Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging RSS feed: Current Issue. The Neuroimaging section of Psychiatry Research publishes manuscripts on positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, computerized electroencephalographic topography, regional cerebral blood flow, computed tomography, magnetoencephalography, autoradiography, post-mortem regional analyses, and other imaging techniques. Reports concerning results in psychiatric disorders, dementias, and the effects of behaviorial tasks and pharmacological treatments are featured. We also invite manuscripts on the methods of obtaining images and computer processing of the images themselves. Selected case reports are also published.http://www.psyn-journal.com/?rss=yesElsevier Inc.en © 2010 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging0925-4927183230 August 2010 © 2010 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. healthpermissions@elsevier.comhttp://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710002465/abstract?rss=yesEditorial Board10.1016/S0925-4927(10)00246-5Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7IFCIFChttp://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS092549271000123X/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Schizophrenia is associated with interpersonal difficulties related to impairments in the processing of facial emotional expressions. The aim of the present study was to identify brain regions associated with reality distortion syndrome reduction in a group of patients with schizophrenia during processing of emotionally salient stimuli. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure cerebral blood oxygenation changes during an implicit emotional task in 11 patients with schizophrenia, who were scanned twice with an interval of 6–8weeks. We found that reality distortion syndrome reduction was associated with increases in the activation of the affective division of the anterior cingulate and lateral prefrontal cortices. Our findings may indicate that changes in the activation of these regions during processing of emotionally salient stimuli may represent neural markers of patients' symptomatic improvement.The effects of reality distortion syndrome on salient stimuli processing in patients with schizophrenia: An fMRI studyPanayiota G. Michalopoulou, Vincent P. Giampietro, Lucy A. Morley, Adnan Azim, Shitij Kapur, Lefteris Lykouras, Sukhwinder S. Shergill10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.04.010Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging9398http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001599/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Clinical evidence suggests that there is decreased pain sensitivity in schizophrenia; however, the neurobiological mechanism of this decrease remains unknown. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) changes induced by experimental pain-tolerance (endure) hot stimuli vs. non-painful stimuli during an acute psychotic episode in 12 drug-free patients with schizophrenia and in 13 gender- and age-matched healthy controls. The analyses revealed that patients showed a greater BOLD response at S1 compared with controls but a reduced BOLD response in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), insula, and brainstem during pain-tolerance stimuli. Pain-tolerance temperature was higher in patients than in healthy controls. BOLD response in the insula positively correlated with unpleasantness and temperature in controls, but this effect was not observed in patients. S1 BOLD response positively correlated with unpleasantness in patients but not in controls. These initial results confirm that unmedicated patients with schizophrenia have a higher pain tolerance than controls, decreased activation in pain affective–cognitive processing regions (insula, PCC, brainstem), and an over-activation of the primary sensory-discriminative pain processing region (S1). These pilot results are the first to explore the mechanism driving altered pain sensitivity in schizophrenia.Functional magnetic resonance imaging response to experimental pain in drug-free patients with schizophreniaCamilo de la Fuente-Sandoval, Rafael Favila, Diana Gómez-Martin, Francisco Pellicer, Ariel Graff-Guerrero10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.05.003Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging99104http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001897/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The response-focused emotion regulation style ‘Expressive suppression’ has been associated with symptoms of lower psychological well-being and increased function magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activation of the sublenticular extended amygdala (SLEA) in patients with major depression. Extending prior studies on active emotion regulation, we were interested in effects of habitual emotion regulation on neurobiology. Thirty subjects with either relatively high or low suppression scores as assessed with the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire without symptoms of clinical depression participated in the study. They were instructed to expect and then perceive emotionally unpleasant, pleasant or neutral stimuli selected from the International Affective Picture System that were announced by a congruent cue during fMRI. In the subjects with high suppression scores, decreased activation of the orbital medial prefrontal cortex (oMFC) when expecting negative pictures and increased activation of the SLEA upon presentation of neutral stimuli were found. Subclinical depression ratings independently of suppression scores in the healthy subjects were positively correlated with brain activation in the SLEA when expecting negative pictures. SLEA hyperactivity may represent an emotional responsivity that involves less successful