test Differentially Modulates Functional Network Connectivity in Fibromyalgia Patients Compared with Healthy Controls.

Fibromyalgia is a multifaceted chronic pain condition of unknown etiology. Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) such as cold water pressor test of the foot, is widely documented as being disrupted in patients with fibromyalgia. To date, the mechanisms underlying such dysregulation of the descending control of pain in fibromyalgia remain poorly understood.

Investigating the BOLD spectral power of the intrinsic connectivity networks in fibromyalgia patients: A resting-state fMRI study.

Recent advances in multivariate statistical analysis of blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have provided novel insights into the network organization of the human brain. Here, we applied group independent component analysis, a well-established approach for detecting brain intrinsic connectivity networks, to examine the spontaneous BOLD fluctuations in patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls before and after exposure to a stressor. The BOLD spectral power characteristics of component time courses were calculated using the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm, and group comparison was performed at six frequency bins between 0 and 0.

A novel infusion-drainage device to assess lower urinary tract function in neuro-imaging.

Objective: To evaluate the applicability and precision of a novel infusion-drainage device (IDD) for standardized filling paradigms in neuro-urology and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of lower urinary tract (LUT) function/dysfunction.

Subjects/patients And Methods: The IDD is based on electrohydrostatic actuation which was previously proven feasible in a prototype setup. The current design includes hydraulic cylinders and a motorized slider to provide force and motion.

Design and Application of a New Automated Fluidic Visceral Stimulation Device for Human fMRI Studies of Interoception.

Mapping the brain centers that mediate the sensory-perceptual processing of visceral afferent signals arising from the body (i.e., interoception) is useful both for characterizing normal brain activity and for understanding clinical disorders related to abnormal processing of visceral sensation.

Exploring influence of subliminal interoception on whole-brain functional network connectivity dynamics.

Recent fMRI studies have highlighted a dynamic relation across large-scale intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) of human brain. The origin of such temporal variations in functional connectivity especially during the task-free (resting-state) fMRI is still a matter of debate and ongoing investigation. In this exploratory study, we sought to determine whether subliminal differences in interoception (e.

Tracking intrinsic connectivity brain network features during successive (Pseudo-) resting states and interoceptive task fMRI.

Advanced multivariate analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data based on blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) contras have revealed that the human brain organizes its activities into multiple intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs). Several fMRI studies have evaluated the modulations of these networks during different cognitive or emotional tasks using blind source separation techniques particularly the independent component analysis (ICA). In this exploratory study, we applied ICA methodology to examine ICN modulations under different interoceptive conditions.

Identifying the effects of visceral interoception on human brain connectome: A multivariate analysis of covariance of fMRI data.

Sources of variations in the neural circuitry of the human brain and interrelationship between intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) are still a matter of debate and ongoing research. Here, we applied a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) based on high-dimensional independent component analysis (ICA) to identify the effects of interoception and related variables on human brain connectome. Fifteen healthy right-handed subjects (all females, age range 21 - 48 years; mean age = 30.

Prefrontal and Hippocampal Brain Volume Deficits: Role of Low Physical Activity on Brain Plasticity in First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients.

Unlabelled: Our objective in the present study was to conduct the first empirical study of the effects of regular physical activity habits and their relationship with brain volume and cortical thickness in patients in the early phase of schizophrenia. Relationships between larger brain volumes and higher physical activity levels have been reported in samples of healthy and aging populations, but have never been explored in first-episode schizophrenia patients.

Method: We collected MRI structural scans in 14 first-episode schizophrenia patients with either self-reported low or high physical activity levels.

Differential functional brain network connectivity during visceral interoception as revealed by independent component analysis of fMRI TIME-series.

Influential theories of brain-viscera interactions propose a central role for interoception in basic motivational and affective feeling states. Recent neuroimaging studies have underlined the insula, anterior cingulate, and ventral prefrontal cortices as the neural correlates of interoception. However, the relationships between these distributed brain regions remain unclear.

Design of an fMRI-compatible optical touch stripe based on frustrated total internal reflection.

Previously we developed a low-cost, multi-configurable handheld response system, using a reflective-type intensity modulated fiber-optic sensor (FOS) to accurately gather participants' behavioral responses during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Inspired by the popularity and omnipresence of the fingertip-based touch sensing user interface devices, in this paper we present the design of a prototype fMRI-compatible optical touch stripe (OTS) as an alternative configuration. The prototype device takes advantage of a proven frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) technique.