Feed aggregator

Front Neurosci. 2025 Sep 24;19:1647538. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1647538. eCollection 2025.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine changes in brain functional activity following acupuncture treatment for acute Bell's palsy (BP) and to investigate the potential central regulatory mechanisms involved.

METHODS: A total of 55 patients with acute Bell's facial paralysis (within 1-7 days of onset) were enrolled in the patient group, while 48 individuals without the condition were included as the healthy control group. The patient group received acupuncture therapy at EX-HN16 (Qianzheng), SJ17 (Yifeng), ST2 (Sibai), GB14 (Yangbai), EX-HN4 (Yuyao), SI18 (Quanliao), ST6 (Jiache), ST4 (Dicang), ST8 (Touwei), and bilateral LI4 (Hegu) points on the affected side. Each session lasted 30 min and was administered three times a week (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) until day 28 of the disease course. The patient group underwent fMRI scans, House-Brackmann (H-B) grading, Sunnybrook scale evaluation, and facial disability index (FDI) assessment both prior to the initial treatment and on the 28th day. The healthy group received a single fMRI scan after enrollment. MATLAB R2017 software was used to calculate the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) in patients before and after treatment, as well as in healthy controls.

RESULTS: Following treatment, the patient group showed significant improvements in H-B, Sunnybrook, and FDI scores compared to pretreatment levels (P < 0.05), with an overall effective rate of 96.4% (53/55). Prior to treatment, compared to healthy controls, patients exhibited decreased fALFF in the right posterior cingulate gyrus, increased fALFF in the right postcentral gyrus, left and right middle frontal gyri, and increased ReHo in the left precentral gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, and left middle occipital gyrus. After treatment, when compared to healthy controls, patients showed decreased fALFF in the left and right medial superior frontal gyri, and increased fALFF in the right postcentral gyrus, left precentral gyrus, and bilateral lingual gyri, and increased ReHo in the right precentral gyrus, bilateral transverse temporal gyri, right lingual gyrus, and right thalamus, and decreased ReHo in the right middle frontal gyrus. Relative to pretreatment values, patients displayed decreased fALFF in the left medial superior frontal gyrus and increased fALFF in the left precentral gyrus. Additionally, ReHo decreased the right and left medial superior frontal gyri, while it increased in the right inferior parietal angular gyrus, right precentral gyrus, and left superior parietal gyrus.

CONCLUSION: Acupuncture demonstrates a clear therapeutic effect on acute BP and contribute to clinical symptom improvement. Marked differences in brain functional activity were observed between patients and healthy individuals. The therapeutic effect of acupuncture may be linked to its ability to facilitate functional reorganization in brain regions associated with sensation, movement, and emotion.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://www.chictr.org.cn/searchproj.html? title=&officialname=&subjectid=&regstatus=&regno=ChiCTR2200065223& secondaryid=&applier=&studyleader=&createyear=&sponsor=&secsponsor= &sourceofspends=&studyailment=&studyailmentcode=&studytype=&study stage=&studydesign=&recruitmentstatus=&gender=&agreetosign=&measure= &country=&province=&city=&institution=&institutionlevel=&intercode=& ethicalcommitteesanction=&whetherpublic=&minstudyexecutetime=&maxstudy executetime=&btngo=btn, identifier ChiCTR2200065223.

PMID:41069516 | PMC:PMC12504244 | DOI:10.3389/fnins.2025.1647538

Nat Ment Health. 2025;3(10):1276-1290. doi: 10.1038/s44220-025-00503-6. Epub 2025 Sep 23.

ABSTRACT

Persisting symptoms after concussion (PSaC) represent a complex and poorly understood neuropsychiatric phenomenon with limited treatment options. Neural network dysfunction has been associated with PSaC, and neuromodulation, particularly repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, may be a promising intervention. However, neuroimaging findings have been inconsistent, limiting understanding of underlying network dysfunction. We aimed to identify a core neural network associated with PSaC and explore whether this network could yield candidate cortical targets for neuromodulation at the individual level. We hypothesized that differences in network disruption would be evident between individuals with high versus low symptom burden in PSaC. Here we show that a convergent multi-analytic approach combining symptom-activation maps generated from existing fMRI datasets, systematic review of resting-state fMRI studies of PSaC, and network-based meta-analysis of coordinates derived from these studies co-localize to the salience network in high symptom burden PSaC. Using Human Connectome Project data, we mapped this network to cortical regions that could serve as individualized targets for neuromodulation. This aligns with current clinical models of PSaC and may present a new direction for network-based therapy.

