Changes in Visual Cortical Connectivity Following Central Visual Field Loss

License

The FIB files are shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If you use these data, please acknowledge the contribution of ACCESS resources: CIS200026 & MED230052.

Per the NDA agreement, I am not permitted to share raw MRI data. However, after consulting with the NDA program lead, I am authorized to share derived data, such as the FIB files. For access to other data, you can request it directly through NDA. Once you have the Data Use Agreement (DUA), feel free to share it with me, and I can provide you with a link to access the SRC files.

Project Overview

Macular degeneration (MD) results in the loss of central vision, severely affecting the ability to perform essential daily tasks such as reading and recognizing faces. By 2020, it was estimated that 3 million U.S. citizens would be affected by this debilitating condition. While many patients adapt by relying on their peripheral vision, the neural mechanisms underlying this remarkable visual plasticity remain poorly understood.

Understanding these mechanisms is of great clinical importance, as it could lead to the development of more effective therapeutic strategies to improve functional vision for patients with MD. It also offers valuable insights into neuroplasticity, informing our understanding of brain adaptation across a range of neurological and psychiatric conditions.

Study Objectives

The primary objective of this research is to identify the neuroplastic mechanisms that enable patients with MD to successfully use their peripheral vision for tasks typically dependent on central vision.

Central Hypothesis:
Greater reliance on peripheral vision following MD causes visual cortical regions that represent peripheral areas to become structurally and functionally more similar to those representing the macula, thus improving functional vision.

Research Approach

Using Human Connectome Project (HCP) datasets and protocols, the study will:

1. Assess Functional Connectivity:

   • Investigate changes in functional connectivity between early visual cortex and fronto-parietal control networks following central vision loss.

2. Examine Structural Connectivity:

   • Analyze structural changes in white matter integrity using diffusion MRI measures.

3. Measure Cortical Thickness:

   • Evaluate changes in cortical thickness within early visual regions related to peripheral vision processing.

Study Population:

• Participants with age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
• Matched healthy control participants

Significance

This research aims to fundamentally improve our understanding of how the brain compensates for central vision loss through top-down neural plasticity mechanisms.

• Findings will guide the development of new, targeted therapeutic strategies to help patients with MD better use their spared vision.
• Broader implications include advancing our understanding of neuroplasticity and brain adaptation in other forms of sensory loss and neurological disorders.

Perturbation of the Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) Connectome by Fast-Acting Therapies

License

The FIB files are shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If you use these data, please acknowledge the contribution of ACCESS resources: CIS200026 & MED230052.

Per the NDA agreement, I am not permitted to share raw MRI data. However, after consulting with the NDA program lead, I am authorized to share derived data, such as the FIB files. For access to other data, you can request it directly through NDA. Once you have the Data Use Agreement (DUA), feel free to share it with me, and I can provide you with a link to access the SRC files.

Project Overview

Depression affects a significant portion of the global population. Although treatable, approximately two-thirds of patients fail to respond to two or more standard pharmacotherapies, classifying them as having Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD). These individuals face extremely low quality of life, significant social and occupational impairments, high healthcare costs, and elevated risk of suicide.

Despite extensive research implicating various brain networks, the underlying mechanisms of depression and successful treatment response remain unclear. This study leverages non-invasive MRI technologies and normative data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP, U54 MH091657) to investigate the brain connectome’s role in TRD and its treatment.

Study Objectives

1. Longitudinal Analysis:

   • Determine whether changes in brain network connectivity predict and relate to responses to fast-acting therapeutic interventions, including:

     • Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT, n = 60)
     • Serial Ketamine Infusion (n = 60)
     • Total Sleep Deprivation (TSD, n = 80)

2. Cross-Sectional Analysis:

   • Explore how heterogeneity in clinical symptoms, behavioral profiles, sex, age, and diagnosis (e.g., unipolar vs. bipolar depression) contribute to structural and functional connectome differences across TRD populations.

Study Design and Data Collection

• Participants:

  • 200 TRD patients clinically eligible for one of the three fast-acting interventions.
  • 140 controls (40 local, 100 from the HCP resource).

• Data Collected Pre- and Post-Treatment:

  • Structural MRI
  • Functional MRI (resting-state)
  • Diffusion MRI
  • Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) perfusion MRI to measure cerebral blood flow
  • Behavioral and cognitive assessments modeled after the HCP Lifespan protocol
  • Blood draws for peripheral gene function analysis

• Behavioral Constructs of Interest:

  • Cognitive Control
  • Negativity Bias and Rumination
  • Reward Hypersensitivity

These behavioral functions are associated with critical brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and ventral striatum/pallidum, which are central to mood regulation, emotion, and reward processing.

