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  1. Chong JS, Chan YL, Ebenezer EGM, Chen HY, Kiguchi M, Lu CK, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2020 12 16;10(1):22041.
    PMID: 33328535 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79053-z
    This study aims to investigate the generalizability of the semi-metric analysis of the functional connectivity (FC) for functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) by applying it to detect the dichotomy in differential FC under affective and neutral emotional states in nursing students and registered nurses during decision making. The proposed method employs wavelet transform coherence to construct FC networks and explores semi-metric analysis to extract network redundancy features, which has not been considered in conventional fNIRS-based FC analyses. The trials of the proposed method were performed on 19 nursing students and 19 registered nurses via a decision-making task under different emotional states induced by affective and neutral emotional stimuli. The cognitive activities were recorded using fNIRS, and the emotional stimuli were adopted from the International Affective Digitized Sound System (IADS). The induction of emotional effects was validated by heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. The experimental results by the proposed method showed significant difference (FDR-adjusted p = 0.004) in the nursing students' cognitive FC network under the two different emotional conditions, and the semi-metric percentage (SMP) of the right prefrontal cortex (PFC) was found to be significantly higher than the left PFC (FDR-adjusted p = 0.036). The benchmark method (a typical weighted graph theory analysis) gave no significant results. In essence, the results support that the semi-metric analysis can be generalized and extended to fNIRS-based functional connectivity estimation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex/physiology*
  2. Mohamad Safiai NI, Mohamad NA, Basri H, Inche Mat LN, Hoo FK, Abdul Rashid AM, et al.
    PLoS One, 2021;16(6):e0251528.
    PMID: 34138860 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251528
    BACKGROUND: Migraine may lead to a negative impact on the patients' quality of life with a subsequent substantial burden to society. Therapy options for treatment and prevention of migraine have progressed over the years and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is one of the promising non-pharmacological options. It induces and alters electric current in the brain via repetitive non-invasive brain stimulation in high frequency. In migraine patients, two common stimulation sites are the M1 cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The mechanism on how rTMS exerts therapeutic effects on migraine is not fully established, but the main postulation is that the neuromodulation via high-frequency rTMS (hf-rTMS) might inhibit pain perception. However, evidence from studies has been conflicting, thus the usefulness of hf-rTMS as migraine preventive treatment is still uncertain at this moment.

    METHODS: This is a systematic review protocol describing essential reporting items based on the PRISMA for systematic review protocols (PRISMA-P) (Registration number: CRD42020220636). We aim to review the effectiveness, tolerability, and safety of hf-rTMS at DLPFC in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) as migraine prophylactic treatment. We will search Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Plus, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Biomed Central for relevant articles from randomised controlled clinical trials that used hf-rTMS applied at DLPFC for the treatment of migraine. The risk of bias will be assessed using the version 2 "Risk of bias" tool from Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 6.1. We will investigate the evidence on efficacy, tolerability and safety and we will compare the outcomes between the hf-rTMS intervention and sham groups.

    DISCUSSION: This systematic review will further determine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of hf-rTMS applied at DLPFC for migraine prophylaxis. It will provide additional data for health practitioners and policymakers about the usefulness of hf-rTMS for migraine preventive treatment.

    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex*
  3. Abdo Qaid EY, Abdullah Z, Zakaria R, Long I
    Int J Neurosci, 2024 Jun;134(1):56-65.
    PMID: 35638219 DOI: 10.1080/00207454.2022.2084092
    PURPOSE/AIM: Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress have been encountered in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the neuroprotective effects of minocycline against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced glial cells activation and oxidative stress damage in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats are still elusive. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of minocycline and memantine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, on the microglia and astrocytes expression, as well as oxidative stress levels in the mPFC of LPS injected rats.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty adult Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into five groups: control, LPS (5 mg/kg), LPS treated with minocycline (25 mg/kg), LPS treated with minocycline (50 mg/kg) and LPS treated with memantine (10 mg/kg). The immunohistochemistry and western blotting were used to analyse the expressions and densities of microglia marker (Iba-1) and astrocyte marker, (GFAP) while enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the protein carbonyl (PCO), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels.

