Most recent paper

medRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Jan 15:2026.01.13.26344039. doi: 10.64898/2026.01.13.26344039.

ABSTRACT

Sleep problems and sensory over-responsivity (SOR) are common, co-occurring, and early-emerging features of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Yet, the early neural mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. Here, we used resting-state fMRI data from the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) to examine how brain connectivity at 6 months may relate to parent-reported measures of sleep-onset problems and SOR in infants at varying familial likelihood for ASD. The right anterior insula was used in seed-based analyses to investigate Salience Network (SN) connectivity to cortical and cerebellar regions of interest previously implicated in sleep disruption, sensory processing challenges, and ASD. Infants at high (HL) and low (LL) likelihood for ASD displayed divergent patterns of SN connectivity with sensorimotor cortex, as well as cerebellar regions involved in sensorimotor processing and higher-order functions. Furthermore, stronger SN connectivity with sensorimotor cortices and cerebellar regions was associated with worse sleep-onset problems and SOR in HL infants. In contrast, stronger SN-cerebellar connectivity was related to fewer sleep-onset problems and SOR in LL infants. Our findings indicate that altered SN connectivity may result in over-attribution of attention to sensory stimuli and highlight aberrant sensory prediction learning, which may underlie worse sleep problems and higher SOR in HL infants.

PMID:41646728 | PMC:PMC12870681 | DOI:10.64898/2026.01.13.26344039

medRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Jan 30:2026.01.28.26345061. doi: 10.64898/2026.01.28.26345061.

ABSTRACT

Exposure is considered the most active element of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for pediatric anxiety, and its efficacy is theorized to depend on cognitive control and its supporting neural substrates (e.g., central executive [CEN], salience [SN], and default mode networks [DMN]). However, little work has identified how CBT, or exposure specifically, modulates intrinsic connectivity of these networks. Progress may be limited by heterogeneity in network connectivity in anxiety, which may obscure treatment-related effects in group-averaged analyses. This randomized clinical trial (RCT) leverages person-specific network modeling to test how exposure-focused CBT (EF-CBT) influences resting-state connectivity of cognitive control networks in pediatric anxiety, relative to an active control (relaxation mentorship training; RMT). Youth aged 7-18 years with an anxiety disorder (N = 104) or low/no anxiety (L/NA; N = 37) completed resting-state fMRI scans before being randomized to EF-CBT or RMT. Resting-state connectivity was reassessed following treatment (or commensurate time L/NA youth) in 113 participants. Changes in within-CEN, CEN-SN, and CEN-DMN density were examined using Group Iterative Multiple Model Estimation, which yields sparse, person-specific networks capturing both shared and individual connectivity structure. At baseline, anxious youth exhibited lower density within-CEN, between CEN-SN, and between CEN-DMN than L/NA youth. Treatment effects differed by intervention: EF-CBT selectively increased (i.e., normalized) CEN-SN density, whereas RMT increased within-CEN density. These findings demonstrate dissociable effects of exposure and relaxation on cognitive control network organization in pediatric anxiety. Exposure-focused CBT uniquely strengthens coordination between control and salience systems, consistent with a mechanism supporting top-down control of threat-related signals during exposure. Network-based measures of cognitive control may help identify mechanistic targets for optimizing and personalizing treatment.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT02810171.

PMID:41646716 | PMC:PMC12870638 | DOI:10.64898/2026.01.28.26345061

medRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Jan 13:2026.01.10.26343837. doi: 10.64898/2026.01.10.26343837.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Auditory hallucinations are among the most disabling symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) and are linked to aberrant signaling within deep-striatal circuits, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and caudate head (CH). However, causal tests of striatal involvement have been limited by the inaccessibility of these structures using noninvasive neuromodulatory techniques. Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) provides millimeter-scale precision capable of modulating deep-brain circuits, but its feasibility and impact on hallucinations in SZ remain unknown.

METHODS: SZ participated in a within-subject cross-over feasibility trial including two active LIFU sessions (NAc, CH) and one sham control (unfocused sonication), spaced one-week apart. Resting-state fMRI and hallucination symptoms were acquired at baseline and immediately post-sonication.

RESULTS: LIFU was delivered safely and well-tolerated in all patients. Acoustic simulations show consistent engagement of both striatal targets across subjects. Clinically, SZ demonstrated significant reductions in hallucination severity following active LIFU to NAc and CH, relative to baseline. Mechanistically, SZ exhibited abnormally high striatal-superior temporal cortex (STC) connectivity at baseline. Immediately after sonication, active LIFU to NAc and CH produced robust reductions in striatal-STC coupling in SZ.

