Most recent paper

J Neurosci. 2025 Mar 27:e0975242025. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0975-24.2025. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Encoding new memories relies on functional connections between the medial temporal lobe and the frontoparietal cortices. Multi-scan fMRI showed changes in these functional connections before and after memory encoding, potentially influenced by the thalamus. As different thalamic nuclei are interconnected with distinct cortical networks, we hypothesized that variations in cortico-thalamic recruitment may impact individual memory performance.We used a multi-scan fMRI protocol including a resting-state scan followed by an associative memory task encompassing encoding and retrieval phases, in two independent samples of healthy adults (N1=29, mean age=26, males=35%; N2=108; mean age=28, males=52%). Individual activity and functional connectivity were analyzed in the native space to minimize registration bias. By modeling the direct and indirect effects of cortico-thalamic recruitment on memory using Structural Equation Modeling, we showed a positive association between resting-state functional connectivity of the medial thalamic subdivision within the frontoparietal network and memory performance across samples (effect size R2 ranging between 0.27 and 0.36; p-values between 0.01 and 4e-05). This direct relationship was mediated by decreased activation of the anterior subdivision during encoding (R2 ranging between 0.04 and 0.2; p-values between 0.05 and 0.006) and by increased activation of the medial subdivision during retrieval (R2 ranging between 0.04 and 0.2; p-values between 0.05 and 0.004). Moreover, three distinct clusters of individuals displayed different cortico-thalamic patterns across memory phases.We suggest that associative memory encoding relies on the distinct cortico-thalamic pathways involving medial thalamic recruitment and suppression of anterior subdivision to support the successful encoding of new memories.Significance statement Every person is unique in their learning process and related brain functional organization. Prior research has mainly aimed to find shared patterns in how the brain responds to external stimuli, often overlooking individual behavioral differences. We hypothesized that individuals may recruit different neural resources supporting their learning abilities. We investigated whether specific brain configurations are beneficial to individual memory performance. We found that the baseline configuration of select cortico-thalamic networks involving the medial thalamic subdivision supports memory performance via the indirect effects of the anterior thalamic subdivision deactivation and medial activation during the memory task. We propose that cortico-thalamic functioning involving the anterior and medial thalamus underlies interindividual variability in associative memory encoding.

PMID:40147936 | DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0975-24.2025

Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2025 Mar 9;349:111973. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2025.111973. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a risk factor for female depression, linked to neural circuit dysfunction. This study investigates PMS-related brain network patterns, focusing on the triple network's integration and segregation.

MATERIALS & METHODS: The study enrolled 56 PMS patients and 67 healthy controls (HCs), assessed via the Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP). Functional MRI (fMRI) was analyzed using independent component analysis (ICA) to calculate functional connectivity (FC) and functional network connectivity (FNC) within and between brain networks. Correlation analysis examined links between imaging metrics and DRSP scores.

RESULTS: Compared with HCs, PMS patients showed increased FC in the left inferior frontal gyrus of the salience network (SN). Additionally, there was increased FNC between the dorsal default mode network (dDMN), while a decrease was observed between the right execution network (RECN) and SN. Conversely, the FNC between RECN and dDMN was enhanced. Significant correlations were found between the FC values within the SN and DRSP scores. Similarly, the abnormal FNC pattern also correlated significantly with DRSP scores.

CONCLUSION: Triple-network dysconnectivity may serve as a biomarker for PMS, offering insights into its pathophysiology and potential targets for network-based neuromodulation therapies.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Identifying network dysconnectivities in PMS offers potential biomarkers for diagnosis and targets for neuromodulation therapy, ultimately improving symptom management and patient outcomes.

PMID:40147104 | DOI:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2025.111973

Appl Neuropsychol Adult. 2025 Mar 27:1-18. doi: 10.1080/23279095.2025.2470415. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Elucidating the mechanisms of successful word retrieval by anomia therapy could improve our knowledge about language processing and also help design effective treatments. The two main subcomponents of resting-state networks related to language processing are the default mode network (DMN) and the language network (LN). To study how changes in brain activation occur due to anomia therapy, we investigated pre-and-post changes in the DMN and LN activation nodes in a deficit-based treatment of 15 persons with aphasia (PWAs). In this method, seven participants (mean age 46.71 ± 8.99) with predominant semantic type errors received the semantic feature analysis (SFA) treatment approach, and 8 participants (mean age 46.5 ± 10.47) with mostly phonological type errors were treated with phonological components analysis (PCA) intervention. Both treatments improved word retrieval and had generalization effects on the language function. Increased activation in frontoparietal areas was observed after PCA therapy, while naming improvement after SFA was associated with increased activation in frontotemporal areas. These findings show that focusing on the impaired level of word retrieval processing may also be associated with changes in activation in brain areas related to that impaired level. Future studies could investigate the DMN and LN networks of the resting state-functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to understand the mechanisms involved in aphasia therapy.

