Itch is an unpleasant sensation that provokes the desire to scratch. While acute itch serves as a protective system to warn the body of external irritating agents, chronic itch is a debilitating but poorly-treated clinical disease leading to repetitive scratching and skin lesions. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of chronic itch remain mysterious. Here, we identified a cell type-dependent role of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in controlling chronic itch-related excessive scratching behaviors in mice. Moreover, we delineated a neural circuit originating from excitatory neurons of the ACC to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) that was critically involved in chronic itch. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the ACC→VTA circuit also selectively modulated histaminergic acute itch. Finally, the ACC neurons were shown to predominantly innervate the non-dopaminergic neurons of the VTA. Taken together, our findings uncover a cortex-midbrain circuit for chronic itch-evoked scratching behaviors and shed novel insights on therapeutic intervention.
Mice ; Animals ; Gyrus Cinguli/physiology* ; Pruritus/pathology* ; Mesencephalon ; Cerebral Cortex/pathology* ; Neurons/pathology*

BACKGROUNDPrevious animal and neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that brain function in heroin addicted users is impaired. However, the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) has not received much attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether chronic heroin use is associated with craving-related changes in the functional connectivity of the PCC of heroin addicted users.

METHODSFourteen male adult chronic heroin users and fifteen age and gender-matched healthy subjects participated in the present study. The participants underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan and a cue-induced craving task fMRI scan. The activated PCC was identified in the cue-induced craving task by means of a group contrast test. Functional connectivity was analyzed based on resting-state fMRI data in order to determine the correlation between brain regions. The relationship between the connectivity of specific regions and heroin dependence was investigated.

RESULTSThe activation of PCC, bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, caudate, putamen, precuneus, and thalamus was significant in the heroin group compared to the healthy group in the cue-induced craving task. The detectable functional connectivity of the heroin users was stronger between the PCC and bilateral insula, bilateral dorsal striatum, right inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and right supramarginal gyrus (P < 0.001) compared to that of the healthy subjects in the resting-state data analysis. The strength of the functional connectivity, both for the PCC-insula (r = 0.60, P < 0.05) and for PCC-striatum (r = 0.58, P < 0.05), was positively correlated with the duration of heroin use.

CONCLUSIONThe altered functional connectivity patterns in the PCC-insula and PCC-striatum areas may be regarded as biomarkers of brain damage severity in chronic heroin users.

Adult ; Female ; Gyrus Cinguli ; physiopathology ; Heroin Dependence ; pathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUNDPrevious studies with animal experiments, autopsy, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and task-related functional MRI (fMRI) have confirmed that brain functional connectivity in addicts has become impaired. The goal of this study was to investigate the alteration of resting-state functional connectivity of the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC) in the heroin abusers' brain.

METHODSFifteen heroin abusers and fifteen matched healthy volunteers were studied using vACC as the region-of interest (ROI) seed. A 3.0 T scanner with a standard head coil was the imagining apparatus. T2*-weighted gradient-echo planar imaging (GRE-EPI) was the scanning protocol. A ROI seed based correlation analysis used a SPM5 software package as the tool for all images processing.

RESULTSThis study showed a functional connection to the insula vACC in heroin abusers. Compared with controls, heroin users showed decreased functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and vACC, between the parahippocampala gyrus/amgdala (PHC/amygdala) and vACC, between the thalamus and vACC, and between the posterior cingulated cortex/precuneus (PCC/pC) and vACC.

CONCLUSIONThe altered resting-state functional connectivity to the vACC suggests the neural circuitry on which the addictive drug has an affect and reflects the dysfunction of the addictive brain.

Adult ; Female ; Gyrus Cinguli ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Heroin Dependence ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged

As a widely recognized public health problem as well as prevalent and challenging to modern society, chronic insomnia is involved in wide brain areas (such as prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and thalamus) and emotion-cognition neuro-circuit. It is closely related to the conditioned hyperarousal and the increased information process and/or the impaired inhibitory ability to withdraw from awaking state. Thus, some specific abnormal mode may exist in the emotion-cognition circuit, which is associated with abnormal cognition load, such as repeated retrieval/intrusion of aversive memories during night. Studies through the combination of multiple techniques including psychology, electrophysiology and neuroimaging methods are needed to further enhance the understanding of chronic insomnia.
Brain ; physiopathology ; Electrophysiology ; Gyrus Cinguli ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Neuroimaging ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; pathology ; Thalamus

Micturition is a complex process involving the bladder, spinal cord, and the brain. Highly sophisticated central neural program controls bladder function by utilizing multiple brain regions, including pons and suprapontine structures. Periaqueductal grey, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex are components of suprapontine micturition centers. Under pathologic conditions such as epilepsy, urinary dysfunction is a frequent symptom and it seems to be associated with increased suprapontine cortical activity. Interestingly, micturition can also trigger seizures known as reflex epilepsy. During voiding behavior, frontotemporal cortical activation has been reported and it may induce reflex seizures. As current researches are only limited to present clinical cases, more rigorous investigations are needed to elucidate biological mechanisms of micturition to advance our knowledge on the process of micturition in physiology and pathology.
Brain ; Epilepsy* ; Epilepsy, Reflex ; Gyrus Cinguli ; Pathology ; Physiology ; Pons ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Reflex ; Seizures ; Spinal Cord ; Urinary Bladder ; Urination*