CONCLUSIONS: This first-in-human study demonstrates that deep striatal LIFU is safe, feasible, and produces functional-connectivity changes accompanied by hallucination severity reductions in SZ. The convergence of symptom improvement with reduced striatal-STC coupling provides mechanistic proof-of-concept evidence that this circuit provides a promising biomarker and therapeutic LIFU target in psychosis and motivates larger sham-controlled trials to test the causal role of striatal circuitry in hallucination generation in SZ.

PMID:41646697 | PMC:PMC12870488 | DOI:10.64898/2026.01.10.26343837

Childs Nerv Syst. 2026 Feb 5;42(1):61. doi: 10.1007/s00381-026-07150-x.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Accurate localization and lateralization of language areas are essential in the preoperative evaluation of children with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) to minimize postoperative neurological deficits. Traditional invasive methods such as the Wada test and electrocortical stimulation remain gold standards but present significant limitations, especially in pediatric populations. Noninvasive techniques leveraging blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal fluctuations, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), offer interesting and convenient alternatives, but clinical evidence is limited. This narrative review aims to synthesize current knowledge on noninvasive BOLD-based imaging techniques, specifically task-based and resting-state fMRI and fNIRS, for language mapping in children with epilepsy.

METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, focusing on studies employing fMRI and fNIRS for language mapping in pediatric epilepsy and cross-referencing. Special consideration was given to higher-impact studies, frequently cited publications, and works by leading experts in the field.

RESULTS: Task-based fMRI remains the clinical standard for language mapping but is frequently compromised by poor task compliance in children. Resting-state fMRI provides a task-free alternative with high sensitivity but often yields broader, bilateral networks that complicate precise lateralization. fNIRS offers a portable and child-friendly option with excellent tolerability but is limited by its spatial resolution and depth penetration. Further standardization of the various data-processing methods used for these modalities is required.

CONCLUSION: BOLD-based noninvasive imaging techniques represent promising advancements in the preoperative evaluation of pediatric epilepsy surgery candidates. Future multicenter studies and the development of pediatric-specific tools are essential to establish standardized clinical use.

PMID:41644798 | DOI:10.1007/s00381-026-07150-x

Sci Rep. 2026 Feb 5. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-38807-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is associated with an increased risk. This study investigates associations between cognitive decline, resting-state networks (RSNs), and biochemical indicators in ESRD patients pre-/post-hemodialysis. 20 hemodialysis (HD) patients and 22 healthy controls underwent resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) and neuropsychological assessments. Resting-state networks (RSNs) were extracted via independent component analysis (ICA), with functional connectivity strength compared between pre-/post-HD patients and controls. Correlations between connectivity strength and biochemical indicators were analyzed. Compared to HCs, the post-HD group exhibited significantly decreased FC between the auditory-somatomotor network (t = - 5.120, P < 0.001) and the visual-somatomotor network (t = - 4.199, P < 0.001). In contrast, FC between the default mode and dorsal attention networks was significantly increased (t = 2.908, P = 0.006). While serum electrolytes and iron metabolism markers remained stable post-HD (all P > 0.05), phosphorus levels decreased (P = 0.046), with significant improvements in renal function: eGFR increased from 4.560 ± 1.650 to 16.980 ± 6.428 mL/min, urea, creatinine, and PTH levels decreased (all P < 0.001). Elevated baseline chloride levels were associated with reduced post-HD attention network connectivity (r = -0.758, P < 0.001), while cognitive improvement correlated inversely with baseline connectivity (r = -0.619, P = 0.004) and positively with connectivity plasticity (r = 0.513, P = 0.021). Immediate post-HD changes in resting-state network connectivity were associated with biochemical status and cognitive performance, suggesting potential neural substrates of cognitive dysfunction in ESRD.

PMID:41644743 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-026-38807-x

Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2026 Jan 30;358:112156. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2026.112156. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Functional connectivity (FC) has been used to identify brain disorders. The present study aimed to identify brain disorders by FC across multiple timescales.

