Innovative Approaches in Neuronal Imaging and Mental Health

A special issue of Tomography (ISSN 2379-139X). This special issue belongs to the section "Neuroimaging".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 4385

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
Interests: affective neuroscience; emotion; EEG/ERP; MEG; Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)

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Guest Editor
Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research, Instituto de Ciências Nucleares Aplicadas à Saúde, University of Coimbra, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: cognitive and Clinical neuroscience; perception, emotion, decision-making, multimodal approaches
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite decades of neuroimaging research on mental illness, the neurobiological basis of psychopathology remains elusive and the role of neuroimaging in diagnosis and intervention remains limited. One reason for this lack of progress may concern the conceptualization of mental illness. Indeed, traditional nosological systems for psychopathology establish discrete categories based on symptom clusters that are often biologically and clinically heterogenous. On the other hand, many patients report comorbidity, obtaining more than one psychiatric diagnosis. The presence of within-illness heterogeneity and between-illness similarities raises questions about the validity of diagnostic systems that encompass these apparent inconsistencies. A paradigm shift is likely required in this context.

This Special Issue aims to tackle the issues raised above by inviting papers reporting neuroimaging findings on mental health from the viewpoint of novel conceptualizations of psychopathology (such as the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/research-funded-by-nimh/rdoc) or the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) (https://hitop.unt.edu/introduction)). This includes, but is not limited to, studies relying on a dimensional operationalization of symptoms, using transdiagnostic samples, and tackling issues of within-diagnosis heterogeneity. Neuroimaging is broadly construed to encompass methods quantifying brain activity and structure (e.g., MRI/fMRI, PET, EEG/ERP, and MEG).

Dr. Fernando Ferreira-Santos
Prof. Dr. Miguel Castelo-Branco
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • dimensional
  • transdiagnostic
  • RDoC
  • HiTOP
  • neuroimaging
  • fMRI/MRI
  • EEG/ERP
  • MEG

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 6251 KiB  
Article
Recognition of Facial Emotion Expressions in Patients with Depressive Disorders: A Functional MRI Study
by Sergey Ternovoy, Dmitry Ustyuzhanin, Merab Shariya, Alena Beliaevskaia, Ernesto Roldan-Valadez, Rodion Shishorin, Roman Akhapkin and Beatrice Volel
Tomography 2023, 9(2), 529-540; https://doi.org/10.3390/tomography9020043 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2371
Abstract
Background: The present study evaluated the cortical activation during emotional information recognition. Methods: The study group included 16 patients with depression, and 16 healthy subjects were enrolled as a control group. Patients received eight weeks of antidepressant therapy. Functional MRI evaluated the cortical [...] Read more.
Background: The present study evaluated the cortical activation during emotional information recognition. Methods: The study group included 16 patients with depression, and 16 healthy subjects were enrolled as a control group. Patients received eight weeks of antidepressant therapy. Functional MRI evaluated the cortical activation twice in the patient group and once in the control group. The fMRI task processed the emotional information with face demonstration from the PennCNP test battery. Results: During the processing of emotional information, patients showed activation in the middle and the inferior frontal gyri, the fusiform gyrus, and the occipital cortex. After treatment, patients showed a significant decrease in the frontal cortex activation for negative face demonstration and no frontal activation for positive emotion recognition. The left superior temporal gyrus activation zone appeared in patients after treatment and in the control group. Healthy subjects showed more intense frontal cortex activation when processing neutral emotions and less when showing happy and sad faces. Activation zones in the amygdala and the insula and deactivation zones in the posterior cingulate cortex were revealed in the controls. Conclusion: This study confirms the hypothesis that anomalies in the processing of emotional stimuli can be a sign of a depressive disorder. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Neuronal Imaging and Mental Health)
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Review

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9 pages, 2883 KiB  
Review
Computed Tomography Angiography as Ancillary Testing for Death Determination by Neurologic Criteria: A Technical Review
by Abanoub Aziz Rizk and Jai Shankar
Tomography 2024, 10(7), 1139-1147; https://doi.org/10.3390/tomography10070086 - 16 Jul 2024
Viewed by 962
Abstract
The determination of death by neurological criteria (DNC) stands as a pivotal aspect of medical practice, involving a nuanced clinical diagnosis. Typically, it comes into play following a devastating brain injury, signalling the irreversible cessation of brain function, marked by the absence of [...] Read more.
The determination of death by neurological criteria (DNC) stands as a pivotal aspect of medical practice, involving a nuanced clinical diagnosis. Typically, it comes into play following a devastating brain injury, signalling the irreversible cessation of brain function, marked by the absence of consciousness, brainstem reflexes, and the ability to breathe autonomously. Accurate DNC diagnosis is paramount for adhering to the ‘Dead donor rule’, which permits organ donation solely from deceased individuals. However, complexities inherent in conducting a comprehensive DNC examination may impede reaching a definitive diagnosis. To address this challenge, ancillary testing such as computed tomography angiography (CTA) has emerged as a valuable tool. The aim of our study is to review the technique and interpretation of CTA for DNC diagnoses. CTA, a readily available imaging technique, enables visualization of the cerebral vasculature, offering insights into blood flow to the brain. While various criteria and scoring systems have been proposed, a universally accepted standard for demonstrating full brain circulatory arrest remains elusive. Nonetheless, leveraging CTA as an ancillary test in DNC assessments holds promise, facilitating organ donation and curbing healthcare costs. It is crucial to emphasize that DNC diagnosis should be exclusively entrusted to trained physicians with specialized DNC evaluation training, underscoring the importance of expertise in this intricate medical domain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Neuronal Imaging and Mental Health)
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