We report a case of anaplastic ganglioglioma. A 45-yr-old woman was admitted with a 5-month history of headache and dizziness, both of which progressed slowly. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging revealed a strong enhancing mass in the left frontal lobe extending to the cingulate gyrus. Adjuvant radiation therapy and chemotherapy were given after gross total resection of the tumor. Histological and immunohistochemical studies showed an anaplastic ganglioglioma. Gangliogliomas of the central nervous system are rather uncommon tumors, and anaplastic ones are extremely rare. The pertinent literature regarding gangliogliomas is reviewed.
Anaplasia/pathology ; Brain Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/therapy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Female ; Frontal Lobe/pathology ; Ganglioglioma/*diagnosis/pathology/therapy ; Gyrus Cinguli/pathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant

Individuals at ultra-high-risk (UHR) for psychosis have become a major focus for research designed to explore markers for early detection of and clinical intervention in schizophrenia. In particular, structural magnetic resonance imaging studies in UHR individuals have provided important insight into the neurobiological basis of psychosis and have shown the brain changes associated with clinical risk factors. In this review, we describe the structural brain abnormalities in magnetic resonance images in UHR individuals. The current accumulated data demonstrate that abnormalities in the prefrontal and temporal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex occur before illness onset. These regions are compatible with the regions of structural deficits found in schizophrenia and first-episode patients. In addition, the burgeoning evidence suggests that such structural abnormalities are potential markers for the transition to psychosis. However, most findings to date are limited because they are from cross-sectional rather than longitudinal studies. Recently, researchers have emphasized neurodevelopmental considerations with respect to brain structural alterations in UHR individuals. Future studies should be conducted to characterize the differences in the brain developmental trajectory between UHR individuals and healthy controls using a longitudinal design. These new studies should contribute to early detection and management as well as provide more predictive markers of later psychosis.
Brain/abnormalities/*pathology ; Gyrus Cinguli/pathology ; Humans ; Longitudinal Studies ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Psychotic Disorders/diagnosis/*pathology ; Risk Factors ; Temporal Lobe/pathology

BACKGROUNDDysconnectivity hypothesis of schizophrenia has been increasingly emphasized. Recent researches showed that this dysconnectivity might be related to occurrence of auditory hallucination (AH). However, there is still no consistent conclusion. This study aimed to explore intrinsic dysconnectivity pattern of whole-brain functional networks at voxel level in schizophrenic with AH.

METHODSAuditory hallucinated patients group (n = 42 APG), no hallucinated patients group (n = 42 NPG) and normal controls (n = 84 NCs) were analyzed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The functional connectivity metrics index (degree centrality [DC]) across the entire brain networks was calculated and evaluated among three groups.

RESULTSDC decreased in the bilateral putamen and increased in the left superior frontal gyrus in all the patients. However, in APG, the changes of DC were more obvious compared with NPG. Symptomology scores were negatively correlated with the DC of bilateral putamen in all patients. AH score of APG positively correlated with the DC in left superior frontal gyrus but negatively correlated with the DC in bilateral putamen.

CONCLUSIONOur findings corroborated that schizophrenia was characterized by functional dysconnectivity, and the abnormal DC in bilateral putamen and left superior frontal gyrus might be crucial in the occurrence of AH.

Adult ; Brain Mapping ; Female ; Gyrus Cinguli ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Hallucinations ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Putamen ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Schizophrenia ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate early occult brain functional damage in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

METHODSHigh-resolution three-dimensional T1-weighted fast spoiled gradient recalled echo MRI and resting-state functional MRI images were obtained from 18 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 18 normal control subjects. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) map, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) map, and functional connectivity map of the bilateral hippocampus and posterior cingulate gyrus were calculated and voxel-based analysis was performed using two-sample t-test.

RESULTSIn type 2 diabetic patients, decreased ReHo was deteted in the right thalamus, hippocampus, olfactory cortex and left putamen as compared with the normal controls. The decreased ALFF was found mainly in the left middle frontal gyrus, right supramarginal gyrus and middle occipital gyrus in the diabetic patients. The patients showed reduced functional connectivity between the bilateral hippocampus but not between the bilateral posterior gyrus and the other brain regions.

CONCLUSIONThe occult brain damage is featured by decreased ReHo and ALFF in multiple brain regions and reduced functional connectivity between the bilateral hippocampus in type 2 diabetic patients.

Brain ; pathology ; Brain Injuries ; Brain Mapping ; Case-Control Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; pathology ; Frontal Lobe ; Gyrus Cinguli ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

OBJECTIVE: To determine the brain function and structure in patinets with first-episode panic disorder (PD). METHODS: All subjects (24 PD patients and 24 healthy subjects) received MRI scan and emotional counting Stroop task during the functional magnetic resonance imaging. Blood oxygenation level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based morphometric technology were used to detect the gray matter volume. RESULTS: Compared with the healthy controls, left thalamus, left medial frontal gyrus, left anterior cingulate gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, left insula (panic-related words vs. neutral words) lacked activation in PD patients, but the over-activation were found in right brain stem, right occipital lobe/lingual gyrus in PD patients. Compared with the healthy controls, the gray matter volume in the PD patients significantly decreased in the left superior temporal gyrus, right medial frontal gyrus, left medial occipital gyrus, dorsomedial nucleus of left thalamus and right anterior cingulate gyrus. There was no significantly increased gray matter volume in any brain area in PD patients. CONCLUSION PD patients have selective attentional bias in processing threatening information due to the depression and weakening of the frontal cingulated gyrus.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Brain ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Frontal Lobe ; physiopathology ; Gyrus Cinguli ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Panic Disorder ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Young Adult