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15 September 2013, Volume 8 Issue 26 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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Brain structure in post-traumatic stress disorder A voxel-based morphometry analysis Liwen Tan, Li Zhang, Rongfeng Qi, Guangming Lu, Lingjiang Li, Jun Liu, Weihui Li 2013, 8 (26):  2405-2414.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.26.001 Abstract ( 259 )   PDF (358KB) ( 2925 )   Save This study compared the difference in brain structure in 12 mine disaster survivors with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, 7 cases of improved post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and 14 controls who experienced the same mine disaster but did not suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, us-ing the voxel-based morphometry method. The correlation between differences in brain structure and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms was also investigated. Results showed that the gray matter volume was the highest in the trauma control group, followed by the symptoms-improved group, and the lowest in the chronic post-traumatic stress disorder group. Compared with the symptoms-improved group, the gray matter volume in the lingual gyrus of the right occipital lobe was reduced in the chronic post-traumatic stress disorder group. Compared with the trauma control group, the gray matter volume in the right middle occipital gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus was reduced in the symptoms-improved group. Compared with the trauma control group, the gray matter volume in the left superior parietal lobule and right superior frontal gyrus was reduced in the chronic post-traumatic stress disorder group. The gray matter volume in the left superior parietal lobule was significantly positively correlated with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory subscale score in the symptoms-improved group and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder group (r = 0.477, P = 0.039). Our findings indicate that (1) chronic post-traumatic stress disorder patients have gray matter structural damage in the prefrontal lobe, occip-ital lobe, and parietal lobe, (2) after post-traumatic stress, the disorder symptoms are improved and gray matter structural damage is reduced, but cannot recover to the trauma-control level, and (3) the superior parietal lobule is possibly associated with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder patients exhibit gray matter abnormalities. Related Articles | Metrics

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Hippocampal and thalamic neuronal metabolism in a putative rat model of schizophrenia Guolin Ma, Tianbin Song, Min Chen, Yuan Fu, Yong Xu, Ensen Ma, Wu Wang, Jiang Du, Mingxiong Huang 2013, 8 (26):  2415-2423.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.26.002 Abstract ( 280 )   PDF (566KB) ( 1854 )   Save null References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Effects of task orientation on subsequent source memory as revealed by functional MRI Xiuyan Guo, Lei Zhu, Li Zheng, Jianqi Li, Qianfeng Wang, Zhiliang Yang 2013, 8 (26):  2424-2431.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.26.003 Abstract ( 212 )   PDF (242KB) ( 1206 )   Save Episodic memories are composed of various interrelated elements, including those specific to items of central interest and those pertaining to related features, such as the color, shape, size, spatial location, temporal order, and media or modalities of presentation. Memory about a core item (such as a word, object, or picture) is called item memory while memory about the context or related fea-tures of a core item is defined as source memory. What determines which sources within an episode are successfully remembered is of particular interest to researchers. Behavioral evidence suggests that the orientation of a memory task influences whether the related source of the item will be re-membered later. This study explored changes in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex while par-ticipants completed two tasks: an item-oriented task and a source-oriented task. We used functional MRI to investigate the neural mechanisms by which task orientation influences source encoding. We found that subsequent source memory effects in the right prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were modulated by task orientation, whereas task orientation modulated item memory effects in the prefrontal cortex. These findings highlight the possibility that the hippocampus contributes to the intentional encoding of item-source associations, whereas the prefrontal cortex is biased toward processing information to which attention is directed. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Ultrasound measurement of the corpus callosum and neural development of premature infants Fang Liu, Shikao Cao, Jiaoran Liu, Zhifang Du, Zhimei Guo, Changjun Ren 2013, 8 (26):  2432-2440.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.26.004 Abstract ( 313 )   PDF (235KB) ( 2163 )   Save Length and thickness of 152 corpus callosa were measured in neonates within 24 hours of birth. Using ultrasonic diagnostic equipment with a neonatal brain-specific probe, corpus callosum length and thickness of the genu, body, and splenium were measured on the standard mid-sagittal plane, and the anteroposterior diameter of the genu was measured in the coronal plane. Results showed that corpus callosum length as well as thickness of the genu and splenium increased with gesta-tional age and birth weight, while other measures did not. These three factors on the standard mid-sagittal plane are therefore likely to be suitable for real-time evaluation of corpus callosum de-velopment in premature infants using cranial ultrasound. Further analysis revealed that thickness of the body and splenium and the anteroposterior diameter of the genu were greater in male infants than in female infants, suggesting that there are sex differences in corpus callosum size during the neonatal period. A second set of measurements were taken from 40 premature infants whose ges-tational age was 34 weeks or less. Corpus callosum measurements were corrected to a gestational age of 40 weeks, and infants were grouped for analysis depending on the outcome of a neonatal behavioral neurological assessment. Compared with infants with a normal neurological assessment, corpus callosum length and genu and splenium thicknesses were less in those with abnormalities, indicating that corpus callosum growth in premature infants is associated with neurobehavioral de-velopment during the early extrauterine stage. Related Articles | Metrics

