Brain MRI and MR Spectroscopy Findings in Children with Nutritional Vitamin B12 Deficiency.

PubMed

Ekici, F; Tekbas, G; Hattapoğlu, S; Yaramış, A; Önder, H; Bilici, A

2016-06-01

Our aim in this study was to analyze the findings of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of children with vitamin B12 deficiency. This study included 14 cases. The findings of brain MRI and MRS in all cases were investigated. Four patients had been followed up and mean follow-up time 71.8 (59-85) day. Eight patients of the cases (57 %) had at least one abnormal MRI finding. The most commonly found MRI findings were thinning of the corpus callosum and brain atrophy, respectively. The mean ratio of NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr were measured in MRS, with values of 1.31 ± 0.17 and 1.04 ± 0.27, respectively. In two of three patients with abnormal MRI studies at presentation, subsequent MRI showed improvement while one patient remained unchanged. An increase in the ratios of metabolites were found in one case with control MRS. There was no lactate peak. Brain MRI was abnormal in more than half of the cases of children with vitamin B12 deficiency. Our radiologic findings similar with literature. There was no identifiable lactate peak. B12 deficiency could be the cause of the thinning of the corpus callosum and brain atrophy in the children that were given a brain MRI.

Functional brain MRI in patients complaining of electrohypersensitivity after long term exposure to electromagnetic fields.

PubMed

Heuser, Gunnar; Heuser, Sylvia A

2017-09-26

Ten adult patients with electromagnetic hypersensitivity underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans. All scans were abnormal with abnormalities which were consistent and similar. It is proposed that fMRI brain scans be used as a diagnostic aid for determining whether or not a patient has electromagnetic hypersensitivity. Over the years we have seen an increasing number of patients who had developed multi system complaints after long term repeated exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). These complaints included headaches, intermittent cognitive and memory problems, intermittent disorientation, and also sensitivity to EMF exposure. Regular laboratory tests were within normal limits in these patients. The patients refused to be exposed to radioactivity. This of course ruled out positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) brain scanning. This is why we ordered fMRI brain scans on these patients. We hoped that we could document objective abnormalities in these patients who had often been labeled as psychiatric cases. Ten patients first underwent a regular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan, using a 3 Tesla Siemens Verio MRI open system. A functional MRI study was then performed in the resting state using the following sequences: A three-dimensional, T1-weighted, gradient-echo (MPRAGE) Resting state network. The echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequences for this resting state blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) scan were then post processed on a 3D workstation and the independent component analysis was performed separating out the various networks. Arterial spin labeling. Tractography and fractional anisotropy. All ten patients had abnormal functional MRI brain scans. The abnormality was often described as hyper connectivity of the anterior component of the default mode in the medial orbitofrontal area. Other abnormalities were usually found. Regular MRI studies of the brain were mostly unremarkable in these patients. We propose that functional MRI studies should become a diagnostic aid when evaluating a patient who claims electrohypersensitivity (EHS) and has otherwise normal studies. Interestingly, the differential diagnosis for the abnormalities seen on the fMRI includes head injury. It turns out that many of our patients indeed had a history of head injury which was then followed sometime later by the development of EHS. Many of our patients also had a history of exposure to potentially neurotoxic chemicals, especially mold. Head injury and neurotoxic chemical exposure may make a patient more vulnerable to develop EHS.

Volume estimation of brain abnormalities in MRI data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suprijadi, Pratama, S. H.; Haryanto, F.

2014-02-01

The abnormality of brain tissue always becomes a crucial issue in medical field. This medical condition can be recognized through segmentation of certain region from medical images obtained from MRI dataset. Image processing is one of computational methods which very helpful to analyze the MRI data. In this study, combination of segmentation and rendering image were used to isolate tumor and stroke. Two methods of thresholding were employed to segment the abnormality occurrence, followed by filtering to reduce non-abnormality area. Each MRI image is labeled and then used for volume estimations of tumor and stroke-attacked area. The algorithms are shown to be successful in isolating tumor and stroke in MRI images, based on thresholding parameter and stated detection accuracy.

Structural brain changes versus self-report: machine-learning classification of chronic fatigue syndrome patients.

PubMed

Sevel, Landrew S; Boissoneault, Jeff; Letzen, Janelle E; Robinson, Michael E; Staud, Roland

2018-05-30

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disorder associated with fatigue, pain, and structural/functional abnormalities seen during magnetic resonance brain imaging (MRI). Therefore, we evaluated the performance of structural MRI (sMRI) abnormalities in the classification of CFS patients versus healthy controls and compared it to machine learning (ML) classification based upon self-report (SR). Participants included 18 CFS patients and 15 healthy controls (HC). All subjects underwent T1-weighted sMRI and provided visual analogue-scale ratings of fatigue, pain intensity, anxiety, depression, anger, and sleep quality. sMRI data were segmented using FreeSurfer and 61 regions based on functional and structural abnormalities previously reported in patients with CFS. Classification was performed in RapidMiner using a linear support vector machine and bootstrap optimism correction. We compared ML classifiers based on (1) 61 a priori sMRI regional estimates and (2) SR ratings. The sMRI model achieved 79.58% classification accuracy. The SR (accuracy = 95.95%) outperformed both sMRI models. Estimates from multiple brain areas related to cognition, emotion, and memory contributed strongly to group classification. This is the first ML-based group classification of CFS. Our findings suggest that sMRI abnormalities are useful for discriminating CFS patients from HC, but SR ratings remain most effective in classification tasks.

Brain MRI in neuropsychiatric lupus: associations with the 1999 ACR case definitions.

PubMed

Jeong, Hae Woong; Her, Minyoung; Bae, Jong Seok; Kim, Seong-Kyu; Lee, Sung Won; Kim, Ho Kyun; Kim, Dongyook; Park, Nayoung; Chung, Won Tae; Lee, Sang Yeob; Choe, Jung-Yoon; Kim, In Joo

2015-05-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) and to investigate the association between MRI findings and neuropsychiatric manifestations in SLE. Brain MRIs with a diagnosis of SLE from 2002 to 2013 from three tertiary university hospitals were screened. All clinical manifestations evaluated by brain MRI were retrospectively reviewed. If the clinical manifestations were compatible with the 1999 NPSLE American College of Rheumatology (ACR) nomenclature and case definitions, the brain MRIs were assessed for the presence of white matter hyperintensities, gray matter hyperintensities, parenchymal defects, atrophy, enhancement, and abnormalities in diffusion-weighted images (DWI). The number, size, and location of each lesion were evaluated. The neuropsychiatric manifestation of each brain MRI was classified according to the 1999 ACR NPSLE case definitions. The associations between MRI findings and NPSLE manifestations were examined. In total, 219 brain MRIs with a diagnosis of SLE were screened, and 133 brain MRIs met the inclusion criteria for NPSLE. The most common MRI abnormality was white matter hyperintensities, which were observed in 76 MRIs (57.1 %). Gray matter hyperintensities were observed in 41 MRIs (30.8 %). Parenchymal defects were found in 31 MRIs (23.3 %), and atrophy was detected in 20 MRIs (15.0 %). Patients who had seizures were more associated with gray matter hyperintensities than patients with other neuropsychiatric manifestations. Patients with cerebrovascular disease were more associated with gray matter hyperintensity, parenchymal defects, and abnormal DWI than patients with other neuropsychiatric manifestations. In addition to white matter hyperintensities, which were previously known as SLE findings, we also noted the presence of gray matter hyperintensities, parenchymal defects, and abnormal DWI in a substantial portion of SLE patients, particularly in those with cerebrovascular disease or seizures.

Structural and Perfusion Abnormalities of Brain on MRI and Technetium-99m-ECD SPECT in Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Comparative Study.

PubMed

Rana, Kamer Singh; Narwal, Varun; Chauhan, Lokesh; Singh, Giriraj; Sharma, Monica; Chauhan, Suneel

2016-04-01

Cerebral palsy has traditionally been associated with hypoxic ischemic brain damage. This study was undertaken to demonstrate structural and perfusion brain abnormalities. Fifty-six children diagnosed clinically as having cerebral palsy were studied between 1 to 14 years of age and were subjected to 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Brain and Technetium-99m-ECD brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan. Male to female ratio was 1.8:1 with a mean age of 4.16 ± 2.274 years. Spastic cerebral palsy was the most common type, observed in 91%. Birth asphyxia was the most common etiology (69.6%). White matter changes (73.2%) such as periventricular leukomalacia and corpus callosal thinning were the most common findings on MRI. On SPECT all cases except one revealed perfusion impairments in different regions of brain. MRI is more sensitive in detecting white matter changes, whereas SPECT is better in detecting cortical and subcortical gray matter abnormalities of perfusion. © The Author(s) 2015.

Frequency of brain MRI abnormalities in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder at presentation: A cohort of Latin American patients.

PubMed

Carnero Contentti, Edgar; Daccach Marques, Vanessa; Soto de Castillo, Ibis; Tkachuk, Veronica; Antunes Barreira, Amilton; Armas, Elizabeth; Chiganer, Edson; de Aquino Cruz, Camila; Di Pace, José Luis; Hryb, Javier Pablo; Lavigne Moreira, Carolina; Lessa, Carmen; Molina, Omaira; Perassolo, Monica; Soto, Arnoldo; Caride, Alejandro

2018-01-01

Brain magnetic resonance imaging (BMRI) lesions were classically not reported in neuromyelitis optica (NMO). However, BMRI lesions are not uncommon in NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients. To report BMRI characteristic abnormalities (location and configuration) in NMOSD patients at presentation. Medical records and BMRI characteristics of 79 patients with NMOSD (during the first documented attack) in Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela were reviewed retrospectively. BMRI abnormalities were observed in 81.02% of NMOSD patients at presentation. Forty-two patients (53.1%) showed typical-NMOSD abnormalities. We found BMRI abnormalities at presentation in the brainstem/cerebellum (n = 26; 32.9%), optic chiasm (n = 16; 20.2%), area postrema (n = 13; 16.4%), thalamus/hypothalamus (n = 11; 13.9%), corpus callosum (n = 11; 13.9%), periependymal-third ventricle (n = 9; 11.3%), corticospinal tract (n = 7; 8.8%), hemispheric white matter (n = 1; 1.2%) and nonspecific areas (n = 49; 62.03%). Asymptomatic BMRI lesions were more common. The frequency of brain MRI abnormalities did not differ between patients who were positive and negative for aquaporin 4 antibodies at presentation. Typical brain MRI abnormalities are frequent in NMOSD at disease onset. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Protocol for the Administration of Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback Training

PubMed Central

Sherwood, Matthew S.; Diller, Emily E.; Ey, Elizabeth; Ganapathy, Subhashini; Nelson, Jeremy T.; Parker, Jason G.

2017-01-01

Neurologic disorders are characterized by abnormal cellular-, molecular-, and circuit-level functions in the brain. New methods to induce and control neuroplastic processes and correct abnormal function, or even shift functions from damaged tissue to physiologically healthy brain regions, hold the potential to dramatically improve overall health. Of the current neuroplastic interventions in development, neurofeedback training (NFT) from functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has the advantages of being completely non-invasive, non-pharmacologic, and spatially localized to target brain regions, as well as having no known side effects. Furthermore, NFT techniques, initially developed using fMRI, can often be translated to exercises that can be performed outside of the scanner without the aid of medical professionals or sophisticated medical equipment. In fMRI NFT, the fMRI signal is measured from specific regions of the brain, processed, and presented to the participant in real-time. Through training, self-directed mental processing techniques, that regulate this signal and its underlying neurophysiologic correlates, are developed. FMRI NFT has been used to train volitional control over a wide range of brain regions with implications for several different cognitive, behavioral, and motor systems. Additionally, fMRI NFT has shown promise in a broad range of applications such as the treatment of neurologic disorders and the augmentation of baseline human performance. In this article, we present an fMRI NFT protocol developed at our institution for modulation of both healthy and abnormal brain function, as well as examples of using the method to target both cognitive and auditory regions of the brain. PMID:28872110

A Protocol for the Administration of Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback Training.

PubMed

Sherwood, Matthew S; Diller, Emily E; Ey, Elizabeth; Ganapathy, Subhashini; Nelson, Jeremy T; Parker, Jason G

2017-08-24

Neurologic disorders are characterized by abnormal cellular-, molecular-, and circuit-level functions in the brain. New methods to induce and control neuroplastic processes and correct abnormal function, or even shift functions from damaged tissue to physiologically healthy brain regions, hold the potential to dramatically improve overall health. Of the current neuroplastic interventions in development, neurofeedback training (NFT) from functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has the advantages of being completely non-invasive, non-pharmacologic, and spatially localized to target brain regions, as well as having no known side effects. Furthermore, NFT techniques, initially developed using fMRI, can often be translated to exercises that can be performed outside of the scanner without the aid of medical professionals or sophisticated medical equipment. In fMRI NFT, the fMRI signal is measured from specific regions of the brain, processed, and presented to the participant in real-time. Through training, self-directed mental processing techniques, that regulate this signal and its underlying neurophysiologic correlates, are developed. FMRI NFT has been used to train volitional control over a wide range of brain regions with implications for several different cognitive, behavioral, and motor systems. Additionally, fMRI NFT has shown promise in a broad range of applications such as the treatment of neurologic disorders and the augmentation of baseline human performance. In this article, we present an fMRI NFT protocol developed at our institution for modulation of both healthy and abnormal brain function, as well as examples of using the method to target both cognitive and auditory regions of the brain.

Brain abnormalities detected on magnetic resonance imaging of amphetamine users presenting to an emergency department: a pilot study.

PubMed

Fatovich, Daniel M; McCoubrie, David L; Song, Swithin J; Rosen, David M; Lawn, Nick D; Daly, Frank F

2010-09-06

To determine the prevalence of occult brain abnormalities in magnetic resonance imaging of active amphetamine users. Prospective convenience study in a tertiary hospital emergency department (ED). Patients presenting to the ED for an amphetamine-related reason were eligible for inclusion. We collected demographic data, drug use data, and performed a mini-mental state examination (MMSE). The proportion of patients with an abnormality on their MRI scan. Of 38 patients enrolled, 30 had MRI scans. Nineteen were male and their mean age was 26.7 +/- 5.4 years (range 19-41 years). The mean age of first amphetamine use was 18 years (range 13-26 years). Sixteen patients used crystal methamphetamine (mean amount 2.5 g/week), nine used amphetamine ("speed") (mean amount 2.9 g/week), and 23 used ecstasy (mean amount 2.3 tablets/week). Marijuana was smoked by 26 (mean amount 5.9 g/week), and 28 drank alcohol (mean amount 207 g/week). The median MMSE score was 27/30 (interquartile range, 26-29). Abnormalities on brain MRI scans were identified in six patients, most commonly an unidentified bright object (n = 4). In this pilot study of brain MRI of young people attending the ED with an amphetamine-related presentation, one in five had an occult brain lesion. While the significance of this is uncertain, it is congruent with evidence that amphetamines cause brain injury.

Comparison of brain MRI findings with language and motor function in the dystroglycanopathies.

PubMed

Brun, Brianna N; Mockler, Shelley R H; Laubscher, Katie M; Stephan, Carrie M; Wallace, Anne M; Collison, Julia A; Zimmerman, M Bridget; Dobyns, William B; Mathews, Katherine D

2017-02-14

To describe the spectrum of brain MRI findings in a cohort of individuals with dystroglycanopathies (DGs) and relate MRI results to function. All available brain MRIs done for clinical indications on individuals enrolled in a DG natural history study (NCT00313677) were reviewed. Reports were reviewed when MRI was not available. MRIs were categorized as follows: (1) cortical, brainstem, and cerebellar malformations; (2) cortical and cerebellar malformations; or (3) normal. Language development was assigned to 1 of 3 categories by a speech pathologist. Maximal motor function and presence of epilepsy were determined by history or examination. Twenty-five MRIs and 9 reports were reviewed. The most common MRI abnormalities were cobblestone cortex or dysgyria with an anterior-posterior gradient and cerebellar hypoplasia. Seven individuals had MRIs in group 1, 8 in group 2, and 19 in group 3. Language was impaired in 100% of those in MRI groups 1 and 2, and degree of language impairment correlated with severity of imaging. Eighty-five percent of the whole group achieved independent walking, but only 33% did in group 1. Epilepsy was present in 8% of the cohort and rose to 37% of those with an abnormal MRI. Developmental abnormalities of the brain such as cobblestone lissencephaly, cerebellar cysts, pontine hypoplasia, and brainstem bowing are hallmarks of DG and should prompt consideration of these diagnoses. Brain imaging in individuals with DG helps to predict outcomes, especially language development, aiding clinicians in prognostic counseling. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

Contribution of fetal brain MRI in management of severe fetal anemia.

PubMed

Ghesquière, L; Houfflin-Debarge, V; Verpillat, P; Fourquet, T; Joriot, S; Coulon, C; Vaast, P; Garabedian, C

2018-06-06

Intrauterine transfusion (IUT) has changed fetal anemia prognosis. However, long-term neurodevelopmental outcome is altered in 5% of children. Our objective was to study the contribution of fetal MRI to diagnosis brain lesions in case of fetal anemia. Retrospective monocentric descriptive study from 2005 to 2016, including all patients followed for fetal anemia requiring IUT. The indications for MRI were: hydrops fetalis and / or hemoglobin <5 g / dL and / or more than 3 IUTs and / or acute severe anemia and / or ultrasound abnormality. Fetal and neonatal outcome and pediatric neurological monitoring were studied. 89 patients were followed for fetal anemia with IUT and 28 (29.1%) had fetal MRI, 12 of which were abnormal. Two out of twelve had abnormal ultrasound. Seven out of twelve had poor neurological prognosis: 2 medical terminations of pregnancy were performed; 2 children had severe developmental delay and 3 children had schooling difficulties. Five out of twelve children had favorable neurological prognosis. MRI of the fetal brain makes it possible to better detect brain lesions than ultrasound does in the management of severe fetal anemia and seems particularly appropriate in cases of acute anemia. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Excessive homozygosity identified by chromosomal microarray at a known GCDH mutation locus correlates with brain MRI abnormalities in an infant with glutaric aciduria.

PubMed

Peer-Zada, Abdul Ali; Al-Asmari, Ali M

2017-08-01

Herein, we report a conceptually novel clinical case highlighting the diagnostic implications of excessive homozygosity and its correlation with brain MRI abnormalities in an infant with GA1. The case also points a need for an extra amount of caution to be exercised when evaluating patients with "negative exomes."

Comparison between magnetic resonance imaging and fetopathology in the evaluation of fetal posterior fossa non-cystic abnormalities.

PubMed

Tilea, B; Delezoide, A L; Khung-Savatovski, S; Guimiot, F; Vuillard, E; Oury, J F; Garel, C

2007-06-01

To compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fetopathological findings in the evaluation of non-cystic fetal posterior fossa anomalies and to describe associated abnormalities. This was a prospective study from 2000 to 2005 of fetuses identified on ultrasound as having sonographic suspicion of posterior fossa malformation. All underwent a thorough MRI examination of the fetal brain, after which we classified each fetus as presenting one of the following pathologies: vermian hypoplasia or agenesis, cerebellar and/or brain stem hypoplasia, destructive or dysplastic lesions. All of the pregnancies were then terminated, after which the whole fetus underwent fetopathological examination. We compared the findings from MRI and fetopathological examinations and recorded the associated cerebral and extracerebral abnormalities. Twenty-five fetuses were included. MRI was performed at a mean gestational age of 31 weeks, and fetopathological examination at 33 weeks. In 12 cases we observed vermian hypoplasia, six had partial vermian agenesis, 11 had cerebellar hemisphere hypoplasia, seven had brain stem hypoplasia, four had destructive lesions and six had dysplastic lesions. The two techniques were similar in their performance with respect to the detection of vermian agenesis, brain stem hypoplasia and destructive lesions. There were four false-positive results of MRI for vermian hypoplasia and a poor agreement regarding cerebellar hemisphere hypoplasia. No dysplastic lesions were diagnosed by MRI. None of the posterior fossa malformations was isolated and many cerebral and extracerebral abnormalities were found. A systematic analysis of the posterior fossa in fetal MRI makes it possible to diagnose accurately most posterior fossa malformations. These malformations never occurred in isolation in our study.

Fetal MRI: head and neck.

PubMed

Mirsky, David M; Shekdar, Karuna V; Bilaniuk, Larissa T

2012-08-01

Abnormalities of the fetal head and neck may be seen in isolation or in association with central nervous system abnormalities, chromosomal abnormalities, and syndromes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an important role in detecting associated abnormalities of the brain as well as in evaluating for airway obstruction that may impact prenatal management and delivery planning. This article provides an overview of the common indications for MRI of the fetal head and neck, including abnormalities of the fetal skull and face, masses of the face and neck, and fetal goiter. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MRI findings in 6 cases of children by inadvertent ingestion of diphenoxylate-atropine.

PubMed

Xiao, Lianxiang; Lin, Xiangtao; Cao, Jinfeng; Wang, Xueyu; Wu, Lebin

2011-09-01

Compound diphenoxylate (diphenoxylate-atropine) poisoning can cause toxic encephalopathy in children, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain in this condition has not been reported. This study is to analyze brain MRI findings and to investigate the relations between MRI features and possible pathophysiological changes in children. Six children accidentally swallowed compound diphenoxylate, 4 males, 2 females, aged 20-46 months, average 33 months. Quantity of ingested diphenoxylate-atropine was from 6 to 30 tablets, each tablet contains diphenoxylate 2.5mg and atropine 0.025 mg. These patients were referred to our hospital within 24h after diphenoxylate-atropine ingestion, and underwent brain MRI scan within 24-72 h after emergency treatment. The characteristics of conventional MRI were analyzed. These pediatric patients had various symptoms of opioid intoxication and atropine toxicity. Brain MRI showed abnormal low signal intensity on T1-weighted images (T1WI) and abnormal high signal intensity on T2-weighted images (T2WI) and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging in bilateral in all cases; abnormal high signal intensity on T1WI, T2WI and FLAIR in 4 cases. Encephalomalacia was observed in 3 cases during follow-up. In the early stage of compound diphenoxylate poisoning in children, multiple extensive edema-necrosis and hemorrhagic-necrosis focus were observed in basic nucleus, pallium and cerebellum, these resulted in the corresponding brain dysfunction with encephalomalacia. MRI scan in the early stage in this condition may provide evidences of brain impairment, and is beneficial for the early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis assessment. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[MRI in congenital nystagmus].

PubMed

Denis, D; Girard, N; Toesca, E; Zanin, E; Gambarelli, N; Lebranchu, P; Mancini, J

2010-03-01

Congenital nystagmus (CN) that is present by the age of 3 months is the most common form of nystagmus in childhood. We present a prospective study (2001-2008) in which we report imaging findings in 48 children with CN. Twenty-six boys and 22 girls with CN underwent a complete ophthalmologic assessment and a cerebral MRI (mean age of examination under general anesthesia: 11 months). Three CN groups were formed: neurologic (n=27), sensory visual disturbance (n=14), and isolated (n=7). Cerebral MRI was interpreted by the same pediatric neuroradiologist (NG). Of the children studied, 98 % were born at term. The MRI abnormalities were classified as morphologic abnormalities (malformative or nonmalformative) and as signal abnormalities. The location of brain abnormalities was within the posterior fossa, (brain stem, cerebellum, dental nuclei, cisterna magna) and the cerebral hemisphere (white matter, perivascular spaces, midline commissures, basal ganglia). Pendular nystagmus was prevalent in sensory and neurologic nystagmus. On fundus examination, optic disc abnormalities were present in 70 % (19) of neurologic CN and associated with white matter abnormalities of the optic radiations in 40 % of cases. On MRI, malformative morphologic abnormalities were present in 27 cases, nonmalformative abnormalities were found in 67, and signal abnormalities in 68. Within the brain stem, signal abnormalities were found as a cockade appearance of the posterior pons in the reticular regions (neurologic n=14, sensory n=6, isolated n=3). Other bright (most frequent) signal abnormalities were found within the dentate nuclei of the posterior fossa (neurologic n=10, sensory n=3, isolated n=3) and the cerebral white matter (neurologic n=17, sensory n=7, isolated n=5) of which 24 (neurologic n=15, sensory n=5, isolated n=4) involved the optic radiations. Most of these abnormalities were related and were seen most frequently in neurologic nystagmus. The most frequent association was signal abnormalities of the white matter, ventricular dilatation, and dilatation of the perivascular spaces (60.4 %) (neurologic n=13, sensory n=6). This study showed the fundamental contribution of the cerebral MRI in CN. Cerebral abnormalities were found at the pathways for ocular motility, particularly at the saccadic pathways.

Assessment of the usefulness of magnetic resonance brain imaging in patients presenting with acute seizures.

PubMed

Olszewska, D A; Costello, D J

2014-12-01

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is increasingly available as a tool for assessment of patients presenting to acute services with seizures. We set out to prospectively determine the usefulness of early MRI brain in a cohort of patients presenting with acute seizures. We examined the MR imaging studies performed in patients admitted solely because of acute seizures to Cork University Hospital over a 12-month period. The main aim of the study was to determine if the MRI established the proximate cause for the patient's recent seizure. We identified 91 patients who underwent MRI brain within 48 h of admission for seizures. Of the 91 studies, 51 were normal (56 %). The remaining 40 studies were abnormal as follows: microvascular disease (usually moderate/severe) (n = 19), post-traumatic gliosis (n = 7), remote symptomatic lesion (n = 6), primary brain tumour (n = 5), venous sinus thrombosis (n = 3), developmental lesion (n = 3), post-surgical gliosis (n = 3) and single cases of demyelination, unilateral hippocampal sclerosis, lobar haemorrhage and metastatic malignant melanoma. Abnormalities in diffusion-weighted sequences that were attributable to prolonged ictal activity were seen in nine patients, all of who had significant ongoing clinical deficits, most commonly delirium. Of the 40 patients with abnormal MRI studies, seven patients had unremarkable CT brain. MR brain imaging revealed the underlying cause for acute seizures in 44 % of patients. CT brain imaging failed to detect the cause of the acute seizures in 19 % of patients in whom subsequent MRI established the cause. This study emphasises the importance of obtaining optimal imaging in people admitted with acute seizures.

Detailed Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Analysis in Infantile Spasms.

PubMed

Harini, Chellamani; Sharda, Sonal; Bergin, Ann Marie; Poduri, Annapurna; Yuskaitis, Christopher J; Peters, Jurriaan M; Rakesh, Kshitiz; Kapur, Kush; Pearl, Phillip L; Prabhu, Sanjay P

2018-05-01

To evaluate initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities in infantile spasms, correlate them to clinical characteristics, and describe repeat imaging findings. A retrospective review of infantile spasm patients was conducted, classifying abnormal MRI into developmental, acquired, and nonspecific subgroups. MRIs were abnormal in 52 of 71 infantile spasm patients (23 developmental, 23 acquired, and 6 nonspecific) with no correlation to the clinical infantile spasm characteristics. Both developmental and acquired subgroups exhibited cortical gray and/or white matter abnormalities. Additional abnormalities of deep gray structures, brain stem, callosum, and volume loss occurred in the structural acquired subgroup. Repeat MRI showed better definition of the extent of existing malformations. In structural infantile spasms, developmental/acquired subgroups showed differences in pattern of MRI abnormalities but did not correlate with clinical characteristics.

Altered functional connectivity in early Alzheimer's disease: a resting-state fMRI study.

PubMed

Wang, Kun; Liang, Meng; Wang, Liang; Tian, Lixia; Zhang, Xinqing; Li, Kuncheng; Jiang, Tianzi

2007-10-01

Previous studies have led to the proposal that patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) may have disturbed functional connectivity between different brain regions. Furthermore, recent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have also shown that low-frequency (<0.08 Hz) fluctuations (LFF) of the blood oxygenation level-dependent signals were abnormal in several brain areas of AD patients. However, few studies have investigated disturbed LFF connectivity in AD patients. By using resting-state fMRI, this study sought to investigate the abnormal functional connectivities throughout the entire brain of early AD patients, and analyze the global distribution of these abnormalities. For this purpose, the authors divided the whole brain into 116 regions and identified abnormal connectivities by comparing the correlation coefficients of each pair. Compared with healthy controls, AD patients had decreased positive correlations between the prefrontal and parietal lobes, but increased positive correlations within the prefrontal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe. The AD patients also had decreased negative correlations (closer to zero) between two intrinsically anti-correlated networks that had previously been found in the resting brain. By using resting-state fMRI, our results supported previous studies that have reported an anterior-posterior disconnection phenomenon and increased within-lobe functional connectivity in AD patients. In addition, the results also suggest that AD may disturb the correlation/anti-correlation effect in the two intrinsically anti-correlated networks. Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Neonatal brain structure on MRI and diffusion tensor imaging, sex, and neurodevelopment in very-low-birthweight preterm children.

PubMed

Rose, Jessica; Butler, Erin E; Lamont, Lauren E; Barnes, Patrick D; Atlas, Scott W; Stevenson, David K

2009-07-01

The neurological basis of an increased incidence of cerebral palsy (CP) in preterm males is unknown. This study examined neonatal brain structure on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at term-equivalent age, sex, and neurodevelopment at 1 year 6 months on the basis of the Amiel-Tison neurological examination, Gross Motor Function Classification System, and Bayley Scales of Infant Development in 78 very-low-birthweight preterm children (41 males, 37 females; mean gestational age 27.6 wks, SD 2.5; mean birthweight 1021 g, SD 339). Brain abnormalities on MRI and DTI were not different between males and females except in the splenium of the corpus callosum, where males had lower DTI fractional anisotropy (p=0.025) and a higher apparent diffusion coefficient (p=0.013), indicating delayed splenium development. In the 26 infants who were at higher risk on the basis of DTI, males had more abnormalities on MRI (p=0.034) and had lower fractional anisotropy and a higher apparent diffusion coefficient in the splenium (p=0.049; p=0.025) and right posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC; p=0.003; p=0.033). Abnormal neurodevelopment was more common in males (n=9) than in females (n=2; p=0.036). Children with abnormal neurodevelopment had more abnormalities on MRI (p=0.014) and reduced splenium and right PLIC fractional anisotropy (p=0.001; p=0.035). In children with abnormal neurodevelopment, right PLIC fractional anisotropy was lower than left (p=0.035), whereas in those with normal neurodevelopment right PLIC fractional anisotropy was higher than left (p=0.001). Right PLIC fractional anisotropy correlated to neurodevelopment (rho=0.371, p=0.002). Logistic regression predicted neurodevelopment with 94% accuracy; only right PLIC fractional anisotropy was a significant logistic coefficient. Results indicate that the higher incidence of abnormal neurodevelopment in preterm males relates to greater incidence and severity of brain abnormalities, including reduced PLIC and splenium development.

Abnormal Spontaneous Brain Activity in Patients With Anisometropic Amblyopia Using Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

PubMed

Tang, Angcang; Chen, Taolin; Zhang, Junran; Gong, Qiyong; Liu, Longqian

2017-09-01

To explore the abnormality of spontaneous activity in patients with anisometropic amblyopia under resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (Rs-fMRI). Twenty-four participants were split into two groups. The anisometropic amblyopia group had 10 patients, all of whom had anisometropic amblyopia of the right eye, and the control group had 14 healthy subjects. All participants underwent Rs-fMRI scanning. Measurement of amplitude of low frequency fluctuations of the brain, which is a measure of the amplitudes of spontaneous brain activity, was used to investigate brain changes between the anisometropic amblyopia and control groups. Compared with an age- and gender-matched control group, the anisometropic amblyopia group showed increased amplitude of low frequency fluctuations of spontaneous brain activity in the left superior temporal gyrus, the left inferior parietal lobe, the left pons, and the right inferior semi-lunar lobe. The anisometropic amblyopia group also showed decreased amplitude of low frequency fluctuations in the bilateral medial frontal gyrus. This study demonstrated abnormal spontaneous brain activities in patients with anisometropic amblyopia under Rs-fMRI, and these abnormalities might contribute to the neuropathological mechanisms of anisometropic amblyopia. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2017;54(5):303-310.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

A review of MRI findings in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Shenton, Martha E.; Dickey, Chandlee C.; Frumin, Melissa; McCarley, Robert W.

2009-01-01

After more than 100 years of research, the neuropathology of schizophrenia remains unknown and this is despite the fact that both Kraepelin (1919/1971: Kraepelin,E., 1919/1971. Dementia praecox. Churchill Livingston Inc., New York) and Bleuler (1911/1950: Bleuler, E., 1911/1950. Dementia praecox or the group of schizophrenias. International Universities Press, New York), who first described ‘dementia praecox’ and the ‘ schizophrenias’, were convinced that schizophrenia would ultimately be linked to an organic brain disorder. Alzheimer (1897: Alzheimer, A., 1897. Beitrage zur pathologischen anatomie der hirnrinde und zur anatomischen grundlage einiger psychosen. Monatsschrift fur Psychiarie und Neurologie. 2, 82–120) was the first to investigate the neuropathology of schizophrenia, though he went on to study more tractable brain diseases. The results of subsequent neuropathological studies were disappointing because of conflicting findings. Research interest thus waned and did not flourish again until 1976, following the pivotal computer assisted tomography (CT) finding of lateral ventricular enlargement in schizophrenia by Johnstone and colleagues. Since that time significant progress has been made in brain imaging, particularly with the advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), beginning with the first MRI study of schizophrenia by Smith and coworkers in 1984 (Smith, R.C., Calderon, M., Ravichandran, G.K., et al. (1984). Nuclear magnetic resonance in schizophrenia: A preliminary study. Psychiatry Res. 12, 137–147). MR in vivo imaging of the brain now confirms brain abnormalities in schizophrenia. The 193 peer reviewed MRI studies reported in the current review span the period from 1988 to August, 2000. This 12 year period has witnessed a burgeoning of MRI studies and has led to more definitive findings of brain abnormalities in schizophrenia than any other time period in the history of schizophrenia research. Such progress in defining the neuropathology of schizophrenia is largely due to advances in in vivo MRI techniques. These advances have now led to the identification of a number of brain abnormalities in schizophrenia. Some of these abnormalities confirm earlier post-mortem findings, and most are small and subtle, rather than large, thus necessitating more advanced and accurate measurement tools. These findings include ventricular enlargement (80% of studies reviewed) and third ventricle enlargement (73% of studies reviewed). There is also preferential involvement of medial temporal lobe structures (74% of studies reviewed), which include the amygdala, hippocampus, and parahippocampal gyrus, and neocortical temporal lobe regions (superior temporal gyrus) (100% of studies reviewed). When gray and white matter of superior temporal gyrus was combined, 67% of studies reported abnormalities. There was also moderate evidence for frontal lobe abnormalities (59% of studies reviewed), particularly prefrontal gray matter and orbitofrontal regions. Similarly, there was moderate evidence for parietal lobe abnormalities (60% of studies reviewed), particularly of the inferior parietal lobule which includes both supramarginal and angular gyri. Additionally, there was strong to moderate evidence for subcortical abnormalities (i.e. cavum septi pellucidi—92% of studies reviewed, basal ganglia—68% of studies reviewed, corpus callosum—63% of studies reviewed, and thalamus—42% of studies reviewed), but more equivocal evidence for cerebellar abnormalities (31% of studies reviewed). The timing of such abnormalities has not yet been determined, although many are evident when a patient first becomes symptomatic. There is, however, also evidence that a subset of brain abnormalities may change over the course of the illness. The most parsimonious explanation is that some brain abnormalities are neurodevelopmental in origin but unfold later in development, thus setting the stage for the development of the symptoms of schizophrenia. Or there may be additional factors, such as stress or neurotoxicity, that occur during adolescence or early adulthood and are necessary for the development of schizophrenia, and may be associated with neurodegenerative changes. Importantly, as several different brain regions are involved in the neuropathology of schizophrenia, new models need to be developed and tested that explain neural circuitry abnormalities effecting brain regions not necessarily structurally proximal to each other but nonetheless functionally interrelated. Future studies will likely benefit from: (1) studying more homogeneous patient groups so that the relationship between MRI findings and clinical symptoms become more meaningful; (2) studying at risk populations such as family members of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and subjects diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder in order to define which abnormalities are specific to schizophrenia spectrum disorders, which are the result of epiphenomena such as medication effects and chronic institutionalization, and which are needed for the development of frank psychosis; (3) examining shape differences not detectable from measuring volume alone; (4) applying newer methods such as diffusion tensor imaging to investigate abnormalities in brain connectivity and white matter fiber tracts; and, (5) using methods that analyze brain function (fMRI) and structure simultaneously. PMID:11343862

Coupled brain and urine spectroscopy - in vivo metabolomic characterization of HMG-CoA lyase deficiency in 5 patients.

PubMed

Roland, Dominique; Jissendi-Tchofo, Patrice; Briand, Gilbert; Vamecq, Joseph; Fontaine, Monique; Ultré, Vincent; Acquaviva-Bourdain, Cécile; Mention, Karine; Dobbelaere, Dries

2017-06-01

3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-Coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) lyase deficiency is a rare inborn error of leucine metabolism and ketogenesis. Despite recurrent hypoglycemia and metabolic decompensations, most patients have a good clinical and neurological outcome contrasting with abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signals and consistent abnormal brain proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H-MRS) metabolite peaks. Identifying these metabolites could provide surrogate markers of the disease and improve understanding of MRI-clinical discrepancy and follow-up of affected patients. Urine samples, brain MRI and 1 H-MRS in 5 patients with HMG-CoA lyase deficiency (4 boys and 1 girl aged from 25days to 10years) were, for each patient, obtained on the same day. Brain and urine spectroscopy were performed at the same pH by studying urine at pH 7.4. Due to pH-induced modifications in chemical shifts and because reference 1 H NMR spectra are obtained at pH 2.5, spectroscopy of normal urine added with the suspected metabolite was further performed at this pH to validate the correct identification of compounds. Mild to extended abnormal white matter MRI signals were observed in all cases. Brain spectroscopy abnormal peaks at 0.8-1.1ppm, 1.2-1.4ppm and 2.4ppm were also detected by urine spectroscopy at pH 7.4. Taking into account pH-induced changes in chemical shifts, brain abnormal peaks in patients were formally identified to be those of 3-hydroxyisovaleric, 3-methylglutaconic, 3-methylglutaric and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acids. 3-Methylglutaric, 3-hydroxyisovaleric and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acids identified on urine 1 H-NMR spectra of 5 patients with HMG-CoA lyase deficiency are responsible for the cerebral spectroscopy signature seen in these patients, validating their local involvement in brain and putative contribution to brain neuropathology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural MRI biomarkers of shared pathogenesis in autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy.

PubMed

Blackmon, Karen

2015-06-01

Etiological factors that contribute to a high comorbidity between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and epilepsy are the subject of much debate. Does epilepsy cause ASD or are there common underlying brain abnormalities that increase the risk of developing both disorders? This review summarizes evidence from quantitative MRI studies to suggest that abnormalities of brain structure are not necessarily the consequence of ASD and epilepsy but are antecedent to disease expression. Abnormal gray and white matter volumes are present prior to onset of ASD and evident at the time of onset in pediatric epilepsy. Aberrant brain growth trajectories are also common in both disorders, as evidenced by blunted gray matter maturation and white matter maturation. Although the etiological factors that explain these abnormalities are unclear, high heritability estimates for gray matter volume and white matter microstructure demonstrate that genetic factors assert a strong influence on brain structure. In addition, histopathological studies of ASD and epilepsy brain tissue reveal elevated rates of malformations of cortical development (MCDs), such as focal cortical dysplasia and heterotopias, which supports disruption of neuronal migration as a contributing factor. Although MCDs are not always visible on MRI with conventional radiological analysis, quantitative MRI detection methods show high sensitivity to subtle malformations in epilepsy and can be potentially applied to MCD detection in ASD. Such an approach is critical for establishing quantitative neuroanatomic endophenotypes that can be used in genetic research. In the context of emerging drug treatments for seizures and autism symptoms, such as rapamycin and rapalogs, in vivo neuroimaging markers of subtle structural brain abnormalities could improve sample stratification in human clinical trials and potentially extend the range of patients that might benefit from treatment. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Autism and Epilepsy". Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Functional brain abnormalities in major depressive disorder using the Hilbert-Huang transform.

PubMed

Yu, Haibin; Li, Feng; Wu, Tong; Li, Rui; Yao, Li; Wang, Chuanyue; Wu, Xia

2018-02-09

Major depressive disorder is a common disease worldwide, which is characterized by significant and persistent depression. Non-invasive accessory diagnosis of depression can be performed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). However, the fMRI signal may not satisfy linearity and stationarity. The Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) is an adaptive time-frequency localization analysis method suitable for nonlinear and non-stationary signals. The objective of this study was to apply the HHT to rs-fMRI to find the abnormal brain areas of patients with depression. A total of 35 patients with depression and 37 healthy controls were subjected to rs-fMRI. The HHT was performed to extract the Hilbert-weighted mean frequency of the rs-fMRI signals, and multivariate receiver operating characteristic analysis was applied to find the abnormal brain regions with high sensitivity and specificity. We observed differences in Hilbert-weighted mean frequency between the patients and healthy controls mainly in the right hippocampus, right parahippocampal gyrus, left amygdala, and left and right caudate nucleus. Subsequently, the above-mentioned regions were included in the results obtained from the compared region homogeneity and the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation method. We found brain regions with differences in the Hilbert-weighted mean frequency, and examined their sensitivity and specificity, which suggested a potential neuroimaging biomarker to distinguish between patients with depression and healthy controls. We further clarified the pathophysiological abnormality of these regions for the population with major depressive disorder.

Neonatal brain abnormalities and memory and learning outcomes at 7 years in children born very preterm.

PubMed

Omizzolo, Cristina; Scratch, Shannon E; Stargatt, Robyn; Kidokoro, Hiroyuki; Thompson, Deanne K; Lee, Katherine J; Cheong, Jeanie; Neil, Jeffrey; Inder, Terrie E; Doyle, Lex W; Anderson, Peter J

2014-01-01

Using prospective longitudinal data from 198 very preterm and 70 full term children, this study characterised the memory and learning abilities of very preterm children at 7 years of age in both verbal and visual domains. The relationship between the extent of brain abnormalities on neonatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and memory and learning outcomes at 7 years of age in very preterm children was also investigated. Neonatal MRI scans were qualitatively assessed for global, white-matter, cortical grey-matter, deep grey-matter, and cerebellar abnormalities. Very preterm children performed less well on measures of immediate memory, working memory, long-term memory, and learning compared with term-born controls. Neonatal brain abnormalities, and in particular deep grey-matter abnormality, were associated with poorer memory and learning performance at 7 years in very preterm children. Findings support the importance of cerebral neonatal pathology for predicting later memory and learning function.

Neonatal physiological correlates of near-term brain development on MRI and DTI in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants.

PubMed

Rose, Jessica; Vassar, Rachel; Cahill-Rowley, Katelyn; Stecher Guzman, Ximena; Hintz, Susan R; Stevenson, David K; Barnea-Goraly, Naama

2014-01-01

Structural brain abnormalities identified at near-term age have been recognized as potential predictors of neurodevelopment in children born preterm. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between neonatal physiological risk factors and early brain structure in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) preterm infants using structural MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at near-term age. Structural brain MRI, diffusion-weighted scans, and neonatal physiological risk factors were analyzed in a cross-sectional sample of 102 VLBW preterm infants (BW ≤ 1500 g, gestational age (GA) ≤ 32 weeks), who were admitted to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford NICU and recruited to participate prior to routine near-term brain MRI conducted at 36.6 ± 1.8 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) from 2010 to 2011; 66/102 also underwent a diffusion-weighted scan. Brain abnormalities were assessed qualitatively on structural MRI, and white matter (WM) microstructure was analyzed quantitatively on DTI in six subcortical regions defined by DiffeoMap neonatal brain atlas. Specific regions of interest included the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum, anterior and posterior limbs of the internal capsule, the thalamus, and the globus pallidus. Regional fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were calculated using DTI data and examined in relation to neonatal physiological risk factors including gestational age (GA), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and sepsis, as well as serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), glucose, albumin, and total bilirubin. Brain abnormalities were observed on structural MRI in 38/102 infants including 35% of females and 40% of males. Infants with brain abnormalities observed on MRI had higher incidence of BPD (42% vs. 25%) and sepsis (21% vs. 6%) and higher mean and peak serum CRP levels, respectively, (0.64 vs. 0.34 mg/dL, p = .008; 1.57 vs. 0.67 mg/dL, p= .006) compared to those without. The number of signal abnormalities observed on structural MRI correlated to mean and peak CRP (rho = .316, p = .002; rho = .318, p= .002). The number of signal abnormalities observed on MRI correlated with thalamus MD (left: r= .382, p= .002; right: r= .400, p= .001), controlling for PMA-at-scan. Thalamus WM microstructure demonstrated the strongest associations with neonatal risk factors. Higher thalamus MD on the left and right, respectively, was associated with lower GA (r = -.322, p = .009; r= -.381, p= .002), lower mean albumin (r = -.276, p= .029; r= -.385, p= .002), and lower mean bilirubin (r = -.293, p= .020; r= -.337 p= .007). Results suggest that at near-term age, thalamus WM microstructure may be particularly vulnerable to certain neonatal risk factors. Interactions between albumin, bilirubin, phototherapy, and brain development warrant further investigation. Identification of physiological risk factors associated with selective vulnerability of certain brain regions at near-term age may clarify the etiology of neurodevelopmental impairment and inform neuroprotective treatment for VLBW preterm infants.

Mild Cognitive Impairment as a single sign of brain hemiatrophy in patient with Localized Scleroderma and Parry-Romberg Syndrome.

PubMed

Klimiec, Elzbieta; Klimkowicz-Mrowiec, Aleksandra

2016-01-01

Neurologic involvement is well recognized in Systemic Scleroderma and increasingly reported in Localized Scleroderma. MRI brain abnormalities are often associated with symptoms such as seizures or headaches. In some cases they may be clinically silent. We describe a 23 years old female with head, trunk and limbs scleroderma who developed Parry-Romberg Syndrome. Brain MRI showed ipsilateral temporal lobe atrophy without any prominent neurologic symptoms. Neuropsychological examination revealed Mild Cognitive Impairment. During the 7 years of follow up we have noticed progression of face atrophy but no progression of brain atrophy. Cognitive functions have been stable. This case highlight that major MRI brain abnormalities in LS may occur with only subtle clinical manifestation such as Mild Cognitive Impairment. Copyright © 2016 Polish Neurological Society. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

Fish consumption and risk of subclinical brain abnormalities on MRI in older adults.

PubMed

Virtanen, J K; Siscovick, D S; Longstreth, W T; Kuller, L H; Mozaffarian, D

2008-08-05

To investigate the association between fish consumption and subclinical brain abnormalities. In the population-based Cardiovascular Health Study, 3,660 participants age > or =65 underwent an MRI scan in 1992-1994. Five years later, 2,313 were scanned. Neuroradiologists assessed MRI scans in a standardized and blinded manner. Food frequency questionnaires were used to assess dietary intakes. Participants with known cerebrovascular disease were excluded from the analyses. After adjustment for multiple risk factors, the risk of having one or more prevalent subclinical infarcts was lower among those consuming tuna/other fish > or =3 times/week, compared to <1/month (relative risk 0.74, 95% CI = 0.54-1.01, p = 0.06, p trend = 0.03). Tuna/other fish consumption was also associated with trends toward lower incidence of subclinical infarcts. Additionally, tuna/other fish intake was associated with better white matter grade, but not with sulcal and ventricular grades, markers of brain atrophy. No significant associations were found between fried fish consumption and any subclinical brain abnormalities. Among older adults, modest consumption of tuna/other fish, but not fried fish, was associated with lower prevalence of subclinical infarcts and white matter abnormalities on MRI examinations. Our results add to prior evidence that suggest that dietary intake of fish with higher eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid content, and not fried fish intake, may have clinically important health benefits.

Neuroimaging studies in schizophrenia: an overview of research from Asia.

PubMed

Narayanaswamy, Janardhanan C; Venkatasubramanian, Ganesan; Gangadhar, Bangalore N

2012-10-01

Neuroimaging studies in schizophrenia help clarify the neural substrates underlying the pathogenesis of this neuropsychiatric disorder. Contemporary brain imaging in schizophrenia is predominated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based research approaches. This review focuses on the various imaging studies from India and their relevance to the understanding of brain abnormalities in schizophrenia. The existing studies are predominantly comprised of structural MRI reports involving region-of-interest and voxel-based morphometry approaches, magnetic resonance spectroscopy and single-photon emission computed tomography/positron emission tomography (SPECT/PET) studies. Most of these studies are significant in that they have evaluated antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia patients--a relatively difficult population to obtain in contemporary research. Findings of these studies offer robust support to the existence of significant brain abnormalities at very early stages of the disorder. In addition, theoretically relevant relationships between these brain abnormalities and developmental aberrations suggest possible neurodevelopmental basis for these brain deficits.

Neonatal Brain Abnormalities and Memory and Learning Outcomes at 7 Years in Children Born Very Preterm

PubMed Central

Omizzolo, Cristina; Scratch, Shannon E; Stargatt, Robyn; Kidokoro, Hiroyuki; Thompson, Deanne K; Lee, Katherine J; Cheong, Jeanie; Neil, Jeffrey; Inder, Terrie E; Doyle, Lex W; Anderson, Peter J

2014-01-01

Using prospective longitudinal data from 198 very preterm and 70 full term children, this study characterised the memory and learning abilities of very preterm children at 7 years of age in both verbal and visual domains. The relationship between the extent of brain abnormalities on neonatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and memory and learning outcomes at 7 years of age in very preterm children was also investigated. Neonatal MRI scans were qualitatively assessed for global, white-matter, cortical grey-matter, deep grey-matter, and cerebellar abnormalities. Very preterm children performed less well on measures of immediate memory, working memory, long-term memory, and learning compared with term born controls. Neonatal brain abnormalities, and in particular deep grey matter abnormality, were associated with poorer memory and learning performance at 7 years in very preterm children, especially global, white-matter, grey-matter and cerebellar abnormalities. Findings support the importance of cerebral neonatal pathology for predicting later memory and learning function. PMID:23805915

Brain MRI abnormalities in the adult form of myotonic dystrophy type 1: A longitudinal case series study.

PubMed

Conforti, Renata; de Cristofaro, Mario; Cristofano, Adriana; Brogna, Barbara; Sardaro, Angela; Tedeschi, Gioacchino; Cirillo, Sossio; Di Costanzo, Alfonso

2016-02-01

This study aimed to verify whether brain abnormalities, previously described in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), progressed over time and, if so, to characterize their progression. Thirteen DM1 patients, who had at least two MRI examinations, were retrospectively evaluated and included in the study. The mean duration (± standard deviation) of follow-up was 13.4 (±3.8) years, over a range of 7-20 years. White matter lesions (WMLs) were rated by semi-quantitative method, the signal intensity of white matter poster-superior to trigones (WMPST) by reference to standard images and brain atrophy by ventricular/brain ratio (VBR). At the end of MRI follow-up, the scores relative to lobar, temporal and periventricular WMLs, to WMPST signal intensity and to VBR were significantly increased compared to baseline, and MRI changes were more evident in some families than in others. No correlation was found between the MRI changes and age, onset, disease duration, muscular involvement, CTG repetition and follow-up duration. These results demonstrated that white matter involvement and brain atrophy were progressive in DM1 and suggested that progression rate varied from patient to patient, regardless of age, disease duration and genetic defect. © The Author(s) 2016.

MR imaging of adult acute infectious encephalitis.

PubMed

Bertrand, A; Leclercq, D; Martinez-Almoyna, L; Girard, N; Stahl, J-P; De-Broucker, T

2017-05-01

Imaging is a key tool for the diagnosis of acute encephalitis. Brain CT scan must be urgently performed to rule out a brain lesion with mass effect that would contraindicate lumbar puncture. Brain MRI is less accessible than CT scan, but can provide crucial information with patients presenting with acute encephalitis. We performed a literature review on PubMed on April 1, 2015 with the search terms "MRI" and "encephalitis". We first described the various brain MRI abnormalities associated with each pathogen of acute encephalitis (HSV, VZV, other viral agents targeting immunocompromised patients or travelers; tuberculosis, listeriosis, other less frequent bacterial agents). Then, we identified specific patterns of brain MRI abnomalies that may suggest a particular pathogen. Limbic encephalitis is highly suggestive of HSV; it also occurs less frequently in encephalitis due to HHV6, syphillis, Whipple's disease and HIV primary infection. Rhombencephalitis is suggestive of tuberculosis and listeriosis. Acute ischemic lesions can occur in patients presenting with severe bacterial encephalitis, tuberculosis, VZV encephalitis, syphilis, and fungal infections. Brain MRI plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of acute encephalitis. It detects brain signal changes that reinforce the clinical suspicion of encephalitis, especially when the causative agent is not identified by lumbar puncture; it can suggest a particular pathogen based on the pattern of brain abnormalities and it rules out important differential diagnosis (vascular, tumoral or inflammatory causes). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Central nervous system abnormalities in Fanconi anaemia: patterns and frequency on magnetic resonance imaging

PubMed Central

Alston, Robert; Wright, Neville B; Chandler, Kate; Bonney, Denise; Wynn, Robert F; Will, Andrew M; Punekar, Maqsood; Loughran, Sean; Kilday, John-Paul; Schindler, Detlev; Patel, Leena; Meyer, Stefan

2015-01-01

Objective: Fanconi anaemia (FA) is an inherited disease associated with congenital and developmental abnormalities resulting from the disruption of a multigenic DNA damage response pathway. This study aimed to define the MRI appearances of the brain in patients with FA in correlation with their genetic and clinical features. Methods: A review of the brain MRI in 20 patients with FA was performed. Pituitary size and frequencies of the radiological findings of individuals with FA and age-matched controls were determined. Results: Abnormalities were identified in 18 (90%) patients with FA, the commonest being a small pituitary (68%, p < 0.01 females and p < 0.001 males). In five cases (25%, p = 0.02), the pituitary morphology was also abnormal. Posterior fossa abnormalities were seen in six cases (30%, p = 0.01) including Chiari I malformation (n = 3), Dandy–Walker variant (n = 2) and cerebellar atrophy (n = 2). Six patients (30%, p = 0.01) had morphological structural variation of the corpus callosum (CC). Conclusion: The incidence of central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities in FA is higher than previously reported, with a midline predominance that points to impact in the early stages of CNS development. MRI brain imaging is important for endocrine assessment and pre-transplant evaluation and can make an important contribution to clinical decision-making. Advances in knowledge: The incidence of brain structural abnormalities in FA is higher than previously reported, with abnormalities of the posterior fossa, CC and pituitary being common. There is an association with gender and reduction in pituitary size which does not strongly correlate with biochemically evident endocrine abnormality. PMID:26369989

R6/2 Huntington's disease mice develop early and progressive abnormal brain metabolism and seizures.

PubMed

Cepeda-Prado, Efrain; Popp, Susanna; Khan, Usman; Stefanov, Dimitre; Rodríguez, Jorge; Menalled, Liliana B; Dow-Edwards, Diana; Small, Scott A; Moreno, Herman

2012-05-09

A hallmark feature of Huntington's disease pathology is the atrophy of brain regions including, but not limited to, the striatum. Though MRI studies have identified structural CNS changes in several Huntington's disease (HD) mouse models, the functional consequences of HD pathology during the progression of the disease have yet to be investigated using in vivo functional MRI (fMRI). To address this issue, we first established the structural and functional MRI phenotype of juvenile HD mouse model R6/2 at early and advanced stages of disease. Significantly higher fMRI signals [relative cerebral blood volumes (rCBVs)] and atrophy were observed in both age groups in specific brain regions. Next, fMRI results were correlated with electrophysiological analysis, which showed abnormal increases in neuronal activity in affected brain regions, thus identifying a mechanism accounting for the abnormal fMRI findings. [(14)C] 2-deoxyglucose maps to investigate patterns of glucose utilization were also generated. An interesting mismatch between increases in rCBV and decreases in glucose uptake was observed. Finally, we evaluated the sensitivity of this mouse line to audiogenic seizures early in the disease course. We found that R6/2 mice had an increased susceptibility to develop seizures. Together, these findings identified seizure activity in R6/2 mice and show that neuroimaging measures sensitive to oxygen metabolism can be used as in vivo biomarkers, preceding the onset of an overt behavioral phenotype. Since fMRI-rCBV can also be obtained in patients, we propose that it may serve as a translational tool to evaluate therapeutic responses in humans and HD mouse models.

Solitary tuberculous brain lesions: 24 new cases and a review of the literature.

PubMed

Psimaras, D; Bonnet, C; Heinzmann, A; Cárdenas, G; Hernández José Luis, S; Tungaria, A; Behari, S; Lacrois, D; Mokhtari, K; Karantoni, E; Sokrab Tag, E; Idris Mohamed, N; Sönmez, G; Caumes, E; Roze, E

2014-01-01

A solitary tuberculous brain lesion (STBL) can be difficult to distinguish from a glioma, metastasis or other infectious disease, especially from a pyogenic brain abscess. We analyzed the clinical characteristics, diagnostic procedures and outcomes of 24 patients with STBL diagnosed in three centers from France, India and Mexico. We also reviewed 92 STBL cases previously reported in the literature. General symptoms were found in 54% of our patients, including enlarged lymph nodes in 20%. Cerebrospinal fluid was typically abnormal, with lymphocytic pleocytosis and a high protein level. The lung CT scan was abnormal in 56% of patients, showing lymphadenopathy or pachipleuritis. Brain MRI or CT was always abnormal, showing contrast-enhanced lesions. Typically, MRI abnormalities were hypointense on T1-weighted sequences, while T2-weighted sequences showed both a peripheral hypersignal and a central hyposignal. The diagnosis was documented microbiologically or supported histologically in 71% of cases. Clinical outcome was good in 83% of cases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Cobalt-55 positron emission tomography in traumatic brain injury: a pilot study.

PubMed Central

Jansen, H M; van der Naalt, J; van Zomeren, A H; Paans, A M; Veenma-van der Duin, L; Hew, J M; Pruim, J; Minderhoud, J M; Korf, J

1996-01-01

Traumatic brain injury is usually assessed with the Glasgow coma scale (GCS), CT, or MRI. After such injury, the injured brain tissue is characterised by calcium mediated neuronal damage and inflammation. Positron emission tomography with the isotope cobalt-55 (Co-PET) as a calcium tracer enables imaging of affected tissue in traumatic brain injury. The aim was to determine whether additional information can be gained by Co-PET in the diagnosis of moderate traumatic brain injury and to assess any prognostic value of Co-PET. Five patients with recent moderately severe traumatic brain injury were studied. CT was performed on the day of admission, EEG within one week, and MRI and Co-PET within four weeks of injury. Clinical assessment included neurological examination, GCS, neuropsychological testing, and Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) after one year. Co-PET showed focal uptake that extended beyond the morphological abnormalities shown by MRI and CT, in brain regions that were actually diagnosed with EEG. Thus Co-PET is potentially useful for diagnostic localisation of both structural and functional abnormalities in moderate traumatic brain injury. Images PMID:8708661

Brain magnetic resonance imaging findings in Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome.

PubMed

Lee, Ryan W Y; Conley, Sandra K; Gropman, Andrea; Porter, Forbes D; Baker, Eva H

2013-10-01

Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by inborn errors of cholesterol metabolism resulting from mutations in 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7). There are only a few studies describing the brain imaging findings in SLOS. This study examines the prevalence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities in the largest cohort of patients with SLOS to date. Fifty-five individuals with SLOS (27 M, 28 F) between age 0.17 years and 25.4 years (mean = 6.2, SD = 5.8) received a total of 173 brain MRI scans (mean = 3.1 per subject) on a 1.5T GE scanner between September 1998 and December 2003, or on a 3T Philips scanner between October 2010 and September 2012; all exams were performed at the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health. We performed a retrospective review of these imaging studies for both major and minor brain anomalies. Aberrant MRI findings were observed in 53 of 55 (96%) SLOS patients, with abnormalities of the septum pellucidum the most frequent (42/55, 76%) finding. Abnormalities of the corpus callosum were found in 38 of 55 (69%) patients. Other findings included cerebral atrophy, cerebellar atrophy, colpocephaly, white matter lesions, arachnoid cysts, Dandy-Walker variant, and type I Chiari malformation. Significant correlations were observed when comparing MRI findings with sterol levels and somatic malformations. Individuals with SLOS commonly have anomalies involving the midline and para-midline structures of the brain. Further studies are required to examine the relationship between structural brain abnormalities and neurodevelopmental disability in SLOS. © 2013 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A Published by U.S. Government Work.

A comparative study of brain perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in patients with post-traumatic anosmia.

PubMed

Atighechi, Saeid; Salari, Hadi; Baradarantar, Mohammad Hossein; Jafari, Rozita; Karimi, Ghasem; Mirjali, Mehdi

2009-01-01

Loss of smell is a problem that can occur in up to 30% of patients with head trauma. The olfactory function investigation methods so far in use have mostly relied on subjective responses given by patients. Recently, some studies have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to evaluate patients with post-traumatic anosmia. The present study seeks to detect post-traumatic anosmia and the areas in the brain that are related to olfactory impairment by using SPECT and MRI as imaging techniques. The study was conducted on 21 patients suffering from head injury and consequently anosmia as defined by an olfactory identification test. Two control groups (traumatic normosmic and nontraumatic healthy individuals) were selected. Brain MRI, qualitative and semiquantitative SPECT with 99mtc-ethyl-cysteinate-dimer were taken from all the patients. Then the brain SPECT and MRI were compared with each other. Semi-quantitative assessment of the brain perfusion SPECT revealed frontal, left parietal, and left temporal hypoperfusion as compared with the two control groups. Eighty-five percent of the anosmic patients had abnormal brain MRI. Regarding the MRI, the main abnormality proved to be in the anterior inferior region of the frontal lobes and olfactory bulbs. The findings of this study suggest that damage to the frontal lobes and olfactory bulbs as shown in the brain MRI and hypoperfusion in the frontal, left parietal, and left temporal lobes in the semiquantitative SPECT corresponds to post-traumatic anosmia. Further neurophysiological and imaging studies are definitely needed to set the idea completely.

Simulating the Effect of Spectroscopic MRI as a Metric for Radiation Therapy Planning in Patients with Glioblastoma

PubMed Central

Cordova, J. Scott; Kandula, Shravan; Gurbani, Saumya; Zhong, Jim; Tejani, Mital; Kayode, Oluwatosin; Patel, Kirtesh; Prabhu, Roshan; Schreibmann, Eduard; Crocker, Ian; Holder, Chad A.; Shim, Hyunsuk; Shu, Hui-Kuo

2017-01-01

Due to glioblastoma’s infiltrative nature, an optimal radiation therapy (RT) plan requires targeting infiltration not identified by anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here, high-resolution, whole-brain spectroscopic MRI (sMRI) is used to describe tumor infiltration alongside anatomical MRI and simulate the degree to which it modifies RT target planning. In 11 patients with glioblastoma, data from preRT sMRI scans were processed to give high-resolution, whole-brain metabolite maps normalized by contralateral white matter. Maps depicting choline to N-Acetylaspartate (Cho/NAA) ratios were registered to contrast-enhanced T1-weighted RT planning MRI for each patient. Volumes depicting metabolic abnormalities (1.5−, 1.75−, and 2.0-fold increases in Cho/NAA ratios) were compared with conventional target volumes and contrast-enhancing tumor at recurrence. sMRI-modified RT plans were generated to evaluate target volume coverage and organ-at-risk dose constraints. Conventional clinical target volumes and Cho/NAA abnormalities identified significantly different regions of microscopic infiltration with substantial Cho/NAA abnormalities falling outside of the conventional 60 Gy isodose line (41.1, 22.2, and 12.7 cm3, respectively). Clinical target volumes using Cho/NAA thresholds exhibited significantly higher coverage of contrast enhancement at recurrence on average (92.4%, 90.5%, and 88.6%, respectively) than conventional plans (82.5%). sMRI-based plans targeting tumor infiltration met planning objectives in all cases with no significant change in target coverage. In 2 cases, the sMRI-modified plan exhibited better coverage of contrast-enhancing tumor at recurrence than the original plan. Integration of the high-resolution, whole-brain sMRI into RT planning is feasible, resulting in RT target volumes that can effectively target tumor infiltration while adhering to conventional constraints. PMID:28105468

Disrupted Cerebro-cerebellar Intrinsic Functional Connectivity in Young Adults with High-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Data-driven, Whole-brain, High Temporal Resolution fMRI Study.

PubMed

Arnold Anteraper, Sheeba; Guell, Xavier; D'Mello, Anila; Joshi, Neha; Whitfield-Gabrieli, Susan; Joshi, Gagan

2018-06-13

To examine the resting-state functional-connectivity (RsFc) in young adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HF-ASD) using state-of-the-art fMRI data acquisition and analysis techniques. Simultaneous multi-slice, high temporal resolution fMRI acquisition; unbiased whole-brain connectome-wide multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) techniques for assessing RsFc; and post-hoc whole-brain seed-to-voxel analyses using MVPA results as seeds. MVPA revealed two clusters of abnormal connectivity in the cerebellum. Whole-brain seed-based functional connectivity analyses informed by MVPA-derived clusters showed significant under connectivity between the cerebellum and social, emotional, and language brain regions in the HF-ASD group compared to healthy controls. The results we report are coherent with existing structural, functional, and RsFc literature in autism, extend previous literature reporting cerebellar abnormalities in the neuropathology of autism, and highlight the cerebellum as a potential target for therapeutic, diagnostic, predictive, and prognostic developments in ASD. The description of functional connectivity abnormalities using whole-brain, data-driven analyses as reported in the present study may crucially advance the development of ASD biomarkers, targets for therapeutic interventions, and neural predictors for measuring treatment response.

Role of EEG background activity, seizure burden and MRI in predicting neurodevelopmental outcome in full-term infants with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy in the era of therapeutic hypothermia.

PubMed

Weeke, Lauren C; Boylan, Geraldine B; Pressler, Ronit M; Hallberg, Boubou; Blennow, Mats; Toet, Mona C; Groenendaal, Floris; de Vries, Linda S

2016-11-01

To investigate the role of EEG background activity, electrographic seizure burden, and MRI in predicting neurodevelopmental outcome in infants with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) in the era of therapeutic hypothermia. Twenty-six full-term infants with HIE (September 2011-September 2012), who had video-EEG monitoring during the first 72 h, an MRI performed within the first two weeks and neurodevelopmental assessment at two years were evaluated. EEG background activity at age 24, 36 and 48 h, seizure burden, and severity of brain injury on MRI, were compared and related to neurodevelopmental outcome. EEG background activity was significantly associated with neurodevelopmental outcome at 36 h (p = 0.009) and 48 h after birth (p = 0.029) and with severity of brain injury on MRI at 36 h (p = 0.002) and 48 h (p = 0.018). All infants with a high seizure burden and moderate-severe injury on MRI had an abnormal outcome. The positive predictive value (PPV) of EEG for abnormal outcome was 100% at 36 h and 48 h and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 75% at 36 h and 69% at 48 h. The PPV of MRI was 100% and the NPV 85%. The PPV of seizure burden was 78% and the NPV 71%. Severely abnormal EEG background activity at 36 h and 48 h after birth was associated with severe injury on MRI and abnormal neurodevelopmental outcome. High seizure burden was only associated with abnormal outcome in combination with moderate-severe injury on MRI. Copyright © 2016 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Imaging Characteristics of Children with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Roche, Joseph P.; Huang, Benjamin Y.; Castillo, Mauricio; Bassim, Marc K.; Adunka, Oliver F.; Buchman, Craig A.

2013-01-01

Objective To identify and define the imaging characteristics of children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD). Design Retrospective medical records review and analysis of both temporal bone computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance images (MRI) in from children with the diagnosis of ANSD. Setting Tertiary referral center. Patients 118 children with the electrophysiological characteristics of ANSD with available imaging studies for review. Interventions Two neuroradiologists and a neurotologist reviewed each study and consensus descriptions were established. Main outcome measures The type and number of imaging findings were tabulated. Results Sixty-eight (64%) MRIs revealed at least one imaging abnormality while selective use of CT identified 23 (55%) with anomalies. The most prevalent MRI findings included cochlear nerve deficiency (n=51; 28% of 183 nerves), brain abnormalities (n=42; 40% of 106 brains) and prominent temporal horns (n=33, 16% of 212 temporal lobes). The most prevalent CT finding from selective use of CT was cochlear dysplasia (n=13; 31%). Conclusions MRI will identify many abnormalities in children with ANSD that are not readily discernable on CT. Specifically, both developmental and acquired abnormalities of the brain, posterior cranial fossa, and cochlear nerves are not uncommonly seen in this patient population. Inner ear anomalies are well delineated using either imaging modality. Since many of the central nervous system findings identified in this study using MRI can alter the treatment and prognosis for these children, we believe that MRI should be the initial imaging study of choice for children with ANSD. PMID:20593543

Brain MRI Characteristics of Patients with Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis and Their Associations with 2-Year Clinical Outcome.

PubMed

Zhang, T; Duan, Y; Ye, J; Xu, W; Shu, N; Wang, C; Li, K; Liu, Y

2018-05-01

Anti- N -methyl-D-aspertate receptor encephalitis is an autoimmune-mediated disease without specific brain MRI features. Our aim was to investigate the brain MR imaging characteristics of anti- N -methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis and their associations with clinical outcome at a 2-year follow-up. We enrolled 53 patients with anti- N -methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis and performed 2-year follow-up. Brain MRIs were acquired for all patients at the onset phase. The brain MR imaging manifestations were classified into 4 types: type 1: normal MR imaging findings; type 2: only hippocampal lesions; type 3: lesions not involving the hippocampus; and type 4: lesions in both the hippocampus and other brain areas. The modified Rankin Scale score at 2-year follow-up was assessed, and the association between the mRS and onset brain MR imaging characteristics was evaluated. Twenty-eight (28/53, 53%) patients had normal MR imaging findings (type 1), and the others (25/53, 47%) had abnormal MRI findings: type 2: 7 patients (13%); type 3: seven patients (13%); and type 4: eleven patients (21%). Normal brain MRI findings were more common in female patients ( P = .02). Psychiatric and behavioral abnormalities were more common in adults ( P = .015), and autonomic symptoms ( P = .025) were more common in pediatric patients. The presence of hippocampal lesions ( P = .008, OR = 9.584; 95% CI, 1.803-50.931) and relapse ( P = .043, OR = 0.111; 95% CI, 0.013-0.930) was associated with poor outcome. Normal brain MRI findings were observed in half of the patients. Lesions in the hippocampus were the most common MR imaging abnormal finding. The presence of hippocampal lesions is the main MR imaging predictor for poor prognosis in patients with anti- N -methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis. © 2018 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Functional connectivity and microstructural white matter changes in phenocopy frontotemporal dementia.

PubMed

Meijboom, R; Steketee, R M E; de Koning, I; Osse, R J; Jiskoot, L C; de Jong, F J; van der Lugt, A; van Swieten, J C; Smits, M

2017-04-01

Phenocopy frontotemporal dementia (phFTD) is a rare and poorly understood clinical syndrome. PhFTD shows core behavioural variant FTD (bvFTD) symptoms without associated cognitive deficits and brain abnormalities on conventional MRI and without progression. In contrast to phFTD, functional connectivity and white matter (WM) microstructural abnormalities have been observed in bvFTD. We hypothesise that phFTD belongs to the same disease spectrum as bvFTD and investigated whether functional connectivity and microstructural WM changes similar to bvFTD are present in phFTD. Seven phFTD patients without progression or alternative psychiatric diagnosis, 12 bvFTD patients and 17 controls underwent resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Default mode network (DMN) connectivity and WM measures were compared between groups. PhFTD showed subtly increased DMN connectivity and subtle microstructural changes in frontal WM tracts. BvFTD showed abnormalities in similar regions as phFTD, but had lower increased DMN connectivity and more extensive microstructural WM changes. Our findings can be interpreted as neuropathological changes in phFTD and are in support of the hypothesis that phFTD and bvFTD may belong to the same disease spectrum. Advanced MRI techniques, objectively identifying brain abnormalities, would therefore be potentially suited to improve the diagnosis of phFTD. • PhFTD shows brain abnormalities that are similar to bvFTD. • PhFTD shows increased functional connectivity in the parietal default mode network. • PhFTD shows microstructural white matter abnormalities in the frontal lobe. • We hypothesise phFTD and bvFTD may belong to the same disease spectrum.

Altered spontaneous brain activity in adolescent boys with pure conduct disorder revealed by regional homogeneity analysis.

PubMed

Wu, Qiong; Zhang, Xiaocui; Dong, Daifeng; Wang, Xiang; Yao, Shuqiao

2017-07-01

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have revealed abnormal neural activity in several brain regions of adolescents with conduct disorder (CD) performing various tasks. However, little is known about the spontaneous neural activity in people with CD in a resting state. The aims of this study were to investigate CD-associated regional activity abnormalities and to explore the relationship between behavioral impulsivity and regional activity abnormalities. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) scans were administered to 28 adolescents with CD and 28 age-, gender-, and IQ-matched healthy controls (HCs). The rs-fMRI data were subjected to regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis. ReHo can demonstrate the temporal synchrony of regional blood oxygen level-dependent signals and reflect the coordination of local neuronal activity facilitating similar goals or representations. Compared to HCs, the CD group showed increased ReHo bilaterally in the insula as well as decreased ReHo in the right inferior parietal lobule, right middle temporal gyrus and right fusiform gyrus, left anterior cerebellum anterior, and right posterior cerebellum. In the CD group, mean ReHo values in the left and the right insula correlated positively with Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) total scores. The results suggest that CD is associated with abnormal intrinsic brain activity, mainly in the cerebellum and temporal-parietal-limbic cortices, regions that are related to emotional and cognitive processing. BIS scores in adolescents with CD may reflect severity of abnormal neuronal synchronization in the insula.

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Neuroimaging in Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD) Taking Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Into Account.

PubMed

Noordermeer, Siri D S; Luman, Marjolein; Oosterlaan, Jaap

2016-03-01

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) are common behavioural disorders in childhood and adolescence and are associated with brain abnormalities. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates structural (sMRI) and functional MRI (fMRI) findings in individuals with ODD/CD with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Online databases were searched for controlled studies, resulting in 12 sMRI and 17 fMRI studies. In line with current models on ODD/CD, studies were classified in hot and cool executive functioning (EF). Both the meta-analytic and narrative reviews showed evidence of smaller brain structures and lower brain activity in individuals with ODD/CD in mainly hot EF-related areas: bilateral amygdala, bilateral insula, right striatum, left medial/superior frontal gyrus, and left precuneus. Evidence was present in both structural and functional studies, and irrespective of the presence of ADHD comorbidity. There is strong evidence that abnormalities in the amygdala are specific for ODD/CD as compared to ADHD, and correlational studies further support the association between abnormalities in the amygdala and ODD/CD symptoms. Besides the left precuneus, there was no evidence for abnormalities in typical cool EF related structures, such as the cerebellum and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Resulting areas are associated with emotion-processing, error-monitoring, problem-solving and self-control; areas associated with neurocognitive and behavioural deficits implicated in ODD/CD. Our findings confirm the involvement of hot, and to a smaller extent cool, EF associated brain areas in ODD/CD, and support an integrated model for ODD/CD (e.g. Blair, Development and Psychopathology, 17(3), 865-891, 2005).

Structural brain abnormalities in patients with inflammatory illness acquired following exposure to water-damaged buildings: a volumetric MRI study using NeuroQuant®.

PubMed

Shoemaker, Ritchie C; House, Dennis; Ryan, James C

2014-01-01

Executive cognitive and neurologic abnormalities are commonly seen in patients with a chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) acquired following exposure to the interior environment of water-damaged buildings (WDB), but a clear delineation of the physiologic or structural basis for these abnormalities has not been defined. Symptoms of affected patients routinely include headache, difficulty with recent memory, concentration, word finding, numbness, tingling, metallic taste and vertigo. Additionally, persistent proteomic abnormalities in inflammatory parameters that can alter permeability of the blood-brain barrier, such as C4a, TGFB1, MMP9 and VEGF, are notably present in cases of CIRS-WDB compared to controls, suggesting a consequent inflammatory injury to the central nervous system. Findings of gliotic areas in MRI scans in over 45% of CIRS-WDB cases compared to 5% of controls, as well as elevated lactate and depressed ratios of glutamate to glutamine, are regularly seen in MR spectroscopy of cases. This study used the volumetric software program NeuroQuant® (NQ) to determine specific brain structure volumes in consecutive patients (N=17) seen in a medical clinic specializing in inflammatory illness. Each of these patients presented for evaluation of an illness thought to be associated with exposure to WDB, and received an MRI that was evaluated by NQ. When compared to those of a medical control group (N=18), statistically significant differences in brain structure proportions were seen for patients in both hemispheres of two of the eleven brain regions analyzed; atrophy of the caudate nucleus and enlargement of the pallidum. In addition, the left amygdala and right forebrain were also enlarged. These volumetric abnormalities, in conjunction with concurrent abnormalities in inflammatory markers, suggest a model for structural brain injury in "mold illness" based on increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier due to chronic, systemic inflammation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging as First-Line Investigation for Growth Hormone Deficiency Diagnosis in Early Childhood.

PubMed

Pampanini, Valentina; Pedicelli, Stefania; Gubinelli, Jessica; Scirè, Giuseppe; Cappa, Marco; Boscherini, Brunetto; Cianfarani, Stefano

2015-01-01

The diagnosis of growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD) in infancy and early childhood is not straightforward. GH stimulation tests are unsafe and unreliable in infants, and normative data are lacking. This study aims to investigate whether brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may replace GH stimulation tests in the diagnosis of GHD in children younger than 4 years. We examined a retrospective cohort, with longitudinal follow-up, of 68 children consecutively diagnosed with GHD before the age of 4 years. The prevalence of hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) alterations at MRI and the associations with age and either isolated GHD (IGHD) or multiple pituitary hormone deficiency (MPHD) were assessed. The prevalences of IGHD and MPHD were 54.4 and 45.6%, respectively. In the first group, brain MRI showed abnormalities in 83.8%: isolated pituitary hypoplasia in 48.7% and complex defects in 35.1%. In patients with MPHD, MRI showed complex alterations in 100%. All children younger than 24 months showed HP MRI abnormalities, regardless of the diagnosis. Complex defects were found in 94% of patients younger than 12 months and in 75% of patients between 13 and 24 months. Our data suggest that brain MRI may represent the first-line investigation for diagnosing GHD in infancy and early childhood. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

MRI anatomy of schizophrenia.

PubMed

McCarley, R W; Wible, C G; Frumin, M; Hirayasu, Y; Levitt, J J; Fischer, I A; Shenton, M E

1999-05-01

Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data have provided much evidence in support of our current view that schizophrenia is a brain disorder with altered brain structure, and consequently involving more than a simple disturbance in neurotransmission. This review surveys 118 peer-reviewed studies with control group from 1987 to May 1998. Most studies (81%) do not find abnormalities of whole brain/intracranial contents, while lateral ventricle enlargement is reported in 77%, and third ventricle enlargement in 67%. The temporal lobe was the brain parenchymal region with the most consistently documented abnormalities. Volume decreases were found in 62% of 37 studies of whole temporal lobe, and in 81% of 16 studies of the superior temporal gyrus (and in 100% with gray matter separately evaluated). Fully 77% of the 30 studies of the medial temporal lobe reported volume reduction in one or more of its constituent structures (hippocampus, amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus). Despite evidence for frontal lobe functional abnormalities, structural MRI investigations less consistently found abnormalities, with 55% describing volume reduction. It may be that frontal lobe volume changes are small, and near the threshold for MRI detection. The parietal and occipital lobes were much less studied; about half of the studies showed positive findings. Most studies of cortical gray matter (86%) found volume reductions were not diffuse, but more pronounced in certain areas. About two thirds of the studies of subcortical structures of thalamus, corpus callosum and basal ganglia (which tend to increase volume with typical neuroleptics), show positive findings, as do almost all (91%) studies of cavum septi pellucidi (CSP). Most data were consistent with a developmental model, but growing evidence was compatible also with progressive, neurodegenerative features, suggesting a "two-hit" model of schizophrenia, for which a cellular hypothesis is discussed. The relationship of clinical symptoms to MRI findings is reviewed, as is the growing evidence suggesting structural abnormalities differ in affective (bipolar) psychosis and schizophrenia.

Language comprehension in nonspeaking children with severe cerebral palsy: Neuroanatomical substrate?

PubMed

Geytenbeek, Joke J; Oostrom, Kim J; Harlaar, Laurike; Becher, Jules G; Knol, Dirk L; Barkhof, Frederik; Pinto, Pedro S; Vermeulen, R Jeroen

2015-09-01

To identify relations between brain abnormalities and spoken language comprehension, MRI characteristics of 80 nonspeaking children with severe CP were examined. MRI scans were analysed for patterns of brain abnormalities and scored for specific MRI measures: white matter (WM) areas; size of lateral ventricles, WM abnormality/reduction, cysts, subarachnoid space, corpus callosum thinning and grey matter (GM) areas; cortical GM abnormalities, thalamus, putamen, globus pallidus and nucleus caudatus and cerebellar abnormalities. Language comprehension was assessed with a new validated instrument (C-BiLLT). MRI scans of 35 children were classified as a basal ganglia necrosis (BGN) pattern, with damage to central GM areas; in 60% of these children damage to WM areas was also found. MRI scans of 13 children were classified as periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) with little concomitant damage to central GM areas, 13 as malformations and 19 as miscellaneous. Language comprehension was best in children with BGN, followed by malformations and miscellaneous, and was poorest in PVL. Linear regression modelling per pattern group (malformations excluded), with MRI measures as independent variables, revealed that corpus callosum thinning in BGN and parieto-occipital WM reduction in PVL were the most important explanatory factors for poor language comprehension. No MRI measures explained outcomes in language comprehension in the miscellaneous group. Comprehension of spoken language differs between MRI patterns of severe CP. In children with BGN and PVL differences in language comprehension performance is attributed to damage in the WM areas. Language comprehension was most affected in children with WM lesions in the subcortical and then periventricular areas, most characteristic for children with PVL. Copyright © 2015 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brain stem venous congestion due to dural arteriovenous fistulas of the cavernous sinus.

PubMed

Kai, Y; Hamada, J I; Morioka, M; Yano, S; Ushio, Y

2004-10-01

Venous congestion of the brain stem due to dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) in the cavernous sinus is rare and presents therapeutic challenges. To assess the prognosis of patients with symptomatic DAVFs and brain stem dysfunction, we evaluated the degree of venous ischemia by examining pre- and post-treatment magnetic resonance images (MRI) in 2 patients presenting with venous congestion of the brain stem. A 56-year-old woman with left hemiparesis and a 70-year-old woman with gait disturbance attributable to right cavernous sinus DAVFs were referred to our hospital. In both cases, T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disclosed a hyperintensity lesion in the brainstem due to venous congestion. Both patients underwent open surgery for direct embolization of the cavernous sinus because there were no approach routes for transvenous embolization. The patient whose pretreatment MRI demonstrated Gd enhancement continued to manifest neurological deficits and persistence of the abnormal hyperintensity on post-treatment T2-weighted MRI. In the other patient whose pretreatment MRI showed no Gd enhancement, treatment produced a complete response of her neurological deficit and disappearance of the abnormal hyperintensity area. We tentatively conclude that lesions corresponding to hyperintensity areas on non-Gd-enhanced, T2-weighted MRI may reflect a reversible condition whereas lesions identified as hyperintense areas on GD-enhanced T2-weighted MRI may be indicative of irreversibility.

Correlation between blink reflex abnormalities and magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Degirmenci, Eylem; Erdogan, Cagdas; Bir, Levent Sinan

2013-09-01

This study investigates the correlation between brain magnetic resonance imaging findings and blink reflex abnormalities in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. Twenty-six patients and 17 healthy subjects were included in this study. Blink reflex test (BRT) results were obtained using right and left stimulations; thus, 52 BRT results were recorded for the patient group, and 34 BRT results were recorded for the control group. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were classified based on the existence of brainstem lesions (hyperintense lesion on T2 weighted (W) and fast fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MRI or contrast-enhancing lesion on T1W MRI). Correlation analysis was performed for the BRT and MRI findings. The percentage of individuals with abnormal BRT results (including R1 latency, ipsilateral R2 latency, and contralateral R2 latency) was significantly higher in the patient group as compared to the control group (p values: 0.015, 0.001, and 0.002, respectively). Correlation analysis revealed significant correlations between contralateral R2 latency abnormalities and brainstem lesions (p value: 0.011). Our results showed significant correlation correlations between contralateral R2 latency abnormalities and brainstem lesions and these results may be explained the effects of multiple demyelinating lesions of the brain stem of patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis.

Simultaneous and Noninvasive Imaging of Cerebral Oxygen Metabolic Rate, Blood Flow and Oxygen Extraction Fraction in Stroke Mice

PubMed Central

Zhu, Xiao-Hong; Chen, James; Tu, Tsang-Wei; Chen, Wei; Song, Sheng-Kwei

2012-01-01

Many brain diseases have been linked to abnormal oxygen metabolism and blood perfusion; nevertheless, there is still a lack of robust diagnostic tools for directly imaging cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) and cerebral blood flow (CBF), as well as the oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) that reflects the balance between CMRO2 and CBF. This study employed the recently developed in vivo 17O MR spectroscopic imaging to simultaneously assess CMRO2, CBF and OEF in the brain using a preclinical middle cerebral arterial occlusion mouse model with a brief inhalation of 17O-labeled oxygen gas. The results demonstrated high sensitivity and reliability of the noninvasive 17O-MR approach for rapidly imaging CMRO2, CBF and OEF abnormalities in the ischemic cortex of the MCAO mouse brain. It was found that in the ischemic brain regions both CMRO2 and CBF were substantially lower than that of intact brain regions, even for the mildly damaged brain regions that were unable to be clearly identified by the conventional MRI. In contrast, OEF was higher in the MCAO affected brain regions. This study demonstrates a promising 17O MRI technique for imaging abnormal oxygen metabolism and perfusion in the diseased brain regions. This 17O MRI technique is advantageous because of its robustness, simplicity, noninvasiveness and reliability: features that are essential to potentially translate it to human patients for early diagnosis and monitoring of treatment efficacy. PMID:23000789

Simultaneous and noninvasive imaging of cerebral oxygen metabolic rate, blood flow and oxygen extraction fraction in stroke mice.

PubMed

Zhu, Xiao-Hong; Chen, James M; Tu, Tsang-Wei; Chen, Wei; Song, Sheng-Kwei

2013-01-01

Many brain diseases have been linked to abnormal oxygen metabolism and blood perfusion; nevertheless, there is still a lack of robust diagnostic tools for directly imaging cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO(2)) and cerebral blood flow (CBF), as well as the oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) that reflects the balance between CMRO(2) and CBF. This study employed the recently developed in vivo (17)O MR spectroscopic imaging to simultaneously assess CMRO(2), CBF and OEF in the brain using a preclinical middle cerebral arterial occlusion mouse model with a brief inhalation of (17)O-labeled oxygen gas. The results demonstrated high sensitivity and reliability of the noninvasive (17)O-MR approach for rapidly imaging CMRO(2), CBF and OEF abnormalities in the ischemic cortex of the MCAO mouse brain. It was found that in the ischemic brain regions both CMRO(2) and CBF were substantially lower than that of intact brain regions, even for the mildly damaged brain regions that were unable to be clearly identified by the conventional MRI. In contrast, OEF was higher in the MCAO affected brain regions. This study demonstrates a promising (17)O MRI technique for imaging abnormal oxygen metabolism and perfusion in the diseased brain regions. This (17)O MRI technique is advantageous because of its robustness, simplicity, noninvasiveness and reliability: features that are essential to potentially translate it to human patients for early diagnosis and monitoring of treatment efficacy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regional homogeneity associated with overgeneral autobiographical memory of first-episode treatment-naive patients with major depressive disorder in the orbitofrontal cortex: A resting-state fMRI study.

PubMed

Liu, Yansong; Zhao, Xudong; Cheng, Zaohuo; Zhang, Fuquan; Chang, Jun; Wang, Haosen; Xie, Rukui; Wang, Zhiqiang; Cao, Leiming; Wang, Guoqiang

2017-02-01

Overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM) is involved in the onset and maintenance of depression. Recent studies have shown correlations between OGM and alterations of some brain regions by using task-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, the correlation between OGM and spontaneous brain activity in depression remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) show abnormal regional homogeneity (ReHo) and, if so, whether the brain areas with abnormal ReHo are associated with OGM. Twenty five patients with MDD and 25 age-matched, sex-matched, and education-matched healthy controls underwent resting-state fMRI. All participants were also assessed by 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and autobiographical memory test. The ReHo method was used to analyze regional synchronization of spontaneous neuronal activity. Patients with MDD, compared to healthy controls, exhibited extensive ReHo abnormalities in some brain regions, including the frontal, temporal, and occipital cortex. Moreover, ReHo value of the orbitofrontal cortex was negatively correlated with OGM scores in patients with MDD. The sample size of this study was relatively small, and the influence of physiological noise was not completely excluded. These results suggest that abnormal ReHo of spontaneous brain activity in the orbitofrontal cortex may be involved in the pathophysiology of OGM in patients with MDD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural abnormalities and altered regional brain activity in multiple sclerosis with simple spinal cord involvement.

PubMed

Yin, Ping; Liu, Yi; Xiong, Hua; Han, Yongliang; Sah, Shambhu Kumar; Zeng, Chun; Wang, Jingjie; Li, Yongmei

2018-02-01

To assess the changes of the structural and functional abnormalities in multiple sclerosis with simple spinal cord involvement (MS-SSCI) by using resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI), voxel based morphology (VBM) and diffusion tensor tractography. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of 22 patients with MS-SSCI and 22 healthy controls (HCs) matched for age, gender and education were compared by using RS-fMRI. We also compared the volume, fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient of the brain regions in baseline brain activity by using VBM and diffusion tensor imaging. The relationships between the expanded disability states scale (EDSS) scores, changed parameters of structure and function were further explored. (1) Compared with HCs, the ALFF of the bilateral hippocampus and right middle temporal gyrus in MS-SSCI decreased significantly. However, patients exhibited increased ALFF in the left middle frontal gyrus, left posterior cingulate gyrus and right middle occipital gyrus ( two-sample t-test, after AlphaSim correction, p < 0.01, voxel size > 40). The volume of right middle frontal gyrus reduced significantly (p < 0.01). The FA and ADC of right hippocampus, the FA of left hippocampus and right middle temporal gyrus were significantly different. (2) A significant correlation between EDSS scores and ALFF was noted only in the left posterior cingulate gyrus. Our results detected structural and functional abnormalities in MS-SSCI and functional parameters were associated with clinical abnormalities. Multimodal imaging plays an important role in detecting structural and functional abnormalities in MS-SSCI. Advances in knowledge: This is the first time to apply RS-fMRI, VBM and diffusion tensor tractography to study the structural and functional abnormalities in MS-SSCI, and to explore its correlation with EDSS score.

Local Brain Activity Differences Between Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia Patients: A Resting-State Functional MRI Study.

