Massimo Caulo

Publications of Massimo Caulo

• Cortical origin of myoclonus in early stages of corticobasal degeneration.

  Authors: Francesca Notturno, Filippo Zappasodi, Valerio Maruotti, Laura Marzetti, Massimo Caulo, Antonino Uncini

  Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society. 04/2011; 26(8):1567-9.

• Passive tactile recognition of geometrical shape in humans: An fMRI study.

  Authors: Nicoletta Savini, Claudio Babiloni, Marcella Brunetti, Massimo Caulo, Cosimo Del Gratta, Mauro Gianni Perrucci, Paolo Maria Rossini, Gian Luca Romani, Antonio Ferretti

  Brain research bulletin. 10/2010; 83(5):223-31.

  Tactile shape discrimination involves frontal other than somatosensory cortex (Palva et al., 2005 [48]), but it is unclear if this frontal activity is related to exploratory concomitants. In thisTactile shape discrimination involves frontal other than somatosensory cortex (Palva et al., 2005 [48]), but it is unclear if this frontal activity is related to exploratory concomitants. In this study, we investigated topographical details of prefrontal, premotor, and parietal areas during passive tactile recognition of 2D geometrical shapes in conditions avoiding exploratory movements. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed while the same wooden 2D geometrical shapes were blindly pressed on subjects' passive right palm in three conditions. In the RAW condition, shapes were pressed while subjects were asked to attend to the stimuli but were not trained to recognize them. After a brief training, in the SHAPE condition subjects were asked to covertly recognize shapes. In the RECOGNITION condition, they were asked to overtly recognize shapes, using response buttons with their opposite hand. Results showed that somatosensory cortex including contralateral SII, contralateral SI, and left insula was active in all conditions, confirming its importance in processing tactile shapes. In the RAW vs. SHAPE contrast, bilateral posterior parietal, insular, premotor, prefrontal, and (left) Broca's areas were more active in the latter. In the RECOGNITION, activation of (left) Broca's area correlated with correct responses. These results suggest that, even without exploratory movements, passive recognition of tactile geometrical shapes involves prefrontal and premotor as well as somatosensory regions. In this framework, Broca's area might be involved in a successful selection and/or execution of the correct responses.

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• Capsular warning syndrome mimicking a jacksonian sensory march.

  Authors: Christina M Caporale, Francesca Notturno, Massimo Caulo, Antonino Uncini

  Journal of the neurological sciences. 09/2009;

  A 57-year-old man, operated eight years before for a left frontal falx meningioma, presented with short lasting, stereotyped episodes of paresthesias ascending from the right foot to the hand. AA 57-year-old man, operated eight years before for a left frontal falx meningioma, presented with short lasting, stereotyped episodes of paresthesias ascending from the right foot to the hand. A diagnosis of somatosensory seizures with jacksonian march was made. The patient was given antiepilectics but 5days later, a few hours after another paresthesic episodes, he developed right hemiplegia, hemianesthesia and dysartria due to an infarct of left capsular posterior limb. We deem that in this patient the paresthesic episodes were more likely an expression of a capsular warning syndrome than of parietal epilepsy because of the frontal localization of the surgical lesion, the absence of motor components in all episodes, the negativity of repeated EEG, and the lack of recurrences after stroke. In capsular warning syndrome sensory symptoms mimicking a jacksonian march can be due to ischemic depolarization progressively recruiting the somatotopically arranged sensory fibers in the posterior capsular limb.

• Noxious Somatosensory Stimulation Affects the Default Mode of Brain Function: Evidence from Functional MR Imaging.

  Authors: Dante Mantini, Massimo Caulo, Antonio Ferretti, Gian Luca Romani, Armando Tartaro

  Radiology. 09/2009;

  Purpose: To investigate whether default mode network (DMN) spatial properties can be directly affected by pain, with a comparison of painful and nonpainful conditions. Materials and Methods: ThePurpose: To investigate whether default mode network (DMN) spatial properties can be directly affected by pain, with a comparison of painful and nonpainful conditions. Materials and Methods: The authors performed a functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging study, approved by the local institutional ethics committee, involving 10 healthy male subjects (age range, 18-45 years) who gave written informed consent. The subjects underwent two experimental sessions of median nerve electrical stimulation at painful and nonpainful levels. Independent component analysis of the functional MR imaging data was performed to determine the DMN spatiotemporal pattern. Group-level DMN connectivity maps for painful and nonpainful conditions were obtained (P < .001, corrected with false discovery rate). The contrast between the connectivity maps in the two conditions was also computed (P < .05, corrected with false discovery rate). Results: The DMN maintained its typical temporal properties but was subject to modifications in connectivity pattern during painful stimulation, affecting the brain areas associated with pain processing. Increased connectivity in painful conditions was found mainly in the left prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex-precuneus, and decreased connectivity was found in the lateral parietal cortex. Conclusion: Study findings were in line with the impairments of the DMN reported in patients with chronic pain. They support the hypothesis that alteration of the DMN connectivity pattern localized in specific brain areas during acute pain, if repeated across time, might induce permanent changes that could disrupt the DMN functional architecture. Supplemental material: http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.2533090602/-/DC1 (c) RSNA, 2009.

