OBJECTIVE: To investigate the resting-state functional connectivity in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls using multivoxel pattern analysis, and to find out the abnormal functional connectivity in patients. METHODS: Twenty two patients with schizophrenia and 22 matched controls were given resting state functional magnetic resonance brain scan. We used the high functional connectivity as features, reduced the dimensionality by 3 methods, and classified the features. RESULTS: The principal component analysis achieved the best generalization performance, whose classification rate was 86.4%. Most features were the functional connectivity within or between the visual cortex network and the pre- and post-central and temporal lobe connectivity. CONCLUSION Patients with schizophrenia can be identified with multivoxel pattern analysis based on the functional magnetic resonance imaging, and visual cortex network may play an important role in physiological explanation of the syndrome of schizophrenia.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Brain ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Principal Component Analysis ; Schizophrenia ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Visual Cortex ; physiopathology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to investigate the usefulness of event-related (ER) functional MRI (fMRI) for the assessment of cortical visual impairment in infants with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: FMRI data were collected from 24 infants who suffered from PVL and from 12 age-matched normal controls. Slow ER fMRI was performed using a 3.0T MR scanner while visual stimuli were being presented. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Parametric Mapping software (SPM2), the SPM toolbox MarsBar was used to analyze the region of interest data, and the time to peak (TTP) of hemodynamic response functions (HRFs) was estimated for the surviving voxels. The number of activated voxels and the TTP values of HRFs were compared. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to compare visual impairment evaluated by using Teller Acuity Cards (TAC) with the number of activated voxels in the occipital lobes in all patients. RESULTS: In all 12 control infants, the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal was negative and the maximum response was located in the anterior and superior part of the calcarine fissure, and this might correspond to the anterior region of the primary visual cortex (PVC). In contrast, for the 24 cases of PVL, there were no activated pixels in the PVC in four subjects, small and weak activations in six subjects, deviated activations in seven subjects and both small and deviated activations in three subjects. The number of active voxels in the occipital lobe was significantly correlated with the TAC-evaluated visual impairment (p < 0.001). The mean TTP of the HRFs was significantly delayed in the cases of PVL as compared with that of the normal controls. CONCLUSION: Determining the characteristics of both the BOLD response and the ER fMRI activation may play an important role in the cortical visual assessment of infants with PVL.
Case-Control Studies ; Evoked Potentials, Visual ; Female ; Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Leukomalacia, Periventricular/*physiopathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods ; Male ; Photic Stimulation ; Pilot Projects ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Cortex/*physiopathology

Cortical visual prosthesis, optic nerve visual prosthesis and vision substitution devices are alternative ways for repairing the visual impairment in case of optic nerve injury, retina lose or blindness without fully developed central visual system. This article is a state-of-art review of the principles, technical details and the limitations of different types of prostheses beyond the retinal prosthesis.
Animals ; Artificial Intelligence ; Electric Stimulation Therapy ; instrumentation ; methods ; Humans ; Optic Nerve ; physiopathology ; Prosthesis Design ; Prosthesis Implantation ; methods ; trends ; Retinal Ganglion Cells ; physiology ; Vision Disorders ; rehabilitation ; Visual Cortex ; physiopathology ; Visual Pathways ; physiopathology

INTRODUCTIONFor occipital cortex strokes resulting in vision disorders, questions about the viability of residual visual cortex remain.

CLINICAL PICTUREIn a patient with a one-year-old, left, complete, homonymous hemianopia due to a right, posterior cerebral artery, ischaemic infarct, we assessed the visual cortex with fMRI retinotopic mapping prior to starting vision restoration therapy.

OUTCOMEThe patient was found to have residual neurovascular function and retinotopic representation in the surviving visual cortex around the infarcted area.

CONCLUSIONThe ability to respond to stimuli in part of the blind field, though not consciously perceived, suggests the potential for recovery.

Hemianopsia ; diagnosis ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neural Conduction ; physiology ; Stroke ; complications ; physiopathology ; Visual Cortex ; pathology

BACKGROUNDPrevious studies have demonstrated interhemispheric functional connectivity alterations in schizophrenia. However, the relationship between these alterations and the disease state of schizophrenia is largely unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate this relationship using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) method.

METHODSThis study enrolled 36 schizophrenia patients with complete remission, 58 schizophrenia patients with incomplete remission and 55 healthy controls. The VMHC was calculated based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Differences in VMHC among three groups were compared using one-way analysis of variance. A brain region with a significant difference in VMHC was defined as a region of interest (ROI), and the mean VMHC value in the ROI was extracted for the post hoc analysis, i.e., pair-wise comparisons across the three groups.