PubMed

Cao, Song; Li, Ying; Deng, Wenwen; Qin, Bangyong; Zhang, Yi; Xie, Peng; Yuan, Jie; Yu, Buwei; Yu, Tian

2017-07-01

Herpes zoster (HZ) can develop into postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), both of which are painful diseases. PHN patients suffer chronic pain and emotional disorders. Previous studies showed that the PHN brain displayed abnormal activity and structural change, but the difference in brain activity between HZ and PHN is still not known. To identify regional brain activity changes in HZ and PHN brains with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) technique, and to observe the differences between HZ and PHN patients. Observational study. University hospital. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional aptitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) methods were employed to analysis resting-state brain activity. Seventy-three age and gender matched patients (50 HZ, 23 PHN) and 55 healthy controls were enrolled. ReHo and fALFF changes were analyzed to detect the functional abnormality in HZ and PHN brains. Compared with healthy controls, HZ and PHN patients exhibited abnormal ReHo and fALFF values in classic pain-related brain regions (such as the frontal lobe, thalamus, insular, and cerebellum) as well as the brainstem, limbic lobe, and temporal lobe. When HZ developed to PHN, the activity in the vast area of the cerebellum significantly increased while that of some regions in the occipital lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, and limbic lobe showed an apparent decrease. (a) Relatively short pain duration (mean 12.2 months) and small sample size (n = 23) for PHN group. (b) Comparisons at different time points (with paired t-tests) for each patient may minimize individual differences. HZ and PHN induced local brain activity changed in the pain matrix, brainstem, and limbic system. HZ chronification induced functional change in the cerebellum, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, and limbic lobe. These brain activity changes may be correlated with HZ-PHN transition. Herpes zoster, postherpetic neuralgia, resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI), regional homogeneity (ReHo), fractional aptitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF).

Increased resting-state brain entropy in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Xue, Shao-Wei; Guo, Yonghu

2018-03-07

Entropy analysis of resting-state functional MRI (R-fMRI) is a novel approach to characterize brain temporal dynamics and facilitates the identification of abnormal brain activity caused by several disease conditions. However, Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related brain entropy mapping based on R-fMRI has not been assessed. Here, we measured the sample entropy and voxel-wise connectivity of the network degree centrality (DC) of the intrinsic brain activity acquired by R-fMRI in 26 patients with AD and 26 healthy controls. Compared with the controls, AD patients showed increased entropy in the middle temporal gyrus and the precentral gyrus and also showed decreased DC in the precuneus. Moreover, the magnitude of the negative correlation between local brain activity (entropy) and network connectivity (DC) was increased in AD patients in comparison with healthy controls. These findings provide new evidence on AD-related brain entropy alterations.

Effect of liver transplantation on brain magnetic resonance imaging pathology in Wilson disease: a case report.

PubMed

Litwin, T; Dzieżyc, K; Poniatowska, R; Członkowska, A

2013-01-01

The authors present a case report of a 28-year-old patient with hepatic, but no neurological, signs of Wilson disease, with pathological changes in both the globi pallidi and caudate found with routine brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient was recommended for liver transplantation by hepatologists, and during the two years of observation after liver transplantation, MRI brain abnormalities due to Wilson disease completely regressed. On the basis of this case, the authors present an argument for the prognostic significance of brain MRI in Wilson disease as well as current recommendations concerning liver transplantation in Wilson disease.

fMRI Brain-Computer Interface: A Tool for Neuroscientific Research and Treatment

PubMed Central

Sitaram, Ranganatha; Caria, Andrea; Veit, Ralf; Gaber, Tilman; Rota, Giuseppina; Kuebler, Andrea; Birbaumer, Niels

2007-01-01

Brain-computer interfaces based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI-BCI) allow volitional control of anatomically specific regions of the brain. Technological advancement in higher field MRI scanners, fast data acquisition sequences, preprocessing algorithms, and robust statistical analysis are anticipated to make fMRI-BCI more widely available and applicable. This noninvasive technique could potentially complement the traditional neuroscientific experimental methods by varying the activity of the neural substrates of a region of interest as an independent variable to study its effects on behavior. If the neurobiological basis of a disorder (e.g., chronic pain, motor diseases, psychopathy, social phobia, depression) is known in terms of abnormal activity in certain regions of the brain, fMRI-BCI can be targeted to modify activity in those regions with high specificity for treatment. In this paper, we review recent results of the application of fMRI-BCI to neuroscientific research and psychophysiological treatment. PMID:18274615

Large national series of patients with Xq28 duplication involving MECP2: Delineation of brain MRI abnormalities in 30 affected patients.

PubMed

El Chehadeh, Salima; Faivre, Laurence; Mosca-Boidron, Anne-Laure; Malan, Valérie; Amiel, Jeanne; Nizon, Mathilde; Touraine, Renaud; Prieur, Fabienne; Pasquier, Laurent; Callier, Patrick; Lefebvre, Mathilde; Marle, Nathalie; Dubourg, Christèle; Julia, Sophie; Sarret, Catherine; Francannet, Christine; Laffargue, Fanny; Boespflug-Tanguy, Odile; David, Albert; Isidor, Bertrand; Le Caignec, Cédric; Vigneron, Jacqueline; Leheup, Bruno; Lambert, Laetitia; Philippe, Christophe; Cuisset, Jean-Marie; Andrieux, Joris; Plessis, Ghislaine; Toutain, Annick; Goldenberg, Alice; Cormier-Daire, Valérie; Rio, Marlène; Bonnefont, Jean-Paul; Thevenon, Julien; Echenne, Bernard; Journel, Hubert; Afenjar, Alexandra; Burglen, Lydie; Bienvenu, Thierry; Addor, Marie-Claude; Lebon, Sébastien; Martinet, Danièle; Baumann, Clarisse; Perrin, Laurence; Drunat, Séverine; Jouk, Pierre-Simon; Devillard, Françoise; Coutton, Charles; Lacombe, Didier; Delrue, Marie-Ange; Philip, Nicole; Moncla, Anne; Badens, Catherine; Perreton, Nathalie; Masurel, Alice; Thauvin-Robinet, Christel; Des Portes, Vincent; Guibaud, Laurent

2016-01-01

Xq28 duplications encompassing MECP2 have been described in male patients with a severe neurodevelopmental disorder associated with hypotonia and spasticity, severe learning disability, stereotyped movements, and recurrent pulmonary infections. We report on standardized brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of 30 affected patients carrying an Xq28 duplication involving MECP2 of various sizes (228 kb to 11.7 Mb). The aim of this study was to seek recurrent malformations and attempt to determine whether variations in imaging features could be explained by differences in the size of the duplications. We showed that 93% of patients had brain MRI abnormalities such as corpus callosum abnormalities (n = 20), reduced volume of the white matter (WM) (n = 12), ventricular dilatation (n = 9), abnormal increased hyperintensities on T2-weighted images involving posterior periventricular WM (n = 6), and vermis hypoplasia (n = 5). The occipitofrontal circumference varied considerably between >+2SD in five patients and <-2SD in four patients. Among the nine patients with dilatation of the lateral ventricles, six had a duplication involving L1CAM. The only patient harboring bilateral posterior subependymal nodular heterotopia also carried an FLNA gene duplication. We could not demonstrate a correlation between periventricular WM hyperintensities/delayed myelination and duplication of the IKBKG gene. We thus conclude that patients with an Xq28 duplication involving MECP2 share some similar but non-specific brain abnormalities. These imaging features, therefore, could not constitute a diagnostic clue. The genotype-phenotype correlation failed to demonstrate a relationship between the presence of nodular heterotopia, ventricular dilatation, WM abnormalities, and the presence of FLNA, L1CAM, or IKBKG, respectively, in the duplicated segment. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Altered Dynamics of the fMRI Response to Faces in Individuals with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kleinhans, Natalia M.; Richards, Todd; Greenson, Jessica; Dawson, Geraldine; Aylward, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

Abnormal fMRI habituation in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been proposed as a critical component in social impairment. This study investigated habituation to fearful faces and houses in ASD and whether fMRI measures of brain activity discriminate between ASD and typically developing (TD) controls. Two identical fMRI runs presenting masked…

Toward systems neuroscience in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis of 75 fMRI studies.

PubMed

Li, Hui-Jie; Hou, Xiao-Hui; Liu, Han-Hui; Yue, Chun-Lin; He, Yong; Zuo, Xi-Nian

2015-03-01

Most of the previous task functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies found abnormalities in distributed brain regions in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and few studies investigated the brain network dysfunction from the system level. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to examine brain network dysfunction in MCI and AD. We systematically searched task-based fMRI studies in MCI and AD published between January 1990 and January 2014. Activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses were conducted to compare the significant group differences in brain activation, the significant voxels were overlaid onto seven referenced neuronal cortical networks derived from the resting-state fMRI data of 1,000 healthy participants. Thirty-nine task-based fMRI studies (697 MCI patients and 628 healthy controls) were included in MCI-related meta-analysis while 36 task-based fMRI studies (421 AD patients and 512 healthy controls) were included in AD-related meta-analysis. The meta-analytic results revealed that MCI and AD showed abnormal regional brain activation as well as large-scale brain networks. MCI patients showed hypoactivation in default, frontoparietal, and visual networks relative to healthy controls, whereas AD-related hypoactivation mainly located in visual, default, and ventral attention networks relative to healthy controls. Both MCI-related and AD-related hyperactivation fell in frontoparietal, ventral attention, default, and somatomotor networks relative to healthy controls. MCI and AD presented different pathological while shared similar compensatory large-scale networks in fulfilling the cognitive tasks. These system-level findings are helpful to link the fundamental declines of cognitive tasks to brain networks in MCI and AD. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Quantitative analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging for hepatic encephalopathy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syh, Hon-Wei; Chu, Wei-Kom; Ong, Chin-Sing

1992-06-01

High intensity lesions around ventricles have recently been observed in T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance images for patients suffering hepatic encephalopathy. The exact etiology that causes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) gray scale changes has not been totally understood. The objective of our study was to investigate, through quantitative means, (1) the amount of changes to brain white matter due to the disease process, and (2) the extent and distribution of these high intensity lesions, since it is believed that the abnormality may not be entirely limited to the white matter only. Eleven patients with proven haptic encephalopathy and three normal persons without any evidence of liver abnormality constituted our current data base. Trans-axial, sagittal, and coronal brain MRI were obtained on a 1.5 Tesla scanner. All processing was carried out on a microcomputer-based image analysis system in an off-line manner. Histograms were decomposed into regular brain tissues and lesions. Gray scale ranges coded as lesion were then brought back to original images to identify distribution of abnormality. Our results indicated the disease process involved pallidus, mesencephalon, and subthalamic regions.

Individual white matter fractional anisotropy analysis on patients with MRI negative partial epilepsy.

PubMed

Duning, Thomas; Kellinghaus, Christoph; Mohammadi, Siawoosh; Schiffbauer, Hagen; Keller, Simon; Ringelstein, E Bernd; Knecht, Stefan; Deppe, Michael

2010-02-01

Conventional structural MRI fails to identify a cerebral lesion in 25% of patients with cryptogenic partial epilepsy (CPE). Diffusion tensor imaging is an MRI technique sensitive to microstructural abnormalities of cerebral white matter (WM) by quantification of fractional anisotropy (FA). The objectives of the present study were to identify focal FA abnormalities in patients with CPE who were deemed MRI negative during routine presurgical evaluation. Diffusion tensor imaging at 3 T was performed in 12 patients with CPE and normal conventional MRI and in 67 age matched healthy volunteers. WM integrity was compared between groups on the basis of automated voxel-wise statistics of FA maps using an analysis of covariance. Volumetric measurements from high resolution T1-weighted images were also performed. Significant FA reductions in WM regions encompassing diffuse areas of the brain were observed when all patients as a group were compared with controls. On an individual basis, voxel based analyses revealed widespread symmetrical FA reduction in CPE patients. Furthermore, asymmetrical temporal lobe FA reduction was consistently ipsilateral to the electroclinical focus. No significant correlations were found between FA alterations and clinical data. There were no differences in brain volumes of CPE patients compared with controls. Despite normal conventional MRI, WM integrity abnormalities in CPE patients extend far beyond the epileptogenic zone. Given that unilateral temporal lobe FA abnormalities were consistently observed ipsilateral to the seizure focus, analysis of temporal FA may provide an informative in vivo investigation into the localisation of the epileptogenic zone in MRI negative patients.

Brain Growth Rate Abnormalities Visualized in Adolescents with Autism

PubMed Central

Hua, Xue; Thompson, Paul M.; Leow, Alex D.; Madsen, Sarah K.; Caplan, Rochelle; Alger, Jeffry R.; O’Neill, Joseph; Joshi, Kishori; Smalley, Susan L.; Toga, Arthur W.; Levitt, Jennifer G.

2014-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous disorder of brain development with wide-ranging cognitive deficits. Typically diagnosed before age 3, ASD is behaviorally defined but patients are thought to have protracted alterations in brain maturation. With longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we mapped an anomalous developmental trajectory of the brains of autistic compared to those of typically developing children and adolescents. Using tensor-based morphometry (TBM), we created 3D maps visualizing regional tissue growth rates based on longitudinal brain MRI scans of 13 autistic and 7 typically developing boys (mean age/inter-scan interval: autism 12.0 ± 2.3 years/2.9 ± 0.9 years; control 12.3 ± 2.4/2.8 ± 0.8). The typically developing boys demonstrated strong whole-brain white matter growth during this period, but the autistic boys showed abnormally slowed white matter development (p = 0.03, corrected), especially in the parietal (p = 0.008), temporal (p = 0.03) and occipital lobes (p =0.02). We also visualized abnormal overgrowth in autism in some gray matter structures, such as the putamen and anterior cingulate cortex. Our findings reveal aberrant growth rates in brain regions implicated in social impairment, communication deficits and repetitive behaviors in autism, suggesting that growth rate abnormalities persist into adolescence. TBM revealed persisting growth rate anomalies long after diagnosis, which has implications for evaluation of therapeutic effects. PMID:22021093

Brain growth rate abnormalities visualized in adolescents with autism.

PubMed

Hua, Xue; Thompson, Paul M; Leow, Alex D; Madsen, Sarah K; Caplan, Rochelle; Alger, Jeffry R; O'Neill, Joseph; Joshi, Kishori; Smalley, Susan L; Toga, Arthur W; Levitt, Jennifer G

2013-02-01

Autism spectrum disorder is a heterogeneous disorder of brain development with wide ranging cognitive deficits. Typically diagnosed before age 3, autism spectrum disorder is behaviorally defined but patients are thought to have protracted alterations in brain maturation. With longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we mapped an anomalous developmental trajectory of the brains of autistic compared with those of typically developing children and adolescents. Using tensor-based morphometry, we created 3D maps visualizing regional tissue growth rates based on longitudinal brain MRI scans of 13 autistic and seven typically developing boys (mean age/interscan interval: autism 12.0 ± 2.3 years/2.9 ± 0.9 years; control 12.3 ± 2.4/2.8 ± 0.8). The typically developing boys demonstrated strong whole brain white matter growth during this period, but the autistic boys showed abnormally slowed white matter development (P = 0.03, corrected), especially in the parietal (P = 0.008), temporal (P = 0.03), and occipital lobes (P = 0.02). We also visualized abnormal overgrowth in autism in gray matter structures such as the putamen and anterior cingulate cortex. Our findings reveal aberrant growth rates in brain regions implicated in social impairment, communication deficits and repetitive behaviors in autism, suggesting that growth rate abnormalities persist into adolescence. Tensor-based morphometry revealed persisting growth rate anomalies long after diagnosis, which has implications for evaluation of therapeutic effects. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[MRI in Duane retraction syndrome: Preliminary results].

PubMed

Denis, D; Cousin, M; Zanin, E; Toesca, E; Girard, N

2011-09-01

Duane retraction syndrome (DRS) is a congenital ocular motility disorder with innervational dysgenesis. MRI improves our understanding of this disease by providing in vivo access to nerves and oculomotor muscles. The goal of this prospective study (2000-2008) was to analyze DRS clinically and neuroradiologically. Twenty-four patients (27 eyes) received a complete ophthalmologic evaluation and a brain-orbital MRI. The average age was 6.1 years. MRI was performed with 3D T2 CISS-weighted images through the brainstem to visualize the cisternal segments of the cranial nerves and the orbit (lateral and medial recti muscles). MRI anomalies were classified according to type I, II, and III and depending on their condition in the posterior fossa (absence, hypoplasia) and in the orbit (muscle anomalies). Of 27 eyes, 70% were type I, 19% type II, and 11% type III. MRI showed abducens nerve abnormalities in 93% of the cases (78% absence) and muscle abnormalities in 57.5% of the cases. A detailed description showed 100% abducens nerve abnormalities and 58% abnormal lateral rectus muscle in type I, 60% abducens nerve abnormalities and 60% abnormal lateral rectus muscle in type II, and 100% abducens nerve abnormalities and 66% abnormal lateral rectus in type III. This study presents two major findings: detection of abducens nerve abnormalities in most cases of DRS whatever the type, associated with muscle abnormalities, and the confirmation that this absence may exist in type II (2/5). Thus MRI proved to be a valuable tool for investigating these patients, improving the comprehension of the physiopathogenics of this disease. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Neonatal Brain Pathology Predicts Adverse Attention and Processing Speed Outcomes in Very Preterm and/or Very Low Birth Weight Children

PubMed Central

Murray, Andrea L; Scratch, Shannon E; Thompson, Deanne K; Inder, Terrie E; Doyle, Lex W; Anderson, Jacqueline F. I.; Anderson, Peter J

2014-01-01

Objective This study aimed to examine attention and processing speed outcomes in very preterm (VPT; <32 weeks' gestational age) or very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) children, and to assess the ability of brain abnormalities measured by neonatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict outcome in these domains. Methods A cohort of 198 children born <30 weeks' gestational age and/or <1250 g and 70 term controls were examined. Neonatal MRI scans at term equivalent age were quantitatively assessed for white matter, cortical gray matter, deep gray matter, and cerebellar abnormalities. Attention and processing speed were assessed at 7 years using standardized neuropsychological tests. Group differences were tested in attention and processing speed, and the relationships between these cognitive domains and brain abnormalities at birth were investigated. Results At 7 years of age, the VPT/VLBW group performed significantly poorer than term controls on all attention and processing speed outcomes. Associations between adverse attention and processing speed performances at 7 years and higher neonatal brain abnormality scores were found; in particular, white matter and deep gray matter abnormalities were reasonable predictors of long-term cognitive outcomes. Conclusion Attention and processing speed are significant areas of concern in VPT/VLBW children. This is the first study to show that adverse attention and processing speed outcomes at 7 years are associated with neonatal brain pathology. PMID:24708047

Neonatal brain pathology predicts adverse attention and processing speed outcomes in very preterm and/or very low birth weight children.

PubMed

Murray, Andrea L; Scratch, Shannon E; Thompson, Deanne K; Inder, Terrie E; Doyle, Lex W; Anderson, Jacqueline F I; Anderson, Peter J

2014-07-01

This study aimed to examine attention and processing speed outcomes in very preterm (VPT; < 32 weeks' gestational age) or very low birth weight (VLBW; < 1,500 g) children, and to determine whether brain abnormality measured by neonatal MRI can be used to predict outcome in these domains. A cohort of 198 children born < 30 weeks' gestational age and/or < 1,250 g and 70 term controls were examined. Neonatal MRI scans at term equivalent age were quantitatively assessed for white matter, cortical gray matter, deep gray matter, and cerebellar abnormalities. Attention and processing speed were assessed at 7 years using standardized neuropsychological tests. Group differences were tested in attention and processing speed, and the relationships between these cognitive domains and brain abnormalities at birth were investigated. At 7 years of age, the VPT/VLBW group performed significantly poorer than term controls on all attention and processing speed outcomes. Associations between adverse attention and processing speed performances at 7 years and higher neonatal brain abnormality scores were found; in particular, white matter and deep gray matter abnormalities were reasonable predictors of long-term cognitive outcomes. Attention and processing speed are significant areas of concern in VPT/VLBW children. This is the first study to show that adverse attention and processing speed outcomes at 7 years are associated with neonatal brain pathology.

A Window into the Brain: Advances in Psychiatric fMRI

PubMed Central

Zhan, Xiaoyan

2015-01-01

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) plays a key role in modern psychiatric research. It provides a means to assay differences in brain systems that underlie psychiatric illness, treatment response, and properties of brain structure and function that convey risk factor for mental diseases. Here we review recent advances in fMRI methods in general use and progress made in understanding the neural basis of mental illness. Drawing on concepts and findings from psychiatric fMRI, we propose that mental illness may not be associated with abnormalities in specific local regions but rather corresponds to variation in the overall organization of functional communication throughout the brain network. Future research may need to integrate neuroimaging information drawn from different analysis methods and delineate spatial and temporal patterns of brain responses that are specific to certain types of psychiatric disorders. PMID:26413531

Brain MRI signal abnormalities and right-to-left shunting in asymptomatic military divers.

PubMed

Gempp, Emmanuel; Sbardella, Fabrice; Stephant, Eric; Constantin, Pascal; De Maistre, Sebastien; Louge, Pierre; Blatteau, Jean-Eric

2010-11-01

We conducted a controlled study to assess the prevalence of brain MRI hyperintense signals and their correlation with right-to-left shunting (RLS) in military divers. We prospectively enrolled 32 asymptomatic military divers under 41 yr of age and 32 non-diving healthy subjects matched with respect to age and vascular disease risk factors. We examined both groups with a 3-Tesla brain MRI; RLS was detected using transcranial pulsed Doppler in divers only. Hyperintense spots were observed in 43.7% of the divers and 21.8% of the control subjects. In particular, divers with significant shunting exhibited a higher prevalence of hyperintensities compared to those with slight or no RLS (75% vs. 25%, respectively). Linear trend analysis also revealed a positive correlation between focal white matter changes, determined using a validated visual rating scale and the RLS grade. Healthy military divers with a hemodynamically relevant RLS have an increased likelihood of cerebral hyperintense spots compared to age-matched normal subjects. The clinical relevance of these MRI signal abnormalities and their causal relationship with diving remain unclear.

A Cross-Sectional and Follow-Up Functional MRI Study with a Working Memory Task in Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castro-Fornieles, Josefina; Caldu, Xavier; Andres-Perpina, Susana; Lazaro, Luisa; Bargallo, Nuria; Falcon, Carles; Plana, Maria Teresa; Junque, Carme

2010-01-01

Structural and functional brain abnormalities have been described in anorexia nervosa (AN). The objective of this study was to examine whether there is abnormal regional brain activation during a working memory task not associated with any emotional stimuli in adolescent patients with anorexia and to detect possible changes after weight recovery.…

A functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging study of neurohemodynamic abnormalities during emotion processing in subjects at high risk for schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Venkatasubramanian, Ganesan; Puthumana, Dawn Thomas K.; Jayakumar, Peruvumba N.; Gangadhar, B. N.

2010-01-01

Background: Emotion processing abnormalities are considered among the core deficits in schizophrenia. Subjects at high risk (HR) for schizophrenia also show these deficits. Structural neuroimaging studies examining unaffected relatives at high risk for schizophrenia have demonstrated neuroanatomical abnormalities involving neo-cortical and sub-cortical brain regions related to emotion processing. The brain functional correlates of emotion processing in these HR subjects in the context of ecologically valid, real-life dynamic images using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has not been examined previously. Aim: To examine the neurohemodynamic abnormalities during emotion processing in unaffected subjects at high risk for schizophrenia in comparison with age-, sex-, handedness- and education-matched healthy controls, using fMRI. Materials and Methods: HR subjects for schizophrenia (n=17) and matched healthy controls (n=16) were examined. The emotion processing of fearful facial expression was examined using a culturally appropriate and valid tool for Indian subjects. The fMRI was performed in a 1.5-T scanner during an implicit emotion processing paradigm. The fMRI analyses were performed using the Statistical Parametric Mapping 2 (SPM2) software. Results: HR subjects had significantly reduced brain activations in left insula, left medial frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, right cingulate gyrus, right precentral gyrus and right inferior parietal lobule. Hypothesis-driven region-of-interest analysis revealed hypoactivation of right amygdala in HR subjects. Conclusions: Study findings suggest that neurohemodynamic abnormalities involving limbic and frontal cortices could be potential indicators for increased vulnerability toward schizophrenia. The clinical utility of these novel findings in predicting the development of psychosis needs to be evaluated. PMID:21267363

Abnormal Neural Connectivity in Schizophrenia and fMRI-Brain-Computer Interface as a Potential Therapeutic Approach

PubMed Central

Ruiz, Sergio; Birbaumer, Niels; Sitaram, Ranganatha

2012-01-01

Considering that single locations of structural and functional abnormalities are insufficient to explain the diverse psychopathology of schizophrenia, new models have postulated that the impairments associated with the disease arise from a failure to integrate the activity of local and distributed neural circuits: the “abnormal neural connectivity hypothesis.” In the last years, new evidence coming from neuroimaging have supported and expanded this theory. However, despite the increasing evidence that schizophrenia is a disorder of neural connectivity, so far there are no treatments that have shown to produce a significant change in brain connectivity, or that have been specifically designed to alleviate this problem. Brain-Computer Interfaces based on real-time functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI-BCI) are novel techniques that have allowed subjects to achieve self-regulation of circumscribed brain regions. In recent studies, experiments with this technology have resulted in new findings suggesting that this methodology could be used to train subjects to enhance brain connectivity, and therefore could potentially be used as a therapeutic tool in mental disorders including schizophrenia. The present article summarizes the findings coming from hemodynamics-based neuroimaging that support the abnormal connectivity hypothesis in schizophrenia, and discusses a new approach that could address this problem. PMID:23525496

Electroencephalography and Brain MRI Patterns in Encephalopathy.

PubMed

Wabulya, Angela; Lesser, Ronald P; Llinas, Rafael; Kaplan, Peter W

2016-04-01

Using electroencephalography (EEG) and histology in patients with diffuse encephalopathy, Gloor et al reported that paroxysmal synchronous discharges (PSDs) on EEG required combined cortical gray (CG) and "subcortical" gray (SCG) matter pathology, while polymorphic delta activity (PDA) occurred in patients with white matter pathology. In patients with encephalopathy, we compared EEG findings and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine if MRI reflected similar pathological EEG correlations. Retrospective case control study of 52 cases with EEG evidence of encephalopathy and 50 controls without evidence of encephalopathy. Review of clinical, EEG and MRI data acquired within 4 days of each other. The most common EEG finding in encephalopathy was background slowing, in 96.1%. We found PSDs in 0% of cases with the combination of CG and SCG abnormalities. Although 13.5% (n=7) had PSDs on EEG; 3 of these had CG and 4 had SCG abnormalities. A total of 73.1% (38/52) had white matter abnormalities-of these 28.9% (11/38) had PDA. PSDs were found with either CG or "SCG" MRI abnormalities and did not require a combination of the two. In agreement with Gloor et al, PDA occurred with white matter MRI abnormalities in the absence of gray matter abnormalities. © EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society (ECNS) 2015.

Neuropathology of White Matter Lesions, Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction, and Dementia.

PubMed

Hainsworth, Atticus H; Minett, Thais; Andoh, Joycelyn; Forster, Gillian; Bhide, Ishaan; Barrick, Thomas R; Elderfield, Kay; Jeevahan, Jamuna; Markus, Hugh S; Bridges, Leslie R

2017-10-01

We tested whether blood-brain barrier dysfunction in subcortical white matter is associated with white matter abnormalities or risk of clinical dementia in older people (n=126; mean age 86.4, SD: 7.7 years) in the MRC CFAS (Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study). Using digital pathology, we quantified blood-brain barrier dysfunction (defined by immunohistochemical labeling for the plasma marker fibrinogen). This was assessed within subcortical white matter tissue samples harvested from postmortem T 2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected white matter hyperintensities, from normal-appearing white matter (distant from coexistent MRI-defined hyperintensities), and from equivalent areas in MRI normal brains. Histopathologic lesions were defined using a marker for phagocytic microglia (CD68, clone PGM1). Extent of fibrinogen labeling was not significantly associated with white matter abnormalities defined either by MRI (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.79-1.03; P =0.130) or by histopathology (odds ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.77-1.12; P =0.452). Among participants with normal MRI (no detectable white matter hyperintensities), increased fibrinogen was significantly related to decreased risk of clinical dementia (odds ratio, 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.58-0.94; P =0.013). Among participants with histological lesions, increased fibrinogen was related to increased risk of dementia (odds ratio, 2.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.25-4.08; P =0.007). Our data suggest that some degree of blood-brain barrier dysfunction is common in older people and that this may be related to clinical dementia risk, additional to standard MRI biomarkers. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Functional Neuroimaging of Spike-Wave Seizures

PubMed Central

Motelow, Joshua E.; Blumenfeld, Hal

2013-01-01

Generalized spike-wave seizures are typically brief events associated with dynamic changes in brain physiology, metabolism, and behavior. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides a relatively high spatio-temporal resolution method for imaging cortical-subcortical network activity during spike-wave seizures. Patients with spike-wave seizures often have episodes of staring and unresponsiveness which interfere with normal behavior. Results from human fMRI studies suggest that spike-wave seizures disrupt specific networks in the thalamus and fronto-parietal association cortex which are critical for normal attentive consciousness. However, the neuronal activity underlying imaging changes seen during fMRI is not well understood, particularly in abnormal conditions such as seizures. Animal models have begun to provide important fundamental insights into the neuronal basis for fMRI changes during spike-wave activity. Work from these models including both fMRI and direct neuronal recordings suggest that, like in humans, specific cortical-subcortical networks are involved in spike-wave, while other regions are spared. Regions showing fMRI increases demonstrate correlated increases in neuronal activity in animal models. The mechanisms of fMRI decreases in spike-wave will require further investigation. A better understanding of the specific brain regions involved in generating spike-wave seizures may help guide efforts to develop targeted therapies aimed at preventing or reversing abnormal excitability in these brain regions, ultimately leading to a cure for this disorder. PMID:18839093

Mid-gestation brain Doppler and head biometry in fetuses with congenital heart disease predict abnormal brain development at birth.

PubMed

Masoller, N; Sanz-CortéS, M; Crispi, F; Gómez, O; Bennasar, M; Egaña-Ugrinovic, G; Bargalló, N; Martínez, J M; Gratacós, E

2016-01-01

Fetuses with congenital heart disease (CHD) show evidence of abnormal brain development before birth, which is thought to contribute to adverse neurodevelopment during childhood. Our aim was to evaluate whether brain development in late pregnancy can be predicted by fetal brain Doppler, head biometry and the clinical form of CHD at the time of diagnosis. This was a prospective cohort study including 58 fetuses with CHD, diagnosed at 20-24 weeks' gestation, and 58 normal control fetuses. At the time of diagnosis, we recorded fetal head circumference (HC), biparietal diameter, middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCA-PI), cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) and brain perfusion by fractional moving blood volume. We classified cases into one of two clinical types defined by the expected levels (high or low) of placental (well-oxygenated) blood perfusion, according to the anatomical defect. All fetuses underwent subsequent 3T-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 36-38 weeks' gestation. Abnormal prenatal brain development was defined by a composite score including any of the following findings on MRI: total brain volume <  10(th) centile, parietoccipital or cingulate fissure depth <  10(th) centile or abnormal metabolic profile in the frontal lobe. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that MCA-PI (odds ratio (OR), 12.7; P = 0.01), CPR (OR, 8.7; P = 0.02) and HC (OR, 6.2; P = 0.02) were independent predictors of abnormal neurodevelopment; however, the clinical type of CHD was not. Fetal brain Doppler and head biometry at the time of CHD diagnosis are independent predictors of abnormal brain development at birth, and could be used in future algorithms to improve counseling and targeted interventions. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Whole-brain spectroscopic MRI biomarkers identify infiltrating margins in glioblastoma patients

PubMed Central

Cordova, James S.; Shu, Hui-Kuo G.; Liang, Zhongxing; Gurbani, Saumya S.; Cooper, Lee A. D.; Holder, Chad A.; Olson, Jeffrey J.; Kairdolf, Brad; Schreibmann, Eduard; Neill, Stewart G.; Hadjipanayis, Constantinos G.; Shim, Hyunsuk

2016-01-01

Background The standard of care for glioblastoma (GBM) is maximal safe resection followed by radiation therapy with chemotherapy. Currently, contrast-enhanced MRI is used to define primary treatment volumes for surgery and radiation therapy. However, enhancement does not identify the tumor entirely, resulting in limited local control. Proton spectroscopic MRI (sMRI), a method reporting endogenous metabolism, may better define the tumor margin. Here, we develop a whole-brain sMRI pipeline and validate sMRI metrics with quantitative measures of tumor infiltration. Methods Whole-brain sMRI metabolite maps were coregistered with surgical planning MRI and imported into a neuronavigation system to guide tissue sampling in GBM patients receiving 5-aminolevulinic acid fluorescence-guided surgery. Samples were collected from regions with metabolic abnormalities in a biopsy-like fashion before bulk resection. Tissue fluorescence was measured ex vivo using a hand-held spectrometer. Tissue samples were immunostained for Sox2 and analyzed to quantify the density of staining cells using a novel digital pathology image analysis tool. Correlations among sMRI markers, Sox2 density, and ex vivo fluorescence were evaluated. Results Spectroscopic MRI biomarkers exhibit significant correlations with Sox2-positive cell density and ex vivo fluorescence. The choline to N-acetylaspartate ratio showed significant associations with each quantitative marker (Pearson's ρ = 0.82, P < .001 and ρ = 0.36, P < .0001, respectively). Clinically, sMRI metabolic abnormalities predated contrast enhancement at sites of tumor recurrence and exhibited an inverse relationship with progression-free survival. Conclusions As it identifies tumor infiltration and regions at high risk for recurrence, sMRI could complement conventional MRI to improve local control in GBM patients. PMID:26984746

Effect of bevacizumab on radiation necrosis of the brain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gonzalez, Javier; Kumar, Ashok J.; Conrad, Charles A.

Purpose: Because blocking vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from reaching leaky capillaries is a logical strategy for the treatment of radiation necrosis, we reasoned that bevacizumab might be an effective treatment of radiation necrosis. Patients and Methods: Fifteen patients with malignant brain tumors were treated with bevacizumab or bevacizumab combination for their tumor on either a 5 mg/kg/2-week or 7.5 mg/kg/3-week schedule. Radiation necrosis was diagnosed in 8 of these patients on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and biopsy. MRI studies were obtained before treatment and at 6-week to 8-week intervals. Results: Of the 8 patients with radiationmore » necrosis, posttreatment MRI performed an average of 8.1 weeks after the start of bevacizumab therapy showed a reduction in all 8 patients in both the MRI fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) abnormalities and T1-weighted post-Gd-contrast abnormalities. The average area change in the T1-weighted post-Gd-contrast abnormalities was 48% ({+-}22 SD), and the average change in the FLAIR images was 60% ({+-}18 SD). The average reduction in daily dexamethasone requirements was 8.6 mg ({+-}3.6). Conclusion: Bevacizumab, alone and in combination with other agents, can reduce radiation necrosis by decreasing capillary leakage and the associated brain edema. Our findings will need to be confirmed in a randomized trial to determine the optimal duration of treatment.« less

Prospective research on infants with mild encephalopathy: the PRIME study.

PubMed

Prempunpong, C; Chalak, L F; Garfinkle, J; Shah, B; Kalra, V; Rollins, N; Boyle, R; Nguyen, K-A; Mir, I; Pappas, A; Montaldo, P; Thayyil, S; Sánchez, P J; Shankaran, S; Laptook, A R; Sant'Anna, G

2018-01-01

To determine short-term outcomes of infants with evidence of hypoxia-ischemia at birth and classified as mild neonatal encephalopathy (NE) at <6 h of age. Prospective multicenter study. Mild NE was defined as ⩾1 abnormal category in modified Sarnat score. Primary outcome was any abnormality on early amplitude integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG) or seizures, abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or neurological exam at discharge. A total of 54/63 (86%) of enrolled infants had data on components of the primary outcome, which was abnormal in 28/54 (52%): discontinuous aEEG (n=4), MRI (n=9) and discharge exam (n=22). Abnormal tone and/or incomplete Moro were the most common findings. MRI abnormalities were confined to cerebral cortex but two infants had basal ganglia and/or thalamus involvement. The 18 to 24 months follow-up is ongoing. A larger than expected proportion of mild NE infants with abnormal outcomes was observed. Future research should evaluate safety and efficacy of neuroprotection for mild NE.

[Metronidazole-Induced Encephalopathy during Brain Abscess Treatment:Two Case Reports].

PubMed

Yokoyama, Yuka; Asaoka, Katsuyuki; Sugiyama, Taku; Uchida, Kazuki; Shimbo, Daisuke; Kobayashi, Satoshi; Itamoto, Koji

2015-10-01

Metronidazole is a widely used antibiotic against anaerobic bacteria and protozoa. We report two cases of metronidazole-induced encephalopathy(MIE)during treatment of a brain abscess with metronidazole. The patients developed mental disturbance, and brain MRI showed reversible signals on DWI, FLAIR, and T2. Case 1: A 48-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a cerebellar abscess. We initiated treatment with oral metronidazole. After taking the medication, she developed mental disturbance, and her brain MRI showed a hyperintensity within the corpus callosum. We suspected metronidazole toxicity and discontinued metronidazole treatment. The symptoms resolved rapidly within a week, and the hyperintensity on the MRI disappeared. Case 2: A 22-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a brain abscess. We initiated treatment with oral metronidazole. On day 38, he developed mental disturbance, and his MRI showed hyperintensities within the bilateral dentate nuclei and corpus callosum. These symptoms were consistent with MIE. After cessation of metronidazole, his symptoms and abnormal MRI signals completely disappeared.

Addiction Related Alteration in Resting-state Brain Connectivity

PubMed Central

Ma, Ning; Liu, Ying; Li, Nan; Wang, Chang-Xin; Zhang, Hao; Jiang, Xiao-Feng; Xu, Hu-Sheng; Fu, Xian-Ming; Hu, Xiaoping; Zhang, Da-Ren

2009-01-01

It is widely accepted that addictive drug use is related to abnormal functional organization in the user’s brain. The present study aimed to identify this type of abnormality within the brain networks implicated in addiction by resting-state functional connectivity measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). With fMRI data acquired during resting state from 14 chronic heroin users (12 of whom were being treated with methadone) and 13 non-addicted controls, we investigated the addiction related alteration in functional connectivity between the regions in the circuits implicated in addiction with seed-based correlation analysis. Compared with controls, chronic heroin users showed increased functional connectivity between nucleus accumbens and ventral/rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and orbital frontal cortex (OFC), between amygdala and OFC; and reduced functional connectivity between prefrontal cortex and OFC, and ACC. These observations of altered resting-state functional connectivity suggested abnormal functional organization in the addicted brain and may provide additional evidence supporting the theory of addiction that emphasizes enhanced salience value of a drug and its related cues but weakened cognitive control in the addictive state. PMID:19703568

Diagnostic Value of 18F-FDG PET/CT Versus MRI in the Setting of Antibody-Specific Autoimmune Encephalitis.

PubMed

Solnes, Lilja B; Jones, Krystyna M; Rowe, Steven P; Pattanayak, Puskar; Nalluri, Abhinav; Venkatesan, Arun; Probasco, John C; Javadi, Mehrbod S

2017-08-01

Diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis presents some challenges in the clinical setting because of varied clinical presentations and delay in obtaining antibody panel results. We examined the role of neuroimaging in the setting of autoimmune encephalitides, comparing the utility of 18 F-FDG PET/CT versus conventional brain imaging with MRI. Methods: A retrospective study was performed assessing the positivity rate of MRI versus 18 F-FDG PET/CT during the initial workup of 23 patients proven to have antibody-positive autoimmune encephalitis. 18 F-FDG PET/CT studies were analyzed both qualitatively and semiquantitatively. Areas of cortical lobar hypo (hyper)-metabolism in the cerebrum that were 2 SDx from the mean were recorded as abnormal. Results: On visual inspection, all patients were identified as having an abnormal pattern of 18 F-FDG uptake. In semiquantitative analysis, at least 1 region of interest with metabolic change was identified in 22 of 23 (95.6%) patients using a discriminating z score of 2. Overall, 18 F-FDG PET/CT was more often abnormal during the diagnostic period than MRI (10/23, 43% of patients). The predominant finding on brain 18 F-FDG PET/CT imaging was lobar hypometabolism, being observed in 21 of 23 (91.3%) patients. Hypometabolism was most commonly observed in the parietal lobe followed by the occipital lobe. An entire subset of antibody-positive patients, anti- N -methyl-d-aspartate receptor (5 patients), had normal MRI results and abnormal 18 F-FDG PET/CT findings whereas the other subsets demonstrated a greater heterogeneity. Conclusion: Brain 18 F-FDG PET/CT may play a significant role in the initial evaluation of patients with clinically suspected antibody-mediated autoimmune encephalitis. Given that it is more often abnormal when compared with MRI in the acute setting, this molecular imaging technique may be better positioned as an early biomarker of disease so that treatment may be initiated earlier, resulting in improved patient outcomes. © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

Leukoencephalopathy with brainstem and spinal cord involvement and lactate elevation (LBSL): assessment of the involved white matter tracts by MRI.

PubMed

Kassem, Hassan; Wafaie, Ahmed; Abdelfattah, Sherif; Farid, Tarek

2014-01-01

Leukoencephalopathy with brain stem and spinal cord involvement and lactate elevation (LBSL) is a recently identified autosomal recessive disorder with early onset of symptoms and slowly progressive pyramidal, cerebellar and dorsal column dysfunction. LBSL is characterized by distinct white matter abnormalities and selective involvement of brainstem and spinal cord tracts. The purpose of this study is to assess the imaging features of the involved white matter tracts in cases of LBSL by MRI. We retrospectively reviewed the imaging features of the selectively involved white matter tracts in sixteen genetically proven cases of leukoencephalopathy with brainstem and spinal cord involvement and elevated brain lactate (LBSL). All patients presented with slowly progressive cerebellar sensory ataxia with spasticity and dorsal column dysfunction. MRI of the brain and spine using 1.5 T machine and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) on the abnormal white matter were done to all patients. The MRI and MRS data sets were analyzed according to lesion location, extent, distribution and signal pattern as well as metabolite values and ratios in MRS. Laboratory examinations ruled out classic leukodystrophies. In all cases, MRI showed high signal intensity in T2-weighted and FLAIR images within the cerebral subcortical, periventricular and deep white matter, posterior limbs of internal capsules, centrum semiovale, medulla oblongata, intraparenchymal trajectory of trigeminal nerves and deep cerebellar white matter. In the spine, the signal intensity of the dorsal column and lateral cortico-spinal tracts were altered in all patients. The subcortical U fibers, globi pallidi, thalami, midbrain and transverse pontine fibers were spared in all cases. In 11 cases (68.8%), the signal changes were inhomogeneous and confluent whereas in 5 patients (31.2%), the signal abnormalities were spotty. MRI also showed variable signal abnormalities in the sensory and pyramidal tracts in addition to the brainstem and cerebellar connections. Proton MRS showed consistent elevation of the lactate within the abnormal white matter. Distinct MRI findings in the form of selective affection of subcortical and deep white matter tracts of the brain (involving the posterior limb of internal capsules and sparing the subcortical U fibers), dorsal column and lateral cortico-spinal tracts of the spinal cord should lead to the diagnosis of LBSL supported by the presence of lactate peak in 1H MRS. The disease can be confirmed by the analysis of the disease gene DARS2.

Diffusion MRI at 25: Exploring brain tissue structure and function

PubMed Central

Bihan, Denis Le; Johansen-Berg, Heidi

2013-01-01

Diffusion MRI (or dMRI) came into existence in the mid-1980s. During the last 25 years, diffusion MRI has been extraordinarily successful (with more than 300,000 entries on Google Scholar for diffusion MRI). Its main clinical domain of application has been neurological disorders, especially for the management of patients with acute stroke. It is also rapidly becoming a standard for white matter disorders, as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can reveal abnormalities in white matter fiber structure and provide outstanding maps of brain connectivity. The ability to visualize anatomical connections between different parts of the brain, non-invasively and on an individual basis, has emerged as a major breakthrough for neurosciences. The driving force of dMRI is to monitor microscopic, natural displacements of water molecules that occur in brain tissues as part of the physical diffusion process. Water molecules are thus used as a probe that can reveal microscopic details about tissue architecture, either normal or in a diseased state. PMID:22120012

Changes in spontaneous brain activity in early Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Yang, Hong; Zhou, Xiaohong Joe; Zhang, Min-Ming; Zheng, Xu-Ning; Zhao, Yi-Lei; Wang, Jue

2013-08-09

Resting state brain activity can provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). The purpose of the present study was (a) to investigate abnormal spontaneous neuronal activity in early PD patients using resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) with a regional homogeneity (ReHo) method and (b) to demonstrate the potential of using changes in abnormal spontaneous neuronal activity for monitoring the progression of PD during its early stages. Seventeen early PD patients were assessed with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), the Hoehn and Yahr disability scale and the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) were compared with seventeen gender- and age-matched healthy controls. All subjects underwent MRI scans using a 1.5T General Electric Signa Excite II scanner. The MRI scan protocol included whole-brain volumetric imaging using a 3D inversion recovery prepared (IR-Prep) fast spoiled gradient-echo pulse sequence and 2D multi-slice (22 axial slices covering the whole brain) resting-state fMRI using an echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence. Images were analyzed in SPM5 together with a ReHo algorithm using the in-house software program REST. A corrected threshold of p<0.05 was determined by AlphaSim and used in statistical analysis. Compared with the healthy controls, the early PD group showed significantly increased ReHo in a number of brain regions, including the left cerebellum, left parietal lobe, right middle temporal lobe, right sub-thalamic nucleus areas, right superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus (MFG), right inferior parietal lobe (IPL), right precuneus lobe, left MFG and left IPL. Additionally, significantly reduced ReHo was also observed in the early PD patients in the following brain regions: the left putamen, left inferior frontal gyrus, right hippocampus, right anterior cingulum, and bilateral lingual gyrus. Moreover, in PD patients, ReHo in the left putamen was negatively correlated with the UPDRS scores (r=-0.69). These results indicate that the abnormal resting state spontaneous brain activity associated with patients with early PD can be revealed by Reho analysis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

High prevalence of brain pathology in violent prisoners: a qualitative CT and MRI scan study.

PubMed

Schiltz, Kolja; Witzel, Joachim G; Bausch-Hölterhoff, Josef; Bogerts, Bernhard

2013-10-01

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and extent of brain anomalies in a large sample of incarcerated violent offenders not previously considered neuropsychiatrically ill, in comparison with non-violent offenders and non-offending controls. MRI and CT brain scans from 287 male prison inmates (162 violent and 125 non-violent) not diagnosed as mentally ill before that were obtained due to headache, vertigo or psychological complaints during imprisonment were assessed and compared to 52 non-criminal controls. Brain scans were rated qualitatively with respect to evidence of structural brain damage. Each case received a semiquantitative rating of "normal" (=0), "questionably abnormal" (=1) or "definitely abnormal" (=2) for the lateral ventricles, frontal/parietal cortex and medial temporal structures bilaterally as well as third ventricle. Overall, offenders displayed a significantly higher rate of morphological abnormality, with the violent offenders scoring significantly higher than non-violent offenders and controls. This difference was statistically detectable for frontal/parietal cortex, medial temporal structures, third ventricle and the left but not the right lateral ventricle. The remarkable prevalence of brain pathology in convicted violent prisoners detectable by neuroradiological routine assessment not only highlights the importance of frontal and temporal structures in the control of social, and specifically of violent behaviour, but also raises questions on the legal culpability of violent offenders with brain abnormalities. The high proportion of undetected presence of structural brain damage emphasizes the need that in violent criminals, the comprehensive routine neuropsychiatric assessment usually performed in routine forensic psychiatric expertises should be complemented with brain imaging.

Diffusion pseudonormalization and clinical outcome in term neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

PubMed

Hayakawa, Katsumi; Koshino, Sachiko; Tanda, Koichi; Nishimura, Akira; Sato, Osamu; Morishita, Hiroyuki; Ito, Takaaki

2018-06-01

Pseudonormalization of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can lead to underestimation of brain injury in newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), posing a significant problem. We have noticed that some neonates show pseudonormalization negativity on diffusion-weighted imaging. To compare pseudonormalization negativity with clinical outcomes. Seventeen term neonates with moderate or severe HIE underwent therapeutic hypothermia. They were examined by MRI twice at mean ages of 3 days and 10 days. We evaluated the presence of restricted diffusion, and also the presence or absence of pseudonormalization, by diffusion-weighted imaging at the time of the second MRI, and correlated the results with clinical outcome. DWI demonstrated no abnormality in seven neonates. Among the 10 neonates with abnormal diffusion-weighted imaging findings, 2 were positive for pseudonormalization and 8 were negative. Among neonates with normal diffusion-weighted imaging findings and with positivity for pseudonormalization, none had major disability. Among the eight neonates with pseudonormalization negativity, all but one, who was lost to follow-up, had major disability. Abnormal diffusion-weighted imaging with pseudonormalization negativity might be predictive of severe brain injury and major disability. The second-week MRI is important for the judgment of pseudonormalization.

Location of core diagnostic information across various sequences in brain MRI and implications for efficiency of MRI scanner utilization.

PubMed

Sharma, Aseem; Chatterjee, Arindam; Goyal, Manu; Parsons, Matthew S; Bartel, Seth

2015-04-01

Targeting redundancy within MRI can improve its cost-effective utilization. We sought to quantify potential redundancy in our brain MRI protocols. In this retrospective review, we aggregated 207 consecutive adults who underwent brain MRI and reviewed their medical records to document clinical indication, core diagnostic information provided by MRI, and its clinical impact. Contributory imaging abnormalities constituted positive core diagnostic information whereas absence of imaging abnormalities constituted negative core diagnostic information. The senior author selected core sequences deemed sufficient for extraction of core diagnostic information. For validating core sequences selection, four readers assessed the relative ease of extracting core diagnostic information from the core sequences. Potential redundancy was calculated by comparing the average number of core sequences to the average number of sequences obtained. Scanning had been performed using 9.4±2.8 sequences over 37.3±12.3 minutes. Core diagnostic information was deemed extractable from 2.1±1.1 core sequences, with an assumed scanning time of 8.6±4.8 minutes, reflecting a potential redundancy of 74.5%±19.1%. Potential redundancy was least in scans obtained for treatment planning (14.9%±25.7%) and highest in scans obtained for follow-up of benign diseases (81.4%±12.6%). In 97.4% of cases, all four readers considered core diagnostic information to be either easily extractable from core sequences or the ease to be equivalent to that from the entire study. With only one MRI lacking clinical impact (0.48%), overutilization did not seem to contribute to potential redundancy. High potential redundancy that can be targeted for more efficient scanner utilization exists in brain MRI protocols.

The Application of MRI for Depiction of Subtle Blood Brain Barrier Disruption in Stroke

PubMed Central

Israeli, David; Tanne, David; Daniels, Dianne; Last, David; Shneor, Ran; Guez, David; Landau, Efrat; Roth, Yiftach; Ocherashvilli, Aharon; Bakon, Mati; Hoffman, Chen; Weinberg, Amit; Volk, Talila; Mardor, Yael

2011-01-01

The development of imaging methodologies for detecting blood-brain-barrier (BBB) disruption may help predict stroke patient's propensity to develop hemorrhagic complications following reperfusion. We have developed a delayed contrast extravasation MRI-based methodology enabling real-time depiction of subtle BBB abnormalities in humans with high sensitivity to BBB disruption and high spatial resolution. The increased sensitivity to subtle BBB disruption is obtained by acquiring T1-weighted MRI at relatively long delays (~15 minutes) after contrast injection and subtracting from them images acquired immediately after contrast administration. In addition, the relatively long delays allow for acquisition of high resolution images resulting in high resolution BBB disruption maps. The sensitivity is further increased by image preprocessing with corrections for intensity variations and with whole body (rigid+elastic) registration. Since only two separate time points are required, the time between the two acquisitions can be used for acquiring routine clinical data, keeping the total imaging time to a minimum. A proof of concept study was performed in 34 patients with ischemic stroke and 2 patients with brain metastases undergoing high resolution T1-weighted MRI acquired at 3 time points after contrast injection. The MR images were pre-processed and subtracted to produce BBB disruption maps. BBB maps of patients with brain metastases and ischemic stroke presented different patterns of BBB opening. The significant advantage of the long extravasation time was demonstrated by a dynamic-contrast-enhancement study performed continuously for 18 min. The high sensitivity of our methodology enabled depiction of clear BBB disruption in 27% of the stroke patients who did not have abnormalities on conventional contrast-enhanced MRI. In 36% of the patients, who had abnormalities detectable by conventional MRI, the BBB disruption volumes were significantly larger in the maps than in conventional MRI. These results demonstrate the advantages of delayed contrast extravasation in increasing the sensitivity to subtle BBB disruption in ischemic stroke patients. The calculated disruption maps provide clear depiction of significant volumes of BBB disruption unattainable by conventional contrast-enhanced MRI. PMID:21209786

The application of MRI for depiction of subtle blood brain barrier disruption in stroke.

PubMed

Israeli, David; Tanne, David; Daniels, Dianne; Last, David; Shneor, Ran; Guez, David; Landau, Efrat; Roth, Yiftach; Ocherashvilli, Aharon; Bakon, Mati; Hoffman, Chen; Weinberg, Amit; Volk, Talila; Mardor, Yael

2010-12-26

The development of imaging methodologies for detecting blood-brain-barrier (BBB) disruption may help predict stroke patient's propensity to develop hemorrhagic complications following reperfusion. We have developed a delayed contrast extravasation MRI-based methodology enabling real-time depiction of subtle BBB abnormalities in humans with high sensitivity to BBB disruption and high spatial resolution. The increased sensitivity to subtle BBB disruption is obtained by acquiring T1-weighted MRI at relatively long delays (~15 minutes) after contrast injection and subtracting from them images acquired immediately after contrast administration. In addition, the relatively long delays allow for acquisition of high resolution images resulting in high resolution BBB disruption maps. The sensitivity is further increased by image preprocessing with corrections for intensity variations and with whole body (rigid+elastic) registration. Since only two separate time points are required, the time between the two acquisitions can be used for acquiring routine clinical data, keeping the total imaging time to a minimum. A proof of concept study was performed in 34 patients with ischemic stroke and 2 patients with brain metastases undergoing high resolution T1-weighted MRI acquired at 3 time points after contrast injection. The MR images were pre-processed and subtracted to produce BBB disruption maps. BBB maps of patients with brain metastases and ischemic stroke presented different patterns of BBB opening. The significant advantage of the long extravasation time was demonstrated by a dynamic-contrast-enhancement study performed continuously for 18 min. The high sensitivity of our methodology enabled depiction of clear BBB disruption in 27% of the stroke patients who did not have abnormalities on conventional contrast-enhanced MRI. In 36% of the patients, who had abnormalities detectable by conventional MRI, the BBB disruption volumes were significantly larger in the maps than in conventional MRI. These results demonstrate the advantages of delayed contrast extravasation in increasing the sensitivity to subtle BBB disruption in ischemic stroke patients. The calculated disruption maps provide clear depiction of significant volumes of BBB disruption unattainable by conventional contrast-enhanced MRI.

Value of brain MRI when sonography raises suspicion of agenesis of the corpus callosum in fetuses.

PubMed

Jarre, A; Llorens Salvador, R; Montoliu Fornas, G; Montoya Filardi, A

To evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in fetuses with a previous sonographic suspicion of agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) to confirm the diagnosis and to detect associated intracranial anomalies. Single-center retrospective and descriptive observational study of the brain MRI performed in 78 fetuses with ACC sonographic suspicion between January 2006 and December 2015. Two experts in fetal imaging reviewed the MRI findings to evaluate the presence and morphology of the corpus callosum. When ACC was detected the whole fetal brain anatomy was thoroughly studied to determine the presence of associated anomalies. Prenatal MR imaging findings were compared to postnatal brain MRI or necropsy findings when available. Fetal MRI diagnosed 45 cases of ACC, 12 were partial (26.7%) and 33 complete (73.3%). In 28 cases (62,2%) associated intracranial anomalies were identified. The most often abnormality was ventriculomegaly (78,6%), followed by cortical malformations (53,6%), posterior fossa (25%) and midline anomalies (10,7%). Fetal brain MRI has an important role in the diagnosis of ACC and detection of associated anomalies. To perform a fetal brain MRI is important in fetuses with sonographic suspicion of ACC. Copyright © 2017 SERAM. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Absence of gender effect on children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as assessed by optimized voxel-based morphometry.

PubMed

Yang, Pinchen; Wang, Pei-Ning; Chuang, Kai-Hsiang; Jong, Yuh-Jyh; Chao, Tzu-Cheng; Wu, Ming-Ting

2008-12-30

Brain abnormalities, as determined by structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have been reported in patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); however, female subjects have been underrepresented in previous reports. In this study, we used optimized voxel-based morphometry to compare the total and regional gray matter volumes between groups of 7- to 17-year-old ADHD and healthy children (total 114 subjects). Fifty-seven children with ADHD (n=57, 35 males and 22 females) and healthy children (n=57) received MRI scans. Segmented brain MRI images were normalized into standardized stereotactic space, modulated to allow volumetric analysis, smoothed and compared at the voxel level with statistical parametric mapping. Global volumetric comparisons between groups revealed that the total brain volumes of ADHD children were smaller than those of the control children. As for the regional brain analysis, the brain volumes of ADHD children were found to be bilaterally smaller in the following regions as compared with normal control values: the caudate nucleus and the cerebellum. There were two clusters of regional decrease in the female brain, left posterior cingulum and right precuneus, as compared with the male brain. Brain regions showing the interaction effect of diagnosis and gender were negligible. These results were consistent with the hypothesized dysfunctional systems in ADHD, and they also suggested that neuroanatomical abnormalities in ADHD were not influenced by gender.

Subtle Hemorrhagic Brain Injury is Associated with Neurodevelopmental Impairment in Infants with Repaired Congenital Heart Disease

PubMed Central

Soul, Janet S.; Robertson, Richard L.; Wypij, David; Bellinger, David C.; Visconti, Karen J.; du Plessis, Adré J.; Kussman, Barry D.; Scoppettuolo, Lisa A.; Pigula, Frank; Jonas, Richard A.; Newburger, Jane W.

2009-01-01

Objective Perioperative stroke and periventricular leukomalacia have been reported to occur commonly in infants with congenital heart disease. We aimed to determine the incidence and type of brain injury in infants undergoing two-ventricle repair in infancy and to determine risk factors associated with such injury. Methods Forty-eight infants enrolled in a trial comparing two different hematocrits during surgical repair of congenital heart disease underwent brain MRI scans and neurodevelopmental testing at one year of age. Results Eighteen (38%) of our subjects had tiny foci of hemosiderin by susceptibility imaging, without evidence of abnormalities in corresponding regions on conventional MRI sequences. Subjects who had foci of hemosiderin had a significantly lower Psychomotor Developmental Index at one year of age (79.6 ± 16.5, mean ± SD) compared with subjects who did not have these foci (89.5 ± 15.3; p=0.04). Older age at surgery and diagnostic group were significantly associated with presence of hemosiderin foci. Only one subject had a small stroke (2%) and two had periventricular leukomalacia (4%). Conclusions Foci of hemosiderin without radiologic evidence of ischemic brain injury are an abnormality associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcome not previously described in MRI studies of children with surgically repaired congenital heart disease. The association of hemosiderin foci with older age at surgery and cardiac diagnosis and not risk factors associated with brain injury in previous studies suggests that the etiology and pathogenesis of this abnormality is different from ischemic brain lesions reported previously. PMID:19619781

Decreased Complexity in Alzheimer's Disease: Resting-State fMRI Evidence of Brain Entropy Mapping.

PubMed

Wang, Bin; Niu, Yan; Miao, Liwen; Cao, Rui; Yan, Pengfei; Guo, Hao; Li, Dandan; Guo, Yuxiang; Yan, Tianyi; Wu, Jinglong; Xiang, Jie; Zhang, Hui

2017-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a frequently observed, irreversible brain function disorder among elderly individuals. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has been introduced as an alternative approach to assessing brain functional abnormalities in AD patients. However, alterations in the brain rs-fMRI signal complexities in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD patients remain unclear. Here, we described the novel application of permutation entropy (PE) to investigate the abnormal complexity of rs-fMRI signals in MCI and AD patients. The rs-fMRI signals of 30 normal controls (NCs), 33 early MCI (EMCI), 32 late MCI (LMCI), and 29 AD patients were obtained from the Alzheimer's disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. After preprocessing, whole-brain entropy maps of the four groups were extracted and subjected to Gaussian smoothing. We performed a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the brain entropy maps of the four groups. The results after adjusting for age and sex differences together revealed that the patients with AD exhibited lower complexity than did the MCI and NC controls. We found five clusters that exhibited significant differences and were distributed primarily in the occipital, frontal, and temporal lobes. The average PE of the five clusters exhibited a decreasing trend from MCI to AD. The AD group exhibited the least complexity. Additionally, the average PE of the five clusters was significantly positively correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores and significantly negatively correlated with Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ) scores and global Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scores in the patient groups. Significant correlations were also found between the PE and regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the patient groups. These results indicated that declines in PE might be related to changes in regional functional homogeneity in AD. These findings suggested that complexity analyses using PE in rs-fMRI signals can provide important information about the fMRI characteristics of cognitive impairments in MCI and AD.

Decreased Complexity in Alzheimer's Disease: Resting-State fMRI Evidence of Brain Entropy Mapping

PubMed Central

Wang, Bin; Niu, Yan; Miao, Liwen; Cao, Rui; Yan, Pengfei; Guo, Hao; Li, Dandan; Guo, Yuxiang; Yan, Tianyi; Wu, Jinglong; Xiang, Jie; Zhang, Hui

2017-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a frequently observed, irreversible brain function disorder among elderly individuals. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has been introduced as an alternative approach to assessing brain functional abnormalities in AD patients. However, alterations in the brain rs-fMRI signal complexities in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD patients remain unclear. Here, we described the novel application of permutation entropy (PE) to investigate the abnormal complexity of rs-fMRI signals in MCI and AD patients. The rs-fMRI signals of 30 normal controls (NCs), 33 early MCI (EMCI), 32 late MCI (LMCI), and 29 AD patients were obtained from the Alzheimer's disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. After preprocessing, whole-brain entropy maps of the four groups were extracted and subjected to Gaussian smoothing. We performed a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the brain entropy maps of the four groups. The results after adjusting for age and sex differences together revealed that the patients with AD exhibited lower complexity than did the MCI and NC controls. We found five clusters that exhibited significant differences and were distributed primarily in the occipital, frontal, and temporal lobes. The average PE of the five clusters exhibited a decreasing trend from MCI to AD. The AD group exhibited the least complexity. Additionally, the average PE of the five clusters was significantly positively correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores and significantly negatively correlated with Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ) scores and global Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scores in the patient groups. Significant correlations were also found between the PE and regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the patient groups. These results indicated that declines in PE might be related to changes in regional functional homogeneity in AD. These findings suggested that complexity analyses using PE in rs-fMRI signals can provide important information about the fMRI characteristics of cognitive impairments in MCI and AD. PMID:29209199

Abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging in two patients with Smith-Magenis syndrome.

PubMed

Maya, Idit; Vinkler, Chana; Konen, Osnat; Kornreich, Liora; Steinberg, Tamar; Yeshaya, Josepha; Latarowski, Victoria; Shohat, Mordechai; Lev, Dorit; Baris, Hagit N

2014-08-01

Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) is a clinically recognizable contiguous gene syndrome ascribed to an interstitial deletion in chromosome 17p11.2. Seventy percent of SMS patients have a common deletion interval spanning 3.5 megabases (Mb). Clinical features of SMS include characteristic mild dysmorphic features, ocular anomalies, short stature, brachydactyly, and hypotonia. SMS patients have a unique neurobehavioral phenotype that includes intellectual disability, self-injurious behavior and severe sleep disturbance. Little has been reported in the medical literature about anatomical brain anomalies in patients with SMS. Here we describe two patients with SMS caused by the common deletion in 17p11.2 diagnosed using chromosomal microarray (CMA). Both patients had a typical clinical presentation and abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. One patient had subependymal periventricular gray matter heterotopia, and the second had a thin corpus callosum, a thin brain stem and hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis. This report discusses the possible abnormal MRI images in SMS and reviews the literature on brain malformations in SMS. Finally, although structural brain malformations in SMS patients are not a common feature, we suggest baseline routine brain imaging in patients with SMS in particular, and in patients with chromosomal microdeletion/microduplication syndromes in general. Structural brain malformations in these patients may affect the decision-making process regarding their management. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Neurocognitive and MRI Outcomes of West Nile Virus Infection: Preliminary Analysis Using an External Control Group.

PubMed

Murray, Kristy O; Nolan, Melissa S; Ronca, Shannon E; Datta, Sushmita; Govindarajan, Koushik; Narayana, Ponnada A; Salazar, Lucrecia; Woods, Steven P; Hasbun, Rodrigo

2018-01-01

To understand the long-term neurological outcomes resultant of West Nile virus (WNV) infection, participants from a previously established, prospective WNV cohort were invited to take part in a comprehensive neurologic and neurocognitive examination. Those with an abnormal exam finding were invited for MRI to evaluate cortical thinning and regional brain atrophy following infection. Correlations of presenting clinical syndrome with neurologic and neurocognitive dysfunctions were evaluated, as well as correlations of neurocognitive outcomes with MRI results. From 2002 to 2012, a total of 262 participants with a history of WNV infection were enrolled as research participants in a longitudinal cohort study, and 117 completed comprehensive neurologic and neurocognitive evaluations. Abnormal neurological exam findings were identified in 49% (57/117) of participants, with most abnormalities being unilateral. The most common abnormalities included decreased strength (26%; 30/117), abnormal reflexes (14%; 16/117), and tremors (10%; 12/117). Weakness and decreased reflexes were consistent with lower motor neuron damage in a significant proportion of patients. We observed a 22% overall rate of impairment on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), with impairments observed in immediate (31%) and delayed memory (25%). On MRI, participants showed significant cortical thinning as compared to age- and gender-matched controls in both hemispheres, with affected regions primarily occurring in the frontal and limbic cortices. Regional atrophy occurred in the cerebellum, brain stem, thalamus, putamen, and globus pallidus. This study provides valuable new information regarding the neurological outcomes following WNV infection, with MRI evidence of significant cortical thinning and regional atrophy; however, it is important to note that the results may include systemic bias due to the external control group. Considering no effective treatment measures are available, strategies to prevent infection are key.

Brain Abnormalities in Congenital Fibrosis of the Extraocular Muscles Type 1: A Multimodal MRI Imaging Study.

PubMed

Miao, Wen; Man, Fengyuan; Wu, Shaoqin; Lv, Bin; Wang, Zhenchang; Xian, Junfang; Sabel, Bernhard A; He, Huiguang; Jiao, Yonghong

2015-01-01

To explore the possible brain structural and functional alterations in congenital fibrosis of extraocular muscles type 1 (CFEOM1) patients using multimodal MRI imaging. T1-weighted, diffusion tensor images and functional MRI data were obtained from 9 KIF21A positive patients and 19 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Voxel based morphometry and tract based spatial statistics were applied to the T1-weighted and diffusion tensor images, respectively. Amplitude of low frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity were used to process the functional MRI data. We then compared these multimodal characteristics between CFEOM1 patients and healthy controls. Compared with healthy controls, CFEOM1 patients demonstrated increased grey matter volume in bilateral frontal orbital cortex and in the right temporal pole. No diffusion indices changes were detected, indicating unaffected white matter microstructure. In addition, from resting state functional MRI data, trend of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations increases were noted in the right inferior parietal lobe and in the right frontal cortex, and a trend of ReHo increase (p<0.001 uncorrected) in the left precentral gyrus, left orbital frontal cortex, temporal pole and cingulate gyrus. CFEOM1 patients had structural and functional changes in grey matter, but the white matter was unaffected. These alterations in the brain may be due to the abnormality of extraocular muscles and their innervating nerves. Future studies should consider the possible correlations between brain morphological/functional findings and clinical data, especially pertaining to eye movements, to obtain more precise answers about the role of brain area changes and their functional consequence in CFEOM1.

Clinical image and pathology of hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis.

PubMed

Shi, C H; Niu, S T; Zhang, Z Q

2014-12-12

The objective of this study was to examine the clinical findings, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), pathological features, and treatment experiments of patients with hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis (HCP). The clinical findings, MRI, and pathological appearances of 9 patients with HCP were analyzed retrospectively. The thickened dura mater was markedly enhanced after contrast media injection. The lesion near the brain hemisphere presented long regions of T1- and T2-weighted abnormal signal intensities. The abnormal signal intensities of the brain tissue were decreased significantly. Pathological examination demonstrated chronic inflammation changes, with cerebral dura mater fibrous tissue showing obvious hyperplasia, and the periphery of the blood vessel showing a great quantity of infiltrating phlegmonosis cells. HCP mainly presents headache and paralysis of multiple cranial nerves. The distinctive signs on brain MRIs involve strengthening the signal in the cerebral dura.

Changes in Gray Matter Density, Regional Homogeneity, and Functional Connectivity in Methamphetamine-Associated Psychosis: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Study.

PubMed

Zhang, Shengyu; Hu, Qiang; Tang, Tao; Liu, Chao; Li, Chengchong; Zang, Yin-Yin; Cai, Wei-Xiong

2018-06-13

BACKGROUND Using regional homogeneity (ReHo) blood oxygen level-dependent functional MR (BOLD-fMRI), we investigated the structural and functional alterations of brain regions among patients with methamphetamine-associated psychosis (MAP). MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study included 17 MAP patients, 16 schizophrenia (SCZ) patients, and 18 healthy controls. Informed consent was obtained from all patients before the clinical assessment, the severity of clinical symptoms was evaluated prior to the fMRI scanning, and then images were acquired and preprocessed after each participant received 6-min fRMI scanning. The participants all underwent BOLD-fMRI scanning. Voxel-based morphometry was used to measure gray matter density (GMD). Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) was conducted to analyze functional MR, ReHo, and functional connectivity (FC). RESULTS GMD analysis results suggest that MAP patients, SCZ patients, and healthy volunteers show different GMDs within different brain regions. Similarly, the ReHo analysis results suggest that MAP patients, SCZ patients, and healthy volunteers have different GMDs within different brain regions. Negative correlations were found between ReHo- and the PANSS-positive scores within the left orbital interior frontal gyrus (L-orb-IFG) of MAP patients. ReHo- and PANSS-negative scores of R-SFG were negatively correlated among SCZ patients. The abnormal FC of R-MFG showed a negative correlation with the PANSS score among MAP patients. CONCLUSIONS The abnormalities in brain structure and FC were associated with the development of MAP.

Aberrant Intrinsic Activity and Connectivity in Cognitively Normal Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Harrington, Deborah L; Shen, Qian; Castillo, Gabriel N; Filoteo, J Vincent; Litvan, Irene; Takahashi, Colleen; French, Chelsea

2017-01-01

Disturbances in intrinsic activity during resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD), but have largely been studied in a priori defined subnetworks. The cognitive significance of abnormal intrinsic activity is also poorly understood, as are abnormalities that precede the onset of mild cognitive impairment. To address these limitations, we leveraged three different analytic approaches to identify disturbances in rsfMRI metrics in 31 cognitively normal PD patients (PD-CN) and 30 healthy adults. Subjects were screened for mild cognitive impairment using the Movement Disorders Society Task Force Level II criteria. Whole-brain data-driven analytic approaches first analyzed the amplitude of low-frequency intrinsic fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo), a measure of local connectivity amongst functionally similar regions. We then examined if regional disturbances in these metrics altered functional connectivity with other brain regions. We also investigated if abnormal rsfMRI metrics in PD-CN were related to brain atrophy and executive, visual organization, and episodic memory functioning. The results revealed abnormally increased and decreased ALFF and ReHo in PD-CN patients within the default mode network (posterior cingulate, inferior parietal cortex, parahippocampus, entorhinal cortex), sensorimotor cortex (primary motor, pre/post-central gyrus), basal ganglia (putamen, caudate), and posterior cerebellar lobule VII, which mediates cognition. For default mode network regions, we also observed a compound profile of altered ALFF and ReHo. Most regional disturbances in ALFF and ReHo were associated with strengthened long-range interactions in PD-CN, notably with regions in different networks. Stronger long-range functional connectivity in PD-CN was also partly expanded to connections that were outside the networks of the control group. Abnormally increased activity and functional connectivity appeared to have a pathological, rather than compensatory influence on cognitive abilities tested in this study. Receiver operating curve analyses demonstrated excellent sensitivity (≥90%) of rsfMRI variables in distinguishing patients from controls, but poor accuracy for brain volume and cognitive variables. Altogether these results provide new insights into the topology, cognitive relevance, and sensitivity of aberrant intrinsic activity and connectivity that precedes clinically significant cognitive impairment. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine if these neurocognitive associations presage the development of future mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

Subcortical heterotopia appearing as huge midline mass in the newborn brain.

PubMed

Fukumura, Shinobu; Watanabe, Toshihide; Kimura, Sachiko; Ochi, Satoko; Yoshifuji, Kazuhisa; Tsutsumi, Hiroyuki

2016-02-01

We report the case of a 2-year-old boy who showed a huge midline mass in the brain at prenatal assessment. After birth, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a conglomerate mass with an infolded microgyrus at the midline, which was suspected as a midline brain-in-brain malformation. MRI also showed incomplete cleavage of his frontal cortex and thalamus, consistent with lobar holoprosencephaly. The patient underwent an incisional biopsy of the mass on the second day of life. The mass consisted of normal central nervous tissue with gray and white matter, representing a heterotopic brain. The malformation was considered to be a subcortical heterotopia. With maturity, focal signal changes and decreased cerebral perfusion became clear on brain imaging, suggesting secondary glial degeneration. Coincident with these MRI abnormalities, the child developed psychomotor retardation and severe epilepsy focused on the side of the intracranial mass.

Decision-making deficit of a patient with axonal damage after traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Yasuno, Fumihiko; Matsuoka, Kiwamu; Kitamura, Soichiro; Kiuchi, Kuniaki; Kosaka, Jun; Okada, Koji; Tanaka, Syohei; Shinkai, Takayuki; Taoka, Toshiaki; Kishimoto, Toshifumi

2014-02-01

Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) were reported to have difficulty making advantageous decisions, but the underlying deficits of the network of brain areas involved in this process were not directly examined. We report a patient with TBI who demonstrated problematic behavior in situations of risk and complexity after cerebral injury from a traffic accident. The Iowa gambling task (IGT) was used to reveal his deficits in the decision-making process. To examine underlying deficits of the network of brain areas, we examined T1-weighted structural MRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and Tc-ECD SPECT in this patient. The patient showed abnormality in IGT. DTI-MRI results showed a significant decrease in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the fasciculus between the brain stem and cortical regions via the thalamus. He showed significant decrease in gray matter volumes in the bilateral insular cortex, hypothalamus, and posterior cingulate cortex, possibly reflecting Wallerian degeneration secondary to the fasciculus abnormalities. SPECT showed significant blood flow decrease in the broad cortical areas including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VM). Our study showed that the patient had dysfunctional decision-making process. Microstructural abnormality in the fasciculus, likely from the traffic accident, caused reduced afferent feedback to the brain, resulting in less efficient decision-making. Our findings support the somatic-marker hypothesis (SMH), where somatic feedback to the brain influences the decision-making process. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Brain structure analysis for patients with antisocial personality disorder by MRI].

PubMed

Jiang, Weixiong; Liao, Jian; Liu, Huasheng; Huang, Renzhi; Li, Yongfan; Wang, Wei

2015-02-01

To investigate the structural abnormalities of brain in patients with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) but without alcoholism and drug abuse. Volunteers from Hunan Reformatory (n=36) and the matched healthy subjects (n=26) were examined by high-spatial resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Voxel-based morphometry and fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were generated for each subject to reveal structural abnormalities in patients with ASPD. Compared with the healthy controls, ASPD patients showed significantly higher gray matter volumes in the inferior parietal lobule (P≤0.001, uncorrected), white matter volumes in the precuneus (P≤0.001, uncorrected), FA in the left lingual gyrus, bilateral precuneus, right superior frontal gyrus and right middle temporal gyrus (P≤0.01, uncorrected). Our results revealed the abnormal neuroanatomical features in ASPD patients, which might be related to the external behavioral traits in ASPD patients.

Structural Image Analysis of the Brain in Neuropsychology Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Techniques.

PubMed

Bigler, Erin D

2015-09-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain provides exceptional image quality for visualization and neuroanatomical classification of brain structure. A variety of image analysis techniques provide both qualitative as well as quantitative methods to relate brain structure with neuropsychological outcome and are reviewed herein. Of particular importance are more automated methods that permit analysis of a broad spectrum of anatomical measures including volume, thickness and shape. The challenge for neuropsychology is which metric to use, for which disorder and the timing of when image analysis methods are applied to assess brain structure and pathology. A basic overview is provided as to the anatomical and pathoanatomical relations of different MRI sequences in assessing normal and abnormal findings. Some interpretive guidelines are offered including factors related to similarity and symmetry of typical brain development along with size-normalcy features of brain anatomy related to function. The review concludes with a detailed example of various quantitative techniques applied to analyzing brain structure for neuropsychological outcome studies in traumatic brain injury.

Thalamofrontal neurodevelopment in new-onset pediatric idiopathic generalized epilepsy

PubMed Central

Dabbs, K.; Tuchsherer, V.; Sheth, R.D.; Koehn, M.A.; Hermann, B.P.; Seidenberg, M.

2011-01-01

Background: Quantitative MRI techniques have demonstrated thalamocortical abnormalities in idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). However, there are few studies examining IGE early in its course and the neurodevelopmental course of this region is not adequately defined. Objective: We examined the 2-year developmental course of the thalamus and frontal lobes in pediatric new-onset IGE (i.e., within 12 months of diagnosis). Methods: We performed whole-brain MRI in 22 patients with new-onset IGE and 36 age-matched healthy controls. MRI was repeated 24 months after baseline MRI. Quantitative volumetrics were used to examine thalamic and frontal lobe volumes. Results: The IGE group showed significant differences in thalamic volume within 1 year of seizure onset (baseline) and went on to show thalamic volume loss at a significantly faster rate than healthy control children over the 2-year interval. The control group also showed a significantly greater increase in frontal white matter expansion than the IGE group. In contrast, frontal lobe gray matter volume differences were moderate at baseline and persisted over time, indicating similar developmental trajectories with differences early in the disease process that are maintained. Conclusions: Brain tissue abnormalities in thalamic and frontal regions can be identified very early in the course of IGE and an abnormal trajectory of growth continues over a 2-year interval. PMID:21205692

Thalamofrontal neurodevelopment in new-onset pediatric idiopathic generalized epilepsy.

PubMed

Pulsipher, D T; Dabbs, K; Tuchsherer, V; Sheth, R D; Koehn, M A; Hermann, B P; Seidenberg, M

2011-01-04

Quantitative MRI techniques have demonstrated thalamocortical abnormalities in idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). However, there are few studies examining IGE early in its course and the neurodevelopmental course of this region is not adequately defined. We examined the 2-year developmental course of the thalamus and frontal lobes in pediatric new-onset IGE (i.e., within 12 months of diagnosis). We performed whole-brain MRI in 22 patients with new-onset IGE and 36 age-matched healthy controls. MRI was repeated 24 months after baseline MRI. Quantitative volumetrics were used to examine thalamic and frontal lobe volumes. The IGE group showed significant differences in thalamic volume within 1 year of seizure onset (baseline) and went on to show thalamic volume loss at a significantly faster rate than healthy control children over the 2-year interval. The control group also showed a significantly greater increase in frontal white matter expansion than the IGE group. In contrast, frontal lobe gray matter volume differences were moderate at baseline and persisted over time, indicating similar developmental trajectories with differences early in the disease process that are maintained. Brain tissue abnormalities in thalamic and frontal regions can be identified very early in the course of IGE and an abnormal trajectory of growth continues over a 2-year interval.

Abnormal resting-state brain activities in patients with first-episode obsessive-compulsive disorder

PubMed Central

Niu, Qihui; Yang, Lei; Song, Xueqin; Chu, Congying; Liu, Hao; Zhang, Lifang; Li, Yan; Zhang, Xiang; Cheng, Jingliang; Li, Youhui

2017-01-01

Objective This paper attempts to explore the brain activity of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and its correlation with the disease at resting duration in patients with first-episode OCD, providing a forceful imaging basis for clinic diagnosis and pathogenesis of OCD. Methods Twenty-six patients with first-episode OCD and 25 healthy controls (HC group; matched for age, sex, and education level) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning at resting state. Statistical parametric mapping 8, data processing assistant for resting-state fMRI analysis toolkit, and resting state fMRI data analysis toolkit packages were used to process the fMRI data on Matlab 2012a platform, and the difference of regional homogeneity (ReHo) values between the OCD group and HC group was detected with independent two-sample t-test. With age as a concomitant variable, the Pearson correlation analysis was adopted to study the correlation between the disease duration and ReHo value of whole brain. Results Compared with HC group, the ReHo values in OCD group were decreased in brain regions, including left thalamus, right thalamus, right paracentral lobule, right postcentral gyrus, and the ReHo value was increased in the left angular gyrus region. There was a negative correlation between disease duration and ReHo value in the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Conclusion OCD is a multifactorial disease generally caused by abnormal activities of many brain regions at resting state. Worse brain activity of the OFC is related to the OCD duration, which provides a new insight to the pathogenesis of OCD. PMID:28243104

A Significant Proportion of Pediatric Morphea En Coup De Sabre and Parry-Romberg Syndrome Patients Have Neuroimaging Findings

PubMed Central

Chiu, Yvonne E.; Vora, Sheetal; Kwon, Eun-Kyung M.; Maheshwari, Mohit

2012-01-01

Background/Objectives En coup de sabre (ECDS) and Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS) are variants of linear morphea on the head and neck that can be associated with neurologic manifestations. Intracranial abnormalities on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be present in a significant proportion of patients. Methods We describe 32 pediatric patients from our institution with ECDS or PRS, in whom neuroimaging was performed in 21 cases. We also review 51 additional patients from the literature. Results Nineteen percent of the children at our institution had intracranial abnormalities on MRI, half of whom were asymptomatic. Hyperintensities on T2-weighted sequences were the most common finding, present in all patients who had intracranial abnormalities on MRI. Seizures and headaches were the most common neurologic symptom, affecting 13% and 9% of our population, respectively. The presence of neurologic symptoms was not correlated with neuroimaging abnormalities as 2 asymptomatic patients had marked MRI findings, while the MRI was abnormal in only 2/9 symptomatic patients. Similarly, the severity of the superficial disease did not predict neurologic involvement; a patient with subtle skin involvement had striking MRI findings and seizures while another patient with a bony defect had no brain parenchymal involvement. Conclusions Neurologic symptoms and neuroimaging abnormalities are found in a surprisingly substantial percentage of children with ECDS and PRS. Early recognition of neurologic involvement is necessary as it affects treatment choices. As clinical predictors of intracranial abnormalities are poor, strong consideration should be given to obtaining an MRI prior to treatment initiation to assist in management decisions and establish a baseline examination. PMID:23106674

Effect of growth hormone deficiency on brain MRI findings among children with growth restrictions.

PubMed

Naderi, Fariba; Eslami, Samira Rajabi; Mirak, Sohrab Afshari; Khak, Mohammad; Amiri, Jalaladin; Beyrami, Bahram; Shekarchi, Babak; Poureisa, Masoud

2015-01-01

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a major problem among children with short stature. In this study, the role of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in defining the underlying defects among short children with GHD is evaluated. In a cross-sectional study, data of 158 children were evaluated. Growth hormone (GH) levels were measured using stimulating tests and brain MRI with gadolinium contrast was applied, as well. Some 25.3% of patients had GHD with a mean age of 8.01±3.40 years. MRI results showed 35 as normal, four with pituitary hypoplasia, and one with microadenoma. The MRI results were significantly associated with GH levels and presence of other endocrine disorders. There was a significant association between prenatal disorders and patients' bone age delay. In patients with severe GHD and patients with multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies, MRI is more likely to be abnormal, and bone age is much delayed in patients with history of prenatal disorders.

Differential diagnosis of ventriculomegaly and brainstem kinking on fetal MRI.

PubMed

Amir, Tali; Poretti, Andrea; Boltshauser, Eugen; Huisman, Thierry A G M

2016-01-01

Fetal ventriculomegaly is a common and frequently leading neuroimaging finding in complex brain malformations. Here we report on pre- and postnatal neuroimaging findings in three fetuses with prenatal ventriculomegaly and brainstem kinking. We aim to identify key neuroimaging features that may allow the prenatal differentiation between diseases associated with fetal ventriculomegaly and brainstem kinking. All pre- and postnatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were qualitatively evaluated for infra- and supratentorial abnormalities. Data about clinical features and genetic findings were collected from clinical histories. In all three patients, fetal MRI showed ventriculomegaly and brainstem kinking. In two patients, postnatal MRI also showed supratentorial migration abnormalities and eye abnormalities were found. In these children, the diagnosis of α-dystroglycanopathy was genetically confirmed. In the third patient, basal ganglia had an abnormal shape on MRI suggesting a tubulinopathy. The differential diagnosis of prenatal ventriculomegaly and brainstem kinking includes α-dystroglycanopathies, X-linked hydrocephalus due to mutations in L1CAM, and tubulinopathies. The prenatal differentiation between these diseases may be difficult. The presence of ocular abnormalities on prenatal neuroimaging may favor α-dystroglycanopathies, while dysplastic basal ganglia may suggest a tubulinopathy. However, in some patients the final differentiation between these diseases is possible only postnatally. Copyright © 2015 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abnormal brain functional connectivity leads to impaired mood and cognition in hyperthyroidism: a resting-state functional MRI study

PubMed Central

Li, Ling; Zhi, Mengmeng; Hou, Zhenghua; Zhang, Yuqun; Yue, Yingying; Yuan, Yonggui

2017-01-01

Patients with hyperthyroidism frequently have neuropsychiatric complaints such as lack of concentration, poor memory, depression, anxiety, nervousness, and irritability, suggesting brain dysfunction. However, the underlying process of these symptoms remains unclear. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), we depicted the altered graph theoretical metric degree centrality (DC) and seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (FC) in 33 hyperthyroid patients relative to 33 healthy controls. The peak points of significantly altered DC between the two groups were defined as the seed regions to calculate FC to the whole brain. Then, partial correlation analyses were performed between abnormal DC, FC and neuropsychological performances, as well as some clinical indexes. The decreased intrinsic functional connectivity in the posterior lobe of cerebellum (PLC) and medial frontal gyrus (MeFG), as well as the abnormal seed-based FC anchored in default mode network (DMN), attention network, visual network and cognitive network in this study, possibly constitutes the latent mechanism for emotional and cognitive changes in hyperthyroidism, including anxiety and impaired processing speed. PMID:28009983

Abnormal brain functional connectivity leads to impaired mood and cognition in hyperthyroidism: a resting-state functional MRI study.

PubMed

Li, Ling; Zhi, Mengmeng; Hou, Zhenghua; Zhang, Yuqun; Yue, Yingying; Yuan, Yonggui

2017-01-24

Patients with hyperthyroidism frequently have neuropsychiatric complaints such as lack of concentration, poor memory, depression, anxiety, nervousness, and irritability, suggesting brain dysfunction. However, the underlying process of these symptoms remains unclear. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), we depicted the altered graph theoretical metric degree centrality (DC) and seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (FC) in 33 hyperthyroid patients relative to 33 healthy controls. The peak points of significantly altered DC between the two groups were defined as the seed regions to calculate FC to the whole brain. Then, partial correlation analyses were performed between abnormal DC, FC and neuropsychological performances, as well as some clinical indexes. The decreased intrinsic functional connectivity in the posterior lobe of cerebellum (PLC) and medial frontal gyrus (MeFG), as well as the abnormal seed-based FC anchored in default mode network (DMN), attention network, visual network and cognitive network in this study, possibly constitutes the latent mechanism for emotional and cognitive changes in hyperthyroidism, including anxiety and impaired processing speed.

Comprehensive Review on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Alzheimer's Disease.

PubMed

Dona, Olga; Thompson, Jeff; Druchok, Cheryl

2016-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. However, definitive diagnosis of AD is only achievable postmortem and currently relies on clinical neurological evaluation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can evaluate brain changes typical of AD, including brain atrophy, presence of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques, and functional and biochemical abnormalities. Structural MRI (sMRI) has historically been used to assess the inherent brain atrophy present in AD. However, new techniques have recently emerged that have refined sMRI into a more precise tool to quantify the thickness and volume of AD-sensitive cerebral structures. Aβ plaques, a defining pathology of AD, are widely believed to contribute to the progressive cognitive decline in AD, but accurate assessment is only possible on autopsy. In vivo MRI of plaques, although currently limited to mouse models of AD, is a very promising technique. Measuring changes in activation and connectivity in AD-specific regions of the brain can be performed with functional MRI (fMRI). To help distinguish AD from diseases with similar symptoms, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) can be used to look for differing metabolite concentrations in vivo. Together, these MR techniques, evaluating various brain changes typical of AD, may help to provide a more definitive diagnosis and ease the assessment of the disease over time, noninvasively.

[Recent advances in newborn MRI].

PubMed

Morel, B; Hornoy, P; Husson, B; Bloch, I; Adamsbaum, C

2014-07-01

The accurate morphological exploration of the brain is a major challenge in neonatology that advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can now provide. MRI is the gold standard if an hypoxic ischemic pathology is suspected in a full term neonate. In prematures, the specific role of MRI remains to be defined, secondary to US in any case. We present a state of the art of hardware and software technical developments in MRI. The increase in magnetic field strength (3 tesla) and the emergence of new MRI sequences provide access to new information. They both have positive and negative consequences on the daily clinical data acquisition use. The semiology of brain imaging in full term newborns and prematures is more extensive and complex and thereby more difficult to interpret. The segmentation of different brain structures in the newborn, even very premature, is now available. It is now possible to dissociate the cortex and basal ganglia from the cerebral white matter, to calculate the volume of anatomical structures, which improves the morphometric quantification and the understanding of the normal and abnormal brain development. MRI is a powerful tool to analyze the neonatal brain. The relevance of the diagnostic contribution requires an adaptation of the parameters of the sequences to acquire and of the image processing methods. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Brain Abnormalities in Congenital Fibrosis of the Extraocular Muscles Type 1: A Multimodal MRI Imaging Study

PubMed Central

Wu, Shaoqin; Lv, Bin; Wang, Zhenchang; Xian, Junfang; Sabel, Bernhard A.; He, Huiguang; Jiao, Yonghong

2015-01-01

Purpose To explore the possible brain structural and functional alterations in congenital fibrosis of extraocular muscles type 1 (CFEOM1) patients using multimodal MRI imaging. Methods T1-weighted, diffusion tensor images and functional MRI data were obtained from 9 KIF21A positive patients and 19 age- and gender- matched healthy controls. Voxel based morphometry and tract based spatial statistics were applied to the T1-weighted and diffusion tensor images, respectively. Amplitude of low frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity were used to process the functional MRI data. We then compared these multimodal characteristics between CFEOM1 patients and healthy controls. Results Compared with healthy controls, CFEOM1 patients demonstrated increased grey matter volume in bilateral frontal orbital cortex and in the right temporal pole. No diffusion indices changes were detected, indicating unaffected white matter microstructure. In addition, from resting state functional MRI data, trend of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations increases were noted in the right inferior parietal lobe and in the right frontal cortex, and a trend of ReHo increase (p<0.001 uncorrected) in the left precentral gyrus, left orbital frontal cortex, temporal pole and cingulate gyrus. Conclusions CFEOM1 patients had structural and functional changes in grey matter, but the white matter was unaffected. These alterations in the brain may be due to the abnormality of extraocular muscles and their innervating nerves. Future studies should consider the possible correlations between brain morphological/functional findings and clinical data, especially pertaining to eye movements, to obtain more precise answers about the role of brain area changes and their functional consequence in CFEOM1. PMID:26186732

MRI correlates of alien leg-like phenomenon in corticobasal degeneration.