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miR-137, a new target for post-stroke depression? Lixia Zhao, Huazi Li, Ruiyou Guo, Teng Ma, Rongyao Hou, Xiaowei Ma, Yifeng Du 2013, 8 (26):  2441-2448.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.26.005 Abstract ( 199 )   PDF (453KB) ( 1933 )   Save Expression of miR-137 is downregulated in brain tissue from patients with depression and suicidal behavior, and is also downregulated in peripheral blood from stroke patients. However, it is not yet known if miR-137 acts as a bridge between stroke and depression. To test this, we used middle cerebral artery occlusion and chronic mild stress to establish a post-stroke depression model in rats. Compared with controls, we found significantly lower miR-137 levels in the brain and peripheral blood from post-stroke depression rats. Injection of a miR-137 antagonist into the brain ventricles upregulated miR-137 levels, and improved behavioral changes in post-stroke depression rats. Lu-ciferase assays showed miR-137 bound to the 3′UTR of Grin2A, regulating Grin2A expression in a neuronal cell line. Grin2A gene overexpression in the brain of post-stroke depression rats, noticea-bly suppressed the inhibitory effect of miR-137 on post-stroke depression. Overall, our results show that miR-137 suppresses Grin2A protein expression through binding to Grin2A mRNA, thereby ex-erting an inhibitory effect on post-stroke depression. Our results offer a new therapeutic direction for post-stroke depression. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Amyloid beta-peptide worsens cognitive impairment following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury Bo Song, Qiang Ao, Ying Niu, Qin Shen, Huancong Zuo, Xiufang Zhang, Yandao Gong 2013, 8 (26):  2449-2457.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.26.006 Abstract ( 295 )   PDF (307KB) ( 1519 )   Save Amyloid β-peptide, a major component of senile plaques in Alzheimer’s disease, has been impli-cated in neuronal cell death and cognitive impairment. Recently, studies have shown that the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia is closely linked with Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, a rat model of global cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was established via occlusion of four arteries; meanwhile, fibrillar amyloid β-peptide was injected into the rat lateral ventricle. The Morris water maze test and histological staining revealed that administration of amyloid β-peptide could further aggravate impairments to learning and memory and neuronal cell death in the hippocampus of rats subjected to cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Western blot showed that phosphorylation of tau protein and the activity of glycogen synthase kinase 3β were significantly stronger in cerebral is-chemia-reperfusion injury rats subjected to amyloid β-peptide administration than those undergoing cerebral ischemia-reperfusion or amyloid β-peptide administration alone. Conversely, the activity of protein phosphatase 2A was remarkably reduced in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury following amyloid β-peptide administration. These findings suggest that amyloid β-peptide can po-tentiate tau phosphorylation induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion and thereby aggravate cog-nitive impairment. Related Articles | Metrics