habitual emotion regulation and a tendency to depressed mood in healthy subjects, as shown in patients with major depression. Decreased anticipatory oMFC activation may parallel a lack of antecedent emotion regulation in subjects with high suppression scores, representing another neurobiological predictor of lower mental well-being.Habitual emotion regulation strategies and depressive symptoms in healthy subjects predict fMRI brain activation patterns related to major depressionBirgit Abler, Christian Hofer, Henrik Walter, Susanne Erk, Holger Hoffmann, Harald C. Traue, Henrik Kessler10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.05.010Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging105113http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001903/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: To test effects of body image therapy in anorexia nervosa, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess neuronal responses to viewing photographs of one's own body before and after treatment. Activation decreases emerged in a distributed network and increases were observed in the extrastriate body area, possibly reflecting more intense body image processing.Effects of body image therapy on the activation of the extrastriate body area in anorexia nervosa: An fMRI studySilja Vocks, Martin Busch, Dietmar Schulte, Dietrich Grönermeyer, Stephan Herpertz, Boris Suchan10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.05.011Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging114118http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001241/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The goal of this investigation was to evaluate corpus callosum (CC) morphometry in schizophrenia. In consideration of possible confounders such as age, gender and handedness, our study sample was restricted to right-handed male subjects, aged 18–55years. In addition, we controlled for age at onset, illness duration and exposure to antipsychotic medication. Midsagittal CC linear and area Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) measurements were performed on 50 subjects with schizophrenia and 50 healthy controls. After controlling for midsagittal cortical brain area and age, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) revealed an overall effect of diagnosis on CC splenium width and CC anterior midbody area and a diagnosis by age interaction. Independent Student t tests revealed a smaller CC splenium width in the 36- to 45-year-old age group among the patients with schizophrenia and a smaller CC anterior midbody area in the 18- to 25-year-old age group among the patients with schizophrenia compared with controls. Age, age at onset, illness duration and psychopathology ratings did not show any significant correlations with the whole CC MRI measurements. A negative correlation was found between CC rostrum area and the estimated lifetime neuroleptic consumption. The results are discussed in terms of the possibility that CC structural changes may underlie the functional impairments, frequently reported in schizophrenia, of the associated cortical regions.Corpus callosum abnormalities and potential age effect in men with schizophrenia: An MRI comparative studyGiuseppe Bersani, Adele Quartini, Angela Iannitelli, Marco Paolemili, Flavia Ratti, Claudio Di Biasi, Gianfranco Gualdi10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.04.011Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging119125http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS092549271000185X/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Autism is a severe developmental disorder whose neurological basis is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to identify the shape differences of the corpus callosum between patients with autism and control subjects. Anatomical landmarks were collected from midsagittal magnetic resonance images of 25 patients and 18 controls. Euclidean distance matrix analysis and thin-plate spline analyses were used to examine the landmark forms. Point-by-point shape comparison was performed both globally and locally. A new local shape comparison scheme was proposed which compared each part of the shape in its local coordinate system. Point correspondence was established among individual shapes based on the inherent landmark correspondence. No significant difference was found in the landmark form between patients and controls, but the distance between the interior genu and the posterior-most section was found to be significantly shorter in patients. Thin-plate spline analysis showed significant group differences between the landmark configurations in terms of the deformation from the overall mean configuration. Significant global shape differences were found in the anterior lower body and posterior bottom, and there was a local shape difference in the anterior bottom. This study can serve as both a clinical reference and a detailed procedural guideline for similar studies in the future.Detecting corpus callosum abnormalities in autism based on anatomical landmarksQing He, Ye Duan, Kevin Karsch, Judith Miles10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.05.006Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging126132http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001873/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is located at the rostum of the corpus callosum and involved in both cognitive and emotional brain processes. It has been suggested to be involved in P300 event-related potential generation. A large sample of schizophrenia inpatients and controls was examined in order to assess the potential relationship between ACC volumes and P300 characteristics in patients with more pronounced negative symptoms. In 50 male schizophrenia patients and 50 matched controls, auditory P300 and structural magnetic resonance imaging