PubMed

Hu, William T; Josephs, Keith A; Ahlskog, J Eric; Shin, Cheolsu; Boeve, Bradley F; Witte, Robert J

2005-07-01

We describe the clinical and neuroradiologic correlates in two patients with the clinical picture of CBD and alien leg phenomena. The MRI brain scan in both had unique focal abnormalities in the corresponding leg area of the homunculus that may be the substrate for the alien limb features. Copyright 2005 Movement Disorder Society.

Diffuse myelitis after treatment of cerebral aspergillosis in an immune competent patient.

PubMed

Mollahoseini, Reza; Nikoobakht, Mahdi

2011-01-01

Presentation of an unusual case of cerebral aspergillosis in an immune competent patient who was treated successfully but symptoms and signs of a demyelinating process following initial recovery has been occurred. A 29-year-old male with focal seizure. Brain MRI revealed small multiple hemispheric and dural lesions. An open biopsy was conducted. Histological evaluation revealed hyphe-like structure in the necrotic area, within vessel walls, and lumina, suggestive aspergillus fumigatus . Furthermore, brancheal hyphae in potassium hydrxide 15% and colonies on sabourud dextrose agar were observed. Based of the above findings the patient underwent anti fungal therapy. The patient recovered and continued a normal life however a follow up MRI was performed after 3 months from recovery. No significant abnormality was observed from the MRI procedure. One month later the patient developed signs and symptoms of spinal cord involvement which seemed to be the result of myelitis. A brain MR showed no abnormalities .Therefore it seemed reasonable to administer corticosteroid as a treatment for suspected active demyelinating process. During the above treatment, signs and symptoms of myelopathy disappeared and a whole spine MRI showed remarkable improvement.

State of the art survey on MRI brain tumor segmentation.

PubMed

Gordillo, Nelly; Montseny, Eduard; Sobrevilla, Pilar

2013-10-01

Brain tumor segmentation consists of separating the different tumor tissues (solid or active tumor, edema, and necrosis) from normal brain tissues: gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In brain tumor studies, the existence of abnormal tissues may be easily detectable most of the time. However, accurate and reproducible segmentation and characterization of abnormalities are not straightforward. In the past, many researchers in the field of medical imaging and soft computing have made significant survey in the field of brain tumor segmentation. Both semiautomatic and fully automatic methods have been proposed. Clinical acceptance of segmentation techniques has depended on the simplicity of the segmentation, and the degree of user supervision. Interactive or semiautomatic methods are likely to remain dominant in practice for some time, especially in these applications where erroneous interpretations are unacceptable. This article presents an overview of the most relevant brain tumor segmentation methods, conducted after the acquisition of the image. Given the advantages of magnetic resonance imaging over other diagnostic imaging, this survey is focused on MRI brain tumor segmentation. Semiautomatic and fully automatic techniques are emphasized. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mapping the Alzheimer’s Brain with Connectomics

PubMed Central

Xie, Teng; He, Yong

2012-01-01

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. As an incurable, progressive, and neurodegenerative disease, it causes cognitive and memory deficits. However, the biological mechanisms underlying the disease are not thoroughly understood. In recent years, non-invasive neuroimaging and neurophysiological techniques [e.g., structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion MRI, functional MRI, and EEG/MEG] and graph theory based network analysis have provided a new perspective on structural and functional connectivity patterns of the human brain (i.e., the human connectome) in health and disease. Using these powerful approaches, several recent studies of patients with AD exhibited abnormal topological organization in both global and regional properties of neuronal networks, indicating that AD not only affects specific brain regions, but also alters the structural and functional associations between distinct brain regions. Specifically, disruptive organization in the whole-brain networks in AD is involved in the loss of small-world characters and the re-organization of hub distributions. These aberrant neuronal connectivity patterns were associated with cognitive deficits in patients with AD, even with genetic factors in healthy aging. These studies provide empirical evidence to support the existence of an aberrant connectome of AD. In this review we will summarize recent advances discovered in large-scale brain network studies of AD, mainly focusing on graph theoretical analysis of brain connectivity abnormalities. These studies provide novel insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of AD and could be helpful in developing imaging biomarkers for disease diagnosis and monitoring. PMID:22291664

Functional MRI and intraoperative brain mapping to evaluate brain plasticity in patients with brain tumours and hemiparesis

PubMed Central

Roux, F; Boulanouar, K; Ibarrola, D; Tremoulet, M; Chollet, F; Berry, I

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVE—To support the hypothesis about the potential compensatory role of ipsilateral corticofugal pathways when the contralateral pathways are impaired by brain tumours.
METHODS—Retrospective analysis was carried out on the results of functional MRI (fMRI) of a selected group of five paretic patients with Rolandic brain tumours who exhibited an abnormally high ipsilateral/contralateral ratio of activation—that is, movements of the paretic hand activated predominately the ipsilateral cortex. Brain activation was achieved with a flexion extension of the fingers. Statistical parametric activation was obtained using a t test and a threshold of p<0.001. These patients, candidates for tumour resection, also underwent cortical intraoperative stimulation that was correlated to the fMRI spatial data using three dimensional reconstructions of the brain. Three patients also had postoperative control fMRI.
RESULTS—The absence of fMRI activation of the primary sensorimotor cortex normally innervating the paretic hand for the threshold chosen, was correlated with completely negative cortical responses of the cortical hand area during the operation. The preoperative fMRI activation of these patients predominantly found in the ipsilateral frontal and primary sensorimotor cortices could be related to the residual ipsilateral hand function. Postoperatively, the fMRI activation returned to more classic patterns of activation, reflecting the consequences of therapy.
CONCLUSION—In paretic patients with brain tumours, ipsilateral control could be implicated in the residual hand function, when the normal primary pathways are impaired. The possibility that functional tissue still remains in the peritumorous sensorimotor cortex even when the preoperative fMRI and the cortical intraoperative stimulations are negative, should be taken into account when planning the tumour resection and during the operation.

 PMID:10990503

Leukoencephalopathy with brain stem and spinal cord involvement and high lactate: a genetically proven case without elevated white matter lactate.

PubMed

Sharma, Suvasini; Sankhyan, Naveen; Kumar, Atin; Scheper, Gert C; van der Knaap, Marjo S; Gulati, Sheffali

2011-06-01

A 17-year-old Indian boy with gradually progressive ataxia with onset at 12 years of age is described. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed extensive, inhomogeneous signal abnormalities in the cerebral white matter, with involvement of selected tracts in the brain stem and spinal cord. The imaging findings were characteristic of leukoencephalopathy with brain stem and spinal cord involvement and high lactate, a recently described leukodystrophy. Interestingly, magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the abnormal white matter did not reveal elevated lactate. The patient was compound heterozygous for 2 new mutations in DARS2, genetically confirming the diagnosis.

Computational Approach to Schizophrenia: Disconnection Syndrome and Dynamical Pharmacology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Érdi, Péter; Flaugher, Brad; Jones, Trevor; Ujfalussy, Balázs; Zalányi, László; Diwadkar, Vaibhav A.

2008-07-01

Schizophrenia may be best understood in terms of abnormal interactions between different brain regions. Tasks such as associative learning that engage different brain regions may be ideal for studying altered brain function in the illness. Preliminary data suggest that the hippocampus is involved in the encoding (learning) and the prefrontal cortex in the retrieval of associative memories. Specific changes in the fMRI activities have also been observed based on comparative studies between stable schizophrenia patients and healthy control subjects. Disconnectivity, observed between brain regions in schizophrenic patients could result from abnormal modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-dependent plasticity implicated in schizophrenia.

Volumetric differences suggest involvement of cerebellum and brainstem in chronic migraine.

PubMed

Bilgiç, Başar; Kocaman, Gülşen; Arslan, Ali Bilgin; Noyan, Handan; Sherifov, Resul; Alkan, Alpay; Asil, Talip; Parman, Yeşim; Baykan, Betül

2016-04-01

Chronic migraine (CM) is a disabling neurologic condition that often evolves from episodic migraine. There has been mounting evidence on the volumetric changes detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique in migraineurs. These studies mainly focused on episodic migraine patients and less is known about the differences in CM patients. A total of 24 CM patients and 24 healthy control individuals (all females) were included in this study. All participants underwent neurological examination and MRI. High-resolution anatomical MRI images were processed with an automated segmentation method (FreeSurfer). White-matter abnormalities of the brain were also evaluated with the Age-Related White-Matter-Changes Scale. The volumes of the cerebellum and brainstem were found to be smaller in CM patients compared to healthy controls. White-matter abnormalities were also found in CM patients, specifically in the bilateral parieto-occipital areas. There was no correlation between the clinical variables and volume decrease in these regions. CM patients showed significant volume differences in infratentorial areas and white-matter abnormalities in the posterior part of the brain. It is currently unclear whether the structural brain changes seen in migraine patients are the cause or the result of headaches. Longitudinal volumetric neuroimaging studies with larger groups, especially on the chronification of migraine, are needed to shed light on this topic. © International Headache Society 2015.

Population based MRI and DTI templates of the adult ferret brain and tools for voxelwise analysis.

PubMed

Hutchinson, E B; Schwerin, S C; Radomski, K L; Sadeghi, N; Jenkins, J; Komlosh, M E; Irfanoglu, M O; Juliano, S L; Pierpaoli, C

2017-05-15

Non-invasive imaging has the potential to play a crucial role in the characterization and translation of experimental animal models to investigate human brain development and disorders, especially when employed to study animal models that more accurately represent features of human neuroanatomy. The purpose of this study was to build and make available MRI and DTI templates and analysis tools for the ferret brain as the ferret is a well-suited species for pre-clinical MRI studies with folded cortical surface, relatively high white matter volume and body dimensions that allow imaging with pre-clinical MRI scanners. Four ferret brain templates were built in this study - in-vivo MRI and DTI and ex-vivo MRI and DTI - using brain images across many ferrets and region of interest (ROI) masks corresponding to established ferret neuroanatomy were generated by semi-automatic and manual segmentation. The templates and ROI masks were used to create a web-based ferret brain viewing software for browsing the MRI and DTI volumes with annotations based on the ROI masks. A second objective of this study was to provide a careful description of the imaging methods used for acquisition, processing, registration and template building and to demonstrate several voxelwise analysis methods including Jacobian analysis of morphometry differences between the female and male brain and bias-free identification of DTI abnormalities in an injured ferret brain. The templates, tools and methodological optimization presented in this study are intended to advance non-invasive imaging approaches for human-similar animal species that will enable the use of pre-clinical MRI studies for understanding and treating brain disorders. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Altered regional homogeneity in patients with late monocular blindness: a resting-state functional MRI study

PubMed Central

Huang, Xin; Ye, Cheng-Long; Zhong, Yu-Lin; Ye, Lei; Yang, Qi-Chen; Li, Hai-Jun; Jiang, Nan; Peng, De-Chang

2017-01-01

Many previous studies have demonstrated that the blindness patients have has functional and anatomical abnormalities in the visual and other vision-related cortex. However, changes in the brain function in late monocular blindness (MB) at rest are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the underlying regional homogeneity (ReHo) of brain-activity abnormalities in patients with late MB and their relationship with clinical features. A total of 32 patients with MB (25 male and seven female) and 32 healthy controls (HCs) (25 male and seven female) closely matched in age, sex, and education underwent resting-state functional MRI scans. The ReHo method was used to assess local features of spontaneous brain activities. Patients with MB were distinguishable from HCs using the receiver operating characteristic curve. The relationship between the mean ReHo in brain regions and the behavioral performance was calculated using correlation analysis. Compared with HCs, patients with MB showed significantly decreased ReHo values in the right rectal gyrus, right cuneus, right anterior cingulate, and right lateral occipital cortex and increased ReHo values in the right inferior temporal gyrus, right frontal middle orbital, left posterior cingulate/precuneus, and left middle frontal gyrus. However, there was no significant relationship between the different mean ReHo values in the brain regions and the clinical features. Late MB involves abnormalities of the visual cortex and other vision-related brain regions, which may reflect brain dysfunction in these regions. PMID:28858036

Randomization and resilience of brain functional networks as systems-level endophenotypes of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Lo, Chun-Yi Zac; Su, Tsung-Wei; Huang, Chu-Chung; Hung, Chia-Chun; Chen, Wei-Ling; Lan, Tsuo-Hung; Lin, Ching-Po; Bullmore, Edward T

2015-07-21

Schizophrenia is increasingly conceived as a disorder of brain network organization or dysconnectivity syndrome. Functional MRI (fMRI) networks in schizophrenia have been characterized by abnormally random topology. We tested the hypothesis that network randomization is an endophenotype of schizophrenia and therefore evident also in nonpsychotic relatives of patients. Head movement-corrected, resting-state fMRI data were acquired from 25 patients with schizophrenia, 25 first-degree relatives of patients, and 29 healthy volunteers. Graphs were used to model functional connectivity as a set of edges between regional nodes. We estimated the topological efficiency, clustering, degree distribution, resilience, and connection distance (in millimeters) of each functional network. The schizophrenic group demonstrated significant randomization of global network metrics (reduced clustering, greater efficiency), a shift in the degree distribution to a more homogeneous form (fewer hubs), a shift in the distance distribution (proportionally more long-distance edges), and greater resilience to targeted attack on network hubs. The networks of the relatives also demonstrated abnormal randomization and resilience compared with healthy volunteers, but they were typically less topologically abnormal than the patients' networks and did not have abnormal connection distances. We conclude that schizophrenia is associated with replicable and convergent evidence for functional network randomization, and a similar topological profile was evident also in nonpsychotic relatives, suggesting that this is a systems-level endophenotype or marker of familial risk. We speculate that the greater resilience of brain networks may confer some fitness advantages on nonpsychotic relatives that could explain persistence of this endophenotype in the population.

Brain magnetic resonance imaging and motor and intellectual functioning in 86 patients born at term with spastic diplegia.

PubMed

Numata, Yurika; Onuma, Akira; Kobayashi, Yasuko; Sato-Shirai, Ikuko; Tanaka, Soichiro; Kobayashi, Satoru; Wakusawa, Keisuke; Inui, Takehiko; Kure, Shigeo; Haginoya, Kazuhiro

2013-02-01

To investigate the association between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patterns and motor function, epileptic episodes, and IQ or developmental quotient in patients born at term with spastic diplegia. Eighty-six patients born at term with cerebral palsy (CP) and spastic diplegia (54 males, 32 females; median age 20 y, range 7-42 y) among 829 patients with CP underwent brain MRI between 1990 and 2008. The MRI and clinical findings were analysed retrospectively. Intellectual disability was classified according to the Enjoji developmental test or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (3rd edition). The median ages at diagnosis of CP, assignment of Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level, cognitive assessment, and MRI were 2 years (range 5 mo-8 y), 6 years (2 y 8 mo-19 y), 6 years (1 y 4 mo-19 y), and 7 years (10 mo-30 y) respectively. MRI included normal findings (41.9%), periventricular leukomalacia, hypomyelination, and porencephaly/periventricular venous infarction. The frequency of patients in GMFCS levels III to V and intellectual disability did not differ between those with normal and abnormal MRI findings. Patients with normal MRI findings had significantly fewer epileptic episodes than those with abnormal ones (p=0.001). Varied MRI findings, as well as the presence of severe motor dysfunction and intellectual disability (despite normal MRI), suggest that patients born at term with spastic diplegia had heterogeneous and unidentified pathophysiology. © The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology © 2012 Mac Keith Press.

The Shepherd's Crook Sign: A New Neuroimaging Pareidolia in Joubert Syndrome.

PubMed

Manley, Andrew T; Maertens, Paul M

2015-01-01

By pareidolically recognizing specific patterns indicative of particular diseases, neuroimagers reinforce their mnemonic strategies and improve their neuroimaging diagnostic skills. Joubert Syndrome (JS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized clinically by mental retardation, episodes of abnormal deep and rapid breathing, abnormal eye movements, and ataxia. Many neuroimaging signs characteristic of JS have been reported. In retrospective case study, two consanguineous neonates diagnosed with JS were evaluated with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and neurosonography. Both cranial ultrasound and MRI of the brain showed the characteristic molar tooth sign. There was a shepherd's crook in the sagittal views of the posterior fossa where the shaft of the crook is made by the brainstem and the pons. The arc of the crook is made by the abnormal superior cerebellar peduncle and cerebellar hemisphere. By ultrasound, the shepherd's crook sign was seen through the posterior fontanelle only. CT imaging also showed the shepherd's crook sign. Neuroimaging diagnosis of JS, which already involves the pareidolical recognition of specific patterns indicative of the disease, can be improved by recognition of the shepherd's crook sign on MRI, CT, and cranial ultrasound. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Neuroimaging.

Determination of Vascular Dementia Brain in Distinct Frequency Bands with Whole Brain Functional Connectivity Patterns

PubMed Central

Zhang, Delong; Liu, Bo; Chen, Jun; Peng, Xiaoling; Liu, Xian; Fan, Yuanyuan; Liu, Ming; Huang, Ruiwang

2013-01-01

Recent studies have shown that multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) can be useful for distinguishing brain disorders into categories. Such analyses can substantially enrich and facilitate clinical diagnoses. Using MPVA methods, whole brain functional networks, especially those derived using different frequency windows, can be applied to detect brain states. We constructed whole brain functional networks for groups of vascular dementia (VaD) patients and controls using resting state BOLD-fMRI (rsfMRI) data from three frequency bands - slow-5 (0.01∼0.027 Hz), slow-4 (0.027∼0.073 Hz), and whole-band (0.01∼0.073 Hz). Then we used the support vector machine (SVM), a type of MVPA classifier, to determine the patterns of functional connectivity. Our results showed that the brain functional networks derived from rsfMRI data (19 VaD patients and 20 controls) in these three frequency bands appear to reflect neurobiological changes in VaD patients. Such differences could be used to differentiate the brain states of VaD patients from those of healthy individuals. We also found that the functional connectivity patterns of the human brain in the three frequency bands differed, as did their ability to differentiate brain states. Specifically, the ability of the functional connectivity pattern to differentiate VaD brains from healthy ones was more efficient in the slow-5 (0.01∼0.027 Hz) band than in the other two frequency bands. Our findings suggest that the MVPA approach could be used to detect abnormalities in the functional connectivity of VaD patients in distinct frequency bands. Identifying such abnormalities may contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis of VaD. PMID:23359801

Relationship of Hypertension, Blood Pressure, and Blood Pressure Control With White Matter Abnormalities in the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS)—MRI Trial

PubMed Central

Kuller, Lewis H.; Margolis, Karen L.; Gaussoin, Sarah A.; Bryan, Nick R.; Kerwin, Diana; Limacher, Marian; Wassertheil-Smoller, Sylvia; Williamson, Jeff; Robinson, Jennifer G.

2010-01-01

This paper evaluates the relationship of blood pressure (BP) levels at Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) baseline, treatment of hypertension, and white matter abnormalities among women in conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) and medroxyprogesterone acetate and CEE-alone arms. The WHI Memory Study—Magnetic Resonance Imaging (WHIMS-MRI) trial scanned 1424 participants. BP levels at baseline were significantly positively related to abnormal white matter lesion (WML) volumes. Participants treated for hypertension but who had BP ≥140/90 mm Hg had the greatest amount of WML volumes. Women with untreated BP ≥140/90 mm Hg had intermediate WML volumes. Abnormal WML volumes were related to hypertension in most areas of the brain and were greater in the frontal lobe than in the occipital, parietal, or temporal lobes. Level of BP at baseline was strongly related to amount of WML volumes. The results of the study reinforce the relationship of hypertension and BP control and white matter abnormalities in the brain. The evidence to date supports tight control of BP levels, especially beginning at younger and middle age as a possible and perhaps only way to prevent dementia. PMID:20433539

Relationship of hypertension, blood pressure, and blood pressure control with white matter abnormalities in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS)-MRI trial.

PubMed

Kuller, Lewis H; Margolis, Karen L; Gaussoin, Sarah A; Bryan, Nick R; Kerwin, Diana; Limacher, Marian; Wassertheil-Smoller, Sylvia; Williamson, Jeff; Robinson, Jennifer G

2010-03-01

This paper evaluates the relationship of blood pressure (BP) levels at Women's Health Initiative (WHI) baseline, treatment of hypertension, and white matter abnormalities among women in conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) and medroxyprogesterone acetate and CEE-alone arms. The WHI Memory Study-Magnetic Resonance Imaging (WHIMS-MRI) trial scanned 1424 participants. BP levels at baseline were significantly positively related to abnormal white matter lesion (WML) volumes. Participants treated for hypertension but who had BP > or = 140/90 mm Hg had the greatest amount of WML volumes. Women with untreated BP > or = 140/90 mm Hg had intermediate WML volumes. Abnormal WML volumes were related to hypertension in most areas of the brain and were greater in the frontal lobe than in the occipital, parietal, or temporal lobes. Level of BP at baseline was strongly related to amount of WML volumes. The results of the study reinforce the relationship of hypertension and BP control and white matter abnormalities in the brain. The evidence to date supports tight control of BP levels, especially beginning at younger and middle age as a possible and perhaps only way to prevent dementia.

Abnormal resting-state connectivity of motor and cognitive networks in early manifest Huntington's disease.

PubMed

Wolf, R C; Sambataro, F; Vasic, N; Depping, M S; Thomann, P A; Landwehrmeyer, G B; Süssmuth, S D; Orth, M

2014-11-01

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of multiple neural networks during the brain's 'resting state' could facilitate biomarker development in patients with Huntington's disease (HD) and may provide new insights into the relationship between neural dysfunction and clinical symptoms. To date, however, very few studies have examined the functional integrity of multiple resting state networks (RSNs) in manifest HD, and even less is known about whether concomitant brain atrophy affects neural activity in patients. Using MRI, we investigated brain structure and RSN function in patients with early HD (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 20). For resting-state fMRI data a group-independent component analysis identified spatiotemporally distinct patterns of motor and prefrontal RSNs of interest. We used voxel-based morphometry to assess regional brain atrophy, and 'biological parametric mapping' analyses to investigate the impact of atrophy on neural activity. Compared with controls, patients showed connectivity changes within distinct neural systems including lateral prefrontal, supplementary motor, thalamic, cingulate, temporal and parietal regions. In patients, supplementary motor area and cingulate cortex connectivity indices were associated with measures of motor function, whereas lateral prefrontal connectivity was associated with cognition. This study provides evidence for aberrant connectivity of RSNs associated with motor function and cognition in early manifest HD when controlling for brain atrophy. This suggests clinically relevant changes of RSN activity in the presence of HD-associated cortical and subcortical structural abnormalities.

MRI Findings in 77 Children with Non-Syndromic Autistic Disorder

PubMed Central

Boddaert, Nathalie; Zilbovicius, Mônica; Philipe, Anne; Robel, Laurence; Bourgeois, Marie; Barthélemy, Catherine; Seidenwurm, David; Meresse, Isabelle; Laurier, Laurence; Desguerre, Isabelle; Bahi-Buisson, Nadia; Brunelle, Francis; Munnich, Arnold; Samson, Yves; Mouren, Marie-Christine; Chabane, Nadia

2009-01-01

Background The clinical relevance of MR scanning in children with autism is still an open question and must be considered in light of the evolution of this technology. MRI was judged to be of insufficient value to be included in the standard clinical evaluation of autism according to the guidelines of the American Academy of Neurology and Child Neurology Society in 2000 [1]. However, this statement was based on results obtained from small samples of patients and, more importantly, included mostly insufficient MRI sequences. Our main objective was to evaluate the prevalence of brain abnormalities in a large group of children with a non-syndromic autistic disorder (AD) using T1, T2 and FLAIR MRI sequences. Methodology MRI inspection of 77 children and adolescents with non-syndromic AD (mean age 7.4±3.6) was performed. All met the DSM-IV and ADI –R criteria for autism. Based on recommended clinical and biological screenings, we excluded patients with infectious, metabolic or genetic diseases, seizures or any other neurological symptoms. Identical MRI inspections of 77 children (mean age 7.0±4.2) without AD, developmental or neurological disorders were also performed. All MRIs were acquired with a 1.5-T Signa GE (3-D T1-FSPGR, T2, FLAIR coronal and axial sequences). Two neuroradiologists independently inspected cortical and sub-cortical regions. MRIs were reported to be normal, abnormal or uninterpretable. Principal Findings MRIs were judged as uninterpretable in 10% (8/77) of the cases. In 48% of the children (33/69 patients), abnormalities were reported. Three predominant abnormalities were observed, including white matter signal abnormalities (19/69), major dilated Virchow–Robin spaces (12/69) and temporal lobe abnormalities (20/69). In all, 52% of the MRIs were interpreted as normal (36/69 patients). Conclusions An unexpectedly high rate of MRI abnormalities was found in the first large series of clinical MRI investigations in non-syndromic autism. These results could contribute to further etiopathogenetic research into autism. PMID:19204795

Unravelling the complex MRI pattern in glutaric aciduria type I using statistical models-a cohort study in 180 patients.

PubMed

Garbade, Sven F; Greenberg, Cheryl R; Demirkol, Mübeccel; Gökçay, Gülden; Ribes, Antonia; Campistol, Jaume; Burlina, Alberto B; Burgard, Peter; Kölker, Stefan

2014-09-01

Glutaric aciduria type I (GA-I) is a cerebral organic aciduria caused by inherited deficiency of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase and is characterized biochemically by an accumulation of putatively neurotoxic dicarboxylic metabolites. The majority of untreated patients develops a complex movement disorder with predominant dystonia during age 3-36 months. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have demonstrated striatal and extrastriatal abnormalities. The major aim of this study was to elucidate the complex neuroradiological pattern of patients with GA-I and to associate the MRI findings with the severity of predominant neurological symptoms. In 180 patients, detailed information about the neurological presentation and brain region-specific MRI abnormalities were obtained via a standardized questionnaire. Patients with a movement disorder had more often MRI abnormalities in putamen, caudate, cortex, ventricles and external CSF spaces than patients without or with minor neurological symptoms. Putaminal MRI changes and strongly dilated ventricles were identified as the most reliable predictors of a movement disorder. In contrast, abnormalities in globus pallidus were not clearly associated with a movement disorder. Caudate and putamen as well as cortex, ventricles and external CSF spaces clearly collocalized on a two-dimensional map demonstrating statistical similarity and suggesting the same underlying pathomechanism. This study demonstrates that complex statistical methods are useful to decipher the age-dependent and region-specific MRI patterns of rare neurometabolic diseases and that these methods are helpful to elucidate the clinical relevance of specific MRI findings.

Distribution and severity of hypoxic-ischaemic lesions on brain MRI following therapeutic cooling: selective head versus whole body cooling.

PubMed

Sarkar, Subrata; Donn, Steven M; Bapuraj, Jayapalli R; Bhagat, Indira; Barks, John D

2012-09-01

Whole body cooling (WBC) cools different parts of the brain uniformly, and selective head cooling (SHC) cools the superficial brain more than the deeper brain structures. In this study, the authors hypothesised that the hypoxic-ischaemic lesions on brain MRI following cooling would differ between modalities of cooling. To compare the frequency, distribution and severity of hypoxic-ischaemic lesions on brain MRI between SHC or WBC. In a single centre retrospective study, 83 infants consecutively cooled using either SHC (n=34) or WBC (n=49) underwent brain MRI. MRI images were evaluated by a neuroradiologist, who was masked to clinical parameters and outcomes, using a basal ganglia/watershed (BG/W) scoring system. Higher scores (on a scale of 0 to 4) were given for more extensive injury. The score has been reported to be predictive of neuromotor and cognitive outcome at 12 months. The two groups were similar for severity of depression as assessed by a history of an intrapartum sentinel event, Apgar scores, initial blood pH and base deficit and early neurological examination. However, abnormal MRI was more frequent in the SHC group (SHC 25 of 34, 74% vs WBC 22 of 49, 45%; p=0.0132, OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.3 to 8.8). Infants from the SHC group also had more severe hypoxic-ischaemic lesions (median BG/W score: SHC 2 vs WBC 0, p=0.0014). Hypoxic-ischaemic lesions on brain MRI following therapeutic cooling were more frequent and more severe with SHC compared with WBC.

Evaluation of a deep learning approach for the segmentation of brain tissues and white matter hyperintensities of presumed vascular origin in MRI.

PubMed

Moeskops, Pim; de Bresser, Jeroen; Kuijf, Hugo J; Mendrik, Adriënne M; Biessels, Geert Jan; Pluim, Josien P W; Išgum, Ivana

2018-01-01

Automatic segmentation of brain tissues and white matter hyperintensities of presumed vascular origin (WMH) in MRI of older patients is widely described in the literature. Although brain abnormalities and motion artefacts are common in this age group, most segmentation methods are not evaluated in a setting that includes these items. In the present study, our tissue segmentation method for brain MRI was extended and evaluated for additional WMH segmentation. Furthermore, our method was evaluated in two large cohorts with a realistic variation in brain abnormalities and motion artefacts. The method uses a multi-scale convolutional neural network with a T 1 -weighted image, a T 2 -weighted fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) image and a T 1 -weighted inversion recovery (IR) image as input. The method automatically segments white matter (WM), cortical grey matter (cGM), basal ganglia and thalami (BGT), cerebellum (CB), brain stem (BS), lateral ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (lvCSF), peripheral cerebrospinal fluid (pCSF), and WMH. Our method was evaluated quantitatively with images publicly available from the MRBrainS13 challenge ( n  = 20), quantitatively and qualitatively in relatively healthy older subjects ( n  = 96), and qualitatively in patients from a memory clinic ( n  = 110). The method can accurately segment WMH (Overall Dice coefficient in the MRBrainS13 data of 0.67) without compromising performance for tissue segmentations (Overall Dice coefficients in the MRBrainS13 data of 0.87 for WM, 0.85 for cGM, 0.82 for BGT, 0.93 for CB, 0.92 for BS, 0.93 for lvCSF, 0.76 for pCSF). Furthermore, the automatic WMH volumes showed a high correlation with manual WMH volumes (Spearman's ρ  = 0.83 for relatively healthy older subjects). In both cohorts, our method produced reliable segmentations (as determined by a human observer) in most images (relatively healthy/memory clinic: tissues 88%/77% reliable, WMH 85%/84% reliable) despite various degrees of brain abnormalities and motion artefacts. In conclusion, this study shows that a convolutional neural network-based segmentation method can accurately segment brain tissues and WMH in MR images of older patients with varying degrees of brain abnormalities and motion artefacts.

Individualized Gaussian process-based prediction and detection of local and global gray matter abnormalities in elderly subjects.

PubMed

Ziegler, G; Ridgway, G R; Dahnke, R; Gaser, C

2014-08-15

Structural imaging based on MRI is an integral component of the clinical assessment of patients with potential dementia. We here propose an individualized Gaussian process-based inference scheme for clinical decision support in healthy and pathological aging elderly subjects using MRI. The approach aims at quantitative and transparent support for clinicians who aim to detect structural abnormalities in patients at risk of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. Firstly, we introduce a generative model incorporating our knowledge about normative decline of local and global gray matter volume across the brain in elderly. By supposing smooth structural trajectories the models account for the general course of age-related structural decline as well as late-life accelerated loss. Considering healthy subjects' demography and global brain parameters as informative about normal brain aging variability affords individualized predictions in single cases. Using Gaussian process models as a normative reference, we predict new subjects' brain scans and quantify the local gray matter abnormalities in terms of Normative Probability Maps (NPM) and global z-scores. By integrating the observed expectation error and the predictive uncertainty, the local maps and global scores exploit the advantages of Bayesian inference for clinical decisions and provide a valuable extension of diagnostic information about pathological aging. We validate the approach in simulated data and real MRI data. We train the GP framework using 1238 healthy subjects with ages 18-94 years, and predict in 415 independent test subjects diagnosed as healthy controls, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Individualized Gaussian process-based prediction and detection of local and global gray matter abnormalities in elderly subjects

PubMed Central

Ziegler, G.; Ridgway, G.R.; Dahnke, R.; Gaser, C.

2014-01-01

Structural imaging based on MRI is an integral component of the clinical assessment of patients with potential dementia. We here propose an individualized Gaussian process-based inference scheme for clinical decision support in healthy and pathological aging elderly subjects using MRI. The approach aims at quantitative and transparent support for clinicians who aim to detect structural abnormalities in patients at risk of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. Firstly, we introduce a generative model incorporating our knowledge about normative decline of local and global gray matter volume across the brain in elderly. By supposing smooth structural trajectories the models account for the general course of age-related structural decline as well as late-life accelerated loss. Considering healthy subjects' demography and global brain parameters as informative about normal brain aging variability affords individualized predictions in single cases. Using Gaussian process models as a normative reference, we predict new subjects' brain scans and quantify the local gray matter abnormalities in terms of Normative Probability Maps (NPM) and global z-scores. By integrating the observed expectation error and the predictive uncertainty, the local maps and global scores exploit the advantages of Bayesian inference for clinical decisions and provide a valuable extension of diagnostic information about pathological aging. We validate the approach in simulated data and real MRI data. We train the GP framework using 1238 healthy subjects with ages 18–94 years, and predict in 415 independent test subjects diagnosed as healthy controls, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's disease. PMID:24742919

Profound microcephaly, primordial dwarfism with developmental brain malformations: a new syndrome.

PubMed

Abdel-Salam, Ghada M H; Abdel-Hamid, Mohamed S; Saleem, Sahar N; Ahmed, Mahmoud K H; Issa, Mahmoud; Effat, Laila K; Kayed, Hisham F; Zaki, Maha S; Gaber, Khaled R

2012-08-01

We describe two sibs with a lethal form of profound congenital microcephaly, intrauterine and postnatal growth retardation, subtle skeletal changes, and poorly developed brain. The sibs had striking absent cranial vault with sloping of the forehead, large beaked nose, relatively large ears, and mandibular micro-retrognathia. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed extremely simplified gyral pattern, large interhemispheric cyst and agenesis of corpus callosum, abnormally shaped hippocampus, and proportionately affected cerebellum and brainstem. In addition, fundus examination showed foveal hypoplasia with optic nerve atrophy. No abnormalities of the internal organs were found. This profound form of microcephaly was identified at 17 weeks gestation by ultrasound and fetal brain MRI helped in characterizing the developmental brain malformations in the second sib. Molecular analysis excluded mutations in potentially related genes such as RNU4ATAC, SLC25A19, and ASPM. These clinical and imaging findings are unlike that of any recognized severe forms of microcephaly which is believed to be a new microcephalic primordial dwarfism (MPD) with developmental brain malformations with most probably autosomal recessive inheritance based on consanguinity and similarly affected male and female sibs. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Biomarkers for Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions: Use of Brain Imaging and Machine Learning.

PubMed

Boissoneault, Jeff; Sevel, Landrew; Letzen, Janelle; Robinson, Michael; Staud, Roland

2017-01-01

Chronic musculoskeletal pain condition often shows poor correlations between tissue abnormalities and clinical pain. Therefore, classification of pain conditions like chronic low back pain, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia depends mostly on self report and less on objective findings like X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes. However, recent advances in structural and functional brain imaging have identified brain abnormalities in chronic pain conditions that can be used for illness classification. Because the analysis of complex and multivariate brain imaging data is challenging, machine learning techniques have been increasingly utilized for this purpose. The goal of machine learning is to train specific classifiers to best identify variables of interest on brain MRIs (i.e., biomarkers). This report describes classification techniques capable of separating MRI-based brain biomarkers of chronic pain patients from healthy controls with high accuracy (70-92%) using machine learning, as well as critical scientific, practical, and ethical considerations related to their potential clinical application. Although self-report remains the gold standard for pain assessment, machine learning may aid in the classification of chronic pain disorders like chronic back pain and fibromyalgia as well as provide mechanistic information regarding their neural correlates.

Neonatal brain resting-state functional connectivity imaging modalities.

PubMed

Mohammadi-Nejad, Ali-Reza; Mahmoudzadeh, Mahdi; Hassanpour, Mahlegha S; Wallois, Fabrice; Muzik, Otto; Papadelis, Christos; Hansen, Anne; Soltanian-Zadeh, Hamid; Gelovani, Juri; Nasiriavanaki, Mohammadreza

2018-06-01

Infancy is the most critical period in human brain development. Studies demonstrate that subtle brain abnormalities during this state of life may greatly affect the developmental processes of the newborn infants. One of the rapidly developing methods for early characterization of abnormal brain development is functional connectivity of the brain at rest. While the majority of resting-state studies have been conducted using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), there is clear evidence that resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) can also be evaluated using other imaging modalities. The aim of this review is to compare the advantages and limitations of different modalities used for the mapping of infants' brain functional connectivity at rest. In addition, we introduce photoacoustic tomography, a novel functional neuroimaging modality, as a complementary modality for functional mapping of infants' brain.

Brain magnetic resonance imaging CO2 stress testing in adolescent postconcussion syndrome.

PubMed

Mutch, W Alan C; Ellis, Michael J; Ryner, Lawrence N; Ruth Graham, M; Dufault, Brenden; Gregson, Brian; Hall, Thomas; Bunge, Martin; Essig, Marco; Fisher, Joseph A; Duffin, James; Mikulis, David J

2016-09-01

OBJECT A neuroimaging assessment tool to visualize global and regional impairments in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular responsiveness in individual patients with concussion remains elusive. Here the authors summarize the safety, feasibility, and results of brain CO2 stress testing in adolescents with postconcussion syndrome (PCS) and healthy controls. METHODS This study was approved by the Biomedical Research Ethics Board at the University of Manitoba. Fifteen adolescents with PCS and 17 healthy control subjects underwent anatomical MRI, pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling MRI, and brain stress testing using controlled CO2 challenge and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) MRI. Post hoc processing was performed using statistical parametric mapping to determine voxel-by-voxel regional resting CBF and cerebrovascular responsiveness of the brain to the CO2 stimulus (increase in BOLD signal) or the inverse (decrease in BOLD signal). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to compare voxel counts categorized by control (0) or PCS (1). RESULTS Studies were well tolerated without any serious adverse events. Anatomical MRI was normal in all study participants. No differences in CO2 stimuli were seen between the 2 participant groups. No group differences in global mean CBF were detected between PCS patients and healthy controls. Patient-specific differences in mean regional CBF and CO2 BOLD responsiveness were observed in all PCS patients. The ROC curve analysis for brain regions manifesting a voxel response greater than and less than the control atlas (that is, abnormal voxel counts) produced an area under the curve of 0.87 (p < 0.0001) and 0.80 (p = 0.0003), respectively, consistent with a clinically useful predictive model. CONCLUSIONS Adolescent PCS is associated with patient-specific abnormalities in regional mean CBF and BOLD cerebrovascular responsiveness that occur in the setting of normal global resting CBF. Future prospective studies are warranted to examine the utility of brain MRI CO2 stress testing in the longitudinal assessment of acute sports-related concussion and PCS.

Neuroprotective effect of ethanol in acute carbon monoxide intoxication: A retrospective study.

PubMed

Kim, Hyuk-Hoon; Choi, Sang Chun; Chae, Minjung Kathy; Min, Young-Gi

2018-01-01

In acute carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication, treatment of neurologic injury and prevention of neurological sequelae are primary concerns. Ethanol is the one of the frequent substances which is co-ingested in intentional CO poisoning. Neuroprotective effect of ethanol was highlighted and demonstrated in isolated brain injury recently. We assessed the neuroprotective effect of ethanol in acute CO intoxication using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).We retrospectively reviewed medical records for patients who visited an emergency medical center of a university-affiliated hospital during a period of 73 months, from March 2009 to April 2015. Enrolled patients were divided into 2 groups, patients with or without abnormal brain lesion in brain MRI. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the factors associated with brain injury in MRI.A total of 109 patients with acute CO intoxication were evaluated of which 66 (60.55%) tested positive in brain MRI. MRI lesion-positive patients were more likely to have electrocardiogram change, elevation of serum troponin I and s100 protein level and lower serum ethanol level. Serum ethanol positivity was an independent factor for prevalence of brain injury in MRI in acute CO poisoning.This study revealed that ethanol which is co-ingested in acute CO intoxication may work the neuroprotective effect and could consequence more favorable neurological outcome in acute CO intoxication. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Imaging of Pregnant Women – The Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging

PubMed Central

Bekiesińska-Figatowska, Monika; Romaniuk-Doroszewska, Anna; Szkudlińska-Pawlak, Sylwia; Duczkowska, Agnieszka; Mądzik, Jarosław; Szopa-Krupińska, Martyna; Maciejewski, Tomasz M.

2017-01-01

Summary Background Presentation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in pregnant women in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw, Poland. Material/Methods Forty-three symptomatic pregnant women underwent MRI between 9 and 33 weeks of gestation (mean of 23 weeks). Moreover, we included 2 pregnant women who underwent fetal MRI and had incidental abnormalities. Results In 9 cases, we excluded the suspected brain abnormalities. In 4 cases, we found unremarkable changes in the brain without clinical significance. One patient was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, one with cortical dysplasia, one with pineal hemorrhage and one with a brain tumor. On abdominal MRI, 2 patients had normal findings, one patient had colon cancer with a hepatic metastasis, one patient had a hepatic angioma, one patient had an extraadrenal pheochromocytoma, one patient had an abscess in the iliopsoas muscle, 9 patients had myomas, two patients had ovarian simple cysts, two endometrial cysts, three dermoid cysts, one patient had sacrococcygeal teratoma, one patient had a cystadenofibroma (partial borderline tumor), one patient had an androgenic ovarian tumor and two patients had hyperreactio luteinalis. One patient was diagnosed with transient osteoporosis of the hip and one with a stress fracture of the sacral bone. Conclusions Magnetic resonance imaging is the best imaging modality for pregnant women. Although ultrasonography is the method of choice, doubtful cases as well as structures that cannot be examined with ultrasonography can be non-invasively evaluated with MRI. PMID:28507642

Abnormal brain activation in excoriation (skin-picking) disorder: evidence from an executive planning fMRI study

PubMed Central

Odlaug, Brian L.; Hampshire, Adam; Chamberlain, Samuel R.; Grant, Jon E.

2016-01-01

Background Excoriation (skin-picking) disorder (SPD) is a relatively common psychiatric condition whose neurobiological basis is unknown. Aims To probe the function of fronto-striatal circuitry in SPD. Method Eighteen participants with SPD and 15 matched healthy controls undertook an executive planning task (Tower of London) during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Activation during planning was compared between groups using region of interest and whole-brain permutation cluster approaches. Results The SPD group exhibited significant functional underactivation in a cluster encompassing bilateral dorsal striatum (maximal in right caudate), bilateral anterior cingulate and right medial frontal regions. These abnormalities were, for the most part, outside the dorsal planning network typically activated by executive planning tasks. Conclusions Abnormalities of neural regions involved in habit formation, action monitoring and inhibition appear involved in the pathophysiology of SPD. Implications exist for understanding the basis of excessive grooming and the relationship of SPD with putative obsessive–compulsive spectrum disorders. PMID:26159604

Abnormal brain MRI signals in the splenium of the corpus callosum, basal ganglia and internal capsule in a suspected case with tuberculous meningitis.

PubMed

Hirotani, Makoto; Yabe, Ichiro; Hamada, Shinsuke; Tsuji, Sachiko; Kikuchi, Seiji; Sasaki, Hidenao

2007-01-01

A 34-year-old man visited the hospital with chief complaints of headache, fever, and disturbance of consciousness. In view of his clinical condition, the course of the disease, and results of examination, he was diagnosed with viral meningitis and treated accordingly. However, his clinical condition worsened, and MRI revealed abnormal signals in the splenium of the corpus callosum, in the basal ganglia and in the internal capsule, as well as the presence of severe inflammation in the base of the brain. Since he had a high ADA level in the cerebrospinal fluid and was consequently suspected to have tuberculous meningitis, he was placed on antitubercular agents. Then, his clinical condition began to improve. Additional steroid pulse therapy further improved his condition, and abnormal signals in the splenium of the corpus callosum and the basal ganglia resolved. This valuable case suggests that an immune mechanism contributed to the occurrence of central nervous system symptoms associated with tuberculous meningitis.

Pharmacological imaging as a tool to visualise dopaminergic neurotoxicity.

PubMed

Schrantee, A; Reneman, L

2014-09-01

Dopamine abnormalities underlie a wide variety of psychopathologies, including ADHD and schizophrenia. A new imaging technique, pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging (phMRI), is a promising non-invasive technique to visualize the dopaminergic system in the brain. In this review we explore the clinical potential of phMRI in detecting dopamine dysfunction or neurotoxicity, assess its strengths and weaknesses and identify directions for future research. Preclinically, phMRI is able to detect severe dopaminergic abnormalities quite similar to conventional techniques such as PET and SPECT. phMRI benefits from its high spatial resolution and the possibility to visualize both local and downstream effects of dopaminergic neurotransmission. In addition, it allows for repeated measurements and assessments in vulnerable populations. The major challenge is the complex interpretation of phMRI results. Future studies in patients with dopaminergic abnormalities need to confirm the currently reviewed preclinical findings to validate the technique in a clinical setting. Eventually, based on the current review we expect that phMRI can be of use in a clinical setting involving vulnerable populations (such as children and adolescents) for diagnosis and monitoring treatment efficacy. This article is part of the Special Issue Section entitled 'Neuroimaging in Neuropharmacology'. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy in monocarboxylate transporter 8 gene deficiency.

PubMed

Sijens, Paul E; Rödiger, Lars A; Meiners, Linda C; Lunsing, Roelineke J

2008-05-01

In monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) gene deficiency, a syndrome combining thyroid and neurological abnormalities, the central nervous system has not yet been characterized by magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy. We studied whether the degree of dysmyelinization in MCT8 gene deficiency according to MR imaging (MRI) is coupled with abnormalities in brain metabolism. MRI and MR spectroscopy of the brain were performed twice in two MCT8 gene deficiency patients, for the first time at age 8-10 months and for the second time at age 17-28 months. The results were compared with those obtained in controls of a similar age. Compared with controls, young children with MCT8 show choline and myoinositol level increases and N-acetyl aspartate decreases in supraventricular gray and white matter, phenomena associated with the degree of dysmyelinization according to MRI. MCT8 gene deficiency results in deviant myelinization and general atrophy, which is substantiated by the MR spectroscopy findings of increased choline and myoinositol levels and decreased N-acetyl aspartate. The observations suggest that different mutations in the MCT8 gene lead to differences in the severity of the clinical spectrum, dysmyelinization, and MR spectroscopy-detectable changes in brain metabolism.

Structural and functional network connectivity breakdown in Alzheimer’s disease studied with magnetic resonance imaging techniques.

PubMed

Filippi, Massimo; Agosta, Federica

2011-01-01

Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) experience a brain network breakdown, reflecting disconnection at both the structural and functional system level. Resting-state (RS) functional MRI (fMRI) studies demonstrated that the regional coherence of the fMRI signal is significantly altered in patients with AD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Diffusion tensor (DT) MRI has made it possible to track fiber bundle projections across the brain, revealing a substantially abnormal interplay of “critical” white matter tracts in these conditions. The observed agreement between the results of RS fMRI and DT MRI tractography studies in healthy individuals is encouraging and offers interesting hypotheses to be tested in patients with AD, a MCI, and other dementias in order to improve our understanding of their pathobiology in vivo. In this review,we describe the major findings obtained in AD using RS fMRI and DT MRI tractography, and discuss how the relationship between structure and function of the brain networks in AD may be better understood through the application of MR-based technology. This research endeavor holds a great promise in clarifying the mechanisms of cognitive decline in complex chronic neurodegenerative disorders.

7T Magnetization Transfer and Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer MRI of Cortical Gray Matter: Can We Detect Neurochemical and Macromolecular Abnormalities

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

with fMRI , and CEST acquisitions. Analysis hurdles were noted in the qMT, which we discuss here. Recruitment continues in the MS cohort (all healthy...Saturation Transfer (CEST) • Magnetization Transfer (MT) • Brain • Cortical Gray Matter (cGM) • Multiple Sclerosis (MS) • Functional MRI ( fMRI ) • Pool Size...MPRAGE Anatomical – 2:12 • fMRI Resting State – 8:34 • fMRI N-Back task – 8:30 • fMRI Trailmaking task – 4:14 The current scan time for all scans is

MRI findings in a cohort of brain injured survivors of pediatric cerebral malaria.

PubMed

Kampondeni, Sam D; Potchen, Michael J; Beare, Nicholas A V; Seydel, Karl B; Glover, Simon J; Taylor, Terrie E; Birbeck, Gretchen L

2013-03-01

Abstract. A prospective cohort study of retinopathy-confirmed cerebral malaria (CM) survivors identified 42 of 132 with neurologic sequelae. The 38 survivors with sequelae who were alive when magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology became available underwent brain MRIs. Common MRI abnormalities included periventricular T2 signal changes (53%), atrophy (47%), subcortical T2 signal changes (18%), and focal cortical defects (16%). The χ(2) tests assessed the relationship between chronic MRI findings, acute clinical and demographic data, and outcomes. Children who were older at the time of CM infection (P = 0.01) and those with isolated behavioral problems (P = 0.02) were more likely to have a normal MRI. Acute focal seizures were associated with atrophy (P = 0.05). Acute papilledema was associated with subcortical T2 signal changes (P = 0.02). Peripheral retinal whitening (P = 0.007) and a higher admission white blood cell count (P = 0.02) were associated with periventricular T2 signal changes. Chronic MRI findings suggest seizures, increased intracranial pressure, and microvascular ischemia contribute to clinically relevant structural brain injury in CM.

Long-Term Functional Outcomes and Correlation with Regional Brain Connectivity by MRI Diffusion Tractography Metrics in a Near-Term Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction

PubMed Central

Illa, Miriam; Eixarch, Elisenda; Batalle, Dafnis; Arbat-Plana, Ariadna; Muñoz-Moreno, Emma; Figueras, Francesc; Gratacos, Eduard

2013-01-01

Background Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) affects 5–10% of all newborns and is associated with increased risk of memory, attention and anxiety problems in late childhood and adolescence. The neurostructural correlates of long-term abnormal neurodevelopment associated with IUGR are unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive description of the long-term functional and neurostructural correlates of abnormal neurodevelopment associated with IUGR in a near-term rabbit model (delivered at 30 days of gestation) and evaluate the development of quantitative imaging biomarkers of abnormal neurodevelopment based on diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters and connectivity. Methodology At +70 postnatal days, 10 cases and 11 controls were functionally evaluated with the Open Field Behavioral Test which evaluates anxiety and attention and the Object Recognition Task that evaluates short-term memory and attention. Subsequently, brains were collected, fixed and a high resolution MRI was performed. Differences in diffusion parameters were analyzed by means of voxel-based and connectivity analysis measuring the number of fibers reconstructed within anxiety, attention and short-term memory networks over the total fibers. Principal Findings The results of the neurobehavioral and cognitive assessment showed a significant higher degree of anxiety, attention and memory problems in cases compared to controls in most of the variables explored. Voxel-based analysis (VBA) revealed significant differences between groups in multiple brain regions mainly in grey matter structures, whereas connectivity analysis demonstrated lower ratios of fibers within the networks in cases, reaching the statistical significance only in the left hemisphere for both networks. Finally, VBA and connectivity results were also correlated with functional outcome. Conclusions The rabbit model used reproduced long-term functional impairments and their neurostructural correlates of abnormal neurodevelopment associated with IUGR. The description of the pattern of microstructural changes underlying functional defects may help to develop biomarkers based in diffusion MRI and connectivity analysis. PMID:24143189

Long-term functional outcomes and correlation with regional brain connectivity by MRI diffusion tractography metrics in a near-term rabbit model of intrauterine growth restriction.

PubMed

Illa, Miriam; Eixarch, Elisenda; Batalle, Dafnis; Arbat-Plana, Ariadna; Muñoz-Moreno, Emma; Figueras, Francesc; Gratacos, Eduard

2013-01-01

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) affects 5-10% of all newborns and is associated with increased risk of memory, attention and anxiety problems in late childhood and adolescence. The neurostructural correlates of long-term abnormal neurodevelopment associated with IUGR are unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive description of the long-term functional and neurostructural correlates of abnormal neurodevelopment associated with IUGR in a near-term rabbit model (delivered at 30 days of gestation) and evaluate the development of quantitative imaging biomarkers of abnormal neurodevelopment based on diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters and connectivity. At +70 postnatal days, 10 cases and 11 controls were functionally evaluated with the Open Field Behavioral Test which evaluates anxiety and attention and the Object Recognition Task that evaluates short-term memory and attention. Subsequently, brains were collected, fixed and a high resolution MRI was performed. Differences in diffusion parameters were analyzed by means of voxel-based and connectivity analysis measuring the number of fibers reconstructed within anxiety, attention and short-term memory networks over the total fibers. The results of the neurobehavioral and cognitive assessment showed a significant higher degree of anxiety, attention and memory problems in cases compared to controls in most of the variables explored. Voxel-based analysis (VBA) revealed significant differences between groups in multiple brain regions mainly in grey matter structures, whereas connectivity analysis demonstrated lower ratios of fibers within the networks in cases, reaching the statistical significance only in the left hemisphere for both networks. Finally, VBA and connectivity results were also correlated with functional outcome. The rabbit model used reproduced long-term functional impairments and their neurostructural correlates of abnormal neurodevelopment associated with IUGR. The description of the pattern of microstructural changes underlying functional defects may help to develop biomarkers based in diffusion MRI and connectivity analysis.

Man Versus Machine Part 2: Comparison of Radiologists' Interpretations and NeuroQuant Measures of Brain Asymmetry and Progressive Atrophy in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Ross, David E; Ochs, Alfred L; DeSmit, Megan E; Seabaugh, Jan M; Havranek, Michael D

2015-01-01

This study is an expanded version of an earlier study, which compared NeuroQuant measures of MRI brain volume with the radiologist's traditional approach in outpatients with mild or moderate traumatic brain injury. NeuroQuant volumetric analyses were compared with the radiologists' interpretations. NeuroQuant found significantly higher rates of atrophy (50.0%), abnormal asymmetry (83.3%), and progressive atrophy (70.0%) than the radiologists (12.5%, 0% and 0%, respectively). Overall, NeuroQuant was more sensitive for detecting at least one sign of atrophy, abnormal asymmetry, or progressive atrophy (95.8%) than the traditional radiologist's approach (12.5%).

Volumetric MRI study of the intrauterine growth restriction fetal brain.

PubMed

Polat, A; Barlow, S; Ber, R; Achiron, R; Katorza, E

2017-05-01

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a pathologic fetal condition known to affect the fetal brain regionally and associated with future neurodevelopmental abnormalities. This study employed MRI to assess in utero regional brain volume changes in IUGR fetuses compared to controls. Retrospectively, using MRI images of fetuses at 30-34 weeks gestational age, a total of 8 brain regions-supratentorial brain and cavity, cerebral hemispheres, temporal lobes and cerebellum-were measured for volume in 13 fetuses with IUGR due to placental insufficiency and in 21 controls. Volumes and their ratios were assessed for difference using regression models. Reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) between two observers. In both groups, all structures increase in absolute volume during that gestation period, and the rate of cerebellar growth is higher compared to that of supratentorial structures. All structures' absolute volumes were significantly smaller for the IUGR group. Cerebellar to supratentorial ratios were found to be significantly smaller (P < 0.05) for IUGR compared to controls. No other significant ratio differences were found. ICC showed excellent agreement. The cerebellar to supratentorial volume ratio is affected in IUGR fetuses. Additional research is needed to assess this as a radiologic marker in relation to long-term outcome. • IUGR is a pathologic fetal condition affecting the brain • IUGR is associated with long-term neurodevelopmental abnormalities; fetal characterization is needed • This study aimed to evaluate regional brain volume differences in IUGR • Cerebellar to supratentorial volume ratios were smaller in IUGR fetuses • This finding may play a role in long-term development of IUGR fetuses.

Changes of Visual Pathway and Brain Connectivity in Glaucoma: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Nuzzi, Raffaele; Dallorto, Laura; Rolle, Teresa

2018-01-01

Background: Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The increasing interest in the involvement of the cortical visual pathway in glaucomatous patients is due to the implications in recent therapies, such as neuroprotection and neuroregeneration. Objective: In this review, we outline the current understanding of brain structural, functional, and metabolic changes detected with the modern techniques of neuroimaging in glaucomatous subjects. Methods: We screened MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, LILACS, Trip Database, and NICE for original contributions published until 31 October 2017. Studies with at least six patients affected by any type of glaucoma were considered. We included studies using the following neuroimaging techniques: functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), voxel- based Morphometry (VBM), surface-based Morphometry (SBM), diffusion tensor MRI (DTI). Results: Over a total of 1,901 studies, 56 case series with a total of 2,381 patients were included. Evidence of neurodegenerative process in glaucomatous patients was found both within and beyond the visual system. Structural alterations in visual cortex (mainly reduced cortex thickness and volume) have been demonstrated with SBM and VBM; these changes were not limited to primary visual cortex but also involved association visual areas. Other brain regions, associated with visual function, demonstrated a certain grade of increased or decreased gray matter volume. Functional and metabolic abnormalities resulted within primary visual cortex in all studies with fMRI and MRS. Studies with rs-fMRI found disrupted connectivity between the primary and higher visual cortex and between visual cortex and associative visual areas in the task-free state of glaucomatous patients. Conclusions: This review contributes to the better understanding of brain abnormalities in glaucoma. It may stimulate further speculation about brain plasticity at a later age and therapeutic strategies, such as the prevention of cortical degeneration in patients with glaucoma. Structural, functional, and metabolic neuroimaging methods provided evidence of changes throughout the visual pathway in glaucomatous patients. Other brain areas, not directly involved in the processing of visual information, also showed alterations. PMID:29896087

Abnormal Functional MRI BOLD Contrast in the Vegetative State after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heelmann, Volker

2010-01-01

For the rehabilitation process, the treatment of patients surviving brain injury in a vegetative state is still a serious challenge. The aim of this study was to investigate patients exhibiting severely disturbed consciousness using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Five cases of posttraumatic vegetative state and one with minimal…

Brain Mechanisms for Processing Direct and Averted Gaze in Individuals with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pitskel, Naomi B.; Bolling, Danielle Z.; Hudac, Caitlin M.; Lantz, Stephen D.; Minshew, Nancy J.; Vander Wyk, Brent C.; Pelphrey, Kevin A.

2011-01-01

Prior studies have indicated brain abnormalities underlying social processing in autism, but no fMRI study has specifically addressed the differential processing of direct and averted gaze, a critical social cue. Fifteen adolescents and adults with autism and 14 typically developing comparison participants viewed dynamic virtual-reality videos…

Brain magnetic resonance imaging in acute phase of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009--associated encephalopathy in children.

PubMed

Ishida, Yu; Kawashima, Hisashi; Morichi, Shinichiro; Yamanaka, Gaku; Okumura, Akihisa; Nakagawa, Satoshi; Morishima, Tsuneo

2015-02-01

Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 has been shown to be associated more with neurological complications than the seasonal influenza virus. In this study, we focused on the clinical usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the acute phase of influenza A (H1N1) 2009-associated encephalopathy. A questionnaire was distributed to pediatric and general hospitals in Japan that treat children with encephalopathy. We conducted a questionnaire-based study involving the collection of information regarding 207 patients with encephalopathy. Brain MRI was performed in 97 of these 207 patients in the age group of 9 months to 15 years (mean, 7.5 years) within 48 hours after the development of encephalopathy symptoms. Sixty-six patients (68%) showed normal imaging. Diffuse brain edema was visible in five patients and an abnormal signal in the deep gray matter in two patients which is consistent with acute necrotizing encephalopathy. Abnormal signals of the splenial lesion, subcortical white matter (bright tree appearance), and cortical area were observed in 15, 1, and 8 patients, respectively. From our findings based on the questionnaire results, we suggest that MRI is useful for determining fatal cases of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 infection when performed in the acute phase. However, MRI is not useful in predicting the development of sequelae. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Resting state functional MRI reveals abnormal network connectivity in Neurofibromatosis 1

PubMed Central

Tomson, S.N.; Schreiner, M.; Narayan, M.; Rosser, Tena; Enrique, Nicole; Silva, Alcino J.; Allen, G.I.; Bookheimer, S.Y.; Bearden, C.E.

2015-01-01

Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the neurofibromin 1 gene at locus 17q11.2. Individuals with NF1 have an increased incidence of learning disabilities, attention deficits and autism spectrum disorders. As a single gene disorder, NF1 represents a valuable model for understanding gene-brain-behavior relationships. While mouse models have elucidated molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying learning deficits associated with this mutation, little is known about functional brain architecture in human subjects with NF1. To address this question, we used resting state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) to elucidate the intrinsic network structure of 30 NF1 participants compared with 30 healthy demographically matched controls during an eyes-open rs-fcMRI scan. Novel statistical methods were employed to quantify differences in local connectivity (edge strength) and modularity structure, in combination with traditional global graph theory applications. Our findings suggest that individuals with NF1 have reduced anterior-posterior connectivity, weaker bilateral edges, and altered modularity clustering relative to healthy controls. Further, edge strength and modular clustering indices were correlated with IQ and internalizing symptoms. These findings suggest that Ras signaling disruption may lead to abnormal functional brain connectivity; further investigation into the functional consequences of these alterations in both humans and in animal models is warranted. PMID:26304096

Functional and structural abnormalities associated with empathy in patients with schizophrenia: An fMRI and VBM study

PubMed Central

Singh, Sadhana; Modi, Shilpi; Goyal, Satnam; Kaur, Prabhjot; Singh, Namita; Bhatia, Triptish; Deshpande, Smita N; Khushu, Subash

2016-01-01

Empathy deficit is a core feature of schizophrenia which may lead to social dysfunction. The present study was carried out to investigate functional and structural abnormalities associated with empathy in patients with schizophrenia using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). A sample of 14 schizophrenia patients and 14 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex and education were examined with structural high-resolution T1-weighted MRI; fMRI images were obtained during empathy task in the same session. The analysis was carried out using SPM8 software. On behavioural assessment, schizophrenic patients (83.00±29.04) showed less scores for sadness compared to healthy controls (128.70±22.26) (p<0.001). fMRI results also showed reduced clusters of activation in the bilateral fusiform gyrus, left lingual gyrus, left middle and inferior occipital gyrus in schizophrenic subjects as compared to controls during empathy task. In the same brain areas, VBM results also showed reduced grey and white matter volumes. The present study provides an evidence for an association between structural alterations and disturbed functional brain activation during empathy task in persons affected with schizophrenia. These findings suggest a biological basis for social cognition deficits in schizophrenics. PMID:25963262

Functional and structural abnormalities associated with empathy in patients with schizophrenia: An fMRI and VBM study.

PubMed

Singh, Sadhana; Modi, Shilpi; Goyal, Satnam; Kaur, Prabhjot; Singh, Namita; Bhatia, Triptish; Deshpande, Smita N; Khushu, Subash

2015-06-01

Empathy deficit is a core feature of schizophrenia which may lead to social dysfunction. The present study was carried out to investigate functional and structural abnormalities associated with empathy in patients with schizophrenia using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). A sample of 14 schizophrenia patients and 14 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex and education were examined with structural highresolution T1-weighted MRI; fMRI images were obtained during empathy task in the same session. The analysis was carried out using SPM8 software. On behavioural assessment, schizophrenic patients (83.00+-29.04) showed less scores for sadness compared to healthy controls (128.70+-22.26) (p less than 0.001). fMRI results also showed reduced clusters of activation in the bilateral fusiform gyrus, left lingual gyrus, left middle and inferior occipital gyrus in schizophrenic subjects as compared to controls during empathy task. In the same brain areas, VBM results also showed reduced grey and white matter volumes. The present study provides an evidence for an association between structural alterations and disturbed functional brain activation during empathy task in persons affected with schizophrenia. These findings suggest a biological basis for social cognition deficits in schizophrenics.

Serial brain MRI and ultrasound findings: relation to gestational age, bilirubin level, neonatal neurologic status and neurodevelopmental outcome in infants at risk of kernicterus.

PubMed

Gkoltsiou, Konstantina; Tzoufi, Meropi; Counsell, Serena; Rutherford, Mary; Cowan, Frances

2008-12-01

To describe cranial ultrasound (cUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in neonates at risk of kernicterus, in relation to gestational age (GA), total serum bilirubin (TSB), age at imaging and neurodevelopmental outcome. Neonates with peak TSB > 400 micromol/L and/or signs of bilirubin encephalopathy. Review of neonatal data, cUS, preterm, term and later MRI scans and neurodevelopmental outcome. 11 infants were studied, two < 31, four 34-36 and five 37-40 weeks GA. TSB levels: 235-583 micromol/L (preterms); 423-720 micromol/L (terms). Neonatal neurological examination was abnormal in 8/10. cUS showed increased basal ganglia (BG) in 4/9 infants and white matter (WM) echogenicity, lenticulostriate vasculopathy (LSV) and caudothalamic hyperechogencity/cysts (GLCs) in 5/9 infants. MRI showed abnormal signal intensity (SI) in the globus pallidum (GP) in 1/2 preterm, 8/9 term and 9/11 later scans. Abnormal WM SI occurred in 2 preterm, 7 term and 10/11 later scans. Seven infants developed athetoid/dystonic cerebral palsy (CP) and 6 hearing loss (HL). Adverse outcome was associated with abnormal BG on cUS (3/4 CP, 4/4 HL), with high SI in GP (7/9 CP, 6/9 HL) on late T2-weighted MRI (all GA) and on T1/T2-weighted term MRI, mainly in term-born infants. WM abnormalities, GLCs and LSV did not correlate with outcome. Severe CP occurred with relatively low TSB levels in preterms but only at high levels in full-terms; HL was difficult to predict. Early scans did not reliably predict motor deficits whilst all children with CP had abnormal central grey matter on later scans. Abnormal WM was seen early suggesting primary involvement rather than change secondary to grey matter damage. Why characteristic central grey matter MRI features of kernicterus are not seen early remains unexplained.

Machine learning based brain tumour segmentation on limited data using local texture and abnormality.

PubMed

Bonte, Stijn; Goethals, Ingeborg; Van Holen, Roel

2018-05-07

Brain tumour segmentation in medical images is a very challenging task due to the large variety in tumour shape, position, appearance, scanning modalities and scanning parameters. Most existing segmentation algorithms use information from four different MRI-sequences, but since this is often not available, there is need for a method able to delineate the different tumour tissues based on a minimal amount of data. We present a novel approach using a Random Forests model combining voxelwise texture and abnormality features on a contrast-enhanced T1 and FLAIR MRI. We transform the two scans into 275 feature maps. A random forest model next calculates the probability to belong to 4 tumour classes or 5 normal classes. Afterwards, a dedicated voxel clustering algorithm provides the final tumour segmentation. We trained our method on the BraTS 2013 database and validated it on the larger BraTS 2017 dataset. We achieve median Dice scores of 40.9% (low-grade glioma) and 75.0% (high-grade glioma) to delineate the active tumour, and 68.4%/80.1% for the total abnormal region including edema. Our fully automated brain tumour segmentation algorithm is able to delineate contrast enhancing tissue and oedema with high accuracy based only on post-contrast T1-weighted and FLAIR MRI, whereas for non-enhancing tumour tissue and necrosis only moderate results are obtained. This makes the method especially suitable for high-grade glioma. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensorineural hearing loss in a pediatric population: association of congenital cytomegalovirus infection with intracranial abnormalities.

PubMed

Kimani, Jane W; Buchman, Craig A; Booker, Jessica K; Huang, Benjamin Y; Castillo, Mauricio; Powell, Cynthia M; Weck, Karen E

2010-10-01

To examine the incidence of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection relative to common genetic etiologies of hearing loss in a pediatric population with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), and to characterize intracranial radiological abnormalities in patients with CMV-associated hearing loss. Retrospective study. Academic tertiary care center. A total of 112 pediatric patients with confirmed SNHL. The association of congenital CMV infection status with abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and the frequencies of congenital CMV infection, gap junction β-2 (GJB2) mutations, and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) 1555A>G mutation in children with SNHL. Of 109 patients, 11 (10%) had positive results for CMV DNA; 10 of the 11 had normal GJB2 sequence and had negative test results for the mtDNA 1555A>G mutation. Brain MRI scans for 97 patients demonstrated a higher proportion of abnormalities in patients with positive CMV test results (80%) compared with those with no detectable CMV DNA (33%) (P = .006). GJB2 mutations and the mtDNA 1555A>G mutation were seen in 10 of 88 patients (11%) and 1 of 97 patients (1%) with SNHL, respectively. The presence of brain abnormalities in most patients with congenital CMV infection suggests that neurological damage in otherwise asymptomatic patients may not be limited to SNHL. Congenital CMV infection accounted for a significant proportion of patients with SNHL, with an incidence rate comparable with that of GJB2-related SNHL.

Digital atlas of fetal brain MRI.

PubMed

Chapman, Teresa; Matesan, Manuela; Weinberger, Ed; Bulas, Dorothy I

2010-02-01

Fetal MRI can be performed in the second and third trimesters. During this time, the fetal brain undergoes profound structural changes. Interpretation of appropriate development might require comparison with normal age-based models. Consultation of a hard-copy atlas is limited by the inability to compare multiple ages simultaneously. To provide images of normal fetal brains from weeks 18 through 37 in a digital format that can be reviewed interactively. This will facilitate recognition of abnormal brain development. T2-W images for the atlas were obtained from fetal MR studies of normal brains scanned for other indications from 2005 to 2007. Images were oriented in standard axial, coronal and sagittal projections, with laterality established by situs. Gestational age was determined by last menstrual period, earliest US measurements and sonogram performed on the same day as the MR. The software program used for viewing the atlas, written in C#, permits linked scrolling and resizing the images. Simultaneous comparison of varying gestational ages is permissible. Fetal brain images across gestational ages 18 to 37 weeks are provided as an interactive digital atlas and are available for free download from http://radiology.seattlechildrens.org/teaching/fetal_brain . Improved interpretation of fetal brain abnormalities can be facilitated by the use of digital atlas cataloging of the normal changes throughout fetal development. Here we provide a description of the atlas and a discussion of normal fetal brain development.

Resting-state abnormalities in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Lau, W K W; Leung, M-K; Lee, T M C; Law, A C K

2016-04-26

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). As no effective drug can cure AD, early diagnosis and intervention for aMCI are urgently needed. The standard diagnostic procedure for aMCI primarily relies on subjective neuropsychological examinations that require the judgment of experienced clinicians. The development of other objective and reliable aMCI markers, such as neural markers, is therefore required. Previous neuroimaging findings revealed various abnormalities in resting-state activity in MCI patients, but the findings have been inconsistent. The current study provides an updated activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data on aMCI. The authors searched on the MEDLINE/PubMed databases for whole-brain resting-state fMRI studies on aMCI published until March 2015. We included 21 whole-brain resting-state fMRI studies that reported a total of 156 distinct foci. Significant regional resting-state differences were consistently found in aMCI patients relative to controls, including the posterior cingulate cortex, right angular gyrus, right parahippocampal gyrus, left fusiform gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus and bilateral middle temporal gyri. Our findings support that abnormalities in resting-state activities of these regions may serve as neuroimaging markers for aMCI.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings among children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS) and alcohol related neurodevelopmental disorders (ARND).

PubMed

Anna Dyląg, Katarzyna; Sikora-Sporek, Aleksanda; Bańdo, Bożena; Boroń-Zyss, Joanna; Drożdż, Dorota; Dumnicka, Paulina; Przybyszewska, Katarzyna; Sporek, Mateusz; Walocha, Jerzy W; Wojciechowski, Wadim; Urbanik, Andrzej

The aim of the study was to analyze the findings in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the brain amongst children diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS) or alcohol related neurodevelopmental disorders (ARND). The issue has been studied in several researches previously but the experts agree that there is still few data on the MRI results in the group of younger children. MRI results of 121 patients with either FAS or pFAS or ARND diagnosed with Canadian criteria were analyzed regarding the presence of abnormalities. The group consisted of 71 patients diagnosed with FAS, 33 diagnosed with pFAS and 17 diagnosed with ARND. The mean age of the patients was 8.03 years (standard deviation 4.07). In the total group of FASD patients 61.98% of the patients’ MRI results were abnormal. The most common abnormality in MRI of the patients were demyelination plaques (incidence 23.1%) and corpus callosum narrowing (20.7%) as well as ventricular asymmetry (18.8%).The demyelination plaques and corpus callosum narrowing were more frequent among children ≤4 years old (41.7% vs 18.6%; p=0.016 and 50.0% vs.13.4%; p<0.001, respectively). Age ≤4 years predicted the presence of demyelination plaques and corpus callosum narrowing independently of FAS diagnosis. Among younger children, multiple central nervous system abnormalities were observed more often than in the older age group (54.2% vs. 14.4%; p<0.001). Odds ratio for multiple changes was 0.84 per one-year increase in age (95% CI 0.73-0.97), p=0.016. Furthermore, in the analysis according to the specific diagnosis, among the patients diagnosed with FAS, multiple anomalies were more common than in pFAS and ARND. Both age ≤4 years and FAS diagnosis were independent predictors for multiple anomalies in multiple logistic regression. In structural brain MRI of younger children, multiple anomalies were found more frequently than among older children. Demyelination plaques and corpus callosum narrowing were more common in younger FASD patients than in older ones.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Current Evidence and Future Directions.

PubMed

Nelson, Sarah E; Sair, Haris I; Stevens, Robert D

2018-04-09

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is associated with an unacceptably high mortality and chronic disability in survivors, underscoring a need to validate new approaches for treatment and prognosis. The use of advanced imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in particular, could help address this gap given its versatile capacity to quantitatively evaluate and map changes in brain anatomy, physiology and functional activation. Yet there is uncertainty about the real value of brain MRI in the clinical setting of aSAH. In this review, we discuss current and emerging MRI research in aSAH. PubMed was searched from inception to June 2017, and additional studies were then chosen on the basis of relevance to the topics covered in this review. Available studies suggest that brain MRI is a feasible, safe, and valuable testing modality. MRI detects brain abnormalities associated with neurologic examination, outcomes, and aneurysm treatment and thus has the potential to increase knowledge of aSAH pathophysiology as well as to guide management and outcome prediction. Newer pulse sequences have the potential to reveal structural and physiological changes that could also improve management of aSAH. Research is needed to confirm the value of MRI-based biomarkers in clinical practice and as endpoints in clinical trials, with the goal of improving outcome for patients with aSAH.

Neonatal brain microstructure correlates of neurodevelopment and gait in preterm children 18-22 mo of age: an MRI and DTI study.

PubMed

Rose, Jessica; Cahill-Rowley, Katelyn; Vassar, Rachel; Yeom, Kristen W; Stecher, Ximena; Stevenson, David K; Hintz, Susan R; Barnea-Goraly, Naama

2015-12-01

Near-term brain structure was examined in preterm infants in relation to neurodevelopment. We hypothesized that near-term macrostructural brain abnormalities identified using conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and white matter (WM) microstructure detected using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), would correlate with lower cognitive and motor development and slower, less-stable gait at 18-22 mo of age. One hundred and two very-low-birth-weight preterm infants (≤1,500 g birth weight; ≤32 wk gestational age) were recruited prior to routine near-term brain MRI at 36.6 ± 1.8 wk postmenstrual age. Cerebellar and WM macrostructure was assessed on conventional structural MRI. DTI was obtained in 66 out of 102 and WM microstructure was assessed using fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity (MD) in six subcortical brain regions defined by DiffeoMap neonatal atlas. Neurodevelopment was assessed with Bayley-Scales-of-Infant-Toddler-Development, 3rd-Edition (BSID-III); gait was assessed using an instrumented mat. Neonates with cerebellar abnormalities identified using MRI demonstrated lower mean BSID-III cognitive composite scores (89.0 ± 10.1 vs. 97.8 ± 12.4; P = 0.002) at 18-22 mo. Neonates with higher DTI-derived left posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC) MD demonstrated lower cognitive and motor composite scores (r = -0.368; P = 0.004; r = -0.354; P = 0.006) at 18-22 mo; neonates with higher genu MD demonstrated slower gait velocity (r = -0.374; P = 0.007). Multivariate linear regression significantly predicted cognitive (adjusted r(2) = 0.247; P = 0.002) and motor score (adjusted r(2) = 0.131; P = 0.017). Near-term cerebellar macrostructure and PLIC and genu microstructure were predictive of early neurodevelopment and gait.

Brain MRI findings in patients with idiopathic hypersomnia.

PubMed

Trotti, Lynn Marie; Bliwise, Donald L

2017-06-01

Proper diagnosis of idiopathic hypersomnia necessitates the exclusion of neurologic or medical causes of sleepiness that better explain the clinical syndrome. However, there are no formal guidelines regarding the use of neuroimaging to identify such secondary causes of symptoms. We sought to characterize brain MRI findings in a series of patients with idiopathic hypersomnia. We reviewed medical records on a consecutive series of 61 patients diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia to determine the frequency and results of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). One-third of patients had undergone brain MRI, with focal neurologic signs or symptoms being the most common indication for neuroimaging. Although seven patients had an identifiable finding on neuroimaging (e.g., chronic microvascular ischemic changes), clinical management was changed as a result of imaging in only three cases. In all three, the imaging finding was predated by clear clinical abnormalities. Neuroimaging may be a complementary part of an idiopathic hypersomnia evaluation, but the decision to pursue imaging should be made on a case-by-case basis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Frequency and Severity of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Abnormalities in Infants with Mild Neonatal Encephalopathy.

PubMed

Walsh, Brian H; Neil, Jeffrey; Morey, JoAnn; Yang, Edward; Silvera, Michelle V; Inder, Terrie E; Ortinau, Cynthia

2017-08-01

To assess and contrast the incidence and severity of abnormalities on cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between infants with mild, moderate, and severe neonatal encephalopathy who received therapeutic hypothermia. This retrospective cohort studied infants with mild, moderate, and severe neonatal encephalopathy who received therapeutic hypothermia at a single tertiary neonatal intensive care unit between 2013 and 2015. Two neuroradiologists masked to the clinical condition evaluated brain MRIs for cerebral injury after therapeutic hypothermia using the Barkovich classification system. Additional abnormalities not included in this classification system were also noted. The rate, pattern, and severity of abnormalities/injury were compared across the grades of neonatal encephalopathy. Eighty-nine infants received therapeutic hypothermia and met study criteria, 48 with mild neonatal encephalopathy, 35 with moderate neonatal encephalopathy, and 6 with severe neonatal encephalopathy. Forty-eight infants (54%) had an abnormality on MRI. There was no difference in the rate of overall MRI abnormalities by grade of neonatal encephalopathy (mild neonatal encephalopathy 54%, moderate neonatal encephalopathy 54%, and severe neonatal encephalopathy 50%; P= .89). Basal ganglia/thalamic injury was more common in those with severe neonatal encephalopathy (mild neonatal encephalopathy 4%, moderate neonatal encephalopathy 9%, severe neonatal encephalopathy 34%; P = .03). In contrast, watershed injury did not differ between neonatal encephalopathy grades (mild neonatal encephalopathy 36%, moderate neonatal encephalopathy 32%, severe neonatal encephalopathy 50%; P = .3). Mild neonatal encephalopathy is commonly associated with MRI abnormalities after therapeutic hypothermia. The grade of neonatal encephalopathy during the first hours of life may not discriminate adequately between infants with and without cerebral injury noted on MRI after therapeutic hypothermia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantitative evaluation of brain development using anatomical MRI and diffusion tensor imaging☆

PubMed Central

Oishi, Kenichi; Faria, Andreia V.; Yoshida, Shoko; Chang, Linda; Mori, Susumu

2013-01-01

The development of the brain is structure-specific, and the growth rate of each structure differs depending on the age of the subject. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often used to evaluate brain development because of the high spatial resolution and contrast that enable the observation of structure-specific developmental status. Currently, most clinical MRIs are evaluated qualitatively to assist in the clinical decision-making and diagnosis. The clinical MRI report usually does not provide quantitative values that can be used to monitor developmental status. Recently, the importance of image quantification to detect and evaluate mild-to-moderate anatomical abnormalities has been emphasized because these alterations are possibly related to several psychiatric disorders and learning disabilities. In the research arena, structural MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have been widely applied to quantify brain development of the pediatric population. To interpret the values from these MR modalities, a “growth percentile chart,” which describes the mean and standard deviation of the normal developmental curve for each anatomical structure, is required. Although efforts have been made to create such a growth percentile chart based on MRI and DTI, one of the greatest challenges is to standardize the anatomical boundaries of the measured anatomical structures. To avoid inter- and intra-reader variability about the anatomical boundary definition, and hence, to increase the precision of quantitative measurements, an automated structure parcellation method, customized for the neonatal and pediatric population, has been developed. This method enables quantification of multiple MR modalities using a common analytic framework. In this paper, the attempt to create an MRI- and a DTI-based growth percentile chart, followed by an application to investigate developmental abnormalities related to cerebral palsy, Williams syndrome, and Rett syndrome, have been introduced. Future directions include multimodal image analysis and personalization for clinical application. PMID:23796902

The neonatal brain in critical congenital heart disease: Insights and future directions.

PubMed

Peyvandi, Shabnam; Latal, Beatrice; Miller, Steven P; McQuillen, Patrick S

2018-05-19

Neurodevelopmental outcomes are impaired in survivors of critical congenital heart disease (CHD) in several developmental domains including motor, cognitive and sensory outcomes. These deficits can extend into the adolescent and early adulthood years. The cause of these neurodevelopmental impairments is multi-factorial and includes patient specific risk factors, cardiac anatomy and physiology as well as brain changes seen on MRI. Advances in imaging techniques have identified delayed brain development in the neonate with critical CHD as well as acquired brain injury. These abnormalities are seen even before corrective neonatal cardiac surgery. This review focuses on describing brain changes seen on MRI in neonates with CHD, risk factors for these changes and the association with neurodevelopmental outcome. There is an emerging focus on the impact of cardiovascular physiology on brain health and the complex heart-brain interplay that influences ultimate neurodevelopmental outcome in these patients. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Cochlear Implant Outcomes and Genetic Mutations in Children with Ear and Brain Anomalies

PubMed Central

Busi, Micol; Rosignoli, Monica; Minazzi, Federica; Trevisi, Patrizia; Aimoni, Claudia; Calzolari, Ferdinando; Martini, Alessandro

2015-01-01

Background. Specific clinical conditions could compromise cochlear implantation outcomes and drastically reduce the chance of an acceptable development of perceptual and linguistic capabilities. These conditions should certainly include the presence of inner ear malformations or brain abnormalities. The aims of this work were to study the diagnostic value of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children with sensorineural hearing loss who were candidates for cochlear implants and to analyse the anatomic abnormalities of the ear and brain in patients who underwent cochlear implantation. We also analysed the effects of ear malformations and brain anomalies on the CI outcomes, speculating on their potential role in the management of language developmental disorders. Methods. The present study is a retrospective observational review of cochlear implant outcomes among hearing-impaired children who presented ear and/or brain anomalies at neuroimaging investigations with MRI and HRCT. Furthermore, genetic results from molecular genetic investigations (GJB2/GJB6 and, additionally, in selected cases, SLC26A4 or mitochondrial-DNA mutations) on this study group were herein described. Longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis was conducted using statistical tests. Results. Between January 1, 1996 and April 1, 2012, at the ENT-Audiology Department of the University Hospital of Ferrara, 620 cochlear implantations were performed. There were 426 implanted children at the time of the present study (who were <18 years). Among these, 143 patients (64 females and 79 males) presented ear and/or brain anomalies/lesions/malformations at neuroimaging investigations with MRI and HRCT. The age of the main study group (143 implanted children) ranged from 9 months and 16 years (average = 4.4; median = 3.0). Conclusions. Good outcomes with cochlear implants are possible in patients who present with inner ear or brain abnormalities, even if central nervous system anomalies represent a negative prognostic factor that is made worse by the concomitant presence of cochlear malformations. Common cavity and stenosis of the internal auditory canal (less than 2 mm) are negative prognostic factors even if brain lesions are absent. PMID:26236732

Cochlear Implant Outcomes and Genetic Mutations in Children with Ear and Brain Anomalies.

PubMed

Busi, Micol; Rosignoli, Monica; Castiglione, Alessandro; Minazzi, Federica; Trevisi, Patrizia; Aimoni, Claudia; Calzolari, Ferdinando; Granieri, Enrico; Martini, Alessandro

2015-01-01

Specific clinical conditions could compromise cochlear implantation outcomes and drastically reduce the chance of an acceptable development of perceptual and linguistic capabilities. These conditions should certainly include the presence of inner ear malformations or brain abnormalities. The aims of this work were to study the diagnostic value of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children with sensorineural hearing loss who were candidates for cochlear implants and to analyse the anatomic abnormalities of the ear and brain in patients who underwent cochlear implantation. We also analysed the effects of ear malformations and brain anomalies on the CI outcomes, speculating on their potential role in the management of language developmental disorders. The present study is a retrospective observational review of cochlear implant outcomes among hearing-impaired children who presented ear and/or brain anomalies at neuroimaging investigations with MRI and HRCT. Furthermore, genetic results from molecular genetic investigations (GJB2/GJB6 and, additionally, in selected cases, SLC26A4 or mitochondrial-DNA mutations) on this study group were herein described. Longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis was conducted using statistical tests. Between January 1, 1996 and April 1, 2012, at the ENT-Audiology Department of the University Hospital of Ferrara, 620 cochlear implantations were performed. There were 426 implanted children at the time of the present study (who were <18 years). Among these, 143 patients (64 females and 79 males) presented ear and/or brain anomalies/lesions/malformations at neuroimaging investigations with MRI and HRCT. The age of the main study group (143 implanted children) ranged from 9 months and 16 years (average = 4.4; median = 3.0). Good outcomes with cochlear implants are possible in patients who present with inner ear or brain abnormalities, even if central nervous system anomalies represent a negative prognostic factor that is made worse by the concomitant presence of cochlear malformations. Common cavity and stenosis of the internal auditory canal (less than 2 mm) are negative prognostic factors even if brain lesions are absent.

Cortical folding in post-traumatic stress disorder after motor vehicle accidents: Regional differences in gyrification.

PubMed

Chu, Chun; Xie, Bing; Qiu, Mingguo; Liu, Kaijun; Tan, Liwen; Wu, Yi; Chen, Wei; Zhang, Shaoxiang

2017-04-01

Structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have revealed evidence of brain abnormalities in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients. Cortical complexity and local gyrification index (lGI) reflect potential biological processes associated with normal or abnormal cognitive functioning. In the current study, lGI was used to explore cortical folding in PTSD patients involved in motor vehicle accidents (MVA). MRI brain scans were acquired from 18 PTSD patients who had suffered MVA at least 6 months previously and 18 healthy control subjects. All MRI images were obtained on a 3-T Siemens MRI machine and the cortical folding was analyzed using the workflow provided by software FreeSurfer. A general FreeSurfer's general linear model was used in the group analysis. In addition, correlation analysis was performed between the average of lGI extracted from the significantly different areas and the data for the clinical scale. The PTSD patients had significantly greater Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale scores than the control group. The patients showed significantly reduced lGI in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex, consistent with findings of previous volumetric studies on PTSD. But there were no significant correlations in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex between Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale scores and lGI. We suggest that abnormal gyrification in PTSD patients can be an important indicator of neurodevelopment deficits and may indeed be a biological marker for PTSD. © 2016 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2016 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

MRI Evidence of Cerebellar and Extraocular Muscle Atrophy Differently Contributing to Eye Movement Abnormalities in SCA2 and SCA28 Diseases.

PubMed

Politi, Letterio Salvatore; Bianchi Marzoli, Stefania; Godi, Claudia; Panzeri, Marta; Ciasca, Paola; Brugnara, Gianluca; Castaldo, Anna; Di Bella, Daniela; Taroni, Franco; Nanetti, Lorenzo; Mariotti, Caterina

2016-05-01

Spinocerebellar ataxias type 2 and 28 (SCA2, SCA28) are autosomal dominant disorders characterized by progressive cerebellar and oculomotor abnormalities. We aimed to investigate cerebellar, brainstem, and extraocular muscle involvement in the mitochondrial SCA28 disease compared with SCA2. We obtained orbital and brain 1.5 T-magnetic resonance images (MRI) in eight SCA28 subjects, nine SCA2, and nine age-matched healthy subjects. Automated segmentation of cerebellum and frontal lobe was performed using Freesurfer software. Manual segmentations for midbrain, pons, and extraocular muscles were performed using OsiriX. Eye movement abnormalities in SCA2 subjects were characterized by slow horizontal saccades. Subjects with SCA28 variably presented hypometric saccades, saccadic horizontal pursuit, impaired horizontal gaze holding, and superior eyelid ptosis. Quantitative brain MRI demonstrated that cerebellar and pons volumes were significantly reduced in both SCA2 and SCA28 subjects compared with controls (P < 0.03), and in SCA2 subjects compared with SCA28 (P < 0.01). Midbrain and frontal lobe volumes were also significantly reduced in SCA2 compared to controls (P < 0.03), whereas these volumes did not differ between SCA2 and SCA28 and between SCA28 and control subjects. The extraocular muscle areas were 37% to 48% smaller in SCA28 subjects compared with controls (P < 0.002), and 14% to 36% smaller compared with SCA2 subjects (P < 0.03). Extraocular muscle areas did not differ between SCA2 and controls. Our MRI findings support the hypothesis of different cerebellar and extraocular myopathic contributions in the eye movement abnormalities in SCA2 and SCA28 diseases. In SCA28, a myopathic defect selectively involving the extraocular muscles supports a specific impairment of mitochondrial energy metabolism.

Recent neuroimaging techniques in mild traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Belanger, Heather G; Vanderploeg, Rodney D; Curtiss, Glenn; Warden, Deborah L

2007-01-01

Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by acute physiological changes that result in at least some acute cognitive difficulties and typically resolve by 3 months postinjury. Because the majority of mild TBI patients have normal structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/computed tomography (CT) scans, there is increasing attention directed at finding objective physiological correlates of persistent cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms through experimental neuroimaging techniques. The authors review studies utilizing these techniques in patients with mild TBI; these techniques may provide more sensitive assessment of structural and functional abnormalities following mild TBI. Particular promise is evident with fMRI, PET, and SPECT scanning, as demonstrated by associations between brain activation and clinical outcomes.