Collection Investigator:

• Katherine Narr

Significance

This study leverages the infrastructure and scientific advancements of the HCP to identify brain connectivity profiles that underlie treatment response in TRD, with the ultimate goal of enabling personalized medicine strategies for depression. Understanding these mechanisms could revolutionize treatment approaches for patients who do not respond to conventional therapies.

Would you like me to add a Funding and Publications section, or prepare this for a final document compilation?

Human Connectome Project for Early Psychosis

License

The FIB files are shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If you use these data, please acknowledge the contribution of ACCESS resources: CIS200026 & MED230052.

Per the NDA agreement, I am not permitted to share raw MRI data. However, after consulting with the NDA program lead, I am authorized to share derived data, such as the FIB files. For access to other data, you can request it directly through NDA. Once you have the Data Use Agreement (DUA), feel free to share it with me, and I can provide you with a link to access the SRC files.

Project Overview

The Human Connectome Project (HCP) was originally established to accelerate the understanding of human brain organization through the acquisition and sharing of high-quality structural and functional connectivity data. The initial projects focused on healthy individuals, including twins and their siblings, to create detailed models of the healthy brain.

The Human Connectome Project for Early Psychosis builds on this foundation by extending these efforts to the study of severe mental disorders, specifically early-stage psychosis. Psychotic disorders are debilitating brain diseases that often emerge early in life and frequently lead to chronic impairment and increased mortality. Translating brain connectivity research into effective treatments for these disorders has been slow and challenging, making this research critically important.

Collection Investigator:

• Martha Shenton

Project Goals

1. Acquire High-Quality, HCP-Consistent Data:

   • Imaging will be conducted using Prisma 3T MRI scanners at two sites: Boston and Indianapolis.
   • The HCP Lifespan Prisma protocol will be used to ensure imaging quality matches that of the original HCP while reducing scan time for better participant compliance in psychosis cohorts.

2. Comprehensive Data Collection:

   • Structural, functional, and diffusion MRI data using advanced imaging protocols.
   • Behavioral and cognitive assessments modeled after the original HCP, with additional measures specific to early psychosis.
   • Blood samples collected for future genetic studies (stored at the Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository (RUCDR)).

3. Advanced Data Processing and Analysis:

   • Utilize the Washington University HCP post-processing pipeline for consistency.

   • Apply advanced imaging tools, including:

     • Signal drop detection
     • Multi-tensor tractography
     • Diffusion MRI models (e.g., free-water imaging)
     • Harmonization protocols for diffusion imaging

4. Example Study Aim:

   • Compare brain network differences between affective and non-affective psychosis groups and healthy controls.

Significance

This project will create a publicly available, high-quality dataset combining neuroimaging, cognitive, behavioral, and genetic data in individuals with early psychosis. These data will provide an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying early psychosis and accelerate the development of more effective treatment strategies based on brain connectivity models.

Epilepsy Connectome Project (ECP)

Project Overview

License: License: GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) 3.0
Source: https://osf.io/exbt4/

The Epilepsy Connectome Project (ECP) aims to deepen our understanding of why some patients with epilepsy respond well to anticonvulsant therapies, while others develop medically refractory seizures and experience progressive brain dysfunction.

Using cutting-edge imaging tools, the project focuses on quantitatively characterizing structural and functional brain connectivity, with the goal of improving treatment strategies for patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE)—the most common and often treatment-resistant form of epilepsy in adults.

Key Research Questions

• How do recurring seizures over many years impact brain connectivity in TLE?
• How are brain connectivity abnormalities related to cognitive and psychosocial dysfunction in TLE patients?
• Can the severity of connectivity disruptions predict the risk of further cognitive decline and the development of medically refractory seizures?