volume measurements of the ACC were obtained. Patients' negative symptoms were assessed using the PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale). Volumetry of ACC subregions revealed a volume reduction in patients with schizophrenia compared with controls in right hemispheric rostral ACC subregions that were most pronounced in more negative schizophrenia patients. There was a positive correlation between PZ P300 amplitude and total ACC volume in the right hemisphere in schizophrenia patients with less negative symptoms. The results support the assumption that structural changes of the ACC are more pronounced in subgroups of schizophrenia patients with more negative psychopathology. In addition, while right hemisphere ACC volumes significantly differ between schizophrenia subgroups, combining measures of event-related potential (ERP) and ACC volumetry does not add additional information.Anterior cingulum volumetry, auditory P300 in schizophrenia with negative symptomsUlrich W. Preuss, Thomas Zetzsche, Oliver Pogarell, Christoph Mulert, Thomas Frodl, Dirk Müller, Gisela Schmidt, Christine Born, Maximilian Reiser, Hans-Jürgen Möller, Ulrich Hegerl, Eva M. Meisenzahl10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.05.008Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging133139http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001885/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Functional imaging studies of psychopathy have demonstrated reduced activity in the anterior cingulate, yet it is unclear whether this region is structurally impaired. In this study, we used structural MRI to examine whether volumetric differences exist in the anterior cingulate between psychopathic (n=24) and control (n=24) male participants. We found no group differences in the volume of the anterior cingulate or its dorsal and ventral subregions. Our findings call into question whether the anterior cingulate is impaired in psychopathy, or whether previous findings of reduced activity may result from reduced input from other deficient regions.No volumetric differences in the anterior cingulate of psychopathic individualsAndrea L. Glenn, Yaling Yang, Adrian Raine, Patrick Colletti10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.05.009Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging140143http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001496/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) is a white matter structure, the medial portion of which includes the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) carrying nerve fibers between thalamus and prefrontal cortex. ATR abnormalities have a possible link with cognitive abnormalities and negative symptoms in schizophrenia. We aimed to study the fiber integrity of the ATR more selectively by isolating the medial portion of the ALIC using region-of-interest based methodology. Diffusion-tensor imaging was used to measure the anisotropy of total ALIC (tALIC) and medial ALIC (mALIC) in 39 schizophrenia and 33 control participants, matched for age/gender/handedness. Relationships between anisotropy, psychopathology, and cognitive performance were analyzed. Compared with controls, schizophrenia participants had 4.55% lower anisotropy in right tALIC, and 5.38% lower anisotropy in right mALIC. There were no significant group anisotropy differences on the left. Significant correlations were observed between right ALIC integrity and relevant domains of cognitive function (e.g., executive function, working memory). Our study suggests an asymmetric microstructural change in ALIC in schizophrenia involving the right side, which is only minimally stronger in mALIC, and which correlates with cognitive impairment. Microstructural changes in the ALIC may be linked to cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.Anterior thalamic radiation integrity in schizophrenia: A diffusion-tensor imaging studyDaniel Mamah, Thomas E. Conturo, Michael P. Harms, Erbil Akbudak, Lei Wang, Amanda R. McMichael, Mokhtar H. Gado, Deanna M. Barch, John G. Csernansky10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.04.013Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Diffusion Tensor Imaging144150http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001587/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a major efflux pump in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has a profound effect on entry of drugs, peptides and other substances into the central nervous system (CNS). The brain's permeability can be negatively influenced by modulation of the transport function of P-gp. Inflammatory mediators play a role in schizophrenia, and may be able to influence the integrity of the BBB, via P-gp modulation. We hypothesized that P-gp function in the BBB is changed in patients with schizophrenia. Positron-emission tomography was used to measure brain uptake of [11C]verapamil, which is normally extruded from the brain by P-gp. We found that patients with chronic schizophrenia under treatment with antipsychotic drugs compared with healthy controls showed a significant decrease in [11C]verapamil uptake in the temporal cortex, the basal ganglia, and the amygdala, and amygdalae, and a trend towards a significant decrease was seen throughout the brain. The decrease of [11C]verapamil uptake correlates with an increased activity of the P-gp pump. Increased P-gp activity may be a factor in drug resistance in schizophrenia, induced by the use of antipsychotic agents.Regional increase in P-glycoprotein function in the blood-brain barrier of patients with chronic schizophrenia: A PET study with [11C]verapamil as a probe for P-glycoprotein functionOnno L. de Klerk, Antoon T.M. Willemsen, Fokko J. Bosker, Anna L. Bartels, N. Harry Hendrikse, Johan A. den Boer, Rudy A. Dierckx10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.05.002Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Positron