Jibiao Zhang

Increased structural connectivity in corpus callosum in adolescent males with conduct disorder

OBJECTIVE Adolescents with conduct disorder (CD) are at high risk for developing adult antisocial personality disorder. However, the underlying neuropathophysiology of CD remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that the microstructure of white matter (WM) of males with CD may differ from that of healthy control subjects (HCs). METHOD Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and quantitative tractography were used to assess WM microstructural differences between 36 teenaged boys with CD and 33 demographically matched HCs. RESULTS The CD group behavioral scale scores were significantly higher than those of the HCs on the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Antisocial Process Screening Device total scales. TBSS revealed that, relative to HCs, the CD group had higher fractional anisotropy (FA) in the corpus callosum (CC) region, bilaterally, including the genu and body of the CC, as well as in some projection fibers in the region of the left anterior coronal radiate and right superior coronal radiate. Tractography confirmed higher FA of fibers passing through the regions with significant differences in the TBSS results. Exploratory analysis revealed that impulsivity associated positively with the FA of these fibers in the CD group. CONCLUSIONS Maturation of WM microstructure in CD subjects differed from that in HCs, mainly in the CC. The abnormal maturation of WM structures may play an important role in the impulsivity and aggression of teenagers with CD.

Sex differences of uncinate fasciculus structural connectivity in individuals with conduct disorder.

Conduct disorder (CD) is one of the most common behavior disorders in adolescents, such as impulsivity, aggression, and running from school. Males are more likely to develop CD than females, and two previous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have demonstrated abnormal microstructural integrity in the uncinate fasciculus (UF) in boys with CD compared to a healthy control group. However, little is known about changes in the UF in females with CD. In this study, the UF was illustrated by tractography; then, the fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity, mean diffusion, radial diffusivity (RD), and the length and number of the UF fiber bundles were compared between male and female patients with CD and between female patients with CD and female healthy controls, as well as between males with CD and healthy males. We found that males with CD showed significantly higher FA of the bilateral UF and significantly lower RD of the left UF when comparing with females with CD. Meanwhile, significantly higher FA and lower RD of the bilateral UF were also found in boys with CD relative to the male healthy controls. Our results replicated previous reports that the microstructural integrity of the UF was abnormal in boys with CD. Additionally, our results demonstrated significant gender effects on the UF of patients with CD, which may indicate why boys have higher rates of conduct problems than girls.

Abnormalities of cortical structures in adolescent-onset conduct disorder

BACKGROUND Converging evidence has revealed both functional and structural abnormalities in adolescents with early-onset conduct disorder (EO-CD). The neurological abnormalities underlying EO-CD may be different from that of adolescent-onset conduct disorder (AO-CD) patients. However, the cortical structure in AO-CD patients remains largely unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the cortical alterations in AO-CD patients. METHOD We investigated T1-weighted brain images from AO-CD patients and age-, gender- and intelligence quotient-matched controls. Cortical structures including thickness, folding and surface area were measured using the surface-based morphometric method. Furthermore, we assessed impulsivity and antisocial symptoms using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) and the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD). RESULTS Compared with the controls, we found significant cortical thinning in the paralimbic system in AO-CD patients. For the first time, we observed cortical thinning in the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in AO-CD patients which has not been reported in EO-CD patients. Prominent folding abnormalities were found in the paralimbic structures and frontal cortex while diminished surface areas were shown in the precentral and inferior temporal cortex. Furthermore, cortical thickness of the paralimbic structures was found to be negatively correlated with impulsivity and antisocial behaviors measured by the BIS and APSD, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The present study indicates that AO-CD is characterized by cortical structural abnormalities in the paralimbic system, and, in particular, we highlight the potential role of deficient structures including the precuneus and PCC in the etiology of AO-CD.

Impaired Frontal-Basal Ganglia Connectivity in Male Adolescents with Conduct Disorder.

Alack of inhibition control has been found in subjects with conduct disorder (CD), but the underlying neuropathophysiology remains poorly understood. The current study investigated the different mechanism of inhibition control in adolescent-onset CD males (n = 29) and well-matched healthy controls (HCs) (n = 40) when performing a GoStop task by functional magnetic resonance images. Effective connectivity (EC) within the inhibition control network was analyzed using a stochastic dynamic causality model. We found that EC within the inhibition control network was significantly different in the CD group when compared to the HCs. Exploratory relationship analysis revealed significant negative associations between EC between the IFG and striatum and behavioral scale scores in the CD group. These results suggest for the first time that the failure of inhibition control in subjects with CD might be associated with aberrant connectivity of the frontal–basal ganglia pathways, especially between the IFG and striatum.

A Functional Polymorphism of the MAOA Gene Modulates Spontaneous Brain Activity in Pons

Objective. To investigate the effects of a functional polymorphism of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene on spontaneous brain activity in healthy male adolescents. Methods. Thirty-one healthy male adolescents with the low-activity MAOA genotype (MAOA-L) and 25 healthy male adolescents with the high-activity MAOA genotype (MAOA-H) completed the 11-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) questionnaire and were subjected to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal was calculated using REST software. ALFF data were related to BIS scores and compared between genotype groups. Results. Compared with the MAOA-H group, the MAOA-L group showed significantly lower ALFFs in the pons. There was a significant correlation between the BIS scores and the ALFF values in the pons for MAOA-L group, but not for the MAOA-H group. Further regression analysis showed a significant genotype by ALFF values interaction effect on BIS scores. Conclusions. Lower spontaneous brain activity in the pons of the MAOA-L male adolescents may provide a neural mechanism by which boys with the MAOA-L genotype confers risk for impulsivity and aggression.

