Several studies have suggested that, in higher primates, nociceptive somatosensory information is processed in parallel in the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory cortices, whereas non-nociceptive somatosensory input is processed serially from S1 to S2. However, evidence suggesting that both nociceptive and non-nociceptive somatosensory inputs are processed in parallel in S1 and S2 also exists. Here, we aimed to clarify whether or not the hierarchical organization of nociceptive and non-nociceptive somatosensory processing in S1 and S2 differs in humans. To address this question, we applied dynamic causal modeling and Bayesian model selection to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected during the selective stimulation of nociceptive and non-nociceptive somatosensory afferents in humans. This novel approach allowed us to explore how nociceptive and non-nociceptive somatosensory information flows within the somatosensory system. We found that the neural activities elicited by bot...

BACKGROUND: The brain has not traditionally been considered a target organ for complications of diabetes, however recent research suggests a duration dependent effect of diabetes on the central nervous system. Impaired neuronal function and decreased neuronal density in the hippocampus correlate with performance on behavioral tests in diabetic rats. Hippocampal cerebral blood volume (CBV), measured using MRI, has been correlated with neuronal function, neuronal glucose metabolism, and neuronal density in mice and humans. Using high field strength MRI, CBV maps of mouse hippocampal subregions can be created, providing unique insight into neuronal function. OBJECTIVE: To create a CBV map characteristic of the early diabetic mouse brain. The noninvasive nature of this modality will allow us to follow the progression of neuronal dysfunction throughout the course of disease. METHODS: Six week old mice are rendered diabetic by a 5 day treatment with Streptozotocin. Using a 9.4 Tesla vertical Bruker magnet, image...

Considerable evidence highlights several behavioural vulnerability traits associated with cocaine use disorder, including impulsivity, anxiety, novelty-/sensation seeking and aberrant attribution of incentive salience to conditioned cues. Such traits ha...

Diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC), which involves endogenous pain modulation, has been investigated as a potential mechanism for the differences in pain observed between men and women. We used a capsaicin-induced DNIC behavioral assay and restin...

Depression and anxiety have been linked to changes in the gray matter volume of the amygdala, hippocampus, and thalamus (Mervaala et al., 2000; Merz, Tottenham, and Noble, 2018). Additionally, children that live in disadvantaged neighborhoods are at inc...

Executive functions, and particularly inhibitory control (i.e.,the ability to withhold a prepotent response), play a critical role in academic success. While the effect of cognitive training on IC efficiency improvement has been studied either in childr...

Epidemiological and animal model studies suggest that exposure to either the stress of untreated depression or to selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants during pregnancy increase risks for neurodevelopmental disorders in t...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces a pronounced neuroinflammation driven by activation and proliferation of resident microglia as well as infiltrating peripheral monocyte-derived macrophages. Depending on time post-lesion, positive and detrimental influen...

Efstathios D. Gennatas, Brian B. Avants, Daniel H. Wolf, Theodore D. Satterthwaite, Kosha Ruparel, et al. (see pages [5065–5073][1]) Numerous studies have found that increases in cognitive abilities in human adults are associated with increases in cortical gray matter volume and/or thickness.

Although neuroanatomical abnormalities have been identified in major depressive disorder in the elderly (Late-Life MDD), the pathways by which the underlying structural changes and medical disorders may lead to MDD remain largely unknown. The objective of our study was to further elucidate distinct paths to depression by integrating age, measures of medical comorbidity, neuroanatomical compromise and cognitive status in a sample of patients with Late-Life MDD and non-depressed controls. Our study was cross-sectional in nature and utilized both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) determined quantitative neuroanatomic measures and clinical indices of cerebrovascular and overall medical comorbidity. The study samples were comprised of 51 patients with MDD and 30 controls. Patients were recruited from the inpatient and ambulatory care programs in geriatric psychiatry at a University Hospital. Patients and controls had overlapping medical comorbidity. Estimates of frontal lobe volume and volumes of high intensity ...