Publications by authors named "Leon D Lotter"

The excitation-inhibition ratio is a key functional property of cortical microcircuits which changes throughout an individual's lifespan. Adolescence is considered a critical period for maturation of excitation-inhibition ratio. This has primarily been observed in animal studies.

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Human brain morphology undergoes complex changes over the lifespan. Despite recent progress in tracking brain development via normative models, current knowledge of underlying biological mechanisms is highly limited. We demonstrate that human cortical thickness development and aging trajectories unfold along patterns of molecular and cellular brain organization, traceable from population-level to individual developmental trajectories.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates how the balance between excitation and inhibition in brain cortex microcircuits changes during adolescence, a critical period for brain maturation.
  • - Using advanced simulations and resting-state fMRI data from two large groups, researchers found an increase in inhibition in certain brain regions (association cortices) as adolescents age, while sensorimotor areas showed more stable excitation levels.
  • - The findings suggest that there’s a consistent developmental pattern in the excitation-inhibition balance that can vary among individuals, providing a new computational method to study brain maturation at a personal level.
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The maternal brain undergoes significant reorganization during birth and the postpartum period. However, the temporal dynamics of these changes remain unclear. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we report on local and global brain function alterations in 75 mothers in their first postpartum week, compared to 23 nulliparous women.

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Background: Human healthy and pathological aging is linked to a steady decline in brain resting-state activity and connectivity measures. The neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie these changes remain poorly understood.

Methods: Making use of recent developments in normative modeling and availability of in vivo maps for various neurochemical systems, we tested in the UK Biobank cohort (n = 25,917) whether and how age- and Parkinson's disease-related resting-state changes in commonly applied local and global activity and connectivity measures colocalize with underlying neurotransmitter systems.

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Objective: Although anorexia nervosa (AN) in males has recently gained attention, knowledge of its psychological and physiological outcomes is still scarce. We explore sex-specific characteristics of long-term remitted AN with respect to residual eating disorder (ED) psychopathology, body image, and endocrinology.

Method: We recruited 33 patients with AN in remission for at least 18 months (24 women, 9 men) and 36 matched healthy controls (HCs).

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Authors rely on a range of devices and techniques to attract and maintain the interest of readers, and to convince them of the merits of the author's point of view. However, when writing a scientific article, authors must use these 'persuasive communication devices' carefully. In particular, they must be explicit about the limitations of their work, avoid obfuscation, and resist the temptation to oversell their results.

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Human brain morphology undergoes complex changes over the lifespan. Despite recent progress in tracking brain development via normative models, current knowledge of underlying biological mechanisms is highly limited. We demonstrate that human cortical thickness development and aging trajectories unfold along patterns of molecular and cellular brain organization, traceable from population-level to individual developmental trajectories.

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Humans synchronize with one another to foster successful interactions. Here, we use a multimodal data fusion approach with the aim of elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms by which interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) occurs. Our meta-analysis of 22 functional magnetic resonance imaging and 69 near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning experiments (740 and 3721 subjects) revealed robust brain regional correlates of INS in the right temporoparietal junction and left ventral prefrontal cortex.

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Background: Previous studies provided controversial insight on the impact of starvation, disease status, and underlying gray matter volume (GMV) changes on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging alterations in anorexia nervosa (AN). Here, we adapt a combined longitudinal and cross-sectional approach to disentangle the effects of these factors on resting-state alterations in AN.

Methods: Overall, 87 female subjects were included in the study: adolescent patients with acute AN scanned at inpatient admission (n = 22, mean age 15.

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Autism spectrum symptoms in children with congenital blindness Previous studies reported increased rates of autistic symptoms in children with impaired visual abilities (IV). However, the application of existing screening questionnaires for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) proved problematic, as intact visual abilities are typically required. The current study examines the general applicability of three autism-screening questionnaires in children with congenital blindness.

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