    RESULTS: In comparison to the control group, the expression and density of Iba-1 and GFAP were significantly enhanced in the LPS group (p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism
  4. Alyan E, Saad NM, Kamel N, Rahman MA
    Appl Ergon, 2021 Oct;96:103497.
    PMID: 34139374 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103497
    This study aims to evaluate the effect of workstation type on the neural and vascular networks of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) underlying the cognitive activity involved during mental stress. Workstation design has been reported to affect the physical and mental health of employees. However, while the functional effects of ergonomic workstations have been documented, there is little research on the influence of workstation design on the executive function of the brain. In this study, 23 healthy volunteers in ergonomic and non-ergonomic workstations completed the Montreal imaging stress task, while their brain activity was recorded using the synchronized measurement of electroencephalography and functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The results revealed desynchronization in alpha rhythms and oxygenated hemoglobin, as well as decreased functional connectivity in the PFC networks at the non-ergonomic workstations. Additionally, a significant increase in salivary alpha-amylase activity was observed in all participants at the non-ergonomic workstations, confirming the presence of induced stress. These findings suggest that workstation design can significantly impact cognitive functioning and human capabilities at work. Therefore, the use of functional neuroimaging in workplace design can provide critical information on the causes of workplace-related stress.
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex
  5. Shen X, Howard DM, Adams MJ, Hill WD, Clarke TK, Major Depressive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, et al.
    Nat Commun, 2020 05 08;11(1):2301.
    PMID: 32385265 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16022-0
    Depression is a leading cause of worldwide disability but there remains considerable uncertainty regarding its neural and behavioural associations. Here, using non-overlapping Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) datasets as a reference, we estimate polygenic risk scores for depression (depression-PRS) in a discovery (N = 10,674) and replication (N = 11,214) imaging sample from UK Biobank. We report 77 traits that are significantly associated with depression-PRS, in both discovery and replication analyses. Mendelian Randomisation analysis supports a potential causal effect of liability to depression on brain white matter microstructure (β: 0.125 to 0.868, pFDR 
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism*; Prefrontal Cortex/pathology
  6. Durani LW, Hamezah HS, Ibrahim NF, Yanagisawa D, Makpol S, Damanhuri HA, et al.
    Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 2017 11 25;493(3):1356-1363.
    PMID: 28970069 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.09.164
    We have recently shown that age-dependent regional brain atrophy and lateral ventricle expansion may be linked with impaired cognitive and locomotor functions. However, metabolic profile transformation in different brain regions during aging is unknown. This study examined metabolic changes in the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and striatum of middle- and late-aged Sprague-Dawley rats using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution accurate mass-orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry. Thirty-eight potential metabolites were altered in hippocampus, 29 in mPFC, and 14 in striatum. These alterations indicated that regional metabolic mechanisms in lated-aged rats are related to multiple pathways including glutathione, sphingolipid, tyrosine, and purine metabolism. Thus, our findings might be useful for understanding the complexity of metabolic mechanisms in aging and provide insight for aging and health span.
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism*; Prefrontal Cortex/physiology
  7. Mohd Nawi, N. S. A., Rahmad, A. A., Abdul Hamid, K., Rahman, S., Osman, S. S., Surat, S., et al.
    MyJurnal
    The connectivity patterns among the DMN nodes when the brain is resting are still in great debate. Among the unknowns is whether a dominant node exists in the network and if any, how does it influences the other nodes. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) was utilized in data acquisition on 25 healthy male and female participants. The DMN nodes selected were posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), bilateral inferior parietal cortex (IPL) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Fully connected causal models were constructed comprising four DMN nodes. The time invariant covariance of the random fluctuations between nodes was then estimated to obtain the effective connectivity (EC) between the DMN nodes. The EC values among the DMN nodes were averaged over the participants using Bayesian Parameter Averaging (BPA). All the DMN nodes have self-inhibitory dynamics. All connections between nodes were significant (P > 0.9) with a condition for any of the two nodes, one node inhibited the others. The PCC which exhibited the highest signal intensity was in fact inhibited by others. Inter-hemispheric RIPC to LIPC connections acted the same way, with excitatory LIPC to RIPC and inhibitory RIPC to LIPC connections. The results also showed a stronger mPFC to RIPC connection in the right hemisphere (as compared to mPFC to LIPC connection in the left hemisphere) and a weaker PCC to RIPC connection in the right hemisphere (as compared to PCC to LIPC connection in the left hemisphere). PCC can be regarded as a dominant node among the four nodes, being connected to all other nodes in different ways. All the four nodes were significantly activated and connected to each other even though the brain was in a state of resting.
