Digital Commons Network^™

Virtual Adaptation Of An International Exchange Program In Medical Education, Celia Fung, Nicholas Maxwell, Stephen Powell, Michelle Benassai, Natalia Chunga, Jennifer Corcoran, William Barbosa, Marisabel Lopez, Betsy Hanampa, Melissa Llaiqui-Condori, Victor Delgado-Lazo, Karina Mendoza, Yanet Astete, Martin Flor, Sheyla Palacios, Blanca Valdovinos, Jorge Risco, Isabel Camargo, Ralph Jozefowicz, Karlo J Lizárraga

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Medical education has drastically transformed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures such as adopting telemedicine visits, minimizing the number of trainees on service, discontinuing external rotations, and converting in-person to online didactics have been broadly and swiftly implemented. While these innovations have promoted greater interconnectivity amongst institutions and made continuing medical education possible, international exchange programs in medical education are still largely disrupted. In response to the changing guidelines and restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors used Kern's six-step approach to design and implement a virtual curriculum to replace the in-person activities of the 2020-2021 Neurology Peru-Rochester exchange program …

Stigma Towards Mental Illness And Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Adult And Child Psychiatrists In Hungary: A Cross-Sectional Study, Dorottya Őri, Péter Szocsics, Tamás Molnár, Fanni Virág Ralovich, Zsolt Huszár, Ágnes Bene, Sándor Rózsa, Zsuzsa Győrffy, György Purebl

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Stigma towards people with mental health problems is a growing issue across the world, to which healthcare providers might contribute. The aim of the present study was to explore psychiatrists' attitudes towards their patients and link them to psychosocial and professional factors.

METHODS: An online questionnaire was used to approach the in- and outpatient psychiatric services across Hungary. A total of 211 trainees and specialists in adult and child psychiatry participated in our study. Their overall stigmatizing attitudes were measured, with focus on attitude, disclosure and help-seeking, and social distance dimensions by using the self-report Opening Minds Stigma Scale …

Effect Of Acute Postsurgical Pain Trajectories On 30-Day And 1-Year Pain, Saria S Awadalla, Victoria Winslow, Michael S. Avidan, Simon Haroutounian, Thomas G. Kannampallil

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Untreated pain after surgery leads to poor patient satisfaction, longer hospital length of stay, lower health-related quality of life, and non-compliance with rehabilitation regimens. The aim of this study is to characterize the structure of acute pain trajectories during the postsurgical hospitalization period and quantify their association with pain at 30-days and 1-year after surgery. This cohort study included 2106 adult (≥18 years) surgical patients who consented to participate in the SATISFY-SOS registry (February 1, 2015 to September 30, 2017). Patients were excluded if they did not undergo invasive surgeries, were classified as outpatients, failed to complete follow up assessments …

Regulation Of Rod Photoreceptor Function By Farnesylated G-Protein Γ-Subunits, Alexander V. Kolesnikov, Elena Lobysheva, Jaya P. Gnana-Prakasam, Vladimir J. Kefalov, Oleg G. Kisselev

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Heterotrimeric G-protein transducin, Gt, is a key signal transducer and amplifier in retinal rod and cone photoreceptor cells. Despite similar subunit composition, close amino acid identity, and identical posttranslational farnesylation of their Gγ subunits, rods and cones rely on unique Gγ1 (Gngt1) and Gγc (Gngt2) isoforms, respectively. The only other farnesylated G-protein γ-subunit, Gγ11 (Gng11), is expressed in multiple tissues but not retina. To determine whether Gγ1 regulates uniquely rod phototransduction, we generated transgenic rods expressing Gγ1, Gγc, or Gγ11 in Gγ1-deficient mice and analyzed their properties. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting demonstrated the robust expression of each transgenic Gγ in …

A Conformational Variant Of P53 (U-P53az) As Blood-Based Biomarker For The Prediction Of The Onset Of Symptomatic Alzheimer's Disease, S Piccirella, L Van Neste, C Fowler, C L Masters, J Fripp, J D Doecke, C Xiong, D Uberti, P Kinnon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Ongoing research seeks to identify blood-based biomarkers able to predict onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

OBJECTIVE: The unfolded conformational variant of p53 (U-p53AZ), previously observed in AD individuals, was evaluated in plasma samples from individuals participating in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) cohort for diagnostic and prognostic assessment, validated on a neuropsychological-based diagnosis, over the course of six years.

