This study sought to reveal the difference of brain functions at resting-state between subjects with sub-health and normal controls by using the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology. Resting-state fMRI scans were performed on 24 subjects of sub-health and on 24 healthy controls with gender, age and education matched with the sub-health persons. Compared to the healthy controls, the sub-health group showed significantly higher regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the left post-central gyrus and the right post-central gyrus. On the other hand, the sub-health group showed significantly lower ReHo in the left superior frontal gyrus, in the right anterior cingulated cortex and ventra anterior cingulate gyrus, in the left dorsolateral frontal gyrus, and in the right middle temporal gyrus. The Significant difference in ReHo suggests that thebsub-health persons have abnormalities in certain brain regions. It is proved that its specific action and meaning deserves further assessment.
The aim of this paper is to reveal the change of the brain function for nicotine addicts after smoking cessation, and explore the basis of neural physiology for the nicotine addicts in the process of smoking cessation. Fourteen subjects, who have a strong dependence on nicotine, have agreed to give up smoking and insist on completing the test, and 11 volunteers were recruited as the controls. The resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging and the regional homogeneity (ReHo) algorithm have been used to study the neural activity before and after smoking cessation. A two factors mixed design was used to investigate within-group effects and between-group effects. After 2 weeks’ smoking cessation, the increased ReHo value were exhibited in the brain area of supplementary motor area, paracentral lobule, calcarine, cuneus and lingual gyrus. It suggested that the synchronization of neural activity was enhanced in these brain areas. And between-group interaction effects were appeared in supplementary motor area, paracentral lobule, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and superior frontal gyrus. The results indicate that the brain function in supplementary motor area of smoking addicts would be enhanced significantly after 2 weeks’ smoking cessation.
A great number of studies have demonstrated functional abnormalities in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), although conflicting results have also been reported. And few studies analyzed homotopic functional connectivity between hemispheres. In this study, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were recorded from 45 medication-naïve ADHD children and 26 healthy controls. The regional homogeneity (ReHo), degree centrality (DC) and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) values were compared between the two groups to depict the intrinsic brain activities. We found that ADHD children exhibited significantly lower ReHo and DC values in the right middle frontal gyrus and the two values correlated with each other; moreover, lower VMHC values were found in the bilateral occipital lobes of ADHD children, which was negatively related with anxiety scores of Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-R) and positively related with completed categories of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Our results might suggest that less spontaneous neuronal activities of the right middle frontal gyrus and the bilateral occipital lobes in ADHD children.