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex
  8. Othman, E. A., Mohamad, M., Abdul Manan, H., Yusoff, A. N.
    MyJurnal
    This study investigated the effects of stochastic facilitation in healthy subjects with normal and low auditory working memory capacity (AWMC). Forty healthy volunteers were recruited in this study. They performed a backward recall task (BRT) in quiet and under four white noise intensity levels: 45, 50, 55, and 60 dB. Brain activations during the task were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The behavioral performance in both groups increased significantly in 50 and 55 dB white noise. The normal AWMC group (mean score = 48.70) demonstrated higher activation in the superior temporal gyrus and prefrontal cortex than the low AWMC group (mean score = 30.85). However, comparisons in the brain activation between groups for all noise levels were not statistically different. The results support previous findings that stochastic facilitation enhances cognitive performance in healthy individuals. The results also proposed that brain activity among healthy subjects is more or less similar, at least in the context of auditory working memory. These findings indicated that there were no differential effects of stochastic facilitation in healthy subjects with different AWMC.
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex
  9. Loganathan K, Lv J, Cropley V, Ho ETW, Zalesky A
    Neuroscience, 2021 01 01;452:295-310.
    PMID: 33242540 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.11.026
    The process of valuation assists in determining if an object or course of action is rewarding. Delay discounting is the observed decay of a rewards' subjective value over time. Encoding the subjective value of rewards across a spectrum has been attributed to brain regions belonging to the valuation and executive control systems. The valuation system (VS) encodes reward value over short and long delays, influencing reinforcement learning and reward representation. The executive control system (ECS) becomes more active as choice difficulty increases, integrating contextual and mnemonic information with salience signals in the modulation of decision-making. Here, we aimed to identify resting-state functional connectivity-based patterns of the VS and ECS correlated with value-setting and delay discounting (outside-scanner paradigm) in a large (n = 992) cohort of healthy young adults from the Human Connectome Project (HCP). Results suggest the VS may be involved in value-setting of small, immediate rewards while the ECS may be involved in value-setting and delay discounting for large and small rewards over a range of delays. We observed magnitude sensitive connections involving the posterior cingulate cortex, time-sensitive connections with the ventromedial and lateral prefrontal cortex while connections involving the posterior parietal cortex appeared both magnitude- and time-sensitive. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex could act as "comparator" regions, weighing the value of small rewards against large rewards across various delay duration to aid in decision-making.
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex
  10. Nour El Huda Abd Rahim, Mohd Nabil Fikri Rahim, Norsidah Ku Zaifah, Hanisah Mohd Noor, Kartini Abdullah, Norlelawati A. Talib
    MyJurnal
    The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia is based on the fact that hyperdopaminergic
    state is involved in causing psychosis and antipsychotic drugs block the
    dopamine receptor. COMT regulates the homeostatic levels of neurotransmitter
    dopamine in the synapses and plays a role in the neurocognitive function. The
    dysregulation of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex influences the cognitive function and
    the severity of the psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia. During epigenetic event,
    methylated COMT gene may cause reduction in its expression and contribute to the
    clinical presentation of schizophrenia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the
    feasibility of using COMT DNA methylation for the prediction of specific psychotic
    presentation of schizophrenia. (Copied from article).
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex
  11. Husain SF, Chiang SK, Vasu AA, Goh CP, McIntyre RS, Tang TB, et al.
    J Atten Disord, 2023 Nov;27(13):1448-1459.
    PMID: 37341192 DOI: 10.1177/10870547231180111
    OBJECTIVE: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) provides direct and quantitative assessment of cortical hemodynamic response. It has been used to identify neurophysiological alterations in medication-naïve adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Hence, this study aimed to distinguish both medication-naïve and medicated adults with ADHD from healthy controls (HC).