DESIGN: Retrospective Longitudinal Prognostic biomarker study.

SETTING: Single-center study based on the AIBL cohort.

PARTICIPANTS: 482 participants of the AIBL cohort, aged 60-85 years, without uncontrolled diabetes, vascular disease, severe depression or psychiatric illnesses.

MEASUREMENTS: The …

The Future Of Ad Clinical Trials With The Advent Of Anti-Amyloid Therapies: An Ctad Task Force Report, J Delrieu, R J Bateman, J Touchon, M Sabbagh, J Cummings

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Aducanumab (ADUHELMTM) was approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the US. This approval was supported by an effect on the cerebral amyloid plaque load and evidence of cognitive efficacy to be confirmed in post-marketing trials. Other anti-amyloid antibodies are under investigation in phase III (donanemab, lecanemab, gantenerumab) and have shown preliminary evidence of a cognitive benefit in phase II trials. Although these agents target a small segment of patients with mild cognitive impairment due to AD or mild AD dementia, their advent will change the design of future clinical trials both for anti-amyloid and non-amyloid drugs. …

A Polygenic Risk Score Based On A Cardioembolic Stroke Multitrait Analysis Improves A Clinical Prediction Model For This Stroke Subtype, Jara Cárcel-Márquez, Laura Ibañez, Laura Heitsch, Rajat Dhar, Carlos Cruchaga, Jin-Moo Lee, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Background: Occult atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the major causes of embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). Knowing the underlying etiology of an ESUS will reduce stroke recurrence and/or unnecessary use of anticoagulants. Understanding cardioembolic strokes (CES), whose main cause is AF, will provide tools to select patients who would benefit from anticoagulants among those with ESUS or AF. We aimed to discover novel loci associated with CES and create a polygenetic risk score (PRS) for a more efficient CES risk stratification.

Methods: Multitrait analysis of GWAS (MTAG) was performed with MEGASTROKE-CES cohort (

Results: We found and replicated …

Is Characteristic Frequency Limiting Real-Time Electrocochleography During Cochlear Implantation?, Amit Walia, Matthew A Shew, Shannon M Lefler, Dorina Kallogjeri, Cameron C Wick, Timothy A Holden, Nedim Durakovic, Amanda J Ortmann, Jacques A Herzog, Craig A Buchman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Objectives: Electrocochleography (ECochG) recordings during cochlear implantation have shown promise in estimating the impact on residual hearing. The purpose of the study was (1) to determine whether a 250-Hz stimulus is superior to 500-Hz in detecting residual hearing decrement and if so; (2) to evaluate whether crossing the 500-Hz tonotopic, characteristic frequency (CF) place partly explains the problems experienced using 500-Hz.

Design: Multifrequency ECochG comprising an alternating, interleaved acoustic complex of 250- and 500-Hz stimuli was used to elicit cochlear microphonics (CMs) during insertion. The largest ECochG drops (≥30% reduction in CM) were identified. After insertion, ECochG responses were measured …

Advances In Understanding Interferon-Mediated Immune Responses To Enteric Viruses In Intestinal Organoids, Lila S Nolan, Megan T Baldridge

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Interferons (IFN) are antiviral cytokines with critical roles in regulating pathogens at epithelial barriers, but their capacity to restrict human enteric viruses has been incompletely characterized in part due to challenges in cultivating some viruses

Where Do T Cell Subsets Stand In Sars-Cov-2 Infection: An Update, Mohammad Tarique, Mohd Suhail, Huma Naz, Naoshad Muhammad, Shams Tabrez, Torki A Zughaibi, Adel M Abuzenadah, Anwar M Hashem, Hari Shankar, Chaman Saini, Alpana Sharma