METHODS: We first segmented the resting-state fMRI signals to construct multiple timescale functional connectivity (mFC) between brain regions. Next, we developed a deep multiple instance learning (MIL) approach, namely the Two-stage Multi-stream Network (TMN), to capture spatio-temporal patterns from the mFC. We evaluated the TMN in the ABIDE I dataset and the REST-Meta-MDD dataset. Furthermore, we proposed using the inputXgrad to explain the important features in the model.

RESULTS: We achieved the best performance using the TMN model with mFC. Our findings indicated that mFC outperformed both static FC and the combination of static and dynamic FC in identification tasks. The model's explanation revealed that FC across all timescales contributed to the identification of brain disorders and highlighted the important FC that are strongly associated with these conditions.

LIMITATIONS: The techniques used for data preprocessing can influence the model's performance, and this study requires further validation with a larger patient cohort and a broader range of brain disorders.

CONCLUSIONS: The experimental results demonstrate that brain disorders can be effectively identified using the proposed TMN with mFC.

PMID:41643285 | DOI:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2026.112156

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026 Feb 10;123(6):e2526799123. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2526799123. Epub 2026 Feb 5.

ABSTRACT

Deficits in dopamine function cause alterations in episodic memory. Converging evidence implicates dopamine in postencoding hippocampal mechanisms inferred to support long-term memory, though there is a lack of direct evidence in humans. We address this gap using pharmacological functional MRI (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). Using a motivated reward encoding task on and off oral methylphenidate, we tested whether individual differences in baseline dopamine ([11C]raclopride PET D2/3 receptor density) relate to drug-induced changes in hippocampal postencoding processes. Our study focused on healthy older adults, who are among those most vulnerable to memory decline and may benefit from pharmacologically enhancing dopamine. We found that methylphenidate administration was associated with improved memory performance relative to placebo for both high and low reward conditions. Older adults with high receptor density showed greater persistence of hippocampal multivoxel patterns into postencoding rest and stronger hippocampus-midbrain resting-state connectivity following encoding while on methylphenidate. These findings support the view that enhanced dopaminergic tone, verified through PET, directly modulates hippocampal postencoding dynamics in humans. Substantial variation in neurobiological effects was associated with individual differences in baseline dopamine function as older adults with high dopamine receptor density profiles showed preferential benefit of drug on hippocampal function, though these insights are qualified by null associations between memory performance and postencoding hippocampal activity. Individuals with lower dopamine receptor profiles showed preferential benefit of reward incentives suggesting altered sensitivity to extrinsic motivational factors depending on endogenous dopamine function.

PMID:41642987 | DOI:10.1073/pnas.2526799123

Hum Brain Mapp. 2026 Feb 1;47(2):e70465. doi: 10.1002/hbm.70465.

ABSTRACT

Non-primary motor areas, including dorsal premotor cortex (PMd), ventral premotor cortex (PMv), and posterior parietal cortex (PPC), contribute to movement planning, but how these regions differentially shape kinematic features of goal-directed movements, and how this specialization is associated with functional connectivity within the frontoparietal network, remains of interest, particularly in relation to recovery after stroke. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and kinematic assessments to explore how these areas influence reaching performance in neurologically intact adults. Participants performed a goal-directed planar reaching task using the KINARM exoskeleton robot. Brief TMS pulse trains were initiated before movement onset to perturb cortical activity at subthreshold and suprathreshold intensities targeting bilateral PMd, PMv, and dorsomedial superior parietal lobule (SPL) within PPC. Resting-state fMRI quantified functional connectivity among these regions to assess whether connectivity explains stimulation-induced kinematic changes. Relative to the control target within the postcentral sulcus (PCS), subthreshold stimulation of contralateral PMd and PMv reduced reach efficiency and smoothness, while suprathreshold stimulation of contralateral PPC increased deviation error and reduced smoothness. Among ipsilateral targets, PMd showed consistent TMS-induced effects, and was the only target where resting-state connectivity predicted behavioral response. Stronger interhemispheric connectivity in the primary motor cortex and weaker interhemispheric PPC connectivity were associated with greater reductions in straightness and smoothness during subthreshold ipsilateral PMd stimulation. We found that perturbation of premotor and parietal targets led to distinct kinematic effects that varied by site, intensity, and laterality, with premotor stimulation showing the most consistent disruptions at subthreshold intensity and bilateral effects, whereas parietal effects were observed primarily for contralateral stimulation at suprathreshold intensity, and differences in network organization explain variability in behavioral response. Identifying contributions of cortical areas and connectivity patterns may help personalize interventions after stroke. Trial Registration: This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under ID NCT04286516.

