Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Investigations on Alterations of Hippocampal Circuit Function Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
10:59

Investigations on Alterations of Hippocampal Circuit Function Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Published on: November 19, 2012

Focal cortical damage parallels cognitive impairment in minimal hepatic encephalopathy

Carmina Montoliu1, Gabriel Gonzalez-Escamilla, Mercedes Atienza

  • 1Fundación Investigación Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia-INCLIVA, Spain.

Neuroimage
|April 3, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is linked to cortical thinning in specific brain regions. This study reveals early neurobiological changes in MHE patients, impacting cognitive function.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Radiology
  • Hepatology

Background:

  • Cognitive impairment affects early liver disease stages, primarily involving neocortical structures.
  • Cortical integrity in minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate cortical thinning in MHE using advanced MRI techniques.
  • To correlate cortical thickness with cognitive function (CFF) and blood ammonia levels.

Main Methods:

  • Cortical thickness analysis via high-resolution 3T MRI in no MHE (NMHE), MHE, and control groups.
  • Correlation analyses between cortical thickness, critical flicker frequency (CFF) scores, and blood ammonia levels.
  • Assessment of subcortical volume differences and their relation to CFF/ammonia levels.

Main Results:

  • Focal cortical thinning observed in the superior temporal cortex and precuneus in MHE patients compared to NMHE and controls.
  • Blood ammonia levels correlated with calcarine sulcus thickness, explaining impaired visual judgment in MHE.
  • Cortical thickness and CFF predicted differences between controls and HE groups, but not between NMHE and MHE.

Conclusions:

  • This study provides the first evidence of cortical thinning in MHE patients.
  • Novel insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of cognitive deficits in early-stage liver disease.

More Related Videos

Abbiategrasso Brain Bank Protocol for Collecting, Processing and Characterizing Aging Brains12:28

Abbiategrasso Brain Bank Protocol for Collecting, Processing and Characterizing Aging Brains

Published on: June 3, 2020

Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions07:30

Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions

Published on: April 23, 2021

Related Concept Videos

Hepatic Encephalopathy01:29

Hepatic Encephalopathy

DefinitionHepatic encephalopathy is a reversible neurologic syndrome that results from advanced liver dysfunction or portosystemic shunting. It leads to disturbances in cognition, behavior, and motor function due to the brain’s exposure to gut-derived toxins that the liver fails to detoxify.EtiologyThis condition develops either in the setting of acute fulminant hepatitis or progressively during chronic liver disease, such as cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Portosystemic shunting—including...
Dementia l: Introduction01:22

Dementia l: Introduction

Dementia is an acquired, progressive syndrome characterized by a decline in multiple cognitive domains severe enough to impair daily functioning and reduce independence. Although memory loss is a central feature, the diagnosis requires additional deficits involving language, executive function, visuospatial skills, judgment, calculation, or abstract reasoning. These cognitive impairments reflect underlying neurodegenerative or vascular processes that gradually disrupt neuronal networks...
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory01:14

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...
Role of Hippocampus in Memory01:19

Role of Hippocampus in Memory

The hippocampus, a critical brain structure, plays an essential role in memory processing, particularly in the formation and retrieval of memory. This small, seahorse-shaped region is located within the medial temporal lobe, with one hippocampus in each brain hemisphere. Experimental studies involving lesions in the hippocampi of rats have demonstrated significant impairments in tasks such as object recognition and maze navigation, indicating the hippocampus involvement in both recognition and...
Encephalitis ll: Pathophysiology01:26

Encephalitis ll: Pathophysiology

Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain parenchyma caused by direct viral invasion or immune-mediated mechanisms triggered by infections or tumors. Both processes lead to neuronal injury, disrupted neurotransmission, and diverse neurological symptoms, often with overlapping clinical and pathological features.Autoimmune EncephalitisIn autoimmune encephalitis, antibodies target neuronal antigens on cell surfaces, synapses, or within neurons. A key example is anti-NMDAR encephalitis, which can...
Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology01:23

Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology

Alzheimer disease involves structural changes in the brain that begin long before symptoms appear. The most distinctive features are extracellular neuritic plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles.Neuritic plaques form in the cerebral cortex and around blood vessels. These plaques contain a dense core of beta-amyloid (Aβ)—a toxic protein fragment that clumps outside neurons. The core is surrounded by damaged neuronal extensions, as well as reactive astrocytes and microglia. Abnormal...