2020-Current year OA Pubs

An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in China in December 2019 and spread so rapidly all around the globe. It's continued and spreading more dangerously in India and Brazil with higher mortality rate. Understanding of the pathophysiology of COVID-19 depends on unraveling of interactional mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 and human immune response. The immune response is a complex process, which can be better understood by understanding the immunological response and pathological mechanisms of COVID-19, which will provide new treatments, increase treatment efficacy, and decrease mortality associated with the disease. In this review we present a amalgamate viewpoint based on …

Uric Acid Predicts Recovery Of Left Ventricular Function And Adverse Events In Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: Potential Mechanistic Insight From Network Analyses, Xiqiang Wang, Xiude Fan, Qihui Wu, Jing Liu, Linyan Wei, Dandan Yang, Xiang Bu, Xiaoxiang Liu, Aiqun Ma, Tomohiro Hayashi, Gongchang Guan, Yu Xiang, Shuang Shi, Junkui Wang, Jiansong Fang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Background and Aims: Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) still carries a high risk for a sustained decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) even with the optimal medical therapy. Currently, there is no effective tool to stratify these patients according to their recovery potential. We tested the hypothesis that uric acid (UA) could predict recovery of LVEF and prognosis of HFrEF patients and attempted to explore mechanistic relationship between hyperuricemia and HFrEF.

Methods: HFrEF patients with hyperuricemia were selected from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2016-2018 database and our Xianyang prospective cohort study. Demographics, cardiac risk factors, and …

Population-Based Screening Of Newborns: Findings From The Nbs Expansion Study (Part One), Amy Brower, Michael Watson, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Each year, through population-based newborn screening (NBS), 1 in 294 newborns is identified with a condition leading to early treatment and, in some cases, life-saving interventions. Rapid advancements in genomic technologies to screen, diagnose, and treat newborns promise to significantly expand the number of diseases and individuals impacted by NBS. However, expansion of NBS occurs slowly in the United States (US) and almost always occurs condition by condition and state by state with the goal of screening for all conditions on a federally recommended uniform panel. The Newborn Screening Translational Research Network (NBSTRN) conducted the NBS Expansion Study to describe …

The Structural Basis Of Long-Term Potentiation In Hippocampal Synapses, Revealed By Electron Microscopy Imaging Of Lanthanum-Induced Synaptic Vesicle Recycling, John E Heuser

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Hippocampal neurons in dissociated cell cultures were exposed to the trivalent cation lanthanum for short periods (15-30 min) and prepared for electron microscopy (EM), to evaluate the stimulatory effects of this cation on synaptic ultrastructure. Not only were characteristic ultrastructural changes of exaggerated synaptic vesicle turnover seen within the presynapses of these cultures-including synaptic vesicle depletion and proliferation of vesicle-recycling structures-but the overall architecture of a large proportion of the synapses in the cultures was dramatically altered, due to large postsynaptic "bulges" or herniations into the presynapses. Moreover, in most cases, these postsynaptic herniations or protrusions produced by lanthanum were …

It's About The Patients: Practical Antibiotic Stewardship In Outpatient Settings In The United States, Alpesh N Amin, E Patchen Dellinger, Glenn Harnett, Bryan D Kraft, Kerry L Laplante, Frank Lovecchio, James A Mckinnell, Glenn Tillotson, Salisia Valentine

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Antibiotic-resistant pathogens cause over 35,000 preventable deaths in the United States every year, and multiple strategies could decrease morbidity and mortality. As antibiotic stewardship requirements are being deployed for the outpatient setting, community providers are facing systematic challenges in implementing stewardship programs. Given that the vast majority of antibiotics are prescribed in the outpatient setting, there are endless opportunities to make a smart and informed choice when prescribing and to move the needle on antibiotic stewardship. Antibiotic stewardship in the community, or "smart prescribing" as we suggest, should factor in antibiotic efficacy, safety, local resistance rates, and overall cost, in …

