The perception of a voice in the absence of an external auditory source-an auditory verbal hallucination-is a characteristic symptom of schizophrenia. To better understand this phenomenon requires integration of findings across behavioural, functional, and neurochemical levels. We address this with a locally adapted MEGA-PRESS sequence incorporating interleaved unsuppressed water acquisitions, allowing concurrent assessment of behaviour, blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) functional changes, Glutamate + Glutamine (Glx), and GABA, synchronised with a cognitive (flanker) task. We acquired data from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of 51 patients with psychosis (predominantly schizophrenia spectrum disorder) and hallucinations, matched to healthy controls. Consistent with the notion of an excitatory/inhibitory imbalance, we hypothesized differential effects for Glx and GABA between groups, and aberrant dynamics in response to task. Results showed impaired task performance, lower baseline Glx and positive association between Glx and BOLD in patients, contrasting a negative correlation in healthy controls. Task-related increases in Glx were observed in both groups, with no significant difference between groups. No significant effects were observed for GABA. These findings suggest that a putative excitatory/inhibitory imbalance affecting inhibitory control in the ACC is primarily observed as tonic, baseline glutamate differences, rather than GABAergic effects or aberrant dynamics in relation to a task.

• MeSH
• cingulární gyrus metabolismus   patofyziologie   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• GABA * metabolismus   MeSH
• glutamin metabolismus   MeSH
• halucinace * metabolismus   patofyziologie   MeSH
• kognice * fyziologie   MeSH
• kyselina glutamová * metabolismus   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• magnetická rezonanční tomografie MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• psychotické poruchy * metabolismus   patofyziologie   MeSH
• studie případů a kontrol MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

PURPOSE: To understand how macromolecular content varies in the human brain with age in a large cohort of healthy subjects. METHODS: In-vivo 1H-MR spectra were acquired using ultra-short TE STEAM at 7T in the posterior cingulate cortex. Macromolecular content was studied in 147 datasets from a cohort ranging in age from 19 to 89 y. Three fitting approaches were used to evaluate the macromolecular content: (1) a macromolecular resonances model developed for this study; (2) LCModel-simulated macromolecules; and (3) a combination of measured and LCModel-simulated macromolecules. The effect of age on the macromolecular content was investigated by considering age both as a continuous variable (i.e., linear regressions) and as a categorical variable (i.e., multiple comparisons among sub-groups obtained by stratifying data according to age by decade). RESULTS: While weak age-related effects were observed for macromolecular peaks at ̃0.9 (MM09), ̃1.2 (MM12), and ̃1.4 (MM14) ppm, moderate to strong effects were observed for peaks at ̃1.7 (MM17), and ̃2.0 (MM20) ppm. Significantly higher MM17 and MM20 content started from 30 to 40 y of age, while for MM09, MM12, and MM14, significantly higher content started from 60 to 70 y of age. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide insights into age-related differences in macromolecular contents and strengthen the necessity of using age-matched measured macromolecules during quantification.

• MeSH
• cingulární gyrus diagnostické zobrazování   chemie   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• magnetická rezonanční spektroskopie metody   MeSH
• magnetická rezonanční tomografie metody   MeSH
• makromolekulární látky * chemie   MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mozek diagnostické zobrazování   metabolismus   MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• stárnutí * MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH

BACKGROUND: The main aim of the present study is to determine the role of metabolites observed using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). As the literature describing biochemical changes in OCD yields conflicting results, we focused on accurate metabolite quantification of total N-acetyl aspartate (tNAA), total creatine (tCr), total choline-containing compounds (tCh), and myo-inositol (mI) in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to capture the small metabolic changes between OCD patients and controls and between OCD patients with and without medication. METHODS: In total 46 patients with OCD and 46 healthy controls (HC) matched for age and sex were included in the study. The severity of symptoms in the OCD was evaluated on the day of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). Subjects underwent 1H-MRS from the pregenual ACC (pgACC) region to calculate concentrations of tNAA, tCr, tCho, and mI. Twenty-eight OCD and 28 HC subjects were included in the statistical analysis. We compared differences between groups for all selected metabolites and in OCD patients we analyzed the relationship between metabolite levels and symptom severity, medication status, age, and the duration of illness. RESULTS: Significant decreases in tCr (U = 253.00, p = 0.022) and mI (U = 197.00, p = 0.001) in the pgACC were observed in the OCD group. No statistically significant differences were found in tNAA and tCho levels; however, tCho revealed a trend towards lower concentrations in OCD patients (U = 278.00, p = 0.062). Metabolic concentrations showed no significant correlations with the age and duration of illness. The correlation statistics found a significant negative correlation between tCr levels and YBOCS compulsions subscale (cor = -0.380, p = 0.046). tCho and YBOCS compulsions subscale showed a trend towards a negative correlation (cor = -0.351, p = 0.067). Analysis of subgroups with or without medication showed no differences. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with OCD present metabolic disruption in the pgACC. The decrease in tCr shows an important relationship with OCD symptomatology. tCr as a marker of cerebral bioenergetics may also be considered as a biomarker of the severity of compulsions. The study failed to prove that metabolic changes correlate with the medication status or the duration of illness. It seems that a disruption in the balance between these metabolites and their transmission may play a role in the pathophysiology of OCD.