Study Details

• Project Duration:
  September 1, 2015 – August 31, 2019

• Participant Cohort:

  • Total Participants: 340 (Ages 18-50)
  • Healthy Controls: 140
  • Participants with Idiopathic TLE: 200

Data Collected

• Demographics:

  • Standard Human Connectome Project (HCP) demographic data
  • Additional demographic surveys, medical history, and seizure history

• Imaging Modalities:

  • MRI Data (GE MR750 3T scanner):

    • Diffusion-Weighted Imaging (DWI) for structural connectivity
    • Resting-State and Task-Based fMRI for functional network analysis

  • Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

• Clinical Assessments:

  • Neuropsychological testing
  • Genetic analysis through blood samples

• Behavioral Assessments:

  • Standard HCP fMRI tasks

  • Additional tasks for epilepsy patients:

    • Language Lateralization Task
    • Semantic Memory Task

  • Note: The HCP LifeSpan gambling task is not performed in this study.

Data Release Schedule

• First Data Release: 100 participants
• Second Data Release: 200 participants
• Final Data Release: 340 participants

Investigators

• Jeff Binder, M.D. – Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW)
• Beth Meyerand, Ph.D. – University of Wisconsin (UWisc)

For inquiries, please contact the investigators directly.

Keywords

Epilepsy, Medically Refractory Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE), Idiopathic TLE, Structural and Functional Connectivity, Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

The Connectomes Related to Anxiety and Depression in Adolescents Project, also known as Boston Adolescent Neuroimaging of Depression and Anxiety (BANDA) is a collaborative effort among researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), McLean Hospital, and Boston University. We will focus on understanding psychiatric disorders in adolescence, in particular those associated with two leading causes of death in adolescents and young adults (suicide and substance-abuse related accidents). Our research is guided by the “Acute Threat/Fear” and the “Reward/Prediction Error” construct.

https://humanconnectome.org/study/connectomes-related-anxiety-depression

Overview

Population: Adolescents (14-16 y.o.) with depression and/or anxiety disorders (N=180) and healthy controls (N=45)
Goal: Probe RDoC constructs of acute threat/fear and reward prediction error with clinical, behavioral, and imaging measures

Protocol:

Day 1 (at clinical site): Clinical interview, NIH toolbox & HCP behavioral measures
Day 2 (at Martinos): MRI scanning, additional behavioral measures (dot probe)
6-month follow-up (online): self-report web questionnaire
12-month follow-up (at clinical site): Clinical interview

Clinical/Behavioral Protocol (Day 1)

Adolescent assessment (total duration: 4 hours)
Adolescent interview: Kiddie schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia (KSADS); Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
Adolescent self-report: Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation Questionnaire (BIS-BAS), Chapman Handedness Inventory, Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MAFQ), Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), Risky, Impulsive, Self-Destructive Behavior Questionnaire (RISQ), Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Stress and Adversity Inventory (STRAIN), Tanner Stage Development Scale
Adolesent intelligence: Wechsler abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI-II) Full Scale-2
NIH toolbox:Dimensional Change card Sort Test, Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention, List Sorting Working Memory, NEO PI-R Neuroticism Subscale, Oral Reading Recognition, Pattern comparison Processing Speed Test, Visual Acuity
HCP: Penn Emotion Recognition Test, Penn Matrix Analysis Test, Penn Word Memory Test, Delayed Discounting Task
Parent assessment (total duration: 3 hours)
Parent interview: Kiddie schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia (KSADS); Weissman Family History Screen (FHS)
Parent self-and child-report: demographic questionnaire, Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire (MASQ), State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Mood and Feeling Questionnaire-Parent report (MAFQ-PR), Retrospective Measure of Behavioral Inhibition (RMBI), Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)
Parent intelligence: Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI-II) Full Scale-2

Behavioral/Scan Protocol (Day 2)

Dot-probe task - EyeLink eyetracker (total duration: 20 minutes)
Each trial begins with 500 ms fixation, followed by 1000 ms presentation of face pairs
Face pairs: one neutral, one emotional taken from KDEF database
Neutral and emotional presentation side (left/right) counterbalanced and pseudorandomly presented
Dot-probe side counterbalanced and pseudorandomly presented
Intertrial interval = 1000 ms (No Fixation)
Emotion Categories: Happy, Sad, Fearful, Angry, Neutral
Total: 128 trials. 32 trials per emotion. 32 different actors (16 female)
4 breaks for recalibration throughout 1 run

