187 research outputs found
Facial affect recognition training in autism: can we animate the fusiform gyrus?
No full textOne of the most consistent findings in the neuroscience of autism is hypoactivation of the fusiform gyrus (FG) during face processing. In this study the authors examined whether successful facial affect recognition training is associated with an increased activation of the FG in autism. The effect of a computer-based program to teach facial affect identification was examined in 10 individuals with high-functioning autism. Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) changes in the FG and other regions of interest, as well as behavioral facial affect recognition measures, were assessed pre- and posttraining. No significant activation changes in the FG were observed. Trained participants showed behavioral improvements, which were accompanied by higher BOLD fMRI signals in the superior parietal lobule and maintained activation in the right medial occipital gyrus
The Functional Neuroanatomy of Target Detection: An fMRI Study of Visual and Auditory Oddball Tasks
No full textSpurensuche nach den Korrelaten des Bewusstseins : Christof Koch betrachtet das Bewusstsein aus neurobiologischer Sicht
No full textRezension zu: Christof Koch : Bewusstsein - ein neurobiologisches Rätsel, Heidelberg, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, 2005, ISBN 3-8274-1578-0, 504 Seiten, 48 Euro
A Randomized Clinical Trial
No full textIMPORTANCE Insufficient treatment response and resulting chronicity constitute a major problem
in depressive disorders. Remission rates range as low as 15%to 40% and treatment-resistant
depression (TRD) is associated with low-grade inflammation, suggesting anti-inflammatory
interventions as a rational treatment strategy. Minocycline, which inhibits microglial activation,
represents a promising repurposing candidate in the treatment of TRD.
OBJECTIVE To determine whether 6 weeks of minocycline as add-on to antidepressant treatment
as usual can significantly reduce depressive symptoms in patients with TRD.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The study was conducted in Germany and designed as a
multicenter double-blind randomized clinical trial (RCT) of 200 mg/d minocycline treatment over a
course of 6 weeks with a 6-month follow-up. Participants were recruited from January 2016 to
August 2020 at 9 university hospitals that served as study sites. Key inclusion criteria were a
diagnosis of major depressive disorder (according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders [Fifth Edition] criteria), severity of depressive symptoms on the Hamilton Depression
Rating Scale (HAMD-17) greater than or equal to 16 points, aged 18 to 75 years, body mass index 18 to
40, Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI-S) greater than or equal to 4, failure to adequately respond
to an initial antidepressant standard medication as per Massachusetts General Hospital
Antidepressant Treatment History Questionnaire, and stable medication for at least 2 weeks. A total
of 258 patients were screened, of whom 173 were randomized and 168 were included into the
intention-to-treat population. Statistical analysis was performed from April to November 2020.
INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomized (1:1) to receive adjunct minocycline (200mg/d) or
placebo for 6 weeks.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Primary outcome measure was the change in MontgomeryÅsberg
Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score from baseline to week 6 analyzed by intention-totreat
mixed model repeated measures. Secondary outcome measures were response, remission, and
various other clinical rating scales.
RESULTS Of 173 eligible and randomized participants (84 randomized to minocycline and 89
randomized to placebo), 168 formed the intention-to-treat sample (79 [47.0%] were women, 89
[53.0%] were men, 159 [94.6%] were White, 9 [6.4%] were of other race and ethnicity, including
Asian and unknown ethnicity), with 81 in the minocycline group and 87 in the placebo group. The
mean (SD) age was 46.1 (13.1) years, and the mean (SD) MADRS score at baseline was 26.5 (5.0).
There was no difference in rates of completion between the minocycline (83.3%[70 of 81]) and the
placebo group (83.1%[74 of 87]). Minocycline treatment did not alter the course of depression
severity compared with placebo as assessed by a decrease in MADRS scores over 6 weeks of
treatment (1.46 [−1.04 to 3.96], P = .25). Minocycline treatment also exhibited no statistically
significant effect on secondary outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this large randomized clinical trial with minocycline at a dose
of 200mg/d added to antidepressant treatment as usual for 6weeks, minocyclinewaswell tolerated
but not superior to placebo in reducing depressive symptoms in patients with TRD. The results of
this RCT emphasize the unmet need for therapeutic approaches and predictive biomarkers in TRD
Visual target modulation of functional connectivity networks revealed by self-organizing group ICA.
No full textWe applied a data-driven analysis based on self-organizing group independent component analysis (sogICA) to fMRI data from a three-stimulus visual oddball task. SogICA is particularly suited to the investigation of the underlying functional connectivity and does not rely on a predefined model of the experiment, which overcomes some of the limitations of hypothesis-driven analysis. Unlike most previous applications of ICA in functional imaging, our approach allows the analysis of the data at the group level, which is of particular interest in high order cognitive studies. SogICA is based on the hierarchical clustering of spatially similar independent components, derived from single subject decompositions. We identified four main clusters of components, centered on the posterior cingulate, bilateral insula, bilateral prefrontal cortex, and right posterior parietal and prefrontal cortex, consistently across all participants. Post hoc comparison of time courses revealed that insula, prefrontal cortex and right fronto-parietal components showed higher activity for targets than for distractors. Activation for distractors was higher in the posterior cingulate cortex, where deactivation was observed for targets. While our results conform to previous neuroimaging studies, they also complement conventional results by showing functional connectivity networks with unique contributions to the task that were consistent across subjects. SogICA can thus be used to probe functional networks of active cognitive tasks at the group-level and can provide additional insights to generate new hypotheses for further study
Ethical considerations of biomarker use in neurodegenerative diseases—A case study of Alzheimer's disease
No full text¿Un cambio de paradigma en el diagnóstico psiquiátrico moderno? Anomalías en las redes neuronales como concepto fisiopatológico y nueva herramienta de diagnóstico
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