At-Home Blood Collection And Stabilization In High Temperature Climates Using Home Rna, Lauren G Brown, Amanda J Haack, Dakota S Kennedy, Karen N Adams, Jennifer E Stolarczuk, Meg G Takezawa, Erwin Berthier, Sanitta Thongpang, Fang Yun Lim, Damien Chaussabel, Mathieu Garand, Ashleigh B Theberge

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Expanding whole blood sample collection for transcriptome analysis beyond traditional phlebotomy clinics will open new frontiers for remote immune research and telemedicine. Determining the stability of RNA in blood samples exposed to high ambient temperatures (>30°C) is necessary for deploying home-sampling in settings with elevated temperatures (e.g., studying physiological response to natural disasters that occur in warm locations or in the summer). Recently, we have developed

Bsl2-Compliant Lethal Mouse Model Of Sars-Cov-2 And Variants Of Concern To Evaluate Therapeutics Targeting The Spike Protein, Mohanraj Manangeeswaran, Derek D C Ireland, Seth G Thacker, Ha-Na Lee, Logan Kelley-Baker, Aaron P Lewkowicz, Paul W Rothlauf, Marjorie Cornejo Pontelli, Louis-Marie Bloyet, Michael A Eckhaus, Mirian I Mendoza, Sean Whelan, Daniela Verthelyi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Since first reported in 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is rapidly acquiring mutations, particularly in the spike protein, that can modulate pathogenicity, transmission and antibody evasion leading to successive waves of COVID19 infections despite an unprecedented mass vaccination necessitating continuous adaptation of therapeutics. Small animal models can facilitate understanding host-pathogen interactions, target selection for therapeutic drugs, and vaccine development, but availability and cost of studies in BSL3 facilities hinder progress. To generate a BSL2-compatible

Academic Medical Center Clinical Research Professional Workforce: Part 2 - Issues In Staff Onboarding And Professional Development, Jacqueline M Knapke, Michelle Jenkerson, Peg Tsao, Stephanie Freel, Jessica Fritter, Shirley L Helm, Penelope Jester, H Robert Kolb, Angela Mendell, Megan Petty, Carolynn T Jones

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Background: Defining key barriers to the development of a well-trained clinical research professional (CRP) workforce is an essential first step in identifying solutions for successful CRP onboarding, training, and competency development, which will enhance quality across the clinical and translational research enterprise. This study aimed to summarize barriers and best practices at academic medical centers related to effective CRP onboarding, training, professional development, identify challenges with the assessment of and mentoring for CRP competency growth, and describe opportunities to improve training and professionalization for the CRP career pathway.

Materials/Methods: Qualitative data from a series of Un-Meeting breakout sessions and open-text …

Chronic Stroke Sensorimotor Impairment Is Related To Smaller Hippocampal Volumes: An Enigma Analysis, Artemis Zavaliangos-Petropulu, Keith Lohse, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Self-Esteem And Weight Status Of Young Adults: Findings From A Pilot Study, Echu Liu, Su-Hsin Chang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Researchers have examined the association between self-esteem and obesity in past studies. However, most studies have focused on pediatric or adolescent populations. In this pilot study, we aim to explore the association of self-esteem with weight status in young adults, a group of individuals in a significant and pivotal period of their lives whose needs and challenges have received little attention in previous studies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Exactly 127 college juniors and seniors in the Midwest participated in late 2017. For our survey, we collected the following information: body weight, height, self-esteem score from the state self-esteem scale, grade …

Identification And Management Of Aggressive Meningiomas, Bhuvic Patel, Rupen Desai, Sangami Pugazenthi, Omar H Butt, Jiayi Huang, Albert H Kim

