Abstract
As impairment of structural and functional connectivity, either as a primary or secondary event, is implicated in neuronal damage in most brain disorders, Brain Connectivity plays a major role in research into normal brain function and a range of brain disorders. As the field of neuroscience is constantly evolving, with multimodal imaging now considered as the preferable method of evaluating different diseases and interventions, we have now expanded the remit of Brain Connectivity to ensure that we are able to include articles of a translational nature, while maintaining the core of Brain Connectivity with outstanding methodological contributions.
In this current issue, you will find several high quality articles by experts in their fields:
João Pereira and Miguel Castelo-Branco, along with their colleagues, proposed that it is possible to modulate inter-hemispheric connectivity between right and left hemisphere pre-motor cortex in a real-time functional MRI neurofeedback study. In this elegant proof-of-principle study, they demonstrated that functional connectivity based on bilateral premotor regions can be used to modulate neuronal connectivity voluntarily.
Keitaro Machida and Katherine A Johnson and colleagues examined the relationship between the functional connectivity of the brain, response time variability and levels of ADHD symptoms, using a cross-sectional developmental design. This study demonstrated that incongruent distractors had the effect of slowing mean response time and increasing response time variability, suggesting greater distractor interference can lead to more variable responses and not just slower responses.
Sheeba Arnold Anteraper and Gagan Joshi, along with their colleagues, evaluated the resting state functional connectivity in dentate nucleus, as the key structure linking cerebellum to the extracerebellar structures, to understand the cerebellar abnormalities reported in autism spectrum disorder. In their study, they were able to demonstrate abnormal dentatocerebral and dentatocerebellar functional connectivity these disorders.
Dina R. Dajani and Lucina Q. Uddin, along with their colleagues, tried to parse heterogeneity in a core executive function and cognitive flexibility in children with a range of abilities. In this study, the authors describe several novel experimental techniques which will form the basis of future studies.
Hüsniye Hacıoğlu Bay and Safiye Çavdar and colleagues set out to define the dentothalamic connections in Wister animals and to compare the results with Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) using biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) tracer. They demonstrated that there is weak/deficit dentothalamic connections in GAERS, which has major implications in understanding the pathophysiology of absence epilepsy.
Himanshu Joshi and Mathew Varghese and colleagues have evaluated resting state functional connectivity, white matter integrity, cortical morphometry along with neuropsychological performance to differentiate Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects and elderly healthy controls. In this study, they have shown an association between brain structural and functional abnormalities and cognitive impairment that allows them to differentiate between AD, MCI and healthy controls.
With the view of expanding the scope of Brain Connectivity, I would like to invite articles describing: The underlying mechanisms and influences on structural and functional connectivity behind neurological disease How different pathological substrates influence structural and functional connectivity in brain disorders Multimodal imaging in brain disorders in both human and animal models Experimental techniques combining magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (connectivity), electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and other new and evolving methods Original manuscripts, communications, and review articles are welcomed. Several sub-categories under original articles and communications will be considered, including reports of original experimental data, methodological studies, novel data analysis schemes, theoretical data modeling, and descriptions of changes in brain connectivity in health and disease We also welcome reports of original investigations in the areas of neuroscience, neurology, physics, biophysics, computer science, neuroinformatics, developmental biology, genetics, molecular biology, psychiatry, pharmacology and anesthesiology, which influence brain connectivity.