MRI Scan - HCP Imaging Protocol - 3T Siemens Scanner (total duration: 1 hour 50 minutes)

see scan parameters
Localizer (runs x1)
T1-weighted MPRAGE images with vNavs for prospective motion correction (runs x1)
Diffusion-weighted images (AP-PA acquisition; runs x4)
T1-weighted MPRAGE images with vNavs for prospective motion correction (runs x1)
T2-weighted images with vNavs for prospective motion correction (runs x 1)
Resting fMRI (AP-PA acquisition; runs x4)
Incentive Processing Task fMRI (AP-PA acquisition; runs x2)
Block design fMRI task
8 trials per block, 3.5s per trial, 28s per block
Total: 4 blocks of each condition across x2 runs; x8 15s fixation blocks per run
Face-matching Task fMRI (AP-PA acquisition; runs x2)
Block design fMRI task
6 trials per block, 3s per trial, 18s per block
Total: 6 blocks of each condition across x2 runs, 6 blocks of fixation across x2 runs
Conflict Task fMRI (AP-PA acquisition; runs x4)
Event-related fMRI task
24 trials per run, 3.45 s per trial (1 s fixation, .25 s stimulus presentation, 2.2 s for response)
Conditions counterbalanced per run and occur in pseudorandom order
Total: 24 trials x 4 runs, 6 per condition x 4 runs

6 Month Online Survey

Adolescent self-report: Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation Questionnaire (BIS-BAS), Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MAFQ), Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), Risky, Impulsive, Self-Destructive Behavior Questionnaire (RISQ), Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Stress and Adversity Inventory (STRAIN), Tanner Stage Development Scale

12 Month In-person Follow-up

Adolescent assessment (total duration: 3.5 hours)
Adolescent interview: Kiddie schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia (KSADS); Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
Adolescent self-report: Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation Questionnaire (BIS-BAS), Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MAFQ), Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), Risky, Impulsive, Self-Destructive Behavior Questionnaire (RISQ), Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Stress and Adversity Inventory (STRAIN), Tanner Stage
Development Scale

Parent assessment (total duration: 2.5 hours)

Parent diagnostic interview: Kiddie schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia (KSADS); Weissman Family History Screen (FHS)
Parent self-and child-report: Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire (MASQ), State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Mood and Feeling Questionnaire - Parent report (MFQ PR), Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)

Dimensional Connectomics of Anxious Misery

License

The FIB files are shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If you use these data, please acknowledge the contribution of ACCESS resources: CIS200026 & MED230052.

Per the NDA agreement, I am not permitted to share raw MRI data. However, after consulting with the NDA program lead, I am authorized to share derived data, such as the FIB files. For access to other data, you can request it directly through NDA. Once you have the Data Use Agreement (DUA), feel free to share it with me, and I can provide you with a link to access the SRC files.

Project Overview

Each year, more than 30% of the global population (~2 billion people) and 75 million adult Americans suffer from conditions grouped under the umbrella term “anxious misery.” Despite available treatments, many individuals continue to experience debilitating, chronic symptoms lasting years or even decades.

This project responds to the NIMH’s Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework and focuses specifically on key constructs within the Negative Valence System (NVS), including:

• Loss
• Responses to Sustained Threat

By jointly investigating these constructs, the study aims to disentangle the brain circuitry underlying these dimensions and identify more precise therapeutic targets for disabling symptoms.

Study Objectives

• Primary Objective:
  Acquire and publicly share a comprehensive multi-modal dataset of brain imaging, behavioral, and genetic data from individuals with anxious misery, along with innovative analytical tools to study brain connectome alterations.

• Research Hypothesis:
  The severity of responses to sustained threat and loss will correlate with distinct abnormalities in structural and functional brain connectivity. These connectivity patterns are also expected to predict the course of illness over time.

Data Collection Strategy

• Participants:

  • 200 individuals with anxious misery symptoms
  • 50 healthy controls

• Recruitment Site:

  • Outpatient Clinics at the University of Pennsylvania

• Assessments:

  • Neuroimaging using a single Prisma 3T MRI scanner optimized for compatibility with the Human Connectome Project (HCP) protocols

  • Behavioral and neurocognitive assessments including:

    • NIH Toolbox
    • Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (CNB)

  • Specialized clinical assessments targeting NVS dimensions

  • DNA sample collection for genetic analyses

  • One-year follow-up to assess symptom progression and clinical outcomes

• Data Quality:

  • Rigorous quality assurance (QA) procedures and harmonization with HCP data standards will ensure high data reliability and usability.

Significance

• This project will create a publicly available, richly characterized dataset linking behavioral symptoms of anxious misery with brain circuitry changes.
• Findings will advance our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying anxiety, depression, and related disorders.
• Results will also provide critical insights into the development of precision medicine approaches for treating these complex conditions, based on individualized brain connectivity profiles.