Static and dynamic connectivity structure of white-matter functional networks across the adult lifespan.

Aging of the human brain involves intricate biological processes, resulting in complex changes in structure and function. While the effects of aging on gray matter (GM) connectivity are extensively studied, white matter (WM) functional changes have received comparatively less attention. This study examines age-related WM functional dynamics using resting-state fMRI across the adult lifespan.

Associations between polygenic risk scores and accelerated brain ageing in smokers.

Background: Smoking contributes to a variety of neurodegenerative diseases and neurobiological abnormalities, suggesting that smoking is associated with accelerated brain aging. However, the neurobiological mechanisms affected by smoking, and whether they are genetically influenced, remain to be investigated.

Methods: Using structural magnetic resonance imaging data from the UK Biobank ( = 33 293), a brain age predictor was trained on non-smoking healthy groups and tested on smokers to obtain the BrainAge Gap (BAG).

Smoking is associated with lower brain volume and cognitive differences: A large population analysis based on the UK Biobank.

The evidence about the association of smoking with both brain structure and cognitive functions remains inconsistent. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging from the UK Biobank (n = 33,293), we examined the relationships between smoking status, dosage, and abstinence with total and 166 regional brain gray matter volumes (GMV). The relationships between the smoking parameters with cognitive function, and whether this relationship was mediated by brain structure, were then investigated.

Associations between smoking and accelerated brain ageing.

Smoking accelerates the ageing of multiple organs. However, few studies have quantified the association between smoking, especially smoking cessation, and brain ageing. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging data from the UK Biobank (n = 33,293), a brain age predictor was trained using a machine learning technique in the non-smoker group (n = 14,667) and then tested in the smoker group (n = 18,626) to determine the relationships between BrainAge Gap (predicted age - true age) and smoking parameters.

Aberrant global and local dynamic properties in schizophrenia with instantaneous phase method based on Hilbert transform.

Background: Emerging functional imaging studies suggest that schizophrenia is associated with aberrant spatiotemporal interaction which may result in aberrant global and local dynamic properties.

Methods: We investigated the dynamic functional connectivity (FC) by using instantaneous phase method based on Hilbert transform to detect abnormal spatiotemporal interaction in schizophrenia. Based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, two independent datasets were included, with 114 subjects from COBRE [51 schizophrenia patients (SZ) and 63 healthy controls (HCs)] and 96 from OpenfMRI (36 SZ and 60 HCs).

Abnormal hemispheric asymmetry of both brain function and structure in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analysis of individual participant data.

Aberration in the asymmetric nature of the human brain is associated with several mental disorders, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In ADHD, these aberrations are thought to reflect key hemispheric differences in the functioning of attention, although the structural and functional bases of these defects are yet to be fully characterized. In this study, we applied a comprehensive meta-analysis to multimodal imaging datasets from 627 subjects (303 typically developing control [TDCs] and 324 patients with ADHD) with both resting-state functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), from seven independent publicly available datasets of the ADHD-200 sample.

Identifying and quantifying robust risk factors for mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19 using quantile regression.

Objective: Many laboratory indicators form a skewed distribution with outliers in critically ill patients with COVID-19, for which robust methods are needed to precisely determine and quantify fatality risk factors.

Method: A total of 192 critically ill patients (142 were discharged and 50 died in the hospital) with COVID-19 were included in the sample. Quantile regression was used to determine discrepant laboratory indexes between survivors and non-survivors and quantile shift (QS) was used to quantify the difference.

Risk factors for mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19 in Huanggang, China: A single-center multivariate pattern analysis.

To date, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a worldwide distribution. Risk factors for mortality in critically ill patients, especially detailed self-evaluation indicators and laboratory-examination indicators, have not been well described. In this paper, a total of 192 critically ill patients (142 were discharged and 50 died in the hospital) with COVID-19 were included.

A multivariate pattern analysis of resting-state functional MRI data in Naïve and chronic betel quid chewers.

Betel quid (BQ) is the fourth most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world. However, comprehensive functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies exploring the neurophysiological mechanism of BQ addiction are lacking. Betel-quid-dependent (BQD) individuals (n = 24) and age-matched healthy controls (HC) (n = 26) underwent fMRI before and after chewing BQ.

Brain-Wide Functional Dysconnectivity in Schizophrenia: Parsing Diathesis, Resilience, and the Effects of Clinical Expression.

Background: The functional dysconnectivity observed from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in schizophrenia is also seen in unaffected siblings indicating its association with the genetic diathesis. We intended to apportion resting-state dysconnectivity into components that represent genetic diathesis, clinical expression or treatment effect, and resilience.

Methods: fMRI data were acquired from 28 schizophrenia patients, 28 unaffected siblings, and 60 healthy controls.

Functional, Anatomical, and Morphological Networks Highlight the Role of Basal Ganglia-Thalamus-Cortex Circuits in Schizophrenia.

Evidence from electrophysiological, functional, and structural research suggests that abnormal brain connectivity plays an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. However, most previous studies have focused on single modalities only, each of which is associated with its own limitations. Multimodal combinations can more effectively utilize various information, but previous multimodal research mostly focuses on extracting local features, rather than carrying out research based on network perspective.