PMID:41069366 | PMC:PMC12504115 | DOI:10.1038/s44220-025-00503-6

Brain Behav. 2025 Oct;15(10):e70947. doi: 10.1002/brb3.70947.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the brain functional connectivity and its association with cognitive function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

METHODS: A total of 64 CKD patients were enrolled and divided into two groups based on their dependence on dialysis: dialysis-dependent CKD (DD-CKD) group (n = 38) and non-dialysis-dependent CKD (NDD-CKD) group (n = 26). A total of 43 healthy controls (NC) were also recruited and matched for age and sex. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). MRI scans were conducted on a 3.0T Magnetom Skyra scanner equipped with a 32-channel phased array head coil. Data analysis was performed using the Data Processing Assistant for Resting-State fMRI (DPARSF) and Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) software.

RESULTS: Cognitive scores (MMSE and MoCA) were significantly lower in both CKD groups compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001), with DD-CKD patients exhibiting worse cognitive performance than NDD-CKD patients (p < 0.05). Laboratory parameters also differed: compared with DD-CKD, NDD-CKD patients had significantly lower levels of protein, creatinine, calcium, and phosphate (all p < 0.05). Network-based statistical analysis revealed reduced functional connectivity in both CKD groups relative to controls (p < 0.05). NDD-CKD patients showed disruptions mainly in the frontal-insular and occipital networks, whereas DD-CKD patients exhibited more extensive alterations involving frontoparietal, cingulate, and visual regions. Correlation analysis further showed that connectivity reductions in key regions-including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and parietal association areas-were negatively associated with renal function indicators such as serum creatinine and urea nitrogen (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Resting-state fMRI effectively reflects alterations in brain functional connectivity in CKD patients and is associated with cognitive performance. Notably, DD-CKD patients showed more extensive network disruptions and more severe cognitive impairment.

PMID:41069337 | DOI:10.1002/brb3.70947

Psychol Med. 2025 Oct 10;55:e306. doi: 10.1017/S0033291725102006.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia progresses through high-risk, first-episode, and chronic stages, each associated with altered spontaneous brain activity. Resting state functional MRI studies highlight these changes, but inconsistencies persist, and the genetic basis remains unclear.

METHODS: A neuroimaging meta-analysis was conducted to assess spontaneous brain activity alterations in each schizophrenia stage. The largest available genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for schizophrenia (N = 53,386 cases, 77,258 controls) were used, followed by Hi-C-coupled multimarker analysis of genomic annotation (H-MAGMA) to identify schizophrenia-associated genes. Transcriptome-neuroimaging association and gene prioritization analyses were performed to identify genes consistently linked to brain activity alterations. Biological relevance was explored by functional enrichment.

RESULTS: Fifty-two studies met the inclusion criteria, covering the high-risk (Nhigh-risk = 409, Ncontrol = 475), first-episode (Ncase = 1842, Ncontrol = 1735), and chronic (Ncase = 1242, Ncontrol = 1300) stages. High-risk stage showed reduced brain activity in the right median cingulate and paracingulate gyri. First-episode stage revealed increased activity in the right putamen and decreased activity in the left gyrus rectus and right postcentral gyrus. Chronic stage showed heightened activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus and reduced activity in the superior occipital gyrus and right postcentral gyrus. Across all stages, 199 genes were consistently linked to brain activity changes, involved in biological processes such as nervous system development, synaptic transmission, and synaptic plasticity.

CONCLUSIONS: Brain activity alterations across schizophrenia stages and genes consistently associated with these changes highlight their potential as universal biomarkers and therapeutic targets for schizophrenia.

PMID:41069013 | DOI:10.1017/S0033291725102006