PMID:41641924 | DOI:10.1002/hbm.70465

Chin Med J (Engl). 2026 Feb 5. doi: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000004040. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Visual input supports locomotion through sensorimotor integration. However, the neural mechanisms underlying how the brain adapts to degraded vision are not well understood. This study investigated the effects of visual occlusion on interactions between regions within the sensorimotor network.

METHODS: Twelve healthy young adults (8 males, 4 females; mean age 24.0 ±2.1 years) were recruited from the Department of Ophthalmology at Peking University Third Hospital between December 2024 and September 2025. Pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials were recorded under both normal vision and visual occlusion condition (Snellen 20/60 acuity). We acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data to calculate the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) focused on visuomotor integration regions. A one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted with three within-subject conditions: seated rest, level walking with normal vision, and level walking with visual occlusion.

RESULTS: Stimuli consisted of checkerboard patterns with large (1°) and small (15') checks. Under 1° visual stimulation, visual occlusion prolonged binocular P100 latency (117.00 ± 8.55 ms vs. 111.81 ± 5.12 ms; 116.78 ± 9.79 ms vs. 110.96 ± 4.28 ms; all P <0.05) and reduced N75-P100 amplitude (5.798 ± 2.372 μV vs. 8.613 ± 3.949 μV; 6.230 ± 2.459 μV vs. 7.453 ± 2.692 μV, all P <0.05). For 15' stimulation, occlusion decreased both binocular N75-P100 (5.935 ± 3.500 μV vs. 10.794 ± 5.249 μV; 3.991 ± 1.585 μV vs. 10.361 ± 3.143 μV, all P <0.001) and P100-N135 amplitudes (6.218 ± 3.516 μV vs. 12.499 ± 4.236 μV; 4.427 ± 2.218 μV vs. 10.767 ± 4.904 μV, all P <0.001). Rs-fMRI analysis showed reduced ALFF in the right paracentral lobule after walking (peak Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) coordinates: 3, -39, 66; P <0.001, F = 14.009). Walking activated multiple visuomotor pathways (all P <0.001), including the bilateral calcarine and middle temporal gyri, the right calcarine and middle frontal gyri, the bilateral supplementary motor area and right cuneus, and the bilateral precentral gyrus and right cerebellar lobule VI. The visual occlusion strengthened FC between the right precentral and the right middle frontal gyri (peak MNI: 27, 57, 27; F = 16.456, P <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Basic visuomotor pathways demonstrate consistent activation to maintain locomotion. Increased functional connectivity between the right precentral and middle frontal gyri serves as a compensatory mechanism for reduced visual input.

PMID:41641583 | DOI:10.1097/CM9.0000000000004040

Front Neurol. 2026 Jan 20;17:1688307. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2026.1688307. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate electroacupuncture (EA)-induced reorganization of voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) and its association with motor recovery in a rat model of ischemic stroke.

METHODS: Twenty-four female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into Sham group, stroke model group and EA group. The EA group received 1-week treatment (2/15 Hz sparse-dense wave, 2 mA, 30 min/day) at GV20. Neurological deficits were assessed using the modified neurological severity score. And resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was acquired pre-post-intervention for VMHC analysis. Group differences and VMHC-behavior correlations were evaluated.

RESULTS: EA significantly increased VMHC in subcortical motor regions (p = 0.001, alphasim correction) but decreased VMHC in somatosensory cortex versus untreated stroke. Model group showed progressive VMHC reductions in hippocampus, hypothalamus, and somatosensory cortex. Enhanced internal capsule VMHC correlated with improved Longa scores in EA rats (r 2 = 0.206, p = 0.009).

CONCLUSION: EA promotes motor recovery through frequency-specific bidirectional VMHC modulation. This study elucidates EA's inter-hemispheric connectivity level therapeutic mechanism for stroke rehabilitation.

PMID:41641330 | PMC:PMC12864109 | DOI:10.3389/fneur.2026.1688307

Sci Data. 2026 Feb 4. doi: 10.1038/s41597-026-06734-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

We present a new dataset consisting of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) collected from 39 healthy adults in their twenties to forties while performing cognitive tasks (visual oddball and N-back tasks) in addition to resting state. These tasks took place both inside and outside an MR scanner (i.e., simultaneous EEG-fMRI and EEG-only, respectively), enabling direct comparisons across the different recording environments. Moreover, a subset of the participants was in two different MRI scanners, allowing for traveling-subject analyses. In both scanners, we used EEG caps equipped with carbon wire loops to measure motion and ballistocardiogram artifacts for their subsequent removal from raw EEG signals, resulting in a dataset of superior quality compared to previous studies. All the raw data are publicly available for facilitating multimodal neuroimaging research.