RESULTSVMHC in the visual region (inferior occipital and fusiform gyri) and the sensorimotor region (paracentral lobule) showed significant differences among the three groups (P < 0.05, a false discovery rate method corrected). Pair-wise comparisons in the post hoc analysis showed that VMHC of the visual and sensorimotor regions in schizophrenia patients with complete remission and incomplete remission was lower than that in healthy controls (P < 0.05, Bonferroni corrected); however, there was no significant difference between the two patient subgroups.

CONCLUSIONSInterhemispheric functional connectivity in the sensorimotor and visual processing pathways was reduced in patients with schizophrenia, but this reduction was unrelated to the disease state; thus, this reduction may serve as a trait marker of schizophrenia.

Adult ; Brain ; physiology ; Brain Mapping ; Female ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Schizophrenia ; physiopathology ; Sensorimotor Cortex ; physiology ; Visual Pathways ; physiology

Adhesive capsulitis is a common cause of shoulder pain and limited movement. The objectives of this review were to assess the efficacy and safety of corticosteroid injections for adhesive capsulitis and to evaluate the optimum dose and anatomical site of injections. PubMed and CENTRAL databases were searched for randomised trials and a total of ten trials were included. Results revealed that corticosteroid injection is superior to placebo and physiotherapy in the short-term (up to 12 weeks). There was no difference in outcomes between corticosteroid injection and oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at 24 weeks. Dosages of intra-articular triamcinolone 20 mg and 40 mg showed identical outcomes, while subacromial and glenohumeral corticosteroid injections had similar efficacy. The use of corticosteroid injections is also generally safe, with infrequent and minor side effects. Physicians may consider corticosteroid injection to treat adhesive capsulitis, especially in the early stages when pain is the predominant presentation.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; pharmacology ; Bursitis ; complications ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Injections ; Male ; Pain ; complications ; Physical Therapy Modalities ; Primary Health Care ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Shoulder ; physiopathology ; Shoulder Joint ; physiopathology ; Treatment Outcome ; Visual Analog Scale

In order to understand the alcohol's toxicity to the quantitative alternations of synapses in mouse visual cortex, the expression of synaptophysin after prenatal alcohol exposure was investigated. In present study, the experimental mice at P0, P7, P14 and P30 were grouped, as control, 2 g x kg(-1) alcohol treatment and 4 g x kg(-1) alcohol treatment. The pre-synaptic elements which were used to represent synapses were marked with synaptophysin (a synaptic vesicle associated protein) by immunocytochemistry technique. The synaptophysin positive boutons in layer VI of visual cortex were imaged under laser confocal microscope. With stereological methods, the number cal density of synapse in visual cortex was calculated in different groups at various ages. Moreover, Western blotting was carried out to detect the expression of synaptophysin in visual cortex. The results showed that prenatal alcohol exposure could cause synaptic loss with long-term effect and in a dose dependent manner. For instance, there were significant difference among the different treatment groups of P0, P14 and P30 as well (P < 0.05). Western blotting supported the results of immunofluorescent labeling. In conclusion, prenatal alcohol exposure can induce the synaptic loss dose dependently and with long-term effect. Our findings implicate that the synaptic loss with long-term effect in CNS probably contributes to the lifelong mental retardation and memorial lowliness associated with childhood FAS.
Animals ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Ethanol ; administration & dosage ; toxicity ; Female ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; physiopathology ; Random Allocation ; Synapses ; drug effects ; Synaptophysin ; metabolism ; Visual Cortex ; drug effects ; physiopathology

The visual system plays an important role in our daily life. In this study, we found that loss of dendritic cell factor 1 (DCF1) in the primary visual cortex (V1) caused a sight deficit in mice and induced an abnormal increase in glutamic acid decarboxylase 67, an enzyme that catalyzes the decarboxylation of glutamate to gamma aminobutyric acid and CO, particularly in layer 5. In vivo electrophysiological recordings confirmed a decrease in delta, theta, and beta oscillation power in DCF1-knockout mice. This study presents a previously unknown function of DCF1 in V1, suggests an unknown contact between DCF1 and GABA systems, and provides insight into the mechanism and treatment of visual deficits.
Animals ; Brain Waves ; genetics ; Disease Models, Animal ; Electroencephalography ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; genetics ; Geniculate Bodies ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Ginkgolides ; therapeutic use ; Glutamate Decarboxylase ; metabolism ; Lactones ; therapeutic use ; Membrane Proteins ; deficiency ; genetics ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Knockout ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; deficiency ; genetics ; Photic Stimulation ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos ; metabolism ; Vision Disorders ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Visual Cortex ; metabolism ; pathology ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; metabolism