Disrupted modular organization of resting-state cortical functional connectivity in U.S. military personnel following concussive ‘mild’ blast-related traumatic brain injury†

PubMed Central

Han, Kihwan; Mac Donald, Christine L.; Johnson, Ann M.; Barnes, Yolanda; Wierzechowski, Linda; Zonies, David; Oh, John; Flaherty, Stephen; Fang, Raymond; Raichle, Marcus E.; Brody, David L.

2013-01-01

Blast-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been one of the “signature injuries” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, neuroimaging studies in concussive ‘mild’ blast-related TBI have been challenging due to the absence of abnormalities in computed tomography or conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the heterogeneity of the blast-related injury mechanisms. The goal of this study was to address these challenges utilizing single-subject, module-based graph theoretic analysis of resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) data. We acquired 20 minutes of resting-state fMRI in 63 U.S. military personnel clinically diagnosed with concussive blast-related TBI and 21 U.S. military controls who had blast exposures but no diagnosis of TBI. All subjects underwent an initial scan within 90 days post-injury and 65 subjects underwent a follow-up scan 6 to 12 months later. A second independent cohort of 40 U.S. military personnel with concussive blast-related TBI patients served as a validation dataset. The second independent cohort underwent an initial scan within 30 days post-injury. 75% of scans were of good quality, with exclusions primarily due to excessive subject motion. Network analysis of the subset of these subjects in the first cohort with good quality scans revealed spatially localized reductions in participation coefficient, a measure of between-module connectivity, in the TBI patients relative to the controls at the time of the initial scan. These group differences were less prominent on the follow-up scans. The 15 brain areas with the most prominent reductions in participation coefficient were next used as regions of interest (ROIs) for single-subject analyses. In the first TBI cohort, more subjects than would be expected by chance (27/47 versus 2/47 expected, p < 0.0001) had 3 or more brain regions with abnormally low between-module connectivity relative to the controls on the initial scans. On the follow-up scans, more subjects than expected by chance (5/37, p = 0.044) but fewer subjects than on the initial scans had 3 or more brain regions with abnormally low between-module connectivity. Analysis of the second TBI cohort validation dataset with no free parameters provided a partial replication; again more subjects than expected by chance (8/31, p = 0.006) had 3 or more brain regions with abnormally low between-module connectivity on the initial scans, but the numbers were not significant (2/27, p = 0.276) on the follow-up scans. A single-subject, multivariate analysis by probabilistic principal component analysis of the between-module connectivity in the 15 identified ROIs, showed that 31/47 subjects in the first TBI cohort were found to be abnormal relative to the controls on the initial scans. In the second TBI cohort, 9/31 patients were found to be abnormal in identical multivariate analysis with no free parameters. Again, there were not substantial differences on the follow-up scans. Taken together, these results indicate that single-subject, module-based graph theoretic analysis of resting-state fMRI provides potentially useful information for concussive blast-related TBI if high quality scans can be obtained. The underlying biological mechanisms and consequences of disrupted between-module connectivity are unknown, thus further studies are required. PMID:23968735

Parry-Romberg syndrome: intracranial MRI appearances.

PubMed

Moko, Sheree Bernadette; Mistry, Yezdi; Blandin de Chalain, Tristan Maurice

2003-10-01

To gain further insight into the pathogenesis of Parry-Romberg syndrome, a sporadic disease of unknown aetiology characterized by progressive wasting of one side of the face. Cranial MRI was performed in 10 patients with Parry-Romberg syndrome. The central nervous system findings are correlated to clinical findings and a review of the literature. Three patients with a history of migraine had abnormal brain findings confined to the cerebral hemisphere ipsilateral to the facial hemiatrophy. Two patients without CNS symptoms had intracranial changes, one ipsilateral, the other both ipsilateral and contralateral to the facial hemiatrophy, on MRI. These changes consisted of either intracerebral atrophy or white matter hyperintensity. Five patients without CNS symptoms had no pathological intracranial MRI appearances. A significant number of patients with Parry-Romberg syndrome may have underlying brain involvement. These findings are consistent with previous reports.

Magnetic resonance imaging. Application to family practice.

PubMed

Goh, R H; Somers, S; Jurriaans, E; Yu, J

1999-09-01

To review indications, contraindications, and risks of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in order to help primary care physicians refer patients appropriately for MRI, screen for contraindications to using MRI, and educate patients about MRI. Recommendations are based on classic textbooks, the policies of our MRI group, and a literature search using MEDLINE with the MeSH headings magnetic resonance imaging, brain, musculoskeletal, and spine. The search was limited to human, English-language, and review articles. Evidence in favour of using MRI for imaging the head, spine, and joints is well established. For cardiac, abdominal, and pelvic conditions, MRI has been shown useful for certain indications, usually to complement other modalities. For demonstrating soft tissue conditions, MRI is better than computed tomography (CT), but CT shows bone and acute bleeding better. Therefore, patients with trauma or suspected intracranial bleeding should have CT. Tumours, congenital abnormalities, vascular structures, and the cervical or thoracic spine show better on MRI. Either modality can be used for lower back pain. Cardiac, abdominal, and pelvic abnormalities should be imaged with ultrasound or CT before MRI. Contraindications for MRI are mainly metallic implants or shrapnel, severe claustrophobia, or obesity. With the increasing availability of MRI scanners in Canada, better understanding of the indications, contraindications, and risks will be helpful for family physicians and their patients.

Neonatal Brain MRI and Motor Outcome at School Age in Children with Neonatal Encephalopathy: A Review of Personal Experience

PubMed Central

Mercuri, Eugenio; Barnett, Anna L.

2003-01-01

The aim of this paper is to review (i) the spectrum of neuromotor function at school age in children who had been born full-term and presented with neonatal encephalopathy (NE) and low Apgar scores and (ii) the relation between the presence/absence of such difficulties and neonatal brain MRI. Motor outcome appears to be mainly related to the severity of basal ganglia and internal capsule involvement. Severe basal ganglia lesions were always associated with the most severe outcome, microcephaly, tetraplegia, and severe global delay, whereas more discrete basal ganglia lesions were associated with athetoid cerebral palsy, with normal cognitive development or minor neuro-motor abnormalities. White matter lesions were associated with abnormal motor outcome only if the internal capsule was involved. Children with moderate white matter changes but normal internal capsule, had normal motor outcome at school age. PMID:14640307

Reliability of magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of hypopituitarism in children with optic nerve hypoplasia.

PubMed

Ramakrishnaiah, Raghu H; Shelton, Julie B; Glasier, Charles M; Phillips, Paul H

2014-01-01

It is essential to identify hypopituitarism in children with optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) because they are at risk for developmental delay, seizures, or death. The purpose of this study is to determine the reliability of neurohypophyseal abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection of hypopituitarism in children with ONH. Cross-sectional study. One hundred one children with clinical ONH who underwent MRI of the brain and orbits and a detailed pediatric endocrinologic evaluation. Magnetic resonance imaging studies were performed on 1.5-Tesla scanners. The imaging protocol included sagittal T1-weighted images, axial fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery/T2-weighted images, and diffusion-weighted images of the brain. Orbital imaging included fat-saturated axial and coronal images and high-resolution axial T2-weighted images. The MRI studies were reviewed by 2 pediatric neuroradiologists for optic nerve hypoplasia, absent or ectopic posterior pituitary, absent pituitary infundibulum, absent septum pellucidum, migration anomalies, and hemispheric injury. Medical records were reviewed for clinical examination findings and endocrinologic status. All patients underwent a clinical evaluation by a pediatric endocrinologist and a standardized panel of serologic testing that included serum insulin-like growth factor-1, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, prolactin, cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and free thyroxine levels. Radiologists were masked to patients' endocrinologic status and funduscopic findings. Sensitivity and specificity of MRI findings for the detection of hypopituitarism. Neurohypophyseal abnormalities, including absent pituitary infundibulum, ectopic posterior pituitary bright spot, and absent posterior pituitary bright spot, occurred in 33 children. Magnetic resonance imaging disclosed neurohypophyseal abnormalities in 27 of the 28 children with hypopituitarism (sensitivity, 96%). A normal neurohypophysis occurred in 67 of 73 children with normal endocrinologic function (specificity, 92%). Neurohypophyseal abnormalities on MRI are sensitive and specific indicators of hypopituitarism in children with ONH. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Increased frequency of brain pathology in inmates of a high-security forensic institution: a qualitative CT and MRI scan study.

PubMed

Witzel, Joachim G; Bogerts, Bernhard; Schiltz, Kolja

2016-09-01

This study aimed to assess whether brain pathology might be more abundant in forensic inpatients in a high-security setting than in non-criminal individuals. By using a previously used reliable approach, we explored the frequency and extent of brain pathology in a large group of institutionalized offenders who had not previously been considered to be suffering from structural brain damage and compare it to healthy, non-offending subjects. MRI and CT brain scans from 148 male inpatients of a high-security mental health institution (offense type: 51 sex, 80 violent, 9 arson, and 8 nonviolent) that were obtained due to headache, vertigo, or psychological complaints during imprisonment were assessed and compared to 52 non-criminal healthy controls. Brain scans were assessed qualitatively with respect to evidence of structural brain damage. Each case received a semiquantitative rating of "normal" (=0), "questionably abnormal" (=1), or "definitely abnormal" (=2) for the lateral ventricles, frontal/parietal cortex, and medial temporal structures bilaterally as well as third ventricle. Forensic inpatients displayed signs of brain damage to a significantly higher degree than healthy controls (p < 0.001). Even after adjustment for age, in the patients, being younger than the controls (p < 0.05), every offender type group displayed a higher proportion of subjects with brain regions categorized as definitely abnormal than the non-criminal controls. Within the forensic inpatients, offense type groups did not significantly differ in brain pathology. The astonishingly high prevalence of brain pathology in institutionalized inmates of a high-security mental health institution who previously had not been considered to be suffering from an organic brain syndrome raises questions on whether such neuroradiological assessment might be considered as a routine procedure in newly admitted patients. Furthermore, it highlights that organic changes, detectable under clinical routine conditions, may play a role in the development of legally relevant behavioral disturbances which might be underestimated.

Brain Morphometry using MRI in Schizophrenia Patients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abanshina, I.; Pirogov, Yu.; Kupriyanov, D.; Orlova, V.

2010-01-01

Schizophrenia has been the focus of intense neuroimaging research. Although its fundamental pathobiology remains elusive, neuroimaging studies provide evidence of abnormalities of cerebral structure and function in patients with schizophrenia. We used morphometry as a quantitative method for estimation of volume of brain structures. Seventy eight right-handed subjects aged 18-45 years were exposed to MRI-examination. Patients were divided into 3 groups: patients with schizophrenia, their relatives and healthy controls. The volumes of interested structures (caudate nucleus, putamen, ventricles, frontal and temporal lobe) were measured using T2-weighted MR-images. Correlations between structural differences and functional deficit were evaluated.

Postural headache in a patient with Marfan's syndrome.

PubMed

Ferrante, E; Citterio, A; Savino, A; Santalucia, P

2003-09-01

A 26-year-old man with Marfan's syndrome had postural headache. Brain MRI with gadolinium showed diffuse pachymeningeal enhancement. MRI myelography revealed bilateral multiple large meningeal diverticula at sacral nerve roots level. He was suspected to have spontaneous intracranial hypotension syndrome. Eight days later headache improved with bed rest and hydration. One month after the onset he was asymptomatic and 3 months later brain MRI showed no evidence of diffuse pachymeningeal enhancement. The 1-year follow-up revealed no neurological abnormalities. The intracranial hypotension syndrome likely resulted from a CSF leak from one of the meningeal diverticula. In conclusion patients with spinal meningeal diverticula (frequently seen in Marfan's syndrome) might be at increased risk of developing CSF leaks, possibly secondary to Valsalva maneuver or minor unrecognized trauma.

Brain Injury in Neonates with Complex Congenital Heart Disease: What Is the Predictive Value of MRI in the Fetal Period?

PubMed

Brossard-Racine, M; du Plessis, A; Vezina, G; Robertson, R; Donofrio, M; Tworetzky, W; Limperopoulos, C

2016-07-01

Brain injury in neonates with congenital heart disease is an important predictor of adverse neurodevelopmental outcome. Impaired brain development in congenital heart disease may have a prenatal origin, but the sensitivity and specificity of fetal brain MR imaging for predicting neonatal brain lesions are currently unknown. We sought to determine the value of conventional fetal MR imaging for predicting abnormal findings on neonatal preoperative MR imaging in neonates with complex congenital heart disease. MR imaging studies were performed in 103 fetuses with confirmed congenital heart disease (mean gestational age, 31.57 ± 3.86 weeks) and were repeated postnatally before cardiac surgery (mean age, 6.8 ± 12.2 days). Each MR imaging study was read by a pediatric neuroradiologist. Brain abnormalities were detected in 17/103 (16%) fetuses by fetal MR imaging and in 33/103 (32%) neonates by neonatal MR imaging. Only 9/33 studies with abnormal neonatal findings were preceded by abnormal findings on fetal MR imaging. The sensitivity and specificity of conventional fetal brain MR imaging for predicting neonatal brain abnormalities were 27% and 89%, respectively. Brain abnormalities detected by in utero MR imaging in fetuses with congenital heart disease are associated with higher risk of postnatal preoperative brain injury. However, a substantial proportion of anomalies on postnatal MR imaging were not present on fetal MR imaging; this result is likely due to the limitations of conventional fetal MR imaging and the emergence of new lesions that occurred after the fetal studies. Postnatal brain MR imaging studies are needed to confirm the presence of injury before open heart surgery. © 2016 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Abnormal spontaneous brain activity is associated with impaired emotion and cognition in hyperthyroidism: A rs-fMRI study.

PubMed

Zhi, Mengmeng; Hou, Zhenghua; We, Qiong; Zhang, Yuqun; Li, Ling; Yuan, Yonggui

2018-06-07

Hyperthyroid patients undergo emotional and cognitive dysfunction. However, the neurological basis for it remains ambiguous. Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) were used to investigate abnormal spontaneous activity in hyperthyroidism for the first time. 29 hyperthyroid patients and 29 healthy controls (HC) received 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and neuropsychological assessments. Compared with HC, hyperthyroid patients showed decreased ALFF in left medial frontal gyrus (MeFG) and left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Hyperthyroidism group exhibited decreased ReHo in left MeFG. Within hyperthyroidism group, ALFF values in left MeFG were positively correlated with Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) Z-scores, but negatively correlated with processing speed Z-scores. Besides, ALFF values in left precuneus had a positive correlation with HARS Z-scores. As a result, abnormal brain spontaneous activity mainly in default mode network (DMN) implicated the neuro-pathological substrate of relevant emotional and cognitive dysfunction in hyperthyroid patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural connectivity patterns associated with the putative visual word form area and children's reading ability.

PubMed

Fan, Qiuyun; Anderson, Adam W; Davis, Nicole; Cutting, Laurie E

2014-10-24

With the advent of neuroimaging techniques, especially functional MRI (fMRI), studies have mapped brain regions that are associated with good and poor reading, most centrally a region within the left occipito-temporal/fusiform region (L-OT/F) often referred to as the visual word form area (VWFA). Despite an abundance of fMRI studies of the putative VWFA, research about its structural connectivity has just started. Provided that the putative VWFA may be connected to distributed regions in the brain, it remains unclear how this network is engaged in constituting a well-tuned reading circuitry in the brain. Here we used diffusion MRI to study the structural connectivity patterns of the putative VWFA and surrounding areas within the L-OT/F in children with typically developing (TD) reading ability and with word recognition deficits (WRD; sometimes referred to as dyslexia). We found that L-OT/F connectivity varied along a posterior-anterior gradient, with specific structural connectivity patterns related to reading ability in the ROIs centered upon the putative VWFA. Findings suggest that the architecture of the putative VWFA connectivity is fundamentally different between TD and WRD, with TD showing greater connectivity to linguistic regions than WRD, and WRD showing greater connectivity to visual and parahippocampal regions than TD. Findings thus reveal clear structural abnormalities underlying the functional abnormalities in the putative VWFA in WRD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Brain magnetic resonance imaging findings in young patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni without overt symptoms.

PubMed

Manzella, Adonis; Borba-Filho, Paulo; Brandt, Carlos T; Oliveira, Keyla

2012-06-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in young patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni without overt neurologic manifestations. This study included 34 young persons (age range = 9-25 years) with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni who had been previously treated. Patients were scanned on a 1.5-T system that included multiplanar pre-contrast and post-contrast sequences, and reports were completed by two radiologists after a consensus review. Twenty (58.8%) patients had MRI signal changes that were believed to be related to schistosomiasis mansoni. Twelve of the 20 patients had small focal hyperintensities on T2WI in the cerebral white matter, and eight patients had symmetric hyperintense basal ganglia on T1WI. There was a high frequency of brain MRI signal abnormalities in this series. Although not specific, these findings may be related to schistosomiasis.

Curved reformat of the paediatric brain MRI into a 'flat-earth map' - standardised method for demonstrating cortical surface atrophy resulting from hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy.

PubMed

Simpson, Ewan; Andronikou, Savvas; Vedajallam, Schadie; Chacko, Anith; Thai, Ngoc Jade

2016-09-01

Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy is optimally imaged with brain MRI in the neonatal period. However neuroimaging is often also performed later in childhood (e.g., when parents seek compensation in cases of alleged birth asphyxia). We describe a standardised technique for creating two curved reconstructions of the cortical surface to show the characteristic surface changes of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy in children imaged after the neonatal period. The technique was applied for 10 cases of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy and also for age-matched healthy children to assess the visibility of characteristic features of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy. In the abnormal brains, fissural or sulcal widening was seen in all cases and ulegyria was identifiable in 7/10. These images could be used as a visual aid for communicating MRI findings to clinicians and other interested parties.

PET scan perfusion imaging in the Prader–Willi syndrome: new insights into the psychiatric and social disturbances

PubMed Central

Mantoulan, Carine; Payoux, Pierre; Diene, Gwenaëlle; Glattard, Mélanie; Rogé, Bernadette; Molinas, Catherine; Sevely, Annick; Zilbovicius, Monica; Celsis, Pierre; Tauber, Maïthé

2011-01-01

The Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS), a rare multisystem genetic disease, leads to severe disabilities, such as morbid obesity, endocrine dysfunctions, psychiatric disorders, and social disturbances. We explored the whole brain of patients with PWS to detect abnormalities that might explain the behavioral and social disturbances, as well as the psychiatric disorders of these patients. Nine patients with PWS (six males, three females; mean age 16.4 years) underwent a positron emission tomography (PET) scan with H215O as a tracer to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). The images were compared with those acquired from nine controls (six males, three females; mean age 21.2 years). A morphologic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was also performed in PWS patients, and their cognitive and behavioral skills were assessed with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III and the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL). The MRI images showed no evident anatomic abnormalities, whereas PET scans revealed hypoperfused brain regions in PWS patients compared with controls, particularly in the anterior cingulum and superior temporal regions. We observed a significant relationship (P<0.05) between rCBF in the hypoperfused regions and CBCL scores. The functional consequences of these perfusion abnormalities in specific brain regions might explain the behavioral and social problems observed in these individuals. PMID:20588317

PET scan perfusion imaging in the Prader-Willi syndrome: new insights into the psychiatric and social disturbances.

PubMed

Mantoulan, Carine; Payoux, Pierre; Diene, Gwenaëlle; Glattard, Mélanie; Rogé, Bernadette; Molinas, Catherine; Sevely, Annick; Zilbovicius, Monica; Celsis, Pierre; Tauber, Maïthé

2011-01-01

The Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a rare multisystem genetic disease, leads to severe disabilities, such as morbid obesity, endocrine dysfunctions, psychiatric disorders, and social disturbances. We explored the whole brain of patients with PWS to detect abnormalities that might explain the behavioral and social disturbances, as well as the psychiatric disorders of these patients. Nine patients with PWS (six males, three females; mean age 16.4 years) underwent a positron emission tomography (PET) scan with H(2)(15)O as a tracer to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). The images were compared with those acquired from nine controls (six males, three females; mean age 21.2 years). A morphologic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was also performed in PWS patients, and their cognitive and behavioral skills were assessed with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III and the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL). The MRI images showed no evident anatomic abnormalities, whereas PET scans revealed hypoperfused brain regions in PWS patients compared with controls, particularly in the anterior cingulum and superior temporal regions. We observed a significant relationship (P<0.05) between rCBF in the hypoperfused regions and CBCL scores. The functional consequences of these perfusion abnormalities in specific brain regions might explain the behavioral and social problems observed in these individuals.

Abnormal brain development in newborns with congenital heart disease.

PubMed

Miller, Steven P; McQuillen, Patrick S; Hamrick, Shannon; Xu, Duan; Glidden, David V; Charlton, Natalie; Karl, Tom; Azakie, Anthony; Ferriero, Donna M; Barkovich, A James; Vigneron, Daniel B

2007-11-08

Congenital heart disease in newborns is associated with global impairment in development. We characterized brain metabolism and microstructure, as measures of brain maturation, in newborns with congenital heart disease before they underwent heart surgery. We studied 41 term newborns with congenital heart disease--29 who had transposition of the great arteries and 12 who had single-ventricle physiology--with the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) before cardiac surgery. We calculated the ratio of N-acetylaspartate to choline (which increases with brain maturation), the ratio of lactate to choline (which decreases with maturation), average diffusivity (which decreases with maturation), and fractional anisotropy of white-matter tracts (which increases with maturation). We compared these findings with those in 16 control newborns of a similar gestational age. As compared with control newborns, those with congenital heart disease had a decrease of 10% in the ratio of N-acetylaspartate to choline (P=0.003), an increase of 28% in the ratio of lactate to choline (P=0.08), an increase of 4% in average diffusivity (P<0.001), and a decrease of 12% in white-matter fractional anisotropy (P<0.001). Preoperative brain injury, as seen on MRI, was not significantly associated with findings on MRS or DTI. White-matter injury was observed in 13 newborns with congenital heart disease (32%) and in no control newborns. Term newborns with congenital heart disease have widespread brain abnormalities before they undergo cardiac surgery. The imaging findings in such newborns are similar to those in premature newborns and may reflect abnormal brain development in utero. Copyright 2007 Massachusetts Medical Society.

Use of Brain MRI Atlases to Determine Boundaries of Age-Related Pathology: The Importance of Statistical Method

PubMed Central

Dickie, David Alexander; Job, Dominic E.; Gonzalez, David Rodriguez; Shenkin, Susan D.; Wardlaw, Joanna M.

2015-01-01

Introduction Neurodegenerative disease diagnoses may be supported by the comparison of an individual patient’s brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) with a voxel-based atlas of normal brain MRI. Most current brain MRI atlases are of young to middle-aged adults and parametric, e.g., mean ±standard deviation (SD); these atlases require data to be Gaussian. Brain MRI data, e.g., grey matter (GM) proportion images, from normal older subjects are apparently not Gaussian. We created a nonparametric and a parametric atlas of the normal limits of GM proportions in older subjects and compared their classifications of GM proportions in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. Methods Using publicly available brain MRI from 138 normal subjects and 138 subjects diagnosed with AD (all 55–90 years), we created: a mean ±SD atlas to estimate parametrically the percentile ranks and limits of normal ageing GM; and, separately, a nonparametric, rank order-based GM atlas from the same normal ageing subjects. GM images from AD patients were then classified with respect to each atlas to determine the effect statistical distributions had on classifications of proportions of GM in AD patients. Results The parametric atlas often defined the lower normal limit of the proportion of GM to be negative (which does not make sense physiologically as the lowest possible proportion is zero). Because of this, for approximately half of the AD subjects, 25–45% of voxels were classified as normal when compared to the parametric atlas; but were classified as abnormal when compared to the nonparametric atlas. These voxels were mainly concentrated in the frontal and occipital lobes. Discussion To our knowledge, we have presented the first nonparametric brain MRI atlas. In conditions where there is increasing variability in brain structure, such as in old age, nonparametric brain MRI atlases may represent the limits of normal brain structure more accurately than parametric approaches. Therefore, we conclude that the statistical method used for construction of brain MRI atlases should be selected taking into account the population and aim under study. Parametric methods are generally robust for defining central tendencies, e.g., means, of brain structure. Nonparametric methods are advisable when studying the limits of brain structure in ageing and neurodegenerative disease. PMID:26023913

Longitudinal MRI Study of Cortical Development through Early Childhood in Autism

PubMed Central

Schumann, C.M.; Bloss, C.S.; Barnes, C. Carter; Wideman, G.M.; Carper, R.A.; Akshoomoff, N.; Pierce, K.; Hagler, D.; Schork, N.; Lord, C.; Courchesne, E.

2010-01-01

Cross-sectional MRI studies have long hypothesized that the brain in children with autism undergoes an abnormal growth trajectory that includes a period of early overgrowth; however this has never been confirmed by a longitudinal study. We carried out the first longitudinal study of brain growth in toddlers at the time symptoms of autism are becoming clinically apparent utilizing structural MRI scans at multiple time points beginning at 1.5 years up to 5 years of age. We collected 193 scans on 41 toddlers who received a confirmed diagnosis of Autistic Disorder at ~48 months of age and 44 typically developing controls. By 2.5 years of age, both cerebral gray and white matter was significantly enlarged in toddlers with Autistic Disorder, with the most severe enlargement occurring in frontal, temporal and cingulate cortices. In the longitudinal analyses, which we accounted for age and gender effect, we found that all regions (cerebral gray, cerebral white, frontal gray, temporal gray, cingulate gray, and parietal gray) except occipital gray developed at an abnormal growth rate in toddlers with Autistic Disorder that was mainly characterized by a quadratic age effect. Females with Autistic Disorder displayed a more pronounced abnormal growth profile in more brain regions than males with the disorder. Given that overgrowth clearly begins before 2 years of age, future longitudinal studies would benefit from inclusion of even younger populations as well as further characterization of genetic and other biomarkers in order to determine the underlying neuropathological processes causing the onset of autistic symptoms. PMID:20335478

Oligoclonal banding of IgG in CSF, blood-brain barrier function, and MRI findings in patients with sarcoidosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Behçet's disease involving the nervous system.

PubMed Central

McLean, B N; Miller, D; Thompson, E J

1995-01-01

A retrospective study of CSF and serum analysis from a total of 43 patients with sarcoidosis, 20 with systemic lupus erythematosus, and 12 with Behçet's disease with neurological involvement found local synthesis of oligoclonal IgG using isoelectric focusing and immunoblotting in 51%, 25%, and 8% respectively at some stage in their disease. Blood-brain barrier breakdown, when assessed with an albumin ratio found 47% of patients with sarcoidosis, 30% of those with systemic lupus erythematosus, and 42% of patients with Behçet's disease exhibiting abnormal barrier function at some time. Serial CSF analysis showed that clinical relapses were associated with worsening barrier function and in some patients the development of local oligoclonal IgG synthesis; conversely steroid treatment led to a statistically significant improvement in barrier function, and in two patients a loss of oligoclonal IgG bands. A higher proportion of patients had MRI abnormalities than oligoclonal IgG or blood-brain barrier breakdown, MRI being abnormal in 16 of 19 patients with sarcoidosis, three of four patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and seven of nine patients with Behçet's disease, although this may have been due to temporal factors. In the differential diagnosis of chronic neurological disorders, locally synthesised oligoclonal IgG cannot distinguish between diseases, but the loss of bands seen in two patients contrasts with what is seen in multiple sclerosis, and thus may be a useful diagnostic clue. PMID:7745401

Prenatal ultrasound and MRI findings of temporal and occipital lobe dysplasia in a twin with achondroplasia.

PubMed

Pugash, D; Lehman, A M; Langlois, S

2014-09-01

Thanatophoric dysplasia, hypochondroplasia and achondroplasia are all caused by FGFR3 (fibroblast growth factor receptor 3) mutations. Neuropathological findings of temporal lobe dysplasia are found in thanatophoric dysplasia, and temporal and occipital lobe abnormalities have been described recently in brain imaging studies of children with hypochondroplasia. We describe twins discordant for achondroplasia, in one of whom the prenatal diagnosis was based on ultrasound and fetal MRI documentation of temporal and occipital lobe abnormalities characteristic of hypochondroplasia, in addition to the finding of short long bones. Despite the intracranial findings suggestive of hypochondroplasia, achondroplasia was confirmed following postnatal clinical and genetic testing. These intracranial abnormalities have not been previously described in a fetus with achondroplasia. Copyright © 2014 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation of developmental delay in pediatric patients.

PubMed

Ali, Althaf S; Syed, Naziya P; Murthy, G S N; Nori, Madhavi; Abkari, Anand; Pooja, B K; Venkateswarlu, J

2015-01-01

Developmental delay is defined as significant delay in one or more developmental domains. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the best modality to investigate such patients. Evaluation of a child with developmental delay is important not only because it allows early diagnosis and treatment but also helpful for parental counseling regarding the outcome of their child and to identify any possible risk of recurrence in the siblings. Thus this study was undertaken to evaluate the developmental delay in Indian children which will help the clinicians in providing an estimation of the child's ultimate developmental potential and organize specific treatment requirement and also relieve parental apprehension. To study the prevalence of normal and abnormal MRI in pediatric patients presenting with developmental delay and further categorize the abnormal MRI based on its morphological features. It is a prospective, observational & descriptive study of MRI Brain in 81 paediatric patients (46 Males and 35 Females), aged between three months to 12 years; presenting with developmental delay in Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad; over a period of three years (Sept 2011 to Sept 2014). MRI brain was done on 1.5T Siemens Magnetom Essenza & 0.35T Magnetom C with appropriate sequences and planes after making the child sleep/sedated/ anesthetized. Various anatomical structures like Ventricles, Corpus callosum, etc were systematically assessed. The MRI findings were divided into various aetiological subgroups. Normal MRI findings were seen in 32% cases and 68% had abnormal findings of which the proportion of Traumatic/ Neurovascular Diseases, Congenital & Developmental, Metabolic and Degenerative, neoplastic and non specific were 31%, 17%, 10%, 2.5% and 7.5% respectively. The ventricles and white matter mainly the corpus callosum were the most commonly affected anatomical structures. The diagnostic yield was found to be 68% and higher yield was seen in patients presenting with developmental delay plus. The clinical diagnosis of developmental delay should not be the end point, but rather a springboard for an effective search for causal factors. MRI is the best investigation with a high yield in such patients.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Evaluation of Developmental Delay in Pediatric Patients

PubMed Central

Syed, Naziya P.; Murthy, G.S.N.; Nori, Madhavi; Abkari, Anand; Pooja, B.K.; Venkateswarlu, J.

2015-01-01

Introduction: Developmental delay is defined as significant delay in one or more developmental domains. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the best modality to investigate such patients. Evaluation of a child with developmental delay is important not only because it allows early diagnosis and treatment but also helpful for parental counseling regarding the outcome of their child and to identify any possible risk of recurrence in the siblings. Thus this study was undertaken to evaluate the developmental delay in Indian children which will help the clinicians in providing an estimation of the child’s ultimate developmental potential and organize specific treatment requirement and also relieve parental apprehension. Aims and Objectives: To study the prevalence of normal and abnormal MRI in pediatric patients presenting with developmental delay and further categorize the abnormal MRI based on its morphological features. Materials and Methods: It is a prospective, observational & descriptive study of MRI Brain in 81 paediatric patients (46 Males and 35 Females), aged between three months to 12 years; presenting with developmental delay in Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad; over a period of three years (Sept 2011 to Sept 2014). MRI brain was done on 1.5T Siemens Magnetom Essenza & 0.35T Magnetom C with appropriate sequences and planes after making the child sleep/sedated/ anesthetized. Various anatomical structures like Ventricles, Corpus callosum, etc were systematically assessed. The MRI findings were divided into various aetiological subgroups. Results: Normal MRI findings were seen in 32% cases and 68% had abnormal findings of which the proportion of Traumatic/ Neurovascular Diseases, Congenital & Developmental, Metabolic and Degenerative, neoplastic and non specific were 31%, 17%, 10%, 2.5% and 7.5% respectively. The ventricles and white matter mainly the corpus callosum were the most commonly affected anatomical structures. The diagnostic yield was found to be 68% and higher yield was seen in patients presenting with developmental delay plus. Conclusion: The clinical diagnosis of developmental delay should not be the end point, but rather a springboard for an effective search for causal factors. MRI is the best investigation with a high yield in such patients. PMID:25738057

Brief Report: Abnormal Association between the Thalamus and Brain Size in Asperger's Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardan, Antonio Y.; Girgis, Ragy R.; Adams, Jason; Gilbert, Andrew R.; Melhem, Nadine M.; Keshavan, Matcheri S.; Minshew, Nancy J.

2008-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between thalamic volume and brain size in individuals with Asperger's disorder (ASP). Volumetric measurements of the thalamus were performed on MRI scans obtained from 12 individuals with ASP (age range: 10-35 years) and 12 healthy controls (age range: 9-33 years). A positive correlation…

fMRI mapping of the visual system in the mouse brain with interleaved snapshot GE-EPI.

PubMed

Niranjan, Arun; Christie, Isabel N; Solomon, Samuel G; Wells, Jack A; Lythgoe, Mark F

2016-10-01

The use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in mice is increasingly prevalent, providing a means to non-invasively characterise functional abnormalities associated with genetic models of human diseases. The predominant stimulus used in task-based fMRI in the mouse is electrical stimulation of the paw. Task-based fMRI in mice using visual stimuli remains underexplored, despite visual stimuli being common in human fMRI studies. In this study, we map the mouse brain visual system with BOLD measurements at 9.4T using flashing light stimuli with medetomidine anaesthesia. BOLD responses were observed in the lateral geniculate nucleus, the superior colliculus and the primary visual area of the cortex, and were modulated by the flashing frequency, diffuse vs focussed light and stimulus context. Negative BOLD responses were measured in the visual cortex at 10Hz flashing frequency; but turned positive below 5Hz. In addition, the use of interleaved snapshot GE-EPI improved fMRI image quality without diminishing the temporal contrast-noise-ratio. Taken together, this work demonstrates a novel methodological protocol in which the mouse brain visual system can be non-invasively investigated using BOLD fMRI. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mapping face encoding using functional MRI in multiple sclerosis across disease phenotypes.

PubMed

Rocca, Maria A; Vacchi, Laura; Rodegher, Mariaemma; Meani, Alessandro; Martinelli, Vittorio; Possa, Francesca; Comi, Giancarlo; Falini, Andrea; Filippi, Massimo

2017-10-01

Using fMRI during a face encoding (FE) task, we investigated the behavioral and fMRI correlates of FE in patients with relapse-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) at different stages of the disease and their relation with attentive-executive performance and structural MRI measures of disease-related damage. A fMRI FE task was administered to 75 MS patients (11 clinically isolated syndromes - CIS, 40 relapsing-remitting - RRMS - and 24 secondary progressive - SPMS) and 22 healthy controls (HC). fMRI activity during the face encoding condition was correlated with behavioral, clinical, neuropsychological and structural MRI variables. All study subjects activated brain regions belonging to face perception and encoding network, and deactivated areas of the default-mode network. Compared to HC, MS patients had the concomitant presence of areas of increased and decreased activations as well as increased and decreased deactivations. Compared to HC or RRMS, CIS patients experienced an increased recruitment of posterior-visual areas. Thalami, para-hippocampal gyri and right anterior cingulum were more activated in RRMS vs CIS or SPMS patients, while an increased recruitment of frontal areas was observed in SPMS vs RRMS. Areas of abnormal activations were significantly correlated with clinical, cognitive-behavioral and structural MRI measures. Abnormalities of FE network occur in MS and vary across disease clinical phenotypes. Early in the disease, an increased recruitment of areas typically devoted to face perception and encoding occurs. In SPMS patients, abnormal functional recruitment of frontal lobe areas might contribute to the severity of clinical manifestations.

The Brain and Spinal Injury Center score: a novel, simple, and reproducible method for assessing the severity of acute cervical spinal cord injury with axial T2-weighted MRI findings.

PubMed

Talbott, Jason F; Whetstone, William D; Readdy, William J; Ferguson, Adam R; Bresnahan, Jacqueline C; Saigal, Rajiv; Hawryluk, Gregory W J; Beattie, Michael S; Mabray, Marc C; Pan, Jonathan Z; Manley, Geoffrey T; Dhall, Sanjay S

2015-10-01

Previous studies that have evaluated the prognostic value of abnormal changes in signals on T2-weighted MRI scans of an injured spinal cord have focused on the longitudinal extent of this signal abnormality in the sagittal plane. Although the transverse extent of injury and the degree of spared spinal cord white matter have been shown to be important for predicting outcomes in preclinical animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI), surprisingly little is known about the prognostic value of altered T2 relaxivity in humans in the axial plane. The authors undertook a retrospective chart review of 60 patients who met the inclusion criteria of this study and presented to the authors' Level I trauma center with an acute blunt traumatic cervical SCI. Within 48 hours of admission, all patients underwent MRI examination, which included axial and sagittal T2 images. Neurological symptoms, evaluated with the grades according to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS), at the time of admission and at hospital discharge were correlated with MRI findings. Five distinct patterns of intramedullary spinal cord T2 signal abnormality were defined in the axial plane at the injury epicenter. These patterns were assigned ordinal values ranging from 0 to 4, referred to as the Brain and Spinal Injury Center (BASIC) scores, which encompassed the spectrum of SCI severity. The BASIC score strongly correlated with neurological symptoms at the time of both hospital admission and discharge. It also distinguished patients initially presenting with complete injury who improved by at least one AIS grade by the time of discharge from those whose injury did not improve. The authors' proposed score was rapid to apply and showed excellent interrater reliability. The authors describe a novel 5-point ordinal MRI score for classifying acute SCIs on the basis of axial T2-weighted imaging. The proposed BASIC score stratifies the SCIs according to the extent of transverse T2 signal abnormality during the acute phase of the injury. The new score improves on current MRI-based prognostic descriptions for SCI by reflecting functionally and anatomically significant patterns of intramedullary T2 signal abnormality in the axial plane.

fMRI response to spatial working memory in adolescents with comorbid marijuana and alcohol use disorders☆

PubMed Central

Schweinsburg, Alecia D.; Schweinsburg, Brian C.; Cheung, Erick H.; Brown, Gregory G.; Brown, Sandra A.; Tapert, Susan F.

2008-01-01

Alcohol and marijuana use are prevalent in adolescence, yet the neural impact of concomitant use remains unclear. We previously demonstrated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) response to spatial working memory (SWM) among teens with alcohol use disorders (AUD) compared to controls, and predicted that adolescents with marijuana and alcohol use disorders would show additional abnormalities. Participants were three groups of 15−17-year-olds: 19 non-abusing controls, 15 AUD teens with limited exposure to drugs, and 15 teens with comorbid marijuana and alcohol use disorders (MAUD) and minimal other drug experience. After >2 days’ abstinence, participants performed a SWM task during fMRI acquisition. fMRI brain response patterns differed between groups, despite similar performance on the task. MAUD youths showed less activation in inferior frontal and temporal regions than controls, and more response in other prefrontal regions. Compared to AUD teens, MAUD youths also showed less inferior frontal and temporal activation, but more medial frontal response. Overall, MAUD youths showed different brain response abnormalities than teens with AUD alone, despite relatively short histories of substance involvement. This pattern could suggest compensation for marijuana-related attention and working memory deficits. However, relatively recent use and premorbid features may influence results, and should be examined in future studies. PMID:16002029

Aberrant Spontaneous and Task-Dependent Functional Connections in the Anxious Brain

PubMed Central

MacNamara, Annmarie; DiGangi, Julia; Phan, K. Luan

2016-01-01

A number of brain regions have been implicated in the anxiety disorders, yet none of these regions in isolation has been distinguished as the sole or discrete site responsible for anxiety disorder pathology. Therefore, the identification of dysfunctional neural networks as represented by alterations in the temporal correlation of blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal across several brain regions in anxiety disorders has been increasingly pursued in the past decade. Here, we review task-independent (e.g., resting state) and task-induced functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) studies in the adult anxiety disorders (including trauma- and stressor-related and obsessive compulsive disorders). The results of this review suggest that anxiety disorder pathophysiology involves aberrant connectivity between amygdala-frontal and frontal-striatal regions, as well as within and between canonical “intrinsic” brain networks - the default mode and salience networks, and that evidence of these aberrations may help inform findings of regional activation abnormalities observed in the anxiety disorders. Nonetheless, significant challenges remain, including the need to better understand mixed findings observed using different methods (e.g., resting state and task-based approaches); the need for more developmental work; the need to delineate disorder-specific and transdiagnostic fcMRI aberrations in the anxiety disorders; and the need to better understand the clinical significance of fcMRI abnormalities. In meeting these challenges, future work has the potential to elucidate aberrant neural networks as intermediate, brain-based phenotypes to predict disease onset and progression, refine diagnostic nosology, and ascertain treatment mechanisms and predictors of treatment response across anxiety, trauma-related and obsessive compulsive disorders. PMID:27141532

Automatic brain tumor detection in MRI: methodology and statistical validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iftekharuddin, Khan M.; Islam, Mohammad A.; Shaik, Jahangheer; Parra, Carlos; Ogg, Robert

2005-04-01

Automated brain tumor segmentation and detection are immensely important in medical diagnostics because it provides information associated to anatomical structures as well as potential abnormal tissue necessary to delineate appropriate surgical planning. In this work, we propose a novel automated brain tumor segmentation technique based on multiresolution texture information that combines fractal Brownian motion (fBm) and wavelet multiresolution analysis. Our wavelet-fractal technique combines the excellent multiresolution localization property of wavelets to texture extraction of fractal. We prove the efficacy of our technique by successfully segmenting pediatric brain MR images (MRIs) from St. Jude Children"s Research Hospital. We use self-organizing map (SOM) as our clustering tool wherein we exploit both pixel intensity and multiresolution texture features to obtain segmented tumor. Our test results show that our technique successfully segments abnormal brain tissues in a set of T1 images. In the next step, we design a classifier using Feed-Forward (FF) neural network to statistically validate the presence of tumor in MRI using both the multiresolution texture and the pixel intensity features. We estimate the corresponding receiver operating curve (ROC) based on the findings of true positive fractions and false positive fractions estimated from our classifier at different threshold values. An ROC, which can be considered as a gold standard to prove the competence of a classifier, is obtained to ascertain the sensitivity and specificity of our classifier. We observe that at threshold 0.4 we achieve true positive value of 1.0 (100%) sacrificing only 0.16 (16%) false positive value for the set of 50 T1 MRI analyzed in this experiment.

Association between early administration of high-dose erythropoietin in preterm infants and brain MRI abnormality at term-equivalent age.

PubMed

Leuchter, Russia Ha-Vinh; Gui, Laura; Poncet, Antoine; Hagmann, Cornelia; Lodygensky, Gregory Anton; Martin, Ernst; Koller, Brigitte; Darqué, Alexandra; Bucher, Hans Ulrich; Hüppi, Petra Susan

2014-08-27

Premature infants are at risk of developing encephalopathy of prematurity, which is associated with long-term neurodevelopmental delay. Erythropoietin was shown to be neuroprotective in experimental and retrospective clinical studies. To determine if there is an association between early high-dose recombinant human erythropoietin treatment in preterm infants and biomarkers of encephalopathy of prematurity on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term-equivalent age. A total of 495 infants were included in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in Switzerland between 2005 and 2012. In a nonrandomized subset of 165 infants (n=77 erythropoietin; n=88 placebo), brain abnormalities were evaluated on MRI acquired at term-equivalent age. Participants were randomly assigned to receive recombinant human erythropoietin (3000 IU/kg; n=256) or placebo (n=239) intravenously before 3 hours, at 12 to 18 hours, and at 36 to 42 hours after birth. The primary outcome of the trial, neurodevelopment at 24 months, has not yet been assessed. The secondary outcome, white matter disease of the preterm infant, was semiquantitatively assessed from MRI at term-equivalent age based on an established scoring method. The resulting white matter injury and gray matter injury scores were categorized as normal or abnormal according to thresholds established in the literature by correlation with neurodevelopmental outcome. At term-equivalent age, compared with untreated controls, fewer infants treated with recombinant human erythropoietin had abnormal scores for white matter injury (22% [17/77] vs 36% [32/88]; adjusted risk ratio [RR], 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35-0.96), white matter signal intensity (3% [2/77] vs 11% [10/88]; adjusted RR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.05-0.90), periventricular white matter loss (18% [14/77] vs 33% [29/88]; adjusted RR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.30-0.92), and gray matter injury (7% [5/77] vs 19% [17/88]; adjusted RR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.13-0.89). In an analysis of secondary outcomes of a randomized clinical trial of preterm infants, high-dose erythropoietin treatment within 42 hours after birth was associated with a reduced risk of brain injury on MRI. These findings require assessment in a randomized trial designed primarily to assess this outcome as well as investigation of the association with neurodevelopmental outcomes. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00413946.

Cerebellar White Matter Abnormalities following Primary Blast Injury in US Military Personnel

PubMed Central

Mac Donald, Christine; Johnson, Ann; Cooper, Dana; Malone, Thomas; Sorrell, James; Shimony, Joshua; Parsons, Matthew; Snyder, Abraham; Raichle, Marcus; Fang, Raymond; Flaherty, Stephen; Russell, Michael; Brody, David L.

2013-01-01

Little is known about the effects of blast exposure on the human brain in the absence of head impact. Clinical reports, experimental animal studies, and computational modeling of blast exposure have suggested effects on the cerebellum and brainstem. In US military personnel with isolated, primary blast-related ‘mild’ traumatic brain injury and no other known insult, we found diffusion tensor MRI abnormalities consistent with cerebellar white matter injury in 3 of 4 subjects. No abnormalities in other brain regions were detected. These findings add to the evidence supporting the hypothesis that primary blast exposure contributes to brain injury in the absence of head impact and that the cerebellum may be particularly vulnerable. However, the clinical effects of these abnormalities cannot be determined with certainty; none of the subjects had ataxia or other detected evidence of cerebellar dysfunction. The details of the blast events themselves cannot be disclosed at this time, thus additional animal and computational modeling will be required to dissect the mechanisms underlying primary blast-related traumatic brain injury. Furthermore, the effects of possible subconcussive impacts and other military-related exposures cannot be determined from the data presented. Thus many aspects of topic will require further investigation. PMID:23409052

An investigation into the relationship between vigabatrin, movement disorders, and brain magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities in children with infantile spasms.

PubMed

Fong, Choong Yi; Osborne, John P; Edwards, Stuart W; Hemingway, Cheryl; Hancock, Eleanor; Johnson, Anthony L; Kennedy, Colin R; Kneen, Rachel; Likeman, Marcus; Lux, Andrew L; Mordekar, Santosh R; Murugan, Velayutham; Newton, Richard W; Pike, Michael; Quinn, Michael; Spinty, Stefan; Vassallo, Grace; Verity, Christopher M; Whitney, Andrea; O'Callaghan, Finbar J K

2013-09-01

We aimed to investigate the relationship between movement disorders, changes on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and vigabatrin therapy in children with infantile spasms. Retrospective review and brain MRI analysis of children enrolled in the International Collaborative Infantile Spasms Study (ICISS) who developed a movement disorder on vigabatrin therapy. Comparisons were made with controls within ICISS who had no movement disorder. Ten of 124 infants had a movement disorder and in eight it had developed on vigabatrin therapy. Two had a movement disorder that resolved on dose-reduction of vigabatrin, one had improvement on withdrawing vigabatrin, two had resolution without any dose change, and in three it persisted despite vigabatrin withdrawal. The typical brain MRI changes associated with vigabatrin therapy were noted in two infants. Ten control infants were identified. Typical MRI changes noted with vigabatrin were noted in three controls. It is possible that in two out of eight cases, vigabatrin was associated with the development of a movement disorder. In six out of eight cases a causal relationship was less plausible. The majority of infants treated with vigabatrin did not develop a movement disorder. MRI changes associated with vigabatrin do not appear to be specifically related to the movement disorder. © 2013 Mac Keith Press.

The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans

PubMed Central

Kim, Pilyoung; Strathearn, Lane; Swain, James E.

2015-01-01

Early mother-infant relationships play important roles in infants’ optimal development. New mothers undergo neurobiological changes that support developing mother-infant relationships regardless of great individual differences in those relationships. In this article, we review the neural plasticity in human mothers’ brains based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. First, we review the neural circuits that are involved in establishing and maintaining mother-infant relationships. Second, we discuss early postpartum factors (e.g., birth and feeding methods, hormones, and parental sensitivity) that are associated with individual differences in maternal brain neuroplasticity. Third, we discuss abnormal changes in the maternal brain related to psychopathology (i.e., postpartum depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse) and potential brain remodeling associated with interventions. Last, we highlight potentially important future research directions to better understand normative changes in the maternal brain and risks for abnormal changes that may disrupt early mother-infant relationships. PMID:26268151

Neuroimaging and Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Extremely Preterm Infants

PubMed Central

Barnes, Patrick D.; Bulas, Dorothy; Slovis, Thomas L.; Finer, Neil N.; Wrage, Lisa A.; Das, Abhik; Tyson, Jon E.; Stevenson, David K.; Carlo, Waldemar A.; Walsh, Michele C.; Laptook, Abbot R.; Yoder, Bradley A.; Van Meurs, Krisa P.; Faix, Roger G.; Rich, Wade; Newman, Nancy S.; Cheng, Helen; Heyne, Roy J.; Vohr, Betty R.; Acarregui, Michael J.; Vaucher, Yvonne E.; Pappas, Athina; Peralta-Carcelen, Myriam; Wilson-Costello, Deanne E.; Evans, Patricia W.; Goldstein, Ricki F.; Myers, Gary J.; Poindexter, Brenda B.; McGowan, Elisabeth C.; Adams-Chapman, Ira; Fuller, Janell; Higgins, Rosemary D.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Extremely preterm infants are at risk for neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI). Early cranial ultrasound (CUS) is usual practice, but near-term brain MRI has been reported to better predict outcomes. We prospectively evaluated MRI white matter abnormality (WMA) and cerebellar lesions, and serial CUS adverse findings as predictors of outcomes at 18 to 22 months’ corrected age. METHODS: Early and late CUS, and brain MRI were read by masked central readers, in a large cohort (n = 480) of infants <28 weeks’ gestation surviving to near term in the Neonatal Research Network. Outcomes included NDI or death after neuroimaging, and significant gross motor impairment or death, with NDI defined as cognitive composite score <70, significant gross motor impairment, and severe hearing or visual impairment. Multivariable models evaluated the relative predictive value of neuroimaging while controlling for other factors. RESULTS: Of 480 infants, 15 died and 20 were lost. Increasing severity of WMA and significant cerebellar lesions on MRI were associated with adverse outcomes. Cerebellar lesions were rarely identified by CUS. In full multivariable models, both late CUS and MRI, but not early CUS, remained independently associated with NDI or death (MRI cerebellar lesions: odds ratio, 3.0 [95% confidence interval: 1.3–6.8]; late CUS: odds ratio, 9.8 [95% confidence interval: 2.8–35]), and significant gross motor impairment or death. In models that did not include late CUS, MRI moderate-severe WMA was independently associated with adverse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Both late CUS and near-term MRI abnormalities were associated with outcomes, independent of early CUS and other factors, underscoring the relative prognostic value of near-term neuroimaging. PMID:25554820

Detection of necrotic neural response in super-acute cerebral ischemia using activity-induced manganese-enhanced (AIM) MRI.

PubMed

Inoue, Yasuo; Aoki, Ichio; Mori, Yuki; Kawai, Yuko; Ebisu, Toshihiko; Osaka, Yasuhiko; Houri, Takashi; Mineura, Katsuyoshi; Higuchi, Toshihiro; Tanaka, Chuzo

2010-04-01

Immediate and certain determination of the treatable area is important for choosing risky treatments such as thrombolysis for brain ischemia, especially in the super-acute phase. Although it has been suggested that the mismatch between regions displaying 'large abnormal perfusion' and 'small abnormal diffusion' indicates a treatable area on an MRI, it has also been reported that the mismatch region is an imperfect approximation of the treatable region named the 'penumbra'. Manganese accumulation reflecting calcium influx into cells was reported previously in a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model using activity-induced manganese-enhanced (AIM) MRI. However, in the super-acute phase, there have been no reports about mismatches between areas showing changes to the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and regions that are enhanced in AIM MRI. It is expected that the AIM signal can be enhanced immediately after cerebral ischemia in the necrotic core region due to calcium influx. In this study, a remote embolic rat model, created using titanium-oxide macrospheres, was used to observe necrotic neural responses in the super-acute phase after ischemia. In addition, images were evaluated by comparison between ADC, AIM MRI, and histology. The signal enhancement in AIM MRI was detected at 2 min after the cerebral infarction using a remote embolic method. The enhanced area on the AIM MRI was significantly smaller than that on the ADC map. The tissue degeneration highlighted by histological analysis corresponded more closely to the enhanced area on the AIM MRI than that on the ADC map. Thus, the manganese-enhanced region in brain ischemia might indicate 'necrotic' irreversible tissue that underwent calcium influx. 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Estimating intracranial volume using intracranial area in healthy children and those with childhood status epilepticus

PubMed Central

Piper, Rory J; Yoong, Michael M; Pujar, Suresh; Chin, Richard F

2014-01-01

Background Correcting volumetric measurements of brain structures for intracranial volume (ICV) is important in comparing volumes across subjects with different ICV. The aim of this study was to investigate whether intracranial area (ICA) reliably predicts actual ICV in a healthy pediatric cohort and in children with convulsive status epilepticus (CSE). Methods T1-weighted volumetric MRI was performed on 20 healthy children (control group), 10 with CSE with structurally normal MRI (CSE/MR-), and 12 with CSE with structurally abnormal MRI (CSE/MR+). ICA, using a mid-sagittal slice, and the actual ICV were measured. Results A high Spearman correlation was found between the ICA and ICV measurements in the control (r = 0.96; P < 0.0001), CSE/MR− (r = 0.93; P = 0.0003), and CSE/MR+ (r = 0.94; P < 0.0001) groups. On comparison of predicted and actual ICV, there was no significant difference in the CSE/MR− group (P = 0.77). However, the comparison between predicted and actual ICV was significantly different in the CSE/MR+ (P = 0.001) group. Our Bland–Altman plot showed that the ICA method consistently overestimated ICV in children in the CSE/MR+ group, especially in those with small ICV or widespread structural abnormalities. Conclusions After further validation, ICA measurement may be a reliable alternative to measuring actual ICV when correcting volume measurements for ICV, even in children with localized MRI abnormalities. Caution should be applied when the method is used in children with small ICV and those with multilobar brain pathology. PMID:25365798

Brain Structure and Function Associated with a History of Sport Concussion: A Multi-Modal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

PubMed

Churchill, Nathan; Hutchison, Michael; Richards, Doug; Leung, General; Graham, Simon; Schweizer, Tom A

2017-02-15

There is growing concern about the potential long-term consequences of sport concussion for young, currently active athletes. However, there remains limited information about brain abnormalities associated with a history of concussion and how they relate to clinical factors. In this study, advanced MRI was used to comprehensively describe abnormalities in brain structure and function associated with a history of sport concussion. Forty-three athletes (21 male, 22 female) were recruited from interuniversity teams at the beginning of the season, including 21 with a history of concussion and 22 without prior concussion; both groups also contained a balanced sample of contact and noncontact sports. Multi-modal MRI was used to evaluate abnormalities in brain structure and function. Athletes with a history of concussion showed frontal decreases in brain volume and blood flow. However, they also demonstrated increased posterior cortical volume and elevated markers of white matter microstructure. A greater number of prior concussions was associated with more extensive decreases in cerebral blood flow and insular volume, whereas recovery time from most recent concussion was correlated with reduced frontotemporal volume. White matter showed limited correlations with clinical factors, predominantly in the anterior corona radiata. This study provides the first evidence of the long-term effects of concussion on gray matter volume, blood flow, and white matter microstructure within a single athlete cohort. This was examined for a mixture of male and female athletes in both contact and noncontact sports, demonstrating the relevance of these findings for the overall sporting community.

Prenatal diagnosis of brain abnormalities in Wolf-Hirschhorn (4p-) syndrome.

PubMed

De Keersmaecker, B; Albert, M; Hillion, Y; Ville, Y

2002-05-01

Although there have been occasional reports of prenatal diagnosis of this syndrome, most cases are diagnosed postnatally. The objective was to evaluate the presence of brain abnormalities in the prenatal diagnosis of Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. Prenatal ultrasound and MRI examination of the fetal brain were performed in a case of Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. A comprehensive review of Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome reported between 1960 and 2000 in the literature was carried out. The late diagnosis of a growth-retarded fetus with normal amniotic fluid volume, normal Doppler and negative infection screen calls for a detailed examination of the fetal brain and heart. Multifocal white matter lesions and periventricular cystic changes, which are often attributed to perinatal distress, are possible prenatal features causing suspicion of 4p- syndrome in an IUGR fetus. Subtle abnormalities on ultrasound may suggest a chromosomal problem. Standard cytogenetics cannot always demonstrate a microdeletion. High-resolution banding and molecular analysis can help to confirm the diagnosis. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Functional Brain Imaging

PubMed Central

2006-01-01

Executive Summary Objective The objective of this analysis is to review a spectrum of functional brain imaging technologies to identify whether there are any imaging modalities that are more effective than others for various brain pathology conditions. This evidence-based analysis reviews magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), positron emission tomography (PET), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for the diagnosis or surgical management of the following conditions: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), brain tumours, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Clinical Need: Target Population and Condition Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative, neurologic condition characterized by cognitive impairment and memory loss. The Canadian Study on Health and Aging estimated that there will be 97,000 incident cases (about 60,000 women) of dementia (including AD) in Canada in 2006. In Ontario, there will be an estimated 950 new cases and 580 deaths due to brain cancer in 2006. Treatments for brain tumours include surgery and radiation therapy. However, one of the limitations of radiation therapy is that it damages tissue though necrosis and scarring. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may not distinguish between radiation effects and resistant tissue, creating a potential role for functional brain imaging. Epilepsy is a chronic disorder that provokes repetitive seizures. In Ontario, the rate of epilepsy is estimated to be 5 cases per 1,000 people. Most people with epilepsy are effectively managed with drug therapy; but about 50% do not respond to drug therapy. Surgical resection of the seizure foci may be considered in these patients, and functional brain imaging may play a role in localizing the seizure foci. Multiple sclerosis is a progressive, inflammatory, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The cause of MS is unknown; however, it is thought to be due to a combination of etiologies, including genetic and environmental components. The prevalence of MS in Canada is 240 cases per 100,000 people. Parkinson’s disease is the most prevalent movement disorder; it affects an estimated 100,000 Canadians. Currently, the standard for measuring disease progression is through the use of scales, which are subjective measures of disease progression. Functional brain imaging may provide an objective measure of disease progression, differentiation between parkinsonian syndromes, and response to therapy. The Technology Being Reviewed Functional Brain Imaging Functional brain imaging technologies measure blood flow and metabolism. The results of these tests are often used in conjunction with structural imaging (e.g., MRI or CT). Positron emission tomography and MRS identify abnormalities in brain tissues. The former measures abnormalities through uptake of radiotracers in the brain, while the latter measures chemical shifts in metabolite ratios to identify abnormalities. The potential role of functional MRI (fMRI) is to identify the areas of the brain responsible for language, sensory and motor function (sensorimotor cortex), rather than identifying abnormalities in tissues. Magnetoencephalography measures magnetic fields of the electric currents in the brain, identifying aberrant activity. Magnetoencephalography may have the potential to localize seizure foci and to identify the sensorimotor cortex, visual cortex and auditory cortex. In terms of regulatory status, MEG and PET are licensed by Health Canada. Both MRS and fMRI use a MRI platform; thus, they do not have a separate licence from Health Canada. The radiotracers used in PET scanning are not licensed by Health Canada for general use but can be used through a Clinical Trials Application. Review Strategy The literature published up to September 2006 was searched in the following databases: MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CENTRAL, and International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA). The database search was supplemented with a search of relevant Web sites and a review of the bibliographies of selected papers. General inclusion criteria were applied to all conditions. Those criteria included the following: Full reports of systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort-control studies, prospective cohort studies (PCS’), and retrospective studies. Sample sizes of at least 20 patients (≥ 10 with condition being reviewed). English-language studies. Human studies. Any age. Studying at least one of the following: fMRI, PET, MRS, or MEG. Functional brain imaging modality must be compared with a clearly defined reference standard. Must report at least one of the following outcomes: sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), receiver operating characteristic curve, outcome measuring impact on diagnostic testing, treatment, patient health, or cost. Summary of Findings There is evidence to indicate that PET can accurately diagnose AD; however, at this time, there is no evidence to suggest that a diagnosis of AD with PET alters the clinical outcomes of patients. The addition of MRS or O-(2-18F-Fluoroethyl)-L-Tyrosine (FET)-PET to gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced MRI for distinguishing malignant from benign tumours during primary diagnosis may provide a higher specificity than Gd-enhanced MRI alone. The clinical utility of additional imaging in patients to distinguish malignant from benign tumours is unclear, because patients with a suspected brain tumour will likely undergo a biopsy despite additional imaging results. The addition of MRS, FET-PET, or MRI T2 to Gd-enhanced MRI for the differentiation of recurrence from radiation necrosis may provide a higher specificity than Gd-enhanced MRI alone. The clinical utility of additional imaging in patients with a suspected recurrence is in the monitoring of patients. Based on the evidence available, it is unclear if one of the imaging modalities (MRS, FET-PET, or MRI T2) offers significantly improved specificity over another. There may be a role for fMRI in the identification of surgical candidates for tumour resection; however, this requires further research. Based on the studies available, it is unclear if MEG has similar accuracy in localizing seizure foci to intracranial electroencephalogram (ICEEG). More high-quality research is needed to establish whether there is a difference in accuracy between MEG and ICEEG. The results of the studies comparing PET to noninvasive electroencephalogram (EEG) did not demonstrate that PET was more accurate at localizing seizure foci; however, there may be some specific conditions, such as tuberous sclerosis, where PET may be more accurate than noninvasive EEG. There may be some clinical utility for MEG or fMRI in presurgical functional mapping; however, this needs further investigation involving comparisons with other modalities. The clinical utility of MRS has yet to be established for patients with epilepsy. Positron emission tomography has high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of PD and the differential diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes; however, it is unclear at this time if the addition of PET in the diagnosis of these conditions contributes to the treatment and clinical outcomes of patients. There is limited clinical utility of functional brain imaging in the management of patients with MS at this time. Diagnosis of MS is established through clinical history, evoked potentials, and MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging can identify the multifocal white lesions and other structural characteristics of MS. PMID:23074493

Functional brain imaging: an evidence-based analysis.

PubMed

2006-01-01

The objective of this analysis is to review a spectrum of functional brain imaging technologies to identify whether there are any imaging modalities that are more effective than others for various brain pathology conditions. This evidence-based analysis reviews magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), positron emission tomography (PET), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for the diagnosis or surgical management of the following conditions: Alzheimer's disease (AD), brain tumours, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), and Parkinson's disease (PD). TARGET POPULATION AND CONDITION Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative, neurologic condition characterized by cognitive impairment and memory loss. The Canadian Study on Health and Aging estimated that there will be 97,000 incident cases (about 60,000 women) of dementia (including AD) in Canada in 2006. In Ontario, there will be an estimated 950 new cases and 580 deaths due to brain cancer in 2006. Treatments for brain tumours include surgery and radiation therapy. However, one of the limitations of radiation therapy is that it damages tissue though necrosis and scarring. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may not distinguish between radiation effects and resistant tissue, creating a potential role for functional brain imaging. Epilepsy is a chronic disorder that provokes repetitive seizures. In Ontario, the rate of epilepsy is estimated to be 5 cases per 1,000 people. Most people with epilepsy are effectively managed with drug therapy; but about 50% do not respond to drug therapy. Surgical resection of the seizure foci may be considered in these patients, and functional brain imaging may play a role in localizing the seizure foci. Multiple sclerosis is a progressive, inflammatory, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The cause of MS is unknown; however, it is thought to be due to a combination of etiologies, including genetic and environmental components. The prevalence of MS in Canada is 240 cases per 100,000 people. Parkinson's disease is the most prevalent movement disorder; it affects an estimated 100,000 Canadians. Currently, the standard for measuring disease progression is through the use of scales, which are subjective measures of disease progression. Functional brain imaging may provide an objective measure of disease progression, differentiation between parkinsonian syndromes, and response to therapy. FUNCTIONAL BRAIN IMAGING: Functional brain imaging technologies measure blood flow and metabolism. The results of these tests are often used in conjunction with structural imaging (e.g., MRI or CT). Positron emission tomography and MRS identify abnormalities in brain tissues. The former measures abnormalities through uptake of radiotracers in the brain, while the latter measures chemical shifts in metabolite ratios to identify abnormalities. The potential role of functional MRI (fMRI) is to identify the areas of the brain responsible for language, sensory and motor function (sensorimotor cortex), rather than identifying abnormalities in tissues. Magnetoencephalography measures magnetic fields of the electric currents in the brain, identifying aberrant activity. Magnetoencephalography may have the potential to localize seizure foci and to identify the sensorimotor cortex, visual cortex and auditory cortex. In terms of regulatory status, MEG and PET are licensed by Health Canada. Both MRS and fMRI use a MRI platform; thus, they do not have a separate licence from Health Canada. The radiotracers used in PET scanning are not licensed by Health Canada for general use but can be used through a Clinical Trials Application. The literature published up to September 2006 was searched in the following databases: MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CENTRAL, and International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA). The database search was supplemented with a search of relevant Web sites and a review of the bibliographies of selected papers. General inclusion criteria were applied to all conditions. Those criteria included the following: Full reports of systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort-control studies, prospective cohort studies (PCS'), and retrospective studies.Sample sizes of at least 20 patients (≥ 10 with condition being reviewed).English-language studies.Human studies.Any age.STUDYING AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: fMRI, PET, MRS, or MEG.Functional brain imaging modality must be compared with a clearly defined reference standard.MUST REPORT AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES: sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), receiver operating characteristic curve, outcome measuring impact on diagnostic testing, treatment, patient health, or cost. There is evidence to indicate that PET can accurately diagnose AD; however, at this time, there is no evidence to suggest that a diagnosis of AD with PET alters the clinical outcomes of patients. The addition of MRS or O-(2-(18)F-Fluoroethyl)-L-Tyrosine (FET)-PET to gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced MRI for distinguishing malignant from benign tumours during primary diagnosis may provide a higher specificity than Gd-enhanced MRI alone. The clinical utility of additional imaging in patients to distinguish malignant from benign tumours is unclear, because patients with a suspected brain tumour will likely undergo a biopsy despite additional imaging results. The addition of MRS, FET-PET, or MRI T2 to Gd-enhanced MRI for the differentiation of recurrence from radiation necrosis may provide a higher specificity than Gd-enhanced MRI alone. The clinical utility of additional imaging in patients with a suspected recurrence is in the monitoring of patients. Based on the evidence available, it is unclear if one of the imaging modalities (MRS, FET-PET, or MRI T2) offers significantly improved specificity over another. There may be a role for fMRI in the identification of surgical candidates for tumour resection; however, this requires further research. Based on the studies available, it is unclear if MEG has similar accuracy in localizing seizure foci to intracranial electroencephalogram (ICEEG). More high-quality research is needed to establish whether there is a difference in accuracy between MEG and ICEEG. The results of the studies comparing PET to noninvasive electroencephalogram (EEG) did not demonstrate that PET was more accurate at localizing seizure foci; however, there may be some specific conditions, such as tuberous sclerosis, where PET may be more accurate than noninvasive EEG. There may be some clinical utility for MEG or fMRI in presurgical functional mapping; however, this needs further investigation involving comparisons with other modalities. The clinical utility of MRS has yet to be established for patients with epilepsy. Positron emission tomography has high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of PD and the differential diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes; however, it is unclear at this time if the addition of PET in the diagnosis of these conditions contributes to the treatment and clinical outcomes of patients. There is limited clinical utility of functional brain imaging in the management of patients with MS at this time. Diagnosis of MS is established through clinical history, evoked potentials, and MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging can identify the multifocal white lesions and other structural characteristics of MS.

Concomitant fractional anisotropy and volumetric abnormalities in temporal lobe epilepsy: cross-sectional evidence for progressive neurologic injury.

PubMed

Keller, Simon S; Schoene-Bake, Jan-Christoph; Gerdes, Jan S; Weber, Bernd; Deppe, Michael

2012-01-01

In patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and associated hippocampal sclerosis (TLEhs) there are brain abnormalities extending beyond the presumed epileptogenic zone as revealed separately in conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies. However, little is known about the relation between macroscopic atrophy (revealed by volumetric MRI) and microstructural degeneration (inferred by DTI). For 62 patients with unilateral TLEhs and 68 healthy controls, we determined volumes and mean fractional anisotropy (FA) of ipsilateral and contralateral brain structures from T1-weighted and DTI data, respectively. We report significant volume atrophy and FA alterations of temporal lobe, subcortical and callosal regions, which were more diffuse and bilateral in patients with left TLEhs relative to right TLEhs. We observed significant relationships between volume loss and mean FA, particularly of the thalamus and putamen bilaterally. When corrected for age, duration of epilepsy was significantly correlated with FA loss of an anatomically plausible route - including ipsilateral parahippocampal gyrus and temporal lobe white matter, the thalamus bilaterally, and posterior regions of the corpus callosum that contain temporal lobe fibres - that may be suggestive of progressive brain degeneration in response to recurrent seizures. Chronic TLEhs is associated with interrelated DTI-derived and volume-derived brain degenerative abnormalities that are influenced by the duration of the disorder and the side of seizure onset. This work confirms previously contradictory findings by employing multi-modal imaging techniques in parallel in a large sample of patients.

Brain structural deficits and working memory fMRI dysfunction in young adults who were diagnosed with ADHD in adolescence.

PubMed

Roman-Urrestarazu, Andres; Lindholm, Päivi; Moilanen, Irma; Kiviniemi, Vesa; Miettunen, Jouko; Jääskeläinen, Erika; Mäki, Pirjo; Hurtig, Tuula; Ebeling, Hanna; Barnett, Jennifer H; Nikkinen, Juha; Suckling, John; Jones, Peter B; Veijola, Juha; Murray, Graham K

2016-05-01

When adolescents with ADHD enter adulthood, some no longer meet disorder diagnostic criteria but it is unknown if biological and cognitive abnorma lities persist. We tested the hypothesis that people diagnosed with ADHD during adolescence present residual brain abnormalities both in brain structure and in working memory brain function. 83 young adults (aged 20-24 years) from the Northern Finland 1986 Birth Cohort were classified as diagnosed with ADHD in adolescence (adolescence ADHD, n = 49) or a control group (n = 34). Only one patient had received medication for ADHD. T1-weighted brain scans were acquired and processed in a voxel-based analysis using permutation-based statistics. A sub-sample of both groups (ADHD, n = 21; controls n = 23) also performed a Sternberg working memory task whilst acquiring fMRI data. Areas of structural difference were used as a region of interest to evaluate the implications that structural abnormalities found in the ADHD group might have on working memory function. There was lower grey matter volume bilaterally in adolescence ADHD participants in the caudate (p < 0.05 FWE corrected across the whole brain) at age 20-24. Working memory was poorer in adolescence ADHD participants, with associated failure to show normal load-dependent caudate activation. Young adults diagnosed with ADHD in adolescence have structural and functional deficits in the caudate associated with abnormal working memory function. These findings are not secondary to stimulant treatment, and emphasise the importance of taking a wider perspective on ADHD outcomes than simply whether or not a particular patient meets diagnostic criteria at any given point in time.

Aberrant brain functional connectome in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Chen, Li-Ting; Fan, Xiao-Le; Li, Hai-Jun; Ye, Cheng-Long; Yu, Hong-Hui; Xin, Hui-Zhen; Gong, Hong-Han; Peng, De-Chang; Yan, Li-Ping

2018-01-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is accompanied by widespread abnormal spontaneous regional activity related to cognitive deficits. However, little is known about the topological properties of the functional brain connectome of patients with OSA. This study aimed to use the graph theory approaches to investigate the topological properties and functional connectivity (FC) of the functional connectome in patients with OSA, based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Forty-five male patients with newly diagnosed untreated severe OSA and 45 male good sleepers (GSs) underwent a polysomnography (PSG), clinical evaluations, and rs-fMRI scans. The automated anatomical labeling (AAL) atlas was used to construct the functional brain connectome. The topological organization and FC of brain functional networks in patients with OSA were characterized using graph theory methods and investigated the relationship between functional network topology and clinical variables. Both the patients with OSA and the GSs exhibited high-efficiency "small-world" network attributes. However, the patients with OSA exhibited decreased σ, γ, E glob ; increased Lp, λ; and abnormal nodal centralities in several default-mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN) regions. However, the patients with OSA exhibited abnormal functional connections between the DMN, SN, and CEN. The disrupted FC was significantly positive correlations with the global network metrics γ and σ. The global network metrics were significantly correlated with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score, and oxygen desaturation index. The findings suggest that the functional connectome of patients with OSA exhibited disrupted functional integration and segregation, and functional disconnections of the DMN, SN, and CEN. The aberrant topological attributes may be associated with disrupted FC and cognitive functions. These topological abnormalities and disconnections might be potential biomarkers of cognitive impairments in patients with OSA.

Classic infantile Pompe patients approaching adulthood: a cohort study on consequences for the brain.

PubMed

Ebbink, Berendine J; Poelman, Esther; Aarsen, Femke K; Plug, Iris; Régal, Luc; Muentjes, Carsten; van der Beek, Nadine A M E; Lequin, Maarten H; van der Ploeg, Ans T; van den Hout, Johanna M P

2018-06-01

To examine the long-term consequences of glycogen storage in the central nervous system (CNS) for classic infantile Pompe disease using enzyme replacement therapy. Using neuropsychological tests and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we prospectively assessed a cohort of 11 classic infantile Pompe patients aged up to 17 years. From approximately age 2 years onwards, brain MRI showed involvement of the periventricular white matter and centrum semiovale. After 8 years of age, additional white-matter abnormalities occurred in the corpus callosum, internal and external capsule, and subcortical areas. From 11 years of age, white-matter abnormalities were also found in the brainstem. Although there seemed to be a characteristic pattern of involvement over time, there were considerable variations between patients, reflected by variations in neuropsychological development. Cognitive development ranged from stable and normal to declines that lead to intellectual disabilities. As treatment enables patients with classic infantile Pompe disease to reach adulthood, white-matter abnormalities are becoming increasingly evident, affecting the neuropsychological development. Therefore, we advise follow-up programs are expanded to capture CNS involvement in larger, international patient cohorts, to incorporate our findings in the counselling of parents before the start of treatment, and to include the brain as an additional target in the development of next-generation therapeutic strategies for classic infantile Pompe disease. In our long-term survivors treated intravenously with enzyme replacement therapy, we found slowly progressive symmetric white-matter abnormalities. Cognitive development varied from stable and normal to declines towards intellectual disabilities. © 2018 The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Mac Keith Press.

Patients with primary biliary cholangitis and fatigue present with depressive symptoms and selected cognitive deficits, but with normal attention performance and brain structure.

PubMed

Zenouzi, Roman; von der Gablentz, Janina; Heldmann, Marcus; Göttlich, Martin; Weiler-Normann, Christina; Sebode, Marcial; Ehlken, Hanno; Hartl, Johannes; Fellbrich, Anja; Siemonsen, Susanne; Schramm, Christoph; Münte, Thomas F; Lohse, Ansgar W

2018-01-01

In primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) fatigue is a major clinical challenge of unknown etiology. By demonstrating that fatigue in PBC is associated with an impaired cognitive performance, previous studies have pointed out the possibility of brain abnormalities underlying fatigue in PBC. Whether structural brain changes are present in PBC patients with fatigue, however, is unclear. To evaluate the role of structural brain abnormalities in PBC patients severely affected from fatigue we, therefore, performed a case-control cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) study and correlated changes of white and grey brain matter with the cognitive and attention performance. 20 female patients with PBC and 20 female age-matched controls were examined in this study. The assessment of fatigue, psychological symptoms, cognitive and attention performance included clinical questionnaires, established cognition tests and a computerized test battery of attention performance. T1-weighted cMRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans were acquired with a 3 Tesla scanner. Structural brain alterations were investigated with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and DTI analyses. Results were correlated to the cognitive and attention performance. Compared to healthy controls, PBC patients had significantly higher levels of fatigue and associated psychological symptoms. Except for an impairment of verbal fluency, no cognitive or attention deficits were found in the PBC cohort. The VBM and DTI analyses revealed neither major structural brain abnormalities in the PBC cohort nor correlations with the cognitive and attention performance. Despite the high burden of fatigue and selected cognitive deficits, the attention performance of PBC patients appears to be comparable to healthy people. As structural brain alterations do not seem to be present in PBC patients with fatigue, fatigue in PBC must be regarded as purely functional. Future studies should evaluate, whether functional brain changes underlie fatigue in PBC.

Alteration of diffusion-tensor MRI measures in brain regions involved in early stages of Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Chen, Nan-Kuei; Chou, Ying-Hui; Sundman, Mark; Hickey, Patrick; Kasoff, Willard S; Bernstein, Adam; Trouard, Theodore P; Lin, Tanya; Rapcsak, Steven Z; Sherman, Scott J; Weingarten, Carol

2018-06-07

Many non-motor symptoms (e.g., hyposmia) appear years before the cardinal motor features of Parkinson's disease (PD). It is thus desirable to be able to use noninvasive brain imaging methods, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to detect brain abnormalities in early PD stages. Among the MRI modalities, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is suitable for detecting changes of brain tissue structure due to neurological diseases. The main purpose of this study was to investigate whether DTI signals measured from brain regions involved in early stages of PD differ from those of healthy controls. To answer this question, we analyzed whole-brain DTI data of 30 early-stage PD patients and 30 controls using improved ROI based analysis methods. Results showed that 1) the fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the olfactory tract (connected with the olfactory bulb: one of the first structures affected by PD) are lower in PD patients than healthy controls; 2) FA values are higher in PD patients than healthy controls in the following brain regions: corticospinal tract, cingulum (near hippocampus), and superior longitudinal fasciculus (temporal part). Experimental results suggest that the tissue property, measured by FA, in olfactory regions is structurally modulated by PD with a mechanism that is different from other brain regions.

Clinical features and neuroimaging (CT and MRI) findings in presumed Zika virus related congenital infection and microcephaly: retrospective case series study.

PubMed

de Fatima Vasco Aragao, Maria; van der Linden, Vanessa; Brainer-Lima, Alessandra Mertens; Coeli, Regina Ramos; Rocha, Maria Angela; Sobral da Silva, Paula; Durce Costa Gomes de Carvalho, Maria; van der Linden, Ana; Cesario de Holanda, Arthur; Valenca, Marcelo Moraes

2016-04-13

To report radiological findings observed in computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the first cases of congenital infection and microcephaly presumably associated with the Zika virus in the current Brazilian epidemic. Retrospective study with a case series. Association for Assistance of Disabled Children (AACD), Pernambuco state, Brazil. 23 children with a diagnosis of congenital infection presumably associated with the Zika virus during the Brazilian microcephaly epidemic. Types of abnormalities and the radiological pattern of lesions identified on CT and MRI brain scans. Six of the 23 children tested positive for IgM antibodies to Zika virus in cerebrospinal fluid. The other 17 children met the protocol criteria for congenital infection presumably associated with the Zika virus, even without being tested for IgM antibodies to the virus--the test was not yet available on a routine basis. Of the 23 children, 15 underwent CT, seven underwent both CT and MRI, and one underwent MRI. Of the 22 children who underwent CT, all had calcifications in the junction between cortical and subcortical white matter, 21 (95%) had malformations of cortical development, 20 (91%) had a decreased brain volume, 19 (86%) had ventriculomegaly, and 11 (50%) had hypoplasia of the cerebellum or brainstem. Of the eight children who underwent MRI, all had calcifications in the junction between cortical and subcortical white matter, malformations of cortical development occurring predominantly in the frontal lobes, and ventriculomegaly. Seven of the eight (88%) children had enlarged cisterna magna, seven (88%) delayed myelination, and six each (75%) a moderate to severe decrease in brain volume, simplified gyral pattern, and abnormalities of the corpus callosum (38% hypogenesis and 38% hypoplasia). Malformations were symmetrical in 75% of the cases. Severe cerebral damage was found on imaging in most of the children in this case series with congenital infection presumably associated with the Zika virus. The features most commonly found were brain calcifications in the junction between cortical and subcortical white matter associated with malformations of cortical development, often with a simplified gyral pattern and predominance of pachygyria or polymicrogyria in the frontal lobes. Additional findings were enlarged cisterna magna, abnormalities of corpus callosum (hypoplasia or hypogenesis), ventriculomegaly, delayed myelination, and hypoplasia of the cerebellum and the brainstem. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Clinical features and neuroimaging (CT and MRI) findings in presumed Zika virus related congenital infection and microcephaly: retrospective case series study

PubMed Central

van der Linden, Vanessa; Brainer-Lima, Alessandra Mertens; Coeli, Regina Ramos; Rocha, Maria Angela; Sobral da Silva, Paula; Durce Costa Gomes de Carvalho, Maria; van der Linden, Ana; Cesario de Holanda, Arthur; Valenca, Marcelo Moraes

2016-01-01

Objective To report radiological findings observed in computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the first cases of congenital infection and microcephaly presumably associated with the Zika virus in the current Brazilian epidemic. Design Retrospective study with a case series. Setting Association for Assistance of Disabled Children (AACD), Pernambuco state, Brazil. Participants 23 children with a diagnosis of congenital infection presumably associated with the Zika virus during the Brazilian microcephaly epidemic. Main outcome measures Types of abnormalities and the radiological pattern of lesions identified on CT and MRI brain scans. Results Six of the 23 children tested positive for IgM antibodies to Zika virus in cerebrospinal fluid. The other 17 children met the protocol criteria for congenital infection presumably associated with the Zika virus, even without being tested for IgM antibodies to the virus—the test was not yet available on a routine basis. Of the 23 children, 15 underwent CT, seven underwent both CT and MRI, and one underwent MRI. Of the 22 children who underwent CT, all had calcifications in the junction between cortical and subcortical white matter, 21 (95%) had malformations of cortical development, 20 (91%) had a decreased brain volume, 19 (86%) had ventriculomegaly, and 11 (50%) had hypoplasia of the cerebellum or brainstem. Of the eight children who underwent MRI, all had calcifications in the junction between cortical and subcortical white matter, malformations of cortical development occurring predominantly in the frontal lobes, and ventriculomegaly. Seven of the eight (88%) children had enlarged cisterna magna, seven (88%) delayed myelination, and six each (75%) a moderate to severe decrease in brain volume, simplified gyral pattern, and abnormalities of the corpus callosum (38% hypogenesis and 38% hypoplasia). Malformations were symmetrical in 75% of the cases. Conclusion Severe cerebral damage was found on imaging in most of the children in this case series with congenital infection presumably associated with the Zika virus. The features most commonly found were brain calcifications in the junction between cortical and subcortical white matter associated with malformations of cortical development, often with a simplified gyral pattern and predominance of pachygyria or polymicrogyria in the frontal lobes. Additional findings were enlarged cisterna magna, abnormalities of corpus callosum (hypoplasia or hypogenesis), ventriculomegaly, delayed myelination, and hypoplasia of the cerebellum and the brainstem. PMID:27075009

Distributed abnormalities of brain white matter architecture in patients with dominant optic atrophy and OPA1 mutations.

PubMed

Rocca, Maria A; Bianchi-Marzoli, Stefania; Messina, Roberta; Cascavilla, Maria Lucia; Zeviani, Massimo; Lamperti, Costanza; Milesi, Jacopo; Carta, Arturo; Cammarata, Gabriella; Leocani, Letizia; Lamantea, Eleonora; Bandello, Francesco; Comi, Giancarlo; Falini, Andrea; Filippi, Massimo

2015-05-01

Using advanced MRI techniques, we investigated the presence and topographical distribution of brain grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM) alterations in dominant optic atrophy (DOA) patients with genetically proven OPA1 mutation as well as their correlation with clinical and neuro-ophthalmologic findings. Nineteen DOA patients underwent neurological, neuro-ophthalmologic and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) evaluations. Voxel-wise methods were applied to assess regional GM and WM abnormalities in patients compared to 20 healthy controls. Visual acuity was reduced in 16 patients. Six DOA patients (4 with missense mutations) had an abnormal I peripheral component (auditory nerve) at BAEP. Compared to controls, DOA patients had significant atrophy of the optic nerves (p < 0.0001). Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis showed that, compared to controls, DOA patients had significant WM atrophy of the chiasm and optic tracts; whereas no areas of GM atrophy were found. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis showed that compared to controls, DOA patients had significantly lower mean diffusivity, axial and radial diffusivity in the WM of the cerebellum, brainstem, thalamus, fronto-occipital-temporal lobes, including the cingulum, corpus callosum, corticospinal tract and optic radiation bilaterally. No abnormalities of fractional anisotropy were detected. No correlations were found between volumetric and diffusivity abnormalities quantified with MRI and clinical and neuro-ophthalmologic measures of disease severity. Consistently with pathological studies, tissue loss in DOA patients is limited to anterior optic pathways reflecting retinal ganglion cell degeneration. Distributed abnormalities of diffusivity indexes might reflect abnormal intracellular mitochondrial morphology as well as alteration of protein levels due to OPA1 mutations.

Air pollution, cognitive deficits and brain abnormalities: a pilot study with children and dogs.

PubMed

Calderón-Garcidueñas, Lilian; Mora-Tiscareño, Antonieta; Ontiveros, Esperanza; Gómez-Garza, Gilberto; Barragán-Mejía, Gerardo; Broadway, James; Chapman, Susan; Valencia-Salazar, Gildardo; Jewells, Valerie; Maronpot, Robert R; Henríquez-Roldán, Carlos; Pérez-Guillé, Beatriz; Torres-Jardón, Ricardo; Herrit, Lou; Brooks, Diane; Osnaya-Brizuela, Norma; Monroy, Maria E; González-Maciel, Angelica; Reynoso-Robles, Rafael; Villarreal-Calderon, Rafael; Solt, Anna C; Engle, Randall W

2008-11-01

Exposure to air pollution is associated with neuroinflammation in healthy children and dogs in Mexico City. Comparative studies were carried out in healthy children and young dogs similarly exposed to ambient pollution in Mexico City. Children from Mexico City (n: 55) and a low polluted city (n:18) underwent psychometric testing and brain magnetic resonance imaging MRI. Seven healthy young dogs with similar exposure to Mexico City air pollution had brain MRI, measurement of mRNA abundance of two inflammatory genes cyclooxygenase-2, and interleukin 1 beta in target brain areas, and histopathological evaluation of brain tissue. Children with no known risk factors for neurological or cognitive disorders residing in a polluted urban environment exhibited significant deficits in a combination of fluid and crystallized cognition tasks. Fifty-six percent of Mexico City children tested showed prefrontal white matter hyperintense lesions and similar lesions were observed in dogs (57%). Exposed dogs had frontal lesions with vascular subcortical pathology associated with neuroinflammation, enlarged Virchow-Robin spaces, gliosis, and ultrafine particulate matter deposition. Based on the MRI findings, the prefrontal cortex was a target anatomical region in Mexico City children and its damage could have contributed to their cognitive dysfunction. The present work presents a groundbreaking, interdisciplinary methodology for addressing relationships between environmental pollution, structural brain alterations by MRI, and cognitive deficits/delays in healthy children.

Resting state functional MRI reveals abnormal network connectivity in neurofibromatosis 1.

PubMed

Tomson, Steffie N; Schreiner, Matthew J; Narayan, Manjari; Rosser, Tena; Enrique, Nicole; Silva, Alcino J; Allen, Genevera I; Bookheimer, Susan Y; Bearden, Carrie E

2015-11-01

Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the neurofibromin 1 gene at locus 17q11.2. Individuals with NF1 have an increased incidence of learning disabilities, attention deficits, and autism spectrum disorders. As a single-gene disorder, NF1 represents a valuable model for understanding gene-brain-behavior relationships. While mouse models have elucidated molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying learning deficits associated with this mutation, little is known about functional brain architecture in human subjects with NF1. To address this question, we used resting state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fcMRI) to elucidate the intrinsic network structure of 30 NF1 participants compared with 30 healthy demographically matched controls during an eyes-open rs-fcMRI scan. Novel statistical methods were employed to quantify differences in local connectivity (edge strength) and modularity structure, in combination with traditional global graph theory applications. Our findings suggest that individuals with NF1 have reduced anterior-posterior connectivity, weaker bilateral edges, and altered modularity clustering relative to healthy controls. Further, edge strength and modular clustering indices were correlated with IQ and internalizing symptoms. These findings suggest that Ras signaling disruption may lead to abnormal functional brain connectivity; further investigation into the functional consequences of these alterations in both humans and in animal models is warranted. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Relationship of Intraoperative Cerebral Oxygen Saturation to Neurodevelopmental Outcome and Brain MRI at One Year of Age in Infants Undergoing Biventricular Repair

PubMed Central

Kussman, Barry D.; Wypij, David; Laussen, Peter C.; Soul, Janet S.; Bellinger, David C.; DiNardo, James A.; Robertson, Richard; Pigula, Frank A.; Jonas, Richard A.; Newburger, Jane W.

2010-01-01

Background Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) monitoring of cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) has become routine in many centers, but no studies have reported the relationship of intraoperative NIRS to long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes after cardiac surgery. Methods and Results Of 104 infants undergoing biventricular repair without aortic arch reconstruction, 89 (86%) returned for neurodevelopmental testing at age 1 year. The primary NIRS variable was the integrated rSO2 (area under the curve) for rSO2 ≤ 45%; secondary variables were the average and minimum rSO2 by perfusion phase and at specific time points. Psychomotor (PDI) and Mental Development Indexes of the Bayley Scales, head circumference, neurologic examination, and abnormalities on brain MRI did not differ between subjects according to a threshold level for rSO2 of 45%. Lower PDI scores were modestly associated with lower average (r=0.23; P=0.03) and minimum rSO2 (r=0.22; P=0.04) during the 60 minute period following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), but not with other perfusion phases. Hemosiderin foci on brain MRI were associated with lower average rSO2 from post-induction to 60 minutes post-CPB (71±10 vs. 78±6%; P=0.01), and lower average rSO2 during the rewarming phase (72±12 vs. 83±9%; P=0.003) and during the 60 minute period following CPB (65±11 vs. 75±10%; P=0.009). In regression analyses adjusting for age ≤ 30 days, PDI score (P=0.02) and brain hemosiderin (P=0.04) remained significantly associated with rSO2 during the 60 minute period following CPB. Conclusions Perioperative periods of diminished cerebral oxygen delivery, as indicated by rSO2, are associated with one-year PDI and brain MRI abnormalities among infants undergoing reparative heart surgery. Clinical Trial Registration Information http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00006183 PMID:20606124

A two-year longitudinal pilot MRI study of the brainstem in autism.

