Neuromodulation of the inferior thalamic peduncle is a new surgical treatment for major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The inferior thalamic peduncle is a bundle of fibers connecting the orbito-frontal cortex with the non-specific thalamic system in a small area behind the fornix and anterior to the polar reticular thalamic nucleus. Electrical stimulation elicits characteristic frontal cortical responses (recruiting responses and direct current (DC)-shift) that confirm correct localization of this anatomical structure. A female with depression for 23 years and a male with obsessive-compulsive disorder for 9 years had stereotactic implantation of electrodes in the inferior thalamic peduncle and were evaluated over a long-term period. Initial OFF stimulation period (1 month) showed no consistent changes in the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D), Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), or Global Assessment of Functioning scale (GAF). The ON stimulation period (3-5 V, 130-Hz frequency, 450-msec pulse width in a continuous program) showed significant decrease in depression, obsession, and compulsion symptoms. GAF improved significantly in both cases. The neuropsychological tests battery showed no significant changes except from a reduction in the perseverative response of the obsessive-compulsive patient and better performance in manual praxias of the female depressive patient. Moderate increase in weight (5 kg on average) was observed in both cases.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-211-33081-4_44 | DOI Listing |
Neuroscience
January 2025
Barrow Neuroimaging Innovation Center, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA. Electronic address:
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by motor symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a non-invasive means to study PD and its progression. This study utilized the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of parkinsonism to assess whether white matter microstructural integrity measured using advanced free-water diffusion tensor imaging metrics (fw-DTI) and gray matter density using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) can serve as imaging biomarkers of pathological changes following nigrostriatal denervation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpilepsia
January 2025
Texas Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
Objective: The pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus has extensive cortical connections with the temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the pulvinar nucleus, therefore, carries the potential for therapeutic benefit in patients with drug-resistant posterior quadrant epilepsy (PQE) and neocortical temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Here, we present a single-center experience of patients managed via bilateral DBS of the pulvinar nucleus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Psychol
January 2025
De(p)artment of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 10610, Taiwan; Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 10610, Taiwan; Chinese Language and Technology Center, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 10610, Taiwan; Social Emotional Education and Development Center, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 10610, Taiwan. Electronic address:
Research on how functional connectivity (FC) during resting-state relates to humor styles and sex is limited. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by analyzing resting-state fMRI data from 56 healthy participants and measuring FC. In addition, participants completed the Humor Styles Questionnaire.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Affect Disord
January 2025
Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China; School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei 230032, China; Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230088, China.
Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are two of the leading causes of impairment to human mental health. These two psychiatric disorders overlap in many symptoms and neurobiological features thus difficult to distinguish in some cases.
Methods: We enrolled 102 participants, comprising 40 patients with MDD, 32 patients with GAD and 30 matched healthy controls (HCs), to undergo multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
Neuroimage
January 2025
Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Electronic address:
Previous research has revealed that the insula, pallidum, thalamus, hippocampus, middle frontal gyrus, and supplementary motor area are activated during odor memory and that the performance of olfactory working memory is affected by the verbalization of odors. However, the neural mechanisms underlying olfactory working memory and the role of verbalization in olfactory working memory are not fully understood. Twenty-nine participants were enrolled in a study to complete olfactory and visual n-back tasks using high- and low-verbalizability stimuli while undergoing fMRI imaging.
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