Amblyopic astigmatism characteristics and surgical outcomes in younger children with severe congenital ptosis after frontalis suspension surgery.

Background: To examine the astigmatism characteristics and surgical outcomes in patients with unilateral severe congenital ptosis following frontalis suspension surgery.

Methods: We included 53 congenital ptosis patients who underwent frontalis suspension surgery in Hunan Children's Hospital. Each patient underwent a refractive examination before and after surgery to assess astigmatism.

Upper-Limb Amputation Disrupts the Interhemispheric Structural Rather than Functional Connectivity.

Recent neuroimaging studies on upper-limb amputation have revealed the reorganization of bilateral sensorimotor cortex after sensory deprivation, underpinning the assumption of changes in the interhemispheric connections. In the present study, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we aim to explore the alterations in the interhemispheric functional and structural connectivity after upper-limb amputation. Twenty-two upper-limb amputees and 15 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited for MRI scanning.

Alterations in Brain Structural Connectivity After Unilateral Upper-Limb Amputation.

Previous studies have indicated that amputation induces reorganization of functional brain network. However, the influence of amputation on structural brain network remains unclear. In this study, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we aimed to investigate the alterations in fractional anisotropy (FA) network after unilateral upper-limb amputation.

Correlates of Residual Limb Pain: From Residual Limb Length and Usage to Metabolites and Activity in Secondary Somatosensory Cortex.

Most recent studies attribute residual limb pain to peripheral pathological changes of the stump. However, in this paper, we focus on its associations with the residual limb length, usage, as well as the metabolic and functional alterations of the brain. The secondary somatosensory cortex (S2), one important area involved in pain intensity discrimination, was selected as the region of interest.

Exploration of Neural Activity under Cognitive Reappraisal Using Simultaneous EEG-fMRI Data and Kernel Canonical Correlation Analysis.

Background: Neural activity under cognitive reappraisal can be more accurately investigated using simultaneous EEG- (electroencephalography) fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) than using EEG or fMRI only. Complementary spatiotemporal information can be found from simultaneous EEG-fMRI data to study brain function.

Method: An effective EEG-fMRI fusion framework is proposed in this work.

Directed connectivity of brain default networks in resting state using GCA and motif.

Nowadays, there is a lot of interest in assessing functional interactions between key brain regions. In this paper, Granger causality analysis (GCA) and motif structure are adopted to study directed connectivity of brain default mode networks (DMNs) in resting state. Firstly, the time series of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data in resting state were extracted, and the causal relationship values of the nodes representing related brain regions are analyzed in time domain to construct a default network.

Functional Connectivity Analysis of Brain Default Mode Networks Using Hamiltonian Path.

The aim of this study is to introduce Hamiltonian path to analyze functional connectivity of brain default mode networks (DMNs). Firstly, the brain DMNs in resting state are constructed with the employment of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data. Then, the Dijkstra algorithm is used to calculate the shortest path length of the node which represents each brain region, and the Hamiltonian path of the default network is solved through the improved adaptive ant colony algorithm.

Functional connectivity analysis of the neural bases of emotion regulation: A comparison of independent component method with density-based k-means clustering method.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an important tool in neuroscience for assessing connectivity and interactions between distant areas of the brain. To find and characterize the coherent patterns of brain activity as a means of identifying brain systems for the cognitive reappraisal of the emotion task, both density-based k-means clustering and independent component analysis (ICA) methods can be applied to characterize the interactions between brain regions involved in cognitive reappraisal of emotion. Our results reveal that compared with the ICA method, the density-based k-means clustering method provides a higher sensitivity of polymerization.

Abnormal cerebral functional connectivity in esophageal cancer patients with theory of mind deficits in resting state.

Objective: To explore the function of the default mode network (DMN) in the psychopathological mechanisms of theory of mind deficits in patients with an esophageal cancer concomitant with depression in resting the state.

Subjects And Methods: Twenty-five cases of esophageal cancer with theory of mind deficits (test group) that meet the diagnostic criteria of esophageal cancer and neuropsychological tests, including Beck depression inventory, reading the mind in the eyes, and Faux pas, were included, Another 25 cases of esophageal cancer patients but without theory of mind deficits (control group) were enrolled. Each patient completed a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.

P2X7R suppression promotes glioma growth through epidermal growth factor receptor signal pathway.

P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) has been shown to mediate an anticancer effect via apoptosis in different types of cancer. However, whether P2X7R exerts a promoting or suppressive effect on brain glioma is still a controversial issue and its underlying mechanism remains unknown. We showed here that P2X7R suppression exerted a pro-growth effect on glioma through directly promoting cells proliferation and pro-angiogenesis, which was associated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling.