Neuroimaging Studies (Neuroimage + studies)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Functional Neuroimaging Studies of Syntactic Processing in Sentence Comprehension: A Critical Selective Review

LINGUISTICS & LANGUAGE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1-2 2007
David Caplan
This article critically reviews recent papers that use functional neuroimaging to localize syntactic representations, Universal Grammar, parsing operations, and the working memory system that supports parsing. It is concluded that greater control over experimental conditions is needed for studies to provide convincing evidence about the neural basis for these cognitive functions. [source]


The Impact of Chronic Cigarette Smoking on Recovery From Cortical Gray Matter Perfusion Deficits in Alcohol Dependence: Longitudinal Arterial Spin Labeling MRI

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 8 2009
Anderson Mon
Background:, Neuroimaging studies reported cerebral perfusion abnormalities in individuals with alcohol use disorders. However, no longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of cerebral perfusion changes during abstinence from alcohol have been reported. Methods:, Arterial spin labeling MRI was used to evaluate cortical gray matter perfusion changes in short-term abstinent alcohol dependent individuals in treatment and to assess the impact of chronic cigarette smoking on perfusion changes during abstinence. Seventy-six patients were scanned at least once. Data from 19 non-smoking (17 males, 2 females) and 22 smoking (21 males, 1 female) patients scanned at 1 and 5 weeks of abstinence were used to assess perfusion changes over time. Twenty-eight age-equated healthy controls (25 males, 3 females) were scanned for cross-sectional comparison, 13 of them were scanned twice. Given the age range of the cohort (28 to 68 years), age was used as a covariate in the analyses. Mean perfusion was measured in voxels of at least 80% gray matter in the frontal and parietal lobes and related to neurocognitive and substance use measures. Results:, At 1 week of abstinence, frontal and parietal gray matter perfusion in smoking alcoholics was not significantly different from that in non-smoking alcoholics, but each group's perfusion values were significantly lower than in controls. After 5 weeks of abstinence, perfusion of frontal and parietal gray matter in non-smoking alcoholics was significantly higher than that at baseline. However, in smoking alcoholics, perfusion was not significantly different between the time-points in either region. The total number of cigarettes smoked per day was negatively correlated with frontal gray matter perfusion measured at 5 weeks of abstinence. Lobar perfusion measures did not correlate significantly with drinking severity or cognitive domain measures at either time-point. Conclusion:, Although cerebral perfusion in alcohol dependent individuals shows improvement with abstinence from alcohol, cigarette smoking appears to hinder perfusion improvement. [source]


Imaging of Language-Related Brain Regions in Detoxified Alcoholics

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 6 2009
Sandra Chanraud-Guillermo
Background:, Neuroimaging studies showed clear evidence of alcoholism-related damage to the frontal lobes and cerebellum. Although these regions have been involved in language processing, language skills are relatively spared in alcoholics. Here, we aimed at identifying neural substrates associated with the preserved mechanisms of language processing in alcoholics. We hypothesized that alcoholics would show a different pattern of neural activity compared with the controls. Methods:, Alcoholic and nonalcoholic subjects performed an auditory language task while receiving a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan in a 1.5 T magnet. This task has been previously shown to solicit the comprehension processing in healthy controls, with reliable fMRI response in the left frontal and temporal/parietal lobes. Results:, Behavioral results showed comparable performance (error rates, response time) between the alcoholics and the matched controls. However, analysis of the functional data revealed that the alcoholics exhibited greater fMRI response in the left middle frontal gyrus (pars triangularis), the right superior frontal gyrus, and the cerebellar vermis relative to the controls. Conclusions:, These findings suggest that frontocerebellar neural activity, supporting the comprehension processing of the auditory language task, may require compensatory mechanisms in alcoholics in order to maintain the same level of performance as the controls. [source]


Depressive symptoms and olfactory function in older adults

PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 4 2008
Anna Scinska
Aims:, Neuroimaging studies suggest a significant overlap between brain regions involved in the regulation of olfaction and mood. The aim of the present study was to search for correlations between depressive symptomatology measured by the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and olfactory function assessed with Sniffin' Sticks in non-demented older adults (aged 53,79 years). Methods:, Taste detection thresholds were also measured by means of electrogustometry on the anterior tongue. Results:, No correlation was found between the GDS scores (range: 0,12) and olfactory thresholds or olfactory identification scores. Similarly, there was no relationship between depressive symptoms and electrogustometric thresholds. Subjects (n = 25) scoring ,5 on the GDS were classified as ,depressed' and all other individuals (n = 60) were classified as ,non-depressed'. The two groups did not differ in terms of the olfactory measures and electrogustometric threshold. Conclusion:, Depressive symptoms are not associated with any major olfactory deficit in non-clinical older adults. [source]