PubMed

Jou, Roger J; Frazier, Thomas W; Keshavan, Matcheri S; Minshew, Nancy J; Hardan, Antonio Y

2013-08-15

Research has demonstrated the potential role of the brainstem in the pathobiology of autism. Previous studies have suggested reductions in brainstem volume and a relationship between this structure and sensory abnormalities. However, little is known regarding the developmental aspects of the brainstem across childhood and adolescence. The goal of this pilot study was to examine brainstem development via MRI volumetry using a longitudinal research design. Participants included 23 boys with autism and 23 matched controls (age range=8-17 years), all without intellectual disability. Participants underwent structural MRI scans once at baseline and again at two-year follow-up. Brainstem volumetric measurements were performed using the BRAINS2 software package. There were no significant group differences in age, gender, handedness, and total brain volume; however, full-scale IQ was higher in controls. Autism and control groups showed different patterns of growth in brainstem volume. While whole brainstem volume remained stable in controls over the two-year period, the autism group showed increases with age reaching volumes comparable to controls by age 15 years. This increase of whole brainstem volume was primarily driven by bilateral increases in gray matter volume. Findings from this preliminary study are suggestive of developmental brainstem abnormalities in autism primarily involving gray matter structures. These findings are consistent with autism being conceptualized as a neurodevelopmental disorder with alterations in brain-growth trajectories. More longitudinal MRI studies are needed integrating longitudinal cognitive/behavioral data to confirm and elucidate the clinical significance of these atypical growth patterns. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Possible involvement of rumination in gray matter abnormalities in persistent symptoms of major depression: an exploratory magnetic resonance imaging voxel-based morphometry study.

PubMed

Machino, Akihiko; Kunisato, Yoshihiko; Matsumoto, Tomoya; Yoshimura, Shinpei; Ueda, Kazutaka; Yamawaki, Yosuke; Okada, Go; Okamoto, Yasumasa; Yamawaki, Shigeto

2014-10-01

A recent meta-analysis of many magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies has identified brain regions with gray matter (GM) abnormalities in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). A few studies addressing GM abnormalities in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) have yielded inconsistent results. Moreover, although TRD patients tend to exhibit ruminative thoughts, it remains unclear whether rumination is related to GM abnormalities in such patients or not. We conducted structural MRI scans and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to identify GM differences among 29 TRD patients and 29 healthy age-matched and sex-matched controls. A response style questionnaire was used to assess the respective degrees of rumination in TRD patients. Structural correlates of rumination were examined. TRD patients showed several regions with smaller GM volume than in healthy subjects: the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), right ventral ACC, right superior frontal gyrus, right cerebellum (Crus I), and cerebellar vermis. GM volumes in these regions did not correlate to rumination. However, whole-brain analysis revealed that rumination was positively correlated with the GM volume in the right superior temporal gyrus in TRD patients. Structural correlates of rumination were examined only in TRD patients. Our data provide additional evidence supporting the hypothesis that TRD patients show GM abnormalities compared with healthy subjects. Furthermore, this report is the first to describe a study identifying brain regions for which the GM volume is correlated with rumination in TRD patients. These results improve our understanding of the anatomical characteristics of TRD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multimodal Imaging in Rat Model Recapitulates Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers Abnormalities.

PubMed

Parent, Maxime J; Zimmer, Eduardo R; Shin, Monica; Kang, Min Su; Fonov, Vladimir S; Mathieu, Axel; Aliaga, Antonio; Kostikov, Alexey; Do Carmo, Sonia; Dea, Doris; Poirier, Judes; Soucy, Jean-Paul; Gauthier, Serge; Cuello, A Claudio; Rosa-Neto, Pedro

2017-12-13

Imaging biomarkers are frequently proposed as endpoints for clinical trials targeting brain amyloidosis in Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, the specific impact of amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation on biomarker abnormalities remains elusive in AD. Using the McGill-R-Thy1-APP transgenic rat as a model of selective Aβ pathology, we characterized the longitudinal progression of abnormalities in biomarkers commonly used in AD research. Middle-aged (9-11 months) transgenic animals (both male and female) displayed mild spatial memory impairments and disrupted cingulate network connectivity measured by resting-state fMRI, even in the absence of hypometabolism (measured with PET [ 18 F]FDG) or detectable fibrillary amyloidosis (measured with PET [ 18 F]NAV4694). At more advanced ages (16-19 months), cognitive deficits progressed in conjunction with resting connectivity abnormalities; furthermore, hypometabolism, Aβ plaque accumulation, reduction of CSF Aβ 1-42 concentrations, and hippocampal atrophy (structural MRI) were detectable at this stage. The present results emphasize the early impact of Aβ on brain connectivity and support a framework in which persistent Aβ aggregation itself is sufficient to impose memory circuits dysfunction, which propagates to adjacent brain networks at later stages. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The present study proposes a "back translation" of the Alzheimer pathological cascade concept from human to animals. We used the same set of Alzheimer imaging biomarkers typically used in large human cohorts and assessed their progression over time in a transgenic rat model, which allows for a finer spatial resolution not attainable with mice. Using this translational platform, we demonstrated that amyloid-β pathology recapitulates an Alzheimer-like profile of biomarker abnormalities even in the absence of other hallmarks of the disease such as neurofibrillary tangles and widespread neuronal losses. Copyright © 2017 Parent et al.

Multimodal Imaging in Rat Model Recapitulates Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers Abnormalities

PubMed Central

Parent, Maxime J.; Kang, Min Su; Mathieu, Axel; Aliaga, Antonio; Do Carmo, Sonia; Dea, Doris; Gauthier, Serge; Cuello, A. Claudio

2017-01-01

Imaging biomarkers are frequently proposed as endpoints for clinical trials targeting brain amyloidosis in Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, the specific impact of amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation on biomarker abnormalities remains elusive in AD. Using the McGill-R-Thy1-APP transgenic rat as a model of selective Aβ pathology, we characterized the longitudinal progression of abnormalities in biomarkers commonly used in AD research. Middle-aged (9–11 months) transgenic animals (both male and female) displayed mild spatial memory impairments and disrupted cingulate network connectivity measured by resting-state fMRI, even in the absence of hypometabolism (measured with PET [18F]FDG) or detectable fibrillary amyloidosis (measured with PET [18F]NAV4694). At more advanced ages (16–19 months), cognitive deficits progressed in conjunction with resting connectivity abnormalities; furthermore, hypometabolism, Aβ plaque accumulation, reduction of CSF Aβ1-42 concentrations, and hippocampal atrophy (structural MRI) were detectable at this stage. The present results emphasize the early impact of Aβ on brain connectivity and support a framework in which persistent Aβ aggregation itself is sufficient to impose memory circuits dysfunction, which propagates to adjacent brain networks at later stages. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The present study proposes a “back translation” of the Alzheimer pathological cascade concept from human to animals. We used the same set of Alzheimer imaging biomarkers typically used in large human cohorts and assessed their progression over time in a transgenic rat model, which allows for a finer spatial resolution not attainable with mice. Using this translational platform, we demonstrated that amyloid-β pathology recapitulates an Alzheimer-like profile of biomarker abnormalities even in the absence of other hallmarks of the disease such as neurofibrillary tangles and widespread neuronal losses. PMID:29097597

Analysis of dual tree M-band wavelet transform based features for brain image classification.

PubMed

Ayalapogu, Ratna Raju; Pabboju, Suresh; Ramisetty, Rajeswara Rao

2018-04-29

The most complex organ in the human body is the brain. The unrestrained growth of cells in the brain is called a brain tumor. The cause of a brain tumor is still unknown and the survival rate is lower than other types of cancers. Hence, early detection is very important for proper treatment. In this study, an efficient computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system is presented for brain image classification by analyzing MRI of the brain. At first, the MRI brain images of normal and abnormal categories are modeled by using the statistical features of dual tree m-band wavelet transform (DTMBWT). A maximum margin classifier, support vector machine (SVM) is then used for the classification and validated with k-fold approach. Results show that the system provides promising results on a repository of molecular brain neoplasia data (REMBRANDT) with 97.5% accuracy using 4 th level statistical features of DTMBWT. Viewing the experimental results, we conclude that the system gives a satisfactory performance for the brain image classification. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Altered small-world topology of structural brain networks in infants with intrauterine growth restriction and its association with later neurodevelopmental outcome.

PubMed

Batalle, Dafnis; Eixarch, Elisenda; Figueras, Francesc; Muñoz-Moreno, Emma; Bargallo, Nuria; Illa, Miriam; Acosta-Rojas, Ruthy; Amat-Roldan, Ivan; Gratacos, Eduard

2012-04-02

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) due to placental insufficiency affects 5-10% of all pregnancies and it is associated with a wide range of short- and long-term neurodevelopmental disorders. Prediction of neurodevelopmental outcomes in IUGR is among the clinical challenges of modern fetal medicine and pediatrics. In recent years several studies have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to demonstrate differences in brain structure in IUGR subjects, but the ability to use MRI for individual predictive purposes in IUGR is limited. Recent research suggests that MRI in vivo access to brain connectivity might have the potential to help understanding cognitive and neurodevelopment processes. Specifically, MRI based connectomics is an emerging approach to extract information from MRI data that exhaustively maps inter-regional connectivity within the brain to build a graph model of its neural circuitry known as brain network. In the present study we used diffusion MRI based connectomics to obtain structural brain networks of a prospective cohort of one year old infants (32 controls and 24 IUGR) and analyze the existence of quantifiable brain reorganization of white matter circuitry in IUGR group by means of global and regional graph theory features of brain networks. Based on global and regional analyses of the brain network topology we demonstrated brain reorganization in IUGR infants at one year of age. Specifically, IUGR infants presented decreased global and local weighted efficiency, and a pattern of altered regional graph theory features. By means of binomial logistic regression, we also demonstrated that connectivity measures were associated with abnormal performance in later neurodevelopmental outcome as measured by Bayley Scale for Infant and Toddler Development, Third edition (BSID-III) at two years of age. These findings show the potential of diffusion MRI based connectomics and graph theory based network characteristics for estimating differences in the architecture of neural circuitry and developing imaging biomarkers of poor neurodevelopment outcome in infants with prenatal diseases. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain functional network abnormality extends beyond the sensorimotor network in brachial plexus injury patients.

PubMed

Feng, Jun-Tao; Liu, Han-Qiu; Hua, Xu-Yun; Gu, Yu-Dong; Xu, Jian-Guang; Xu, Wen-Dong

2016-12-01

Brachial plexus injury (BPI) is a type of severe peripheral nerve trauma that leads to central remodeling in the brain, as revealed by functional MRI analysis. However, previously reported remodeling is mostly restricted to sensorimotor areas of the brain. Whether this disturbance in the sensorimotor network leads to larger-scale functional remodeling remains unknown. We sought to explore the higher-level brain functional abnormality pattern of BPI patients from a large-scale network function connectivity dimension in 15 right-handed BPI patients. Resting-state functional MRI data were collected and analyzed using independent component analysis methods. Five components of interest were recognized and compared between patients and healthy subjects. Patients showed significantly altered brain local functional activities in the bilateral fronto-parietal network (FPN), sensorimotor network (SMN), and executive-control network (ECN) compared with healthy subjects. Moreover, functional connectivity between SMN and ECN were significantly less in patients compared with healthy subjects, and connectivity strength between ECN and SMN was negatively correlated with patients' residual function of the affected limb. Functional connectivity between SMN and right FPN were also significantly less than in controls, although connectivity between ECN and default mode network (DMN) was greater than in controls. These data suggested that brain functional disturbance in BPI patients extends beyond the sensorimotor network and cascades serial remodeling in the brain, which significantly correlates with residual hand function of the paralyzed limb. Furthermore, functional remodeling in these higher-level functional networks may lead to cognitive alterations in complex tasks.

Brain stem hypoplasia associated with Cri-du-Chat syndrome.

PubMed

Hong, Jin Ho; Lee, Ha Young; Lim, Myung Kwan; Kim, Mi Young; Kang, Young Hye; Lee, Kyung Hee; Cho, Soon Gu

2013-01-01

Cri-du-Chat syndrome, also called the 5p-syndrome, is a rare genetic abnormality, and only few cases have been reported on its brain MRI findings. We describe the magnetic resonance imaging findings of a 1-year-old girl with Cri-du-Chat syndrome who showed brain stem hypoplasia, particularly in the pons, with normal cerebellum and diffuse hypoplasia of the cerebral hemispheres. We suggest that Cri-du-Chat syndrome chould be suspected in children with brain stem hypoplasia, particularly for those with high-pitched cries.

Brain magnetic resonance imaging screening is not useful for HIV-1-infected patients without neurological symptoms.

PubMed

Nishijima, Takeshi; Gatanaga, Hiroyuki; Teruya, Katsuji; Tajima, Tsuyoshi; Kikuchi, Yoshimi; Hasuo, Kanehiro; Oka, Shinichi

2014-10-01

We investigated the diagnostic usefulness of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) screening in HIV-1-infected patients without neurological symptoms in detecting intracranial diseases at early stages. In this retrospective analysis, the study patients were HIV-1-infected patients who underwent brain MRI scan in clinical practice between 2001 and 2013. We excluded patients with MRI for (1) follow-up examination for prediagnosed intracranial diseases, (2) cancer staging, (3) screening mycobacterium/bacteria/fungi disease proliferation in the brain, and (4) evaluation for meningitis/encephalitis. The study patients (n=485) were classified into two groups: those who underwent brain MRI scan without any neurological symptoms/signs (asymptomatic patients, n=158) and those who underwent MRI due to such symptoms (symptomatic patients, n=327). Asymptomatic patients had lower CD4 counts than symptomatic patients (median 78 versus 241/μl). Intracranial diseases were detected in three (2%) of the asymptomatic patients [two toxoplasmosis and one progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)] compared to 58 (19%) of the symptomatic patients (the χ(2) test, p<0.01). The latter included toxoplasmosis (n=10), PML (n=7), cytomegalovirus encephalitis (n=3), primary central nervous system lymphoma (n=3), cryptococcoma/meningitis (n=3), and HIV-associated dementia (n=17). Among symptomatic patients, intracranial diseases were common in those with slurred speech (3/6, 50%), seizure (4/10, 40%), eyesight/vision abnormality (5/16, 31%), altered mental status (8/31, 26%), and hemiplegia/numbness (13/50, 26%). For patients with CD4 count <200/μl, intracranial diseases were detected in only 3 (3%) of 144 asymptomatic patients, compared with 46 (32%) of 113 symptomatic patients (p<0.01). Brain MRI screening for HIV-1-infected patients without neurological symptoms is of little value.

4H Leukodystrophy: A Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scoring System.

PubMed

Vrij-van den Bos, Suzanne; Hol, Janna A; La Piana, Roberta; Harting, Inga; Vanderver, Adeline; Barkhof, Frederik; Cayami, Ferdy; van Wieringen, Wessel N; Pouwels, Petra J W; van der Knaap, Marjo S; Bernard, Geneviève; Wolf, Nicole I

2017-06-01

4H (hypomyelination, hypodontia and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism) leukodystrophy (4H) is an autosomal recessive hypomyelinating white matter (WM) disorder with neurologic, dental, and endocrine abnormalities. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scoring system for 4H. A scoring system (0-54) was developed to quantify hypomyelination and atrophy of different brain regions. Pons diameter and bicaudate ratio were included as measures of cerebral and brainstem atrophy, and reference values were determined using controls. Five independent raters completed the scoring system in 40 brain MRI scans collected from 36 patients with genetically proven 4H. Interrater reliability (IRR) and correlations between MRI scores, age, gross motor function, gender, and mutated gene were assessed. IRR for total MRI severity was found to be excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.87; 95% confidence interval: 0.80-0.92) but varied between different items with some (e.g., myelination of the cerebellar WM) showing poor IRR. Atrophy increased with age in contrast to hypomyelination scores. MRI scores (global, hypomyelination, and atrophy scores) significantly correlated with clinical handicap ( p  < 0.01 for all three items) and differed between the different genotypes. Our 4H MRI scoring system reliably quantifies hypomyelination and atrophy in patients with 4H, and MRI scores reflect clinical disease severity. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

N-terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide and abnormal brain aging

PubMed Central

Sabayan, Behnam; van Buchem, Mark A.; de Craen, Anton J.M.; Sigurdsson, Sigurdur; Zhang, Qian; Harris, Tamara B.; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Arai, Andrew E.

2015-01-01

Objective: To investigate the independent association of serum N-terminal fragment of the prohormone natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with structural and functional features of abnormal brain aging in older individuals. Methods: In this cross-sectional study based on the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility (AGES)–Reykjavik Study, we included 4,029 older community-dwelling individuals (born 1907 to 1935) with a measured serum level of NT-proBNP. Outcomes included parenchymal brain volumes estimated from brain MRI, cognitive function measured by tests of memory, processing speed, and executive functioning, and presence of depressive symptoms measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale. In a substudy, cardiac output of 857 participants was assessed using cardiac MRI. Results: In multivariate analyses, adjusted for sociodemographic and cardiovascular factors, higher levels of NT-proBNP were independently associated with lower total (p < 0.001), gray matter (p < 0.001), and white matter (p = 0.001) brain volumes. Likewise, in multivariate analyses, higher levels of NT-proBNP were associated with worse scores in memory (p = 0.005), processing speed (p = 0.001), executive functioning (p < 0.001), and more depressive symptoms (p = 0.002). In the substudy, the associations of higher NT-proBNP with lower brain parenchymal volumes, impaired executive function and processing speed, and higher depressive symptoms were independent of the level of cardiac output. Conclusions: Higher serum levels of NT-proBNP, independent of cardiovascular risk factors and a measure of cardiac function, are linked with alterations in brain structure and function. Roles of natriuretic peptides in the process of brain aging need to be further elucidated. PMID:26231259

Disorder-specific functional abnormalities during temporal discounting in youth with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism and comorbid ADHD and Autism.

PubMed

Chantiluke, Kaylita; Christakou, Anastasia; Murphy, Clodagh M; Giampietro, Vincent; Daly, Eileen M; Ecker, Christina; Brammer, Michael; Murphy, Declan G; Rubia, Katya

2014-08-30

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are often comorbid and share cognitive abnormalities in temporal foresight. A key question is whether shared cognitive phenotypes are based on common or different underlying pathophysiologies and whether comorbid patients have additive neurofunctional deficits, resemble one of the disorders or have a different pathophysiology. We compared age- and IQ-matched boys with non-comorbid ADHD (18), non-comorbid ASD (15), comorbid ADHD and ASD (13) and healthy controls (18) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a temporal discounting task. Only the ASD and the comorbid groups discounted delayed rewards more steeply. The fMRI data showed both shared and disorder-specific abnormalities in the three groups relative to controls in their brain-behaviour associations. The comorbid group showed both unique and more severe brain-discounting associations than controls and the non-comorbid patient groups in temporal discounting areas of ventromedial and lateral prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum and anterior cingulate, suggesting that comorbidity is neither an endophenocopy of the two pure disorders nor an additive pathology. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Multifaceted Genomic Risk for Brain Function in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Chen, Jiayu; Calhoun, Vince D.; Pearlson, Godfrey D.; Ehrlich, Stefan; Turner, Jessica A.; Ho, Beng-Choon; Wassink, Thomas H.; Michael, Andrew M; Liu, Jingyu

2012-01-01

Recently, deriving candidate endophenotypes from brain imaging data has become a valuable approach to study genetic influences on schizophrenia (SZ), whose pathophysiology remains unclear. In this work we utilized a multivariate approach, parallel independent component analysis, to identify genomic risk components associated with brain function abnormalities in SZ. 5157 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were derived from genome-wide array based on their possible connections with SZ and further investigated for their associations with brain activations captured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a sensorimotor task. Using data from 92 SZ patients and 116 healthy controls, we detected a significant correlation (r= 0.29; p= 2.41×10−5) between one fMRI component and one SNP component, both of which significantly differentiated patients from controls. The fMRI component mainly consisted of precentral and postcentral gyri, the major activated regions in the motor task. On average, higher activation in these regions was observed in participants with higher loadings of the linked SNP component, predominantly contributed to by 253 SNPs. 138 identified SNPs were from known coding regions of 100 unique genes. 31 identified SNPs did not differ between groups, but moderately correlated with some other group-discriminating SNPs, indicating interactions among alleles contributing towards elevated SZ susceptibility. The genes associated with the identified SNPs participated in four neurotransmitter pathways: GABA receptor signaling, dopamine receptor signaling, neuregulin signaling and glutamate receptor signaling. In summary, our work provides further evidence for the complexity of genomic risk to the functional brain abnormality in SZ and suggests a pathological role of interactions between SNPs, genes and multiple neurotransmitter pathways. PMID:22440650

Altered fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation in premenstrual syndrome: A resting state fMRI study.

PubMed

Liao, Hai; Duan, Gaoxiong; Liu, Peng; Liu, Yanfei; Pang, Yong; Liu, Huimei; Tang, Lijun; Tao, Jien; Wen, Danhong; Li, Shasha; Liang, Lingyan; Deng, Demao

2017-08-15

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is becoming highly prevalent among female and is characterized by emotional, physical and behavior symptoms. Previous evidence suggested functional dysregulation of female brain was expected to be involved in the etiology of PMS. The aim of present study was to evaluate the alterations of spontaneous brain activity in PMS patients based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). 20 PMS patients and 21 healthy controls underwent resting-state fMRI scanning during luteal phase. All participants were asked to complete a prospective daily record of severity of problems (DRSP) questionnaire. Compared with healthy controls, the results showed that PMS patients had increased fALFF in bilateral precuneus, left hippocampus and left inferior temporal cortex, and decreased fALFF in bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and cerebellum at luteal phase. Moreover, the DRSP scores of PMS patients were negatively correlated with the mean fALFF in ACC and positively correlated with the fALFF in precuneus. (1) the study did not investigate whether or not abnormal brain activity differences between groups in mid-follicular phase, and within-group changes. between phases.(2) it was relatively limited sample size and the participants were young; (3) fALFF could not provide us with more holistic information of brain network;(4) the comparisons of PMS and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) were not involved in the study. The present study shows abnormal spontaneous brain activity in PMS patients revealed by fALFF, which could provide neuroimaging evidence to further improve our understanding of the underlying neural mechanism of PMS. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Characterization of the resting-state brain network topology in the 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson’s disease

PubMed Central

Simmons, Camilla; Mesquita, Michel B.; Wood, Tobias C.; Williams, Steve C. R.; Vernon, Anthony C.; Cash, Diana

2017-01-01

Resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) is an imaging technology that has recently gained attention for its ability to detect disruptions in functional brain networks in humans, including in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), revealing early and widespread brain network abnormalities. This methodology is now readily applicable to experimental animals offering new possibilities for cross-species translational imaging. In this context, we herein describe the application of rsfMRI to the unilaterally-lesioned 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat, a robust experimental model of the dopamine depletion implicated in PD. Using graph theory to analyse the rsfMRI data, we were able to provide meaningful and translatable measures of integrity, influence and segregation of the underlying functional brain architecture. Specifically, we confirm that rats share a similar functional brain network topology as observed in humans, characterised by small-worldness and modularity. Interestingly, we observed significantly reduced functional connectivity in the 6-OHDA rats, primarily in the ipsilateral (lesioned) hemisphere as evidenced by significantly lower node degree, local efficiency and clustering coefficient in the motor, orbital and sensorimotor cortices. In contrast, we found significantly, and bilaterally, increased thalamic functional connectivity in the lesioned rats. The unilateral deficits in the cortex are consistent with the unilateral nature of this model and further support the validity of the rsfMRI technique in rodents. We thereby provide a methodological framework for the investigation of brain networks in other rodent experimental models of PD, as well as of animal models in general, for cross-comparison with human data. PMID:28249008

Long-term effects of marijuana use on the brain

PubMed Central

Filbey, Francesca M.; Aslan, Sina; Calhoun, Vince D.; Spence, Jeffrey S.; Damaraju, Eswar; Caprihan, Arvind; Segall, Judith

2014-01-01

Questions surrounding the effects of chronic marijuana use on brain structure continue to increase. To date, however, findings remain inconclusive. In this comprehensive study that aimed to characterize brain alterations associated with chronic marijuana use, we measured gray matter (GM) volume via structural MRI across the whole brain by using voxel-based morphology, synchrony among abnormal GM regions during resting state via functional connectivity MRI, and white matter integrity (i.e., structural connectivity) between the abnormal GM regions via diffusion tensor imaging in 48 marijuana users and 62 age- and sex-matched nonusing controls. The results showed that compared with controls, marijuana users had significantly less bilateral orbitofrontal gyri volume, higher functional connectivity in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) network, and higher structural connectivity in tracts that innervate the OFC (forceps minor) as measured by fractional anisotropy (FA). Increased OFC functional connectivity in marijuana users was associated with earlier age of onset. Lastly, a quadratic trend was observed suggesting that the FA of the forceps minor tract initially increased following regular marijuana use but decreased with protracted regular use. This pattern may indicate differential effects of initial and chronic marijuana use that may reflect complex neuroadaptive processes in response to marijuana use. Despite the observed age of onset effects, longitudinal studies are needed to determine causality of these effects. PMID:25385625

The Brain Basis for Misophonia.

PubMed

Kumar, Sukhbinder; Tansley-Hancock, Olana; Sedley, William; Winston, Joel S; Callaghan, Martina F; Allen, Micah; Cope, Thomas E; Gander, Phillip E; Bamiou, Doris-Eva; Griffiths, Timothy D

2017-02-20

Misophonia is an affective sound-processing disorder characterized by the experience of strong negative emotions (anger and anxiety) in response to everyday sounds, such as those generated by other people eating, drinking, chewing, and breathing [1-8]. The commonplace nature of these sounds (often referred to as "trigger sounds") makes misophonia a devastating disorder for sufferers and their families, and yet nothing is known about the underlying mechanism. Using functional and structural MRI coupled with physiological measurements, we demonstrate that misophonic subjects show specific trigger-sound-related responses in brain and body. Specifically, fMRI showed that in misophonic subjects, trigger sounds elicit greatly exaggerated blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) responses in the anterior insular cortex (AIC), a core hub of the "salience network" that is critical for perception of interoceptive signals and emotion processing. Trigger sounds in misophonics were associated with abnormal functional connectivity between AIC and a network of regions responsible for the processing and regulation of emotions, including ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), posteromedial cortex (PMC), hippocampus, and amygdala. Trigger sounds elicited heightened heart rate (HR) and galvanic skin response (GSR) in misophonic subjects, which were mediated by AIC activity. Questionnaire analysis showed that misophonic subjects perceived their bodies differently: they scored higher on interoceptive sensibility than controls, consistent with abnormal functioning of AIC. Finally, brain structural measurements implied greater myelination within vmPFC in misophonic individuals. Overall, our results show that misophonia is a disorder in which abnormal salience is attributed to particular sounds based on the abnormal activation and functional connectivity of AIC. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The use of neuroimaging in the management of chronic headache in children in clinical practice versus clinical practice guidelines.

PubMed

Prpić, Igor; Ahel, Tea; Rotim, Krešimir; Gajski, Domagoj; Vukelić, Petar; Sasso, Antun

2014-12-01

In daily practice, neuroimaging studies are frequently performed for the management of childhood headache. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is significant discrepancy between clinical practice and clinical practice guidelines on the indications for neuroimaging studies. Medical records of children with chronic headache, aged 2 to 18 years and treated at Rijeka University Hospital Center, Kantrida Department of Pediatrics, were retrospectively reviewed. Indications for brain magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography (MRI/CT) scanning were reviewed and compared with clinical practice guidelines. Brain imaging was performed in 164 (76.3%) of 215 children, MRI in 93 (56.7%) and CT in 71 (43.3%) children. Indications for brain MRI/CT were as follows: anxiety and/or insistence by the child's family (71.3%), presence of associated features suggesting neurologic dysfunction (13.4%), age under 5 years (12.8%) and abnormal neurologic examination (2.4%). The majority of children (71.4%) had normal neuroimaging findings. In the rest of imaging studies (28.1%), MRI/CT revealed different intracerebral/extracerebral findings not influencing changes in headache management. Only one (0.60%) patient required change in headache management after MRI/CT. Study results proved that, despite available evidence-based clinical guidelines, brain imaging in children with chronic headaches is overused, mostly in order to decrease anxiety of the family/patient.

Abnormalities in hemispheric specialization of caudate nucleus connectivity in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Mueller, Sophia; Wang, Danhong; Pan, Ruiqi; Holt, Daphne J.; Liu, Hesheng

2015-01-01

Importance Hemispheric specialization of the human brain is a marker of successful neurodevelopment. Altered brain asymmetry that has been repeatedly reported in schizophrenia may represent consequences of disrupted neurodevelopment in the disorder. However, a complete picture of functional specialization in the schizophrenic brain and its connectional substrates are yet to be unveiled. Objective We aimed to quantify intrinsic hemispheric specialization at a cortical and subcortical level and to reveal potential disease effects in schizophrenia. Design/Participants Resting-state functional connectivity MRI has been previously used to quantitatively measure hemispheric specialization in healthy subjects, in a reliable manner. Here we quantified the intrinsic hemispheric specialization at the whole brain level in 31 patients with schizophrenia and 37 demographically matched healthy control subjects using resting-state functional connectivity MRI. Results The caudate nucleus, and cortical regions with connections to the caudate nucleus, showed markedly abnormal hemispheric specialization in schizophrenia. Compared to healthy controls, patients exhibited weaker specialization in the left, but the opposite pattern in the right, caudate nucleus. Schizophrenia patients also displayed a disruption of the inter-hemispheric coordination among the cortical regions with connections to the caudate nucleus. A linear classifier based on the specialization of the caudate nucleus distinguished patients from controls with a classification accuracy of 74%. Conclusions and Relevance These data suggested that hemispheric specialization could serve as a potential imaging biomarker of schizophrenia that, compared to task-based fMRI measures, is less prone to the confounding effects of variation in task compliance, cognitive ability, and command of language. PMID:25830688

Identification of Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Multi-Modal Brain Features: A Combined Structural MRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.

PubMed

Xie, Yunyan; Cui, Zaixu; Zhang, Zhongmin; Sun, Yu; Sheng, Can; Li, Kuncheng; Gong, Gaolang; Han, Ying; Jia, Jianping

2015-01-01

Identifying amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is of great clinical importance because aMCI is a putative prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease. The present study aimed to explore the feasibility of accurately identifying aMCI with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarker. We integrated measures of both gray matter (GM) abnormalities derived from structural MRI and white matter (WM) alterations acquired from diffusion tensor imaging at the voxel level across the entire brain. In particular, multi-modal brain features, including GM volume, WM fractional anisotropy, and mean diffusivity, were extracted from a relatively large sample of 64 Han Chinese aMCI patients and 64 matched controls. Then, support vector machine classifiers for GM volume, FA, and MD were fused to distinguish the aMCI patients from the controls. The fused classifier was evaluated with the leave-one-out and the 10-fold cross-validations, and the classifier had an accuracy of 83.59% and an area under the curve of 0.862. The most discriminative regions of GM were mainly located in the medial temporal lobe, temporal lobe, precuneus, cingulate gyrus, parietal lobe, and frontal lobe, whereas the most discriminative regions of WM were mainly located in the corpus callosum, cingulum, corona radiata, frontal lobe, and parietal lobe. Our findings suggest that aMCI is characterized by a distributed pattern of GM abnormalities and WM alterations that represent discriminative power and reflect relevant pathological changes in the brain, and these changes further highlight the advantage of multi-modal feature integration for identifying aMCI.

Prolonged hemodynamic response during incidental facial emotion processing in inter-episode bipolar I disorder.

PubMed

Rosenfeld, Ethan S; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Sweeney, John A; Tamminga, Carol A; Keshavan, Matcheri S; Nonterah, Camilla; Stevens, Michael C

2014-03-01

This fMRI study examined whether hemodynamic responses to affectively-salient stimuli were abnormally prolonged in remitted bipolar disorder, possibly representing a novel illness biomarker. A group of 18 DSM-IV bipolar I-diagnosed adults in remission and a demographically-matched control group performed an event-related fMRI gender-discrimination task in which face stimuli had task-irrelevant neutral, happy or angry expressions designed to elicit incidental emotional processing. Participants' brain activation was modeled using a "fully informed" SPM5 basis set. Mixed-model ANOVA tested for diagnostic group differences in BOLD response amplitude and shape within brain regions-of-interest selected from ALE meta-analysis of previous comparable fMRI studies. Bipolar-diagnosed patients had a generally longer duration and/or later-peaking hemodynamic response in amygdala and numerous prefrontal cortex brain regions. Data are consistent with existing models of bipolar limbic hyperactivity, but the prolonged frontolimbic response more precisely details abnormalities recognized in previous studies. Prolonged hemodynamic responses were unrelated to stimulus type, task performance, or degree of residual mood symptoms, suggesting an important novel trait vulnerability brain dysfunction in bipolar disorder. Bipolar patients also failed to engage pregenual cingulate and left orbitofrontal cortex-regions important to models of automatic emotion regulation-while engaging a delayed dorsolateral prefrontal cortex response not seen in controls. These results raise questions about whether there are meaningful relationships between bipolar dysfunction of specific ventromedial prefrontal cortex regions believed to automatically regulate emotional reactions and the prolonged responses in more lateral aspects of prefrontal cortex.

The CONNECT project: Combining macro- and micro-structure.

PubMed

Assaf, Yaniv; Alexander, Daniel C; Jones, Derek K; Bizzi, Albero; Behrens, Tim E J; Clark, Chris A; Cohen, Yoram; Dyrby, Tim B; Huppi, Petra S; Knoesche, Thomas R; Lebihan, Denis; Parker, Geoff J M; Poupon, Cyril; Anaby, Debbie; Anwander, Alfred; Bar, Leah; Barazany, Daniel; Blumenfeld-Katzir, Tamar; De-Santis, Silvia; Duclap, Delphine; Figini, Matteo; Fischi, Elda; Guevara, Pamela; Hubbard, Penny; Hofstetter, Shir; Jbabdi, Saad; Kunz, Nicolas; Lazeyras, Francois; Lebois, Alice; Liptrot, Matthew G; Lundell, Henrik; Mangin, Jean-François; Dominguez, David Moreno; Morozov, Darya; Schreiber, Jan; Seunarine, Kiran; Nava, Simone; Poupon, Cyril; Riffert, Till; Sasson, Efrat; Schmitt, Benoit; Shemesh, Noam; Sotiropoulos, Stam N; Tavor, Ido; Zhang, Hui Gary; Zhou, Feng-Lei

2013-10-15

In recent years, diffusion MRI has become an extremely important tool for studying the morphology of living brain tissue, as it provides unique insights into both its macrostructure and microstructure. Recent applications of diffusion MRI aimed to characterize the structural connectome using tractography to infer connectivity between brain regions. In parallel to the development of tractography, additional diffusion MRI based frameworks (CHARMED, AxCaliber, ActiveAx) were developed enabling the extraction of a multitude of micro-structural parameters (axon diameter distribution, mean axonal diameter and axonal density). This unique insight into both tissue microstructure and connectivity has enormous potential value in understanding the structure and organization of the brain as well as providing unique insights to abnormalities that underpin disease states. The CONNECT (Consortium Of Neuroimagers for the Non-invasive Exploration of brain Connectivity and Tracts) project aimed to combine tractography and micro-structural measures of the living human brain in order to obtain a better estimate of the connectome, while also striving to extend validation of these measurements. This paper summarizes the project and describes the perspective of using micro-structural measures to study the connectome. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In vivo imaging of prodromal hippocampus CA1 subfield oxidative stress in models of Alzheimer disease and Angelman syndrome.

PubMed

Berkowitz, Bruce A; Lenning, Jacob; Khetarpal, Nikita; Tran, Catherine; Wu, Johnny Y; Berri, Ali M; Dernay, Kristin; Haacke, E Mark; Shafie-Khorassani, Fatema; Podolsky, Robert H; Gant, John C; Maimaiti, Shaniya; Thibault, Olivier; Murphy, Geoffrey G; Bennett, Brian M; Roberts, Robin

2017-09-01

Hippocampus oxidative stress is considered pathogenic in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer disease (AD), and in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Angelman syndrome (AS). Yet clinical benefits of antioxidant treatment for these diseases remain unclear because conventional imaging methods are unable to guide management of therapies in specific hippocampus subfields in vivo that underlie abnormal behavior. Excessive production of paramagnetic free radicals in nonhippocampus brain tissue can be measured in vivo as a greater-than-normal 1/ T 1 that is quenchable with antioxidant as measured by quench-assisted (Quest) MRI. Here, we further test this approach in phantoms, and we present proof-of-concept data in models of AD-like and AS hippocampus oxidative stress that also exhibit impaired spatial learning and memory. AD-like models showed an abnormal gradient along the CA1 dorsal-ventral axis of excessive free radical production as measured by Quest MRI, and redox-sensitive calcium dysregulation as measured by manganese-enhanced MRI and electrophysiology. In the AS model, abnormally high free radical levels were observed in dorsal and ventral CA1. Quest MRI is a promising in vivo paradigm for bridging brain subfield oxidative stress and behavior in animal models and in human patients to better manage antioxidant therapy in devastating neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases.-Berkowitz, B. A., Lenning, J., Khetarpal, N., Tran, C., Wu, J. Y., Berri, A. M., Dernay, K., Haacke, E. M., Shafie-Khorassani, F., Podolsky, R. H., Gant, J. C., Maimaiti, S., Thibault, O., Murphy, G. G., Bennett, B. M., Roberts, R. In vivo imaging of prodromal hippocampus CA1 subfield oxidative stress in models of Alzheimer disease and Angelman syndrome. © FASEB.

Network analysis of functional brain connectivity in borderline personality disorder using resting-state fMRI

PubMed Central

Xu, Tingting; Cullen, Kathryn R.; Mueller, Bryon; Schreiner, Mindy W.; Lim, Kelvin O.; Schulz, S. Charles; Parhi, Keshab K.

2016-01-01

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with symptoms such as affect dysregulation, impaired sense of self, and self-harm behaviors. Neuroimaging research on BPD has revealed structural and functional abnormalities in specific brain regions and connections. However, little is known about the topological organizations of brain networks in BPD. We collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 20 patients with BPD and 10 healthy controls, and constructed frequency-specific functional brain networks by correlating wavelet-filtered fMRI signals from 82 cortical and subcortical regions. We employed graph-theory based complex network analysis to investigate the topological properties of the brain networks, and employed network-based statistic to identify functional dysconnections in patients. In the 0.03–0.06 Hz frequency band, compared to controls, patients with BPD showed significantly larger measures of global network topology, including the size of largest connected graph component, clustering coefficient, small-worldness, and local efficiency, indicating increased local cliquishness of the functional brain network. Compared to controls, patients showed lower nodal centrality at several hub nodes but greater centrality at several non-hub nodes in the network. Furthermore, an interconnected subnetwork in 0.03–0.06 Hz frequency band was identified that showed significantly lower connectivity in patients. The links in the subnetwork were mainly long-distance connections between regions located at different lobes; and the mean connectivity of this subnetwork was negatively correlated with the increased global topology measures. Lastly, the key network measures showed high correlations with several clinical symptom scores, and classified BPD patients against healthy controls with high accuracy based on linear discriminant analysis. The abnormal topological properties and connectivity found in this study may add new knowledge to the current understanding of functional brain networks in BPD. However, due to limitation of small sample sizes, the results of the current study should be viewed as exploratory and need to be validated on large samples in future works. PMID:26977400

Network analysis of functional brain connectivity in borderline personality disorder using resting-state fMRI.

PubMed

Xu, Tingting; Cullen, Kathryn R; Mueller, Bryon; Schreiner, Mindy W; Lim, Kelvin O; Schulz, S Charles; Parhi, Keshab K

2016-01-01

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with symptoms such as affect dysregulation, impaired sense of self, and self-harm behaviors. Neuroimaging research on BPD has revealed structural and functional abnormalities in specific brain regions and connections. However, little is known about the topological organizations of brain networks in BPD. We collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 20 patients with BPD and 10 healthy controls, and constructed frequency-specific functional brain networks by correlating wavelet-filtered fMRI signals from 82 cortical and subcortical regions. We employed graph-theory based complex network analysis to investigate the topological properties of the brain networks, and employed network-based statistic to identify functional dysconnections in patients. In the 0.03-0.06 Hz frequency band, compared to controls, patients with BPD showed significantly larger measures of global network topology, including the size of largest connected graph component, clustering coefficient, small-worldness, and local efficiency, indicating increased local cliquishness of the functional brain network. Compared to controls, patients showed lower nodal centrality at several hub nodes but greater centrality at several non-hub nodes in the network. Furthermore, an interconnected subnetwork in 0.03-0.06 Hz frequency band was identified that showed significantly lower connectivity in patients. The links in the subnetwork were mainly long-distance connections between regions located at different lobes; and the mean connectivity of this subnetwork was negatively correlated with the increased global topology measures. Lastly, the key network measures showed high correlations with several clinical symptom scores, and classified BPD patients against healthy controls with high accuracy based on linear discriminant analysis. The abnormal topological properties and connectivity found in this study may add new knowledge to the current understanding of functional brain networks in BPD. However, due to limitation of small sample sizes, the results of the current study should be viewed as exploratory and need to be validated on large samples in future works.

Identifying Individuals with Antisocial Personality Disorder Using Resting-State fMRI

PubMed Central

Tang, Yan; Jiang, Weixiong; Liao, Jian; Wang, Wei; Luo, Aijing

2013-01-01

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is closely connected to criminal behavior. A better understanding of functional connectivity in the brains of ASPD patients will help to explain abnormal behavioral syndromes and to perform objective diagnoses of ASPD. In this study we designed an exploratory data-driven classifier based on machine learning to investigate changes in functional connectivity in the brains of patients with ASPD using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data in 32 subjects with ASPD and 35 controls. The results showed that the classifier achieved satisfactory performance (86.57% accuracy, 77.14% sensitivity and 96.88% specificity) and could extract stabile information regarding functional connectivity that could be used to discriminate ASPD individuals from normal controls. More importantly, we found that the greatest change in the ASPD subjects was uncoupling between the default mode network and the attention network. Moreover, the precuneus, superior parietal gyrus and cerebellum exhibited high discriminative power in classification. A voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed and showed that the gray matter volumes in the parietal lobule and white matter volumes in the precuneus were abnormal in ASPD compared to controls. To our knowledge, this study was the first to use resting-state fMRI to identify abnormal functional connectivity in ASPD patients. These results not only demonstrated good performance of the proposed classifier, which can be used to improve the diagnosis of ASPD, but also elucidate the pathological mechanism of ASPD from a resting-state functional integration viewpoint. PMID:23593272

Imaging functional and structural brain connectomics in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Cao, Miao; Shu, Ni; Cao, Qingjiu; Wang, Yufeng; He, Yong

2014-12-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopment disorders in childhood. Clinically, the core symptoms of this disorder include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Previous studies have documented that these behavior deficits in ADHD children are associated with not only regional brain abnormalities but also changes in functional and structural connectivity among regions. In the past several years, our understanding of how ADHD affects the brain's connectivity has been greatly advanced by mapping topological alterations of large-scale brain networks (i.e., connectomes) using noninvasive neurophysiological and neuroimaging techniques (e.g., electroencephalograph, functional MRI, and diffusion MRI) in combination with graph theoretical approaches. In this review, we summarize the recent progresses of functional and structural brain connectomics in ADHD, focusing on graphic analysis of large-scale brain systems. Convergent evidence suggests that children with ADHD had abnormal small-world properties in both functional and structural brain networks characterized by higher local clustering and lower global integrity, suggesting a disorder-related shift of network topology toward regular configurations. Moreover, ADHD children showed the redistribution of regional nodes and connectivity involving the default-mode, attention, and sensorimotor systems. Importantly, these ADHD-associated alterations significantly correlated with behavior disturbances (e.g., inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms) and exhibited differential patterns between clinical subtypes. Together, these connectome-based studies highlight brain network dysfunction in ADHD, thus opening up a new window into our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of this disorder. These works might also have important implications on the development of imaging-based biomarkers for clinical diagnosis and treatment evaluation in ADHD.

Dynamic imaging in mild traumatic brain injury: support for the theory of medial temporal vulnerability.

PubMed

Umile, Eric M; Sandel, M Elizabeth; Alavi, Abass; Terry, Charles M; Plotkin, Rosette C

2002-11-01

To determine whether patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and persistent postconcussive symptoms have evidence of temporal lobe injury on dynamic imaging. Case series. An academic medical center. Twenty patients with a clinical diagnosis of mild TBI and persistent postconcussive symptoms were referred for neuropsychologic evaluation and dynamic imaging. Fifteen (75%) had normal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or computed tomography (CT) scans at the time of injury. Neuropsychologic testing, positron-emission tomography (PET), and single-photon emission-computed tomography (SPECT). Temporal lobe findings on static imaging (MRI, CT) and dynamic imaging (PET, SPECT); neuropsychologic test findings on measures of verbal and visual memory. Testing documented neurobehavioral deficits in 19 patients (95%). Dynamic imaging documented abnormal findings in 18 patients (90%). Fifteen patients (75%) had temporal lobe abnormalities on PET and SPECT (primarily in medial temporal regions); abnormal findings were bilateral in 10 patients (50%) and unilateral in 5 (25%). Six patients (30%) had frontal abnormalities, and 8 (40%) had nonfrontotemporal abnormalities. Correlations between neuropsychologic testing and dynamic imaging could be established but not consistently across the whole group. Patients with mild TBI and persistent postconcussive symptoms have a high incidence of temporal lobe injury (presumably involving the hippocampus and related structures), which may explain the frequent finding of memory disorders in this population. The abnormal temporal lobe findings on PET and SPECT in humans may be analogous to the neuropathologic evidence of medial temporal injury provided by animal studies after mild TBI. Copyright 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Aetiological differences in neuroanatomy of the vegetative state: insights from diffusion tensor imaging and functional implications.

PubMed

Newcombe, Virginia F J; Williams, Guy B; Scoffings, Daniel; Cross, Justin; Carpenter, T Adrian; Pickard, John D; Menon, David K

2010-05-01

An improved in vivo understanding of variations in neuropathology in the vegetative state (VS) may aid diagnosis, improve prognostication and help refine the selection of patients for particular treatment regimes. The authors have used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to characterise the extent and location of white matter loss in VS secondary to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ischaemic-hypoxic injury. Twelve patients with VS (seven TBI, five ischaemic/hypoxic injuries) underwent MRI including DTI at a minimum of 3 months postinjury. Mean apparent diffusion coefficient, fractional anisotropy and eigenvalues were obtained for whole-brain grey and white matter, the pons, thalamus, ventral midbrain, dorsal midbrain and the corpus callosum. DTI measures of supratentorial damage were compared with a summed measure from the JFK modified Coma Recovery Scale (CRS-R) and with a three-point scale of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) response to an auditory paradigm to assess whether residual integrity of supratentorial white matter connectivity correlated with cortical processing. Conventional radiological approaches did not detect lesions in regions where quantitative DTI demonstrated abnormalities. There was evidence of marked, broadly similar, abnormalities in the supratentorial grey- and white-matter compartments from both aetiologies. In contrast, discordant findings were found in the infratentorial compartment, with DTI abnormalities in the brainstem confined to the TBI group. Supratentorial DTI abnormalities correlated with the CRS-R as well as responses to an fMRI paradigm that detected convert cognitive processing. DTI may help to characterise differences in patients in VS. These findings may have implications for response to therapies, and should be taken into account in trials of interventions aimed at arousal in VS.

Concomitant Fractional Anisotropy and Volumetric Abnormalities in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Cross-Sectional Evidence for Progressive Neurologic Injury

PubMed Central

Gerdes, Jan S.; Weber, Bernd; Deppe, Michael

2012-01-01

Background In patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and associated hippocampal sclerosis (TLEhs) there are brain abnormalities extending beyond the presumed epileptogenic zone as revealed separately in conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies. However, little is known about the relation between macroscopic atrophy (revealed by volumetric MRI) and microstructural degeneration (inferred by DTI). Methodology/Principal Findings For 62 patients with unilateral TLEhs and 68 healthy controls, we determined volumes and mean fractional anisotropy (FA) of ipsilateral and contralateral brain structures from T1-weighted and DTI data, respectively. We report significant volume atrophy and FA alterations of temporal lobe, subcortical and callosal regions, which were more diffuse and bilateral in patients with left TLEhs relative to right TLEhs. We observed significant relationships between volume loss and mean FA, particularly of the thalamus and putamen bilaterally. When corrected for age, duration of epilepsy was significantly correlated with FA loss of an anatomically plausible route - including ipsilateral parahippocampal gyrus and temporal lobe white matter, the thalamus bilaterally, and posterior regions of the corpus callosum that contain temporal lobe fibres - that may be suggestive of progressive brain degeneration in response to recurrent seizures. Conclusions/Significance Chronic TLEhs is associated with interrelated DTI-derived and volume-derived brain degenerative abnormalities that are influenced by the duration of the disorder and the side of seizure onset. This work confirms previously contradictory findings by employing multi-modal imaging techniques in parallel in a large sample of patients. PMID:23071638

Histologic chorioamnionitis in preterm infants: correlation with brain magnetic resonance imaging at term equivalent age.

PubMed

Granger, Claire; Spittle, Alicia J; Walsh, Jennifer; Pyman, Jan; Anderson, Peter J; Thompson, Deanne K; Lee, Katherine J; Coleman, Lee; Dagia, Charuta; Doyle, Lex W; Cheong, Jeanie

2018-02-15

To explore the associations between histologic chorioamnionitis with brain injury, maturation and size on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of preterm infants at term equivalent age. Preterm infants (23-36 weeks' gestational age) were recruited into two longitudinal cohort studies. Presence or absence of chorioamnionitis was obtained from placental histology and clinical data were recorded. MRI at term-equivalent age was assessed for brain injury (intraventricular haemorrhage, cysts, signal abnormalities), maturation (degree of myelination, gyral maturation) and size of cerebral structures (metrics and brain segmentation). Histologic chorioamnionitis was assessed as a predictor of MRI variables using linear and logistic regression, with adjustment for confounding perinatal variables. Two hundred and twelve infants were included in this study, 47 (22%) of whom had histologic chorioamnionitis. Histologic chorioamnionitis was associated with higher odds of intraventricular haemorrhage (odds ratio [OR] (95% confidence interval [CI]) = 7.4 (2.4, 23.1)), less mature gyral maturation (OR (95% CI) = 2.0 (1.0, 3.8)) and larger brain volume (mean difference in cubic centimeter (95% CI) of 14.1 (1.9, 26.2)); but all relationships disappeared following adjustment for perinatal variables. Histologic chorioamnionitis was not independently associated with IVH, less mature gyral maturation or brain volume at term-equivalent age in preterm infants.

Deep Independence Network Analysis of Structural Brain Imaging: Application to Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Castro, Eduardo; Hjelm, R. Devon; Plis, Sergey M.; Dinh, Laurent; Turner, Jessica A.; Calhoun, Vince D.

2016-01-01

Linear independent component analysis (ICA) is a standard signal processing technique that has been extensively used on neuroimaging data to detect brain networks with coherent brain activity (functional MRI) or covarying structural patterns (structural MRI). However, its formulation assumes that the measured brain signals are generated by a linear mixture of the underlying brain networks and this assumption limits its ability to detect the inherent nonlinear nature of brain interactions. In this paper, we introduce nonlinear independent component estimation (NICE) to structural MRI data to detect abnormal patterns of gray matter concentration in schizophrenia patients. For this biomedical application, we further addressed the issue of model regularization of nonlinear ICA by performing dimensionality reduction prior to NICE, together with an appropriate control of the complexity of the model and the usage of a proper approximation of the probability distribution functions of the estimated components. We show that our results are consistent with previous findings in the literature, but we also demonstrate that the incorporation of nonlinear associations in the data enables the detection of spatial patterns that are not identified by linear ICA. Specifically, we show networks including basal ganglia, cerebellum and thalamus that show significant differences in patients versus controls, some of which show distinct nonlinear patterns. PMID:26891483

fMRI brain response during sentence reading comprehension in children with benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes.

PubMed

Malfait, D; Tucholka, A; Mendizabal, S; Tremblay, J; Poulin, C; Oskoui, M; Srour, M; Carmant, L; Major, P; Lippé, S

2015-11-01

Children with benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes (BECTS) often have language problems. Abnormal epileptic activity is found in central and temporal brain regions, which are involved in reading and semantic and syntactic comprehension. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined reading networks in BECTS children with a new sentence reading comprehension task involving semantic and syntactic processing. Fifteen children with BECTS (age=11y 1m ± 16 m; 12 boys) and 18 healthy controls (age=11 y 8m ± 20 m; 11 boys) performed an fMRI reading comprehension task in which they read a pair of syntactically complex sentences and decided whether the target sentence (the second sentence in the pair) was true or false with respect to the first sentence. All children also underwent an exhaustive neuropsychological assessment. We demonstrated weaknesses in several cognitive domains in BECTS children. During the sentence reading fMRI task, left inferior frontal regions and bilateral temporal areas were activated in BECTS children and healthy controls. However, additional brain regions such as the left hippocampus and precuneus were activated in BECTS children. Moreover, specific activation was found in the left caudate and putamen in BECTS children but not in healthy controls. Cognitive results and accuracy during the fMRI task were associated with specific brain activation patterns. BECTS children recruited a wider network to perform the fMRI sentence reading comprehension task, with specific activation in the left dorsal striatum. BECTS cognitive performance differently predicted functional activation in frontal and temporal regions compared to controls, suggesting differences in brain network organisation that contribute to reading comprehension. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Functional magnetic resonance imaging of brain of college students with internet addiction].

PubMed

DU, Wanping; Liu, Jun; Gao, Xunping; Li, Lingjiang; Li, Weihui; Li, Xin; Zhang, Yan; Zhou, Shunke

2011-08-01

To explore the functional locations of brain regions related to internet addiction (IA)with task-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Nineteen college students who had internet game addition and 19 controls accepted the stimuli of videos via computer. The 3.0 Tesla MRI was used to record the Results of echo plannar imaging. The block design method was used. Intragroup and intergroup analysis Results in the 2 groups were obtained. The differences between the 2 groups were analyzed. The internet game videos markedly activated the brain regions of the college students who had or had no internet game addiction. Compared with the control group, the IA group showed increased activation in the right superior parietal lobule, right insular lobe, right precuneus, right cingulated gyrus, and right superior temporal gyrus. Internet game tasks can activate the vision, space, attention and execution center which are composed of temporal occipital gyrus and frontal parietal gyrus. Abnormal brain function and lateral activation of the right brain may exist in IA.

Limbic encephalitis associated with anti-voltage-gated potassium channel complex antibodies as a cause of adult-onset mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Toyota, Tomoko; Akamatsu, Naoki; Tsuji, Sadatoshi; Nishizawa, Shigeru

2014-06-01

Recently, some reports have indicated that limbic encephalitis associated with anti-voltage-gated potassium channel complex antibodies (VGKC-Ab) is a cause of adult-onset mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). We report a 53-year-old woman who had her first epileptic seizure at the age of 50 years old. Examination by 3-Tesla brain MRI revealed left hippocampal high signal intensity and swelling on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and T2-weighted imaging at 2 months after her first seizure. The patient received intravenous methylprednisolone and carbamazepine 300 mg/day. One month later, MRI revealed improvement of her left hippocampal abnormalities. Thereafter, she had no seizures, however, three years after her first seizure, EEG revealed a seizure pattern in the left temporal region. Brain MRI revealed left hippocampal high signal intensity and brain fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography revealed hypermetabolism. Her serum VGKC-Ab levels were 118 pM(normal < 100 pM). Intravenous methylprednisolone therapy was reinitiated. Two months later, her hippocampal abnormalities had improved and 3 months later her VGKC-Ab levels decreased to 4.4 pM. Remission of the epileptic seizures was also observed. This MTLE in the middle age was considered as limbic encephalitis associated with anti- VGKC-Ab. In cases of unexplained adult-onset MTLE, limbic encephalitis associated with anti-VGKC-Ab, which responds well to immunotherapy, should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Localization of Asymmetric Brain Function in Emotion and Depression

PubMed Central

Herrington, John D.; Heller, Wendy; Mohanty, Aprajita; Engels, Anna S.; Banich, Marie T.; Webb, Andrew G.; Miller, Gregory A.

2011-01-01

Although numerous EEG studies have shown that depression is associated with abnormal functional asymmetries in frontal cortex, fMRI and PET studies have largely failed to identify specific brain areas showing this effect. The present study tested the hypothesis that emotion processes are related to asymmetric patterns of fMRI activity, particularly within dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Eleven depressed and 18 control participants identified the color in which pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant words were printed. Both groups showed a leftward lateralization for pleasant words in DLPFC. In a neighboring DLPFC area, the depression group showed more right-lateralized activation than controls, replicating EEG findings. These data confirm that emotional stimulus processing and trait depression are associated with asymmetric brain functions in distinct subregions of the DLPFC that may go undetected unless appropriate analytic procedures are used. PMID:20070577

Localization of asymmetric brain function in emotion and depression.

PubMed

Herrington, John D; Heller, Wendy; Mohanty, Aprajita; Engels, Anna S; Banich, Marie T; Webb, Andrew G; Miller, Gregory A

2010-05-01

Although numerous EEG studies have shown that depression is associated with abnormal functional asymmetries in frontal cortex, fMRI and PET studies have largely failed to identify specific brain areas showing this effect. The present study tested the hypothesis that emotion processes are related to asymmetric patterns of fMRI activity, particularly within dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Eleven depressed and 18 control participants identified the color in which pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant words were printed. Both groups showed a leftward lateralization for pleasant words in DLPFC. In a neighboring DLPFC area, the depression group showed more right-lateralized activation than controls, replicating EEG findings. These data confirm that emotional stimulus processing and trait depression are associated with asymmetric brain functions in distinct subregions of the DLPFC that may go undetected unless appropriate analytic procedures are used.

[Fragile X syndrome and white matter abnormalities: Case study of two brothers].

PubMed

Wallach, E; Bieth, E; Sevely, A; Cances, C

2017-03-01

Fragile X syndrome is the most usual cause of hereditary intellectual deficiency. Typical symptoms combine intellectual deficiency, social anxiety, intense emotional vigilance, and a characteristic facial dysmorphy. This is subsequent to a complete mutation of the FMR1 gene, considering a semidominant transmission linked to the unstable X. The expansion of the CGG triplet greater than 200 units combined with a high methylation pattern lead to a transcriptional silence of the FMR1 gene, and the protein product, the FMRP, is not synthesized. This protein is involved in synaptic plasticity. Brain MRI can show an increased volume of the caudate nucleus and hippocampus, combined with hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis. Fragile X Associated Tremor Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS) syndrome is a neurodegenerative disorder occurring in carriers of the premutation in FMR1. Brain MRI shows an increased T2 signal in the middle cerebellar peduncles. This syndrome is linked to a premutation in the FMR1 gene. We report here the case of two brothers presenting a typical fragile X symptomatology. Brain MRI showed hyperintensities of the middle cerebellar peduncles. Such MRI findings support the assumption of a genetic mosaicism. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Brain Volume Estimation Enhancement by Morphological Image Processing Tools.

PubMed

Zeinali, R; Keshtkar, A; Zamani, A; Gharehaghaji, N

2017-12-01

Volume estimation of brain is important for many neurological applications. It is necessary in measuring brain growth and changes in brain in normal/abnormal patients. Thus, accurate brain volume measurement is very important. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the method of choice for volume quantification due to excellent levels of image resolution and between-tissue contrast. Stereology method is a good method for estimating volume but it requires to segment enough MRI slices and have a good resolution. In this study, it is desired to enhance stereology method for volume estimation of brain using less MRI slices with less resolution. In this study, a program for calculating volume using stereology method has been introduced. After morphologic method, dilation was applied and the stereology method enhanced. For the evaluation of this method, we used T1-wighted MR images from digital phantom in BrainWeb which had ground truth. The volume of 20 normal brain extracted from BrainWeb, was calculated. The volumes of white matter, gray matter and cerebrospinal fluid with given dimension were estimated correctly. Volume calculation from Stereology method in different cases was made. In three cases, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) was measured. Case I with T=5, d=5, Case II with T=10, D=10 and Case III with T=20, d=20 (T=slice thickness, d=resolution as stereology parameters). By comparing these results of two methods, it is obvious that RMSE values for our proposed method are smaller than Stereology method. Using morphological operation, dilation allows to enhance the estimation volume method, Stereology. In the case with less MRI slices and less test points, this method works much better compared to Stereology method.

Altered functional connectivity architecture of the brain in medication overuse headache using resting state fMRI.

PubMed

Chen, Zhiye; Chen, Xiaoyan; Liu, Mengqi; Dong, Zhao; Ma, Lin; Yu, Shengyuan

2017-12-01

Functional connectivity density (FCD) could identify the abnormal intrinsic and spontaneous activity over the whole brain, and a seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) could further reveal the altered functional network with the identified brain regions. This may be an effective assessment strategy for headache research. This study is to investigate the RSFC architecture changes of the brain in the patients with medication overuse headache (MOH) using FCD and RSFC methods. 3D structure images and resting-state functional MRI data were obtained from 37 MOH patients, 18 episodic migraine (EM) patients and 32 normal controls (NCs). FCD was calculated to detect the brain regions with abnormal functional activity over the whole brain, and the seed-based RSFC was performed to explore the functional network changes in MOH and EM. The decreased FCD located in right parahippocampal gyrus, and the increased FCD located in left inferior parietal gyrus and right supramarginal gyrus in MOH compared with NC, and in right caudate and left insula in MOH compared with EM. RSFC revealed that decreased functional connectivity of the brain regions with decreased FCD anchored in the right dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex, right frontopolar cortex in MOH, and in left temporopolar cortex and bilateral visual cortices in EM compared with NC, and in frontal-temporal-parietal pattern in MOH compared with EM. These results provided evidence that MOH and EM suffered from altered intrinsic functional connectivity architecture, and the current study presented a new perspective for understanding the neuromechanism of MOH and EM pathogenesis.

Decreased frontal white-matter volume in chronic substance abuse.

PubMed

Schlaepfer, Thomas E; Lancaster, Eric; Heidbreder, Rebecca; Strain, Eric C; Kosel, Markus; Fisch, Hans-Ulrich; Pearlson, Godfrey D

2006-04-01

There is quite a body of work assessing functional brain changes in chronic substance abuse, much less is known about structural brain abnormalities in this patient population. In this study we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine if structural brain differences exist in patients abusing illicit drugs compared to healthy controls. Sixteen substance abusers who abused heroin, cocaine and cannabis but not alcohol and 16 age-, sex- and race-matched controls were imaged on a MRI scanner. Contiguous, 5-mm-thick axial slices were acquired with simultaneous T2 and proton density sequences. Volumes were estimated for total grey and white matter, frontal grey and white matter, ventricles, and CSF using two different methods: a conventional segmentation and a stereological method based on the Cavalieri principle. Overall brain volume differences were corrected for by expressing the volumes of interest as a percentage of total brain volume. Volume measures obtained with the two methods were highly correlated (r=0.65, p<0.001). Substance abusers had significantly less frontal white-matter volume percentage than controls. There were no significant differences in any of the other brain volumes measured. This difference in frontal lobe white matter might be explained by a direct neurotoxic effect of drug use on white matter, a pre-existing abnormality in the development of the frontal lobe or a combination of both effects. This last explanation might be compelling based on the fact that newer concepts on shared aspects of some neuropsychiatric disorders focus on the promotion and inhibition of the process of myelination throughout brain development and subsequent degeneration.

Dynamic Reorganization of Functional Connectivity Reveals Abnormal Temporal Efficiency in Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Sun, Yu; Collinson, Simon L; Suckling, John; Sim, Kang

2018-06-07

Emerging evidence suggests that schizophrenia is associated with brain dysconnectivity. Nonetheless, the implicit assumption of stationary functional connectivity (FC) adopted in most previous resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies raises an open question of schizophrenia-related aberrations in dynamic properties of resting-state FC. This study introduces an empirical method to examine the dynamic functional dysconnectivity in patients with schizophrenia. Temporal brain networks were estimated from resting-state fMRI of 2 independent datasets (patients/controls = 18/19 and 53/57 for self-recorded dataset and a publicly available replication dataset, respectively) by the correlation of sliding time-windowed time courses among regions of a predefined atlas. Through the newly introduced temporal efficiency approach and temporal random network models, we examined, for the first time, the 3D spatiotemporal architecture of the temporal brain network. We found that although prominent temporal small-world properties were revealed in both groups, temporal brain networks of patients with schizophrenia in both datasets showed a significantly higher temporal global efficiency, which cannot be simply attributable to head motion and sampling error. Specifically, we found localized changes of temporal nodal properties in the left frontal, right medial parietal, and subcortical areas that were associated with clinical features of schizophrenia. Our findings demonstrate that altered dynamic FC may underlie abnormal brain function and clinical symptoms observed in schizophrenia. Moreover, we provide new evidence to extend the dysconnectivity hypothesis in schizophrenia from static to dynamic brain network and highlight the potential of aberrant brain dynamic FC in unraveling the pathophysiologic mechanisms of the disease.

Cortical brain connectivity evaluated by graph theory in dementia: a correlation study between functional and structural data.

PubMed

Vecchio, Fabrizio; Miraglia, Francesca; Curcio, Giuseppe; Altavilla, Riccardo; Scrascia, Federica; Giambattistelli, Federica; Quattrocchi, Carlo Cosimo; Bramanti, Placido; Vernieri, Fabrizio; Rossini, Paolo Maria

2015-01-01

A relatively new approach to brain function in neuroscience is the "functional connectivity", namely the synchrony in time of activity in anatomically-distinct but functionally-collaborating brain regions. On the other hand, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a recently developed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based technique with the capability to detect brain structural connection with fractional anisotropy (FA) identification. FA decrease has been observed in the corpus callosum of subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI, an AD prodromal stage). Corpus callosum splenium DTI abnormalities are thought to be associated with functional disconnections among cortical areas. This study aimed to investigate possible correlations between structural damage, measured by MRI-DTI, and functional abnormalities of brain integration, measured by characteristic path length detected in resting state EEG source activity (40 participants: 9 healthy controls, 10 MCI, 10 mild AD, 11 moderate AD). For each subject, undirected and weighted brain network was built to evaluate graph core measures. eLORETA lagged linear connectivity values were used as weight of the edges of the network. Results showed that callosal FA reduction is associated to a loss of brain interhemispheric functional connectivity characterized by increased delta and decreased alpha path length. These findings suggest that "global" (average network shortest path length representing an index of how efficient is the information transfer between two parts of the network) functional measure can reflect the reduction of fiber connecting the two hemispheres as revealed by DTI analysis and also anticipate in time this structural loss.

N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and abnormal brain aging: The AGES-Reykjavik Study.

PubMed

Sabayan, Behnam; van Buchem, Mark A; de Craen, Anton J M; Sigurdsson, Sigurdur; Zhang, Qian; Harris, Tamara B; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Arai, Andrew E; Launer, Lenore J

2015-09-01

To investigate the independent association of serum N-terminal fragment of the prohormone natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with structural and functional features of abnormal brain aging in older individuals. In this cross-sectional study based on the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility (AGES)-Reykjavik Study, we included 4,029 older community-dwelling individuals (born 1907 to 1935) with a measured serum level of NT-proBNP. Outcomes included parenchymal brain volumes estimated from brain MRI, cognitive function measured by tests of memory, processing speed, and executive functioning, and presence of depressive symptoms measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale. In a substudy, cardiac output of 857 participants was assessed using cardiac MRI. In multivariate analyses, adjusted for sociodemographic and cardiovascular factors, higher levels of NT-proBNP were independently associated with lower total (p < 0.001), gray matter (p < 0.001), and white matter (p = 0.001) brain volumes. Likewise, in multivariate analyses, higher levels of NT-proBNP were associated with worse scores in memory (p = 0.005), processing speed (p = 0.001), executive functioning (p < 0.001), and more depressive symptoms (p = 0.002). In the substudy, the associations of higher NT-proBNP with lower brain parenchymal volumes, impaired executive function and processing speed, and higher depressive symptoms were independent of the level of cardiac output. Higher serum levels of NT-proBNP, independent of cardiovascular risk factors and a measure of cardiac function, are linked with alterations in brain structure and function. Roles of natriuretic peptides in the process of brain aging need to be further elucidated. © 2015 American Academy of Neurology.

Temporal and spatial profile of brain diffusion-weighted MRI after cardiac arrest

PubMed Central

Mlynash, M.; Campbell, D.M.; Leproust, E.M.; Fischbein, N.J.; Bammer, R.; Eyngorn, I.; Hsia, A.W.; Moseley, M.; Wijman, C.A.C.

2010-01-01

Background and Purpose Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) of the brain is a promising technique to help predict functional outcome in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. We aimed to evaluate prospectively the temporal-spatial profile of brain apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) changes in comatose survivors during the first 8 days after cardiac arrest. Methods ADC values were measured by two independent and blinded investigators in predefined brain regions in 18 good and 15 poor outcome patients with 38 brain MRIs, and compared with 14 normal controls. The same brain regions were also assessed qualitatively by two other independent and blinded investigators. Results In poor outcome patients, cortical structures, in particular the occipital and temporal lobes, and the putamen exhibited the most profound ADC reductions, which were noted as early as 1.5 days and reached nadir between 3 to 5 days after the arrest. Conversely, when compared to normal controls, good outcome patients exhibited increased diffusivity, in particular in the hippocampus, temporal and occipital lobes, and corona radiata. By the qualitative MRI readings, one or more cortical gray matter structures were read as moderately-to-severely abnormal in all poor outcome patients imaged beyond 54 hours after the arrest, but not in the three patients imaged earlier. Conclusions Brain DWI changes in comatose post-cardiac arrest survivors in the first week after the arrest are region- and time-dependent and differ between good and poor outcome patients. With the increasing use of MRI in this context, it is important to be aware of these relationships. PMID:20595666

7T MRI in focal epilepsy with unrevealing conventional field strength imaging.

PubMed

De Ciantis, Alessio; Barba, Carmen; Tassi, Laura; Cosottini, Mirco; Tosetti, Michela; Costagli, Mauro; Bramerio, Manuela; Bartolini, Emanuele; Biagi, Laura; Cossu, Massimo; Pelliccia, Veronica; Symms, Mark R; Guerrini, Renzo

2016-03-01

To assess the diagnostic yield of 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting and characterizing structural lesions in patients with intractable focal epilepsy and unrevealing conventional (1.5 or 3T) MRI. We conducted an observational clinical imaging study on 21 patients (17 adults and 4 children) with intractable focal epilepsy, exhibiting clinical and electroencephalographic features consistent with a single seizure-onset zone (SOZ) and unrevealing conventional MRI. Patients were enrolled at two tertiary epilepsy surgery centers and imaged at 7T, including whole brain (three-dimensional [3D] T1 -weighted [T1W] fast-spoiled gradient echo (FSPGR), 3D susceptibility-weighted angiography [SWAN], 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery [FLAIR]) and targeted imaging (2D T2*-weighted dual-echo gradient-recalled echo [GRE] and 2D gray-white matter tissue border enhancement [TBE] fast spin echo inversion recovery [FSE-IR]). MRI studies at 1.5 or 3T deemed unrevealing at the referral center were reviewed by three experts in epilepsy imaging. Reviewers were provided information regarding the suspected localization of the SOZ. The same team subsequently reviewed 7T images. Agreement in imaging interpretation was reached through consensus-based discussions based on visual identification of structural abnormalities and their likely correlation with clinical and electrographic data. 7T MRI revealed structural lesions in 6 (29%) of 21 patients. The diagnostic gain in detection was obtained using GRE and FLAIR images. Four of the six patients with abnormal 7T underwent epilepsy surgery. Histopathology revealed focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) in all. In the remaining 15 patients (71%), 7T MRI remained unrevealing; 4 of the patients underwent epilepsy surgery and histopathologic evaluation revealed gliosis. 7T MRI improves detection of epileptogenic FCD that is not visible at conventional field strengths. A dedicated protocol including whole brain FLAIR and GRE images at 7T targeted at the suspected SOZ increases the diagnostic yield. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International League Against Epilepsy.

Fetal cerebral imaging - ultrasound vs. MRI: an update.

PubMed

Blondiaux, Eléonore; Garel, Catherine

2013-11-01

The purpose of this article is to analyze the advantages and limitations of prenatal ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of the fetal brain. These imaging modalities should not be seen as competitive but rather as complementary. There are wide variations in the world regarding screening policies, technology, skills, and legislation about termination of pregnancy, and these variations markedly impact on the way of using prenatal imaging. According to the contribution expected from each technique and to local working conditions, one should choose the most appropriate imaging modality on a case-by-case basis. The advantages and limitations of US and MRI in the setting of fetal brain imaging are displayed. Different anatomical regions (midline, ventricles, subependymal area, cerebral parenchyma, pericerebral space, posterior fossa) and pathological conditions are analyzed and illustrated in order to compare the respective contribution of each technique. An accurate prenatal diagnosis of cerebral abnormalities is of utmost importance for prenatal counseling.

Prenatal diagnosis of holoprosencephaly.

PubMed

Kousa, Youssef A; du Plessis, Adré J; Vezina, Gilbert

2018-05-17

Holoprosencephaly is a spectrum of congenital defects of forebrain development characterized by incomplete separation of the cerebral hemispheres. In vivo diagnosis can be established with prenatal brain imaging and disease severity correlates with extent of abnormally developed brain tissue. Advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over the past 25 years and their application to the fetus have enabled diagnosis of holoprosencephaly in utero. Here, we report on the prenatal diagnosis of holoprosencephaly using MRI as part of a diagnostic and management evaluation at a tertiary and quaternary referral center. Using an advanced MRI protocol and a 1.5-Tesla magnet, we show radiographic data diagnostic for the holoprosencephaly spectrum, including alobar, semilobar, lobar, middle interhemispheric, and septopreoptic variant. Accurate prenatal evaluation is important because the severity of imaging findings correlates with postnatal morbidity and mortality in holoprosencephaly. Therefore, this work has implications for the evaluation, diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling that families can receive during a pregnancy. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Review of thalamocortical resting-state fMRI studies in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Giraldo-Chica, Monica; Woodward, Neil D.

2017-01-01

Brain circuitry underlying cognition, emotion, and perception is abnormal in schizophrenia. There is considerable evidence that the neuropathology of schizophrenia includes the thalamus, a key hub of cortical-subcortical circuitry and an important regulator of cortical activity. However, the thalamus is a heterogeneous structure composed of several nuclei with distinct inputs and cortical connections. Limitations of conventional neuroimaging methods and conflicting findings from post-mortem investigations have made it difficult to determine if thalamic pathology in schizophrenia is widespread or limited to specific thalamocortical circuits. Resting-state fMRI has proven invaluable for understanding the large-scale functional organization of the brain and investigating neural circuitry relevant to psychiatric disorders. This article summarizes resting-state fMRI investigations of thalamocortical functional connectivity in schizophrenia. Particular attention is paid to the course, diagnostic specificity, and clinical correlates of thalamocortical network dysfunction. PMID:27531067

Late onset epilepsy associated with marijuana abuse: a case report with MRI findings.

PubMed

Fogang, Yannick Fogoum; Camara, Massaman; Mbonda, Paul Chimi; Toffa, Dènahin; Touré, Kamadore

2014-01-01

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance in the world. The relation between marijuana use and epileptic seizures is still controversial. We report a case of late onset epilepsy associated with marijuana abuse, with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. A 44-year-old patient was admitted for 03 isolated episodes of secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizures. He had a history of 26 years regular marijuana smoking. On admission, we found a tachycardia, psychomotor slowing, asymmetric hyperreflexia, bilateral Babinski sign without weakness. Laboratory work-up showed a high level of urine of Δ-9-tétrahydroxycannabinol. Electroencephalogram was normal. Brain MRI revealed abnormal signal intensities in the right frontal lobe and basal ganglia. Seizures cessation was obtained with anti-epileptic treatment. We suggest that marijuana abuse through vascular and toxic mechanisms could explain seizures in this case.

Hepatocellular carcinoma metastasizing to the skull base involving multiple cranial nerves.

PubMed

Kim, Soo Ryang; Kanda, Fumio; Kobessho, Hiroshi; Sugimoto, Koji; Matsuoka, Toshiyuki; Kudo, Masatoshi; Hayashi, Yoshitake

2006-11-07

We describe a rare case of HCV-related recurrent multiple hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasizing to the skull base involving multiple cranial nerves in a 50-year-old woman. The patient presented with symptoms of ptosis, fixation of the right eyeball, and left abducens palsy, indicating disturbances of the right oculomotor and trochlear nerves and bilateral abducens nerves. Brain contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed an ill-defined mass with abnormal enhancement around the sella turcica. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disclosed that the mass involved the clivus, cavernous sinus, and petrous apex. On contrast-enhanced MRI with gadolinium-chelated contrast medium, the mass showed inhomogeneous intermediate enhancement. The diagnosis of metastatic HCC to the skull base was made on the basis of neurological findings and imaging studies including CT and MRI, without histological examinations. Further studies may provide insights into various methods for diagnosing HCC metastasizing to the craniospinal area.

Optimized magnetic resonance diffusion protocol for ex-vivo whole human brain imaging with a clinical scanner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherrer, Benoit; Afacan, Onur; Stamm, Aymeric; Singh, Jolene; Warfield, Simon K.

2015-03-01

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) provides a novel insight into the brain to facilitate our understanding of the brain connectivity and microstructure. While in-vivo DW-MRI enables imaging of living patients and longitudinal studies of brain changes, post-mortem ex-vivo DW-MRI has numerous advantages. Ex-vivo imaging benefits from greater resolution and sensitivity due to the lack of imaging time constraints; the use of tighter fitting coils; and the lack of movement artifacts. This allows characterization of normal and abnormal tissues with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity, facilitating our ability to investigate anatomical structures that are inaccessible in-vivo. This also offers the opportunity to develop today novel imaging biomarkers that will, with tomorrow's MR technology, enable improved in-vivo assessment of the risk of disease in an individual. Post-mortem studies, however, generally rely on the fixation of specimen to inhibit tissue decay which starts as soon as tissue is deprived from its blood supply. Unfortunately, fixation of tissues substantially alters tissue diffusivity profiles. In addition, ex-vivo DW-MRI requires particular care when packaging the specimen because the presence of microscopic air bubbles gives rise to geometric and intensity image distortion. In this work, we considered the specific requirements of post-mortem imaging and designed an optimized protocol for ex-vivo whole brain DW-MRI using a human clinical 3T scanner. Human clinical 3T scanners are available to a large number of researchers and, unlike most animal scanners, have a bore diameter large enough to image a whole human brain. Our optimized protocol will facilitate widespread ex-vivo investigations of large specimen.

Anti-Ma2 associated paraneoplastic neurological syndrome presenting as encephalitis and progressive muscular atrophy.

PubMed

Waragai, M; Chiba, A; Uchibori, A; Fukushima, T; Anno, M; Tanaka, K

2006-01-01

A 36 year old man with a history of testicular germ cell tumour presented six months after bilateral orchidectomy with progressive amnesia, irritability, vertical gaze palsy, and generalised seizures. Eight months after initial onset of symptoms, he demonstrated a head drop with muscular atrophy of the upper limbs, shoulder girdle, and posterior neck. He reported no sensory disturbances and his sensory examination was normal. The overall clinical presentation was consistent with motor neurone disease. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed mild pleocytosis and increased protein concentration. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid were positive for the anti-Ma2 antibody by western blot analysis and immunostaining. Abnormal high signal in the grey matter was noted in the cervical spinal cord and brain by T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient was treated with corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, and antiepileptic medication. The patient improved clinically and symptom progression ceased after initiation of treatment. There was complete resolution of the abnormal brain MRI lesions; however, the cervical spinal cord MRI lesion and muscular atrophy remained unchanged. It is suggested that the anti-Ma2 antibody is involved not only in encephalitis, but may also play a role in the cervical spinal cord lesions resulting in a motor neurone disease-like presentation.

Anti‐Ma2 associated paraneoplastic neurological syndrome presenting as encephalitis and progressive muscular atrophy

PubMed Central

Waragai, M; Chiba, A; Uchibori, A; Fukushima, T; Anno, M; Tanaka, K

2006-01-01

A 36 year old man with a history of testicular germ cell tumour presented six months after bilateral orchidectomy with progressive amnesia, irritability, vertical gaze palsy, and generalised seizures. Eight months after initial onset of symptoms, he demonstrated a head drop with muscular atrophy of the upper limbs, shoulder girdle, and posterior neck. He reported no sensory disturbances and his sensory examination was normal. The overall clinical presentation was consistent with motor neurone disease. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed mild pleocytosis and increased protein concentration. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid were positive for the anti‐Ma2 antibody by western blot analysis and immunostaining. Abnormal high signal in the grey matter was noted in the cervical spinal cord and brain by T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient was treated with corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, and antiepileptic medication. The patient improved clinically and symptom progression ceased after initiation of treatment. There was complete resolution of the abnormal brain MRI lesions; however, the cervical spinal cord MRI lesion and muscular atrophy remained unchanged. It is suggested that the anti‐Ma2 antibody is involved not only in encephalitis, but may also play a role in the cervical spinal cord lesions resulting in a motor neurone disease‐like presentation. PMID:16361608

An Automated and Intelligent Medical Decision Support System for Brain MRI Scans Classification.

PubMed

Siddiqui, Muhammad Faisal; Reza, Ahmed Wasif; Kanesan, Jeevan

2015-01-01

A wide interest has been observed in the medical health care applications that interpret neuroimaging scans by machine learning systems. This research proposes an intelligent, automatic, accurate, and robust classification technique to classify the human brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) as normal or abnormal, to cater down the human error during identifying the diseases in brain MRIs. In this study, fast discrete wavelet transform (DWT), principal component analysis (PCA), and least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) are used as basic components. Firstly, fast DWT is employed to extract the salient features of brain MRI, followed by PCA, which reduces the dimensions of the features. These reduced feature vectors also shrink the memory storage consumption by 99.5%. At last, an advanced classification technique based on LS-SVM is applied to brain MR image classification using reduced features. For improving the efficiency, LS-SVM is used with non-linear radial basis function (RBF) kernel. The proposed algorithm intelligently determines the optimized values of the hyper-parameters of the RBF kernel and also applied k-fold stratified cross validation to enhance the generalization of the system. The method was tested by 340 patients' benchmark datasets of T1-weighted and T2-weighted scans. From the analysis of experimental results and performance comparisons, it is observed that the proposed medical decision support system outperformed all other modern classifiers and achieves 100% accuracy rate (specificity/sensitivity 100%/100%). Furthermore, in terms of computation time, the proposed technique is significantly faster than the recent well-known methods, and it improves the efficiency by 71%, 3%, and 4% on feature extraction stage, feature reduction stage, and classification stage, respectively. These results indicate that the proposed well-trained machine learning system has the potential to make accurate predictions about brain abnormalities from the individual subjects, therefore, it can be used as a significant tool in clinical practice.

TSPO Expression and Brain Structure in the Psychosis Spectrum.

PubMed

Hafizi, Sina; Guma, Elisa; Koppel, Alex; Da Silva, Tania; Kiang, Michael; Houle, Sylvain; Wilson, Alan A; Rusjan, Pablo M; Chakravarty, M Mallar; Mizrahi, Romina

2018-06-12

Psychosis is associated with abnormal structural changes in the brain including decreased regional brain volumes and abnormal brain morphology. However, the underlying causes of these structural abnormalities are less understood. The immune system, including microglial activation, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of psychosis. Although previous studies have suggested a connection between peripheral proinflammatory cytokines and structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia, no in-vivo studies have investigated whether microglial activation is also linked to brain structure alterations previously observed in schizophrenia and its putative prodrome. In this study, we investigated the link between mitochondrial 18kDa translocator protein (TSPO) and structural brain characteristics (i.e. regional brain volume, cortical thickness, and hippocampal shape) in key brain regions such as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of a large group of participants (N = 90) including individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis, first-episode psychosis (mostly antipsychotic naïve) patients, and healthy volunteers. The participants underwent structural brain MRI scan and [ 18 F]FEPPA positron emission tomography (PET) targeting TSPO. A significant [ 18 F]FEPPA binding-by-group interaction was observed in morphological measures across the left hippocampus. In first-episode psychosis, we observed associations between [ 18 F]FEPPA V T (total volume of distribution) and outward and inward morphological alterations, respectively, in the dorsal and ventro-medial portions of the left hippocampus. These associations were not significant in CHR or healthy volunteers. There was no association between [ 18 F]FEPPA V T and other structural brain characteristics. Our findings suggest a link between TSPO expression and alterations in hippocampal morphology in first-episode psychosis. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Abnormal regional homogeneity as a potential imaging biomarker for adolescent-onset schizophrenia: A resting-state fMRI study and support vector machine analysis.

PubMed

Wang, Shuai; Zhang, Yan; Lv, Luxian; Wu, Renrong; Fan, Xiaoduo; Zhao, Jingping; Guo, Wenbin

2018-02-01

Structural and functional abnormalities have been reported in the brain of patients with adolescent-onset schizophrenia (AOS). The brain regional functional synchronization in patients with AOS remains unclear. We analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance scans in 48 drug-naive patients with AOS and 31 healthy controls by using regional homogeneity (ReHo), a measurement that reflects brain local functional connectivity or synchronization and indicates regional integration of information processing. Then, receiver operating characteristic curves and support vector machines were used to evaluate the effect of abnormal regional homogeneity in differentiating patients from controls. Patients with AOS showed significantly increased ReHo values in the bilateral superior medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and significantly decreased ReHo values in the left superior temporal gyrus (STG), right precentral lobule, right inferior parietal lobule (IPL), and left paracentral lobule when compared with controls. A combination of the ReHo values in bilateral superior MPFC, left STG, and right IPL was able to discriminate patients from controls with the sensitivity of 88.24%, specificity of 91.89%, and accuracy of 90.14%. The brain regional functional synchronization abnormalities exist in drug-naive patients with AOS. A combination of ReHo values in these abnormal regions might serve as potential imaging biomarker to identify patients with AOS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

fMRI brain activation in patients with insomnia disorder during a working memory task.

PubMed

Son, Young-Don; Kang, Jae Myeong; Cho, Seong-Jin; Lee, Jung-Sun; Hwang, Hee Young; Kang, Seung-Gul

2018-05-01

This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate differences in the functional brain activation of patients with insomnia disorder (n = 21, mean age = 36.6) and of good sleepers (n = 26, mean age = 33.2) without other comorbidities or structural brain abnormalities during a working memory task. All participants completed a clinical questionnaire, were subjected to portable polysomnography (PSG), and performed the working memory task during an fMRI scan. The subjects who were suspected of major sleep disorder and comorbid psychiatric disorders except insomnia disorder were excluded. To compare the brain activation on working memory from the insomnia group with those from the good-sleeper group, a two-sample t test was performed. Statistical significance was determined using 3DClustSim with the updated algorithm to obtain a reasonable cluster size and p value for each analysis. We observed higher levels of brain activation in the right lateral inferior frontal cortex and the right superior temporal pole in the insomnia group compared to good sleepers (cluster-based multiple comparison correction, p < 0.001, k = 34 @ α = 0.01). Thus, patients with insomnia disorder showed increased brain activation during working memory relative to good sleepers, and this may be indicative of compensatory brain activation to maintain cognitive performance in patients with insomnia disorder without other comorbidities.

Hemorrhage detection in MRI brain images using images features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moraru, Luminita; Moldovanu, Simona; Bibicu, Dorin; Stratulat (Visan), Mirela

2013-11-01

The abnormalities appear frequently on Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) of brain in elderly patients presenting either stroke or cognitive impairment. Detection of brain hemorrhage lesions in MRI is an important but very time-consuming task. This research aims to develop a method to extract brain tissue features from T2-weighted MR images of the brain using a selection of the most valuable texture features in order to discriminate between normal and affected areas of the brain. Due to textural similarity between normal and affected areas in brain MR images these operation are very challenging. A trauma may cause microstructural changes, which are not necessarily perceptible by visual inspection, but they could be detected by using a texture analysis. The proposed analysis is developed in five steps: i) in the pre-processing step: the de-noising operation is performed using the Daubechies wavelets; ii) the original images were transformed in image features using the first order descriptors; iii) the regions of interest (ROIs) were cropped from images feature following up the axial symmetry properties with respect to the mid - sagittal plan; iv) the variation in the measurement of features was quantified using the two descriptors of the co-occurrence matrix, namely energy and homogeneity; v) finally, the meaningful of the image features is analyzed by using the t-test method. P-value has been applied to the pair of features in order to measure they efficacy.

Resolution of brainstem edema after treatment of a dural tentorial arteriovenous fistula.

PubMed

Alvarez, Hortensia; Sasaki-Adams, Deanna; Castillo, Mauricio

2015-10-01

We report a patient with a petrosal arterio-venous dural fistula draining into the ponto-mesencephalic and medullary venous systems presenting with edema of the brain stem and complete reversal of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities after combined endovascular and surgical treatments. The venous anatomy of the posterior fossa and the significance of the venous involvement as the cause of clinical symptoms and imaging abnormalities in cerebro-medullary vascular lesions are discussed. © The Author(s) 2015.

Longitudinal tau PET in ageing and Alzheimer’s disease

PubMed Central

Jack, Clifford R; Wiste, Heather J; Schwarz, Christopher G; Lowe, Val J; Senjem, Matthew L; Vemuri, Prashanthi; Weigand, Stephen D; Therneau, Terry M; Knopman, Dave S; Gunter, Jeffrey L; Jones, David T; Graff-Radford, Jonathan; Kantarci, Kejal; Roberts, Rosebud O; Mielke, Michelle M; Machulda, Mary M; Petersen, Ronald C

2018-01-01

Abstract See Hansson and Mormino (doi:10.1093/brain/awy065) for a scientific commentary on this article. Our objective was to compare different whole-brain and region-specific measurements of within-person change on serial tau PET and evaluate its utility for clinical trials. We studied 126 individuals: 59 cognitively unimpaired with normal amyloid, 37 cognitively unimpaired with abnormal amyloid, and 30 cognitively impaired with an amnestic phenotype and abnormal amyloid. All had baseline amyloid PET and two tau PET, MRI, and clinical assessments. We compared the topography across all cortical regions of interest of tau PET accumulation rates and the rates of four different whole-brain or region-specific meta-regions of interest among the three clinical groups. We computed sample size estimates for change in tau PET, cortical volume, and memory/mental status indices for use as outcome measures in clinical trials. The cognitively unimpaired normal amyloid group had no observable tau accumulation throughout the brain. Tau accumulation rates in cognitively unimpaired abnormal amyloid were low [0.006 standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR), 0.5%, per year] but greater than rates in the cognitively unimpaired normal amyloid group in the basal and mid-temporal, retrosplenial, posterior cingulate, and entorhinal regions of interest. Thus, the earliest elevation in accumulation rates was widespread and not confined to the entorhinal cortex. Tau accumulation rates in the cognitively impaired abnormal amyloid group were 0.053 SUVR (3%) per year and greater than rates in cognitively unimpaired abnormal amyloid in all cortical areas except medial temporal. Rates of accumulation in the four meta-regions of interest differed but only slightly from one another. Among all tau PET meta-regions of interest, sample size estimates were smallest for a temporal lobe composite within cognitively unimpaired abnormal amyloid and for the late Alzheimer’s disease meta-region of interest within cognitively impaired abnormal amyloid. The ordering of the sample size estimates by outcome measure was MRI < tau PET < cognitive measures. At a group-wise level, observable rates of short-term serial tau accumulation were only seen in the presence of abnormal amyloid. As disease progressed to clinically symptomatic stages (cognitively impaired abnormal amyloid), observable rates of tau accumulation were seen uniformly throughout the brain providing evidence that tau does not accumulate in one area at a time or in start-stop, stepwise sequence. The information captured by rate measures in different meta-regions of interest, even those with little topographic overlap, was similar. The implication is that rate measurements from simple meta-regions of interest, without the need for Braak-like staging, may be sufficient to capture progressive within-person accumulation of pathologic tau. Tau PET SUVR measures should be an efficient outcome measure in disease-modifying clinical trials. PMID:29538647

Exploratory study on the effects of a robotic hand rehabilitation device on changes in grip strength and brain activity after stroke.