• MeSH
• cingulární gyrus diagnostické zobrazování   metabolismus   MeSH
• glutamin * metabolismus   MeSH
• inositol metabolismus   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• kreatin metabolismus   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• kyselina asparagová metabolismus   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• magnetická rezonanční tomografie MeSH
• obsedantně kompulzivní porucha * diagnóza   MeSH
• protonová magnetická rezonanční spektroskopie metody   MeSH
• receptory antigenů T-buněk metabolismus   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

In this study, we utilized proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to understand the role of glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln), and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) of OCD patients in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC). In total, 54 patients with OCD and 54 healthy controls (HC) matched for age and sex were included in the study. They underwent MRS in the pgACC region to calculate the concentrations of Glu, Gln, GABA, and Glu + Gln (Glx). After quality control of the MRS data, 21 OCD and 21 HC were statistically analyzed. The severity of symptoms were evaluated using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). In the statistical analysis, we compared differences between groups for the metabolites; in the OCD we analyzed the correlations with symptom severity, medication status, age, and duration of illness. A significant decrease in Glx, in Glu, and in Gln in the pgACC were observed in the OCD compared to HC. The correlation statistics showed a significant positive correlation between Glu levels and the YBOCS compulsions subscale. The results indicate that patients with OCD present a disturbance in glutamatergic metabolism in the pgACC. The results also demonstrate that these changes correlate with the severity of compulsions.

• MeSH
• cingulární gyrus * metabolismus   MeSH
• GABA metabolismus   MeSH
• glutamin metabolismus   MeSH
• kyselina glutamová metabolismus   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• magnetická rezonanční spektroskopie metody   MeSH
• obsedantně kompulzivní porucha * metabolismus   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

The main aim was to describe interneuronal population expressing calcium binding proteins calretinin (CR) and parvalbumin (PV) in the perirhinal (PRC) and retrosplenial (RSC) cortex of the rat. These two cortical areas differ strikingly in their connectivity and function, which could be caused also by different structure of the interneuronal populations. Having a precise knowledge of the cellular composition of any cerebral area forms one of the basic input parameters and tenets for computational modelling of neuronal networks and for understanding some pathological conditions, like generating and spreading of epileptic activity. PRC possesses higher absolute and relative densities of CR+ and PV+ neurons than RSC, but the CR : PV ratio is higher in the RSC, which is similar to the neocortex. The bipolar/bitufted neurons are most common type of CR+ population, while the majority of PV+ neurons show multipolar morphology. Current results indicate that main difference between analysed areas is in density of CR+ neurons, which was significantly higher in the PRC. Our results coupled with works of other authors show that there are significant differences in the interneuronal composition and distribution of heretofore seemingly similar transitional cortical areas. These results may contribute to the better understanding of the mechanism of function of this cortical region in normal and diseased states.

• MeSH
• cingulární gyrus cytologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• imunohistochemie MeSH
• interneurony metabolismus   MeSH
• kalbindin 2 metabolismus   MeSH
• parvalbuminy metabolismus   MeSH
• perirhinální mozková kůra cytologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• potkani Wistar MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH

Recent MRI studies have shown that abnormal functional connections in schizophrenia coexist with subtle changes in the structure of axons in the brain. However, there is a discrepancy in the literature concerning the relationship between white matter abnormalities and the occurrence of negative psychopathological symptoms. In the present study, we investigate the relationship between the altered white matter structure and specific psychopathology symptoms, i.e., subscales of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Brief Negative Symptoms Scale (BNSS) in a sample of schizophrenia outpatients. For investigation on white matter abnormalities in schizophrenia, the diffusion tensor imaging analysis of between-group differences in main diffusion parameters by tract-based spatial statistics was conducted on schizophrenia outpatients and healthy controls. Hence, the correlation of PANSS and BNSS psychopathology subscales in the clinical group with fractional anisotropy was analyzed in the 17 selected cortical regions of interest. Presented between-group results revealed widespread loss of white matter integrity located across the brain in schizophrenia outpatients. Results on the white matter relationship with psychopathology revealed the negative correlation between fractional anisotropy in the left orbital prefrontal cortex, right Heschl's gyrus, bilateral precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex and the severity of asociality, as assessed with the BNSS. In conclusion, the presented study confirms the previous evidence on the widespread white matter abnormalities in schizophrenia outpatients and indicates the existence of the subtle but specific association between fractional anisotropy in the fronto-temporo-parietal regions with the asociality.Recent MRI studies have shown that abnormal functional connections in schizophrenia coexist with subtle changes in the structure of axons in the brain. However, there is a discrepancy in the literature concerning the relationship between white matter abnormalities and the occurrence of negative psychopathological symptoms. In the present study, we investigate the relationship between the altered white matter structure and specific psychopathology symptoms, i.e., subscales of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Brief Negative Symptoms Scale (BNSS) in a sample of schizophrenia outpatients. For investigation on white matter abnormalities in schizophrenia, the diffusion tensor imaging analysis of between-group differences in main diffusion parameters by tract-based spatial statistics was conducted on schizophrenia outpatients and healthy controls. Hence, the correlation of PANSS and BNSS psychopathology subscales in the clinical group with fractional anisotropy was analyzed in the 17 selected cortical regions of interest. Presented between-group results revealed widespread loss of white matter integrity located across the brain in schizophrenia outpatients. Results on the white matter relationship with psychopathology revealed the negative correlation between fractional anisotropy in the left orbital prefrontal cortex, right Heschl’s gyrus, bilateral precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex and the severity of asociality, as assessed with the BNSS. In conclusion, the presented study confirms the previous evidence on the widespread white matter abnormalities in schizophrenia outpatients and indicates the existence of the subtle but specific association between fractional anisotropy in the fronto-temporo-parietal regions with the asociality.

• MeSH
• bílá hmota patologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• cingulární gyrus patologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mapování mozku metody   MeSH
• mozek abnormality   patologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• pacienti ambulantní MeSH
• prefrontální mozková kůra patofyziologie   MeSH
• schizofrenie patologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• zobrazování difuzních tenzorů metody   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Quinpirole (QNP) sensitization is a well-established model of stereotypical checking relevant to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Previously, we found that QNP-treated rats display deficits in hippocampus-dependent tasks. The present study explores the expression of immediate early genes (IEG) during QNP-induced stereotypical checking in the hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Adult male rats were injected with QNP (0.5 mg/mL/kg; n = 15) or saline (n = 14) daily for 10 days and exposed to an arena enriched with two objects. Visits to the objects and the corners of the arena were recorded. QNP-treated rats developed an idiosyncratic pattern of visits that persisted across experimental days. On day 11, rats were exposed to the arena twice for 5 min and sacrificed. The expression of IEGs Arc and Homer1a was determined using cellular compartment analysis of temporal activity by fluorescence in situ hybridization. IEG-positive nuclei were counted in the CA1 area of the hippocampus, ACC, OFC, and mPFC. We found significantly fewer IEG-positive nuclei in the CA1 in QNP-treated rats compared to controls. The overlap between IEG expressing neurons was comparable between the groups. We did not observe significant differences in IEG expression between QNP treated and control rats in ACC, OFC, and mPFC. In conclusion, treatment of rats with quinpirole decreases plasticity-related activity in the hippocampus during stereotypical checking.

• MeSH
• antagonisté dopaminu D2 farmakologie   MeSH
• chinpyrol farmakologie   MeSH
• cingulární gyrus účinky léků   fyziologie   MeSH
• hipokampus účinky léků   fyziologie   MeSH
• neurony účinky léků   metabolismus   MeSH
• neuroplasticita účinky léků   fyziologie   MeSH
• okamžité časné geny MeSH
• pohybová aktivita účinky léků   MeSH
• potkani Long-Evans MeSH
• prefrontální mozková kůra účinky léků   fyziologie   MeSH
• receptory dopaminu D2 metabolismus   MeSH
• receptory dopaminu D3 antagonisté a inhibitory   MeSH
• regulace genové exprese účinky léků   MeSH
• stereotypní chování účinky léků   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Mental imagery related to the recent death of a loved one is associated with intense sadness and distress. Social relations, such as with one's significant other, can regulate negative emotions and provide comfort, but the neural correlates of social comfort are largely unknown. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we examined brain responses to sad mental imagery and how these are modulated by holding hands with one's romantic partner. We found that mental imagery of a recently deceased loved one was associated with increased reactivity in the dorsal striatum, medial prefrontal cortex, anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, thalamus and cerebellum. Holding hands with one's partner as compared to being alone or holding hands with a stranger provided subjective comfort and reduced neural reactivity in the dorsal striatum without affecting the vividness of the imagery. Our findings indicate an important role for the dorsal striatum in sad mental imagery and social comfort and suggest that tactile social support by one's romantic partner regulates subjective distress through other processes than mere distraction from the mental imagery.