Emission Tomography151156http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001848/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Women are at higher risk than men for developing major depressive disorder (MDD), but the mechanisms underlying this higher risk are unknown. Here, we report proportionally normalized α-[11C]methyl-L-tryptophan brain trapping constant (α-[11C]MTrp K*N), an index of serotonin synthesis, in 25 medication-free individuals with MDD and in 25 gender- and age-matched healthy subjects who were studied using positron emission tomography (PET). Comparisons of α-[11C]MTrp K*N values between the men and women were conducted at the voxel and cluster levels using Statistical Parametric Mapping 2 (SPM2) analysis. In addition, the α-[11C]MTrp K*N values on both sides of the brain were extracted and compared to identify the left to right differences, as well as the gender differences. Women with MDD displayed higher α-[11C]MTrp K*N than men in the inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), parahippocampal gyrus, precuneus, superior parietal lobule, and occipital lingual gyrus. In a matched group of normal subjects the gender differences were opposite from those found in MDD patients. Significant hemispheric differences in fronto-limbic structures between men and women with MDD were also observed. The K*N extracted from the volumes identified in MDD patients and in male and female normal subjects suggested no significant differences between males and females. In conclusion, depressed women have higher serotonin synthesis in multiple regions of the prefrontal cortex and limbic system involved with mood regulation, as compared with depressed men. Gender differences in brain serotonin synthesis may be related to higher risk for MDD in women.Gender differences in α-[11C]MTrp brain trapping, an index of serotonin synthesis, in medication-free individuals with major depressive disorder: A positron emission tomography studyBenicio N. Frey, Ivan Skelin, Yojiro Sakai, Masami Nishikawa, Mirko Diksic10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.05.005Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Positron Emission Tomography157166http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001575/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we measured amygdala reactivity to faces varying on threat intensity in patients with generalized social phobia (GSP) and healthy controls. GSP patients exhibited greater amygdala reactivity to threat faces at high and moderate intensities. More subtle displays of social threat are sufficient to evoke a fear-related neural response.Amygdala reactivity to faces at varying intensities of threat in generalized social phobia: An event-related functional MRI studyHeide Klumpp, Mike Angstadt, Pradeep J. Nathan, K. Luan Phan10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.05.001Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Brief Reports167169http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001514/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: We investigated whether the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) polymorphism influenced neurochemical metabolism in 26 individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Individuals with the S/S genotype of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism showed significantly lower levels of N-acetylaspartate/creatine in the right medial prefrontal cortex compared with those with the S/L genotype.5-HTTLPR polymorphism influences prefrontal neurochemical metabolites in autism spectrum disorderTaro Endo, Hideaki Kitamura, Ryu Tamura, Jun Egawa, Takuro Sugai, Naoki Fukui, Yutaro Suzuki, Toshiyuki Someya10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.04.015Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Brief Reports170173http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001836/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Thalamic neurochemical abnormalities may underlie psychotic symptoms and auditory event-related potential (ERP) abnormalities in schizophrenia. We investigated this hypothesis in subjects at risk of psychosis using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electroencephalography (EEG). Reduced thalamic glutamate plus glutamine and N-acetyl aspartate levels were associated with abnormal frontal ERPs, supporting a thalamic basis for filtering impairments.Thalamic neurochemical abnormalities in individuals with prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia — Relationship to auditory event-related potentialsJames M. Stone, Elvira Bramon, Astrid Pauls, Alex Sumich, Philip K. McGuire10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.05.004Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Brief Reports174176http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/PIIS0925492710001861/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Magnetic resonance imaging was used to compare subcortical volumes of seven suicide attempters with those of six healthy controls. Suicide attempters had 10% smaller right caudate nucleus and 19% bilaterally smaller globus pallidus. In suicide attempters, volumes of the globus pallidus correlated negatively with previously reported measures of solidity (non-impulsive temperament) and serotonin transporter binding potential.Size of basal ganglia in suicide attempters, and its association with temperament and serotonin transporter densityFredrik Johannes Vang, Erik Ryding, Lil Träskman-Bendz, Danielle van Westen, Mats Bertil Lindström10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.05.007Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 183, 2 (2010)2010-08-30Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging2010-08-301832S0925-4927(10)X0008-7Brief Reports177179