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Meningiomas are common primary central nervous system tumors derived from the meninges, with management most frequently entailing serial monitoring or a combination of surgery and/or radiation therapy. Although often considered benign lesions, meningiomas can not only be surgically inaccessible but also exhibit aggressive growth and recurrence. In such cases, adjuvant radiation and systemic therapy may be required for tumor control. In this review, we briefly describe the current WHO grading scale for meningioma and provide demonstrative cases of treatment-resistant meningiomas. We also summarize frequently observed molecular abnormalities and their correlation with intracranial location and recurrence rate. We then describe how …

Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Supports Gut Mucosal Immunity And Commensal Microbiome Recognition In Autoimmune Arthritis, Rachel H Bonami, Christina E Thurman, Sonam Verma, Camille S Westlake, Lindsay E Nyhoff, Bridgette B Barron, Andrea Reboldi, Peggy L Kendall

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (

Exploring The Feasibility Of Utilizing Limited Gene Panel Circulating Tumor Dna Clearance As A Biomarker In Patients With Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Brendan Knapp, Laura Mezquita, Siddhartha Devarakonda, Mihaela Aldea, Saiama N Waqar, Kym Pepin, Jeffrey P Ward, Angela Botticella, Karen Howarth, Charlene Knape, Clive Morris, Ramaswamy Govindan, Benjamin Besse, Daniel Morgensztern

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing may identify patients at high risk for recurrence following chemoradiation (CRT) for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC). We evaluated the feasibility of ctDNA testing on a readily available commercial fixed-gene panel to predict outcomes in patients with LA-NSCLC.

METHODS: Plasma of 43 patients was collected at CRT initiation (pre-CRT), completion (post-CRT1), quarterly follow up for 12 months (post-CRT2, 3, 4, 5 respectively) after CRT, and at disease progression. ctDNA analysis was performed using InVisionFirst

RESULTS: Twenty eight of 43 patients (65%) had detectable variants pre-CRT. Nineteen of 43 patients (44%) had detectable …

Phase 1 Clinical Trial Evaluating The Safety And Anti-Tumor Activity Of Adp-A2m10 Spear T-Cells In Patients With Mage-A10+ Head And Neck, Melanoma, Or Urothelial Tumors, David S Hong, Russell K Pachynski, Armin Ghobadi, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: ADP-A2M10 specific peptide enhanced affinity receptor (SPEAR) T-cells are genetically engineered autologous T-cells that express a high-affinity melanoma-associated antigen (MAGE)-A10-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) targeting MAGE-A10-positive tumors in the context of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*02. ADP-0022-004 is a phase 1, dose-escalation trial to evaluate the safety and anti-tumor activity of ADP-A2M10 in three malignancies (https://clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02989064).

METHODS: Eligible patients were HLA-A*02 positive with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), melanoma, or urothelial carcinoma (UC) expressing MAGE-A10. Patients underwent apheresis; T-cells were isolated, transduced with a lentiviral vector containing the MAGE-A10 TCR, and expanded. Patients underwent lymphodepletion with fludarabine …

Rhamnose Is Superior To Mannitol As A Monosaccharide In The Dual Sugar Absorption Test: A Prospective Randomized Study In Children With Treatment-Naïve Celiac Disease, Lori R Holtz, Julie Hoffmann, Laura Linneman, Mai He, Thomas C Smyrk, Ta-Chiang Liu, Nurmohammad Shaikh, Cynthia Rodriguez, Roy B Dyer, Ravinder J Singh, William A Faubion

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We sought to correlate two different measures of gut permeability [lactulose:mannitol (L:M) and lactulose:rhamnose (L:R)] to the severity of duodenal histopathology in children with and without elevated antibodies to tissue transglutaminase (tTG). A secondary objective was to correlate gut permeability with celiac disease (CD) serology and indices of inflammation and bacterial product translocation.