PubMed

Pinter, Daniela; Pegritz, Sandra; Pargfrieder, Christa; Reiter, Gudrun; Wurm, Walter; Gattringer, Thomas; Linderl-Madrutter, Regina; Neuper, Claudia; Fazekas, Franz; Grieshofer, Peter; Enzinger, Christian

2013-01-01

The brain mechanisms underlying successful recovery of hand fuenction after stroke are still not fully understood, although functional MRI (fMRI) studies underline the importance of neuronal plasticity. We explored potential changes in brain activity in 7 patients with subacute to chronic stroke (69 ± 8 years) with moderate- to high-grade distal paresis of the upper limb (Motricity Index: 59.4) after standardized robotic finger-hand rehabilitation training, in addition to conventional rehabilitation therapy for 3 weeks. Behavioral and fMRI assessments were carried out before and after training to characterize changes in brain activity and behavior. The Motricity Index (pre: 59.4, post: 67.2, P < .05) and grip force (pre: 7.26, post: 11.87, P < .05) of the paretic hand increased significantly after rehabilitation. On fMRI, active movement of the affected (left) hand resulted in contralesional (ie, ipsilateral) activation of the primary sensorimotor cortex prior to rehabilitation. After rehabilitation, activation appeared "normalized," including the ipsilesional primary sensorimotor cortex and supplementary motor area (SMA). No changes and no abnormalities of activation maps were seen during movement of the unaffected hand. Subsequent region-of-interest analyses showed no significant ipsilesional activation increases after rehabilitation. Despite behavioral improvements, we failed to identify consistent patterns of functional reorganization in our sample. This warrants caution in the use of fMRI as a tool to explore neural plasticity in heterogeneous samples lacking sufficient statistical power.

Eye Movement Abnormalities in Joubert Syndrome

PubMed Central

Weiss, Avery H.; Doherty, Dan; Parisi, Melissa; Shaw, Dennis; Glass, Ian; Phillips, James O.

2011-01-01

Purpose Joubert syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by hypoplasia of the midline cerebellum and deficiency of crossed connections between neural structures in the brain stem that control eye movements. The goal of the study was to quantify the eye movement abnormalities that occur in Joubert syndrome. Methods Eye movements were recorded in response to stationary stimuli and stimuli designed to elicit smooth pursuit, saccades, optokinetic nystagmus (OKN), vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), and vergence using video-oculography or Skalar search coils in 8 patients with Joubert syndrome. All patients underwent high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results All patients had the highly characteristic molar tooth sign on brain MRI. Six patients had conjugate pendular (n = 4) or see-saw nystagmus (n = 2); gaze holding was stable in four patients. Smooth-pursuit gains were 0.28 to 1.19, 0.11 to 0.68, and 0.33 to 0.73 at peak stimulus velocities of 10, 20, and 30 deg/s in six patients; smooth pursuit could not be elicited in four patients. Saccade gains in five patients ranged from 0.35 to 0.91 and velocities ranged from 60.9 to 259.5 deg/s. Targeted saccades could not be elicited in five patients. Horizontal OKN gain was uniformly reduced across gratings drifted at velocities of 15, 30, and 45 deg/s. VOR gain was 0.8 or higher and phase appropriate in three of seven subjects; VOR gain was 0.3 or less and phase was indeterminate in four subjects. Conclusions The abnormalities in gaze-holding and eye movements are consistent with the distributed abnormalities of midline cerebellum and brain stem regions associated with Joubert syndrome. PMID:19443711

Brain single-photon emission computed tomography in fetal alcohol syndrome: a case report and study implications.

PubMed

Codreanu, Ion; Yang, JiGang; Zhuang, Hongming

2012-12-01

The indications of brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in fetal alcohol syndrome are not clearly defined, even though the condition is recognized as one of the most common causes of mental retardation. This article reports a case of a 9-year-old adopted girl with developmental delay, mildly dysmorphic facial features, and behavioral and cognitive abnormalities. Extensive investigations including genetic studies and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed no abnormalities, and a diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome was considered since official diagnostic criteria were met. A brain SPECT was requested and showed severely decreased tracer activity in the thalami, basal ganglia, and temporal lobes on both sides, the overall findings being consistent with the established diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome. With increasing availability of functional brain imaging, the study indications and possible ethical implications in suspected prenatal alcohol exposure or even before adoption need further consideration. In this patient, SPECT was the only test to yield positive results.

Sonographic assessment of normal and abnormal patterns of fetal cerebral lamination.

PubMed

Pugash, D; Hendson, G; Dunham, C P; Dewar, K; Money, D M; Prayer, D

2012-12-01

Prenatal development of the brain is characterized by gestational age-specific changes in the laminar structure of the brain parenchyma before 30 gestational weeks. Cerebral lamination patterns of normal fetal brain development have been described histologically, by postmortem in-vitro magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and by in-vivo fetal MRI. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sonographic appearance of laminar organization of the cerebral wall in normal and abnormal brain development. This was a retrospective study of ultrasound findings in 92 normal fetuses and 68 fetuses with abnormal cerebral lamination patterns for gestational age, at 17-38 weeks' gestation. We investigated the visibility of the subplate zone relative to the intermediate zone and correlated characteristic sonographic findings of cerebral lamination with gestational age in order to evaluate transient structures. In the normal cohort, the subplate zone-intermediate zone interface was identified as early as 17 weeks, and in all 57 fetuses examined up to 28 weeks. In all of these fetuses, the subplate zone appeared anechoic and the intermediate zone appeared homogeneously more echogenic than did the subplate zone. In the 22 fetuses between 28 and 34 weeks, there was a transition period when lamination disappeared in a variable fashion. The subplate zone-intermediate zone interface was not identified in any fetus after 34 weeks (n=13). There were three patterns of abnormal cerebral lamination: (1) no normal laminar pattern before 28 weeks (n=32), in association with severe ventriculomegaly, diffuse ischemia, microcephaly, teratogen exposure or lissencephaly; (2) focal disruption of lamination before 28 weeks (n=24), associated with hemorrhage, porencephaly, stroke, migrational abnormalities, thanatophoric dysplasia, meningomyelocele or encephalocele; (3) increased prominence and echogenicity of the intermediate zone before 28 weeks and/or persistence of a laminar pattern beyond 33 weeks (n=10), associated with Type 1 lissencephaly or CMV infection. There was a mixed focal/diffuse pattern in two fetuses. In CMV infection, the earliest indication of the infection was focal heterogeneity and increased echogenicity of the intermediate zone, which predated the development of microcephaly, ventriculomegaly and intracranial calcification. The fetal subplate and intermediate zones can be demonstrated reliably on routine sonography before 28 weeks and disappear after 34 weeks. These findings represent normal gestational age-dependent transient laminar patterns of cerebral development and are consistent with histological studies. Abnormal fetal cerebral lamination patterns for gestational age are also visible on sonography, and may indicate abnormal brain development. Copyright © 2012 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Functional activity of the sensorimotor cortex and cerebellum relates to cervical dystonia symptoms.

PubMed

Burciu, Roxana G; Hess, Christopher W; Coombes, Stephen A; Ofori, Edward; Shukla, Priyank; Chung, Jae Woo; McFarland, Nikolaus R; Wagle Shukla, Aparna; Okun, Michael S; Vaillancourt, David E

2017-09-01

Cervical dystonia (CD) is the most common type of focal dystonia, causing abnormal movements of the neck and head. In this study, we used noninvasive imaging to investigate the motor system of patients with CD and uncover the neural correlates of dystonic symptoms. Furthermore, we examined whether a commonly prescribed anticholinergic medication in CD has an effect on the dystonia-related brain abnormalities. Participants included 16 patients with CD and 16 healthy age-matched controls. We collected functional MRI scans during a force task previously shown to extensively engage the motor system, and diffusion and T1-weighted MRI scans from which we calculated free-water and brain tissue densities. The dystonia group was also scanned ca. 2 h after a 2-mg dose of trihexyphenidyl. Severity of dystonia was assessed pre- and post-drug using the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale. Motor-related activity in CD was altered relative to controls in the primary somatosensory cortex, cerebellum, dorsal premotor and posterior parietal cortices, and occipital cortex. Most importantly, a regression model showed that increased severity of symptoms was associated with decreased functional activity of the somatosensory cortex and increased activity of the cerebellum. Structural imaging measures did not differ between CD and controls. The single dose of trihexyphenidyl altered the fMRI signal in the somatosensory cortex but not in the cerebellum. Symptom severity was not significantly reduced post-treatment. Findings show widespread changes in functional brain activity in CD and most importantly that dystonic symptoms relate to disrupted activity in the somatosensory cortex and cerebellum. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4563-4573, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Acute Brain Imaging in Children: Can MRI Replace CT as a Screening Tool?

PubMed

Wagner, Matthias W; Kontzialis, Marinos; Seeburg, Daniel; Stern, Steven E; Oshmyansky, Alexander; Poretti, Andrea; Huisman, Thierry A G M

2016-01-01

To determine if axial T2-weighted imaging can serve as screening tool for pediatric brain imaging. We retrospectively evaluated consecutive brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of 161 children (74 girls) with a mean age of 7.44 ± 5.71 years. Standard of reference was the final report of neuroradiology attendings. Three readers with different levels of experience were blinded for clinical diagnoses and study indications. First, readers studied only the axial T2-weighted screening sequence. Second, they studied all available anatomical and functional MRI sequences as performed per standard protocol for each clinical indication. The readings were classified as normal or abnormal. Sensitivity and specificity were measured. Axial T2 screening yielded a sensitivity of 77-88% and a specificity of 92%. The full studies/data sets had a sensitivity of 89-95% and a specificity of 86-93%. Nineteen of 167 studies were acquired for acute and 148 of 167 studies for nonacute clinical indication. Twenty-five false-negative diagnoses paneled in three groups were made by all readers together. Readers misread four of 19 studies with acute and 21 of 148 studies with nonacute clinical indication. Four of 21 misread studies with nonacute indications harbored unexpected findings needing management. Axial T2 screening can detect pediatric brain abnormalities with high sensitivity and specificity and can possibly replace CT as screening tool if the reading physician is aware of possible limitations/pitfalls. The level of experience influences sensitivity and specificity. Adding diffusion-weighted imaging and susceptibility-weighted imaging to a 3-dimensional T2-weighted sequence would most likely further increase sensitivity and specificity. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Neuroimaging.

Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging and Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping in the Brain

PubMed Central

Liu, Chunlei; Li, Wei; Tong, Karen A.; Yeom, Kristen W.; Kuzminski, Samuel

2015-01-01

Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that enhances image contrast by using the susceptibility differences between tissues. It is created by combining both magnitude and phase in the gradient echo data. SWI is sensitive to both paramagnetic and diamagnetic substances which generate different phase shift in MRI data. SWI images can be displayed as a minimum intensity projection that provides high resolution delineation of the cerebral venous architecture, a feature that is not available in other MRI techniques. As such, SWI has been widely applied to diagnose various venous abnormalities. SWI is especially sensitive to deoxygenated blood and intracranial mineral deposition and, for that reason, has been applied to image various pathologies including intracranial hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, stroke, neoplasm, and multiple sclerosis. SWI, however, does not provide quantitative measures of magnetic susceptibility. This limitation is currently being addressed with the development of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and susceptibility tensor imaging (STI). While QSM treats susceptibility as isotropic, STI treats susceptibility as generally anisotropic characterized by a tensor quantity. This article reviews the basic principles of SWI, its clinical and research applications, the mechanisms governing brain susceptibility properties, and its practical implementation, with a focus on brain imaging. PMID:25270052

Progressive brain atrophy in patients with chronic neuropsychiatric symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Ross, David E; Ochs, Alfred L; Seabaugh, Jan M; Demark, Michael F; Shrader, Carole R; Marwitz, Jennifer H; Havranek, Michael D

2012-01-01

NeuroQuant® is a recently developed, FDA-approved software program for measuring brain MRI volume in clinical settings. The aims of this study were as follows: (1) to examine the test-retest reliability of NeuroQuant®; (2) to test the hypothesis that patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) would have abnormally rapid progressive brain atrophy; and (3) to test the hypothesis that progressive brain atrophy in patients with mild TBI would be associated with vocational outcome. Sixteen patients with mild TBI were compared to 20 normal controls. Vocational outcome was assessed with the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) and Disability Rating Scale (DRS). NeuroQuant® showed high test-re-test reliability. Patients had abnormally rapid progressive atrophy in several brain regions and the rate of atrophy was associated with inability to return to work. NeuroQuant®, is a reliable and valid method for assessing the anatomic effects of TBI. Progression of atrophy may continue for years after injury, even in patients with mild TBI.

Resting state fMRI entropy probes complexity of brain activity in adults with ADHD.

PubMed

Sokunbi, Moses O; Fung, Wilson; Sawlani, Vijay; Choppin, Sabine; Linden, David E J; Thome, Johannes

2013-12-30

In patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), quantitative neuroimaging techniques have revealed abnormalities in various brain regions, including the frontal cortex, striatum, cerebellum, and occipital cortex. Nonlinear signal processing techniques such as sample entropy have been used to probe the regularity of brain magnetoencephalography signals in patients with ADHD. In the present study, we extend this technique to analyse the complex output patterns of the 4 dimensional resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging signals in adult patients with ADHD. After adjusting for the effect of age, we found whole brain entropy differences (P=0.002) between groups and negative correlation (r=-0.45) between symptom scores and mean whole brain entropy values, indicating lower complexity in patients. In the regional analysis, patients showed reduced entropy in frontal and occipital regions bilaterally and a significant negative correlation between the symptom scores and the entropy maps at a family-wise error corrected cluster level of P<0.05 (P=0.001, initial threshold). Our findings support the hypothesis of abnormal frontal-striatal-cerebellar circuits in ADHD and the suggestion that sample entropy is a useful tool in revealing abnormalities in the brain dynamics of patients with psychiatric disorders. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Uncovering the Social Deficits in the Autistic Brain. A Source-Based Morphometric Study

PubMed Central

Grecucci, Alessandro; Rubicondo, Danilo; Siugzdaite, Roma; Surian, Luca; Job, Remo

2016-01-01

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that mainly affects social interaction and communication. Evidence from behavioral and functional MRI studies supports the hypothesis that dysfunctional mechanisms involving social brain structures play a major role in autistic symptomatology. However, the investigation of anatomical abnormalities in the brain of people with autism has led to inconsistent results. We investigated whether specific brain regions, known to display functional abnormalities in autism, may exhibit mutual and peculiar patterns of covariance in their gray-matter concentrations. We analyzed structural MRI images of 32 young men affected by autistic disorder (AD) and 50 healthy controls. Controls were matched for sex, age, handedness. IQ scores were also monitored to avoid confounding. A multivariate Source-Based Morphometry (SBM) was applied for the first time on AD and controls to detect maximally independent networks of gray matter. Group comparison revealed a gray-matter source that showed differences in AD compared to controls. This network includes broad temporal regions involved in social cognition and high-level visual processing, but also motor and executive areas of the frontal lobe. Notably, we found that gray matter differences, as reflected by SBM, significantly correlated with social and behavioral deficits displayed by AD individuals and encoded via the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule scores. These findings provide support for current hypotheses about the neural basis of atypical social and mental states information processing in autism. PMID:27630538

Functional MRI of inhibitory processing in abstinent adolescent marijuana users.

PubMed

Tapert, Susan F; Schweinsburg, Alecia D; Drummond, Sean P A; Paulus, Martin P; Brown, Sandra A; Yang, Tony T; Frank, Lawrence R

2007-10-01

Marijuana intoxication appears to impair response inhibition, but it is unclear if impaired inhibition and associated brain abnormalities persist after prolonged abstinence among adolescent users. We hypothesized that brain activation during a go/no-go task would show persistent abnormalities in adolescent marijuana users after 28 days of abstinence. Adolescents with (n = 16) and without (n = 17) histories of marijuana use were compared on blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response to a go/no-go task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) after 28 days of monitored abstinence. Participants had no neurological problems or Axis I diagnoses other than cannabis abuse/dependence. Marijuana users did not differ from non-users on task performance but showed more BOLD response than non-users during inhibition trials in right dorsolateral prefrontal, bilateral medial frontal, bilateral inferior and superior parietal lobules, and right occipital gyri, as well as during "go" trials in right prefrontal, insular, and parietal cortices (p < 0.05, clusters > 943 microl). Differences remained significant even after controlling for lifetime and recent alcohol use. Adolescent marijuana users relative to non-users showed increased brain processing effort during an inhibition task in the presence of similar task performance, even after 28 days of abstinence. Thus, increased brain processing effort to achieve inhibition may predate the onset of regular use or result from it. Future investigations will need to determine whether increased brain processing effort is associated with risk to use.

Assessment of abnormal brain structures and networks in major depressive disorder using morphometric and connectome analyses.

PubMed

Chen, Vincent Chin-Hung; Shen, Chao-Yu; Liang, Sophie Hsin-Yi; Li, Zhen-Hui; Tyan, Yeu-Sheng; Liao, Yin-To; Huang, Yin-Chen; Lee, Yena; McIntyre, Roger S; Weng, Jun-Cheng

2016-11-15

It is hypothesized that the phenomenology of major depressive disorder (MDD) is subserved by disturbances in the structure and function of brain circuits; however, findings of structural abnormalities using MRI have been inconsistent. Generalized q-sampling imaging (GQI) methodology provides an opportunity to assess the functional integrity of white matter tracts in implicated circuits. The study population was comprised of 16 outpatients with MDD (mean age 44.81±2.2 years) and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (mean age 45.03±1.88 years). We excluded participants with any other primary mental disorder, substance use disorder, or any neurological illnesses. We used T1-weighted 3D MRI with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and vertex-wise shape analysis, and GQI with voxel-based statistical analysis (VBA), graph theoretical analysis (GTA) and network-based statistical (NBS) analysis to evaluate brain structure and connectivity abnormalities in MDD compared to healthy controls correlates with clinical measures of depressive symptom severity, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 17-item (HAMD) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Using VBM and vertex-wise shape analyses, we found significant volumetric decreases in the hippocampus and amygdala among subjects with MDD (p<0.001). Using GQI, we found decreases in diffusion anisotropy in the superior longitudinal fasciculus and increases in diffusion probability distribution in the frontal lobe among subjects with MDD (p<0.01). In GTA and NBS analyses, we found several disruptions in connectivity among subjects with MDD, particularly in the frontal lobes (p<0.05). In addition, structural alterations were correlated with depressive symptom severity (p<0.01). Small sample size; the cross-sectional design did not allow us to observe treatment effects in the MDD participants. Our results provide further evidence indicating that MDD may be conceptualized as a brain disorder with abnormal circuit structure and connectivity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A novel POMT2 mutation causes mild congenital muscular dystrophy with normal brain MRI

PubMed Central

MURAKAMI, Terumi; HAYASHI, Yukiko K.; OGAWA, Megumu; NOGUCHI, Satoru; CAMPBELL, Kevin P.; TOGAWA, Masami; INOUE, Takehiko; OKA, Akira; OHNO, Kousaku; NONAKA, Ikuya; NISHINO, Ichizo

2009-01-01

We report a patient harboring a novel homozygous mutation of c.604T>G (p.F202V) in POMT2. He showed delayed psychomotor development but acquired the ability to walk at the age of 3 years and 10 months. His brain MRI was normal. No ocular abnormalities were seen. Biopsied skeletal muscle revealed markedly decreased but still detectable glycosylated forms of alpha-dystroglycan (α-DG). Our results indicate that mutations in POMT2 can cause a wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes as observed in other genes associated with alpha-dystroglycanopathy. Presence of small amounts of partly glycosylated α-DG may have a role in reducing the clinical symptoms of alpha-dystroglycanopathy. PMID:18804929

A Diffusion MRI Tractography Connectome of the Mouse Brain and Comparison with Neuronal Tracer Data

PubMed Central

Calabrese, Evan; Badea, Alexandra; Cofer, Gary; Qi, Yi; Johnson, G. Allan

2015-01-01

Interest in structural brain connectivity has grown with the understanding that abnormal neural connections may play a role in neurologic and psychiatric diseases. Small animal connectivity mapping techniques are particularly important for identifying aberrant connectivity in disease models. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging tractography can provide nondestructive, 3D, brain-wide connectivity maps, but has historically been limited by low spatial resolution, low signal-to-noise ratio, and the difficulty in estimating multiple fiber orientations within a single image voxel. Small animal diffusion tractography can be substantially improved through the combination of ex vivo MRI with exogenous contrast agents, advanced diffusion acquisition and reconstruction techniques, and probabilistic fiber tracking. Here, we present a comprehensive, probabilistic tractography connectome of the mouse brain at microscopic resolution, and a comparison of these data with a neuronal tracer-based connectivity data from the Allen Brain Atlas. This work serves as a reference database for future tractography studies in the mouse brain, and demonstrates the fundamental differences between tractography and neuronal tracer data. PMID:26048951

Predictive modeling of neuroanatomic structures for brain atrophy detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Xintao; Guo, Lei; Nie, Jingxin; Li, Kaiming; Liu, Tianming

2010-03-01

In this paper, we present an approach of predictive modeling of neuroanatomic structures for the detection of brain atrophy based on cross-sectional MRI image. The underlying premise of applying predictive modeling for atrophy detection is that brain atrophy is defined as significant deviation of part of the anatomy from what the remaining normal anatomy predicts for that part. The steps of predictive modeling are as follows. The central cortical surface under consideration is reconstructed from brain tissue map and Regions of Interests (ROI) on it are predicted from other reliable anatomies. The vertex pair-wise distance between the predicted vertex and the true one within the abnormal region is expected to be larger than that of the vertex in normal brain region. Change of white matter/gray matter ratio within a spherical region is used to identify the direction of vertex displacement. In this way, the severity of brain atrophy can be defined quantitatively by the displacements of those vertices. The proposed predictive modeling method has been evaluated by using both simulated atrophies and MRI images of Alzheimer's disease.

Network analysis reveals disrupted functional brain circuitry in drug-naive social anxiety disorder.

PubMed

Yang, Xun; Liu, Jin; Meng, Yajing; Xia, Mingrui; Cui, Zaixu; Wu, Xi; Hu, Xinyu; Zhang, Wei; Gong, Gaolang; Gong, Qiyong; Sweeney, John A; He, Yong

2017-12-07

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common and disabling condition characterized by excessive fear and avoidance of public scrutiny. Psychoradiology studies have suggested that the emotional and behavior deficits in SAD are associated with abnormalities in regional brain function and functional connectivity. However, little is known about whether intrinsic functional brain networks in patients with SAD are topologically disrupted. Here, we collected resting-state fMRI data from 33 drug-naive patients with SAD and 32 healthy controls (HC), constructed functional networks with 34 predefined regions based on previous meta-analytic research with task-based fMRI in SAD, and performed network-based statistic and graph-theory analyses. The network-based statistic analysis revealed a single connected abnormal circuitry including the frontolimbic circuit (termed the "fear circuit", including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ventral medial prefrontal cortex and insula) and posterior cingulate/occipital areas supporting perceptual processing. In this single altered network, patients with SAD had higher functional connectivity than HC. At the global level, graph-theory analysis revealed that the patients exhibited a lower normalized characteristic path length than HC, which suggests a disorder-related shift of network topology toward randomized configurations. SAD-related deficits in nodal degree, efficiency and participation coefficient were detected in the parahippocampal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, insula and the calcarine sulcus. Aspects of abnormal connectivity were associated with anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the aberrant topological organization of functional brain network organization in SAD, which provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying excessive fear and avoidance of social interactions in patients with debilitating social anxiety. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Abnormal functional connectivity and cortical integrity influence dominant hand motor disability in multiple sclerosis: a multimodal analysis.

PubMed

Zhong, Jidan; Nantes, Julia C; Holmes, Scott A; Gallant, Serge; Narayanan, Sridar; Koski, Lisa

2016-12-01

Functional reorganization and structural damage occur in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) throughout the disease course. However, the relationship between resting-state functional connectivity (FC) reorganization in the sensorimotor network and motor disability in MS is not well understood. This study used resting-state fMRI, T1-weighted and T2-weighted, and magnetization transfer (MT) imaging to investigate the relationship between abnormal FC in the sensorimotor network and upper limb motor disability in people with MS, as well as the impact of disease-related structural abnormalities within this network. Specifically, the differences in FC of the left hemisphere hand motor region between MS participants with preserved (n = 17) and impaired (n = 26) right hand function, compared with healthy controls (n = 20) was investigated. Differences in brain atrophy and MT ratio measured at the global and regional levels were also investigated between the three groups. Motor preserved MS participants had stronger FC in structurally intact visual information processing regions relative to motor impaired MS participants. Motor impaired MS participants showed weaker FC in the sensorimotor and somatosensory association cortices and more severe structural damage throughout the brain compared with the other groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that regional MTR predicted motor disability beyond the impact of global atrophy whereas regional grey matter volume did not. More importantly, as the first multimodal analysis combining resting-state fMRI, T1-weighted, T2-weighted and MTR images in MS, we demonstrate how a combination of structural and functional changes may contribute to motor impairment or preservation in MS. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4262-4275, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Brain Growth Across the Life Span in Autism: Age-Specific Changes in Anatomical Pathology

PubMed Central

Courchesne, Eric; Campbell, Kathleen; Solso, Stephanie

2014-01-01

Autism is marked by overgrowth of the brain at the earliest ages but not at older ages when decreases in structural volumes and neuron numbers are observed instead. This has lead to the theory of age-specific anatomic abnormalities in autism. Here we report age-related changes in brain size in autistic and typical subjects from 12 months to 50 years of age based on analyses of 586 longitudinal and cross-sectional MRI scans. This dataset is several times larger than the largest autism study to date. Results demonstrate early brain overgrowth during infancy and the toddler years in autistic boys and girls, followed by an accelerated rate of decline in size and perhaps degeneration from adolescence to late middle age in this disorder. We theorize that underlying these age-specific changes in anatomic abnormalities in autism there may also be age-specific changes in gene expression, molecular, synaptic, cellular and circuit abnormalities. A peak age for detecting and studying the earliest fundamental biological underpinnings of autism is prenatal life and the first three postnatal years. Studies of the older autistic brain may not address original causes but are essential to discovering how best to help the older aging autistic person. Lastly, the theory of age-specific anatomic abnormalities in autism has broad implications for a wide range of work on the disorder including the design, validation and interpretation of animal model, lymphocyte gene expression, brain gene expression, and genotype/CNV-anatomic phenotype studies. PMID:20920490

Brain MRI findings as an important diagnostic clue in glutaric aciduria type 1.

PubMed

Nunes, J; Loureiro, S; Carvalho, S; Pais, R P; Alfaiate, C; Faria, A; Garcia, P; Diogo, L

2013-04-01

Glutaric aciduria type 1 is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by deficiency of glutaryl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase, with accumulation of glutaric acid, 3-hydroxyglutaric acid and glutaconic acid. Increased blood glutarylcarnitine levels are the basis for identification of affected infants by newborn screening. Despite the highly variability, this disease usually presents with an acute encephalitis-like encephalopathy in infancy or childhood after a period of normal development. The characteristic neurological sequel is a complex movement disorder due to acute bilateral striatal injury. Frequently, the only abnormality preceding the first episode is a progressive macrocephaly. Although neuroimaging findings are quite variable, the widening of the Sylvian fissures combined with abnormalities of the basal ganglia in a child with macrocephaly should raise the suspicion of this diagnosis. We describe two patients in whom macrocephaly was the only presenting symptom and whose diagnosis was suggested by the brain MRI findings. Our purpose is to illustrate the clinical value of neuroimaging in the diagnosis of glutaric aciduria type 1 even before the onset of neurologic symptoms, which is particularly important if newborn screening is not available.

Brain MRI Findings as an Important Diagnostic Clue in Glutaric Aciduria Type 1

PubMed Central

Nunes, J.; Loureiro, S.; Carvalho, S.; Pais, R.P.; Alfaiate, C.; Faria, A.; Garcia, P.; Diogo, L.

2013-01-01

Glutaric aciduria type 1 is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by deficiency of glutaryl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase, with accumulation of glutaric acid, 3-hydroxyglutaric acid and glutaconic acid. Increased blood glutarylcarnitine levels are the basis for identification of affected infants by newborn screening. Despite the highly variability, this disease usually presents with an acute encephalitis-like encephalopathy in infancy or childhood after a period of normal development. The characteristic neurological sequel is a complex movement disorder due to acute bilateral striatal injury. Frequently, the only abnormality preceding the first episode is a progressive macrocephaly. Although neuroimaging findings are quite variable, the widening of the Sylvian fissures combined with abnormalities of the basal ganglia in a child with macrocephaly should raise the suspicion of this diagnosis. We describe two patients in whom macrocephaly was the only presenting symptom and whose diagnosis was suggested by the brain MRI findings. Our purpose is to illustrate the clinical value of neuroimaging in the diagnosis of glutaric aciduria type 1 even before the onset of neurologic symptoms, which is particularly important if newborn screening is not available. PMID:23859237

Brain Imaging and Blood Biomarker Abnormalities in Children With Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Quiroz, Yakeel T; Schultz, Aaron P; Chen, Kewei; Protas, Hillary D; Brickhouse, Michael; Fleisher, Adam S; Langbaum, Jessica B; Thiyyagura, Pradeep; Fagan, Anne M; Shah, Aarti R; Muniz, Martha; Arboleda-Velasquez, Joseph F; Munoz, Claudia; Garcia, Gloria; Acosta-Baena, Natalia; Giraldo, Margarita; Tirado, Victoria; Ramírez, Dora L; Tariot, Pierre N; Dickerson, Bradford C; Sperling, Reisa A; Lopera, Francisco; Reiman, Eric M

2015-08-01

Brain imaging and fluid biomarkers are characterized in children at risk for autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease (ADAD). To characterize and compare structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), resting-state and task-dependent functional MRI, and plasma amyloid-β (Aβ) measurements in presenilin 1 (PSEN1) E280A mutation-carrying and noncarrying children with ADAD. Cross-sectional measures of structural and functional MRI and plasma Aβ assays were assessed in 18 PSEN1 E280A carriers and 19 noncarriers aged 9 to 17 years from a Colombian kindred with ADAD. Recruitment and data collection for this study were conducted at the University of Antioquia and the Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe in Medellín, Colombia, between August 2011 and June 2012. All participants had blood sampling, structural MRI, and functional MRI during associative memory encoding and resting-state and cognitive assessments. Outcome measures included plasma Aβ1-42 concentrations and Aβ1-42:Aβ1-40 ratios, memory encoding-dependent activation changes, resting-state connectivity, and regional gray matter volumes. Structural and functional MRI data were compared using automated brain mapping algorithms and search regions related to AD. Similar to findings in adult mutation carriers, in the later preclinical and clinical stages of ADAD, mutation-carrying children were distinguished from control individuals by significantly higher plasma Aβ1-42 levels (mean [SD]: carriers, 18.8 [5.1] pg/mL and noncarriers, 13.1 [3.2] pg/mL; P < .001) and Aβ1-42:Aβ1-40 ratios (mean [SD]: carriers, 0.32 [0.06] and noncarriers, 0.21 [0.03]; P < .001), as well as less memory encoding task-related deactivation in parietal regions (eg, mean [SD] parameter estimates for the right precuneus were -0.590 [0.50] for noncarriers and -0.087 [0.38] for carriers; P < .005 uncorrected). Unlike carriers in the later stages, mutation-carrying children demonstrated increased functional connectivity of the posterior cingulate cortex with medial temporal lobe regions (mean [SD] parameter estimates were 0.038 [0.070] for noncarriers and 0.190 [0.057] for carriers), as well as greater gray matter volumes in temporal regions (eg, left parahippocampus; P < . 049, corrected for multiple comparisons). Children at genetic risk for ADAD have functional and structural brain changes and abnormal levels of plasma Aβ1-42. The extent to which the underlying brain changes are either neurodegenerative or developmental remains to be determined. This study provides additional information about the earliest known biomarker changes associated with ADAD.

A Review of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Multimodal Neuroimaging to Characterize Post-Stroke Neuroplasticity

PubMed Central

Auriat, Angela M.; Neva, Jason L.; Peters, Sue; Ferris, Jennifer K.; Boyd, Lara A.

2015-01-01

Following stroke, the brain undergoes various stages of recovery where the central nervous system can reorganize neural circuitry (neuroplasticity) both spontaneously and with the aid of behavioral rehabilitation and non-invasive brain stimulation. Multiple neuroimaging techniques can characterize common structural and functional stroke-related deficits, and importantly, help predict recovery of function. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) typically reveals increased overall diffusivity throughout the brain following stroke, and is capable of indexing the extent of white matter damage. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) provides an index of metabolic changes in surviving neural tissue after stroke, serving as a marker of brain function. The neural correlates of altered brain activity after stroke have been demonstrated by abnormal activation of sensorimotor cortices during task performance, and at rest, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Electroencephalography (EEG) has been used to characterize motor dysfunction in terms of increased cortical amplitude in the sensorimotor regions when performing upper limb movement, indicating abnormally increased cognitive effort and planning in individuals with stroke. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) work reveals changes in ipsilesional and contralesional cortical excitability in the sensorimotor cortices. The severity of motor deficits indexed using TMS has been linked to the magnitude of activity imbalance between the sensorimotor cortices. In this paper, we will provide a narrative review of data from studies utilizing DTI, MRS, fMRI, EEG, and brain stimulation techniques focusing on TMS and its combination with uni- and multimodal neuroimaging methods to assess recovery after stroke. Approaches that delineate the best measures with which to predict or positively alter outcomes will be highlighted. PMID:26579069

Neurologic abnormalities in murderers.

PubMed

Blake, P Y; Pincus, J H; Buckner, C

1995-09-01

Thirty-one individuals awaiting trial or sentencing for murder or undergoing an appeal process requested a neurologic examination through legal counsel. We attempted in each instance to obtain EEG, MRI or CT, and neuropsychological testing. Neurologic examination revealed evidence of "frontal" dysfunction in 20 (64.5%). There were symptoms or some other evidence of temporal lobe abnormality in nine (29%). We made a specific neurologic diagnosis in 20 individuals (64.5%), including borderline or full mental retardation (9) and cerebral palsy (2), among others. Neuropsychological testing revealed abnormalities in all subjects tested. There were EEG abnormalities in eight of the 20 subjects tested, consisting mainly of bilateral sharp waves with slowing. There were MRI or CT abnormalities in nine of the 19 subjects tested, consisting primarily of atrophy and white matter changes. Psychiatric diagnoses included paranoid schizophrenia (8), dissociative disorder (4), and depression (9). Virtually all subjects had paranoid ideas and misunderstood social situations. There was a documented history of profound, protracted physical abuse in 26 (83.8%) and of sexual abuse in 10 (32.3%). It is likely that prolonged, severe physical abuse, paranoia, and neurologic brain dysfunction interact to form the matrix of violent behavior.

Monitoring fractional anisotropy in developing rabbit brain using MR diffusion tensor imaging at 3T

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jao, Jo-Chi; Yang, Yu-Ting; Hsiao, Chia-Chi; Chen, Po-Chou

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the factional anisotropy (FA) in various regions of developing rabbit brain using magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (MR DTI) at 3 T. A whole-body clinical MR imaging (MRI) scanner with a 15-channel high resolution knee coil was used. An echo-planar-imaging (EPI)-DTI pulse sequence was performed. Five 5 week-old New Zealand white (NZW) rabbits underwent MRI once per week for 24 weeks. After scanning, FA maps were obtained. ROIs (regions of interests) in the frontal lobe, parietal & temporal lobe, and occipital lobe were measured. FA changes with time were evaluated with a linear regression analysis. The results show that the FA values in all lobes of the brain increased linearly with age. The ranking of FA values was FA(frontal lobe) < FA(parietal & temporal lobe) > FA(occipital lobe). There was significant difference (p < 0.05) among these lobes. FA values are associated with the nerve development and brain functions. The FA change rate could be a biomarker to monitor the brain development. Understanding the FA values of various lobes during development could provide helpful information to diagnosis the abnormal syndrome earlier and have a better treatment and prognosis. This study established a brain MR-DTI protocol for rabbits to investigate the brain anatomy during development using clinical MRI. This technique can be further applied to the pre-clinical diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and follow-up of brain lesions.

Visual recognition and visually guided action after early bilateral lesion of occipital cortex: a behavioral study of a 4.6-year-old girl.

PubMed

Amicuzi, Ileana; Stortini, Massimo; Petrarca, Maurizio; Di Giulio, Paola; Di Rosa, Giuseppe; Fariello, Giuseppe; Longo, Daniela; Cannatà, Vittorio; Genovese, Elisabetta; Castelli, Enrico

2006-10-01

We report the case of a 4.6-year-old girl born pre-term with early bilateral occipital damage. It was revealed that the child had non-severely impaired basic visual abilities and ocular motility, a selective perceptual deficit of figure-ground segregation, impaired visual recognition and abnormal navigating through space. Even if the child's visual functioning was not optimal, this was the expression of adaptive anatomic and functional brain modifications that occurred following the early lesion. Anatomic brain structure was studied with anatomic MRI and Diffusor Tensor Imaging (DTI)-MRI. This behavioral study may provide an important contribution to understanding the impact of an early lesion of the visual system on the development of visual functions and on the immature brain's potential for reorganisation related to when the damage occurred.

Anterior insular cortex regulation in autism spectrum disorders

PubMed Central

Caria, Andrea; de Falco, Simona

2015-01-01

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) comprise a heterogeneous set of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by dramatic impairments of interpersonal behavior, communication, and empathy. Recent neuroimaging studies suggested that ASD are disorders characterized by widespread abnormalities involving distributed brain network, though clear evidence of differences in large-scale brain network interactions underlying the cognitive and behavioral symptoms of ASD are still lacking. Consistent findings of anterior insula cortex hypoactivation and dysconnectivity during tasks related to emotional and social processing indicates its dysfunctional role in ASD. In parallel, increasing evidence showed that successful control of anterior insula activity can be attained using real-time fMRI paradigms. More importantly, successful regulation of this region was associated with changes in behavior and brain connectivity in both healthy individuals and psychiatric patients. Building on these results we here propose and discuss the use of real-time fMRI neurofeedback in ASD aiming at improving emotional and social behavior. PMID:25798096

Residual brain injury after early discontinuation of cooling therapy in mild neonatal encephalopathy.

PubMed

Lally, Peter J; Montaldo, Paolo; Oliveira, Vânia; Swamy, Ravi Shankar; Soe, Aung; Shankaran, Seetha; Thayyil, Sudhin

2018-07-01

We examined the brain injury and neurodevelopmental outcomes in a prospective cohort of 10 babies with mild encephalopathy who had early cessation of cooling therapy. All babies had MRI and spectroscopy within 2 weeks after birth and neurodevelopmental assessment at 2 years. Cooling was prematurely discontinued at a median age of 9 hours (IQR 5-13) due to rapid clinical improvement. Five (50%) had injury on MRI or spectroscopy, and two (20%) had an abnormal neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years. Premature cessation of cooling therapy in babies with mild neonatal encephalopathy does not exclude residual brain injury and adverse long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. This study refers to babies recruited into the MARBLE study (NCT01309711, pre-results stage). © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Ataxia with Parkinsonism and dystonia after intentional inhalation of liquefied petroleum gas.

PubMed

Godani, Massimiliano; Canavese, Francesca; Migliorini, Sonia; Del Sette, Massimo

2015-01-01

The practice of inhaling liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to commit suicide is uncommon and almost exclusively a prerogative of the prison population. Numerous cases of sudden deaths caused by intentional propane and/or butane inhalation have been described, but these cases survived and a description of the consequences is very rare. We describe a prisoner who survived after voluntary inhalation of LPG, and who developed ataxia, Parkinsonism, and dystonia. Brain MRI showed bilateral hyperintensity in the basal ganglia and in the cerebellar hemispheres. The clinical evolution and the MRI abnormalities are similar to those described in cases of poisoning by CO where the mechanism of brain injury is related to histotoxic hypoxia. We believe that LPG, considered until now a mixture of gas with low neurotoxic power, may have caused direct toxic damage to the brain, mediated by a mechanism of hypoxia, such as in CO intoxication.

Neuropathology of leukoencephalopathy with brainstem and spinal cord involvement and high lactate caused by a homozygous mutation of DARS2.

PubMed

Yamashita, Sumimasa; Miyake, Noriko; Matsumoto, Naomichi; Osaka, Hitoshi; Iai, Mizue; Aida, Noriko; Tanaka, Yukichi

2013-04-01

We diagnosed three siblings from consanguineous east Asian parents with leukoencephalopathy with brainstem and spinal cord involvement and high lactate (LBSL) from characteristic MRI, MRS findings and a homozygous mutation in the DARS2 gene. The neurological symptoms of the three patients consisted of psychomotor developmental delay, cerebellar ataxia since infancy, spasticity in the initial phase and peripheral neuropathy in later stages. Their mental development was delayed, but did not deteriorate. MRI signal abnormalities included the same abnormalities reported previously but tended to be more extensive. Signal abnormalities in the cerebral and cerebellar white matter were homogeneous and confluent from early stages. In addition, other tract such as the central tegmental tract was involved. Furthermore, an atrophic change in the cerebral white matter was observed on follow-up in one case. Two of the patients were autopsied and neuropathological findings revealed characteristic vacuolar changes in the white matter of the cerebrum, cerebellum and the nerve tracts of the brain stem and spinal cord. The central myelin sheath showed intralamellar splitting by electron microscopy. These findings were consistent to a spongy degeneration in the diffuse white matter of the brain, or spongiform leukoencephalopathy. In addition, peripheral nerves showed both axonal degeneration and abnormal myelin structures. We discussed the relationship between deficits in mitochondrial aspartyl-tRNA synthetase activity and the neuropathology observed. Copyright © 2012 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impaired language abilities and white matter abnormalities in children born very preterm and/or very low birth weight

PubMed Central

Reidy, Natalie; Morgan, Angela; Thompson, Deanne K; Inder, Terrie E.; Doyle, Lex W; Anderson, Peter J

2012-01-01

Objectives To investigate language abilities in children born very preterm (VPT; <32 weeks’ gestational age (GA)) or very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) at 7 years of age and compare their performances with children born at term, and to determine whether group differences could be explained by cerebral white matter abnormality on neonatal MRI. Study design A cohort of 198 children born <30 weeks’ GA and/or <1250 g, and 70 term controls were examined. White matter abnormalities were rated quantitatively on brain MRI at term-equivalent age. Language was assessed at age 7 years using standardized language tests. Differences between groups were tested in the five language sub-domains of phonological awareness, semantics, grammar, discourse, and pragmatics. A mediation effect was tested between birth group, white matter abnormality, and language sub-domains. Results The VPT/VLBW group performed significantly worse than controls on all language sub-domains (all p <.001). White matter abnormality mediated the effect of group differences on phonological awareness, and partly mediated this effect for semantics, grammar and discourse. White matter abnormality was not significantly associated with pragmatics (p = .13). Conclusions Language is an important area of concern in children born VPT/VLBW. Neonatal white matter abnormality is an important predictor of outcome; however, different language abilities are differentially associated with neonatal white matter abnormality. PMID:23158026

Small gray matter volume in orbitofrontal cortex in Prader-Willi syndrome: a voxel-based MRI study.

PubMed

Ogura, Kaeko; Fujii, Toshikatsu; Abe, Nobuhito; Hosokai, Yoshiyuki; Shinohara, Mayumi; Takahashi, Shoki; Mori, Etsuro

2011-07-01

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetically determined neurodevelopmental disorder presenting with behavioral symptoms including hyperphagia, disinhibition, and compulsive behavior. The behavioral problems in individuals with PWS are strikingly similar to those in patients with frontal pathologies, particularly those affecting the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). However, neuroanatomical abnormalities in the frontal lobe have not been established in PWS. The aim of this study was to look, using volumetric analysis, for morphological changes in the frontal lobe, especially the OFC, of the brains of individuals with PWS. Twelve adults with PWS and 13 age- and gender-matched control subjects participated in structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The whole-brain images were segmented and normalized to a standard stereotactic space. Regional gray matter volumes were compared between the PWS group and the control group using voxel-based morphometry. The PWS subjects showed small gray-matter volume in several regions, including the OFC, caudate nucleus, inferior temporal gyrus, precentral gyrus, supplementary motor area, postcentral gyrus, and cerebellum. The small gray-matter volume in the OFC remained significant in a separate analysis that included total gray matter volume as a covariate. These preliminary findings suggest that the neurobehavioral symptoms in individuals with PWS are related to structural brain abnormalities in these areas. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Medication Overuse Headache: Pathophysiological Insights from Structural and Functional Brain MRI Research.

PubMed

Schwedt, Todd J; Chong, Catherine D

2017-07-01

Research imaging of brain structure and function has helped to elucidate the pathophysiology of medication overuse headache (MOH). This is a narrative review of imaging research studies that have investigated brain structural and functional alterations associated with MOH. Studies included in this review have investigated abnormal structure and function of pain processing regions in people with MOH, functional patterns that might predispose individuals to development of MOH, similarity of brain functional patterns in patients with MOH to those found in people with addiction, brain structure that could predict headache improvement following discontinuation of the overused medication, and changes in brain structure and function after discontinuation of medication overuse. MOH is associated with atypical structure and function of brain regions responsible for pain processing as well as brain regions that are commonly implicated in addiction. Several studies have shown "normalization" of structure and function in pain processing regions following discontinuation of the overused medication and resolution of MOH. However, some of the abnormalities in regions also implicated in addiction tend to persist following discontinuation of the overused medication, suggesting that they are a brain trait that predisposes certain individuals to medication overuse and MOH. © 2017 American Headache Society.

Efficacy Evaluation of Different Wavelet Feature Extraction Methods on Brain MRI Tumor Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nabizadeh, Nooshin; John, Nigel; Kubat, Miroslav

2014-03-01

Automated Magnetic Resonance Imaging brain tumor detection and segmentation is a challenging task. Among different available methods, feature-based methods are very dominant. While many feature extraction techniques have been employed, it is still not quite clear which of feature extraction methods should be preferred. To help improve the situation, we present the results of a study in which we evaluate the efficiency of using different wavelet transform features extraction methods in brain MRI abnormality detection. Applying T1-weighted brain image, Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), Discrete Wavelet Packet Transform (DWPT), Dual Tree Complex Wavelet Transform (DTCWT), and Complex Morlet Wavelet Transform (CMWT) methods are applied to construct the feature pool. Three various classifiers as Support Vector Machine, K Nearest Neighborhood, and Sparse Representation-Based Classifier are applied and compared for classifying the selected features. The results show that DTCWT and CMWT features classified with SVM, result in the highest classification accuracy, proving of capability of wavelet transform features to be informative in this application.

Longitudinal brain MRI study in a mouse model of Rett Syndrome and the effects of choline.

PubMed

Ward, B C; Agarwal, S; Wang, K; Berger-Sweeney, J; Kolodny, N H

2008-07-01

Rett Syndrome (RTT), the second most common cause of mental retardation in girls, is associated with mutations of an X-linked gene encoding the transcriptional repressor protein MeCP2. Mecp2(1lox) mutant mice express no functional MeCP2 protein and exhibit behavioral abnormalities similar to those seen in RTT patients. Here we monitor the development of both whole brain and regional volumes between 21 and 42 days of age in this model of RTT using MRI. We see decreases in whole brain volumes in both male and female mutant mice. Cerebellar and ventricular volumes are also decreased in RTT males. Previous work has suggested that perinatal choline supplementation alleviates some of the behavioral deficits in both male and female Mecp2(1lox) mutant mice. Here we show that perinatal choline supplementation also positively affects whole brain volume in heterozygous females, and cerebellar volume in male RTT mice.

[Application of spatial working memory task fMRI in evaluation of primary insomnia patient's cognitive dysfunction].

PubMed

Dou, Shewei; Wang, Enfeng; Zhang, Hongju; Tong, Li; Zhang, Xiaoqi; Shi, Dapeng; Cheng, Jingliang; Li, Yongli

2015-06-02

To explore abnormal brain activation of spatial working memory in primary insomnia and its potential neuromechanism. we recruited 30 cases primary insomnia (PI) patients and 30 cases age, gender matched healthy control (HC) subjects from July 2013 to December 2013, the diagnosis of primary insomnia matched the diagnosis criterion of DSM-IV and Classification and diagnostic criteria of mental disorders in China third edition (CCMD-3). All the subjects attended the tests of PSQI, HAMA, HAMD and index of spatial working memory. And then, we collected the data of routine MRI and spatial working memory task fMRI on 3.0 T MRI scanner. After that, we used SPM8 and REST1.8 to analyze the fMRI data, compared difference of PSQI, HAMA, HAMD, index of spatial working memory and brain activation of spatial working memory between PI group and HC group. There were significant difference between PI group and HC group in PSQI, HAMA, HAMD and index of spatial working memory (P < 0.05). In the spatial working memory related activate brain region, compared with HC group, left temporal lobe, occipital lobe and right frontal lobe activation increased and bilateral parahippocampalis, temporal cortex, frontal cortex and superior parietal lobule activation reduced in PI group. Spatial working memory task fMRI revealed the pathological mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction of clinical spatial working memory and emotional disorder in primary insomnia patients.

Sexual dimorphism of volume reduction but not cognitive deficit in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: A combined diffusion tensor imaging, cortical thickness and brain volume study.

PubMed

Treit, Sarah; Chen, Zhang; Zhou, Dongming; Baugh, Lauren; Rasmussen, Carmen; Andrew, Gail; Pei, Jacqueline; Beaulieu, Christian

2017-01-01

Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revealed abnormalities in brain volumes, cortical thickness and white matter microstructure in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD); however, no study has reported all three measures within the same cohort to assess the relative magnitude of deficits, and few studies have examined sex differences. Participants with FASD (n = 70; 30 females; 5-32 years) and healthy controls (n = 74; 35 females; 5-32 years) underwent cognitive testing and MRI to assess cortical thickness, regional brain volumes and fractional anisotropy (FA)/mean diffusivity (MD) of white matter tracts. A significant effect of group, age-by-group, or sex-by-group was found for 9/9 volumes, 7/39 cortical thickness regions, 3/9 white matter tracts, and 9/10 cognitive tests, indicating group differences that in some cases differ by age or sex. Volume reductions for several structures were larger in males than females, despite similar deficits of cognition in both sexes. Correlations between brain structure and cognitive scores were found in females of both groups, but were notably absent in males. Correlations within a given MRI modality (e.g. total brain volume and caudate volume) were prevalent in both the control and FASD groups, and were more numerous than correlations between measurement types (e.g. volumes and diffusion tensor imaging) in either cohort. This multi-modal MRI study finds widespread differences of brain structure in participants with prenatal alcohol exposure, and to a greater extent in males than females which may suggest attenuation of the expected process of sexual dimorphism of brain structure during typical development.

Towards the development of a spring-based continuum robot for neurosurgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yeongjin; Cheng, Shing Shin; Desai, Jaydev P.

2015-03-01

Brain tumor is usually life threatening due to the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells native to the brain or the spread of tumor cells from outside the central nervous system to the brain. The risks involved in carrying out surgery within such a complex organ can cause severe anxiety in cancer patients. However, neurosurgery, which remains one of the more effective ways of treating brain tumors focused in a confined volume, can have a tremendously increased success rate if the appropriate imaging modality is used for complete tumor removal. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides excellent soft-tissue contrast and is the imaging modality of choice for brain tumor imaging. MRI combined with continuum soft robotics has immense potential to be the revolutionary treatment technique in the field of brain cancer. It eliminates the concern of hand tremor and guarantees a more precise procedure. One of the prototypes of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgical Intracranial Robot (MINIR-II), which can be classified as a continuum soft robot, consists of a snake-like body made of three segments of rapid prototyped plastic springs. It provides improved dexterity with higher degrees of freedom and independent joint control. It is MRI-compatible, allowing surgeons to track and determine the real-time location of the robot relative to the brain tumor target. The robot was manufactured in a single piece using rapid prototyping technology at a low cost, allowing it to disposable after each use. MINIR-II has two DOFs at each segment with both joints controlled by two pairs of MRI-compatible SMA spring actuators. Preliminary motion tests have been carried out using vision-tracking method and the robot was able to move to different positions based on user commands.

[Magnetic resonance imaging features in two Chinese family with congenital fibrosis of extraocular muscles].

PubMed

Wu, Li; Zhou, Lian-Hong; Liu, Chang-Sheng; Cha, Yun-Fei; Wang, Jiong; Xing, Yi-Qiao

2009-11-01

The aim of this article was to investigate the structural basis of ocular motility and visual abnormalities in humans with congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles (CFEOM). 17 volunteers from 2 CFEOM pedigrees Clinical ophthalmic and motility examed and 18 normal control subjects were correlated with thin-sectioned magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) across the orbit and the brain-stem level. Subjects with CFEOM had severe bilateral blepharoptosis, limited supraduction, and variable ophthalmoplegia. In affected subjects, MRI demonstrated atrophy of the levator palpebrae superioris, all EOMs, and the optic nerves, and small or absent orbital motor nerves. The oculomotor nerve was most severely hypoplastic, but the abducens was also affected. Subjects with CFEOM exhibited subclinical but highly significant reduction from normal in mean optic nerve size (P < 0.05). There are also some difference between the two CFEOM pedigrees. These findings suggest that neuronal disease is primary in CFEOM, with myopathy arising secondary to abnormal innervation and the oculomotor nucleus and trochlear nucleus of the abnormalities defects.

Reversible brain atrophy and cognitive impairment in an adolescent Japanese patient with primary adrenal Cushing's syndrome.

PubMed

Ohara, Nobumasa; Suzuki, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Akiko; Kaneko, Masanori; Ishizawa, Masahiro; Furukawa, Kazuo; Abe, Takahiro; Matsubayashi, Yasuhiro; Yamada, Takaho; Hanyu, Osamu; Shimohata, Takayoshi; Sone, Hirohito

2014-01-01

Endogenous Cushing's syndrome is an endocrine disease resulting from chronic exposure to excessive glucocorticoids produced in the adrenal cortex. Although the ultimate outcome remains uncertain, functional and morphological brain changes are not uncommon in patients with this syndrome, and generally persist even after resolution of hypercortisolemia. We present an adolescent patient with Cushing's syndrome who exhibited cognitive impairment with brain atrophy. A 19-year-old Japanese male visited a local hospital following 5 days of behavioral abnormalities, such as money wasting or nighttime wandering. He had hypertension and a 1-year history of a rounded face. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed apparently diffuse brain atrophy. Because of high random plasma cortisol levels (28.7 μg/dL) at 10 AM, he was referred to our hospital in August 2011. Endocrinological testing showed adrenocorticotropic hormone-independent hypercortisolemia, and abdominal computed tomography demonstrated a 2.7 cm tumor in the left adrenal gland. The patient underwent left adrenalectomy in September 2011, and the diagnosis of cortisol-secreting adenoma was confirmed histologically. His hypertension and Cushingoid features regressed. Behavioral abnormalities were no longer observed, and he was classified as cured of his cognitive disturbance caused by Cushing's syndrome in February 2012. MRI performed 8 months after surgery revealed reversal of brain atrophy, and his subsequent course has been uneventful. In summary, the young age at onset and the short duration of Cushing's syndrome probably contributed to the rapid recovery of both cognitive dysfunction and brain atrophy in our patient. Cushing's syndrome should be considered as a possible etiological factor in patients with cognitive impairment and brain atrophy that is atypical for their age.

A structural MRI study in monozygotic twins concordant or discordant for attention/hyperactivity problems: Evidence for genetic and environmental heterogeneity in the developing brain

PubMed Central

van ’t Ent, D.; Lehn, H.; Derks, E.M.; Hudziak, J.J.; Van Strien, N.M.; Veltman, D.J.; De Geus, E.J.C.; Todd, R.D.; Boomsma, D.I.

2007-01-01

Several structural brain abnormalities have been reported in patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, the aetiology of these brain changes is still unclear. To investigate genetic and environmental influences on ADHD related neurobiological changes we performed Voxel Based Morphometry on MRI scans from monozygotic (MZ) twins selected from a large longitudinal population database to be highly concordant or highly discordant for ratings on the Child Behavior Checklist Attention Problem scale (CBCL-AP). Children scoring low on the CBCL-AP are at low risk for ADHD, whereas children scoring high on this scale are at high risk for ADHD. Brain differences between concordant high risk twin pairs and concordant low risk twin pairs likely reflect the genetic risk for ADHD; brain differences between the low risk and high risk twins from discordant MZ twin pairs reflect the environmental risk for ADHD. A major difference between comparisons of high and low risk twins from concordant pairs and high/low twins from discordant pairs was found for the prefrontal lobes. The concordant high risk pairs showed volume loss in orbitofrontal subdivisions. High risk members from the discordant twin pairs exhibited volume reduction in the right inferior dorsolateral prefontal cortex. In addition, the posterior corpus callosum was compromised in concordant high risk pairs, only. Our findings indicate that inattention and hyperactivity symptoms are associated with anatomical abnormalities of a distributed action-attentional network. Different brain areas of this network appear to be affected in inattention/hyperactivity caused by genetic (i.e., high concordant MZ pairs) versus environmental (i.e., high-low discordant MZ pairs) risk factors. These results provide clues that further our understanding of brain alterations in ADHD. PMID:17346990

Identifying Rodent Resting-State Brain Networks with Independent Component Analysis

PubMed Central

Bajic, Dusica; Craig, Michael M.; Mongerson, Chandler R. L.; Borsook, David; Becerra, Lino

2017-01-01

Rodent models have opened the door to a better understanding of the neurobiology of brain disorders and increased our ability to evaluate novel treatments. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) allows for in vivo exploration of large-scale brain networks with high spatial resolution. Its application in rodents affords researchers a powerful translational tool to directly assess/explore the effects of various pharmacological, lesion, and/or disease states on known neural circuits within highly controlled settings. Integration of animal and human research at the molecular-, systems-, and behavioral-levels using diverse neuroimaging techniques empowers more robust interrogations of abnormal/ pathological processes, critical for evolving our understanding of neuroscience. We present a comprehensive protocol to evaluate resting-state brain networks using Independent Component Analysis (ICA) in rodent model. Specifically, we begin with a brief review of the physiological basis for rs-fMRI technique and overview of rs-fMRI studies in rodents to date, following which we provide a robust step-by-step approach for rs-fMRI investigation including data collection, computational preprocessing, and brain network analysis. Pipelines are interwoven with underlying theory behind each step and summarized methodological considerations, such as alternative methods available and current consensus in the literature for optimal results. The presented protocol is designed in such a way that investigators without previous knowledge in the field can implement the analysis and obtain viable results that reliably detect significant differences in functional connectivity between experimental groups. Our goal is to empower researchers to implement rs-fMRI in their respective fields by incorporating technical considerations to date into a workable methodological framework. PMID:29311770

The impact of symptomatic mild traumatic brain injury on complex everyday activities and the link with alterations in cerebral functioning: Exploratory case studies.

PubMed

Bottari, Carolina; Gosselin, Nadia; Chen, Jen-Kai; Ptito, Alain

2017-07-01

The objective of the study was to explore the neurophysiological correlates of altered functional independence using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and event-related potentials (ERP) after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The participants consisted of three individuals with symptomatic mTBI (3.9 ± 3.6 months post-mTBI) and 12 healthy controls. The main measures used were the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) Profile observation-based assessment; a visual externally ordered working memory task combined to event-related potentials (ERP) and fMRI recordings; neuropsychological tests; post-concussion symptoms questionnaires; and the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Profile interview. Compared to normal controls, all three patients had difficulty with a real-world complex budgeting activity due to deficits in planning, ineffective strategy use and/or a prolonged time to detect and correct errors. Reduced activations in the right mid-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on fMRI as well as abnormal frontal or parietal components of the ERP occurred alongside these deficits. Results of this exploratory study suggest that reduced independence in complex everyday activities in symptomatic mTBI may be at least partly explained by a decrease in brain activation in the prefrontal cortex, abnormal ERP, or slower reaction times on working memory tasks. The study presents an initial attempt at combining research in neuroscience with ecological real-world evaluation research to further our understanding of the difficulties in complex everyday activities experienced by individuals with mTBI.

Quantitative MRI in refractory temporal lobe epilepsy: relationship with surgical outcomes

PubMed Central

Bonilha, Leonardo

2015-01-01

Medically intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) remains a serious health problem. Across treatment centers, up to 40% of patients with TLE will continue to experience persistent postoperative seizures at 2-year follow-up. It is unknown why such a large number of patients continue to experience seizures despite being suitable candidates for resective surgery. Preoperative quantitative MRI techniques may provide useful information on why some patients continue to experience disabling seizures, and may have the potential to develop prognostic markers of surgical outcome. In this article, we provide an overview of how quantitative MRI morphometric and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data have improved the understanding of brain structural alterations in patients with refractory TLE. We subsequently review the studies that have applied quantitative structural imaging techniques to identify the neuroanatomical factors that are most strongly related to a poor postoperative prognosis. In summary, quantitative imaging studies strongly suggest that TLE is a disorder affecting a network of neurobiological systems, characterized by multiple and inter-related limbic and extra-limbic network abnormalities. The relationship between brain alterations and postoperative outcome are less consistent, but there is emerging evidence suggesting that seizures are less likely to remit with surgery when presurgical abnormalities are observed in the connectivity supporting brain regions serving as network nodes located outside the resected temporal lobe. Future work, possibly harnessing the potential from multimodal imaging approaches, may further elucidate the etiology of persistent postoperative seizures in patients with refractory TLE. Furthermore, quantitative imaging techniques may be explored to provide individualized measures of postoperative seizure freedom outcome. PMID:25853080

[A case of glioblastoma multiforme which indicated the early stage on brain MRI].

PubMed

Ono, K; Tohma, Y; Yoshida, M; Takamori, M

2000-04-01

A 57-year-old male was urgently carried to our hospital because of sudden loss of consciousness, lasting about 10 minutes. He had resumed consciousness before he arrived at our hospital. Neurologically, he had mild muscle weakness of the right arm. Deep tendon reflexes in the right upper extremity were reduced. In high level functions, speech disturbance, dysgraphia (disturbed ability to write Hiragana), and constructive apraxia were noted. A brain MRI upon admission showed a poorly demarcated, high signal intensity area in the cortical and subcortical layers of the left temporal and parietal lobes. This was visible on T 2 weighted images(T 2 WI), although no abnormalities were visible on T 1 weighted images(T 1 WI). No contrast enhancement was effected by Gd-DTPA. The patient was therefore suspected of having a tumor or degenerative disease and was monitored closely. About 4 months later after onset, his symptoms became aggravated, and brain MRI disclosed a marked low signal intensity area on T 1 WI and a heterogeneous high signal intensity area on T 2 WI. The abnormal signal intensity area was surrounded by extensive edema and mass effect. Ring-shaped, irregular, contrast enhanced areas were also visible. Cerebral angiography revealed a poorly demarcated tumor stain in the area supplied by the middle cerebral artery. The tumor was removed surgically and was histopathologically rated as glioblastoma multiforme(GBM). Because this case represents a valuable example of early stage of GBM, it will be discussed in this paper, along with differential diagnoses.

Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome following a car accident.

PubMed

Boivin, D B; James, F O; Santo, J B; Caliyurt, O; Chalk, C

2003-06-10

The authors report the case of a 39-year-old sighted woman who displayed non-24-hour sleep-wake cycles following a car accident. The phase relationship between endogenous circadian markers such as plasma melatonin and 6-sulfatoxymelatonin rhythms and self-selected sleep times was abnormal. A laboratory investigation indicated that she was sensitive to bright light as a circadian synchronizer. MRI and brain CT scans were normal, but microscopic brain damage in the vicinity of the suprachiasmatic nucleus or its output pathways is plausible.

Utility of functional MRI in pediatric neurology.

PubMed

Freilich, Emily R; Gaillard, William D

2010-01-01

Functional MRI (fMRI), a tool increasingly used to study cognitive function, is also an important tool for understanding not only normal development in healthy children, but also abnormal development, as seen in children with epilepsy, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism. Since its inception almost 15 years ago, fMRI has seen an explosion in its use and applications in the adult literature. However, only recently has it found a home in pediatric neurology. New adaptations in study design and technologic advances, especially the study of resting state functional connectivity as well as the use of passive task design in sedated children, have increased the utility of functional imaging in pediatrics to help us gain understanding into the developing brain at work. This article reviews the background of fMRI in pediatrics and highlights the most recent literature and clinical applications.

Structural and functional differences in the cingulate cortex relate to disease severity in anorexia nervosa

PubMed Central

Bär, Karl-Jürgen; de la Cruz, Feliberto; Berger, Sandy; Schultz, Carl Christoph; Wagner, Gerd

2015-01-01

Background The dysfunction of specific brain areas might account for the distortion of body image in patients with anorexia nervosa. The present study was designed to reveal brain regions that are abnormal in structure and function in patients with this disorder. We hypothesized, based on brain areas of altered activity in patients with anorexia nervosa and regions involved in pain processing, an interrelation of structural aberrations in the frontoparietal–cingulate network and aberrant functional activation during thermal pain processing in patients with the disorder. Methods We determined pain thresholds outside the MRI scanner in patients with anorexia nervosa and matched healthy controls. Thereafter, thermal pain stimuli were applied during fMRI imaging. Structural analyses with high-resolution structural T1-weighted volumes were performed using voxel-based morphometry and a surface-based approach. Results Twenty-six patients and 26 controls participated in our study, and owing to technical difficulties, 15 participants in each group were included in our fMRI analysis. Structural analyses revealed significantly decreased grey matter volume and cortical thickness in the frontoparietal–cingulate network in patients with anorexia nervosa. We detected an increased blood oxygen level–dependent signal in patients during the painful 45°C condition in the midcingulate and posterior cingulate cortex, which positively correlated with increased pain thresholds. Decreased grey matter and cortical thickness correlated negatively with pain thresholds, symptom severity and illness duration, but not with body mass index. Limitations The lack of a specific quantification of body image distortion is a limitation of our study. Conclusion This study provides further evidence for confined structural and functional brain abnormalities in patients with anorexia nervosa in brain regions that are involved in perception and integration of bodily stimuli. The association of structural and functional deviations with thermal thresholds as well as with clinical characteristics might indicate a common neuronal origin. PMID:25825813

Progressive brain changes in children and adolescents with early-onset psychosis: A meta-analysis of longitudinal MRI studies.

PubMed

Fraguas, David; Díaz-Caneja, Covadonga M; Pina-Camacho, Laura; Janssen, Joost; Arango, Celso

2016-06-01

Studies on longitudinal brain volume changes in patients with early-onset psychosis (EOP) are particularly valuable for understanding the neurobiological basis of brain abnormalities associated with psychosis. However, findings have not been consistent across studies in this population. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis on progressive brain volume changes in children and adolescents with EOP. A systematic literature search of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies comparing longitudinal brain volume changes in children and adolescents with EOP and healthy controls was conducted. The annualized rates of relative change in brain volume by region of interest (ROI) were used as raw data for the meta-analysis. The effect of age, sex, duration of illness, and specific diagnosis on volume change was also evaluated. Five original studies with 156 EOP patients (mean age at baseline MRI in the five studies ranged from 13.3 to 16.6years, 67.31% males) and 163 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, with a mean duration of follow-up of 2.46years (range 2.02-3.40), were included. Frontal gray matter (GM) was the only region in which significant differences in volume change over time were found between patients and controls (Hedges' g -0.435, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.678 to -0.193, p<0.001). Younger age at baseline MRI was associated with greater loss of temporal GM volume over time in patients as compared with controls (p=0.005). Within patients, a diagnosis of schizophrenia was related to greater occipital GM volume loss over time (p=0.001). Compared with healthy individuals, EOP patients show greater progressive frontal GM loss over the first few years after illness onset. Age at baseline MRI and diagnosis of schizophrenia appear to be significant moderators of particular specific brain volume changes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of In Vivo and Ex Vivo MRI for the Detection of Structural Abnormalities in a Mouse Model of Tauopathy

PubMed Central

Holmes, Holly E.; Powell, Nick M.; Ma, Da; Ismail, Ozama; Harrison, Ian F.; Wells, Jack A.; Colgan, Niall; O'Callaghan, James M.; Johnson, Ross A.; Murray, Tracey K.; Ahmed, Zeshan; Heggenes, Morten; Fisher, Alice; Cardoso, M. Jorge; Modat, Marc; O'Neill, Michael J.; Collins, Emily C.; Fisher, Elizabeth M. C.; Ourselin, Sébastien; Lythgoe, Mark F.

2017-01-01

With increasingly large numbers of mouse models of human disease dedicated to MRI studies, compromises between in vivo and ex vivo MRI must be fully understood in order to inform the choice of imaging methodology. We investigate the application of high resolution in vivo and ex vivo MRI, in combination with tensor-based morphometry (TBM), to uncover morphological differences in the rTg4510 mouse model of tauopathy. The rTg4510 mouse also offers a novel paradigm by which the overexpression of mutant tau can be regulated by the administration of doxycycline, providing us with a platform on which to investigate more subtle alterations in morphology with morphometry. Both in vivo and ex vivo MRI allowed the detection of widespread bilateral patterns of atrophy in the rTg4510 mouse brain relative to wild-type controls. Regions of volume loss aligned with neuronal loss and pathological tau accumulation demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. When we sought to investigate more subtle structural alterations in the rTg4510 mice relative to a subset of doxycycline-treated rTg4510 mice, ex vivo imaging enabled the detection of more regions of morphological brain changes. The disadvantages of ex vivo MRI may however mitigate this increase in sensitivity: we observed a 10% global shrinkage in brain volume of the post-mortem tissues due to formalin fixation, which was most notable in the cerebellum and olfactory bulbs. However, many central brain regions were not adversely affected by the fixation protocol, perhaps due to our “in-skull” preparation. The disparity between our TBM findings from in vivo and ex vivo MRI underlines the importance of appropriate study design, given the trade-off between these two imaging approaches. We support the utility of in vivo MRI for morphological phenotyping of mouse models of disease; however, for subtler phenotypes, ex vivo offers enhanced sensitivity to discrete morphological changes. PMID:28408879

Comparison of In Vivo and Ex Vivo MRI for the Detection of Structural Abnormalities in a Mouse Model of Tauopathy.

PubMed

Holmes, Holly E; Powell, Nick M; Ma, Da; Ismail, Ozama; Harrison, Ian F; Wells, Jack A; Colgan, Niall; O'Callaghan, James M; Johnson, Ross A; Murray, Tracey K; Ahmed, Zeshan; Heggenes, Morten; Fisher, Alice; Cardoso, M Jorge; Modat, Marc; O'Neill, Michael J; Collins, Emily C; Fisher, Elizabeth M C; Ourselin, Sébastien; Lythgoe, Mark F

2017-01-01

With increasingly large numbers of mouse models of human disease dedicated to MRI studies, compromises between in vivo and ex vivo MRI must be fully understood in order to inform the choice of imaging methodology. We investigate the application of high resolution in vivo and ex vivo MRI, in combination with tensor-based morphometry (TBM), to uncover morphological differences in the rTg4510 mouse model of tauopathy. The rTg4510 mouse also offers a novel paradigm by which the overexpression of mutant tau can be regulated by the administration of doxycycline, providing us with a platform on which to investigate more subtle alterations in morphology with morphometry. Both in vivo and ex vivo MRI allowed the detection of widespread bilateral patterns of atrophy in the rTg4510 mouse brain relative to wild-type controls. Regions of volume loss aligned with neuronal loss and pathological tau accumulation demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. When we sought to investigate more subtle structural alterations in the rTg4510 mice relative to a subset of doxycycline-treated rTg4510 mice, ex vivo imaging enabled the detection of more regions of morphological brain changes. The disadvantages of ex vivo MRI may however mitigate this increase in sensitivity: we observed a 10% global shrinkage in brain volume of the post-mortem tissues due to formalin fixation, which was most notable in the cerebellum and olfactory bulbs. However, many central brain regions were not adversely affected by the fixation protocol, perhaps due to our "in-skull" preparation. The disparity between our TBM findings from in vivo and ex vivo MRI underlines the importance of appropriate study design, given the trade-off between these two imaging approaches. We support the utility of in vivo MRI for morphological phenotyping of mouse models of disease; however, for subtler phenotypes, ex vivo offers enhanced sensitivity to discrete morphological changes.

Schizophrenia patients differentiation based on MR vascular perfusion and volumetric imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spanier, A. B.; Joskowicz, L.; Moshel, S.; Israeli, D.

2015-03-01

Candecomp/Parafac Decomposition (CPD) has emerged as a framework for modeling N-way arrays (higher-order matrices). CPD is naturally well suited for the analysis of data sets comprised of observations of a function of multiple discrete indices. In this study we evaluate the prospects of using CPD for modeling MRI brain properties (i.e. brain volume and gray-level) for schizophrenia diagnosis. Taking into account that 3D imaging data consists of millions of pixels per patient, the diagnosis of a schizophrenia patient based on pixel analysis constitutes a methodological challenge (e.g. multiple comparison problem). We show that the CPD could potentially be used as a dimensionality redaction method and as a discriminator between schizophrenia patients and match control, using the gradient of pre- and post Gd-T1-weighted MRI data, which is strongly correlated with cerebral blood perfusion. Our approach was tested on 68 MRI scans: 40 first-episode schizophrenia patients and 28 matched controls. The CPD subject's scores exhibit statistically significant result (P < 0.001). In the context of diagnosing schizophrenia with MRI, the results suggest that the CPD could potentially be used to discriminate between schizophrenia patients and matched control. In addition, the CPD model suggests for brain regions that might exhibit abnormalities in schizophrenia patients for future research.

Multifaceted impairments in impulsivity and brain structural abnormalities in opioid dependence and abstinence.

PubMed

Tolomeo, S; Gray, S; Matthews, K; Steele, J D; Baldacchino, A

2016-10-01

Chronic opioid exposure, as a treatment for a variety of disorders or as drug of misuse, is common worldwide, but behavioural and brain abnormalities remain under-investigated. Only a small percentage of patients who receive methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for previous heroin misuse eventually achieve abstinence and studies on such patients are rare. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery and T1 weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used to study a cohort of 122 male individuals: a clinically stable opioid-dependent patient group receiving MMT (n = 48), an abstinent previously MMT maintained group (ABS) (n = 24) and healthy controls (n = 50). Stable MMT participants deliberated longer and placed higher bets earlier in the Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT) and showed impaired strategic planning compared with healthy controls. In contrast, ABS participants showed impairment in choosing the least likely outcome, delay aversion and risk adjustment on the CGT, and exhibited non-planning impulsivity compared with controls. MMT patients had widespread grey matter reductions in the orbitomedial prefrontal cortex, caudate, putamen and globus pallidus. In contrast, ABS participants showed midbrain-thalamic grey matter reductions. A higher methadone dose at the time of scanning was associated with a smaller globus pallidus in the MMT group. Our findings support an interpretation of heightened impulsivity in patients receiving MMT. Widespread structural brain abnormalities in the MMT group and reduced brain structural abnormality with abstinence suggest benefit of cessation of methadone intake. We suggest that a longitudinal study is required to determine whether abstinence improves abnormalities, or patients who achieve abstinence have reduced abnormalities before methadone cessation.

Design and Application of a New Automated Fluidic Visceral Stimulation Device for Human fMRI Studies of Interoception

PubMed Central

Gassert, Roger; Wanek, Johann; Michels, Lars; Mehnert, Ulrich; Kollias, Spyros S.

2016-01-01

Mapping the brain centers that mediate the sensory-perceptual processing of visceral afferent signals arising from the body (i.e., interoception) is useful both for characterizing normal brain activity and for understanding clinical disorders related to abnormal processing of visceral sensation. Here, we report a novel closed-system, electrohydrostatically driven master–slave device that was designed and constructed for delivering controlled fluidic stimulations of visceral organs and inner cavities of the human body within the confines of a 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The design concept and performance of the device in the MRI environment are described. In addition, the device was applied during a functional MRI (fMRI) investigation of visceral stimulation related to detrusor distention in two representative subjects to verify its feasibility in humans. System evaluation tests demonstrate that the device is MR-compatible with negligible impact on imaging quality [static signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss <2.5% and temporal SNR loss <3.5%], and has an accuracy of 99.68% for flow rate and 99.27% for volume delivery. A precise synchronization of the stimulus delivery with fMRI slice acquisition was achieved by programming the proposed device to detect the 5 V transistor–transistor logic (TTL) trigger signals generated by the MRI scanner. The fMRI data analysis using the general linear model analysis with the standard hemodynamic response function showed increased activations in the network of brain regions that included the insula, anterior and mid-cingulate and lateral prefrontal cortices, and thalamus in response to increased distension pressure on viscera. The translation from manually operated devices to an MR-compatible and MR-synchronized device under automatic control represents a useful innovation for clinical neuroimaging studies of human interoception. PMID:27551646

The endocannabinoid system and emotional processing: a pharmacological fMRI study with ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol.

PubMed

Bossong, Matthijs G; van Hell, Hendrika H; Jager, Gerry; Kahn, René S; Ramsey, Nick F; Jansma, J Martijn

2013-12-01

Various psychiatric disorders such as major depression are associated with abnormalities in emotional processing. Evidence indicating involvement of the endocannabinoid system in emotional processing, and thus potentially in related abnormalities, is increasing. In the present study, we examined the role of the endocannabinoid system in processing of stimuli with a positive and negative emotional content in healthy volunteers. A pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was conducted with a placebo-controlled, cross-over design, investigating effects of the endocannabinoid agonist ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on brain function related to emotional processing in 11 healthy subjects. Performance and brain activity during matching of stimuli with a negative ('fearful faces') or a positive content ('happy faces') were assessed after placebo and THC administration. After THC administration, performance accuracy was decreased for stimuli with a negative but not for stimuli with a positive emotional content. Our task activated a network of brain regions including amygdala, orbital frontal gyrus, hippocampus, parietal gyrus, prefrontal cortex, and regions in the occipital cortex. THC interacted with emotional content, as activity in this network was reduced for negative content, while activity for positive content was increased. These results indicate that THC administration reduces the negative bias in emotional processing. This adds human evidence to support the hypothesis that the endocannabinoid system is involved in modulation of emotional processing. Our findings also suggest a possible role for the endocannabinoid system in abnormal emotional processing, and may thus be relevant for psychiatric disorders such as major depression. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Spatially adapted augmentation of age-specific atlas-based segmentation using patch-based priors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Mengyuan; Seshamani, Sharmishtaa; Harrylock, Lisa; Kitsch, Averi; Miller, Steven; Chau, Van; Poskitt, Kenneth; Rousseau, Francois; Studholme, Colin

2014-03-01

One of the most common approaches to MRI brain tissue segmentation is to employ an atlas prior to initialize an Expectation- Maximization (EM) image labeling scheme using a statistical model of MRI intensities. This prior is commonly derived from a set of manually segmented training data from the population of interest. However, in cases where subject anatomy varies significantly from the prior anatomical average model (for example in the case where extreme developmental abnormalities or brain injuries occur), the prior tissue map does not provide adequate information about the observed MRI intensities to ensure the EM algorithm converges to an anatomically accurate labeling of the MRI. In this paper, we present a novel approach for automatic segmentation of such cases. This approach augments the atlas-based EM segmentation by exploring methods to build a hybrid tissue segmentation scheme that seeks to learn where an atlas prior fails (due to inadequate representation of anatomical variation in the statistical atlas) and utilize an alternative prior derived from a patch driven search of the atlas data. We describe a framework for incorporating this patch-based augmentation of EM (PBAEM) into a 4D age-specific atlas-based segmentation of developing brain anatomy. The proposed approach was evaluated on a set of MRI brain scans of premature neonates with ages ranging from 27.29 to 46.43 gestational weeks (GWs). Results indicated superior performance compared to the conventional atlas-based segmentation method, providing improved segmentation accuracy for gray matter, white matter, ventricles and sulcal CSF regions.

Altered spontaneous brain activity in Cushing's disease: a resting-state functional MRI study.

PubMed

Jiang, Hong; He, Na-Ying; Sun, Yu-Hao; Jian, Fang-Fang; Bian, Liu-Guan; Shen, Jian-Kang; Yan, Fu-Hua; Pan, Si-Jian; Sun, Qing-Fang

2017-03-01

Cushing's disease (CD) provides a unique and naturalist model for studying the influence of hypercortisolism on the human brain and the reversibility of these effects after resolution of the condition. This cross-sectional study used resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) to investigate the altered spontaneous brain activity in CD patients and the trends for potential reversibility after the resolution of the hypercortisolism. We also aim to determine the relationship of these changes with clinical characteristics and cortisol levels. Active CD patients (n = 18), remitted CD patients (n = 14) and healthy control subjects (n = 22) were included in this study. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) values were calculated to represent spontaneous brain activity. Our study resulted in three major findings: (i) active CD patients showed significantly altered spontaneous brain activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus (PCu), occipital lobe (OC)/cerebellum, thalamus, right postcentral gyrus (PoCG) and left prefrontal cortex (PFC); (ii) trends for partial restoration of altered spontaneous brain activity after the resolution hypercortisolism were found in several brain regions; and (iii) active CD patients showed a significant correlation between cortisol levels and ALFF/ReHo values in the PCC/PCu, a small cluster in the OC and the right IPL. This study provides a new approach to investigating brain function abnormalities in patients with CD and enhances our understanding of the effect of hypercortisolism on the human brain. Furthermore, our explorative potential reversibility study of patients with CD may facilitate the development of future longitudinal studies. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Differential Amygdala Response to Lower Face in Patients with Autistic Spectrum Disorders: An fMRI Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ishitobi, Makoto; Kosaka, Hirotaka; Omori, Masao; Matsumura, Yukiko; Munesue, Toshio; Mizukami, Kimiko; Shimoyama, Tomohiro; Murata, Tetsuhito; Sadato, Norihiro; Okazawa, Hidehiko; Wada, Yuji

2011-01-01

Much functional neuroimaging evidence indicates that autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) demonstrate marked brain abnormalities in face processing. Most of these findings were obtained from studies using tasks related to whole faces. However, individuals with ASD tend to rely more on individual parts of the face for identification than on the…

Analysis of Blood Gadolinium in an Isotope Geochemist Following Contrast MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasylenki, L. E.

2011-12-01

Normal brain tissue does not have blood flowing throughout it; instead oxygen diffuses across a blood-brain barrier in order to oxygenate brain cells. Brain tumors, however, do grow blood supplies, so an abnormal distribution of blood in the brain is a key indicator of abnormal cell growth. But how is the distribution of blood in inside the brain observed? The lanthanide ion gadolinium(III) has unpaired 5f-shell electrons and is thus paramagnetic. As such, the presence of Gd causes the nuclei of nearby atoms to relax more quickly when excited to high-energy spin states by pulses of radio-frequency energy than they would without Gd nearby. The signal in magnetic resonance imaging correlates with this nuclear spin relaxation time, so gadolinium's presence in certain body tissues makes those tissues appear as bright areas on MRI images. Gadolinium is therefore commonly injected intravenously just prior to MRI imaging, so that the distribution of blood in and around the brain can be mapped. Gadolinium as a free ion is toxic, so it is injected in a relatively inert form, often as gadoversetamide, in which Gd is tightly bound in nine-fold coordination with N, C, and O. This compound is removed from the blood by the kidneys at a rate that is fast compared to the rate of breakdown of this compound in the blood, thus preventing release of toxic Gd in the bloodstream. But how quickly can the kidneys of an isotope geochemist remove Gd from blood? In this experiment, a single isotope geochemist's wristwatch was synchronized with that of the MRI technician and then left in a dressing room with all other magnetically susceptible objects until after the MRI. The time of intravenous injection of gadoversetamide into the isotopist was recorded by the technician and later transmitted verbally to the isotopist. Following the MRI session, blood samples were collected by self-fingerprick, in a Class 100 trace metal clean lab, from 47 to 281 minutes after intravenous injection. For each timepoint, approximately 300 microliters of blood were transferred by acid-washed pipette to an acid-washed, Teflon, screw-cap vial and weighed. Samples were digested with hot, concentrated nitric acid and 30% hydrogen peroxide, dried down, and redissolved in 0.32 M nitric acid. Gd concentrations were measured by quadrupole ICP-MS, at masses 152, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, and 160, using yttrium (mass 89) and bismuth (mass 209) as internal standards to normalize plasma variations during the run. Results indicate decreasing blood Gd concentrations, from 35.8 parts per million by weight at 47 minutes after injection to 7.5 parts per million at 281 minutes. The data have a near-perfect fit to an exponential decay curve with half-life of 105 minutes, demonstrating that renal filtration of gadoversetamide is a first-order reaction in at least one isotope geochemist.

Relationship between brain function (aEEG) and brain structure (MRI) and their predictive value for neurodevelopmental outcome of preterm infants.

PubMed

Hüning, Britta; Storbeck, Tobias; Bruns, Nora; Dransfeld, Frauke; Hobrecht, Julia; Karpienski, Julia; Sirin, Selma; Schweiger, Bernd; Weiss, Christel; Felderhoff-Müser, Ursula; Müller, Hanna

2018-05-22

To improve the prediction of neurodevelopmental outcome in very preterm infants, this study used the combination of amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) within the first 72 h of life and cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term equivalent age. A single-center cohort of 38 infants born before 32 weeks of gestation was subjected to both investigations. Structural measurements were performed on MRI. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify independent factors including functional and structural brain measurements associated with outcome at a corrected age of 24 months. aEEG parameters significantly correlated with MRI measurements. Reduced deep gray matter volume was associated with low Burdjalov Score on day 3 (p < 0.0001) and day 1-3 (p = 0.0012). The biparietal width and the transcerebellar diameter were related to Burdjalov Score on day 1 (p = 0.0111; p = 0.0002). The final multiple regression analysis revealed independent predictors of neurodevelopmental outcome: intraventricular hemorrhage (p = 0.0060) and interhemispheric distance (p = 0.0052) for mental developmental index; Burdjalov Score day 1 (p = 0.0201) and interhemispheric distance (p = 0.0142) for psychomotor developmental index. Functional aEEG parameters were associated with altered brain maturation on MRI. The combination of aEEG and MRI contributes to the prediction of outcome at 24 months. What is Known: • Prematurity remains a risk factor for impaired neurodevelopment. • aEEG is used to measure brain activity in preterm infants and cranial MRI is performed to identify structural gray and white matter abnormalities with impact on neurodevelopmental outcome. What is New: • aEEG parameters observed within the first 72 h of life were associated with altered deep gray matter volumes, biparietal width, and transcerebellar diameter at term equivalent age. • The combination of aEEG and MRI contributes to the prediction of neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of corrected age in very preterm infants.

Abnormal Neural Network of Primary Insomnia: Evidence from Spatial Working Memory Task fMRI.

PubMed

Li, Yongli; Liu, Liya; Wang, Enfeng; Zhang, Hongju; Dou, Shewei; Tong, Li; Cheng, Jingliang; Chen, Chuanliang; Shi, Dapeng

2016-01-01

Contemporary functional MRI (fMRI) methods can provide a wealth of information about the neural mechanisms associated with primary insomnia (PI), which centrally involve neural network circuits related to spatial working memory. A total of 30 participants diagnosed with PI and without atypical brain anatomy were selected along with 30 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Subjects were administered the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and clinical assessments of spatial working memory, followed by an MRI scan and fMRI in spatial memory task state. Statistically significant differences between PSQI and spatial working memory were observed between PI patients and controls (p < 0.01). Activation of neural networks related to spatial memory task state in the PI group was observed at the left temporal lobe, left occipital lobe and right frontal lobe. Lower levels of activation were observed in the left parahippocampal gyrus, right parahippocampal gyrus, bilateral temporal cortex, frontal cortex and superior parietal lobule. Participants with PI exhibited characteristic abnormalities in the neural network connectivity related to spatial working memory. These results may be indicative of an underlying pathological mechanism related to spatial working memory deterioration in PI, analogous to recently described mechanisms in other mental health disorders. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The alcoholic brain: neural bases of impaired reward-based decision-making in alcohol use disorders.

PubMed

Galandra, Caterina; Basso, Gianpaolo; Cappa, Stefano; Canessa, Nicola

2018-03-01

Neuroeconomics is providing insights into the neural bases of decision-making in normal and pathological conditions. In the neuropsychiatric domain, this discipline investigates how abnormal functioning of neural systems associated with reward processing and cognitive control promotes different disorders, and whether such evidence may inform treatments. This endeavor is crucial when studying different types of addiction, which share a core promoting mechanism in the imbalance between impulsive subcortical neural signals associated with immediate pleasurable outcomes and inhibitory signals mediated by a prefrontal reflective system. The resulting impairment in behavioral control represents a hallmark of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by excessive alcohol consumption despite devastating consequences. This review aims to summarize available magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence on reward-related decision-making alterations in AUDs, and to envision possible future research directions. We review functional MRI (fMRI) studies using tasks involving monetary rewards, as well as MRI studies relating decision-making parameters to neurostructural gray- or white-matter metrics. The available data suggest that excessive alcohol exposure affects neural signaling within brain networks underlying adaptive behavioral learning via the implementation of prediction errors. Namely, weaker ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity and altered connectivity between ventral striatum and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex likely underpin a shift from goal-directed to habitual actions which, in turn, might underpin compulsive alcohol consumption and relapsing episodes despite adverse consequences. Overall, these data highlight abnormal fronto-striatal connectivity as a candidate neurobiological marker of impaired choice in AUDs. Further studies are needed, however, to unveil its implications in the multiple facets of decision-making.

Altered neural processing of emotional faces in remitted Cushing's disease.

PubMed

Bas-Hoogendam, Janna Marie; Andela, Cornelie D; van der Werff, Steven J A; Pannekoek, J Nienke; van Steenbergen, Henk; Meijer, Onno C; van Buchem, Mark A; Rombouts, Serge A R B; van der Mast, Roos C; Biermasz, Nienke R; van der Wee, Nic J A; Pereira, Alberto M

2015-09-01

Patients with long-term remission of Cushing's disease (CD) demonstrate residual psychological complaints. At present, it is not known how previous exposure to hypercortisolism affects psychological functioning in the long-term. Earlier magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies demonstrated abnormalities of brain structure and resting-state connectivity in patients with long-term remission of CD, but no data are available on functional alterations in the brain during the performance of emotional or cognitive tasks in these patients. We performed a cross-sectional functional MRI study, investigating brain activation during emotion processing in patients with long-term remission of CD. Processing of emotional faces versus a non-emotional control condition was examined in 21 patients and 21 matched healthy controls. Analyses focused on activation and connectivity of two a priori determined regions of interest: the amygdala and the medial prefrontal-orbitofrontal cortex (mPFC-OFC). We also assessed psychological functioning, cognitive failure, and clinical disease severity. Patients showed less mPFC activation during processing of emotional faces compared to controls, whereas no differences were found in amygdala activation. An exploratory psychophysiological interaction analysis demonstrated decreased functional coupling between the ventromedial PFC and posterior cingulate cortex (a region structurally connected to the PFC) in CD-patients. The present study is the first to show alterations in brain function and task-related functional coupling in patients with long-term remission of CD relative to matched healthy controls. These alterations may, together with abnormalities in brain structure, be related to the persisting psychological morbidity in patients with CD after long-term remission. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brain growth across the life span in autism: age-specific changes in anatomical pathology.

