Biology subjects

Pintos Lobo, R.

Publications and source records attributed to Pintos Lobo, R..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Habenula alterations in resting state functional connectivity among autistic individuals

BackgroundThe reward-based theoretical framework of autism suggests that altered reward circuitry contributes to core symptoms. Recent prior research has revealed autism-related structural alterations in the habenula, a small epithalamic structure associated with motivation and emotion; however, potential alterations in functional connectivity (FC) remain unexplored. MethodsAnatomical and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were accessed for 1,479 participants (N=661 autism; agem: 16.68{+/-}8.23 years) in the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE). To investigate habenula alterations, we conducted a whole-brain resting state FC analysis using manually delineated subject-specific seeds, followed by regression analyses to explore age and brain-behavior interactions. ResultsAcross the entire sample, extensive habenula connectivity was observed within the midbrain dopaminergic reward system. Compared to neurotypical (NT) controls, autistic participants exhibited significantly increased habenular connectivity with the bilateral middle and superior temporal gyri. From childhood to early adulthood, autistic adolescents displayed an accelerated developmental habenula FC trajectory than NTs with the cingulate gyrus. Between groups, habenula hyperconnectivity was inversely associated with behavioral scores for social motivation and communication. ConclusionsThis study provides novel evidence of habenula connectivity alterations in autism, highlighting atypical FC with sensory processing regions. Further findings suggest that habenula circuitry develops differently among autistic adolescents, with links between habenula hyperconnectivity and social behaviors. Taken together, these results contribute to emerging evidence that the dopaminergic reward system may play a critical role in the pathophysiology of autism.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Acculturative orientations among Hispanic/Latinx caregivers in the ABCD Study: Associations with caregiver and youth mental health and youth brain function

BackgroundPopulation-based neuroscience offers opportunities to examine important but understudied sociocultural factors, such as acculturation. Acculturation refers to the extent to which an individual retains their cultural heritage and / or adopts the receiving societys culture and is particularly salient among Hispanic/Latinx immigrants. Specific acculturative orientations have been linked to vulnerability to substance use, depression, and suicide and are known to influence family dynamics between caregivers and their children. MethodsWe investigated first- and second-generation Hispanic/Latinx caregivers in the ABCD Study and examined how caregivers acculturative orientation impacts their mental health, as well as the mental health of their children. In addition, we evaluated how caregiver orientation is associated with adolescent socio-affiliative neural function in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, insula, and temporoparietal junction. ResultsWe identified two caregiver acculturation profiles: bicultural (retains heritage culture while adopting US culture) and detached (discards heritage culture and rejects US culture). Bicultural caregivers exhibited fewer symptoms of depression, avoidant behaviors, and inattention compared to detached caregivers; further, youth exhibited similar internalizing effects across caregiver profiles. Moreover, youth with bicultural caregivers displayed increased resting-state brain activity in the left insula; however, differences in long-range functional connectivity were not significant. ConclusionsCaregiver acculturation is an important familial-environmental factor in Hispanic/Latinx families linked to significant differences in caregiver and youth mental health and youth insula activity. Future work should examine sociocultural and neurodevelopmental changes across adolescence to assess health outcomes and determine whether localized, corticolimbic brain effects are ultimately translated into long-range connectivity differences.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Extended functional connectivity of convergent structural alterations among individuals with PTSD: A neuroimaging meta-analysis

BackgroundPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder defined by the onset of intrusive, avoidant, negative cognitive or affective, and/or hyperarousal symptoms after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. Previous voxel-based morphometry studies have provided insight into structural brain alterations associated with PTSD with notable heterogeneity across these studies. Furthermore, how structural alterations may be associated with brain function, as measured by task-free and task-based functional connectivity, remains to be elucidated. MethodsUsing emergent metaanalytic techniques, we sought to first identify a consensus of structural alterations in PTSD using the anatomical likelihood estimation (ALE) approach. Next, we generated functional profiles of identified convergent structural regions utilizing resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and meta-analytic coactivation modeling (MACM) methods. Finally, we performed functional decoding to examine mental functions associated with our ALE, rsFC, and MACM brain characterizations. ResultsWe observed convergent structural alterations in a single region located in the medial prefrontal cortex. The resultant rsFC and MACM maps identified functional connectivity across a widespread, whole-brain network that included frontoparietal and limbic regions. Functional decoding revealed overlapping associations with attention, memory, and emotion processes. ConclusionsConsensus-based functional connectivity was observed in regions of the default mode, salience, and central executive networks, which play a role in the tripartite model of psychopathology. Taken together, these findings have important implications in understanding the neurobiological mechanisms associated with PTSD.

neuroscience↗