PMID:41639123 | DOI:10.1038/s41597-026-06734-1

Neuroimage. 2026 Feb 2:121772. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121772. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is not only associated with those peripheral neuromuscular impairments but also with the functional changes in the supraspinal regions. Nevertheless, the characteristics of the cortical elements in CAI remain poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the dynamics of resting-state BOLD and ankle-related functional performance in recreational athletes with CAI, as well as explore the associations between neural fluctuations and ankle functional performance.

METHODS: This cross-sectional design study recruited 82 participants, comprising 41 active recreational athletes with CAI (CAI group) and 41 active recreational athletes without CAI (Control group). Data on joint position sense, one-leg standing balance, and resting-state fMRI were collected from both groups. A two-sample t-test was used to determine the difference in amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), fractional ALFF (fALFF), and regional homogeneity (ReHo) between the two groups. Linear regression analysis evaluated the associations between functional performance and dynamics of resting-state BOLD in the two groups.

RESULTS: Compared with control group, athletes with CAI had lower ALFF values in the bilateral supplementary motor area and reduced ReHo values in the right precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus, while higher ALFF and ReHo values in the right cerebellum. Moreover, athletes with CAI had lower fALFF values in the left superior frontal gyrus and the right superior frontal gyrus than controls. The sway velocities of center of pressure in the one-leg standing with eyes closed condition were negatively associated with ALFF and ReHo values in the right cerebellum cluster.

CONCLUSIONS: Athletes with severely right-sided CAI had different neural fluctuations compared with controls. Elevated ALFF and ReHo values in the right cerebellum cluster were associated with balance control, suggesting that high ipsilateral cerebellar activity and homogeneity may compensate for balance control in athletes with CAI.

PMID:41638415 | DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121772

Neuroimage. 2026 Feb 2:121769. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121769. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Sleep deprivation (SD) significantly impacts brain function, particularly through disruption of the glymphatic system, an essential mechanism for cerebral metabolic waste clearance dependent on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics. Recent advances link CSF flow to global brain activity, measurable via global blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (gBOLD) signals. However, how gBOLD-CSF coupling changes during prolonged wakefulness remains unclear. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), we investigated how 36-hour sleep deprivation affects gBOLD-CSF coupling in healthy participants. We observed a significant transient increase in gBOLD-CSF coupling strength as sleep deprivation progressed, peaking after approximately 30 hours of wakefulness. Importantly, changes in coupling strength correlated quantitatively with heightened subjective sleep pressure but not with vigilance performance. Furthermore, SD induced a temporary phase shift in CSF signal timing relative to gBOLD, indicating disrupted temporal coordination. These results suggest that SD triggers both a transient enhancement and a temporal instability in neuro-fluid coupling, reflecting a biphasic modulation of brain-CSF coupling linked to glymphatic-related dynamics. Our findings reveal novel compensatory adjustments within the glymphatic system during prolonged wakefulness, advancing our understanding of the physiological underpinnings linking sleep loss, metabolic clearance, and brain function, with potential implications for cognitive health and neurodegenerative disease risk.

PMID:41638414 | DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121769

Brain Lang. 2026 Feb 3;275:105720. doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2026.105720. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Speech disorders are highly prevalent among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Although insights into the neural substrates of these disorders have been achieved since the introduction of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the evidence has never been analyzed altogether. This review aims to summarize and discuss the findings from the two most common approaches of fMRI: task-based and resting-state. We grouped the evidence into four statements: (i) speech disorders in patients with PD are linked with functional changes in the speech production network (SPN), (ii) PD alters the SPN even before the onset of speech disorders, (iii) levodopa have a discrete effect on the SPN functioning, and (iv) speech therapy in patients with PD can induce changes on the activity of the SPN. Limitations of current evidence and future directions in the field are also discussed.