PMID:40145234 | DOI:10.1080/23279095.2025.2470415

Front Neurosci. 2025 Mar 12;19:1543206. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1543206. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: In this study we develop undersampled echo-volumar imaging (EVI) using multi-band/simultaneous multi-slab encoding in conjunction with multi-shot slab-segmentation to accelerate 3D encoding and to reduce the duration of EVI encoding within slabs. This approach combines the sampling efficiency of single-shot 3D encoding with the sensitivity advantage of multi-echo acquisition. We describe the pulse sequence development and characterize the spatial-temporal resolution limits and BOLD sensitivity of this approach for high-speed task-based and resting-state fMRI at 3 T. We study the feasibility of further acceleration using compressed sensing (CS) and assess compatibility with NORDIC denoising.

METHODS: Multi-band echo volumar imaging (MB-EVI) combines multi-band encoding of up to 6 slabs with CAIPI shifting, accelerated EVI encoding within slabs using up to 4-fold GRAPPA accelerations, 2-shot kz-segmentation and partial Fourier acquisitions along the two phase-encoding dimensions. Task-based and resting-state fMRI at 3 Tesla was performed across a range of voxel sizes (between 1 and 3 mm isotropic), repetition times (118-650 ms), and number of slabs (up to 12). MB-EVI was compared with multi-slab EVI (MS-EVI) and multi-band-EPI (MB-EPI).

RESULTS: Image quality and temporal SNR of MB-EVI was comparable to MS-EVI when using 2-3 mm spatial resolution. High sensitivity for mapping task-based activation and resting-state connectivity at short TR was measured. Online deconvolution of T2* signal decay markedly reduced spatial blurring and improved image contrast. The high temporal resolution of MB-EVI enabled sensitive mapping of high-frequency resting-state connectivity above 0.3 Hz with 3 mm isotropic voxel size (TR: 163 ms). Detection of task-based activation with 1 mm isotropic voxel size was feasible in scan times as short as 1 min 13 s. Compressed sensing with up to 2.4-fold retrospective undersampling showed negligible loss in image quality and moderate region-specific losses in BOLD sensitivity. NORDIC denoising significantly enhanced fMRI sensitivity without introducing image blurring.

CONCLUSION: Combining MS-EVI with multi-band encoding enables high overall acceleration factors and provides flexibility for maximizing spatial-temporal resolution and volume coverage. The high BOLD sensitivity of this hybrid MB-EVI approach and its compatibility with online image reconstruction enables high spatial-temporal resolution real-time task-based and resting state fMRI.

PMID:40143844 | PMC:PMC11936983 | DOI:10.3389/fnins.2025.1543206

Transl Psychiatry. 2025 Mar 26;15(1):96. doi: 10.1038/s41398-025-03327-1.

ABSTRACT

The relationship between brain asymmetry and inattention, and their heritability is not well understood. Utilizing advanced neuroimaging, we examined brain asymmetry with data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD; n = 8943; 9-10 y) and the Human Connectome Project (HCP) cohorts (n = 1033; 5-100 y). Data-driven metrics from resting-state fMRI and morphometrics revealed reproducible and stable brain asymmetry patterns across the lifespan. In children, high levels of inattention were highly heritable (61%) and linked to reduced leftward asymmetry of functional connectivity in the dorsal posterior superior temporal sulcus (dpSTS), a region interconnected with a left-lateralized language network. However, reduced dpSTS asymmetry had low heritability (16%) and was associated with lower cognitive performance suggesting that non-genetic factors, such as those mediating cognitive performance, might underlie its association with dpSTS asymmetry. Interventions that enhance cognition might help optimize brain function and reduce inattention.

PMID:40140344 | DOI:10.1038/s41398-025-03327-1