PubMed

Courchesne, Eric; Campbell, Kathleen; Solso, Stephanie

2011-03-22

Autism is marked by overgrowth of the brain at the earliest ages but not at older ages when decreases in structural volumes and neuron numbers are observed instead. This has led to the theory of age-specific anatomic abnormalities in autism. Here we report age-related changes in brain size in autistic and typical subjects from 12 months to 50 years of age based on analyses of 586 longitudinal and cross-sectional MRI scans. This dataset is several times larger than the largest autism study to date. Results demonstrate early brain overgrowth during infancy and the toddler years in autistic boys and girls, followed by an accelerated rate of decline in size and perhaps degeneration from adolescence to late middle age in this disorder. We theorize that underlying these age-specific changes in anatomic abnormalities in autism, there may also be age-specific changes in gene expression, molecular, synaptic, cellular, and circuit abnormalities. A peak age for detecting and studying the earliest fundamental biological underpinnings of autism is prenatal life and the first three postnatal years. Studies of the older autistic brain may not address original causes but are essential to discovering how best to help the older aging autistic person. Lastly, the theory of age-specific anatomic abnormalities in autism has broad implications for a wide range of work on the disorder including the design, validation, and interpretation of animal model, lymphocyte gene expression, brain gene expression, and genotype/CNV-anatomic phenotype studies. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Resting-State Functional Connectivity in the Infant Brain: Methods, Pitfalls, and Potentiality.

PubMed

Mongerson, Chandler R L; Jennings, Russell W; Borsook, David; Becerra, Lino; Bajic, Dusica

2017-01-01

Early brain development is characterized by rapid growth and perpetual reconfiguration, driven by a dynamic milieu of heterogeneous processes. Postnatal brain plasticity is associated with increased vulnerability to environmental stimuli. However, little is known regarding the ontogeny and temporal manifestations of inter- and intra-regional functional connectivity that comprise functional brain networks. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has emerged as a promising non-invasive neuroinvestigative tool, measuring spontaneous fluctuations in blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal at rest that reflect baseline neuronal activity. Over the past decade, its application has expanded to infant populations providing unprecedented insight into functional organization of the developing brain, as well as early biomarkers of abnormal states. However, many methodological issues of rs-fMRI analysis need to be resolved prior to standardization of the technique to infant populations. As a primary goal, this methodological manuscript will (1) present a robust methodological protocol to extract and assess resting-state networks in early infancy using independent component analysis (ICA), such that investigators without previous knowledge in the field can implement the analysis and reliably obtain viable results consistent with previous literature; (2) review the current methodological challenges and ethical considerations associated with emerging field of infant rs-fMRI analysis; and (3) discuss the significance of rs-fMRI application in infants for future investigations of neurodevelopment in the context of early life stressors and pathological processes. The overarching goal is to catalyze efforts toward development of robust, infant-specific acquisition, and preprocessing pipelines, as well as promote greater transparency by researchers regarding methods used.

Resting-State Functional Connectivity in the Infant Brain: Methods, Pitfalls, and Potentiality

PubMed Central

Mongerson, Chandler R. L.; Jennings, Russell W.; Borsook, David; Becerra, Lino; Bajic, Dusica

2017-01-01

Early brain development is characterized by rapid growth and perpetual reconfiguration, driven by a dynamic milieu of heterogeneous processes. Postnatal brain plasticity is associated with increased vulnerability to environmental stimuli. However, little is known regarding the ontogeny and temporal manifestations of inter- and intra-regional functional connectivity that comprise functional brain networks. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has emerged as a promising non-invasive neuroinvestigative tool, measuring spontaneous fluctuations in blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal at rest that reflect baseline neuronal activity. Over the past decade, its application has expanded to infant populations providing unprecedented insight into functional organization of the developing brain, as well as early biomarkers of abnormal states. However, many methodological issues of rs-fMRI analysis need to be resolved prior to standardization of the technique to infant populations. As a primary goal, this methodological manuscript will (1) present a robust methodological protocol to extract and assess resting-state networks in early infancy using independent component analysis (ICA), such that investigators without previous knowledge in the field can implement the analysis and reliably obtain viable results consistent with previous literature; (2) review the current methodological challenges and ethical considerations associated with emerging field of infant rs-fMRI analysis; and (3) discuss the significance of rs-fMRI application in infants for future investigations of neurodevelopment in the context of early life stressors and pathological processes. The overarching goal is to catalyze efforts toward development of robust, infant-specific acquisition, and preprocessing pipelines, as well as promote greater transparency by researchers regarding methods used. PMID:28856131

Defining the nature of the cerebral abnormalities in the premature infant: a qualitative magnetic resonance imaging study.

PubMed

Inder, Terrie E; Wells, Scott J; Mogridge, Nina B; Spencer, Carole; Volpe, Joseph J

2003-08-01

The aim of this study was to define qualitatively the nature and extent of white and gray matter abnormalities in a longitudinal population-based study of infants with very low birth weight. Perinatal factors were then related to the presence and severity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities. From November 1998 to December 2000, 100 consecutive premature infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Christchurch Women's Hospital were recruited (98% eligible) after informed parental consent to undergo an MRI scan at term equivalent. The scans were analyzed by a single neuroradiologist experienced in pediatric MRI, with a second independent scoring of the MRI using a combination of criteria for white matter (cysts, signal abnormality, loss of volume, ventriculomegaly, corpus callosal thinning, myelination) and gray matter (gray matter signal abnormality, gyration, subarachnoid space). Results were analyzed against individual item scores as well as the presence of moderate-severe white matter score, total gray matter score, and total brain score. The mean gestational age was 27.9+/-2.4 weeks (range, 23-32 weeks), and mean birth weight was 1063+/-292 g. The greatest univariate predictors for moderate-severe white matter abnormality were lower gestational age (odds ratio [OR], 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-1.7; P<.01), maternal fever (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.1-4.6; P<.04), proven sepsis in the infant at delivery (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1-3.6; P=0.03), inotropic support (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.5-4.5; P<.001), patent ductus arteriosus (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.2-3.8; P=.01), grade III/IV intraventricular hemorrhage (P=.015), and the occurrence of a pneumothorax (P=.05). There was a significant protective effect of intrauterine growth restriction (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.23-0.99; P=.04). Gray matter abnormality was highly related to the presence and severity of white matter abnormality. A unique pattern of cerebral abnormality consisting of significant diffuse white matter atrophy, ventriculomegaly, immature gyral development, and enlarged subarachnoid space was found in 10 of 11 infants with birth gestation <26 weeks. Given the later outcome of these infants, this pattern may have very high risk for later global neurodevelopmental disability. This MRI study confirms a high incidence of cerebral white matter abnormality at term in an unselected population of premature infants, which is predominantly a result of noncystic injury in the extremely immature infant. We confirm that the major perinatal risk factors for white matter abnormality are related to perinatal infection, particularly maternal fever and infant sepsis, and hypotension with inotrope use. We have defined a distinct pattern of diffuse white and gray matter abnormality in the extremely immature infant.

Primary cortical folding in the human newborn: an early marker of later functional development.

PubMed

Dubois, J; Benders, M; Borradori-Tolsa, C; Cachia, A; Lazeyras, F; Ha-Vinh Leuchter, R; Sizonenko, S V; Warfield, S K; Mangin, J F; Hüppi, P S

2008-08-01

In the human brain, the morphology of cortical gyri and sulci is complex and variable among individuals, and it may reflect pathological functioning with specific abnormalities observed in certain developmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Since cortical folding occurs early during brain development, these structural abnormalities might be present long before the appearance of functional symptoms. So far, the precise mechanisms responsible for such alteration in the convolution pattern during intra-uterine or post-natal development are still poorly understood. Here we compared anatomical and functional brain development in vivo among 45 premature newborns who experienced different intra-uterine environments: 22 normal singletons, 12 twins and 11 newborns with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dedicated post-processing tools, we investigated early disturbances in cortical formation at birth, over the developmental period critical for the emergence of convolutions (26-36 weeks of gestational age), and defined early 'endophenotypes' of sulcal development. We demonstrated that twins have a delayed but harmonious maturation, with reduced surface and sulcation index compared to singletons, whereas the gyrification of IUGR newborns is discordant to the normal developmental trajectory, with a more pronounced reduction of surface in relation to the sulcation index compared to normal newborns. Furthermore, we showed that these structural measurements of the brain at birth are predictors of infants' outcome at term equivalent age, for MRI-based cerebral volumes and neurobehavioural development evaluated with the assessment of preterm infant's behaviour (APIB).

Leukoencephalopathy with brain stem and spinal cord involvement and high lactate: a genetically proven case with distinct MRI findings.

PubMed

Uluc, Kayihan; Baskan, Ozdil; Yildirim, Kadriye Agan; Ozsahin, Selda; Koseoglu, Mesrure; Isak, Baris; Scheper, G C; Gunal, Dilek Ince; van der Knaap, M S

2008-10-15

Leukoencephalopathy with brainstem and spinal cord involvement and lactate elevation (LBSL) is a recently described disorder with autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. Lately, mutations in the DARS2 gene, which encodes mitochondrial aspartyl-tRNA synthetase, have been found as the underlying defect. We report a 19-year-old male patient with cerebellar, pyramidal and dorsal column dysfunctions and specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and characteristic magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) abnormalities. The patient was compound-heterozygous for two mutations in DARS2. MRI showed selective involvement of cerebral and cerebellar white matter and superior and inferior cerebellar peduncles, without contrast enhancement. The U-fibers were spared. The sensory and the pyramidal tracts were affected over their entire length. Involvement of the intraparenchymal trajectories of the trigeminal nerves and mesencephalic trigeminal tracts was demonstrated. In the spinal cord, signal abnormalities were identified in the dorsal columns and the lateral corticospinal tracts. Proton-MRS of the frontal and cerebellar white matter showed elevated lactate, reduced N-acetylaspartate, increased myoinositol and mildly elevated choline. In LBSL, distinct MRI findings should lead to the diagnosis, which can be confirmed by the analysis of the disease gene DARS2.

Multi-atlas-based CT synthesis from conventional MRI with patch-based refinement for MRI-based radiotherapy planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Junghoon; Carass, Aaron; Jog, Amod; Zhao, Can; Prince, Jerry L.

2017-02-01

Accurate CT synthesis, sometimes called electron density estimation, from MRI is crucial for successful MRI-based radiotherapy planning and dose computation. Existing CT synthesis methods are able to synthesize normal tissues but are unable to accurately synthesize abnormal tissues (i.e., tumor), thus providing a suboptimal solution. We propose a multiatlas- based hybrid synthesis approach that combines multi-atlas registration and patch-based synthesis to accurately synthesize both normal and abnormal tissues. Multi-parametric atlas MR images are registered to the target MR images by multi-channel deformable registration, from which the atlas CT images are deformed and fused by locally-weighted averaging using a structural similarity measure (SSIM). Synthetic MR images are also computed from the registered atlas MRIs by using the same weights used for the CT synthesis; these are compared to the target patient MRIs allowing for the assessment of the CT synthesis fidelity. Poor synthesis regions are automatically detected based on the fidelity measure and refined by a patch-based synthesis. The proposed approach was tested on brain cancer patient data, and showed a noticeable improvement for the tumor region.

Multi-atlas-based CT synthesis from conventional MRI with patch-based refinement for MRI-based radiotherapy planning.

PubMed

Lee, Junghoon; Carass, Aaron; Jog, Amod; Zhao, Can; Prince, Jerry L

2017-02-01

Accurate CT synthesis, sometimes called electron density estimation, from MRI is crucial for successful MRI-based radiotherapy planning and dose computation. Existing CT synthesis methods are able to synthesize normal tissues but are unable to accurately synthesize abnormal tissues (i.e., tumor), thus providing a suboptimal solution. We propose a multi-atlas-based hybrid synthesis approach that combines multi-atlas registration and patch-based synthesis to accurately synthesize both normal and abnormal tissues. Multi-parametric atlas MR images are registered to the target MR images by multi-channel deformable registration, from which the atlas CT images are deformed and fused by locally-weighted averaging using a structural similarity measure (SSIM). Synthetic MR images are also computed from the registered atlas MRIs by using the same weights used for the CT synthesis; these are compared to the target patient MRIs allowing for the assessment of the CT synthesis fidelity. Poor synthesis regions are automatically detected based on the fidelity measure and refined by a patch-based synthesis. The proposed approach was tested on brain cancer patient data, and showed a noticeable improvement for the tumor region.

The Iowa Gambling Task in fMRI Images

PubMed Central

Li, Xiangrui; Lu, Zhong-Lin; D'Argembeau, Arnaud; Ng, Marie; Bechara, Antoine

2009-01-01

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is a sensitive test for the detection of decision-making impairments in several neurologic and psychiatric populations. Very few studies have employed the IGT in fMRI investigations, in part, because the task is cognitively complex. Here we report a method for exploring brain activity using fMRI during performance of the IGT. Decision-making during the IGT was associated with activity in several brain regions in a group of healthy individuals. The activated regions were consistent with the neural circuitry hypothesized to underlie somatic marker activation and decision-making. Specifically, a neural circuitry involving the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (for working memory), the insula and posterior cingulate cortex (for representations of emotional states), the mesial orbitofrontal and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (for coupling the two previous processes), the ventral striatum and anterior cingulate/SMA (supplementary motor area) for implementing behavioral decisions was engaged. These results have implications for using the IGT to study abnormal mechanisms of decision making in a variety of clinical populations. PMID:19777556

[3D FSPGR (fast spoiled gradient echo) magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of focal cortical dysplasia in children].

PubMed

Alikhanov, A A; Sinitsyn, V E; Perepelova, E M; Mukhin, K Iu; Demushkina, A A; Omarova, M O; Piliia, S V

2001-01-01

Small dysplastic lesions of the cerebral cortex are often missed by conventional MRI methods. The identification of subtle structural abnormalities by traditional multiplanar rectilinear slices is often limited by the complex convolutional pattern of the brain. We used a method of FSPGR (fast spoiled gradient-echo) of three-dimensional MRI data that improves the anatomical display of the sulcal structure of the hemispheric convexities. It also reduces the asymmetric sampling of gray-white matter that may lead to false-positive results. We present 5 from 12 patients with dysplastic cortical lesions in whom conventional two-dimensional and three-dimensional MRI with multiplanar reformatting was initially considered normal. Subsequent studies using 3D FSPGR identified various types of focal cortical dysplasia in all. These results indicate that an increase in the detection of subtle focal dysplastic lesions may be accomplished when one improves the anatomical display of the brain sulcal structure by performing 3D FSPGR.

A computerized tablet with visual feedback of hand position for functional magnetic resonance imaging

PubMed Central

Karimpoor, Mahta; Tam, Fred; Strother, Stephen C.; Fischer, Corinne E.; Schweizer, Tom A.; Graham, Simon J.

2015-01-01

Neuropsychological tests behavioral tasks that very commonly involve handwriting and drawing are widely used in the clinic to detect abnormal brain function. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) may be useful in increasing the specificity of such tests. However, performing complex pen-and-paper tests during fMRI involves engineering challenges. Previously, we developed an fMRI-compatible, computerized tablet system to address this issue. However, the tablet did not include visual feedback of hand position (VFHP), a human factors component that may be important for fMRI of certain patient populations. A real-time system was thus developed to provide VFHP and integrated with the tablet in an augmented reality display. The effectiveness of the system was initially tested in young healthy adults who performed various handwriting tasks in front of a computer display with and without VFHP. Pilot fMRI of writing tasks were performed by two representative individuals with and without VFHP. Quantitative analysis of the behavioral results indicated improved writing performance with VFHP. The pilot fMRI results suggest that writing with VFHP requires less neural resources compared to the without VFHP condition, to maintain similar behavior. Thus, the tablet system with VFHP is recommended for future fMRI studies involving patients with impaired brain function and where ecologically valid behavior is important. PMID:25859201

Altered spontaneous brain activity in patients with hemifacial spasm: a resting-state functional MRI study.

PubMed

Tu, Ye; Wei, Yongxu; Sun, Kun; Zhao, Weiguo; Yu, Buwei

2015-01-01

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been used to detect the alterations of spontaneous neuronal activity in various neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases, but rarely in hemifacial spasm (HFS), a nervous system disorder. We used resting-state fMRI with regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis to investigate changes in spontaneous brain activity of patients with HFS and to determine the relationship of these functional changes with clinical features. Thirty patients with HFS and 33 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls were included in this study. Compared with controls, HFS patients had significantly decreased ReHo values in left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), left medial cingulate cortex (MCC), left lingual gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus (STG) and right precuneus; and increased ReHo values in left precentral gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), right brainstem, and right cerebellum. Furthermore, the mean ReHo value in brainstem showed a positive correlation with the spasm severity (r = 0.404, p = 0.027), and the mean ReHo value in MFG was inversely related with spasm severity in HFS group (r = -0.398, p = 0.028). This study reveals that HFS is associated with abnormal spontaneous brain activity in brain regions most involved in motor control and blinking movement. The disturbances of spontaneous brain activity reflected by ReHo measurements may provide insights into the neurological pathophysiology of HFS.

The effect of inflammation and its reduction on brain plasticity in multiple sclerosis: MRI evidence

PubMed Central

d'Ambrosio, Alessandro; Petsas, Nikolaos; Wise, Richard G.; Sbardella, Emilia; Allen, Marek; Tona, Francesca; Fanelli, Fulvia; Foster, Catherine; Carnì, Marco; Gallo, Antonio; Pantano, Patrizia; Pozzilli, Carlo

2016-01-01

Abstract Brain plasticity is the basis for systems‐level functional reorganization that promotes recovery in multiple sclerosis (MS). As inflammation interferes with plasticity, its pharmacological modulation may restore plasticity by promoting desired patterns of functional reorganization. Here, we tested the hypothesis that brain plasticity probed by a visuomotor adaptation task is impaired with MS inflammation and that pharmacological reduction of inflammation facilitates its restoration. MS patients were assessed twice before (sessions 1 and 2) and once after (session 3) the beginning of Interferon beta (IFN beta), using behavioural and structural MRI measures. During each session, 2 functional MRI runs of a visuomotor task, separated by 25‐minutes of task practice, were performed. Within‐session between‐run change in task‐related functional signal was our imaging marker of plasticity. During session 1, patients were compared with healthy controls. Comparison of patients' sessions 2 and 3 tested the effect of reduced inflammation on our imaging marker of plasticity. The proportion of patients with gadolinium‐enhancing lesions reduced significantly during IFN beta. In session 1, patients demonstrated a greater between‐run difference in functional MRI activity of secondary visual areas and cerebellum than controls. This abnormally large practice‐induced signal change in visual areas, and in functionally connected posterior parietal and motor cortices, was reduced in patients in session 3 compared with 2. Our results suggest that MS inflammation alters short‐term plasticity underlying motor practice. Reduction of inflammation with IFN beta is associated with a restoration of this plasticity, suggesting that modulation of inflammation may enhance recovery‐oriented strategies that rely on patients' brain plasticity. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2431–2445, 2016. © 2016 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26991559

Interictal Electroencephalography (EEG) Findings in Children with Epilepsy and Bilateral Brain Lesions on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

PubMed

Zubcevic, Smail; Milos, Maja; Catibusic, Feriha; Uzicanin, Sajra; Krdzalic, Belma

2015-12-01

Neuroimaging procedures and electroencephalography (EEG) are basic parts of investigation of patients with epilepsies. The aim is to try to assess relationship between bilaterally localized brain lesions found in routine management of children with newly diagnosed epilepsy and their interictal EEG findings. Total amount of 68 patients filled criteria for inclusion in the study that was performed at Neuropediatrics Department, Pediatric Hospital, University Clinical Center Sarajevo, or its outpatient clinic. There were 33 girls (48,5%) and 35 boys (51,5%). Average age at diagnosis of epilepsy was 3,5 years. Both neurological and neuropsychological examination in the moment of making diagnosis of epilepsy was normal in 27 (39,7%) patients, and showed some kind of delay or other neurological finding in 41 (60,3%). Brain MRI showed lesions that can be related to antenatal or perinatal events in most of the patients (ventricular dilation in 30,9%, delayed myelination and post-hypoxic changes in 27,9%). More than half of patients (55,9%) showed bilateral interictal epileptiform discharges on their EEGs, and further 14,7% had other kinds of bilateral abnormalities. Frequency of bilateral epileptic discharges showed statistically significant predominance on level of p<0,05. Cross tabulation between specific types of bilateral brain MRI lesions and EEG finding did not reveal significant type of EEG for assessed brain lesions. We conclude that there exists relationship between bilaterally localized brain MRI lesions and interictal bilateral epileptiform or nonspecific EEG findings in children with newly diagnosed epilepsies. These data are suggesting that in cases when they do not correlate there is a need for further investigation of seizure etiology.

Neuroimaging of Cerebrovascular Disease in the Aging Brain

PubMed Central

Gupta, Ajay; Nair, Sreejit; Schweitzer, Andrew D.; Kishore, Sirish; Johnson, Carl E.; Comunale, Joseph P.; Tsiouris, Apostolos J.; Sanelli, Pina C.

2012-01-01

Cerebrovascular disease remains a significant public health burden with its greatest impact on the elderly population. Advances in neuroimaging techniques allow detailed and sophisticated evaluation of many manifestations of cerebrovascular disease in the brain parenchyma as well as in the intracranial and extracranial vasculature. These tools continue to contribute to our understanding of the multifactorial processes that occur in the age-dependent development of cerebrovascular disease. Structural abnormalities related to vascular disease in the brain and vessels have been well characterized with CT and MRI based techniques. We review some of the pathophysiologic mechanisms in the aging brain and cerebral vasculature and the related structural abnormalities detectable on neuroimaging, including evaluation of age-related white matter changes, atherosclerosis of the cerebral vasculature, and cerebral infarction. In addition, newer neuroimaging techniques, such as diffusion tensor imaging, perfusion techniques, and assessment of cerebrovascular reserve, are also reviewed, as these techniques can detect physiologic alterations which complement the morphologic changes that cause cerebrovascular disease in the aging brain.Further investigation of these advanced imaging techniques has potential application to the understanding and diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease in the elderly. PMID:23185721

Abnormal activation of the occipital lobes during emotion picture processing in major depressive disorder patients

PubMed Central

Li, Jianying; Xu, Cheng; Cao, Xiaohua; Gao, Qiang; Wang, Yan; Wang, Yanfang; Peng, Juyi; Zhang, Kerang

2013-01-01

A large number of studies have demonstrated that depression patients have cognitive dysfunction. With recently developed brain functional imaging, studies have focused on changes in brain function to investigate cognitive changes. However, there is still controversy regarding abnormalities in brain functions or correlation between cognitive impairment and brain function changes. Thus, it is important to design an emotion-related task for research into brain function changes. We selected positive, neutral, and negative pictures from the International Affective Picture System. Patients with major depressive disorder were asked to judge emotion pictures. In addition, functional MRI was performed to synchronously record behavior data and imaging data. Results showed that the total correct rate for recognizing pictures was lower in patients compared with normal controls. Moreover, the consistency for recognizing pictures for depressed patients was worse than normal controls, and they frequently recognized positive pictures as negative pictures. The consistency for recognizing pictures was negatively correlated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Functional MRI suggested that the activation of some areas in the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, limbic lobe, and cerebellum was enhanced, but that the activation of some areas in the frontal lobe, parietal lobe and occipital lobe was weakened while the patients were watching positive and neutral pictures compared with normal controls. The activation of some areas in the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, and limbic lobe was enhanced, but the activation of some areas in the occipital lobe were weakened while the patients were watching the negative pictures compared with normal controls. These findings indicate that patients with major depressive disorder have negative cognitive disorder and extensive brain dysfunction. Thus, reduced activation of the occipital lobe may be an initiating factor for cognitive disorder in depressed patients. PMID:25206466

Abnormal functional global and local brain connectivity in female patients with anorexia nervosa

PubMed Central

Geisler, Daniel; Borchardt, Viola; Lord, Anton R.; Boehm, Ilka; Ritschel, Franziska; Zwipp, Johannes; Clas, Sabine; King, Joseph A.; Wolff-Stephan, Silvia; Roessner, Veit; Walter, Martin; Ehrlich, Stefan

2016-01-01

Background Previous resting-state functional connectivity studies in patients with anorexia nervosa used independent component analysis or seed-based connectivity analysis to probe specific brain networks. Instead, modelling the entire brain as a complex network allows determination of graph-theoretical metrics, which describe global and local properties of how brain networks are organized and how they interact. Methods To determine differences in network properties between female patients with acute anorexia nervosa and pairwise matched healthy controls, we used resting-state fMRI and computed well-established global and local graph metrics across a range of network densities. Results Our analyses included 35 patients and 35 controls. We found that the global functional network structure in patients with anorexia nervosa is characterized by increases in both characteristic path length (longer average routes between nodes) and assortativity (more nodes with a similar connectedness link together). Accordingly, we found locally decreased connectivity strength and increased path length in the posterior insula and thalamus. Limitations The present results may be limited to the methods applied during preprocessing and network construction. Conclusion We demonstrated anorexia nervosa–related changes in the network configuration for, to our knowledge, the first time using resting-state fMRI and graph-theoretical measures. Our findings revealed an altered global brain network architecture accompanied by local degradations indicating wide-scale disturbance in information flow across brain networks in patients with acute anorexia nervosa. Reduced local network efficiency in the thalamus and posterior insula may reflect a mechanism that helps explain the impaired integration of visuospatial and homeostatic signals in patients with this disorder, which is thought to be linked to abnormal representations of body size and hunger. PMID:26252451

Abnormal functional global and local brain connectivity in female patients with anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Geisler, Daniel; Borchardt, Viola; Lord, Anton R; Boehm, Ilka; Ritschel, Franziska; Zwipp, Johannes; Clas, Sabine; King, Joseph A; Wolff-Stephan, Silvia; Roessner, Veit; Walter, Martin; Ehrlich, Stefan

2016-01-01

Previous resting-state functional connectivity studies in patients with anorexia nervosa used independent component analysis or seed-based connectivity analysis to probe specific brain networks. Instead, modelling the entire brain as a complex network allows determination of graph-theoretical metrics, which describe global and local properties of how brain networks are organized and how they interact. To determine differences in network properties between female patients with acute anorexia nervosa and pairwise matched healthy controls, we used resting-state fMRI and computed well-established global and local graph metrics across a range of network densities. Our analyses included 35 patients and 35 controls. We found that the global functional network structure in patients with anorexia nervosa is characterized by increases in both characteristic path length (longer average routes between nodes) and assortativity (more nodes with a similar connectedness link together). Accordingly, we found locally decreased connectivity strength and increased path length in the posterior insula and thalamus. The present results may be limited to the methods applied during preprocessing and network construction. We demonstrated anorexia nervosa-related changes in the network configuration for, to our knowledge, the first time using resting-state fMRI and graph-theoretical measures. Our findings revealed an altered global brain network architecture accompanied by local degradations indicating wide-scale disturbance in information flow across brain networks in patients with acute anorexia nervosa. Reduced local network efficiency in the thalamus and posterior insula may reflect a mechanism that helps explain the impaired integration of visuospatial and homeostatic signals in patients with this disorder, which is thought to be linked to abnormal representations of body size and hunger.

Dynamic functional connectivity reveals altered variability in functional connectivity among patients with major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Demirtaş, Murat; Tornador, Cristian; Falcón, Carles; López-Solà, Marina; Hernández-Ribas, Rosa; Pujol, Jesús; Menchón, José M; Ritter, Petra; Cardoner, Narcis; Soriano-Mas, Carles; Deco, Gustavo

2016-08-01

Resting-state fMRI (RS-fMRI) has become a useful tool to investigate the connectivity structure of mental health disorders. In the case of major depressive disorder (MDD), recent studies regarding the RS-fMRI have found abnormal connectivity in several regions of the brain, particularly in the default mode network (DMN). Thus, the relevance of the DMN to self-referential thoughts and ruminations has made the use of the resting-state approach particularly important for MDD. The majority of such research has relied on the grand averaged functional connectivity measures based on the temporal correlations between the BOLD time series of various brain regions. We, in our study, investigated the variations in the functional connectivity over time at global and local level using RS-fMRI BOLD time series of 27 MDD patients and 27 healthy control subjects. We found that global synchronization and temporal stability were significantly increased in the MDD patients. Furthermore, the participants with MDD showed significantly increased overall average (static) functional connectivity (sFC) but decreased variability of functional connectivity (vFC) within specific networks. Static FC increased to predominance among the regions pertaining to the default mode network (DMN), while the decreased variability of FC was observed in the connections between the DMN and the frontoparietal network. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2918-2930, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Automated brain tumour detection and segmentation using superpixel-based extremely randomized trees in FLAIR MRI.

PubMed

Soltaninejad, Mohammadreza; Yang, Guang; Lambrou, Tryphon; Allinson, Nigel; Jones, Timothy L; Barrick, Thomas R; Howe, Franklyn A; Ye, Xujiong

2017-02-01

We propose a fully automated method for detection and segmentation of the abnormal tissue associated with brain tumour (tumour core and oedema) from Fluid- Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The method is based on superpixel technique and classification of each superpixel. A number of novel image features including intensity-based, Gabor textons, fractal analysis and curvatures are calculated from each superpixel within the entire brain area in FLAIR MRI to ensure a robust classification. Extremely randomized trees (ERT) classifier is compared with support vector machine (SVM) to classify each superpixel into tumour and non-tumour. The proposed method is evaluated on two datasets: (1) Our own clinical dataset: 19 MRI FLAIR images of patients with gliomas of grade II to IV, and (2) BRATS 2012 dataset: 30 FLAIR images with 10 low-grade and 20 high-grade gliomas. The experimental results demonstrate the high detection and segmentation performance of the proposed method using ERT classifier. For our own cohort, the average detection sensitivity, balanced error rate and the Dice overlap measure for the segmented tumour against the ground truth are 89.48 %, 6 % and 0.91, respectively, while, for the BRATS dataset, the corresponding evaluation results are 88.09 %, 6 % and 0.88, respectively. This provides a close match to expert delineation across all grades of glioma, leading to a faster and more reproducible method of brain tumour detection and delineation to aid patient management.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Digital Subtraction Angiography Investigation of Childhood Moyamoya Disease.

PubMed

Song, Peiji; Qin, Jing; Lun, Han; Qiao, Penggang; Xie, Anming; Li, Gongjie

2017-11-01

Because digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is not an ideal angiographic examination for moyamoya disease in the pediatric population, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) provides a noninvasive contrast-free angiographic examination; whereas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides superior spatial resolution and soft-tissue contrast for lesion assessment. Ninety patients with moyamoya disease were examined by MRI and DSA to assess the distribution of lesions and their diagnostic agreement between modalities. MRI examination revealed 439 lesions. Punctate lesions were the most abundant, followed by patchy lesions. These lesions generally covered a smaller area than the abnormal-vascular corresponding brain parenchyma. Steno-occlusive changes at bilateral anterior, medial, and posterior cerebral arteries were identified by MRA and DSA. MRI showed moderate agreement in identifying lesions after steno-occlusive changes in anterior and medial cerebral arteries, and good agreement in posterior cerebral arteries; 6% to 11% of cases were misdiagnosed by MRA.

Brain tumour classification and abnormality detection using neuro-fuzzy technique and Otsu thresholding.

PubMed

Renjith, Arokia; Manjula, P; Mohan Kumar, P

2015-01-01

Brain tumour is one of the main causes for an increase in transience among children and adults. This paper proposes an improved method based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) brain image classification and image segmentation approach. Automated classification is encouraged by the need of high accuracy when dealing with a human life. The detection of the brain tumour is a challenging problem, due to high diversity in tumour appearance and ambiguous tumour boundaries. MRI images are chosen for detection of brain tumours, as they are used in soft tissue determinations. First of all, image pre-processing is used to enhance the image quality. Second, dual-tree complex wavelet transform multi-scale decomposition is used to analyse texture of an image. Feature extraction extracts features from an image using gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM). Then, the Neuro-Fuzzy technique is used to classify the stages of brain tumour as benign, malignant or normal based on texture features. Finally, tumour location is detected using Otsu thresholding. The classifier performance is evaluated based on classification accuracies. The simulated results show that the proposed classifier provides better accuracy than previous method.

Evolution of structural abnormalities in the rat brain following in utero exposure to maternal immune activation: A longitudinal in vivo MRI study.

PubMed

Crum, William R; Sawiak, Stephen J; Chege, Winfred; Cooper, Jonathan D; Williams, Steven C R; Vernon, Anthony C

2017-07-01

Genetic and environmental risk factors for psychiatric disorders are suggested to disrupt the trajectory of brain maturation during adolescence, leading to the development of psychopathology in adulthood. Rodent models are powerful tools to dissect the specific effects of such risk factors on brain maturational profiles, particularly when combined with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI; clinically comparable technology). We therefore investigated the effect of maternal immune activation (MIA), an epidemiological risk factor for adult-onset psychiatric disorders, on rat brain maturation using atlas and tensor-based morphometry analysis of longitudinal in vivo MR images. Exposure to MIA resulted in decreases in the volume of several cortical regions, the hippocampus, amygdala, striatum, nucleus accumbens and unexpectedly, the lateral ventricles, relative to controls. In contrast, the volumes of the thalamus, ventral mesencephalon, brain stem and major white matter tracts were larger, relative to controls. These volumetric changes were maximal between post-natal day 50 and 100 with no differences between the groups thereafter. These data are consistent with and extend prior studies of brain structure in MIA-exposed rodents. Apart from the ventricular findings, these data have robust face validity to clinical imaging findings reported in studies of individuals at high clinical risk for a psychiatric disorder. Further work is now required to address the relationship of these MRI changes to behavioral dysfunction and to establish thier cellular correlates. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Semi-quantitative Assessment of Brain Maturation by Conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Neonates with Clinically Mild Hypoxic-ischemic Encephalopathy

PubMed Central

Gao, Jie; Sun, Qin-Li; Zhang, Yu-Miao; Li, Yan-Yan; Li, Huan; Hou, Xin; Yu, Bo-Lang; Zhou, Xi-Hui; Yang, Jian

2015-01-01

Background: Mild hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) injury is becoming the major type in neonatal brain diseases. The aim of this study was to assess brain maturation in mild HIE neonatal brains using total maturation score (TMS) based on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Totally, 45 neonates with clinically mild HIE and 45 matched control neonates were enrolled. Gestated age, birth weight, age after birth and postmenstrual age at magnetic resonance (MR) scan were homogenous in the two groups. According to MR findings, mild HIE neonates were divided into three subgroups: Pattern I, neonates with normal MR appearance; Pattern II, preterm neonates with abnormal MR appearance; Pattern III, full-term neonates with abnormal MR appearance. TMS and its parameters, progressive myelination (M), cortical infolding (C), involution of germinal matrix tissue (G), and glial cell migration bands (B), were employed to assess brain maturation and compare difference between HIE and control groups. Results: The mean of TMS was significantly lower in mild HIE group than it in the control group (mean ± standard deviation [SD] 11.62 ± 1.53 vs. 12.36 ± 1.26, P < 0.001). In four parameters of TMS scores, the M and C scores were significantly lower in mild HIE group. Of the three patterns of mild HIE, Pattern I (10 cases) showed no significant difference of TMS compared with control neonates, while Pattern II (22 cases), III (13 cases) all had significantly decreased TMS than control neonates (mean ± SD 10.56 ± 0.93 vs. 11.48 ± 0.55, P < 0.05; 12.59 ± 1.28 vs. 13.25 ± 1.29, P < 0.05). It was M, C, and GM scores that significantly decreased in Pattern II, while for Pattern III, only C score significantly decreased. Conclusions: The TMS system, based on conventional MRI, is an effective method to detect delayed brain maturation in clinically mild HIE. The conventional MRI can reveal the different retardations in subtle structures and development processes among the different patterns of mild HIE. PMID:25698186

Measuring the volume of brain tumour and determining its location in T2-weighted MRI images using hidden Markov random field: expectation maximization algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mat Jafri, Mohd. Zubir; Abdulbaqi, Hayder Saad; Mutter, Kussay N.; Mustapha, Iskandar Shahrim; Omar, Ahmad Fairuz

2017-06-01

A brain tumour is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain. Most tumour volume measurement processes are carried out manually by the radiographer and radiologist without relying on any auto program. This manual method is a timeconsuming task and may give inaccurate results. Treatment, diagnosis, signs and symptoms of the brain tumours mainly depend on the tumour volume and its location. In this paper, an approach is proposed to improve volume measurement of brain tumors as well as using a new method to determine the brain tumour location. The current study presents a hybrid method that includes two methods. One method is hidden Markov random field - expectation maximization (HMRFEM), which employs a positive initial classification of the image. The other method employs the threshold, which enables the final segmentation. In this method, the tumour volume is calculated using voxel dimension measurements. The brain tumour location was determined accurately in T2- weighted MRI image using a new algorithm. According to the results, this process was proven to be more useful compared to the manual method. Thus, it provides the possibility of calculating the volume and determining location of a brain tumour.

Abnormal electroretinogram associated with developmental brain anomalies.

PubMed Central

Cibis, G W; Fitzgerald, K M

1995-01-01

PURPOSE: We have encountered abnormal ERGs associated with optic nerve hypoplasia, macular, optic nerve and chorioretinal colobomata and developmental brain anomalies. Brain anomalies include cortical dysgenesis, lissencephaly, porencephaly, cerebellar and corpus callosum hypoplasia. We describe six exemplar cases. METHODS: Scotopic and photopic ERGs adherent to international standards were performed as well as photopic ERGs to long-duration stimuli. CT or MRI studies were also done. The ERGs were compared to age-matched normal control subjects. RESULTS: ERG changes include reduced amplitude b-waves to blue and red stimuli under scotopic testing conditions. Implicit times were often delayed. The photopic responses also showed reduced amplitude a- and b-waves with implicit time delays. The long-duration photopic ERG done in one case shows attenuation of both ON- and OFF-responses. CONCLUSIONS: Common underlying developmental genetic or environmental unifying casualties are speculated to be at fault in causing these cases of associated retinal and brain abnormalities. No single etiology is expected. Multiple potential causes acting early in embryogenesis effecting neuronal induction, migration and differentiation are theorized. These occur at a time when brain and retinal cells are sufficiently undifferentiated to be similarly effected. We call these cases examples of Brain Retina Neuroembryodysgenesis (BRNED). Homeobox and PAX genes with global neuronal developmental influences are gene candidates to unify the observed disruption of brain and retinal cell development. The ERG can provide a valuable clinical addition in understanding and ultimately classifying these disorders. Images FIGURE 1 FIGURE 4 FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6 FIGURE 7 FIGURE 8 PMID:8719676

Neonatal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Pattern of Brain Injury as a Biomarker of Childhood Outcomes following a Trial of Hypothermia for Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy.

PubMed

Shankaran, Seetha; McDonald, Scott A; Laptook, Abbot R; Hintz, Susan R; Barnes, Patrick D; Das, Abhik; Pappas, Athina; Higgins, Rosemary D

2015-11-01

To examine the ability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patterns of neonatal brain injury defined by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network to predict death or IQ at 6-7 years of age following hypothermia for neonatal encephalopathy. Out of 208 participants, 124 had MRI and primary outcome (death or IQ <70) data. The relationship between injury pattern and outcome was assessed. Death or IQ <70 occurred in 4 of 50 (8%) of children with pattern 0 (normal MRI), 1 of 6 (17%) with 1A (minimal cerebral lesions), 1 of 4 (25%) with 1B (extensive cerebral lesions), 3 of 8 (38%) with 2A (basal ganglia thalamic, anterior or posterior limb of internal capsule, or watershed infarction), 32 of 49 (65%) with 2B (2A with cerebral lesions), and 7 of 7 (100%) with pattern 3 (hemispheric devastation), P < .001; this association was also seen within hypothermia and control subgroups. IQ was 90 ± 13 among the 46 children with a normal MRI and 69 ± 25 among the 50 children with an abnormal MRI. In childhood, for a normal outcome, a normal neonatal MRI had a sensitivity of 61%, specificity of 92%, a positive predictive value of 92%, and a negative predictive value of 59%; for death or IQ <70, the 2B and 3 pattern combined had a sensitivity of 81%, specificity of 78%, positive predictive value of 70%, and a negative predictive value of 87%. The Neonatal Research Network MRI pattern of neonatal brain injury is a biomarker of neurodevelopmental outcome at 6-7 years of age. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00005772. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The role of biomarkers and MEG-based imaging markers in the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Huang, Mingxiong; Risling, Mårten; Baker, Dewleen G

2016-01-01

Pervasive use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), rocket-propelled grenades, and land mines in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan has brought traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its impact on health outcomes into public awareness. Blast injuries have been deemed signature wounds of these wars. War-related TBI is not new, having become prevalent during WWI and remaining medically relevant in WWII and beyond. Medicine's past attempts to accurately diagnose and disentangle the pathophysiology of war-related TBI parallels current lines of inquiry and highlights limitations in methodology and attribution of symptom etiology, be it organic, psychological, or behavioral. New approaches and biomarkers are needed. Serological biomarkers and biomarkers of injury obtained with imaging techniques represent cornerstones in the translation between experimental data and clinical observations. Experimental models for blast related TBI and PTSD can generate critical data on injury threshold, for example for white matter injury from acceleration. Carefully verified and validated models can be evaluated with gene expression arrays and proteomics to identify new candidates for serological biomarkers. Such models can also be analyzed with diffusion MRI and microscopy in order to identify criteria for detection of diffuse white matter injuries, such as DAI (diffuse axonal injury). The experimental models can also be analyzed with focus on injury outcome in brain stem regions, such as locus coeruleus or nucleus raphe magnus that can be involved in response to anxiety changes. Mild (and some moderate) TBI can be difficult to diagnose because the injuries are often not detectable on conventional MRI or CT. There is accumulating evidence that injured brain tissues in TBI patients generate abnormal low-frequency magnetic activity (ALFMA, peaked at 1-4Hz) that can be measured and localized by magnetoencephalography (MEG). MEG imaging detects TBI abnormalities at the rates of 87% for the mild TBI, group (blast-induced plus non-blast causes) and 100% for the moderate group. Among the mild TBI patients, the rates of abnormalities are 96% and 77% for the blast and non-blast TBI groups, respectively. There is emerging evidence based on fMRI and MEG studies showing hyper-activity in the amygdala and hypo-activity in pre-frontal cortex in individuals with PTSD. MEG signal may serve as a sensitive imaging marker for mTBI, distinguishable from abnormalities generated in association with PTSD. More work is needed to fully describe physiological mechanisms of post-concussive symptoms. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Cognition and Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Sheffield, Julia M; Barch, Deanna M

2015-01-01

Individuals with schizophrenia consistently display deficits in a multitude of cognitive domains, but the neurobiological source of these cognitive impairments remains unclear. By analyzing the functional connectivity of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fcMRI) data in clinical populations like schizophrenia, research groups have begun elucidating abnormalities in the intrinsic communication between specific brain regions, and assessing relationships between these abnormalities and cognitive performance in schizophrenia. Here we review studies that have reported analysis of these brain-behavior relationships. Through this systematic review we found that patients with schizophrenia display abnormalities within and between regions comprising 1) the cortico-cerebellar-striatal-thalamic loop and 2) task-positive and task-negative cortical networks. Importantly, we did not observe unique relationships between specific functional connectivity abnormalities and distinct cognitive domains, suggesting that the observed functional systems may underlie mechanisms that are shared across cognitive abilities, the disturbance of which could contribute to the “generalized” cognitive deficit found in schizophrenia. We also note several areas of methodological change that we believe will strengthen this literature. PMID:26698018

Abnormal left superior temporal gyrus volumes in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

PubMed

Chen, Hua Hsua; Nicoletti, Mark A; Hatch, John P; Sassi, Roberto B; Axelson, David; Brambilla, Paolo; Monkul, E Serap; Keshavan, Matcheri S; Ryan, Neal D; Birmaher, Boris; Soares, Jair C

2004-06-03

Abnormalities in left superior temporal gyrus (STG) have been reported in adult bipolar patients. However, it is not known whether such abnormalities are already present early in the course of this illness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) morphometric analysis of STG was performed in 16 DSM-IV children and adolescents with bipolar disorder (mean age+/-SD 15.5+/-3.4 years) and 21 healthy controls (mean age+/-SD 16.9+/-3.8 years). Subjects underwent a 3D spoiled gradient recalled acquisition MRI examination. Using analysis of covariance with age, gender and intra-cranial brain volume as covariates, we found significantly smaller left total STG volumes in bipolar patients (12.5+/-1.5 cm(3)) compared with healthy controls (13.6+/-2.5 cm(3)) (F=4.45, d.f.=1, 32, P=0.04). This difference was accounted for by significantly smaller left and right STG white matter volumes in bipolar patients. Decreased white matter connections may be the core of abnormalities in STG, which is an important region for speech, language and communication, and could possibly underlie neurocognitive deficits present in bipolar patients.

Functional MRI of music emotion processing in frontotemporal dementia.

PubMed

Agustus, Jennifer L; Mahoney, Colin J; Downey, Laura E; Omar, Rohani; Cohen, Miriam; White, Mark J; Scott, Sophie K; Mancini, Laura; Warren, Jason D

2015-03-01

Frontotemporal dementia is an important neurodegenerative disorder of younger life led by profound emotional and social dysfunction. Here we used fMRI to assess brain mechanisms of music emotion processing in a cohort of patients with frontotemporal dementia (n = 15) in relation to healthy age-matched individuals (n = 11). In a passive-listening paradigm, we manipulated levels of emotion processing in simple arpeggio chords (mode versus dissonance) and emotion modality (music versus human emotional vocalizations). A complex profile of disease-associated functional alterations was identified with separable signatures of musical mode, emotion level, and emotion modality within a common, distributed brain network, including posterior and anterior superior temporal and inferior frontal cortices and dorsal brainstem effector nuclei. Separable functional signatures were identified post-hoc in patients with and without abnormal craving for music (musicophilia): a model for specific abnormal emotional behaviors in frontotemporal dementia. Our findings indicate the potential of music to delineate neural mechanisms of altered emotion processing in dementias, with implications for future disease tracking and therapeutic strategies. © 2014 The Authors. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of The New York Academy of Sciences.

Back to the future: estimating pre-injury brain volume in patients with traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Ross, David E; Ochs, Alfred L; D Zannoni, Megan; Seabaugh, Jan M

2014-11-15

A recent meta-analysis by Hedman et al. allows for accurate estimation of brain volume changes throughout the life span. Additionally, Tate et al. showed that intracranial volume at a later point in life can be used to estimate reliably brain volume at an earlier point in life. These advancements were combined to create a model which allowed the estimation of brain volume just prior to injury in a group of patients with mild or moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). This volume estimation model was used in combination with actual measurements of brain volume to test hypotheses about progressive brain volume changes in the patients. Twenty six patients with mild or moderate TBI were compared to 20 normal control subjects. NeuroQuant® was used to measure brain MRI volume. Brain volume after the injury (from MRI scans performed at t1 and t2) was compared to brain volume just before the injury (volume estimation at t0) using longitudinal designs. Groups were compared with respect to volume changes in whole brain parenchyma (WBP) and its 3 major subdivisions: cortical gray matter (GM), cerebral white matter (CWM) and subcortical nuclei+infratentorial regions (SCN+IFT). Using the normal control data, the volume estimation model was tested by comparing measured brain volume to estimated brain volume; reliability ranged from good to excellent. During the initial phase after injury (t0-t1), the TBI patients had abnormally rapid atrophy of WBP and CWM, and abnormally rapid enlargement of SCN+IFT. Rates of volume change during t0-t1 correlated with cross-sectional measures of volume change at t1, supporting the internal reliability of the volume estimation model. A logistic regression analysis using the volume change data produced a function which perfectly predicted group membership (TBI patients vs. normal control subjects). During the first few months after injury, patients with mild or moderate TBI have rapid atrophy of WBP and CWM, and rapid enlargement of SCN+IFT. The magnitude and pattern of the changes in volume may allow for the eventual development of diagnostic tools based on the volume estimation approach. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Altered spontaneous activity in antisocial personality disorder revealed by regional homogeneity.

PubMed

Tang, Yan; Liu, Wangyong; Chen, Jingang; Liao, Jian; Hu, Dewen; Wang, Wei

2013-08-07

There is increasing evidence that antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) stems from brain abnormalities. However, there are only a few studies investigating brain structure in ASPD. The aim of this study was to find regional coherence abnormalities in resting-state functional MRI of ASPD. Thirty-two ASPD individuals and 34 controls underwent a resting-state functional MRI scan. The regional homogeneity (ReHo) approach was used to examine whether ASPD was related to alterations in resting-state neural activity. Support vector machine discriminant analysis was used to evaluate the sensitivity/specificity characteristics of the ReHo index in discriminating between the ASPD individuals and controls. The results showed that, compared with controls, ASPD individuals show lower ReHo in the right cerebellum posterior lobe (Crus1) and the right middle frontal gyrus, as well as higher ReHo in the right middle occipital gyrus (BA 19), left inferior temporal gyrus (BA 37), and right inferior occipital gyrus (cuneus, BA 18). All alternation regions reported a predictive accuracy above 70%. To our knowledge, this study was the first to study the change in regional activity coherence in the resting brain of ASPD individuals. These results not only elucidated the pathological mechanism of ASPD from a resting-state functional viewpoint but also showed that these alterations in ReHo may serve as potential markers for the detection of ASPD.

Functional alterations of fronto-limbic circuit and default mode network systems in first-episode, drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder: A meta-analysis of resting-state fMRI data.

PubMed

Zhong, Xue; Pu, Weidan; Yao, Shuqiao

2016-12-01

The neurobiological mechanisms of depression are increasingly being explored through resting-state brain imaging studies. However, resting-state fMRI findings have varied, perhaps because of differences between study populations, which included the disorder course and medication use. The aim of our study was to integrate studies of resting-state fMRI and explore the alterations of abnormal brain activity in first-episode, drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder. Relevant imaging reports in English were searched, retrieved, selected and subjected to analysis by activation likelihood estimation, a coordinate-based meta-analysis technique (final sample, 31 studies). Coordinates extracted from the original reports were assigned to two categories based on effect directionality. Compared with healthy controls, the first-episode, medication-naïve major depressive disorder patients showed decreased brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, superior temporal gyrus, posterior precuneus, and posterior cingulate, as well as in visual areas within the occipital lobe, lingual gyrus, and fusiform gyrus, and increased activity in the putamen and anterior precuneus. Not every study that has reported relevant data met the inclusion criteria. Resting-state functional alterations were located mainly in the fronto-limbic system, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and putamen, and in the default mode network, namely the precuneus and superior/middle temporal gyrus. Abnormal functional alterations of the fronto-limbic circuit and default mode network may be characteristic of first-episode, drug-naïve major depressive disorder patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Defining an Analytic Framework to Evaluate Quantitative MRI Markers of Traumatic Axonal Injury: Preliminary Results in a Mouse Closed Head Injury Model

PubMed Central

Sadeghi, N.; Namjoshi, D.; Irfanoglu, M. O.; Wellington, C.; Diaz-Arrastia, R.

2017-01-01

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a hallmark of traumatic brain injury (TBI) pathology. Recently, the Closed Head Injury Model of Engineered Rotational Acceleration (CHIMERA) was developed to generate an experimental model of DAI in a mouse. The characterization of DAI using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; diffusion tensor imaging, DTI) may provide a useful set of outcome measures for preclinical and clinical studies. The objective of this study was to identify the complex neurobiological underpinnings of DTI features following DAI using a comprehensive and quantitative evaluation of DTI and histopathology in the CHIMERA mouse model. A consistent neuroanatomical pattern of pathology in specific white matter tracts was identified across ex vivo DTI maps and photomicrographs of histology. These observations were confirmed by voxelwise and regional analysis of DTI maps, demonstrating reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in distinct regions such as the optic tract. Similar regions were identified by quantitative histology and exhibited axonal damage as well as robust gliosis. Additional analysis using a machine-learning algorithm was performed to identify regions and metrics important for injury classification in a manner free from potential user bias. This analysis found that diffusion metrics were able to identify injured brains almost with the same degree of accuracy as the histology metrics. Good agreement between regions detected as abnormal by histology and MRI was also found. The findings of this work elucidate the complexity of cellular changes that give rise to imaging abnormalities and provide a comprehensive and quantitative evaluation of the relative importance of DTI and histological measures to detect brain injury. PMID:28966972

Progressive neurostructural changes in adolescent and adult patients with bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Lisy, Megan E; Jarvis, Kelly B; DelBello, Melissa P; Mills, Neil P; Weber, Wade A; Fleck, David; Strakowski, Stephen M; Adler, Caleb M

2011-06-01

Several lines of evidence suggest that bipolar disorder is associated with progressive changes in gray matter volume (GMV), particularly in brain structures involved in emotional regulation and expression. The majority of these studies however, have been cross-sectional in nature. In this study we compared baseline and follow-up scans in groups of bipolar disorder and healthy subjects. We hypothesized bipolar disorder subjects would demonstrate significant GMV changes over time. A total of 58 bipolar disorder and 48 healthy subjects participated in structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Subjects were rescanned 3-34 months after their baseline MRI. MRI images were segmented, normalized to standard stereotactic space, and compared voxel-by-voxel using statistical parametrical mapping software (SPM2). A model was developed to investigate differences in GMV at baseline, and associated with time and episodes, as well as in comparison to healthy subjects. We observed increases in GMV in bipolar disorder subjects across several brain regions at baseline and over time, including portions of the prefrontal cortex as well as limbic and subcortical structures. Time-related changes differed to some degree between adolescent and adult bipolar disorder subjects. The interval between scans positively correlated with GMV increases in bipolar disorder subjects in portions of the prefrontal cortex, and both illness duration and number of depressive episodes were associated with increased GMV in subcortical and limbic structures. Our findings support suggestions that widely observed progressive neurofunctional changes in bipolar disorder patients may be related to structural brain abnormalities in anterior limbic structures. Abnormalities largely involve regions previously noted to be integral to emotional expression and regulation, and appear to vary by age. © 2011 John Wiley and Sons A/S.

Relationship Between Clinical and Immunological Features with Magnetic Resonance Imaging Abnormalities in Female Patients with Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

PubMed Central

Wang, Hai-Peng; Wang, Cui-Yan; Pan, Zheng-Lun; Zhao, Jun-Yu; Zhao, Bin

2016-01-01

Background: Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred neuroimaging method in the evaluation of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE). The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between clinical and immunological features with MRI abnormalities in female patients with NPSLE, to screen for the value of conventional MRI in NPSLE. Methods: A total of 59 female NPSLE patients with conventional MRI examinations were enrolled in this retrospective study. All patients were classified into different groups according to MRI abnormalities. Both clinical and immunological features were compared between MRI abnormal and normal groups. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) score for MRI abnormalities. Multivariate logistic regression analysis investigated the correlation between immunological features, neuropsychiatric manifestations, and MRI abnormalities. Results: Thirty-six NPSLE patients (61%) showed a variety of MRI abnormalities. There were statistically significant differences in SLEDAI scores (P < 0.001), incidence of neurologic disorders (P = 0.001), levels of 24-h proteinuria (P = 0.001) and immunoglobulin M (P = 0.004), and incidence of acute confusional state (P = 0.002), cerebrovascular disease (P = 0.004), and seizure disorder (P = 0.028) between MRI abnormal and normal groups. In the MRI abnormal group, SLEDAI scores for cerebral atrophy (CA), cortex involvement, and restricted diffusion (RD) were much higher than in the MRI normal group (P < 0.001, P = 0.002, P = 0.038, respectively). Statistically significant positive correlations between seizure disorder and cortex involvement (odds ratio [OR] = 14.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50–151.70; P = 0.023) and cerebrovascular disease and infratentorial involvement (OR = 10.00; 95% CI, 1.70–60.00; P = 0.012) were found. Conclusions: MRI abnormalities in NPSLE, especially CA, cortex involvement, and RD might be markers of high systemic lupus erythematosus activity. Some MRI abnormalities might correspond to neuropsychiatric manifestations and might be helpful in understanding the pathophysiology of NPSLE. PMID:26904988

[Research progress of functional magnetic resonance imaging in mechanism studies of tinnitus].

PubMed

Ji, B B; Li, M; Zhang, J N

2018-02-07

Tinnitus is a subjective symptom of phantom sound in the ear or brain without sound or electrical stimulation in the environment. The mechanism of tinnitus is complicated and mostly unclear. Recent studies suggested that the abnormal peripheral auditory input lead to neuroplasticity changes in central nervous system followed by tinnitus. More research concerned on the tinnitus central mechanism. A rapid development of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique made it more widely used in tinnitus central mechanism research. fMRI brought new findings but also presented some shortages in technology and cognition in tinnitus study. This article summarized the outcomes of fMRI research on tinnitus in recent years, exploring its existing problems and application prospects.

An fMRI study of emotional face processing in adolescent major depression.

PubMed

Hall, Leah M J; Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie; Hunt, Ruskin H; Thomas, Kathleen M; Houri, Alaa; Noack, Emily; Mueller, Bryon A; Lim, Kelvin O; Cullen, Kathryn R

2014-10-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) often begins during adolescence when the brain is still maturing. To better understand the neurobiological underpinnings of MDD early in development, this study examined brain function in response to emotional faces in adolescents with MDD and healthy (HC) adolescents using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Thirty-two unmedicated adolescents with MDD and 23 healthy age- and gender-matched controls completed an fMRI task viewing happy and fearful faces. Fronto-limbic regions of interest (ROI; bilateral amygdala, insula, subgenual and rostral anterior cingulate cortices) and whole-brain analyses were conducted to examine between-group differences in brain function. ROI analyses revealed that patients had greater bilateral amygdala activity than HC in response to viewing fearful versus happy faces, which remained significant when controlling for comorbid anxiety. Whole-brain analyses revealed that adolescents with MDD had lower activation compared to HC in a right hemisphere cluster comprised of the insula, superior/middle temporal gyrus, and Heschl׳s gyrus when viewing fearful faces. Brain activity in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex was inversely correlated with depression severity. Limitations include a cross-sectional design with a modest sample size and use of a limited range of emotional stimuli. Results replicate previous studies that suggest emotion processing in adolescent MDD is associated with abnormalities within fronto-limbic brain regions. Findings implicate elevated amygdalar arousal to negative stimuli in adolescents with depression and provide new evidence for a deficit in functioning of the saliency network, which may be a future target for early intervention and MDD treatment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neuroplasticity in Human Alcoholism

PubMed Central

Fein, George; Cardenas, Valerie A.

2015-01-01

Alcoholism is characterized by a lack of control over excessive alcohol consumption despite significant negative consequences. This impulsive and compulsive behavior may be related to functional abnormalities within networks of brain regions responsible for how we make decisions. The abnormalities may result in strengthened networks related to appetitive drive—or the need to fulfill desires—and simultaneously weakened networks that exercise control over behaviors. Studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in abstinent alcoholics suggest that abstinence is associated with changes in the tone of such networks, decreasing resting tone in appetitive drive networks, and increasing resting tone in inhibitory control networks to support continued abstinence. Identifying electroencephalographic (EEG) measures of resting tone in these networks initially identified using fMRI, and establishing in longitudinal studies that these abstinence-related changes in network tone are progressive would motivate treatment initiatives to facilitate these changes in network tone, thereby supporting successful ongoing abstinence. PMID:26259093

Hypoconnectivity and hyperfrontality in retired American football players.

PubMed

Hampshire, Adam; MacDonald, Alex; Owen, Adrian M

2013-10-17

Recent research has raised concerns about the long-term neurological consequences of repetitive concussive and sub-concussive injuries in professional players of American Football. Despite this interest, the neural and psychological status of retired players remains unknown. Here, we evaluated the performances and brain activation patterns of retired National Football League players (NFL alumni) relative to controls using an fMRI-optimised neuropsychological test of executive function. Behaviourally, the NFL alumni showed only modest performance deficits on the executive task. By contrast, they showed pronounced hyperactivation and hypoconnectivity of the dorsolateral frontal and frontopolar cortices. Critically, abnormal frontal-lobe function was correlated with the number of times that NFL alumni reported having been removed from play after head injury and was evident in individual players. These results support the hypothesis that NFL alumni have a heightened probability of developing executive dysfunction and suggest that fMRI provides the most sensitive biomarker of the underlying neural abnormality.

Hypoconnectivity and Hyperfrontality in Retired American Football Players

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hampshire, Adam; MacDonald, Alex; Owen, Adrian M.

2013-10-01

Recent research has raised concerns about the long-term neurological consequences of repetitive concussive and sub-concussive injuries in professional players of American Football. Despite this interest, the neural and psychological status of retired players remains unknown. Here, we evaluated the performances and brain activation patterns of retired National Football League players (NFL alumni) relative to controls using an fMRI-optimised neuropsychological test of executive function. Behaviourally, the NFL alumni showed only modest performance deficits on the executive task. By contrast, they showed pronounced hyperactivation and hypoconnectivity of the dorsolateral frontal and frontopolar cortices. Critically, abnormal frontal-lobe function was correlated with the number of times that NFL alumni reported having been removed from play after head injury and was evident in individual players. These results support the hypothesis that NFL alumni have a heightened probability of developing executive dysfunction and suggest that fMRI provides the most sensitive biomarker of the underlying neural abnormality.

Cranial thickness changes in early childhood

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gajawelli, Niharika; Deoni, Sean; Shi, Jie; Dirks, Holly; Linguraru, Marius George; Nelson, Marvin D.; Wang, Yalin; Lepore, Natasha

2017-11-01

The neurocranium changes rapidly in early childhood to accommodate the developing brain. However, developmental disorders may cause abnormal growth of the neurocranium, the most common one being craniosynostosis, affecting about 1 in 2000 children. It is important to understand how the brain and neurocranium develop together to understand the role of the neurocranium in neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, the neurocranium is not as well studied as the human brain in early childhood, due to a lack of imaging data. CT is typically employed to investigate the cranium, but, due to ionizing radiation, may only be used for clinical cases. However, the neurocranium is also visible on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here, we used a large dataset of MRI images from healthy children in the age range of 1 to 2 years old and extracted the neurocranium. A conformal geometry based analysis pipeline is implemented to determine a set of statistical atlases of the neurocranium. A growth model of the neurocranium will help us understand cranial bone and suture development with respect to the brain, which will in turn inform better treatment strategies for neurocranial disorders.

Brain MRI Tumor Detection using Active Contour Model and Local Image Fitting Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nabizadeh, Nooshin; John, Nigel

2014-03-01

Automatic abnormality detection in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an important issue in many diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Here an automatic brain tumor detection method is introduced that uses T1-weighted images and K. Zhang et. al.'s active contour model driven by local image fitting (LIF) energy. Local image fitting energy obtains the local image information, which enables the algorithm to segment images with intensity inhomogeneities. Advantage of this method is that the LIF energy functional has less computational complexity than the local binary fitting (LBF) energy functional; moreover, it maintains the sub-pixel accuracy and boundary regularization properties. In Zhang's algorithm, a new level set method based on Gaussian filtering is used to implement the variational formulation, which is not only vigorous to prevent the energy functional from being trapped into local minimum, but also effective in keeping the level set function regular. Experiments show that the proposed method achieves high accuracy brain tumor segmentation results.

Human herpesvirus 6 encephalitis followed by acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in an immunocompetent adult.

PubMed

Horie, Junichi; Suzuki, Keisuke; Nakamura, Toshiki; Okamura, Madoka; Iwasaki, Akio; Hirata, Koichi

2017-04-28

A 26-year-old, otherwise healthy man presented with visual abnormality followed by loss of consciousness and convulsion. The patient then developed headache and fever 14 days later. Brain MRI showed hyperintensities in the left cingulate cortex. The cerrebrospinal fluid examinations showed mononuclear pleocytosis and positive PCR results for human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). A diagnosis of HHV-6 encephalitis and symptomatic epilepsy was made. The patient's clinical symptoms improved promptly following acyclovir treatment. However, 3 months later the patient noticed dysesthesia in the trunk, the left upper limb and the right lower limb. Brain and spine MRI showed multiple brain white matter lesions, the middle cerebellar peduncle and cervical spinal lesions. The symptoms resolved following methylprednisolone pulse therapy only. We report an adult patient with HHV-6 encephalitis followed by acute disseminated encephalomyelitis whose initial presentation was epilepsy. HHV-6 encephalitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of encephalitis of unknown etiology in an immunocompetent adult.

What does brain response to neutral faces tell us about major depression? evidence from machine learning and fMRI.

PubMed

Oliveira, Leticia; Ladouceur, Cecile D; Phillips, Mary L; Brammer, Michael; Mourao-Miranda, Janaina

2013-01-01

A considerable number of previous studies have shown abnormalities in the processing of emotional faces in major depression. Fewer studies, however, have focused specifically on abnormal processing of neutral faces despite evidence that depressed patients are slow and less accurate at recognizing neutral expressions in comparison with healthy controls. The current study aimed to investigate whether this misclassification described behaviourally for neutral faces also occurred when classifying patterns of brain activation to neutral faces for these patients. TWO INDEPENDENT DEPRESSED SAMPLES: (1) Nineteen medication-free patients with depression and 19 healthy volunteers and (2) Eighteen depressed individuals and 18 age and gender-ratio-matched healthy volunteers viewed emotional faces (sad/neutral; happy/neutral) during an fMRI experiment. We used a new pattern recognition framework: first, we trained the classifier to discriminate between two brain states (e.g. viewing happy faces vs. viewing neutral faces) using data only from healthy controls (HC). Second, we tested the classifier using patterns of brain activation of a patient and a healthy control for the same stimuli. Finally, we tested if the classifier's predictions (predictive probabilities) for emotional and neutral face classification were different for healthy controls and depressed patients. Predictive probabilities to patterns of brain activation to neutral faces in both groups of patients were significantly lower in comparison to the healthy controls. This difference was specific to neutral faces. There were no significant differences in predictive probabilities to patterns of brain activation to sad faces (sample 1) and happy faces (samples 2) between depressed patients and healthy controls. Our results suggest that the pattern of brain activation to neutral faces in depressed patients is not consistent with the pattern observed in healthy controls subject to the same stimuli. This difference in brain activation might underlie the behavioural misinterpretation of the neutral faces content by the depressed patients.

Motor outcome at the age of one after perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

PubMed

van Schie, P E M; Becher, J G; Dallmeijer, A J; Barkhof, F; Weissenbruch, M M; Vermeulen, R J

2007-04-01

The aim of this report is to describe the motor outcome in one year-old children who were born at full-term with perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Relationships between motor ability tests and neurological examination at one year, and between these tests and neonatal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were investigated. 32 surviving children, born full-term with perinatal HIE, are included in this report. All children had a neonatal MRI. At one year, motor ability was assessed with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (2nd version). Neurological examinations included the neurological optimality score (NOS). At one year, 14 children (44%) had normal motor ability, nine (28%) had mildly delayed, and nine had significantly delayed motor ability. The NOS ranged from 14.6-27 points. All children with normal motor ability had (near) optimal NOS, however, not all children with high NOS had normal motor ability. Eleven children (34%) had normal neonatal MRI; at one year, six of them had normal, and five had mildly delayed motor ability. Eight children with normal motor ability showed abnormalities on neonatal MRI. Neonatal brain MRI does not predict motor outcome at one year. Motor ability tests and neurological examinations should be used in a complementary manner to describe outcome after HIE.

Metronidazole-induced central nervous system toxicity: a systematic review.

PubMed

Kuriyama, Akira; Jackson, Jeffrey L; Doi, Asako; Kamiya, Toru

2011-01-01

To assess patient and medication factors that contribute to metronidazole toxicity. We searched PUBMED from 1965 through April 7, 2011, and performed a hand search of bibliographies. Case reports or case series reporting metronidazole-induced central nervous toxicity. Two authors independently abstracted demographics, metronidazole indication, dose and duration, neurological manifestations, and outcomes as well as brain imaging findings. Among 64 patients, 48 (77%) had cerebellar dysfunction, 21 (33%) had altered mental status, and 8 (15%) had seizures. Patients' ages averaged 53.3 years (range, 12-87 years), and 64% were male. The median duration of metronidazole was 54 days, although 26% had taken it less than a week and 11% had taken it less than 72 hours. Among cases with outcome data, most patients either improved (n = 18 [29%]) or had complete resolution of their symptoms with discontinuation of metronidazole (n = 41 [65%]). There was no difference in resolution of symptom by age (P = 0.71) or sex (P = 0.34). The patients with cerebellar dysfunction were less likely to experience complete resolution than those with mental status changes or seizures (relative risk, 0.67; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.49-0.92). Nearly all patients (n = 55 [86%]) underwent imaging of the brain: 44 (69%) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 12 (19%) underwent computed tomographic studies. All patients with cerebellar dysfunction had abnormalities on imaging: 93% (n = 39) had a cerebellar lesion, although numerous areas in the brain were affected. On follow-up MRIs, 25 patients (83%) had complete resolution of abnormalities. Metronidazole can rarely cause central nervous system toxicity; it does not seem to be a dose- or duration-related phenomenon. Most patients will have MRI abnormalities. Prognosis is excellent with metronidazole cessation.

Abnormal degree centrality in Alzheimer's disease patients with depression: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

PubMed

Guo, Zhongwei; Liu, Xiaozheng; Hou, Hongtao; Wei, Fuquan; Liu, Jian; Chen, Xingli

2016-06-15

Depression is common in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and occurs in AD patients with a prevalence of up to 40%. It reduces cognitive function and increases the burden on caregivers. Currently, there are very few medications that are useful for treating depression in AD patients. Therefore, understanding the brain abnormalities in AD patients with depression (D-AD) is crucial for developing effective interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate the intrinsic dysconnectivity pattern of whole-brain functional networks at the voxel level in D-AD patients based on degree centrality (DC) as measured by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI). Our study included 32 AD patients. All patients were evaluated using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and further divided into two groups: 15 D-AD patients and 17 non-depressed AD (nD-AD) patients. R-fMRI datasets were acquired from these D-AD and nD-AD patients. First, we performed a DC analysis to identify voxels that showed altered whole brain functional connectivity (FC) with other voxels. We then further investigated FC using the abnormal DC regions to examine in more detail the connectivity patterns of the identified DC changes. D-AD patients had lower DC values in the right middle frontal, precentral, and postcentral gyrus than nD-AD patients. Seed-based analysis revealed decreased connectivity between the precentral and postcentral gyrus to the supplementary motor area and middle cingulum. FC also decreased in the right middle frontal, precentral, and postcentral gyrus. Thus, AD patients with depression fit a 'network dysfunction model' distinct from major depressive disorder and AD. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Large-Scale Hypoconnectivity Between Resting-State Functional Networks in Unmedicated Adolescent Major Depressive Disorder.

PubMed

Sacchet, Matthew D; Ho, Tiffany C; Connolly, Colm G; Tymofiyeva, Olga; Lewinn, Kaja Z; Han, Laura Km; Blom, Eva H; Tapert, Susan F; Max, Jeffrey E; Frank, Guido Kw; Paulus, Martin P; Simmons, Alan N; Gotlib, Ian H; Yang, Tony T

2016-11-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) often emerges during adolescence, a critical period of brain development. Recent resting-state fMRI studies of adults suggest that MDD is associated with abnormalities within and between resting-state networks (RSNs). Here we tested whether adolescent MDD is characterized by abnormalities in interactions among RSNs. Participants were 55 unmedicated adolescents diagnosed with MDD and 56 matched healthy controls. Functional connectivity was mapped using resting-state fMRI. We used the network-based statistic (NBS) to compare large-scale connectivity between groups and also compared the groups on graph metrics. We further assessed whether group differences identified using nodes defined from functionally defined RSNs were also evident when using anatomically defined nodes. In addition, we examined relations between network abnormalities and depression severity and duration. Finally, we compared intranetwork connectivity between groups and assessed the replication of previously reported MDD-related abnormalities in connectivity. The NBS indicated that, compared with controls, depressed adolescents exhibited reduced connectivity (p<0.024, corrected) between a specific set of RSNs, including components of the attention, central executive, salience, and default mode networks. The NBS did not identify group differences in network connectivity when using anatomically defined nodes. Longer duration of depression was significantly correlated with reduced connectivity in this set of network interactions (p=0.020, corrected), specifically with reduced connectivity between components of the dorsal attention network. The dorsal attention network was also characterized by reduced intranetwork connectivity in the MDD group. Finally, we replicated previously reported abnormal connectivity in individuals with MDD. In summary, adolescents with MDD show hypoconnectivity between large-scale brain networks compared with healthy controls. Given that connectivity among these networks typically increases during adolescent neurodevelopment, these results suggest that adolescent depression is associated with abnormalities in neural systems that are still developing during this critical period.

Large-Scale Hypoconnectivity Between Resting-State Functional Networks in Unmedicated Adolescent Major Depressive Disorder

PubMed Central

Sacchet, Matthew D; Ho, Tiffany C; Connolly, Colm G; Tymofiyeva, Olga; Lewinn, Kaja Z; Han, Laura KM; Blom, Eva H; Tapert, Susan F; Max, Jeffrey E; Frank, Guido KW; Paulus, Martin P; Simmons, Alan N; Gotlib, Ian H; Yang, Tony T

2016-01-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) often emerges during adolescence, a critical period of brain development. Recent resting-state fMRI studies of adults suggest that MDD is associated with abnormalities within and between resting-state networks (RSNs). Here we tested whether adolescent MDD is characterized by abnormalities in interactions among RSNs. Participants were 55 unmedicated adolescents diagnosed with MDD and 56 matched healthy controls. Functional connectivity was mapped using resting-state fMRI. We used the network-based statistic (NBS) to compare large-scale connectivity between groups and also compared the groups on graph metrics. We further assessed whether group differences identified using nodes defined from functionally defined RSNs were also evident when using anatomically defined nodes. In addition, we examined relations between network abnormalities and depression severity and duration. Finally, we compared intranetwork connectivity between groups and assessed the replication of previously reported MDD-related abnormalities in connectivity. The NBS indicated that, compared with controls, depressed adolescents exhibited reduced connectivity (p<0.024, corrected) between a specific set of RSNs, including components of the attention, central executive, salience, and default mode networks. The NBS did not identify group differences in network connectivity when using anatomically defined nodes. Longer duration of depression was significantly correlated with reduced connectivity in this set of network interactions (p=0.020, corrected), specifically with reduced connectivity between components of the dorsal attention network. The dorsal attention network was also characterized by reduced intranetwork connectivity in the MDD group. Finally, we replicated previously reported abnormal connectivity in individuals with MDD. In summary, adolescents with MDD show hypoconnectivity between large-scale brain networks compared with healthy controls. Given that connectivity among these networks typically increases during adolescent neurodevelopment, these results suggest that adolescent depression is associated with abnormalities in neural systems that are still developing during this critical period. PMID:27238621

Exploratory analysis of diffusion tensor imaging in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: evidence of abnormal white matter structure.

PubMed

Pastura, Giuseppe; Doering, Thomas; Gasparetto, Emerson Leandro; Mattos, Paulo; Araújo, Alexandra Prüfer

2016-06-01

Abnormalities in the white matter microstructure of the attentional system have been implicated in the aetiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a promising magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology that has increasingly been used in studies of white matter microstructure in the brain. The main objective of this work was to perform an exploratory analysis of white matter tracts in a sample of children with ADHD versus typically developing children (TDC). For this purpose, 13 drug-naive children with ADHD of both genders underwent MRI using DTI acquisition methodology and tract-based spatial statistics. The results were compared to those of a sample of 14 age- and gender-matched TDC. Lower fractional anisotropy was observed in the splenium of the corpus callosum, right superior longitudinal fasciculus, bilateral retrolenticular part of the internal capsule, bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, left external capsule and posterior thalamic radiation (including right optic radiation). We conclude that white matter tracts in attentional and motor control systems exhibited signs of abnormal microstructure in this sample of drug-naive children with ADHD.

Prenatal and Neonatal Brain Structure and White Matter Maturation in Children at High Risk for Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Gilmore, John H.; Kang, Chaeryon; Evans, Dianne D.; Wolfe, Honor M.; Smith, J. Keith; Lieberman, Jeffrey A.; Lin, Weili; Hamer, Robert M.; Styner, Martin; Gerig, Guido

2011-01-01

Objective Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with abnormalities of brain structure and white matter, although little is known about when these abnormalities arise. This study was conducted to identify structural brain abnormalities in the prenatal and neonatal periods associated with genetic risk for schizophrenia. Method Prenatal ultrasound scans and neonatal structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging were prospectively obtained in the offspring of mothers with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (N=26) and matched comparison mothers without psychiatric illness (N=26). Comparisons were made for prenatal lateral ventricle width and head circumference, for neonatal intracranial, CSF, gray matter, white matter, and lateral ventricle volumes, and for neonatal diffusion properties of the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum and corticospinal tracts. Results Relative to the matched comparison subjects, the offspring of mothers with schizophrenia did not differ in prenatal lateral ventricle width or head circumference. Overall, the high-risk neonates had nonsignificantly larger intracranial, CSF, and lateral ventricle volumes. Subgroup analysis revealed that male high-risk infants had significantly larger intracranial, CSF, total gray matter, and lateral ventricle volumes; the female high-risk neonates were similar to the female comparison subjects. There were no group differences in white matter diffusion tensor properties. Conclusions Male neonates at genetic risk for schizophrenia had several larger than normal brain volumes, while females did not. To the authors' knowledge, this study provides the first evidence, in the context of its limitations, that early neonatal brain development may be abnormal in males at genetic risk for schizophrenia. PMID:20516153

Single-subject-based whole-brain MEG slow-wave imaging approach for detecting abnormality in patients with mild traumatic brain injury

PubMed Central

Huang, Ming-Xiong; Nichols, Sharon; Baker, Dewleen G.; Robb, Ashley; Angeles, Annemarie; Yurgil, Kate A.; Drake, Angela; Levy, Michael; Song, Tao; McLay, Robert; Theilmann, Rebecca J.; Diwakar, Mithun; Risbrough, Victoria B.; Ji, Zhengwei; Huang, Charles W.; Chang, Douglas G.; Harrington, Deborah L.; Muzzatti, Laura; Canive, Jose M.; Christopher Edgar, J.; Chen, Yu-Han; Lee, Roland R.

2014-01-01

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of sustained impairment in military and civilian populations. However, mild TBI (mTBI) can be difficult to detect using conventional MRI or CT. Injured brain tissues in mTBI patients generate abnormal slow-waves (1–4 Hz) that can be measured and localized by resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG). In this study, we develop a voxel-based whole-brain MEG slow-wave imaging approach for detecting abnormality in patients with mTBI on a single-subject basis. A normative database of resting-state MEG source magnitude images (1–4 Hz) from 79 healthy control subjects was established for all brain voxels. The high-resolution MEG source magnitude images were obtained by our recent Fast-VESTAL method. In 84 mTBI patients with persistent post-concussive symptoms (36 from blasts, and 48 from non-blast causes), our method detected abnormalities at the positive detection rates of 84.5%, 86.1%, and 83.3% for the combined (blast-induced plus with non-blast causes), blast, and non-blast mTBI groups, respectively. We found that prefrontal, posterior parietal, inferior temporal, hippocampus, and cerebella areas were particularly vulnerable to head trauma. The result also showed that MEG slow-wave generation in prefrontal areas positively correlated with personality change, trouble concentrating, affective lability, and depression symptoms. Discussion is provided regarding the neuronal mechanisms of MEG slow-wave generation due to deafferentation caused by axonal injury and/or blockages/limitations of cholinergic transmission in TBI. This study provides an effective way for using MEG slow-wave source imaging to localize affected areas and supports MEG as a tool for assisting the diagnosis of mTBI. PMID:25009772

The effect of inflammation and its reduction on brain plasticity in multiple sclerosis: MRI evidence.

PubMed

Tomassini, Valentina; d'Ambrosio, Alessandro; Petsas, Nikolaos; Wise, Richard G; Sbardella, Emilia; Allen, Marek; Tona, Francesca; Fanelli, Fulvia; Foster, Catherine; Carnì, Marco; Gallo, Antonio; Pantano, Patrizia; Pozzilli, Carlo

2016-07-01

Brain plasticity is the basis for systems-level functional reorganization that promotes recovery in multiple sclerosis (MS). As inflammation interferes with plasticity, its pharmacological modulation may restore plasticity by promoting desired patterns of functional reorganization. Here, we tested the hypothesis that brain plasticity probed by a visuomotor adaptation task is impaired with MS inflammation and that pharmacological reduction of inflammation facilitates its restoration. MS patients were assessed twice before (sessions 1 and 2) and once after (session 3) the beginning of Interferon beta (IFN beta), using behavioural and structural MRI measures. During each session, 2 functional MRI runs of a visuomotor task, separated by 25-minutes of task practice, were performed. Within-session between-run change in task-related functional signal was our imaging marker of plasticity. During session 1, patients were compared with healthy controls. Comparison of patients' sessions 2 and 3 tested the effect of reduced inflammation on our imaging marker of plasticity. The proportion of patients with gadolinium-enhancing lesions reduced significantly during IFN beta. In session 1, patients demonstrated a greater between-run difference in functional MRI activity of secondary visual areas and cerebellum than controls. This abnormally large practice-induced signal change in visual areas, and in functionally connected posterior parietal and motor cortices, was reduced in patients in session 3 compared with 2. Our results suggest that MS inflammation alters short-term plasticity underlying motor practice. Reduction of inflammation with IFN beta is associated with a restoration of this plasticity, suggesting that modulation of inflammation may enhance recovery-oriented strategies that rely on patients' brain plasticity. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2431-2445, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Its Clinical Translation

PubMed Central

Rubia, Katya

2018-01-01

This review focuses on the cognitive neuroscience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies and on recent clinically relevant applications such as fMRI-based diagnostic classification or neuromodulation therapies targeting fMRI deficits with neurofeedback (NF) or brain stimulation. Meta-analyses of fMRI studies of executive functions (EFs) show that ADHD patients have cognitive-domain dissociated complex multisystem impairments in several right and left hemispheric dorsal, ventral and medial fronto-cingulo-striato-thalamic and fronto-parieto-cerebellar networks that mediate cognitive control, attention, timing and working memory (WM). There is furthermore emerging evidence for abnormalities in orbital and ventromedial prefrontal and limbic areas that mediate motivation and emotion control. In addition, poor deactivation of the default mode network (DMN) suggests an abnormal interrelationship between hypo-engaged task-positive and poorly “switched off” hyper-engaged task-negative networks, both of which are related to impaired cognition. Translational cognitive neuroscience in ADHD is still in its infancy. Pattern recognition analyses have attempted to provide diagnostic classification of ADHD using fMRI data with respectable classification accuracies of over 80%. Necessary replication studies, however, are still outstanding. Brain stimulation has been tested in heterogeneously designed, small numbered proof of concept studies targeting key frontal functional impairments in ADHD. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) appears to be promising to improve ADHD symptoms and cognitive functions based on some studies, but larger clinical trials of repeated stimulation with and without cognitive training are needed to test clinical efficacy and potential costs on non-targeted functions. Only three studies have piloted NF of fMRI-based frontal dysfunctions in ADHD using fMRI or near-infrared spectroscopy, with the two larger ones finding some improvements in cognition and symptoms, which, however, were not superior to the active control conditions, suggesting potential placebo effects. Neurotherapeutics seems attractive for ADHD due to their safety and potential longer-term neuroplastic effects, which drugs cannot offer. However, they need to be thoroughly tested for short- and longer-term clinical and cognitive efficacy and their potential for individualized treatment. PMID:29651240

Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Its Clinical Translation.

PubMed

Rubia, Katya

2018-01-01

This review focuses on the cognitive neuroscience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies and on recent clinically relevant applications such as fMRI-based diagnostic classification or neuromodulation therapies targeting fMRI deficits with neurofeedback (NF) or brain stimulation. Meta-analyses of fMRI studies of executive functions (EFs) show that ADHD patients have cognitive-domain dissociated complex multisystem impairments in several right and left hemispheric dorsal, ventral and medial fronto-cingulo-striato-thalamic and fronto-parieto-cerebellar networks that mediate cognitive control, attention, timing and working memory (WM). There is furthermore emerging evidence for abnormalities in orbital and ventromedial prefrontal and limbic areas that mediate motivation and emotion control. In addition, poor deactivation of the default mode network (DMN) suggests an abnormal interrelationship between hypo-engaged task-positive and poorly "switched off" hyper-engaged task-negative networks, both of which are related to impaired cognition. Translational cognitive neuroscience in ADHD is still in its infancy. Pattern recognition analyses have attempted to provide diagnostic classification of ADHD using fMRI data with respectable classification accuracies of over 80%. Necessary replication studies, however, are still outstanding. Brain stimulation has been tested in heterogeneously designed, small numbered proof of concept studies targeting key frontal functional impairments in ADHD. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) appears to be promising to improve ADHD symptoms and cognitive functions based on some studies, but larger clinical trials of repeated stimulation with and without cognitive training are needed to test clinical efficacy and potential costs on non-targeted functions. Only three studies have piloted NF of fMRI-based frontal dysfunctions in ADHD using fMRI or near-infrared spectroscopy, with the two larger ones finding some improvements in cognition and symptoms, which, however, were not superior to the active control conditions, suggesting potential placebo effects. Neurotherapeutics seems attractive for ADHD due to their safety and potential longer-term neuroplastic effects, which drugs cannot offer. However, they need to be thoroughly tested for short- and longer-term clinical and cognitive efficacy and their potential for individualized treatment.

MRI appearance of surgically proven abnormal accessory anterior-inferior tibiofibular ligament (Bassett's ligament).

PubMed

Subhas, Naveen; Vinson, Emily N; Cothran, R Lee; Santangelo, James R; Nunley, James A; Helms, Clyde A

2008-01-01

A thickened accessory anterior-inferior tibiofibular ligament (Bassett's ligament) of the ankle can be a cause of ankle impingement. Its imaging appearance is not well described. The purpose of this study was to determine if the ligament could be identified on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to determine associated abnormalities, and to determine if MRI could be used to differentiate normal from abnormal. Eighteen patients with a preoperative ankle MRI and an abnormal Bassett's ligament reported at surgery were found retrospectively. A separate cohort of 18 patients was selected as a control population. The presence of Bassett's ligament and its thickness were noted. The integrity and appearance of the lateral ankle ligaments, talar dome cartilage, and anterolateral gutter were also noted. In 34 of the 36 cases (94%), Bassett's ligament was identified on MRI. The ligament was seen in all three imaging planes and most frequently in the axial plane. The mean thickness of the ligament in the surgically abnormal cases was 2.37 mm, compared with 1.87 mm in the control with a p value=0.015 (t test). Nine of the 18 abnormal cases (50%) had talar dome cartilage lesions as a result of contact with the ligament at surgery, with only 3 cases of high-grade defects seen on MRI. Fourteen of the 18 abnormal cases (78%) had of synovitis or scarring in the lateral gutter at surgery, with only 5 cases with scarring seen on MRI. The anterior-inferior tibiofibular ligament was abnormal or torn in 8 of the 18 abnormal cases (44%) by MRI and confirmed in only 3 cases at surgery. Bassett's ligament can be routinely identified on MRI and was significantly thicker in patients who had it resected at surgery. An abnormal Bassett's ligament is often present in the setting of a normal anterior-inferior tibiofibular ligament. The cartilage abnormalities and synovitis associated with an abnormal Bassett's ligament are poorly detected by conventional MRI.

Association between structural and functional brain alterations in drug-free patients with schizophrenia: a multimodal meta-analysis

PubMed

Gao, Xin; Zhang, Wenjing; Yao, Li; Xiao, Yuan; Liu, Lu; Liu, Jieke; Li, Siyi; Tao, Bo; Shah, Chandan; Gong, Qiyong; Sweeney, John; Lui, Su

2017-12-05

Neuroimaging studies have shown both structural and functional abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia. Recently, studies have begun to explore the association between structural and functional grey matter abnormalities. By conducting a meta­-analysis on morphometric and functional imaging studies of grey matter alterations in drug-free patients, the present study aims to examine the degree of overlap between brain regions with anatomic and functional changes in patients with schizophrenia. We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant publications. A multimodal analysis was then conducted using Seed-based d Mapping software. Exploratory analyses included jackknife, subgroup and meta-regression analyses. We included 15 structural MRI studies comprising 486 drug-free patients and 485 healthy controls, and 16 functional MRI studies comprising 403 drug-free patients and 428 controls in our meta-analysis. Drug-free patients were examined to reduce pharmacological effects on the imaging data. Multimodal analysis showed considerable overlap between anatomic and functional changes, mainly in frontotemporal regions, bilateral medial posterior cingulate/paracingulate gyrus, bilateral insula, basal ganglia and left cerebellum. There were also brain regions showing only anatomic changes in the right superior frontal gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus, right lingual gyrus and functional alternations involving the right angular ­gyrus. The methodological aspects, patient characteristics and clinical variables of the included studies were heterogeneous, and we cannot exclude medication effects. The present study showed overlapping anatomic and functional brain abnormalities mainly in the default mode (DMN) and auditory networks (AN) in drug-free patients with schizophrenia. However, the pattern of changes differed in these networks. Decreased grey matter was associated with decreased activation within the DMN, whereas it was associated with increased activation within the AN. These discrete patterns suggest different pathophysiological changes impacting structural and functional associations within different neural networks in patients with schizophrenia. 2017 Joule Inc., or its licensors

Association between structural and functional brain alterations in drug-free patients with schizophrenia: a multimodal meta-analysis.

PubMed

Gao, Xin; Zhang, Wenjing; Yao, Li; Xiao, Yuan; Liu, Lu; Liu, Jieke; Li, Siyi; Tao, Bo; Shah, Chandan; Gong, Qiyong; Sweeney, John A; Lui, Su

2018-03-01

Neuroimaging studies have shown both structural and functional abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia. Recently, studies have begun to explore the association between structural and functional grey matter abnormalities. By conducting a meta-analysis on morphometric and functional imaging studies of grey matter alterations in drug-free patients, the present study aims to examine the degree of overlap between brain regions with anatomic and functional changes in patients with schizophrenia. We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant publications. A multimodal analysis was then conducted using Seed-based d Mapping software. Exploratory analyses included jackknife, subgroup and meta-regression analyses. We included 15 structural MRI studies comprising 486 drug-free patients and 485 healthy controls, and 16 functional MRI studies comprising 403 drug-free patients and 428 controls in our meta-analysis. Drug-free patients were examined to reduce pharmacological effects on the imaging data. Multimodal analysis showed considerable overlap between anatomic and functional changes, mainly in frontotemporal regions, bilateral medial posterior cingulate/paracingulate gyrus, bilateral insula, basal ganglia and left cerebellum. There were also brain regions showing only anatomic changes in the right superior frontal gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus, right lingual gyrus and functional alternations involving the right angular gyrus. The methodological aspects, patient characteristics and clinical variables of the included studies were heterogeneous, and we cannot exclude medication effects. The present study showed overlapping anatomic and functional brain abnormalities mainly in the default mode (DMN) and auditory networks (AN) in drug-free patients with schizophrenia. However, the pattern of changes differed in these networks. Decreased grey matter was associated with decreased activation within the DMN, whereas it was associated with increased activation within the AN. These discrete patterns suggest different pathophysiological changes impacting structural and functional associations within different neural networks in patients with schizophrenia.