    METHOD: 75 HCs, 75 medication-naïve, and 45 medicated patients took part in this study. fNIRS signals during a verbal fluency task (VFT) were acquired using a 52-channel system and relative oxy-hemoglobin changes in the prefrontal cortex were quantified.

    RESULTS: Prefrontal cortex hemodynamic response was lower in patients than HCs (p ≤ ≤.001). Medication-naïve and medicated patients did not differ in hemodynamic response or symptom severity (p > .05). fNIRS measurements were not associated with any clinical variables (p > .05). 75.8% patients and 76% HCs were correctly classified using hemodynamic response.

    CONCLUSION: fNIRS may be a potential diagnostic tool for adult ADHD. These findings need to be replicated in larger validation studies.

    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex
  12. Li Z, Abdul Manan H, Heitmann H, Witte V, Wirkner K, Riedel-Heller S, et al.
    Neuroscience, 2023 May 21;519:31-37.
    PMID: 36934780 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.03.017
    OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between olfactory sulcus (OS) depth and olfactory function considering age and gender and to provide normative data on OS depth in a population with normal olfactory function.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: OS depth was obtained using T1 magnetic resonance imaging scans. Participants (mean age ± sd = 57 ± 16 years, ranging from 20 to 80 years) were screened for olfactory function using the Sniffin' Sticks Screening 12 test. They were divided into an olfactory dysfunction group (n = 604) and a normosmia group (n = 493). Participants also completed questionnaires measuring depression, anxiety and quality of life.

    RESULTS: The right OS was deeper than the left side in all age groups. On the left side, women had deeper OS compared with men, exhibiting a higher degree of symmetry in left and right OS depth in women. Variance of olfactory function was largely determined by age, OS depth explained only minor portions of this variance. Normative data for minimum OS depth was 7.55 mm on the left and 8.78 mm on the right for participants aged between 18 and 35 years (n = 144), 6.47 mm on the left and 6.99 mm on the right for those aged 36-55 years (n = 120), and 5.28 mm on the left and 6.19 mm on the right for participants older than 55 years (n = 222).

    CONCLUSION: Considering the limited resolution of the presently used T1 weighted MR scans and the nature of the olfactory screening test, OS depth explained only minor portions of the variance of olfactory function, which was largely determined by age. Age-related normative data of OS depth are presented as a reference for future work.

    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex
  13. Omotoso GO, Kadir RE, Sulaimon FA, Jaji-Sulaimon R, Gbadamosi IT
    Malays J Med Sci, 2018 Sep;25(5):35-47.
    PMID: 30914861 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2018.25.5.4
    Background and aim: This study aimed to determine the effect of gestational nicotine exposure before neurodevelopment on the morphology and histology of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in rats.

    Methodology: Adult female Wistar rats were time-mated and grouped into three categories: (a) control-given 0.1 mL of normal saline, (b) low-dose nicotine-given 6.88 mg/ kg/d/0.05 mL, and (c) high-dose nicotine-given 13.76 mg/kg/d/0.1 mL in two divided doses. Treatment was given intraperitoneally from gestational days 2 to 6. On postnatal day 15 (P15), the pups were separated from their mothers, anaesthetised and sacrificed, followed by intracardial perfusion with 4% paraformaldehyde. PFC was excised from the brain and processed for tissue histology, histochemistry, and morphology of brain cells.

    Results: Gestational nicotine exposure during the first week of gestation in rats significantly reduced birth weights in nicotine-treated groups compared with control; it, however, accelerated body weights, altered neuronal morphology, and elevated astrocytic count significantly, while oligodendroglial count was slightly increased in the PFC of juvenile rats examined at P15.

    Conclusion: These alterations revealed that gestational nicotine exposure before the commencement of the cellular processes involved in brain development negatively affects neurodevelopment, and this could result in neurological dysfunctions in later life.

    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex
  14. Nurnberger JI, Koller DL, Jung J, Edenberg HJ, Foroud T, Guella I, et al.
    JAMA Psychiatry, 2014 Jun;71(6):657-64.
    PMID: 24718920 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.176
    IMPORTANCE: Genome-wide investigations provide systematic information regarding the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders.

    OBJECTIVE: To identify biological pathways that contribute to risk for bipolar disorder (BP) using genes with consistent evidence for association in multiple genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

    DATA SOURCES: Four independent data sets with individual genome-wide data available in July 2011 along with all data sets contributed to the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Bipolar Group by May 2012. A prior meta-analysis was used as a source for brain gene expression data.

    STUDY SELECTION: The 4 published GWAS were included in the initial sample. All independent BP data sets providing genome-wide data in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium were included as a replication sample.

    DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: We identified 966 genes that contained 2 or more variants associated with BP at P cortex.

    MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Empirically significant genes and biological pathways. RESULTS Among 966 genes, 226 were empirically significant (P cortex in patients with BP: CACNA1C, DTNA, FOXP1, GNG2, ITPR2, LSAMP, NPAS3, NCOA2, and NTRK3.

    CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Pathways involved in the genetic predisposition to BP include hormonal regulation, calcium channels, second messenger systems, and glutamate signaling. Gene expression studies implicate neuronal development pathways as well. These results tend to reinforce specific hypotheses regarding BP neurobiology and may provide clues for new approaches to treatment and prevention.

    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism
  15. Ramli N, Yap A, Muridan R, Seow P, Rahmat K, Fong CY, et al.
    Clin Radiol, 2020 01;75(1):77.e15-77.e22.
    PMID: 31668796 DOI: 10.1016/j.crad.2019.09.134
    AIM: To evaluate the microstructural abnormalities of the white matter tracts (WMT) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in children with global developmental delay (GDD).

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen children with GDD underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cross-sectional DTI. Formal developmental assessment of all GDD patients was performed using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. An automated processing pipeline for the WMT assessment was implemented. The DTI-derived metrics of the children with GDD were compared to healthy children with normal development (ND).

    RESULTS: Only two out of the 17 WMT demonstrated significant differences (p<0.05) in DTI parameters between the GDD and ND group. In the uncinate fasciculus (UF), the GDD group had lower mean values for fractional anisotropy (FA; 0.40 versus 0.44), higher values for mean diffusivity (0.96 versus 0.91×10-3 mm2/s) and radial diffusivity (0.75 versus 0.68×10-3 mm2/s) compared to the ND group. In the superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP), mean FA values were lower for the GDD group (0.38 versus 0.40). Normal myelination pattern of DTI parameters was deviated against age for GDD group for UF and SCP.

    CONCLUSION: The UF and SCP WMT showed microstructural changes suggestive of compromised white matter maturation in children with GDD. The DTI metrics have potential as imaging markers for inadequate white matter maturation in GDD children.

