A number of previous studies have examined music-related plasticity in terms of multi-sensory and motor integration but little is known about the functional and effective connectivity patterns of spontaneous intrinsic activity in these systems during the resting state in musicians. Using functional connectivity and Granger causal analysis, functional and effective connectivity among the motor and multi-sensory (visual, auditory and somatosensory) cortices were evaluated using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in musicians and non-musicians. The results revealed that functional connectivity was significantly increased in the motor and multi-sensory cortices of musicians. Moreover, the Granger causality results demonstrated a significant increase outflow-inflow degree in the auditory cortex with the strongest causal outflow pattern of effective connectivity being found in musicians. These resting state fMRI findings indicate enhanced functional integration among the lower-level perceptual and motor networks in musicians, and may reflect functional consolidation (plasticity) resulting from long-term musical training, involving both multi-sensory and motor functional integration.
Examining the spontaneous activity to understand the neural mechanism of brain disorder is a focus in recent resting-state fMRI. In the current study, to investigate the alteration of brain functional connectivity in partial epilepsy in a systematical way, two levels of analyses (functional connectivity analysis within resting state networks (RSNs) and functional network connectivity (FNC) analysis) were carried out on resting-state fMRI data acquired from the 30 participants including 14 healthy controls(HC) and 16 partial epilepsy patients. According to the etiology, all patients are subdivided into temporal lobe epilepsy group (TLE, included 7 patients) and mixed partial epilepsy group (MPE, 9 patients). Using group independent component analysis, eight RSNs were identified, and selected to evaluate functional connectivity and FNC between groups. Compared with the controls, decreased functional connectivity within all RSNs was found in both TLE and MPE. However, dissociating patterns were observed within the 8 RSNs between two patient groups, i.e, compared with TLE, we found decreased functional connectivity in 5 RSNs increased functional connectivity in 1 RSN, and no difference in the other 2 RSNs in MPE. Furthermore, the hierarchical disconnections of FNC was found in two patient groups, in which the intra-system connections were preserved for all three subsystems while the lost connections were confined to intersystem connections in patients with partial epilepsy. These findings may suggest that decreased resting state functional connectivity and disconnection of FNC are two remarkable characteristics of partial epilepsy. The selective impairment of FNC implicated that it is unsuitable to understand the partial epilepsy only from global or local perspective. We presumed that studying epilepsy in the multi-perspective based on RSNs may be a valuable means to assess the functional changes corresponding to specific RSN and may contribute to the understanding of the neuro-pathophysiological mechanism of epilepsy.
Five-session rTMS treatment could best improve stroke-induced upper limb dyskinesia acutely and in a long-lasting manner. Intermittent theta burst stimulation is more beneficial than continuous theta burst stimulation. rTMS applied in the acute phase of stroke is more effective than rTMS applied in the chronic phase. Subcortical lesion benefit more from rTMS than other lesion site.
Physicochemical properties constitute a key factor for the success of a drug candidate. Whereas many strategies to improve the physicochemical properties of small heterocycle-type leads exist, complex hydrocarbon skeletons are more challenging to derivatize due to the absence of functional groups. A variety of C–H oxidation methods have been explored on the betulin skeleton to improve the solubility of this very bioactive, yet poorly water soluble, natural product. Capitalizing on the innate reactivity of the molecule, as well as the few molecular handles present on the core, allowed for oxidations at different positions across the pentacyclic structure. Enzymatic oxidations afforded several orthogonal oxidations to chemical methods. Solubility measurements showed an enhancement for many of the synthesized compounds.
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