• Differential patterns of cortical activation as a function of fluid reasoning complexity.

  Authors: Bernardo Perfetti, Aristide Saggino, Antonio Ferretti, Massimo Caulo, Gian Luca Romani, Marco Onofrj

  Human brain mapping. 01/2008;

  Fluid intelligence (gf) refers to abstract reasoning and problem solving abilities. It is considered a human higher cognitive factor central to general intelligence (g). The regions of the cortexFluid intelligence (gf) refers to abstract reasoning and problem solving abilities. It is considered a human higher cognitive factor central to general intelligence (g). The regions of the cortex supporting gf have been revealed by recent bioimaging studies and valuable hypothesis on the neural correlates of individual differences have been proposed. However, little is known about the interaction between individual variability in gf and variation in cortical activity following task complexity increase. To further investigate this, two samples of participants (high-IQ, N = 8; low-IQ, N = 10) with significant differences in gf underwent two reasoning (moderate and complex) tasks and a control task adapted from the Raven progressive matrices. Functional magnetic resonance was used and the recorded signal analyzed between and within the groups. The present study revealed two opposite patterns of neural activity variation which were probably a reflection of the overall differences in cognitive resource modulation: when complexity increased, high-IQ subjects showed a signal enhancement in some frontal and parietal regions, whereas low-IQ subjects revealed a decreased activity in the same areas. Moreover, a direct comparison between the groups' activation patterns revealed a greater neural activity in the low-IQ sample when conducting moderate task, with a strong involvement of medial and lateral frontal regions thus suggesting that the recruitment of executive functioning might be different between the groups. This study provides evidence for neural differences in facing reasoning complexity among subjects with different gf level that are mediated by specific patterns of activation of the underlying fronto-parietal network. Hum Brain Mapp, 2008. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

• Human neural systems for conceptual knowledge of proper object use: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

  Authors: Sjoerd J H Ebisch, Claudio Babiloni, Cosimo Del Gratta, Antonio Ferretti, Mauro G Perrucci, Massimo Caulo, Margriet M Sitskoorn, Gian Luca Romani

  Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991). 12/2007; 17(11):2744-51.

  Ideational apraxia is characterized by impaired knowledge of action concepts and proper object usage. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging study aimed at investigating the neural systemIdeational apraxia is characterized by impaired knowledge of action concepts and proper object usage. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging study aimed at investigating the neural system underlying conceptual knowledge for proper object use in healthy subjects, when the effects of visuospatial properties and perceptual modality were taken into account. Subjects performed semantic decision tasks requiring retrieval of knowledge about either object functional purposes (functional task) or visuospatial object properties (visuospatial task) and perceptual control tasks. The semantic tasks were performed with pairs of either written object names or object drawings. Activation for the functional task in common for words and pictures, compared with the visuospatial and control tasks, was found in left parietal-temporal-occipital (PTO) junction, inferior frontal, anterior dorsal premotor, and presupplementary motor areas. Ventral inferior frontal cortex activation correlated negatively with reaction time in the functional condition. No specific activation characterized the visuospatial task compared with the functional task. The conceptual tasks, compared with the control tasks, demonstrated overlapping activation in left PTO junction, prefrontal, dorsal premotor, cuneus, and inferior temporal areas. These results outline the neural processes underlying conceptual knowledge for proper object use. The left ventral inferior frontal gyrus might facilitate behavioral decisions regarding functional/pragmatical object properties.

• A-magnetic optic-mechanical device to quantify finger kinematics for fMRI studies of bimanual coordination.

  Authors: Cinzia De Luca, Silvia Comani, Luigino Di Donato, Massimo Caulo, Maurizio Bertollo, Gian Luca Romani

  Brain topography. 02/2007; 19(3):155-60.