    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex/abnormalities*
  16. Othman E, Yusoff AN, Mohamad M, Abdul Manan H, Abd Hamid AI, Giampietro V
    Exp Brain Res, 2020 Apr;238(4):945-956.
    PMID: 32179941 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-05765-3
    The present study examined the impact of white noise on word recall performance and brain activity in 40 healthy adolescents, split in two groups (normal and low) depending on their auditory working memory capacity (AWMC). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants performed a backward recall task under four different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions: 15, 10, 5, and 0-dB SNR. Behaviorally, normal AWMC individuals scored significantly higher than low AWMC individuals across noise levels. Whole-brain analyses showed brain activation not to be statistically different between groups across noise levels. In the normal group, a significant positive relationship was found between performance and number of activated voxels in the right superior frontal gyrus. In the low group, significant positive correlations were found between performance and number of activated voxels in left superior frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, and left anterior cingulate cortex. These findings suggest that the strategic structure involved in the enhancement of AWM performance may differ in normal and low AWMC individuals.
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex/physiology*
  17. Abdo Qaid EY, Abdullah Z, Zakaria R, Long I
    Int J Mol Sci, 2022 Nov 03;23(21).
    PMID: 36362262 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113474
    Neuroinflammation following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration induces locomotor deficits and anxiety-like behaviour. In this study, minocycline was compared to memantine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, for its effects on LPS-induced locomotor deficits and anxiety-like behaviour in rats. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were administered either two different doses of minocycline (25 or 50 mg/kg/day, i.p.) or 10 mg/kg/day of memantine (i.p.) for 14 days four days prior to an LPS (5 mg/kg, i.p.) injection. Locomotor activity and anxiety-like behaviour were assessed using the open-field test (OFT). The phosphorylated tau protein level was measured using ELISA, while the expression and density of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cAMP response element-binding (CREB) protein in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) were measured using immunohistochemistry and Western blot, respectively. Minocycline treatment reduced locomotor deficits and anxiety-like behaviour associated with reduced phosphorylated tau protein levels, but it upregulated BDNF/CREB protein expressions in the mPFC in a comparable manner to memantine, with a higher dose of minocycline having better benefits. Minocycline treatment attenuated LPS-induced locomotor deficits and anxiety-like behaviour in rats and decreased phosphorylated tau protein levels, but it increased the expressions of the BDNF/CREB proteins in the mPFC.
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism
  18. Husain SF, Yu R, Tang TB, Tam WW, Tran B, Quek TT, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2020 06 16;10(1):9740.
    PMID: 32546704 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66784-2
    Reduced haemodynamic response in the frontotemporal cortices of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) has been demonstrated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Most notably, changes in cortical oxy-haemoglobin during a Japanese phonetic fluency task can differentiate psychiatric patients from healthy controls (HC). However, this paradigm has not been validated in the English language. Therefore, the present work aimed to distinguish patients with MDD from HCs, using haemodynamic response measured during an English letter fluency task. One hundred and five HCs and 105 patients with MDD took part in this study. NIRS signals during the verbal fluency task (VFT) was acquired using a 52-channel system, and changes in oxy-haemoglobin in the frontal and temporal regions were quantified. Depression severity, psychosocial functioning, pharmacotherapy and psychiatric history were noted. Patients with MDD had smaller changes in oxy-haemoglobin in the frontal and temporal cortices than HCs. In both regions of interest, oxy-haemoglobin was not associated with any of the clinical variables studied. 75.2% and 76.5% of patients with MDD were correctly classified using frontal and temporal region oxy-haemoglobin, respectively. Haemodynamic response measured by fNIRS during an English letter fluency task is a promising biomarker for MDD.
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism; Prefrontal Cortex/physiopathology
  19. Hamezah HS, Durani LW, Yanagisawa D, Ibrahim NF, Aizat WM, Makpol S, et al.
    J Alzheimers Dis, 2019;72(1):229-246.
    PMID: 31594216 DOI: 10.3233/JAD-181171
    Tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) is a mixture of vitamin E analogs derived from palm oil. We previously demonstrated that supplementation with TRF improved cognitive function and modulated amyloid pathology in AβPP/PS1 mice brains. The current study was designed to examine proteomic profiles underlying the therapeutic effect of TRF in the brain. Proteomic analyses were performed on samples of hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and striatum using liquid chromatography coupled to Q Exactive HF Orbitrap mass spectrometry. From these analyses, we profiled a total of 5,847 proteins of which 155 proteins were differentially expressed between AβPP/PS1 and wild-type mice. TRF supplementation of these mice altered the expression of 255 proteins in the hippocampus, mPFC, and striatum. TRF also negatively modulated the expression of amyloid beta A4 protein and receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase alpha protein in the hippocampus. The expression of proteins in metabolic pathways, oxidative phosphorylation, and those involved in Alzheimer's disease were altered in the brains of AβPP/PS1 mice that received TRF supplementation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex/drug effects; Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism*
  20. Huguet G, Kadar E, Temel Y, Lim LW
    Cerebellum, 2017 04;16(2):398-410.
    PMID: 27435250 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-016-0812-y
    The electrical stimulation of specific brain targets has been shown to induce striking antidepressant effects. Despite that recent data have indicated that cerebellum is involved in emotional regulation, the mechanisms by which stimulation improved mood-related behaviors in the cerebellum remained largely obscure. Here, we investigated the stimulation effects of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and lateral habenular nucleus on the c-Fos neuronal activity in various deep cerebellar and vestibular nuclei using the unpredictable chronic mild stress (CMS) animal model of depression. Our results showed that stressed animals had increased number of c-Fos cells in the cerebellar dentate and fastigial nuclei, as well as in the spinal vestibular nucleus. To examine the stimulation effects, we found that vmPFC stimulation significantly decreased the c-Fos activity within the cerebellar fastigial nucleus as compared to the CMS sham. Similarly, there was also a reduction of c-Fos expression in the magnocellular part of the medial vestibular nucleus in vmPFC- and NAc core-stimulated animals when compared to the CMS sham. Correlational analyses showed that the anxiety measure of home-cage emergence escape latency was positively correlated with the c-Fos neuronal activity of the cerebellar fastigial and magnocellular and parvicellular parts of the interposed nuclei in CMS vmPFC-stimulated animals. Interestingly, there was a strong correlation among activation in these cerebellar nuclei, indicating that the antidepressant-like behaviors were possibly mediated by the vmPFC stimulation-induced remodeling within the forebrain-cerebellar neurocircuitry.
    Matched MeSH terms: Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism; Prefrontal Cortex/pathology
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