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Hypothyroidism affects astrocyte and microglial morphology in type 2 diabetes Sung Min Nam, Yo Na Kim, Dae Young Yoo, Sun Shin Yi, Jung Hoon Choi, In Koo Hwang, Je Kyung Seong, Yeo Sung Yoon 2013, 8 (26):  2458-2467.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.26.007 Abstract ( 241 )   PDF (535KB) ( 872 )   Save null References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Correlation between X-ray cross-complementing group 1 polymorphisms and the onset risk of glioma A meta-analysis Xinquan Gu, Hongyan Sun, Liping Chang, Ran Sun, Hongfeng Yang, Xuewen Zhang, Xianling Cong 2013, 8 (26):  2468-2477.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.26.008 Abstract ( 199 )   PDF (338KB) ( 1149 )   Save OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of X-ray cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp and Arg280His polymorphisms with the risk of glioma. DATA SOURCES: A systematic literature search of papers published from January 2000 to August 2012 in PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, and Wanfang da-tabase was performed. The key words used were “glioma”, “polymorphism”, and “XRCC1 or X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1”. References cited in the retrieved articles were screened manually to identify additional eligible studies. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were identified according to the following inclusion criteria: case-control design was based on unrelated individuals; and genotype frequency was available to estimate an odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Meta-analysis was performed for the selected studies after strict screening. Dominant and recessive genetic models were used and the relationship between homozygous mutant genotype frequencies and mutant gene frequency and glioma incidence was investigated. We chose the fixed or random effect model according to the heterogeneity to calculate OR and 95%CI, and sensitivity analyses were conducted. Publication bias was examined using the inverted funnel plot and the Egger’s test using Stata 12.0 software. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Association of XRCC1 Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp, and Arg280His polymorphisms with the risk of glioma, and subgroup analyses were performed according to differ-ent ethnicities of the subjects. RESULTS: Twelve articles were included in the meta-analysis. Eleven of the articles were concerned with the Arg399Gln polymorphism and glioma onset risk. Significantly increased glioma risks were found only in the dominant model (Gln/Gln + Gln/Arg versus Arg/Arg: OR = 1.26, 95%CI = 1.03–1.54, P = 0.02). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, significantly increased risk was found in Asian subjects in the recessive (OR = 1.46, 95%CI = 1.04–2.45, P = 0.03) and dominant models (OR = 1.40, 95%CI = 1.10–1.78, P = 0.007), and homozygote contrast (OR = 1.69, 95%CI = 1.17–2.45, P = 0.005), but not in Caucasian sub-jects. For association of the Arg194Trp (eight studies) and Arg280His (four studies) polymorphisms with glioma risk, the meta-analysis did not reveal a significant effect in the allele contrast, the recessive genetic model, the dominant genetic model, or homozygote contrast. CONCLUSION: The XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism may be a biomarker of glioma susceptibility, es-pecially in Asian populations. The Arg194Trp and Arg280His polymorphisms were not associated with overall glioma risk. Related Articles | Metrics

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Differences in standing balance between patients with diplegic and hemiplegic cerebral palsy Valeska Gatica Rojas, Guillermo Méndez Rebolledo, Eduardo Guzman Muñoz, Natalia Ibarra Cortés, Caterine Berrios Gaete, Carlos Manterola Delgado 2013, 8 (26):  2478-2483.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.26.009 Abstract ( 260 )   PDF (111KB) ( 2381 )   Save Maintaining standing postural balance is important for walking and handling abilities in patients with cerebral palsy. This study included 23 patients with cerebral palsy (seven with spastic diplegia and 16 with spastic hemiplegia), aged from 7 to 16 years of age. Standing posture balance measure-ments were performed using an AMTI model OR6-7 force platform with the eyes open and closed. Patients with diplegic cerebral palsy exhibited greater center of pressure displacement areas with the eyes open and greater center of pressure sway in the medial-lateral direction with the eyes open and closed compared with hemiplegic patients. Thus, diplegic patients exhibited weaker postural balance control ability and less standing stability compared with hemiplegic cerebral palsy patients. Related Articles | Metrics

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Imaging and clinical properties of inflammatory demyelinating pseudotumor in the spinal cord Ying Wang, Min Wang, Hui Liang, Quntao Yu, Zhihui Yan, Min Kong 2013, 8 (26):  2484-2494.  doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.26.010 Abstract ( 368 )   PDF (404KB) ( 1887 )   Save Inflammatory demyelinating pseudotumor usually occurs in the brain and rarely occurs in the spinal cord. On imaging, inflammatory demyelinating pseudotumor appears very similar to intramedullary tumors such as gliomas. It is often misdiagnosed as intramedullary tumor and surgically resected. In view of this, the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging manifestations and the pathological fea-tures of 36 cases of inflammatory demyelinating pseudotumor in the spinal cord were retrospec-tively analyzed and summarized. Most of these cases suffered from acute or subacute onset and exhibited a sensorimotor disorder. Among them, six cases were misdiagnosed as having intrame-dullary gliomas, and inflammatory demyelinating pseudotumor was only identified and pathologi-cally confirmed after surgical resection. Lesions in the cervical and thoracic spinal cord were com-mon. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed edema and space-occupying lesions to varying de-grees at the cervical-thoracic junction, with a predominant feature of non-closed rosette-like rein-forcement (open-loop sign). Pathological examination showed perivascular cuffing of predominantly dense lymphocytes, and demyelination was observed in six of the misdiagnosed cases. These re-sults suggest that tumor-like inflammatory demyelinating disease in the spinal cord is a kind of special demyelinating disease that can be categorized as inflammatory pseudotumor. These solitary lesions are easily confused with intramedullary neoplasms. Patchy or non-closed reinforcement (open-ring sign) on magnetic resonance imaging is the predominant property of inflammatory de-myelinating pseudotumor, and inflammatory cell infiltration and demyelination are additional patho-logical properties. References | Related Articles | Metrics