Four Distinct Subgroups of Self-Injurious Behavior among Chinese Adolescents: Findings from a Latent Class Analysis

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) among adolescents is an important public health issue worldwide. It is still uncertain whether homogeneous subgroups of SIB can be identified and whether constellations of SIBs can co-occur due to the high heterogeneity of these behaviors. In this study, a cross-sectional study was conducted on a large school-based sample and latent class analysis was performed (n = 10,069, mean age = 15 years) to identify SIB classes based on 11 indicators falling under direct SIB (DSIB), indirect SIB (ISIB), and suicide attempts (SAs). Social and psychological characteristics of each subgroup were examined after controlling for age and gender. Results showed that a four-class model best fit the data and each class had a distinct pattern of co-occurrence of SIBs and external measures. Class 4 (the baseline/normative group, 65.3%) had a low probability of SIB. Class 3 (severe SIB group, 3.9%) had a high probability of SIB and the poorest social and psychological status. Class 1 (DSIB+SA group, 14.2%) had similar scores for external variables compared to class 3, and included a majority of girls [odds ratio (OR) = 1.94]. Class 2 (ISIB group, 16.6%) displayed moderate endorsement of ISIB items, and had a majority of boys and older adolescents (OR = 1.51). These findings suggest that SIB is a heterogeneous entity, but it may be best explained by four homogenous subgroups that display quantitative and qualitative differences. Findings in this study will improve our understanding on SIB and may facilitate the prevention and treatment of SIB.

[Voxel-based morphometry on grey matter concentration of the brain in first-episode, antipsychotic-naive major depressive disorder].

OBJECTIVE To examine the structural differences in regional gray matter density between a sample of major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls, using the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to find the base of pathophysiologic mechanism in depression development. METHODS A total of 38 MDD patients and 42 healthy subjects enrolled in the MRI scans. Voxel-based morphometry was used to test the difference in gray matter between the 2 groups. RESULTS The MDD group showed significantly lower gray density than the healthy control group in the right middle frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus and left superior frontal gyrus. However, the healthy control group showed significantly lower gray density than the MDD group in the right precuneus, left anterior central gyrus and right anterior cingutate. CONCLUSION Structural brain abnormalities in MDD patients may be the pathological bases for MDD development.

Rationality judge and optimization design of lottery scheme

Abstract The requirements for mature lottery games can become a reality only with the advent of quantitatively known varied lottery schemes. Here, a model has been set up to evaluate the rationality of the lottery sale rules and award settings. With the “charming index” transformed from the utility function, we can quantitatively analyze how much a certain lottery scheme attracts players. Furthermore, we develop an optimum lottery scheme with higher “charming index”, on the basis of Genetic Arithmetic combining Monte Carlo simulation.

MAOA genotype modulates default mode network deactivation during inhibitory control

It has been demonstrated, in a long line of research, that the low-activity genotype of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene is associated with aggression. Previous work has linked impaired response inhibition to aggression, but little is known about how this relates to the purported MAOA-aggression relationship in adolescents. Here, we examined how MAOA genotype influences neural correlates of inhibitory control in 74 healthy male adolescents using a GoStop and a Go/Nogo task while differentiating between action cancelation and action restraint. Carriers of the low-expressing MAOA alleles (MAOA-L) did not show altered brain activation in the prefrontal-subcortical inhibition network relative to carriers of the high-expressing alleles across inhibition conditions. However, they exhibited a more pronounced deactivation during response inhibition in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and precuneus, areas belonging to the default mode network (DMN). Larger DMN suppression in MAOA-L carriers might represent a compensation mechanism for impaired cognitive control.

[Respective analysis of dead patients with cirrhosis by Child-Pugh score and model of end-stage liver disease score].

OBJECTIVE To understand the value of Child-Pugh (CP) classification and model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) score for patients with cirrhosis and their prognosis by retrospectively analyzing the two methods in hemorrhage death and non-hemorrhage death in patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS A total of 72 patients who died of cirrhosis (the death group) were analyzed retrospectively, and the initial data in the hospital before death were collected. The initial information of the control group (88 patients) at the same time was also obtained. The death group was divided into two subgroups: esophagus varicosity burst massive hemorrhage death group and non-hemorrhage death group. RESULTS MELD score and CP score of the death group (22.230±13.451, 10.264±2.028) were significantly higher than those of the control group (15.370±6.201, 9.318±1.644; P<0.05). The MELD score and CP score for the massive bleeding death group were close to those of the control group. There was significant difference between the non-hemorrhage death group and the control group. The ratio of patients with CP grade A and MELD scores<20 died for massive bleeding in the death group was more than 70%, and that of CP grade C and MELD scores ≥ 30 in the death group was higher. ROC surve analysis found the accuracy of short-term predication of survival by MELD score and CP classification was improved after eliminating the risk factors of hemorrage. CONCLUSION MELD and CP play a role in evaluating the state and prognosis of patients with cirrhosis. MELD score and CP classification predict the short-term survival efficiently on the premise of excluding the risk factors of esophagus and/or stomach bottom varicosity burst massive bleeding. CP and MELD scores are deficiencies, especially for low MELD score (<20) and CP level A patients. The prognostic accuracy may be improved when combining esophageal gastric fundal varices.