• MeSH
• cingulární gyrus diagnostické zobrazování   fyziologie   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• hmatová percepce fyziologie   MeSH
• imaginace fyziologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• magnetická rezonanční tomografie MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mozeček diagnostické zobrazování   fyziologie   MeSH
• neostriatum diagnostické zobrazování   fyziologie   MeSH
• prefrontální mozková kůra diagnostické zobrazování   fyziologie   MeSH
• připoutání k objektu * MeSH
• sexuální partneři MeSH
• smutek fyziologie   MeSH
• sociální opora * MeSH
• thalamus diagnostické zobrazování   fyziologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Tento článek se věnuje problematice vědomé zkušenosti, přičemž se plně zaměřuje na poznatky empirických věd a rozsáhlé filosofické diskuze týkající se tohoto tématu ponechává na odstavné koleji. V úvodu článku se čtenář seznámí s historickými milníky, které přispěly k zařazení výzkumu vědomé zkušenosti mezi plnohodnotná empirická témata. Jádro článku je však svázáno s centrální otázkou výzkumu vědomí, a sice kde v mozku bychom měli vědomou zkušenost hledat. Na základě realizovaných empirických studií jsou následně představeny důvody, proč je možné některé neuronální regiony považovat při formování vědomé zkušenosti za důležitější než jiné. V neposlední řadě článek diskutuje myšlenku, že plnohodnotná vědomá zkušenost sestává ze dvou neuronálních mechanismů, které musí být při budoucím hledání neurálních regionů selektivně zohledněny.

The article deals with the issue of conscious experience. Rather than focusing on the extensive philosophical discussions this article is focusing fully on the findings of empirical science. At the beginning, reader will learn about the historical milestones that have contributed to the acceptance of research of conscious experience as the full-fledged empirical topic. The core of this article, however, is tied to the central question of consciousness research, namely where in the brain we should seek conscious experience. Based on the empirical studies, there are reasons why some neural regions can be considered more important than others in forming consciousness and conscious experience. Finally, this article will discuss the idea that a full-fledged conscious experience consists of two neural mechanisms that must be selectively considered in the future research of consciousness.

• Klíčová slova
• zkušenost,
• MeSH
• čelní lalok MeSH
• cingulární gyrus MeSH
• empirický výzkum MeSH
• kognitivní neurověda * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• neuroanatomie MeSH
• prefrontální mozková kůra MeSH
• temenní lalok MeSH
• thalamus MeSH
• vědomí * fyziologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• přehledy MeSH

During social interactions, decision-making involves mutual reciprocity-each individual's choices are simultaneously a consequence of, and antecedent to those of their interaction partner. Neuroeconomic research has begun to unveil the brain networks underpinning social decision-making, but we know little about the patterns of neural connectivity within them that give rise to reciprocal choices. To investigate this, the present study measured the behaviour and brain function of pairs of individuals (N = 66) whilst they played multiple rounds of economic exchange comprising an iterated ultimatum game. During these exchanges, both players could attempt to maximise their overall monetary gain by reciprocating their opponent's prior behaviour-they could promote generosity by rewarding it, and/or discourage unfair play through retaliation. By adapting a model of reciprocity from experimental economics, we show that players' choices on each exchange are captured accurately by estimating their expected utility (EU) as a reciprocal reaction to their opponent's prior behaviour. We then demonstrate neural responses that map onto these reciprocal choices in two brain regions implicated in social decision-making: right anterior insula (AI) and anterior/anterior-mid cingulate cortex (aMCC). Finally, with behavioural Dynamic Causal Modelling, we identified player-specific patterns of effective connectivity between these brain regions with which we estimated each player's choices with over 70% accuracy; namely, bidirectional connections between AI and aMCC that are modulated differentially by estimates of EU from our reciprocity model. This input-state-output modelling procedure therefore reveals systematic brain-behaviour relationships associated with the reciprocal choices characterising interactive social decision-making.

• MeSH
• cingulární gyrus diagnostické zobrazování   fyziologie   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• exekutivní funkce fyziologie   MeSH
• interpersonální vztahy * MeSH
• konektom * MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• magnetická rezonanční tomografie MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mozková kůra diagnostické zobrazování   fyziologie   MeSH
• nervová síť diagnostické zobrazování   fyziologie   MeSH
• rozhodování fyziologie   MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• sociální percepce * MeSH
• výběrové chování fyziologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH