2020
Identification of an Amygdala–Thalamic Circuit That Acts as a Central Gain Mechanism in Taste Perceptions
Veldhuizen MG, Farruggia MC, Gao X, Nakamura Y, Green BG, Small DM. Identification of an Amygdala–Thalamic Circuit That Acts as a Central Gain Mechanism in Taste Perceptions. Journal Of Neuroscience 2020, 40: 5051-5062. PMID: 32371606, PMCID: PMC7314406, DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2618-19.2020.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdolescentAdultAmygdalaFemaleHumansMaleNeural PathwaysTaste PerceptionThalamusYoung AdultConceptsTaste intensity perceptionHealthy human participantsFunctional magnetic resonanceVentral posterior medial thalamusPosterior medial thalamusIntensity ratingsMedial dorsalMedial thalamusInhibitory outputInhibitory inputsPeripheral sourcesMagnetic resonanceInhibitory influenceIntensity perceptionCentral circuitsGustatory factorsIndividual variationDynamic causal modeling analysisConnectivity strengthAmygdalaMultiple tastantsGustatory systemMean intensity ratingsTaste intensity ratingsAmygdala responseLoss of nucleus accumbens low-frequency fluctuations is a signature of chronic pain
Makary MM, Polosecki P, Cecchi GA, DeAraujo IE, Barron DS, Constable TR, Whang PG, Thomas DA, Mowafi H, Small DM, Geha P. Loss of nucleus accumbens low-frequency fluctuations is a signature of chronic pain. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2020, 117: 10015-10023. PMID: 32312809, PMCID: PMC7211984, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1918682117.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsChronic low back pain patientsLow back pain patientsChronic painPain patientsChronic phaseChronic back pain patientsBack pain patientsRostral anterior cingulate cortexAnterior cingulate cortexAdditional independent datasetsRisk of transitionResting-state activityPersistent painBack painAccumbens volumeHealthy controlsNucleus accumbensPainSeparate cohortPatientsCingulate cortexPrevalent diseaseFunctional connectivityLoss of nucleiSubcortical signatures
2016
Reorganization of brain connectivity in obesity
Geha P, Cecchi G, Constable R, Abdallah C, Small DM. Reorganization of brain connectivity in obesity. Human Brain Mapping 2016, 38: 1403-1420. PMID: 27859973, PMCID: PMC6866793, DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23462.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGlobal brain connectivityDorsal attention networkPeripheral metabolic dysfunctionHum Brain MappSuperior parietal lobuleSomatomotor cortexMetabolic dysfunctionVentrolateral prefrontal cortexPremotor areasCaudate nucleusNeurocognitive impairmentObesityAnterior hippocampusVisual cortexBrain regionsParietal lobuleBrain functionPrefrontal cortexBrain connectivityMilkshake consumptionCortexFeeding decisionsBrain organizationInsulaHomeostatic state