METHODS: We prospectively randomized children undergoing endoscopy with abnormal (

RESULTS: Of the 54 cases with positive celiac serology, 31 and 69% had modified Marsh 0/1 scores or ≥3a, respectively. Circulating tTG IgA correlated with the modified Marsh score (

CONCLUSIONS: L:R, but not …

Hand Transplants, Daily Functioning, And The Human Capacity For Limb Regeneration, Susan M Fitzpatrick, David Brogan, Prateek Grover

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Unlike some of our invertebrate and vertebrate cousins with the capacity to regenerate limbs after traumatic loss, humans do not have the ability to regrow arms or legs lost to injury or disease. For the millions of people worldwide who have lost a limb after birth, the primary route to regaining function and minimizing future complications is

Epidermolysis Bullosa With Congenital Absence Of Skin: Congenital Corneal Cloudiness And Esophagogastric Obstruction Including Extended Genotypic Spectrum Of Plec, Lamc2, Itgb4 And Col7a1, Pharuhad Pongmee, Sanchawan Wittayakornrerk, Ramrada Lekwuttikarn, Sasikarn Pakdeeto, Piangor Watcharakuldilok, Chatchay Prempunpong, Thipwimol Tim-Aroon, Chawintee Puttanapitak, Piyawan Wattanasoontornsakul, Thitiporn Junhasavasdikul, Parith Wongkittichote, Saisuda Noojarern, Duangrurdee Wattanasirichaigoon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare and genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by skin fragility and blister formation occurring spontaneously or after minor trauma. EB is accompanied by congenital absence of skin (EB with CAS) in some patients. Pathogenic variants of

Investing In Late-Life Brain Capital, Walter D Dawson, Eric J Lenze, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Within many societies and cultures around the world, older adults are too often undervalued and underappreciated. This exacerbates many key challenges that older adults may face. It also undermines the many positive aspects of late life that are of tremendous value at both an individual and societal level. We propose a new approach to elevate health and well-being in late life by optimizing late-life Brain Capital. This form of capital prioritizes brain skills and brain health in a brain economy, which the challenges and opportunities of the 21st-century demands. This approach incorporates investing in late-life Brain Capital, developing initiatives focused …

The Enantiomer Of Allopregnanolone Prevents Pressure-Mediated Retinal Degeneration Via Autophagy, Makoto Ishikawa, Toru Nakazawa, Hiroshi Kunikata, Kota Sato, Takeshi Yoshitomi, Kathiresan Krishnan, Douglas F Covey, Charles F Zorumski, Yukitoshi Izumi

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In an

The Burden Of Critical Illness In Hospitalized Children In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: Protocol For A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Teresa B Kortz, Kenneth E Remy, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The majority of childhood deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Many of these deaths are avoidable with basic critical care interventions. Quantifying the burden of pediatric critical illness in LMICs is essential for targeting interventions to reduce childhood mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the burden of hospitalization and mortality associated with acute pediatric critical illness in LMICs through a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature.

DATA SOURCES AND SEARCH STRATEGY: We will identify eligible studies by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and LILACS using MeSH terms and keywords. Results will be limited to infants or children (ages >28 …

Covariance And Correlation Analysis Of Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data Acquired In A Clinical Trial Of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction And Exercise In Older Individuals, Abraham Z Snyder, Tomoyuki Nishino, Joshua S Shimony, Eric J Lenze, Julie Loebach Wetherell, Michelle Voegtle, J Philip Miller, Michael D Yingling, Daniel Marcus, Jenny Gurney, Jerrel Rutlin, Drew Scott, Lisa Eyler, Deanna Barch

2020-Current year OA Pubs

We describe and apply novel methodology for whole-brain analysis of resting state fMRI functional connectivity data, combining conventional multi-channel Pearson correlation with covariance analysis. Unlike correlation, covariance analysis preserves signal amplitude information, which feature of fMRI time series may carry physiological significance. Additionally, we demonstrate that dimensionality reduction of the fMRI data offers several computational advantages including projection onto a space of manageable dimension, enabling linear operations on functional connectivity measures and exclusion of variance unrelated to resting state network structure. We show that group-averaged, dimensionality reduced, covariance and correlation matrices are related, to reasonable approximation, by a single scalar …