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Nguyen TT, Qian X, Ng EKK, Ong MQW, Ngoh ZM, Yeo SSP, Lau JM, Tan AP, Broekman BFP, Law EC, Gluckman PD, Chong YS, Cortese S, Meaney MJ, Zhou JH. Variations in Cortical Functional Gradients Relate to Dimensions of Psychopathology in Preschool Children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2024; 63:80-89. [PMID: 37394176 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.05.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE It is unclear how the functional brain hierarchy is organized in preschool-aged children, and whether alterations in the brain organization are linked to mental health in this age group. Here, we assessed whether preschool-aged children exhibit a brain organizational structure similar to that of older children, how this structure might change over time, and whether it might reflect mental health. METHOD This study derived functional gradients using diffusion embedding from resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 4.5-year-old children (N = 100, 42 male participants) and 6.0-year-old children (N = 133, 62 male participants) from the longitudinal Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort. We then conducted partial least-squares correlation analyses to identify the association between the impairment ratings of different mental disorders and network gradient values. RESULTS The main organizing axis of functional connectivity (ie, principal gradient) separated the visual and somatomotor regions (ie, unimodal) in preschool-aged children, whereas the second axis delineated the unimodal-transmodal gradient. This pattern of organization was stable from 4.5 to 6 years of age. The second gradient separating the high- and low-order networks exhibited a diverging pattern across mental health severity, differentiating dimensions related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and phobic disorders. CONCLUSION This study characterized, for the first time, the functional brain hierarchy in preschool-aged children. A divergence in functional gradient pattern across different disease dimensions was found, highlighting how perturbations in functional brain organization can relate to the severity of different mental health disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuan Tinh Nguyen
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Integrative Sciences and Engineering Programme (ISEP), NUS Graduate School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xing Qian
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Eric Kwun Kei Ng
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Marcus Qin Wen Ong
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhen Ming Ngoh
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), A∗STAR Research Entities (ARES), Singapore
| | - Shayne S P Yeo
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), A∗STAR Research Entities (ARES), Singapore
| | - Jia Ming Lau
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ai Peng Tan
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), A∗STAR Research Entities (ARES), Singapore; National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Birit F P Broekman
- OLVG, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Evelyn C Law
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), A∗STAR Research Entities (ARES), Singapore; National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Peter D Gluckman
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), A∗STAR Research Entities (ARES), Singapore; Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Yap-Seng Chong
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), A∗STAR Research Entities (ARES), Singapore; National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Samuele Cortese
- Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; School of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom; Clinical and Experimental Sciences (CNS and Psychiatry), University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom; Solent NHS Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom; Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone, New York University Child Study Center, New York City, New York; University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Meaney
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), A∗STAR Research Entities (ARES), Singapore; Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the Strategic Research Program, A∗STAR Research Entities (ARES), Singapore
| | - Juan Helen Zhou
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Integrative Sciences and Engineering Programme (ISEP), NUS Graduate School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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Huang Z. Temporospatial Nestedness in Consciousness: An Updated Perspective on the Temporospatial Theory of Consciousness. Entropy (Basel) 2023; 25:1074. [PMID: 37510023 PMCID: PMC10378228 DOI: 10.3390/e25071074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Time and space are fundamental elements that permeate the fabric of nature, and their significance in relation to neural activity and consciousness remains a compelling yet unexplored area of research. The Temporospatial Theory of Consciousness (TTC) provides a framework that links time, space, neural activity, and consciousness, shedding light on the intricate relationships among these dimensions. In this review, I revisit the fundamental concepts and mechanisms proposed by the TTC, with a particular focus on the central concept of temporospatial nestedness. I propose an extension of temporospatial nestedness by incorporating the nested relationship between the temporal circuit and functional geometry of the brain. To further unravel the complexities of temporospatial nestedness, future research directions should emphasize the characterization of functional geometry and the temporal circuit across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Investigating the links between these scales will yield a more comprehensive understanding of how spatial organization and temporal dynamics contribute to conscious states. This integrative approach holds the potential to uncover novel insights into the neural basis of consciousness and reshape our understanding of the world-brain dynamic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zirui Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
- Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Vázquez-Rodríguez B, Suárez LE, Markello RD, Shafiei G, Paquola C, Hagmann P, van den Heuvel MP, Bernhardt BC, Spreng RN, Misic B. Gradients of structure-function tethering across neocortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:21219-27. [PMID: 31570622 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1903403116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 234] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The white matter architecture of brain networks promotes synchrony among neuronal populations, giving rise to richly patterned functional networks. Relating structure and function is a fundamental question for systems neuroscience, but the nature of the relationship is unknown. Here we examine the possibility that structure–function relationships are not uniform in the brain. We find that structure and function are closely aligned in unimodal cortex (primary sensory and motor regions), but diverge in transmodal cortex (default mode and salience networks). The divergence between structure and function closely follows representational and cytoarchitectonic hierarchies, reflecting a macroscale gradient. Our findings suggest structure and function are not uniformly related, but gradually decouple in parallel to this macroscale gradient. The white matter architecture of the brain imparts a distinct signature on neuronal coactivation patterns. Interregional projections promote synchrony among distant neuronal populations, giving rise to richly patterned functional networks. A variety of statistical, communication, and biophysical models have been proposed to study the relationship between brain structure and function, but the link is not yet known. In the present report we seek to relate the structural and functional connection profiles of individual brain areas. We apply a simple multilinear model that incorporates information about spatial proximity, routing, and diffusion between brain regions to predict their functional connectivity. We find that structure–function relationships vary markedly across the neocortex. Structure and function correspond closely in unimodal, primary sensory, and motor regions, but diverge in transmodal cortex, particularly the default mode and salience networks. The divergence between structure and function systematically follows functional and cytoarchitectonic hierarchies. Altogether, the present results demonstrate that structural and functional networks do not align uniformly across the brain, but gradually uncouple in higher-order polysensory areas.
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Abstract
Humans navigate across a range of spatial scales, from rooms to continents, but the brain systems underlying spatial cognition are usually investigated only in small-scale environments. Do the same brain systems represent and process larger spaces? Here we asked subjects to compare distances between real-world items at six different spatial scales (room, building, neighborhood, city, country, continent) under functional MRI. Cortical activity showed a gradual progression from small to large scale processing, along three gradients extending anteriorly from the parahippocampal place area (PPA), retrosplenial complex (RSC) and occipital place area (OPA), and along the hippocampus posterior-anterior axis. Each of the cortical gradients overlapped with the visual system posteriorly and the default-mode network (DMN) anteriorly. These results suggest a progression from concrete to abstract processing with increasing spatial scale, and offer a new organizational framework for the brain’s spatial system, that may also apply to conceptual spaces beyond the spatial domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Peer
- Department of Medical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Yorai Ron
- Department of Medical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Rotem Monsa
- Department of Medical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shahar Arzy
- Department of Medical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
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