PMID:41638063 | DOI:10.1016/j.bandl.2026.105720

Neurobiol Aging. 2026 Feb 1;161:64-72. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2026.01.008. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology disrupts functional brain connectivity long before symptoms emerge. African Americans face elevated AD risk, yet underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Genetic risk differs by ancestry: APOE-ε4 strongly predicts late-onset AD in European ancestry, whereas ABCA7 rs115550680 confers substantial risk in African ancestry. Yet, how these variants influence neural function in African Americans is unclear. The medial temporal lobe (MTL) is an early target of AD pathology and resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI) measures of dynamic network connectivity (hereafter "flexibility"), the brain's capacity to dynamically reconfigure connectivity, provide a sensitive metric of network adaptability, potentially preceding structural decline. However, comparative influence of APOE-ε4 and ABCA7 rs115550680 on MTL flexibility and subregional volumes in this population is unknown. 146 older African Americans (MeanAge=69.71 MeanSD=6.29) were genotyped for APOE-ε4 and ABCA7 rs115550680 via saliva samples. Rs-fMRI was used to calculate MTL flexibility and T1-weighted MRI quantified MTL subregional volumes. ANCOVAs controlled for age, sex, and education, and APOE-ε4 when ABCA7 rs115550680 was the predictor. ABCA7 rs115550680 risk allele carriers exhibited lower MTL flexibility than non-carriers (p = .042) and APOE-ε4 allele carriers (p = .030). They also showed hypertrophy in left anterior hippocampus (p = .049), bilateral entorhinal cortex (ERC) (right p = .048; left p = .020) compared to non-carriers, and greater left ERC volume than APOE-ε4 allele carriers (p = .027). APOE-ε4 or interaction effects were not significant (p > .05). These findings provide preliminary evidence that ABCA7 rs115550680 risk allele, but not APOE-ε4 allele, is linked to reduced MTL flexibility and subregional hypertrophy in older African Americans, suggesting ancestry-specific mechanisms of early AD risk.

PMID:41637763 | DOI:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2026.01.008

CNS Neurosci Ther. 2026 Feb;32(2):e70736. doi: 10.1002/cns.70736.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Neuroimaging studies frequently report aberrant spontaneous brain activity and functional connectivity within core functional networks, including the default mode network (DMN), frontoparietal network (FPN), and salience network (SN) in subclinical depression (SD). However, the dynamic coordination among these networks remains poorly understood, impeding comprehensive elucidation of the underlying neuropathology of SD.

METHODS: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected from subjects with SD (n = 26) and healthy controls (HCs, n = 33). A preclustering-based co-activation pattern method was developed to investigate the dynamic patterns of network coordination. Finally, machine learning analysis was conducted to evaluate the potential of network dynamics for clinical diagnosis.

RESULTS: Subjects with SD exhibited decreased dwell time in the SN and increased transition frequency from the SN to DMN, which was positively correlated with depressive severity. Furthermore, an ensemble learning model based on SN-DMN dynamic features achieved a classification accuracy of 96.44% in distinguishing SD from HC.

CONCLUSION: These findings underscore the potential of altered SN-DMN dynamics as candidates for future neuroimaging markers of SD and support a neurocognitive model whereby altered SN-DMN dynamic coordination makes subjects with SD more prone to internal directed attention biases, thereby contributing to self-related depressive symptoms like rumination.

PMID:41636698 | DOI:10.1002/cns.70736

Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2026 Feb 4. doi: 10.1111/pcn.70035. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To investigate abnormal patterns of intrinsic neural timescales (INT) in first-episode schizophrenia across different ages of onset, with a focus on differences in neural temporal-dynamic characteristics between early-onset and adult-onset patients.

METHODS: We collected resting-state fMRI data from 231 first-episode schizophrenia patients (early-onset, n = 122; adult-onset, n = 109) and 153 healthy controls (younger controls, n = 61; older controls, n = 92). INT was computed from the autocorrelation function of the fMRI signal. A two-way ANOVA tested the Diagnosis × Age-of-onset interaction. Further analyses included between-group comparisons, correlation analyses, and imaging transcriptomic analysis.

RESULTS: Fourteen region of interests (ROIs) showed significant interaction effects (P < 0.05/264), predominantly located within the default mode network (DMN, 9 ROIs), with additional involvement of sensorimotor, frontoparietal, memory retrieval, and dorsal attention networks. Group comparisons indicated that early-onset patients exhibited more widespread INT reductions across multiple regions relative to age-matched controls, whereas INT abnormalities in adult-onset patients were more restricted and primarily centered on the DMN. Interaction effects on INT were possibly associated with gene enrichment related to chemical synaptic transmission, glutamatergic signaling, and calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase activity.