  Several fMRI studies have been performed to detect the neural correlates of stable bimanual coordination patterns in humans. Only few of those studies were accompanied by the on-line recording of theSeveral fMRI studies have been performed to detect the neural correlates of stable bimanual coordination patterns in humans. Only few of those studies were accompanied by the on-line recording of the relative phase of fingers or hands, but none with high space and time resolutions. Conversely, the high-resolution recording of fingers' kinematics during fMRI would permit the quantification of the instantaneous fingers' positions, from which the instant at which transitions between different bimanual coordination patterns occur might be detected. This information could then be used to analyze fMRI data and detect the neural correlates of pattern transitions. We describe an a-magnetic optic-mechanical device (AMOMeD) able to monitor the fingers' positions during fMRI studies on bimanual coordination with 2 mm space resolution and 1 ms time resolution. From the instantaneous fingers' positions (recorded with an optical fiber system and a dedicated acquisition system), the oscillation amplitude, frequency, velocity and relative phase of fingers' are calculated. The signal from the fMRI trigger can be acquired simultaneously to synchronize the behavioral outcomes with the fMRI analysis. The results of our study show that this device does not affect fMRI signals, and that fMRI data can be processed using the simultaneous behavioral information to detect the brain areas activated during the transitions between different bimanual coordination patterns.

• Neural systems underlying observation of humanly impossible movements: an FMRI study.

  Authors: Marcello Costantini, Gaspare Galati, Antonio Ferretti, Massimo Caulo, Armando Tartaro, Gian Luca Romani, Salvatore Maria Aglioti

  Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991). 12/2005; 15(11):1761-7.

  Previous studies have indicated that largely overlapping parts of a complex, mainly fronto-parietal, neural network are activated during both observation and execution of an action. If these twoPrevious studies have indicated that largely overlapping parts of a complex, mainly fronto-parietal, neural network are activated during both observation and execution of an action. If these two processes are inextricably linked, increases of neural activity contingent upon action observation should be found only for movements that can actually be performed. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated whether observation of possible and biomechanically impossible movements of fingers activated the same neural systems. Thirteen healthy subjects were scanned during observation of video-clips showing abduction/adduction movements of the right index or the little finger, which were defined as biomechanically possible or impossible according to the range of their angular displacement at the metacarpo-phalangeal joint. The mere observation of possible and impossible hand movements induced a selective activation of left precentral and left inferior frontal regions, thus indicating that motor-related areas map body actions even when they violate the constraints of human anatomy. An increase of the blood oxygen level-dependent signal selectively linked to observation of impossible hand movements was found in sensorimotor parietal regions. Our results suggest that while premotor areas code human actions regardless of whether they are biologically possible or impossible, sensorimotor parietal regions may be important for coding the plausibility of actions.

• Dynamics of male sexual arousal: distinct components of brain activation revealed by fMRI.

  Authors: Antonio Ferretti, Massimo Caulo, Cosimo Del Gratta, Rosalia Di Matteo, Arcangelo Merla, Francesco Montorsi, Vittorio Pizzella, Paolo Pompa, Patrizio Rigatti, Paolo Maria Rossini, Andrea Salonia, Armando Tartaro, Gian Luca Romani

  NeuroImage. 08/2005; 26(4):1086-96.

  The peripheral mechanisms of male sexual arousal are well known. Recently, neuroimaging techniques, such as PET or fMRI, allowed the investigation of the subjacent cerebral mechanisms. In ten healthyThe peripheral mechanisms of male sexual arousal are well known. Recently, neuroimaging techniques, such as PET or fMRI, allowed the investigation of the subjacent cerebral mechanisms. In ten healthy subjects, we have simultaneously recorded fMRI images of brain activation elicited by viewing erotic scenes, and the time course of penile tumescence by means of a custom-built MRI-compatible pneumatic cuff. We have compared activation elicited by video clips with a long duration, that led to sexual arousal and penile erection, and activation elicited by briefly presented still images, that did induce sexual arousal without erection. This comparison and the use of the time course of penile tumescence in video clips allowed to perform a time resolved data analysis and to correlate different patterns of brain activation with different phases of sexual response. The activation maps highlighted a complex neural circuit involved in sexual arousal. Of this circuit, only a few areas (anterior cingulate, insula, amygdala, hypothalamus, and secondary somatosensory cortices) were specifically correlated with penile erection. Finally, these areas showed distinct dynamic relationships with the time course of sexual response. These differences might correspond to different roles in the development and appraisal of the sexual response. These findings shed light on the psychophysiology of male sexuality and open new perspectives for the diagnosis, therapy, and possible rehabilitation of sexual dysfunction.

• Functional topography of the secondary somatosensory cortex for nonpainful and painful stimulation of median and tibial nerve: an fMRI study.

  Authors: Antonio Ferretti, Cosimo Del Gratta, Claudio Babiloni, Massimo Caulo, Donatello Arienzo, Armando Tartaro, Paolo Maria Rossini, Gian Luca Romani

  NeuroImage. 12/2004; 23(3):1217-25.

  Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study the cortical activity of the bilateral secondary somatosensory cortex (SII) during nonpainful (motor threshold) and painful electricalFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study the cortical activity of the bilateral secondary somatosensory cortex (SII) during nonpainful (motor threshold) and painful electrical stimulation of median and tibial nerves. fMRI recordings were performed in eight normal young adults. The aim was at evaluating the working hypothesis of a spatial segregation of nonpainful and painful populations not only in the "hand" representation of SII [Ferretti, A., Babiloni, C., Del Gratta, C., Caulo, M., Tartaro, A., Bonomo, L., Rossini, P.M., Romani, G.L., 2003. Functional topography of the secondary somatosensory cortex for nonpainful and painful stimuli: an fMRI study. NeuroImage 20, 1625-1638.] but also in its "foot" representation. Results showed that, in both "hand" and "foot" representations of bilateral SII, the activity elicited by the painful stimulation was localized more posteriorly with respect to that elicited by the nonpainful stimulation. A fine spatial analysis of the SII responses revealed a clear somatotopic organization in the bilateral SII subregion especially reactive to the nonpainful stimuli (i.e., segregation of the hand and foot representations). In contrast, it was not possible to disentangle the "hand" and "foot" representations of SII for painful stimuli. These results extended to the SII "foot" representation previous evidence of a spatial segregation in the SII "hand" representation of subregions for the painful and nonpainful stimuli. Furthermore, they suggest that noxious information is not somatotopically represented in human bilateral SII, at least as inferred from fMRI data at 1.5 T.

• Audio-visual crossmodal interactions in environmental perception: an fMRI investigation.

  Authors: Marta Olivetti Belardinelli, Carlo Sestieri, Rosalia Di Matteo, Franco Delogu, Cosimo Del Gratta, Antonio Ferretti, Massimo Caulo, Armando Tartaro, Gian Luca Romani

  Cognitive Processing. 01/2004; 5:167-174.

• Functional topography of the secondary somatosensory cortex for nonpainful and painful stimuli: an fMRI study.

  Authors: Antonio Ferretti, Claudio Babiloni, Cosimo Del Gratta, Massimo Caulo, Armando Tartaro, Lorenzo Bonomo, Paolo Maria Rossini, Gian Luca Romani

  NeuroImage. 12/2003; 20(3):1625-38.

  The regional activity of the contralateral primary (SI) and the bilateral secondary (SII) somatosensory areas during median nerve stimulations at five intensity levels (ranging from nonpainful motorThe regional activity of the contralateral primary (SI) and the bilateral secondary (SII) somatosensory areas during median nerve stimulations at five intensity levels (ranging from nonpainful motor threshold to moderate pain) was studied by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The aim was to characterize the functional topography of SII compared to SI as a function of the stimulus intensity. Results showed that the galvanic stimulation of the median nerve activated the contralateral SI at all stimulus intensities. When considered as a single region, SII was more strongly activated in the contralateral than in the ipsilateral hemisphere. When a finer spatial analysis of the SII responses was performed, the activity for the painful stimulation was localized more posteriorly compared to that for the nonpainful stimulation. This is the first report on such a SII segregation for transient galvanic stimulations. The activity (relative signal intensity) of this posterior area increased with the increase of the stimulus intensity. These results suggest a spatial segregation of the neural populations that process signals conveyed by dorsal column-medial lemniscus (nonpainful signals) and neospinothalamic (painful signals) pathways. Further fMRI experiments should evaluate the functional properties of these two SII subregions during tasks involving sensorimotor integration, learning, and memory demands.

• The "electrocuted" hippocampus.

  Authors: Antonino Uncini, Massimo Caulo, Christina M Caporale, Bernardo Perfetti, Cesare Colosimo

  Lancet. 366(9489):956.

• Capsular warning syndrome mimicking a jacksonian sensory march

  Authors: Christina M. Caporale, Francesca Notturno, Massimo Caulo, Antonino Uncini

  Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

  A 57-year-old man, operated eight years before for a left frontal falx meningioma, presented with short lasting, stereotyped episodes of paresthesias ascending from the right foot to the hand. AA 57-year-old man, operated eight years before for a left frontal falx meningioma, presented with short lasting, stereotyped episodes of paresthesias ascending from the right foot to the hand. A diagnosis of somatosensory seizures with jacksonian march was made. The patient was given antiepilectics but 5 days later, a few hours after another paresthesic episodes, he developed right hemiplegia, hemianesthesia and dysartria due to an infarct of left capsular posterior limb. We deem that in this patient the paresthesic episodes were more likely an expression of a capsular warning syndrome than of parietal epilepsy because of the frontal localization of the surgical lesion, the absence of motor components in all episodes, the negativity of repeated EEG, and the lack of recurrences after stroke. In capsular warning syndrome sensory symptoms mimicking a jacksonian march can be due to ischemic depolarization progressively recruiting the somatotopically arranged sensory fibers in the posterior capsular limb.