CONCLUSION: INT abnormalities in first-episode schizophrenia are dependent on age of onset: the early-onset subtype shows widespread shortening of timescales across multiple brain networks, suggesting broad neurodevelopmental compromise, whereas the adult-onset subtype exhibits more focal abnormalities centered on the DMN. These findings suggested that INT may serve as a potential neuroimaging biomarker for distinguishing onset-age subtypes, aiding precise stratification and mechanistic studies of schizophrenia.

PMID:41636398 | DOI:10.1111/pcn.70035

Nat Commun. 2026 Feb 3. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-67398-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Human cognitive processing involves dynamic interactions across brain regions, evolving over time. Traditional neuroimaging analysis often overlooks this temporal aspect, limiting insights into how functional network connectivity (FNC) supports ongoing cognition and behaviour. Using sliding window analysis, we captured FNC changes during tasks, reflecting network reconfiguration in cognitive processes. We further determined behavioural relevance of time-varying FNC by relating network measurements with task performances and psychopathology. We found that several whole-brain FNC patterns, or states, persist across resting and task-based fMRI, with state occurrences fluctuating with the most prominent task stimuli. Regional FNC distinguishes specific task conditions, and time-varying FNC explains more variance in psychopathology symptoms compared to static connectivity. These findings highlight that cognitive tasks reshape regional and whole-brain connectivity. By considering the different FNC states, time-varying connectivity provides a more comprehensive representation of brain interactions and thus may represent a better neural proxy for cognition and behaviour.

PMID:41633990 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-67398-w

Brain Res Bull. 2026 Feb 1:111750. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2026.111750. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research is to utilize resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), combined with sliding-window and cluster analysis methods. To identify alterations in functional connectivity (FC) patterns in patients with Parkinson's disease who exhibit olfactory dysfunction prior to the onset of motor symptoms, compared to healthy individuals.This method is intended to improve capabilities for the early detection of PD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited fifteen individuals from three distinct groups: PD patients with no or mild olfactory dysfunction (PD-N/MH), those with severe olfactory dysfunction, and healthy controls (HC). We gathered and analyzed resting-state fMRI data to examine dynamic FC across these groups, subsequently conducting a thorough statistical evaluation.

RESULTS: Our cluster analysis identified two unique states of brain network connections across the groups. Notably, the subgroup with PD exhibited a more frequent occurrence and extended duration in state 1, along with reduced state transitions. Notably, the severity of olfactory dysfunction was significantly correlated with increased durations and frequencies in state 1 (P ＜0.05).

CONCLUSION: These observations underscore the significant relationship between state 1 connectivity patterns and olfactory impairment in PD patients. The discovery that PD patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) "linger" in the sparsely connected state 1 provides a dynamic functional correlate of the progressive pathology that initially affects olfaction. Dynamic functional connectivity analysis successfully distinguished PD patients from healthy controls even prior to the onset of motor symptoms, suggesting its potential as a neuroimaging biomarker for Parkinson's disease. Consequently, this method may facilitate early identification, timely intervention, and improved clinical management of PD by providing an early warning signal before motor symptom--based diagnosis, thereby potentially delaying disease progression and alleviating the burden on patients, families, and society.

PMID:41633431 | DOI:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2026.111750

Neuroimage. 2026 Feb 1:121758. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121758. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Humans navigate in complex environments with abundant information. However, it is unclear how the human brain involves specific mechanisms to extract meaningful features from high-dimensional information to guide adaptive decision making. Here, we focused on investigating the causal role of the lateral frontopolar cortex (FPl), an area uniquely evolved in the human brain, in decomposing high-dimensional choice information. This was achieved via three experiments that collectively involved transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), task-based fMRI, and computational modelling. First, we found that disrupting FPl using TMS with a continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) protocol impaired decision making with high-dimensional, but not low-dimensional, information. Second, we developed a computational model that arbitrates between a multi-feature decomposition mechanism and a simple heuristic. This model aided explaining that the FPl-TMS effect was attributed to diminished capabilities in multi-feature decomposition. Finally, fMRI data revealed stronger intrinsic FPl signals were related to greater tendency of employing multi-feature decomposition. Together, our results suggest a causal role of FPl in extracting decision-related features from high-dimensional information.

PMID:41633415 | DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121758