Association between structural and functional brain alterations in drug-free patients with schizophrenia: a multimodal meta-analysis.

PubMed

Gao, Xin; Zhang, Wenjing; Yao, Li; Xiao, Yuan; Liu, Lu; Liu, Jieke; Li, Siyi; Tao, Bo; Shah, Chandan; Gong, Qiyong; Sweeney, John A; Lui, Su

2017-12-15

Neuroimaging studies have shown both structural and functional abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia. Recently, studies have begun to explore the association between structural and functional grey matter abnormalities. By conducting a meta-analysis on morphometric and functional imaging studies of grey matter alterations in drug-free patients, the present study aims to examine the degree of overlap between brain regions with anatomic and functional changes in patients with schizophrenia. We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant publications. A multimodal analysis was then conducted using Seed-based d Mapping software. Exploratory analyses included jackknife, subgroup and meta-regression analyses. We included 15 structural MRI studies comprising 486 drug-free patients and 485 healthy controls, and 16 functional MRI studies comprising 403 drug-free patients and 428 controls in our meta-analysis. Drug-free patients were examined to reduce pharmacological effects on the imaging data. Multimodal analysis showed considerable overlap between anatomic and functional changes, mainly in frontotemporal regions, bilateral medial posterior cingulate/paracingulate gyrus, bilateral insula, basal ganglia and left cerebellum. There were also brain regions showing only anatomic changes in the right superior frontal gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus, right lingual gyrus and functional alternations involving the right angular gyrus. The methodological aspects, patient characteristics and clinical variables of the included studies were heterogeneous, and we cannot exclude medication effects. The present study showed overlapping anatomic and functional brain abnormalities mainly in the default mode (DMN) and auditory networks (AN) in drug-free patients with schizophrenia. However, the pattern of changes differed in these networks. Decreased grey matter was associated with decreased activation within the DMN, whereas it was associated with increased activation within the AN. These discrete patterns suggest different pathophysiological changes impacting structural and functional associations within different neural networks in patients with schizophrenia.

Differential brain activations in adult attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder subtypes: a counting Stroop functional MRI study.

PubMed

Shang, Chi-Yung; Sheng, Chia; Yang, Li-Kuang; Chou, Tai-Li; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen

2018-06-01

Although previous functional neuroimaging studies have found abnormal brain activations in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), little was known about distinct brain dysfunctions across different ADHD subtypes. The objective of the present study was to investigate the abnormal brain activations associated with two ADHD subtypes, predominantly inattentive (ADHD-PI) and combined (ADHD-C) subtypes. Twenty-five adults with ADHD-PI, 25 with ADHD-C, and 30 healthy controls (HC) participated in this study. The brain function of the participants were assessed by using the counting Stroop task inside the scanner and the Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CCPT) outside the scanner. The HC group showed greater activations in the caudate nucleus and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) than the ADHD-PI and ADHD-C groups. The ADHD-PI group showed greater activations in the superior parietal lobule (SPL) than the ADHD-C group. In all participants with ADHD, we found negative correlations of activation in the left caudate and the left IFG with the standard deviation of the reaction time of the CCPT, and negative correlations of activation in the left SPL with the reaction time changes across different inter-stimulus intervals. Our results demonstrated altered brain activity in the frontostriatal networks of adults with ADHD-PI and the fronto-striato-parietal networks of adults with ADHD-C. Abnormalities in the parietal areas may represent the main difference between the ADHD-PI and ADHD-C subtypes.

Abnormal brain activation during emotion processing of euthymic bipolar patients taking different mood stabilizers.

PubMed

Li, Linling; Ji, Erni; Tang, Fei; Qiu, Yunhai; Han, Xue; Zhang, Shengli; Zhang, Zhiguo; Yang, Haichen

2018-06-16

Numerous functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have been conducted to elucidate emotion processing of patients with bipolar disorder (BD), but due to different inclusion criteria used, especially for the history of medication use, the results for euthymic BD patients are inconsistent. For this reason, brain functional effects of psychopharmacological treatments on BD patients have been investigated by numerous fMRI studies, but there is no existing report for brain functional effects of different mood stabilizers. In this study, we compared the emotion processing in BD patients treated by two popularly used mood stabilizer, lithium (N = 13; 30 ± 9 years) and valproate (N = 16; 33 ± 8 years), as well as healthy controls (HC; N = 16; 29 ± 7 years). Two emotional tasks were applied in this study: one used emotional pictures of everyday objects and scenes, and another used emotional facial expression pictures. The main findings were that BD on lithium showed increased fMRI activation in the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral lingual gyrus in response to the positive pictures relative to neutral pictures compared with BD on valproate and HC. Besides, no abnormal activation was observed in the amygdala. Limitations of this study comprise the small sample size and the cross-sectional design. Therefore, the results were suggestive of a different effect of lithium and valproate on brain activities during emotion processing but no causal role can be proposed. The enduring impairments in euthymic state could provide clues to the brain regions involved in the primary pathology of BD.

Amygdala Volumetry in Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Normal Magnetic Resonance Imaging

PubMed Central

Singh, Paramdeep; Kaur, Rupinderjeet; Saggar, Kavita; Singh, Gagandeep; Aggarwal, Simmi

2016-01-01

Summary Background It has been suggested that the pathophysiology of temporal lobe epilepsy may relate to abnormalities in various brain structures, including the amygdala. Patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) without MRI abnormalities (MTLE-NMRI) represent a challenge for diagnosis of the underlying abnormality and for presurgical evaluation. To date, however, only few studies have used quantitative structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging-based techniques to examine amygdalar pathology in these patients. Material/Methods Based on clinical examination, 24-hour video EEG recordings and MRI findings, 50 patients with EEG lateralized TLE and normal structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging results were included in this study. Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of the amygdalas and hippocampi were conducted in 50 non-epileptic controls (age 7–79 years) and 50 patients with MTLE with normal MRI on a 1.5-Tesla scanner. Visual assessment and amygdalar volumetry were performed on oblique coronal T2W and T1W MP-RAGE images respectively. The T2 relaxation times were measured using the 16-echo Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill sequence (TE, 22–352). Volumetric data were normalized for variation in head size between individuals. Results were assessed by SSPS statistic program. Results Individual manual volumetric analysis confirmed statistically significant amygdala enlargement (AE) in eight (16%) patients. Overall, among all patients with AE and a defined epileptic focus, 7 had predominant increased volume ipsilateral to the epileptic focus. The T2 relaxometry demonstrated no hyperintense signal of the amygdala in any patient with significant AE. Conclusions This paper presented AE in a few patients with TLE and normal MRI. These findings support the hypothesis that there might be a subgroup of patients with MTLE-NMRI in which the enlarged amygdala could be related to the epileptogenic process. PMID:27231493

Fetal alcohol exposure leads to abnormal olfactory bulb development and impaired odor discrimination in adult mice.

PubMed

Akers, Katherine G; Kushner, Steven A; Leslie, Ana T; Clarke, Laura; van der Kooy, Derek; Lerch, Jason P; Frankland, Paul W

2011-07-07

Children whose mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy exhibit widespread brain abnormalities and a complex array of behavioral disturbances. Here, we used a mouse model of fetal alcohol exposure to investigate relationships between brain abnormalities and specific behavioral alterations during adulthood. Mice drank a 10% ethanol solution throughout pregnancy. When fetal alcohol-exposed offspring reached adulthood, we used high resolution MRI to conduct a brain-wide screen for structural changes and found that the largest reduction in volume occurred in the olfactory bulbs. Next, we tested adult mice in an associative olfactory task and found that fetal alcohol exposure impaired discrimination between similar odors but left odor memory intact. Finally, we investigated olfactory bulb neurogenesis as a potential mechanism by performing an in vitro neurosphere assay, in vivo labeling of new cells using BrdU, and in vivo labeling of new cells using a transgenic reporter system. We found that fetal alcohol exposure decreased the number of neural precursor cells in the subependymal zone and the number of new cells in the olfactory bulbs during the first few postnatal weeks. Using a combination of techniques, including structural brain imaging, in vitro and in vivo cell detection methods, and behavioral testing, we found that fetal alcohol exposure results in smaller olfactory bulbs and impairments in odor discrimination that persist into adulthood. Furthermore, we found that these abnormalities in olfactory bulb structure and function may arise from deficits in the generation of new olfactory bulb neurons during early postnatal development.

Functional and structural brain correlates of theory of mind and empathy deficits in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Benedetti, Francesco; Bernasconi, Alessandro; Bosia, Marta; Cavallaro, Roberto; Dallaspezia, Sara; Falini, Andrea; Poletti, Sara; Radaelli, Daniele; Riccaboni, Roberta; Scotti, Giuseppe; Smeraldi, Enrico

2009-10-01

Patients affected by schizophrenia show deficits in social cognition, with abnormal performance on tasks targeting theory of mind (ToM) and empathy (Emp). Brain imaging studies suggested that ToM and Emp depend on the activation of brain networks mainly localized at the superior temporal lobe and temporo-parietal junction. Participants included 24 schizophrenia patients and 20 control subjects. We used brain blood oxygen level dependent fMRI to study the neural responses to tasks targeting ToM and Emp. We then studied voxel-based morphometry of grey matter in areas where diagnosis influenced functional activation to both tasks. Outcomes were analyzed in the context of the general linear model, with global grey matter volume as nuisance covariate for structural MRI. Patients showed worse performance on both tasks. We found significant effects of diagnosis on neural responses to the tasks in a wide cluster in right posterior superior temporal lobe (encompassing BA 22-42), in smaller clusters in left temporo-parietal junction and temporal pole (BA 38 and 39), and in a white matter region adjacent to medial prefrontal cortex (BA 10). A pattern of double dissociation of the effects of diagnosis and task on neural responses emerged. Among these areas, grey matter volume was found to be reduced in right superior temporal lobe regions of patients. Functional and structural abnormalities were observed in areas affected by the schizophrenic process early in the illness course, and known to be crucial for social cognition, suggesting a biological basis for social cognition deficits in schizophrenia.

Folding, But Not Surface Area Expansion, Is Associated with Cellular Morphological Maturation in the Fetal Cerebral Cortex

PubMed Central

Studholme, Colin; Frias, Antonio E.

2017-01-01

Altered macroscopic anatomical characteristics of the cerebral cortex have been identified in individuals affected by various neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the cellular developmental mechanisms that give rise to these abnormalities are not understood. Previously, advances in image reconstruction of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have made possible high-resolution in utero measurements of water diffusion anisotropy in the fetal brain. Here, diffusion anisotropy within the developing fetal cerebral cortex is longitudinally characterized in the rhesus macaque, focusing on gestation day (G85) through G135 of the 165 d term. Additionally, for subsets of animals characterized at G90 and G135, immunohistochemical staining was performed, and 3D structure tensor analyses were used to identify the cellular processes that most closely parallel changes in water diffusion anisotropy with cerebral cortical maturation. Strong correlations were found between maturation of dendritic arbors on the cellular level and the loss of diffusion anisotropy with cortical development. In turn, diffusion anisotropy changes were strongly associated both regionally and temporally with cortical folding. Notably, the regional and temporal dependence of diffusion anisotropy and folding were distinct from the patterns observed for cerebral cortical surface area expansion. These findings strengthen the link proposed in previous studies between cellular-level changes in dendrite morphology and noninvasive diffusion MRI measurements of the developing cerebral cortex and support the possibility that, in gyroencephalic species, structural differentiation within the cortex is coupled to the formation of gyri and sulci. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Abnormal brain morphology has been found in populations with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the mechanisms linking cellular level and macroscopic maturation are poorly understood, even in normal brains. This study contributes new understanding to this subject using serial in utero MRI measurements of rhesus macaque fetuses, from which macroscopic and cellular information can be derived. We found that morphological differentiation of dendrites was strongly associated both regionally and temporally with folding of the cerebral cortex. Interestingly, parallel associations were not observed with cortical surface area expansion. These findings support the possibility that perturbed morphological differentiation of cells within the cortex may underlie abnormal macroscopic characteristics of individuals affected by neurodevelopmental disorders. PMID:28069920

White Matter Volume Predicts Language Development in Congenital Heart Disease

PubMed Central

Rollins, Caitlin K.; Asaro, Lisa A.; Akhondi-Asl, Alireza; Kussman, Barry D.; Rivkin, Michael J.; Bellinger, David C.; Warfield, Simon K.; Wypij, David; Newburger, Jane W.; Soul, Janet S.

2016-01-01

Objective To determine whether brain volume is reduced at one year and whether these volumes are associated with neurodevelopment in biventricular congenital heart disease (CHD) repaired in infancy. Study design Infants with biventricular CHD (n = 48) underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neurodevelopmental testing with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II (BSID-II) and the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI) at one year. A multi-template based probabilistic segmentation algorithm was applied to volumetric MRI data. We compared volumes with those of 13 healthy control infants of comparable ages. In the CHD group, we measured Spearman correlations between neurodevelopmental outcomes and the residuals from linear regression of the volumes on corrected chronological age at MRI and sex. Results Compared with controls, CHD infant had reductions of 54 mL in total brain (P = 0.009), 40 mL in cerebral white matter (P < 0.001), and 1.2 mL in brainstem (P = 0.003) volumes. Within the CHD group, brain volumes were not correlated with BSID-II scores but did correlate positively with CDI language development. Conclusion Infants with biventricular CHD show total brain volume reductions at one year of age, driven by differences in cerebral white matter. White matter volume correlates with language development, but not broader developmental indices. These findings suggest that abnormalities in white matter development detected months after corrective heart surgery may contribute to language impairment. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00006183 PMID:27837950

The developing human connectome project: A minimal processing pipeline for neonatal cortical surface reconstruction.

PubMed

Makropoulos, Antonios; Robinson, Emma C; Schuh, Andreas; Wright, Robert; Fitzgibbon, Sean; Bozek, Jelena; Counsell, Serena J; Steinweg, Johannes; Vecchiato, Katy; Passerat-Palmbach, Jonathan; Lenz, Gregor; Mortari, Filippo; Tenev, Tencho; Duff, Eugene P; Bastiani, Matteo; Cordero-Grande, Lucilio; Hughes, Emer; Tusor, Nora; Tournier, Jacques-Donald; Hutter, Jana; Price, Anthony N; Teixeira, Rui Pedro A G; Murgasova, Maria; Victor, Suresh; Kelly, Christopher; Rutherford, Mary A; Smith, Stephen M; Edwards, A David; Hajnal, Joseph V; Jenkinson, Mark; Rueckert, Daniel

2018-06-01

The Developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP) seeks to create the first 4-dimensional connectome of early life. Understanding this connectome in detail may provide insights into normal as well as abnormal patterns of brain development. Following established best practices adopted by the WU-MINN Human Connectome Project (HCP), and pioneered by FreeSurfer, the project utilises cortical surface-based processing pipelines. In this paper, we propose a fully automated processing pipeline for the structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the developing neonatal brain. This proposed pipeline consists of a refined framework for cortical and sub-cortical volume segmentation, cortical surface extraction, and cortical surface inflation, which has been specifically designed to address considerable differences between adult and neonatal brains, as imaged using MRI. Using the proposed pipeline our results demonstrate that images collected from 465 subjects ranging from 28 to 45 weeks post-menstrual age (PMA) can be processed fully automatically; generating cortical surface models that are topologically correct, and correspond well with manual evaluations of tissue boundaries in 85% of cases. Results improve on state-of-the-art neonatal tissue segmentation models and significant errors were found in only 2% of cases, where these corresponded to subjects with high motion. Downstream, these surfaces will enhance comparisons of functional and diffusion MRI datasets, supporting the modelling of emerging patterns of brain connectivity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessment of lexical semantic judgment abilities in alcohol-dependent subjects: an fMRI study.

PubMed

Bagga, D; Singh, N; Modi, S; Kumar, P; Bhattacharya, D; Garg, M L; Khushu, S

2013-12-01

Neuropsychological studies have shown that alcohol dependence is associated with neurocognitive deficits in tasks requiring memory, perceptual motor skills, abstraction and problem solving, whereas language skills are relatively spared in alcoholics despite structural abnormalities in the language-related brain regions. To investigate the preserved mechanisms of language processing in alcohol-dependents, functional brain imaging was undertaken in healthy controls (n=18) and alcohol-dependents (n=16) while completing a lexical semantic judgment task in a 3 T MR scanner. Behavioural data indicated that alcohol-dependents took more time than controls for performing the task but there was no significant difference in their response accuracy. fMRI data analysis revealed that while performing the task, the alcoholics showed enhanced activations in left supramarginal gyrus, precuneus bilaterally, left angular gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus as compared to control subjects. The extensive activations observed in alcoholics as compared to controls suggest that alcoholics recruit additional brain areas to meet the behavioural demands for equivalent task performance. The results are consistent with previous fMRI studies suggesting compensatory mechanisms for the execution of task for showing an equivalent performance or decreased neural efficiency of relevant brain networks. However, on direct comparison of the two groups, the results did not survive correction for multiple comparisons; therefore, the present findings need further exploration.

Identifying individuals with antisocial personality disorder using resting-state FMRI.

PubMed

Tang, Yan; Jiang, Weixiong; Liao, Jian; Wang, Wei; Luo, Aijing

2013-01-01

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is closely connected to criminal behavior. A better understanding of functional connectivity in the brains of ASPD patients will help to explain abnormal behavioral syndromes and to perform objective diagnoses of ASPD. In this study we designed an exploratory data-driven classifier based on machine learning to investigate changes in functional connectivity in the brains of patients with ASPD using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data in 32 subjects with ASPD and 35 controls. The results showed that the classifier achieved satisfactory performance (86.57% accuracy, 77.14% sensitivity and 96.88% specificity) and could extract stabile information regarding functional connectivity that could be used to discriminate ASPD individuals from normal controls. More importantly, we found that the greatest change in the ASPD subjects was uncoupling between the default mode network and the attention network. Moreover, the precuneus, superior parietal gyrus and cerebellum exhibited high discriminative power in classification. A voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed and showed that the gray matter volumes in the parietal lobule and white matter volumes in the precuneus were abnormal in ASPD compared to controls. To our knowledge, this study was the first to use resting-state fMRI to identify abnormal functional connectivity in ASPD patients. These results not only demonstrated good performance of the proposed classifier, which can be used to improve the diagnosis of ASPD, but also elucidate the pathological mechanism of ASPD from a resting-state functional integration viewpoint.

Assessing dynamic brain graphs of time-varying connectivity in fMRI data: application to healthy controls and patients with schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Yu, Qingbao; Erhardt, Erik B.; Sui, Jing; Du, Yuhui; He, Hao; Hjelm, Devon; Cetin, Mustafa S.; Rachakonda, Srinivas; Miller, Robyn L.; Pearlson, Godfrey; Calhoun, Vince D.

2014-01-01

Graph theory-based analysis has been widely employed in brain imaging studies, and altered topological properties of brain connectivity have emerged as important features of mental diseases such as schizophrenia. However, most previous studies have focused on graph metrics of stationary brain graphs, ignoring that brain connectivity exhibits fluctuations over time. Here we develop a new framework for accessing dynamic graph properties of time-varying functional brain connectivity in resting state fMRI data and apply it to healthy controls (HCs) and patients with schizophrenia (SZs). Specifically, nodes of brain graphs are defined by intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) identified by group independent component analysis (ICA). Dynamic graph metrics of the time-varying brain connectivity estimated by the correlation of sliding time-windowed ICA time courses of ICNs are calculated. First- and second-level connectivity states are detected based on the correlation of nodal connectivity strength between time-varying brain graphs. Our results indicate that SZs show decreased variance in the dynamic graph metrics. Consistent with prior stationary functional brain connectivity works, graph measures of identified first-level connectivity states show lower values in SZs. In addition, more first-level connectivity states are disassociated with the second-level connectivity state which resembles the stationary connectivity pattern computed by the entire scan. Collectively, the findings provide new evidence about altered dynamic brain graphs in schizophrenia which may underscore the abnormal brain performance in this mental illness. PMID:25514514

Rate of cardiac arrhythmias and silent brain lesions in experienced marathon runners: rationale, design and baseline data of the Berlin Beat of Running study.

PubMed

Haeusler, Karl Georg; Herm, Juliane; Kunze, Claudia; Krüll, Matthias; Brechtel, Lars; Lock, Jürgen; Hohenhaus, Marc; Heuschmann, Peter U; Fiebach, Jochen B; Haverkamp, Wilhelm; Endres, Matthias; Jungehulsing, Gerhard Jan

2012-08-31

Regular exercise is beneficial for cardiovascular health but a recent meta-analysis indicated a relationship between extensive endurance sport and a higher risk of atrial fibrillation, an independent risk factor for stroke. However, data on the frequency of cardiac arrhythmias or (clinically silent) brain lesions during and after marathon running are missing. In the prospective observational "Berlin Beat of Running" study experienced endurance athletes underwent clinical examination (CE), 3 Tesla brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), carotid ultrasound imaging (CUI) and serial blood sampling (BS) within 2-3 days prior (CE, MRI, CUI, BS), directly after (CE, BS) and within 2 days after (CE, MRI, BS) the 38th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2011. All participants wore a portable electrocardiogram (ECG)-recorder throughout the 4 to 5 days baseline study period. Participants with pathological MRI findings after the marathon, troponin elevations or detected cardiac arrhythmias will be asked to undergo cardiac MRI to rule out structural abnormalities. A follow-up is scheduled after one year. Here we report the baseline data of the enrolled 110 athletes aged 36-61 years. Their mean age was 48.8 ± 6.0 years, 24.5% were female, 8.2% had hypertension and 2.7% had hyperlipidaemia. Participants have attended a mean of 7.5 ± 6.6 marathon races within the last 5 years and a mean of 16 ± 36 marathon races in total. Their weekly running distance prior to the 38th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON was 65 ± 17 km. Finally, 108 (98.2%) Berlin Beat-Study participants successfully completed the 38th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2011. Findings from the "Berlin Beats of Running" study will help to balance the benefits and risks of extensive endurance sport. ECG-recording during the marathon might contribute to identify athletes at risk for cardiovascular events. MRI results will give new insights into the link between physical stress and brain damage. clinicaltrials.gov NCT01428778.

The clinical outcomes of deep gray matter injury in children with cerebral palsy in relation with brain magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Choi, Ja Young; Choi, Yoon Seong; Rha, Dong-Wook; Park, Eun Sook

2016-08-01

In the present study we investigated the nature and extent of clinical outcomes using various classifications and analyzed the relationship between brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and the extent of clinical outcomes in children with cerebral palsy (CP) with deep gray matter injury. The deep gray matter injuries of 69 children were classified into hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and kernicterus patterns. HIE patterns were divided into four groups (I-IV) based on severity. Functional classification was investigated using the gross motor function classification system-expanded and revised, manual ability classification system, communication function classification system, and tests of cognitive function, and other associated problems. The severity of HIE pattern on brain MRI was strongly correlated with the severity of clinical outcomes in these various domains. Children with a kernicterus pattern showed a wide range of clinical outcomes in these areas. Children with severe HIE are at high risk of intellectual disability (ID) or epilepsy and children with a kernicterus pattern are at risk of hearing impairment and/or ID. Grading severity of HIE pattern on brain MRI is useful for predicting overall outcomes. The clinical outcomes of children with a kernicterus pattern range widely from mild to severe. Delineation of the clinical outcomes of children with deep gray matter injury, which are a common abnormal brain MRI finding in children with CP, is necessary. The present study provides clinical outcomes for various domains in children with deep gray matter injury on brain MRI. The deep gray matter injuries were divided into two major groups; HIE and kernicterus patterns. Our study showed that severity of HIE pattern on brain MRI was strongly associated with the severity of impairments in gross motor function, manual ability, communication function, and cognition. These findings suggest that severity of HIE pattern can be useful for predicting the severity of impairments. Conversely, children with a kernicterus pattern showed a wide range of clinical outcomes in various domains. Children with severe HIE pattern are at high risk of ID or epilepsy and children with kernicterus pattern are at risk of hearing impairment or ID. The strength of our study was the assessment of clinical outcomes after 3 years of age using standardized classification systems in various domains in children with deep gray matter injury. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adolescents who were born very preterm have decreased brain volumes.

PubMed

Nosarti, Chiara; Al-Asady, Mazin H S; Frangou, Sophia; Stewart, Ann L; Rifkin, Larry; Murray, Robin M

2002-07-01

Infants born very preterm have an increased risk of brain injury. Given the great increase in the number of such infants that are surviving, it is important to establish whether any resultant brain abnormalities persist into adolescence and adult life. We therefore examined in vivo whole brain, grey matter, white matter and hippocampal volumes, ventricular size and grey/white matter ratios in a series of adolescents who had been born very preterm, and an age-matched full-term control group. Structural MRI was carried out on a cohort of 72 adolescents (mean age 15 years) who were born before 33 weeks, and 48 age-matched full-term controls. Brain measurements were made blind to group affiliation using stereological principles. After controlling for gender and height, the very preterm subjects showed a 6.0% decrease in whole brain volume, and an 11.8% decrease in cortical grey matter volume, as well as a 15.6% decrease in right and a 12.1% decrease in left hippocampal volumes; they also had a 42.0% increase in the size of the lateral ventricles. Therefore, individuals who were born very preterm continue to show noticeable decrements in brain volumes and striking increases in lateral ventricular volume into adolescence. The functional significance of these abnormalities merits further investigation.

Predicting motor development in very preterm infants at 12 months' corrected age: the role of qualitative magnetic resonance imaging and general movements assessments.

PubMed

Spittle, Alicia J; Boyd, Roslyn N; Inder, Terrie E; Doyle, Lex W

2009-02-01

The objective of this study was to compare the predictive value of qualitative MRI of brain structure at term and general movements assessments at 1 and 3 months' corrected age for motor outcome at 1 year's corrected age in very preterm infants. Eighty-six very preterm infants (<30 weeks' gestation) underwent MRI at term-equivalent age, were evaluated for white matter abnormality, and had general movements assessed at 1 and 3 months' corrected age. Motor outcome at 1 year's corrected age was evaluated with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale, the Neuro-Sensory Motor Development Assessment, and the diagnosis of cerebral palsy by the child's pediatrician. At 1 year of age, the Alberta Infant Motor Scale categorized 30 (35%) infants as suspicious/abnormal; the Neuro-Sensory Motor Development Assessment categorized 16 (18%) infants with mild-to-severe motor dysfunction, and 5 (6%) infants were classified with cerebral palsy. White matter abnormality at term and general movements at 1 and 3 months significantly correlated with Alberta Infant Motor Scale and Neuro-Sensory Motor Development Assessment scores at 1 year. White matter abnormality and general movements at 3 months were the only assessments that correlated with cerebral palsy. All assessments had 100% sensitivity in predicting cerebral palsy. White matter abnormality demonstrated the greatest accuracy in predicting combined motor outcomes, with excellent levels of specificity (>90%); however, the sensitivity was low. On the other hand, general movements assessments at 1 month had the highest sensitivity (>80%); however, the overall accuracy was relatively low. Neuroimaging (MRI) and functional (general movements) examinations have important complementary roles in predicting motor development of very preterm infants.

Dermatoglyphics in relation to brain volumes in twins concordant and discordant for bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Vonk, R; van der Schot, A C; van Baal, G C M; van Oel, C J; Nolen, W A; Kahn, R S

2014-12-01

Palmar and finger dermatoglyphics are formed between the 10th and the 17th weeks of gestation and their morphology can be influenced by genetic or environmental factors, interfering with normal intrauterine development. As both the skin and the brain develop from the same embryonal ectoderm, dermatoglyphic alterations may be informative for early abnormal neurodevelopmental processes in the brain. We investigated whether dermatoglyphic alterations are related to structural brain abnormalities in bipolar disorder and to what extent they are of a genetic and of an environmental origin. Dermatoglyphics and volumetric data from structural MRI were obtained in 53 twin pairs concordant or discordant for bipolar disorder and 51 healthy matched control twin pairs. Structural equation modeling was used. Bipolar disorder was significantly positively associated with palmar a-b ridge count (ABRC), indicating higher ABRC in bipolar patients (rph=.17 (CI .04-.30)). Common genes appear to be involved because the genetic correlation with ABRC was significant (rph-A=.21 (CI .05-.36). Irrespective of disease, ABRC showed a genetically mediated association with brain volume, indicated by a significant genetic correlation rph-A of respectively -.36 (CI -.52 to -.22) for total brain, -.34 (CI -.51 to -.16) total cortical volume, -.27 (CI -.43 to -.08) cortical gray matter and -.23 (CI -.41 to -.04) cortical white matter. In conclusion, a genetically determined abnormal development of the foetal ectoderm between the 10th and 15th week of gestation appears related to smaller brain volumes in (subjects at risk for) bipolar disorder. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Orotracheal administration of contrast agents: a new protocol for brain tumor targeting.

PubMed

Bianchi, Andrea; Moncelet, Damien; Lux, François; Plissonneau, Marie; Rizzitelli, Silvia; Ribot, Emeline Julie; Tassali, Nawal; Bouchaud, Véronique; Tillement, Olivier; Voisin, Pierre; Crémillieux, Yannick

2015-06-01

The development of new non-invasive diagnostic and therapeutic approaches is of paramount importance in order to improve the outcome of patients with glioblastoma (GBM). In this work we investigated a completely non-invasive pre-clinical protocol to effectively target and detect brain tumors through the orotracheal route, using ultra-small nanoparticles (USRPs) and MRI. A mouse model of GBM was developed. In vivo MRI acquisitions were performed before and after intravenous or orotracheal administration of the nanoparticles to identify and segment the tumor. The accumulation of the nanoparticles in neoplastic lesions was assessed ex vivo through fluorescence microscopy. Before the administration of contrast agents, MR images allowed the identification of the presence of abnormal brain tissue in 73% of animals. After orotracheal or intravenous administration of USRPs, in all the mice an excellent co-localization of the position of the tumor with MRI and histology was observed. The elimination time of the USRPs from the tumor after the orotracheal administration was approximately 70% longer compared with intravenous injection. MRI and USRPs were shown to be powerful imaging tools able to detect, quantify and longitudinally monitor the development of GBMs. The absence of ionizing radiation and high resolution of MRI, along with the complete non-invasiveness and good reproducibility of the proposed protocol, make this technique potentially translatable to humans. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the advantages of a needle-free orotracheal administration route have been demonstrated for the investigation of the pathomorphological changes due to GBMs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Brain size regulations by cbp haploinsufficiency evaluated by in-vivo MRI based volumetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ateca-Cabarga, Juan C.; Cosa, Alejandro; Pallarés, Vicente; López-Atalaya, José P.; Barco, Ángel; Canals, Santiago; Moratal, David

2015-11-01

The Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome (RSTS) is a congenital disease that affects brain development causing severe cognitive deficits. In most cases the disease is associated with dominant mutations in the gene encoding the CREB binding protein (CBP). In this work, we present the first quantitative analysis of brain abnormalities in a mouse model of RSTS using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and two novel self-developed automated algorithms for image volumetric analysis. Our results quantitatively confirm key syndromic features observed in RSTS patients, such as reductions in brain size (-16.31%, p < 0.05), white matter volume (-16.00%, p < 0.05), and corpus callosum (-12.40%, p < 0.05). Furthermore, they provide new insight into the developmental origin of the disease. By comparing brain tissues in a region by region basis between cbp+/- and cbp+/+ littermates, we found that cbp haploinsufficiency is specifically associated with significant reductions in prosencephalic tissue, such us in the olfactory bulb and neocortex, whereas regions evolved from the embryonic rhombencephalon were spared. Despite the large volume reductions, the proportion between gray-, white-matter and cerebrospinal fluid were conserved, suggesting a role of CBP in brain size regulation. The commonalities with holoprosencephaly and arhinencephaly conditions suggest the inclusion of RSTS in the family of neuronal migration disorders.

Corpus callosum differences assessed by fetal MRI in late-onset intrauterine growth restriction and its association with neurobehavior.

PubMed

Egaña-Ugrinovic, Gabriela; Sanz-Cortés, Magdalena; Couve-Pérez, Constanza; Figueras, Francesc; Gratacós, Eduard

2014-09-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate corpus callosum (CC) development by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in late-onset intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) fetuses compared to appropriate for gestational age and its association with neurobehavioral outcome. One hundred and seventeen late-onset IUGR and 73 control fetuses were imaged using a 3T MRI scanner at term, obtaining T2 half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo anatomical slices. CC length, thickness, total area and the areas after a subdivision in 7 portions were assessed. Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale test was performed on IUGR newborns at 42 ± 1 weeks. IUGR fetuses showed significantly smaller CC (Total CC Area IUGR: 1.3996 ± 0.26 vs. AGA: 1.664 ± 0.31; p < 0.01) and smaller subdivision areas as compared with controls. The differences were slightly more pronounced in fetuses with very low birth weight and/or abnormal brain and/or abnormal uterine Doppler. CC measurements were significantly associated with neurobehavioral outcome in IUGR cases. CC development was significantly altered in late-onset IUGR fetuses and correlated with worse neurobehavioral performance. CC could be further explored as a potential imaging biomarker to predict abnormal neurodevelopment in pregnancies at risk. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abnormal functional connectivity during visuospatial processing is associated with disrupted organisation of white matter in autism

PubMed Central

McGrath, Jane; Johnson, Katherine; O'Hanlon, Erik; Garavan, Hugh; Leemans, Alexander; Gallagher, Louise

2013-01-01

Disruption of structural and functional neural connectivity has been widely reported in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but there is a striking lack of research attempting to integrate analysis of functional and structural connectivity in the same study population, an approach that may provide key insights into the specific neurobiological underpinnings of altered functional connectivity in autism. The aims of this study were (1) to determine whether functional connectivity abnormalities were associated with structural abnormalities of white matter (WM) in ASD and (2) to examine the relationships between aberrant neural connectivity and behavior in ASD. Twenty-two individuals with ASD and 22 age, IQ-matched controls completed a high-angular-resolution diffusion MRI scan. Structural connectivity was analysed using constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD) based tractography. Regions for tractography were generated from the results of a previous study, in which 10 pairs of brain regions showed abnormal functional connectivity during visuospatial processing in ASD. WM tracts directly connected 5 of the 10 region pairs that showed abnormal functional connectivity; linking a region in the left occipital lobe (left BA19) and five paired regions: left caudate head, left caudate body, left uncus, left thalamus, and left cuneus. Measures of WM microstructural organization were extracted from these tracts. Fractional anisotropy (FA) reductions in the ASD group relative to controls were significant for WM connecting left BA19 to left caudate head and left BA19 to left thalamus. Using a multimodal imaging approach, this study has revealed aberrant WM microstructure in tracts that directly connect brain regions that are abnormally functionally connected in ASD. These results provide novel evidence to suggest that structural brain pathology may contribute (1) to abnormal functional connectivity and (2) to atypical visuospatial processing in ASD. PMID:24133425

MEG-guided analysis of 7T-MRI in patients with epilepsy.

PubMed

Colon, A J; Osch, M J P van; Buijs, M; Grond, J V D; Hillebrand, A; Schijns, O; Wagner, G J; Ossenblok, P; Hofman, P; Buchem, M A V; Boon, P

2018-05-26

To study possible detection of structural abnormalities on 7T MRI that were not detected on 3T MRI and estimate the added value of MEG-guidance. For abnormalities found, analysis of convergence between clinical, MEG and 7T MRI localization of suspected epileptogenic foci. In adult patients with well-documented localization-related epilepsy in whom a previous 3T MRI did not demonstrate an epileptogenic lesion but MEG indicated a plausible epileptogenic focus, 7T MRI was performed. Based on semiologic data, visual analysis of the 7T images was performed as well as based on prior MEG results. Correlation with other data from the patient charts, for as far as these were available, was analysed. To establish the level of concordance between the three observers the generalized or Fleiss kappa was calculated. In 3/19 patients abnormalities that, based on semiology, could plausibly represent an epileptogenic lesion were detected using 7T MRI. In an additional 3/19 an abnormality was detected after MEG-guidance. However, in these later cases there was no concordance among the three observers with regard to the presence of a structural abnormality. In one of these three cases intracranial recording was performed, proving the possible abnormality on 7T MRI to be the epileptogenic focus. In 32% of patients 7T MRI showed abnormalities that could indicate an epileptogenic lesion whereas previous 3T MRI did not, especially when visual inspection was guided by the presence of focal interictal MEG abnormalities. Copyright © 2018 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[A young woman with central facial nerve palsy].

PubMed

Broere, Christiaan M; de Witte, B R René; Claes, J F H M Franka

2014-01-01

The distinction between central and peripheral facial nerve palsy can be difficult but is very important for the workup and treatment. A tumefactive demyelinating lesion (TDL) is a rare condition that can sometimes cause diagnostic difficulties due to its similarity to a brain tumour. We present a 20-year-old female patient who visited her GP with a discrete right-sided drooping corner of her mouth. The GP started treatment with oral glucorticoids because of presumed Bell's palsy and referred her to the neurology outpatient clinic. Repeated neurological examination showed central facial palsy on the right side of the face. An MRI study of the brain revealed a single large contrast-enhanced abnormality in the left hemisphere that was diagnosed as TDL after exclusion of other causes. In view of the limited number of clinical symptoms, an expectative policy was conducted. The patient recovered spontaneously and repeated MRI studies showed partial regression of TDL. TDL is often considered to be a first presentation of multiple sclerosis. Accurate analysis with MRI can help in making a diagnosis without the need for a biopsy.

The "double panda" sign in Leigh disease.

PubMed

Sonam, Kothari; Bindu, P S; Gayathri, Narayanappa; Khan, Nahid Akhtar; Govindaraju, C; Arvinda, Hanumanthapura R; Nagappa, Madhu; Sinha, Sanjib; Thangaraj, K; Taly, Arun B

2014-07-01

Although the "face of the giant panda" sign on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is traditionally considered to be characteristic of Wilson disease, it has also been reported in other metabolic disorders. This study describes the characteristic "giant panda" sign on MRI in a child with Leigh disease. The diagnosis was based on the history of neurological regression; examination findings of oculomotor abnormalities, hypotonia, and dystonia; raised serum lactate levels; and characteristic brain stem and basal ganglia signal changes on MRI. The midbrain and pontine tegmental signal changes were consistent with the "face of the giant panda and her cub" sign. In addition to Wilson disease, metabolic disorders such as Leigh disease should also be considered in the differential diagnosis of this rare imaging finding. © The Author(s) 2013.

Magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosis of early Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Colliot, O; Hamelin, L; Sarazin, M

2013-10-01

A major challenge for neuroimaging is to contribute to the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In particular, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows detecting different types of structural and functional abnormalities at an early stage of the disease. Anatomical MRI is the most widely used technique and provides local and global measures of atrophy. The recent diagnostic criteria of "mild cognitive impairment due to AD" include hippocampal atrophy, which is considered a marker of neuronal injury. Advanced image analysis techniques generate automatic and reproducible measures both in the hippocampus and throughout the whole brain. Recent modalities such as diffusion-tensor imaging and resting-state functional MRI provide additional measures that could contribute to the early diagnosis but require further validation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

An initial MRI picture of limbic encephalitis in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

PubMed

Lebon, Sébastien; Maeder, Philippe; Maeder-Ingvar, Malin; Poloni, Claudia; Mayor-Dubois, Claire; Roulet-Perez, Eliane; Jeannet, Pierre-Yves

2011-11-01

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare and severe long-term complication of measles. Hallmarks of this entity include progressive cognitive decline, myoclonia, a generalized periodic pattern on EEG and deep white matter abnormalities on MRI. However, imaging can be normal in early stages. We report herein the case of a previously healthy 13-years-old girl with an unusual radiological presentation. She presented with unilateral myoclonia, cognitive decline with memory impairment and a first brain MRI with swelling of both hippocampi mimicking limbic encephalitis. Measles antibodies were positive in CSF and the EEG showed slow periodic complexes. This unusual radiological presentation has never been described in SSPE. Relationship between virus and limbic system are discussed. Copyright © 2011 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is There Chronic Brain Damage in Retired NFL Players? Neuroradiology, Neuropsychology, and Neurology Examinations of 45 Retired Players

PubMed Central

Casson, Ira R.; Viano, David C.; Haacke, E. Mark; Kou, Zhifeng; LeStrange, Danielle G.

2014-01-01

Background: Neuropathology and surveys of retired National Football League (NFL) players suggest that chronic brain damage is a frequent result of a career in football. There is limited information on the neurological statuses of living retired players. This study aimed to fill the gap in knowledge by conducting in-depth neurological examinations of 30- to 60-year-old retired NFL players. Hypothesis: In-depth neurological examinations of 30- to 60-year-old retired players are unlikely to detect objective clinical abnormalities in the majority of subjects. Study Design: A day-long medical examination was conducted on 45 retired NFL players, including state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; susceptibility weighted imaging [SWI], diffusion tensor imaging [DTI]), comprehensive neuropsychological and neurological examinations, interviews, blood tests, and APOE (apolipoprotein E) genotyping. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: Participants’ histories focused on neurological and depression symptoms, exposure to football, and other factors that could affect brain function. The neurological examination included Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) evaluation of cognitive function and a comprehensive search for signs of dysarthria, pyramidal system dysfunction, extrapyramidal system dysfunction, and cerebellar dysfunction. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) measured depression. Neuropsychological tests included pen-and-paper and ImPACT evaluation of cognitive function. Anatomical examination SWI and DTI MRI searched for brain injuries. The results were statistically analyzed for associations with markers of exposure to football and related factors, such as body mass index (BMI), ethanol use, and APOE4 status. Results: The retired players’ ages averaged 45.6 ± 8.9 years (range, 30-60 years), and they had 6.8 ± 3.2 years (maximum, 14 years) of NFL play. They reported 6.9 ± 6.2 concussions (maximum, 25) in the NFL. The majority of retired players had normal clinical mental status and central nervous system (CNS) neurological examinations. Four players (9%) had microbleeds in brain parenchyma identified in SWI, and 3 (7%) had a large cavum septum pellucidum with brain atrophy. The number of concussions/dings was associated with abnormal results in SWI and DTI. Neuropsychological testing revealed isolated impairments in 11 players (24%), but none had dementia. Nine players (20%) endorsed symptoms of moderate or severe depression on the BDI and/or met criteria for depression on PHQ; however, none had dementia, dysarthria, parkinsonism, or cerebellar dysfunction. The number of football-related concussions was associated with isolated abnormalities on the clinical neurological examination, suggesting CNS dysfunction. The APOE4 allele was present in 38% of the players, a larger number than would be expected in the general male population (23%-26%). Conclusion: MRI lesions and neuropsychological impairments were found in some players; however, the majority of retired NFL players had no clinical signs of chronic brain damage. Clinical Relevance: These results need to be reconciled with the prevailing view that a career in football frequently results in chronic brain damage. PMID:25177413

Cognition and brain development in children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes.

PubMed

Garcia-Ramos, Camille; Jackson, Daren C; Lin, Jack J; Dabbs, Kevin; Jones, Jana E; Hsu, David A; Stafstrom, Carl E; Zawadzki, Lucy; Seidenberg, Michael; Prabhakaran, Vivek; Hermann, Bruce P

2015-10-01

Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS), the most common focal childhood epilepsy, is associated with subtle abnormalities in cognition and possible developmental alterations in brain structure when compared to healthy participants, as indicated by previous cross-sectional studies. To examine the natural history of BECTS, we investigated cognition, cortical thickness, and subcortical volumes in children with new/recent onset BECTS and healthy controls (HC). Participants were 8-15 years of age, including 24 children with new-onset BECTS and 41 age- and gender-matched HC. At baseline and 2 years later, all participants completed a cognitive assessment, and a subset (13 BECTS, 24 HC) underwent T1 volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans focusing on cortical thickness and subcortical volumes. Baseline cognitive abnormalities associated with BECTS (object naming, verbal learning, arithmetic computation, and psychomotor speed/dexterity) persisted over 2 years, with the rate of cognitive development paralleling that of HC. Baseline neuroimaging revealed thinner cortex in BECTS compared to controls in frontal, temporal, and occipital regions. Longitudinally, HC showed widespread cortical thinning in both hemispheres, whereas BECTS participants showed sparse regions of both cortical thinning and thickening. Analyses of subcortical volumes showed larger left and right putamens persisting over 2 years in BECTS compared to HC. Cognitive and structural brain abnormalities associated with BECTS are present at onset and persist (cognition) and/or evolve (brain structure) over time. Atypical maturation of cortical thickness antecedent to BECTS onset results in early identified abnormalities that continue to develop abnormally over time. However, compared to anatomic development, cognition appears more resistant to further change over time. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 International League Against Epilepsy.

Differential Hemispheric Predilection of Microstructural White Matter and Functional Connectivity Abnormalities between Respectively Semantic and Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia.

PubMed

Meijboom, Rozanna; Steketee, Rebecca M E; Ham, Leontine S; van der Lugt, Aad; van Swieten, John C; Smits, Marion

2017-01-01

Semantic dementia (SD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), subtypes of frontotemporal dementia, are characterized by distinct clinical symptoms and neuroimaging features, with predominant left temporal grey matter (GM) atrophy in SD and bilateral or right frontal GM atrophy in bvFTD. Such differential hemispheric predilection may also be reflected by other neuroimaging features, such as brain connectivity. This study investigated white matter (WM) microstructure and functional connectivity differences between SD and bvFTD, focusing on the hemispheric predilection of these differences. Eight SD and 12 bvFTD patients, and 17 controls underwent diffusion tensor imaging and resting state functional MRI at 3T. Whole-brain WM microstructure was assessed to determine distinct WM tracts affected in SD and bvFTD. For these tracts, diffusivity measures and lateralization indices were calculated. Functional connectivity was established for GM regions affected in early stage SD or bvFTD. Results of a direct comparison between SD and bvFTD are reported. Whole-brain WM microstructure abnormalities were more pronounced in the left hemisphere in SD and bilaterally- with a slight predilection for the right- in bvFTD. Lateralization of tract-specific abnormalities was seen in SD only, toward the left hemisphere. Functional connectivity of disease-specific regions was mainly decreased bilaterally in SD and in the right hemisphere in bvFTD. SD and bvFTD show WM microstructure and functional connectivity abnormalities in different regions, that are respectively more pronounced in the left hemisphere in SD and in the right hemisphere in bvFTD. This indicates differential hemispheric predilection of brain connectivity abnormalities between SD and bvFTD.

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in preterm infants: antecedent factors, brain imaging, and outcome.

PubMed

Logitharajah, Pavithra; Rutherford, Mary A; Cowan, Frances M

2009-08-01

Our objectives were to establish antecedent factors and patterns of brain injury and their prognostic value in preterm infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Essential inclusion criteria were gestation (GA) < or =36 wk, Apgar scores <5/<7 at 1/5 min, major resuscitation at birth, and a brain MRI <6 postnatal wk. At least one additional criterion was required of the following: abnormal intrapartum CTG, sentinel event, meconium, cord pH <7.0, neonatal seizures, and multiorgan failure. Antenatal and perinatal data and > or =2 y neurodevelopmental outcome were documented. Fifty-five infants (GA 26-36; median, 35 wk) were eligible; all had 1-6 (median, 3) additional criteria. Placental abruption was the commonest identifiable antecedent event. Evidence of infection was not prominent. Main sites of injury were basal ganglia (BG, 75%), mostly severe, white matter (WM, 89%), mostly mild, brainstem (44%), and cortex (58%). Brainstem injury was associated with severe BG, WM, and cortical injury. Two-year outcome: death (32%), cerebral palsy (26%, mostly severe quadriplegia), mild impairment (10%), and normal (32%). Significant central gray matter and brainstem injury was found in many preterm infants with HIE. Neonatal MRI findings allowed accurate prediction of neurodevelopmental outcome. Early MRI is feasible and a valuable tool in this poorly reported group of infants.

Global brain atrophy and metabolic dysfunction in LGI1 encephalitis: A prospective multimodal MRI study.

PubMed

Szots, Monika; Blaabjerg, Morten; Orsi, Gergely; Iversen, Pernille; Kondziella, Daniel; Madsen, Camilla G; Garde, Ellen; Magnusson, Peter O; Barsi, Peter; Nagy, Ferenc; Siebner, Hartwig R; Illes, Zsolt

2017-05-15

Chronic cognitive deficits are frequent in leucin-rich glioma-inactivated 1 protein (LGI1) encephalitis. We examined structural and metabolic brain abnormalities following LGI1 encephalitis and correlated findings with acute and follow-up clinical outcomes. Nine patients underwent prospective multimodal 3 Tesla MRI 33.1±18months after disease onset, including automated volumetry, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Data were compared to 9 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Although extratemporal lesions were not present on MRI in the acute stage, tract-based spatial statistics analyses of DTI during follow-up showed widespread changes in the cerebral and cerebellar white matter (WM), most prominent in the anterior parts of the corona radiata, capsula interna and corpus callosum. MRS revealed lower glutamine/glutamate WM levels compared to controls. Higher cerebellar gray matter volume was associated with better function at disease onset (measured by the modified Rankin Scale), and higher putaminal volume was associated with better cognition by Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination test at 23.4±7.6months. Poor clinical outcome following LGI1 encephalitis is associated with global brain atrophy and disintegration of white matter tracts. The pathological changes affect not only temporomesial structures but also frontal lobes and the cerebellum. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Subclinical seizures as a pitfall in 18F-FDG PET imaging of temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Tafti, Bashir Akhavan; Mandelkern, Mark; Berenji, Gholam Reza

2014-09-01

A 61-year-old man with history of heroin abuse, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and hypertension was evaluated for seizures. MRI findings were concerning for temporal epilepsy. A brain 18F-FDG PET study showed a hypermetabolic focus in the left temporal lobe, although the patient was asymptomatic during the scan. Later review of electroencephalography recordings revealed a subclinical seizure during imaging. A whole-body 18F-FDG PET scan performed 4 days later for cancer screening purposes, during which the electroencephalography tracings were normal, showed no abnormal metabolic activity in the brain.

Abnormal Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Unilateral Chronic Tinnitus Patients

PubMed Central

Chen, Yu-Chen; Liu, Shenghua; Lv, Han; Bo, Fan; Feng, Yuan; Chen, Huiyou; Xu, Jin-Jing; Yin, Xindao; Wang, Shukui; Gu, Jian-Ping

2018-01-01

Purpose: The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been suggested to be involved in chronic subjective tinnitus. Tinnitus may arise from aberrant functional coupling between the ACC and cerebral cortex. To explore this hypothesis, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to illuminate the functional connectivity (FC) network of the ACC subregions in chronic tinnitus patients. Methods: Resting-state fMRI scans were obtained from 31 chronic right-sided tinnitus patients and 40 healthy controls (age, sex, and education well-matched) in this study. Rostral ACC and dorsal ACC were selected as seed regions to investigate the intrinsic FC with the whole brain. The resulting FC patterns were correlated with clinical tinnitus characteristics including the tinnitus duration and tinnitus distress. Results: Compared with healthy controls, chronic tinnitus patients showed disrupted FC patterns of ACC within several brain networks, including the auditory cortex, prefrontal cortex, visual cortex, and default mode network (DMN). The Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaires (THQ) scores showed positive correlations with increased FC between the rostral ACC and left precuneus (r = 0.507, p = 0.008) as well as the dorsal ACC and right inferior parietal lobe (r = 0.447, p = 0.022). Conclusions: Chronic tinnitus patients have abnormal FC networks originating from ACC to other selected brain regions that are associated with specific tinnitus characteristics. Resting-state ACC-cortical FC disturbances may play an important role in neuropathological features underlying chronic tinnitus. PMID:29410609

Differences in regional homogeneity between patients with Crohn's disease with and without abdominal pain revealed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

PubMed Central

Wu, Lu-Yi; Jin, Xiao-Ming; Wang, Si-Yao; Shi, Yin; Zhang, Jian-Ye; Zeng, Xiao-Qing; Ma, Li-Li; Qin, Wei; Zhao, Ji-Meng; Calhoun, Vince D.; Tian, Jie; Wu, Huan-Gan

2016-01-01

Abnormal pain processing in the central nervous system may be related to abdominal pain in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in resting-state brain activity in CD patients in remission and its relationship with the presence of abdominal pain. Twenty-five CD patients with abdominal pain, 25 CD patients without abdominal pain, and 32 healthy subjects were scanned using a 3.0 T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) was used to assess resting-state brain activity. Daily pain scores were collected 1 week before fMRI scanning. We found that patients with abdominal pain exhibited lower ReHo values in the insula, middle cingulate cortex (MCC), and supplementary motor area, and higher ReHo values in the temporal pole. In contrast, patients without abdominal pain exhibited lower ReHo values in the hippocampal/parahippocampal cortex and higher ReHo values in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (all P<0.05, corrected). The ReHo values of the insula and MCC were significantly negatively correlated with daily pain scores for patients with abdominal pain (r=−0.53, P=0.008, and r=−0.61, P=0.002, respectively). These findings suggest that resting-state brain activities are different between remissive CD patients with and without abdominal pain, and that abnormal activities in insula and MCC are closely related to the severity of abdominal pain. PMID:26761381

SU-F-J-93: Automated Segmentation of High-Resolution 3D WholeBrain Spectroscopic MRI for Glioblastoma Treatment Planning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schreibmann, E; Shu, H; Cordova, J

Purpose: We report on an automated segmentation algorithm for defining radiation therapy target volumes using spectroscopic MR images (sMRI) acquired at nominal voxel resolution of 100 microliters. Methods: Wholebrain sMRI combining 3D echo-planar spectroscopic imaging, generalized auto-calibrating partially-parallel acquisitions, and elliptical k-space encoding were conducted on 3T MRI scanner with 32-channel head coil array creating images. Metabolite maps generated include choline (Cho), creatine (Cr), and N-acetylaspartate (NAA), as well as Cho/NAA, Cho/Cr, and NAA/Cr ratio maps. Automated segmentation was achieved by concomitantly considering sMRI metabolite maps with standard contrast enhancing (CE) imaging in a pipeline that first uses the watermore » signal for skull stripping. Subsequently, an initial blob of tumor region is identified by searching for regions of FLAIR abnormalities that also display reduced NAA activity using a mean ratio correlation and morphological filters. These regions are used as starting point for a geodesic level-set refinement that adapts the initial blob to the fine details specific to each metabolite. Results: Accuracy of the segmentation model was tested on a cohort of 12 patients that had sMRI datasets acquired pre, mid and post-treatment, providing a broad range of enhancement patterns. Compared to classical imaging, where heterogeneity in the tumor appearance and shape across posed a greater challenge to the algorithm, sMRI’s regions of abnormal activity were easily detected in the sMRI metabolite maps when combining the detail available in the standard imaging with the local enhancement produced by the metabolites. Results can be imported in the treatment planning, leading in general increase in the target volumes (GTV60) when using sMRI+CE MRI compared to the standard CE MRI alone. Conclusion: Integration of automated segmentation of sMRI metabolite maps into planning is feasible and will likely streamline acceptance of this new acquisition modality in clinical practice.« less

18TH Annual Meeting of the European Neuroscience Association.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-01-01

propagation of ictal-like seizure activity oný the neocottex of anaesthetised rats in viva. Epileptifotot events in the Global cerebral isehemia in rats...for the study of stroke -related brain injury . Novel MR] techniques, 40 neurological patients suspected clinically to suffer from inherited...head injury . MRI scan of start, runway and goal chamber with 2 drinking indicates diffuse cerebral damage, with focal abnormality spouts. The goal had

Altered functional connectivity of the amygdaloid input nuclei in adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder: a resting state fMRI study.

PubMed

Rausch, Annika; Zhang, Wei; Haak, Koen V; Mennes, Maarten; Hermans, Erno J; van Oort, Erik; van Wingen, Guido; Beckmann, Christian F; Buitelaar, Jan K; Groen, Wouter B

2016-01-01

Amygdala dysfunction is hypothesized to underlie the social deficits observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the neurobiological basis of this hypothesis is underspecified because it is unknown whether ASD relates to abnormalities of the amygdaloid input or output nuclei. Here, we investigated the functional connectivity of the amygdaloid social-perceptual input nuclei and emotion-regulation output nuclei in ASD versus controls. We collected resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, tailored to provide optimal sensitivity in the amygdala as well as the neocortex, in 20 adolescents and young adults with ASD and 25 matched controls. We performed a regular correlation analysis between the entire amygdala (EA) and the whole brain and used a partial correlation analysis to investigate whole-brain functional connectivity uniquely related to each of the amygdaloid subregions. Between-group comparison of regular EA correlations showed significantly reduced connectivity in visuospatial and superior parietal areas in ASD compared to controls. Partial correlation analysis revealed that this effect was driven by the left superficial and right laterobasal input subregions, but not the centromedial output nuclei. These results indicate reduced connectivity of specifically the amygdaloid sensory input channels in ASD, suggesting that abnormal amygdalo-cortical connectivity can be traced down to the socio-perceptual pathways.

Abuse of Amphetamines and Structural Abnormalities in Brain

PubMed Central

Berman, Steven; O’Neill, Joseph; Fears, Scott; Bartzokis, George; London, Edythe D.

2009-01-01

We review evidence that structural brain abnormalities are associated with abuse of amphetamines. A brief history of amphetamine use/abuse, and evidence for toxicity is followed by a summary of findings from structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of human subjects who had abused amphetamines and children who were exposed to amphetamines in utero. Evidence comes from studies that used a variety of techniques that include manual tracing, pattern matching, voxel-based, tensor-based, or cortical thickness mapping, quantification of white matter signal hyperintensities, and diffusion tensor imaging. Ten studies compared controls to individuals who were exposed to methamphetamine. Three studies assessed individuals exposed to 3-4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Brain structural abnormalities were consistently reported in amphetamine abusers, as compared to control subjects. These included lower cortical gray matter volume and higher striatal volume than control subjects. These differences might reflect brain features that could predispose to substance dependence. High striatal volumes might also reflect compensation for toxicity in the dopamine-rich basal ganglia. Prenatal exposure was associated with striatal volume that was below control values, suggesting that such compensation might not occur in utero. Several forms of white matter abnormality are also common, and may involve gliosis. Many of the limitations and inconsistencies in the literature relate to techniques and cross-sectional designs, which cannot infer causality. Potential confounding influences include effects of pre-existing risk/protective factors, development, gender, severity of amphetamine abuse, abuse of other drugs, abstinence, and differences in lifestyle. Longitudinal designs in which multimodal datasets are acquired and are subjected to multivariate analyses would enhance our ability to provide general conclusions regarding the associations between amphetamine abuse and brain structure. PMID:18991959

Abnormal Connectional Fingerprint in Schizophrenia: A Novel Network Analysis of Diffusion Tensor Imaging Data

PubMed Central

Edwin Thanarajah, Sharmili; Han, Cheol E.; Rotarska-Jagiela, Anna; Singer, Wolf; Deichmann, Ralf; Maurer, Konrad; Kaiser, Marcus; Uhlhaas, Peter J.

2016-01-01

The graph theoretical analysis of structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data has received a great deal of interest in recent years to characterize the organizational principles of brain networks and their alterations in psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. However, the characterization of networks in clinical populations can be challenging, since the comparison of connectivity between groups is influenced by several factors, such as the overall number of connections and the structural abnormalities of the seed regions. To overcome these limitations, the current study employed the whole-brain analysis of connectional fingerprints in diffusion tensor imaging data obtained at 3 T of chronic schizophrenia patients (n = 16) and healthy, age-matched control participants (n = 17). Probabilistic tractography was performed to quantify the connectivity of 110 brain areas. The connectional fingerprint of a brain area represents the set of relative connection probabilities to all its target areas and is, hence, less affected by overall white and gray matter changes than absolute connectivity measures. After detecting brain regions with abnormal connectional fingerprints through similarity measures, we tested each of its relative connection probability between groups. We found altered connectional fingerprints in schizophrenia patients consistent with a dysconnectivity syndrome. While the medial frontal gyrus showed only reduced connectivity, the connectional fingerprints of the inferior frontal gyrus and the putamen mainly contained relatively increased connection probabilities to areas in the frontal, limbic, and subcortical areas. These findings are in line with previous studies that reported abnormalities in striatal–frontal circuits in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, highlighting the potential utility of connectional fingerprints for the analysis of anatomical networks in the disorder. PMID:27445870

Abnormal Connectional Fingerprint in Schizophrenia: A Novel Network Analysis of Diffusion Tensor Imaging Data.

PubMed

Edwin Thanarajah, Sharmili; Han, Cheol E; Rotarska-Jagiela, Anna; Singer, Wolf; Deichmann, Ralf; Maurer, Konrad; Kaiser, Marcus; Uhlhaas, Peter J

2016-01-01

The graph theoretical analysis of structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data has received a great deal of interest in recent years to characterize the organizational principles of brain networks and their alterations in psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. However, the characterization of networks in clinical populations can be challenging, since the comparison of connectivity between groups is influenced by several factors, such as the overall number of connections and the structural abnormalities of the seed regions. To overcome these limitations, the current study employed the whole-brain analysis of connectional fingerprints in diffusion tensor imaging data obtained at 3 T of chronic schizophrenia patients (n = 16) and healthy, age-matched control participants (n = 17). Probabilistic tractography was performed to quantify the connectivity of 110 brain areas. The connectional fingerprint of a brain area represents the set of relative connection probabilities to all its target areas and is, hence, less affected by overall white and gray matter changes than absolute connectivity measures. After detecting brain regions with abnormal connectional fingerprints through similarity measures, we tested each of its relative connection probability between groups. We found altered connectional fingerprints in schizophrenia patients consistent with a dysconnectivity syndrome. While the medial frontal gyrus showed only reduced connectivity, the connectional fingerprints of the inferior frontal gyrus and the putamen mainly contained relatively increased connection probabilities to areas in the frontal, limbic, and subcortical areas. These findings are in line with previous studies that reported abnormalities in striatal-frontal circuits in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, highlighting the potential utility of connectional fingerprints for the analysis of anatomical networks in the disorder.

Deformed Skull Morphology Is Caused by the Combined Effects of the Maldevelopment of Calvarias, Cranial Base and Brain in FGFR2-P253R Mice Mimicking Human Apert Syndrome

PubMed Central

Luo, Fengtao; Xie, Yangli; Xu, Wei; Huang, Junlan; Zhou, Siru; Wang, Zuqiang; Luo, Xiaoqing; Liu, Mi; Chen, Lin; Du, Xiaolan

2017-01-01

Apert syndrome (AS) is a common genetic syndrome in humans characterized with craniosynostosis. Apert patients and mouse models showed abnormalities in sutures, cranial base and brain, that may all be involved in the pathogenesis of skull malformation of Apert syndrome. To distinguish the differential roles of these components of head in the pathogenesis of the abnormal skull morphology of AS, we generated mouse strains specifically expressing mutant FGFR2 in chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and progenitor cells of central nervous system (CNS) by crossing Fgfr2+/P253R-Neo mice with Col2a1-Cre, Osteocalcin-Cre (OC-Cre), and Nestin-Cre mice, respectively. We then quantitatively analyzed the skull and brain morphology of these mutant mice by micro-CT and micro-MRI using Euclidean distance matrix analysis (EDMA). Skulls of Col2a1-Fgfr2+/P253R mice showed Apert syndrome-like dysmorphology, such as shortened skull dimensions along the rostrocaudal axis, shortened nasal bone, and evidently advanced ossification of cranial base synchondroses. The OC-Fgfr2+/P253R mice showed malformation in face at 8-week stage. Nestin-Fgfr2+/P253R mice exhibited increased dorsoventral height and rostrocaudal length on the caudal skull and brain at 8 weeks. Our study indicates that the abnormal skull morphology of AS is caused by the combined effects of the maldevelopment in calvarias, cranial base, and brain tissue. These findings further deepen our knowledge about the pathogenesis of the abnormal skull morphology of AS, and provide new clues for the further analyses of skull phenotypes and clinical management of AS. PMID:28123344

Deformed Skull Morphology Is Caused by the Combined Effects of the Maldevelopment of Calvarias, Cranial Base and Brain in FGFR2-P253R Mice Mimicking Human Apert Syndrome.

PubMed

Luo, Fengtao; Xie, Yangli; Xu, Wei; Huang, Junlan; Zhou, Siru; Wang, Zuqiang; Luo, Xiaoqing; Liu, Mi; Chen, Lin; Du, Xiaolan

2017-01-01

Apert syndrome (AS) is a common genetic syndrome in humans characterized with craniosynostosis. Apert patients and mouse models showed abnormalities in sutures, cranial base and brain, that may all be involved in the pathogenesis of skull malformation of Apert syndrome. To distinguish the differential roles of these components of head in the pathogenesis of the abnormal skull morphology of AS, we generated mouse strains specifically expressing mutant FGFR2 in chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and progenitor cells of central nervous system (CNS) by crossing Fgfr2 +/P253R-Neo mice with Col2a1-Cre, Osteocalcin-Cre (OC-Cre), and Nestin-Cre mice, respectively. We then quantitatively analyzed the skull and brain morphology of these mutant mice by micro-CT and micro-MRI using Euclidean distance matrix analysis (EDMA). Skulls of Col2a1-Fgfr2 +/P253R mice showed Apert syndrome-like dysmorphology, such as shortened skull dimensions along the rostrocaudal axis, shortened nasal bone, and evidently advanced ossification of cranial base synchondroses. The OC-Fgfr2 +/P253R mice showed malformation in face at 8-week stage. Nestin-Fgfr2 +/P253R mice exhibited increased dorsoventral height and rostrocaudal length on the caudal skull and brain at 8 weeks. Our study indicates that the abnormal skull morphology of AS is caused by the combined effects of the maldevelopment in calvarias, cranial base, and brain tissue. These findings further deepen our knowledge about the pathogenesis of the abnormal skull morphology of AS, and provide new clues for the further analyses of skull phenotypes and clinical management of AS.

The Role of Brain MRI in Mitochondrial Neurogastrointestinal Encephalomyopathy

PubMed Central

Scarpelli, Mauro; Ricciardi, Giuseppe Kenneth; Beltramello, Alberto; Zocca, Isabella; Calabria, Francesca; Russignan, Anna; Zappini, Francesca; Cotelli, Maria Sofia; Padovani, Alessandro; Tomelleri, Giuliano; Filosto, Massimiliano; Tonin, Paola

2013-01-01

Summary Leukoencephalopathy is a hallmark of mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) a devastating disorder characterized by ptosis, ophthalmoparesis, gastrointestinal dysfunction and polyneuropathy. To characterize MNGIE-associated leukoencephalopathy and to correlate it with clinical, biochemical and molecular data, four MNGIE patients with heterogeneous clinical phenotypes (enteropathic arthritis, exercise intolerance, CIDP-like phenotype and typical presentation) were studied by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps were also obtained. In two patients we also investigated the role of brain MRI in monitoring the evolution of leukoencephalopathy by performing follow-up imaging studies at an interval of one and two years. The extension and distribution of leukoencephalopathy were not clearly linked with age, phenotype or disease severity, and did not seem to be related to TYMP mutations, enzyme activity or pyrimidine levels. In the studied patients MRS revealed reduced N-acetyl-aspartate and increased choline signals. Although DWI appeared normal in all patients but one, ADC maps always showed moderate increased diffusivity. Leukoencephalopathy worsened over a two-year period in two patients, regardless of the clinical course, indicating a lack of correlation between clinical phenotype, size and progression of white matter abnormalities during this period. Brain MRI should be considered a very useful tool to diagnose both classical and atypical MNGIE. Serial MRIs in untreated and treated MNGIE patients will help to establish whether the leukoencephalopathy is a reversible condition or not. PMID:24199812

Cortical gyrification is abnormal in children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

PubMed

Hendrickson, Timothy J; Mueller, Bryon A; Sowell, Elizabeth R; Mattson, Sarah N; Coles, Claire D; Kable, Julie A; Jones, Kenneth L; Boys, Christopher J; Lim, Kelvin O; Riley, Edward P; Wozniak, Jeffrey R

2017-01-01

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) adversely affects early brain development. Previous studies have shown a wide range of structural and functional abnormalities in children and adolescents with PAE. The current study adds to the existing literature specifically on cortical development by examining cortical gyrification in a large sample of children with PAE compared to controls. Relationships between cortical development and intellectual functioning are also examined. Included were 92 children with PAE and 83 controls ages 9-16 from four sites in the Collaborative Initiative on FASD (CIFASD). All PAE participants had documented heavy PAE. All underwent a formal evaluation of physical anomalies and dysmorphic facial features. MRI data were collected using modified matched protocols on three platforms (Siemens, GE, and Philips). Cortical gyrification was examined using a semi-automated procedure. Whole brain group comparisons using Monte Carlo z-simulation for multiple comparisons showed significantly lower cortical gyrification across a large proportion of the cerebral cortex amongst PAE compared to controls. Whole brain comparisons and ROI based analyses showed strong positive correlations between cortical gyrification and IQ (i.e. less developed cortex was associated with lower IQ). Abnormalities in cortical development were seen across the brain in children with PAE compared to controls. Cortical gyrification and IQ were strongly correlated, suggesting that examining mechanisms by which alcohol disrupts cortical formation may yield clinically relevant insights and potential directions for early intervention.

Herpes simplex encephalitis presenting as stroke-like symptoms with atypical MRI findings and lacking cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis.

PubMed

Tsuboguchi, Shintaro; Wakasugi, Takahiro; Umeda, Yoshitaka; Umeda, Maiko; Oyake, Mutsuo; Fujita, Nobuya

2017-07-29

A 73-year-old woman presented with sudden onset of right hemiparesis and was diagnosed as having cerebral infarction on the basis of diffusion-weighted brain MRI, which demonstrated lesions in the left parietal cortex. On the 3rd day, the patient developed right upper limb myoclonus, aphasia, and disturbance of consciousness with high fever. On the 6th day, she was transferred to our hospital with suspected viral encephalitis, and treatment with acyclovir was started. By the 6th day, the lesions detected by MRI had expanded to the gyrus cinguli, insula and thalamus, but not to the temporal lobe. At that time, the CSF cell count was 8/μl, and this later increased to 17/μl by the 13th day. Although herpes simplex virus DNA was detected in the CSF on the 6th day, there was no evidence of CSF pleocytosis or temporal lobe abnormalities demonstrable by brain MRI throughout the whole follow-up period. This was very atypical case of herpes simplex encephalitis characterized by a stroke-like episode, atypical MRI findings, and absence of cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis. It is important to be mindful that herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) can have an atypical presentation, and that sufficient acyclovir treatment should be initiated until HSE can be ruled out.

White matter microstructural abnormalities in the frontal lobe of adults with antisocial personality disorder.

PubMed

Sundram, Frederick; Deeley, Quinton; Sarkar, Sagari; Daly, Eileen; Latham, Richard; Craig, Michael; Raczek, Malgorzata; Fahy, Tom; Picchioni, Marco; Barker, Gareth J; Murphy, Declan G M

2012-02-01

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy involve significant interpersonal and behavioural impairments. However, little is known about their underlying neurobiology and in particular, abnormalities in white matter (WM) microstructure. A preliminary diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) study of adult psychopaths employing tractography revealed abnormalities in the right uncinate fasciculus (UF) (Craig et al., 2009), indicating fronto-limbic disconnectivity. However, it is not clear whether WM abnormalities are restricted to this tract or are or more widespread, including other tracts which are involved in connectivity with the frontal lobe. We performed whole brain voxel-based analyses on WM fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) maps acquired with DT-MRI to compare 15 adults with ASPD and healthy age, handedness and IQ-matched controls. Also, within ASPD subjects we related differences in FA and MD to measures of psychopathy. Significant WM FA reduction and MD increases were found respectively in ASPD subjects relative to controls. FA was bilaterally reduced in the genu of corpus callosum while in the right frontal lobe FA reduction was found in the UF, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), anterior corona radiata and anterior limb and genu of the internal capsule. These differences negatively correlated with measures of psychopathy. Also in the right frontal lobe, increased MD was found in the IFOF and UF, and the corpus callosum and anterior corona radiata. There was a significant positive correlation between MD and psychopathy scores. The present study confirms a previous report of reduced FA in the UF. Additionally, we report for the first time, FA deficits in tracts involved in interhemispheric as well as frontal lobe connectivity in conjunction with MD increases in the frontal lobe. Hence, we provide evidence of significant WM microstructural abnormalities in frontal brain regions in ASPD and psychopathy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Srl. All rights reserved.

Linking white matter and deep gray matter alterations in premanifest Huntington disease.

PubMed

Faria, Andreia V; Ratnanather, J Tilak; Tward, Daniel J; Lee, David Soobin; van den Noort, Frieda; Wu, Dan; Brown, Timothy; Johnson, Hans; Paulsen, Jane S; Ross, Christopher A; Younes, Laurent; Miller, Michael I

2016-01-01

Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which only symptomatic treatment is available. A better understanding of the pathology, and identification of biomarkers will facilitate the development of disease-modifying treatments. HD is potentially a good model of a neurodegenerative disease for development of biomarkers because it is an autosomal-dominant disease with complete penetrance, caused by a single gene mutation, in which the neurodegenerative process can be assessed many years before onset of signs and symptoms of manifest disease. Previous MRI studies have detected abnormalities in gray and white matter starting in premanifest stages. However, the understanding of how these abnormalities are related, both in time and space, is still incomplete. In this study, we combined deep gray matter shape diffeomorphometry and white matter DTI analysis in order to provide a better mapping of pathology in the deep gray matter and subcortical white matter in premanifest HD. We used 296 MRI scans from the PREDICT-HD database. Atrophy in the deep gray matter, thalamus, hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens was analyzed by surface based morphometry, and while white matter abnormalities were analyzed in (i) regions of interest surrounding these structures, using (ii) tractography-based analysis, and using (iii) whole brain atlas-based analysis. We detected atrophy in the deep gray matter, particularly in putamen, from early premanifest stages. The atrophy was greater both in extent and effect size in cases with longer exposure to the effects of the CAG expansion mutation (as assessed by greater CAP-scores), and preceded detectible abnormalities in the white matter. Near the predicted onset of manifest HD, the MD increase was widespread, with highest indices in the deep and posterior white matter. This type of in-vivo macroscopic mapping of HD brain abnormalities can potentially indicate when and where therapeutics could be targeted to delay the onset or slow the disease progression.

Functional MRI evidence for fine motor praxis dysfunction in children with persistent speech disorders

PubMed Central

Redle, Erin; Vannest, Jennifer; Maloney, Thomas; Tsevat, Rebecca K.; Eikenberry, Sarah; Lewis, Barbara; Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Tkach, Jean; Holland, Scott K.

2014-01-01

Children with persistent speech disorders (PSD) often present with overt or subtle motor deficits; the possibility that speech disorders and motor deficits could arise from a shared neurological base is currently unknown. Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to examine the brain networks supporting fine motor praxis in children with PSD and without clinically identified fine motor deficits. Methods This case-control study included 12 children with PSD (mean age 7.42 years, 4 female) and 12 controls (mean age 7.44 years, 4 female). Children completed behavioral evaluations using standardized motor assessments and parent reported functional measures. During fMRI scanning, participants completed a cued finger tapping task contrasted passive listening. A general linear model approach identified brain regions associated with finger tapping in each group and regions that differed between groups. The relationship between regional fMRI activation and fine motor skill was assessed using a regression analysis. Results Children with PSD had significantly poorer results for rapid speech production and fine motor praxis skills, but did not differ on classroom functional skills. Functional MRI results showed that children with PSD had significantly more activation in the cerebellum during finger tapping. Positive correlations between performance on a fine motor praxis test and activation multiple cortical regions were noted for children with PSD but not for controls. Conclusions Over-activation in the cerebellum during a motor task may reflect a subtle abnormality in the non-speech motor neural circuitry in children with PSD. PMID:25481413

Load-dependent dysfunction of the putamen during attentional processing in patients with clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Tortorella, C; Romano, R; Direnzo, V; Taurisano, P; Zoccolella, S; Iaffaldano, P; Fazio, L; Viterbo, R; Popolizio, T; Blasi, G; Bertolino, A; Trojano, M

2013-08-01

Load-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) abnormalities of brain activity during performance of attention tasks have been described in definite multiple sclerosis (MS). No data are available in clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) suggestive of MS. The objective of this research is to evaluate in CIS patients the fMRI pattern of brain activation during an attention task and to explore the effect of increasing task load demand on neurofunctional modifications. Twenty-seven untreated CIS patients and 32 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent fMRI while performing the Variable Attentional Control (VAC) task, a cognitive paradigm requiring increasing levels of attentional control processing. Random-effects models were used for statistical analyses of fMRI data. CIS patients had reduced accuracy and greater reaction time at the VAC task compared with HCs (p=0.007). On blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD)-fMRI, CIS patients had greater activity in the right parietal cortex (p=0.0004) compared with HCs. Furthermore, CIS patients had greater activity at the lower (p=0.05) and reduced activity at the greater (p=0.04) level of attentional control demand in the left putamen, compared with HCs. This study demonstrates the failure of attentional control processing in CIS. The load-related fMRI dysfunction of the putamen supports the role of basal ganglia in the failure of attention observed at the earliest stage of MS.

The costs and utility of imaging in evaluating dizzy patients in the emergency room.

PubMed

Ahsan, Syed F; Syamal, Mausumi N; Yaremchuk, Kathleen; Peterson, Edward; Seidman, Michael

2013-09-01

To determine the usefulness and the costs of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of patients with dizziness in the emergency department (ED). Retrospective chart review. Charts of patients with a specific health maintenance insurance plan presenting with dizziness and vertigo to a large health system's ED between January 2008 and January 2011 were reviewed. Patient demographics, signs/symptoms, and CT and MRI results were assessed. CT and MRI charges were determined based on positive versus unremarkable findings. Data analysis included stepwise logistic regressions. Of 1681 patients identified, 810 (48%) received CT brain/head scan totaling $988,200 in charges. Of these, only 0.74% yielded clinically significant pathology requiring intervention. However, 12.2% of MRI studies yielded discovery of significant abnormalities. Logistic regression analysis revealed that older patients (P = .001) were more likely to receive a CT scan. In the 3-year period studied, CT scans for ED patients with dizziness and vertigo yielded a low predictive value for significant pathology. These data reveal a great opportunity for cost savings by developing stricter guidelines for ordering CT scans for this set of ED patients. The use of MRI in all cases of dizziness was found to be neither practical nor useful. However, appropriately directed MRI of the brain is recommended in patients with dizziness and other neurological signs or symptoms. Copyright © 2013 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

The Gini coefficient: a methodological pilot study to assess fetal brain development employing postmortem diffusion MRI.

PubMed

Viehweger, Adrian; Riffert, Till; Dhital, Bibek; Knösche, Thomas R; Anwander, Alfred; Stepan, Holger; Sorge, Ina; Hirsch, Wolfgang

2014-10-01

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is important in the assessment of fetal brain development. However, it is clinically challenging and time-consuming to prepare neuromorphological examinations to assess real brain age and to detect abnormalities. To demonstrate that the Gini coefficient can be a simple, intuitive parameter for modelling fetal brain development. Postmortem fetal specimens(n = 28) were evaluated by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) on a 3-T MRI scanner using 60 directions, 0.7-mm isotropic voxels and b-values of 0, 150, 1,600 s/mm(2). Constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD) was used as the local diffusion model. Fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and complexity (CX) maps were generated. CX was defined as a novel diffusion metric. On the basis of those three parameters, the Gini coefficient was calculated. Study of fetal brain development in postmortem specimens was feasible using DWI. The Gini coefficient could be calculated for the combination of the three diffusion parameters. This multidimensional Gini coefficient correlated well with age (Adjusted R(2) = 0.59) between the ages of 17 and 26 gestational weeks. We propose a new method that uses an economics concept, the Gini coefficient, to describe the whole brain with one simple and intuitive measure, which can be used to assess the brain's developmental state.

Long-term reorganization of structural brain networks in a rabbit model of intrauterine growth restriction.

PubMed

Batalle, Dafnis; Muñoz-Moreno, Emma; Arbat-Plana, Ariadna; Illa, Miriam; Figueras, Francesc; Eixarch, Elisenda; Gratacos, Eduard

2014-10-15

Characterization of brain changes produced by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is among the main challenges of modern fetal medicine and pediatrics. This condition affects 5-10% of all pregnancies and is associated with a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders. Better understanding of the brain reorganization produced by IUGR opens a window of opportunity to find potential imaging biomarkers in order to identify the infants with a high risk of having neurodevelopmental problems and apply therapies to improve their outcomes. Structural brain networks obtained from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising tool to study brain reorganization and to be used as a biomarker of neurodevelopmental alterations. In the present study this technique is applied to a rabbit animal model of IUGR, which presents some advantages including a controlled environment and the possibility to obtain high quality MRI with long acquisition times. Using a Q-Ball diffusion model, and a previously published rabbit brain MRI atlas, structural brain networks of 15 IUGR and 14 control rabbits at 70 days of age (equivalent to pre-adolescence human age) were obtained. The analysis of graph theory features showed a decreased network infrastructure (degree and binary global efficiency) associated with IUGR condition and a set of generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA) weighted measures associated with abnormal neurobehavior. Interestingly, when assessing the brain network organization independently of network infrastructure by means of normalized networks, IUGR showed increased global and local efficiencies. We hypothesize that this effect could reflect a compensatory response to reduced infrastructure in IUGR. These results present new evidence on the long-term persistence of the brain reorganization produced by IUGR that could underlie behavioral and developmental alterations previously described. The described changes in network organization have the potential to be used as biomarkers to monitor brain changes produced by experimental therapies in IUGR animal model. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Constructing fine-granularity functional brain network atlases via deep convolutional autoencoder.

PubMed

Zhao, Yu; Dong, Qinglin; Chen, Hanbo; Iraji, Armin; Li, Yujie; Makkie, Milad; Kou, Zhifeng; Liu, Tianming

2017-12-01

State-of-the-art functional brain network reconstruction methods such as independent component analysis (ICA) or sparse coding of whole-brain fMRI data can effectively infer many thousands of volumetric brain network maps from a large number of human brains. However, due to the variability of individual brain networks and the large scale of such networks needed for statistically meaningful group-level analysis, it is still a challenging and open problem to derive group-wise common networks as network atlases. Inspired by the superior spatial pattern description ability of the deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), a novel deep 3D convolutional autoencoder (CAE) network is designed here to extract spatial brain network features effectively, based on which an Apache Spark enabled computational framework is developed for fast clustering of larger number of network maps into fine-granularity atlases. To evaluate this framework, 10 resting state networks (RSNs) were manually labeled from the sparsely decomposed networks of Human Connectome Project (HCP) fMRI data and 5275 network training samples were obtained, in total. Then the deep CAE models are trained by these functional networks' spatial maps, and the learned features are used to refine the original 10 RSNs into 17 network atlases that possess fine-granularity functional network patterns. Interestingly, it turned out that some manually mislabeled outliers in training networks can be corrected by the deep CAE derived features. More importantly, fine granularities of networks can be identified and they reveal unique network patterns specific to different brain task states. By further applying this method to a dataset of mild traumatic brain injury study, it shows that the technique can effectively identify abnormal small networks in brain injury patients in comparison with controls. In general, our work presents a promising deep learning and big data analysis solution for modeling functional connectomes, with fine granularities, based on fMRI data. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Primary Intramedullary Malignant Lymphoma in the Cervical Cord with a Presyrinx State

PubMed Central

Sugawara, Atsushi; Koji, Takahiro; Beppu, Takaaki; Mue, Yoshiharu; Sugai, Tamotsu; Ogasawara, Knuaki

2017-01-01

A 79-year-old man presented with primary intramedullary malignant lymphoma with a presyrinx state in the cervical cord manifesting as left hemiparesis and hemidysesthesia. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed an intramedullary mass in the cervical spinal cord at the level of C1 and T2-weighted image prolongation from the medulla to the level of C5. According to the progression of hemiparesis, he underwent an emergency removal of the tumor under general anesthesia. The tumor was totally removed, and the peritumoral signal abnormality was not present in the postoperative MRI. Histological examination revealed diffuse large B cell lymphoma. While brain MRI, bone marrow puncture, and 18F-fluorodeoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (18FDG-PET) of the whole body were performed to find out a primary lesion, there were no abnormalities. He underwent a high-dose methotrexate-based chemotherapy and a local irradiation therapy (40Gy). He has been alive for more than two years since the symptom onset, and without any evidence of recurrence. This case suggests that malignant lymphoma, as an infiltrating and rapidly progressive tumor, may be accompanied by syrinx. PMID:29507854

Right brain, left brain in depressive disorders: Clinical and theoretical implications of behavioral, electrophysiological and neuroimaging findings.

PubMed

Bruder, Gerard E; Stewart, Jonathan W; McGrath, Patrick J

2017-07-01

The right and left side of the brain are asymmetric in anatomy and function. We review electrophysiological (EEG and event-related potential), behavioral (dichotic and visual perceptual asymmetry), and neuroimaging (PET, MRI, NIRS) evidence of right-left asymmetry in depressive disorders. Recent electrophysiological and fMRI studies of emotional processing have provided new evidence of altered laterality in depressive disorders. EEG alpha asymmetry and neuroimaging findings at rest and during cognitive or emotional tasks are consistent with reduced left prefrontal activity in depressed patients, which may impair downregulation of amygdala response to negative emotional information. Dichotic listening and visual hemifield findings for non-verbal or emotional processing have revealed abnormal perceptual asymmetry in depressive disorders, and electrophysiological findings have shown reduced right-lateralized responsivity to emotional stimuli in occipitotemporal or parietotemporal cortex. We discuss models of neural networks underlying these alterations. Of clinical relevance, individual differences among depressed patients on measures of right-left brain function are related to diagnostic subtype of depression, comorbidity with anxiety disorders, and clinical response to antidepressants or cognitive behavioral therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computer-aided diagnosis of cavernous malformations in brain MR images.

PubMed

Wang, Huiquan; Ahmed, S Nizam; Mandal, Mrinal

2018-06-01

Cavernous malformation or cavernoma is one of the most common epileptogenic lesions. It is a type of brain vessel abnormality that can cause serious symptoms such as seizures, intracerebral hemorrhage, and various neurological disorders. Manual detection of cavernomas by physicians in a large set of brain MRI slices is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task and often delays diagnosis. In this paper, we propose a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for cavernomas based on T2-weighted axial plane MRI image analysis. The proposed technique first extracts the brain area based on atlas registration and active contour model, and then performs template matching to obtain candidate cavernoma regions. Texture, the histogram of oriented gradients and local binary pattern features of each candidate region are calculated, and principal component analysis is applied to reduce the feature dimensionality. Support vector machines (SVMs) are finally used to classify each region into cavernoma or non-cavernoma so that most of the false positives (obtained by template matching) are eliminated. The performance of the proposed CAD system is evaluated and experimental results show that it provides superior performance in cavernoma detection compared to existing techniques. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fetal alcohol exposure leads to abnormal olfactory bulb development and impaired odor discrimination in adult mice

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Children whose mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy exhibit widespread brain abnormalities and a complex array of behavioral disturbances. Here, we used a mouse model of fetal alcohol exposure to investigate relationships between brain abnormalities and specific behavioral alterations during adulthood. Results Mice drank a 10% ethanol solution throughout pregnancy. When fetal alcohol-exposed offspring reached adulthood, we used high resolution MRI to conduct a brain-wide screen for structural changes and found that the largest reduction in volume occurred in the olfactory bulbs. Next, we tested adult mice in an associative olfactory task and found that fetal alcohol exposure impaired discrimination between similar odors but left odor memory intact. Finally, we investigated olfactory bulb neurogenesis as a potential mechanism by performing an in vitro neurosphere assay, in vivo labeling of new cells using BrdU, and in vivo labeling of new cells using a transgenic reporter system. We found that fetal alcohol exposure decreased the number of neural precursor cells in the subependymal zone and the number of new cells in the olfactory bulbs during the first few postnatal weeks. Conclusions Using a combination of techniques, including structural brain imaging, in vitro and in vivo cell detection methods, and behavioral testing, we found that fetal alcohol exposure results in smaller olfactory bulbs and impairments in odor discrimination that persist into adulthood. Furthermore, we found that these abnormalities in olfactory bulb structure and function may arise from deficits in the generation of new olfactory bulb neurons during early postnatal development. PMID:21736737

Neural processing of negative word stimuli concerning body image in patients with eating disorders: an fMRI study.

PubMed

Miyake, Yoshie; Okamoto, Yasumasa; Onoda, Keiichi; Shirao, Naoko; Okamoto, Yuri; Otagaki, Yoko; Yamawaki, Shigeto

2010-04-15

Eating disorders (EDs) are associated with abnormalities of body image perception. The aim of the present study was to investigate the functional abnormalities in brain systems during processing of negative words concerning body images in patients with EDs. Brain responses to negative words concerning body images (task condition) and neutral words (control condition) were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 36 patients with EDs (12 with the restricting type anorexia nervosa; AN-R, 12 with the binging-purging type anorexia nervosa; AN-BP, and 12 with bulimia nervosa; BN) and 12 healthy young women. Participants were instructed to select the most negative word from each negative body-image word set and to select the most neutral word from each neutral word set. In the task relative to the control condition, the right amygdala was activated both in patients with AN-R and in patients with AN-BP. The left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was activated both in patients with BN and in patients with AN-BP. It is suggested that these brain activations may be associated with abnormalities of body image perception. Amygdala activation may be involved in fearful emotional processing of negative words concerning body image and strong fears of gaining weight. One possible interpretation of the finding of mPFC activation is that it may reflect an attempt to regulate the emotion invoked by the stimuli. These abnormal brain functions may help provide better accounts of the psychopathological mechanisms underlying EDs. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Functional connectivity abnormalities and associated cognitive deficits in fetal alcohol Spectrum disorders (FASD).

PubMed

Wozniak, Jeffrey R; Mueller, Bryon A; Mattson, Sarah N; Coles, Claire D; Kable, Julie A; Jones, Kenneth L; Boys, Christopher J; Lim, Kelvin O; Riley, Edward P; Sowell, Elizabeth R

2017-10-01

Consistent with well-documented structural and microstructural abnormalities in prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), recent studies suggest that functional connectivity (FC) may also be disrupted. We evaluated whole-brain FC in a large multi-site sample, examined its cognitive correlates, and explored its potential to objectively identify neurodevelopmental abnormality in individuals without definitive dysmorphic features. Included were 75 children with PAE and 68 controls from four sites. All participants had documented heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. All underwent a formal evaluation of physical anomalies and dysmorphic facial features. MRI data were collected using modified matched protocols on three platforms (Siemens, GE, and Philips). Resting-state FC was examined using whole-brain graph theory metrics to characterize each individual's connectivity. Although whole-brain FC metrics did not discriminate prenatally-exposed from unexposed overall, atypical FC (> 1 standard deviation from the grand mean) was significantly more common (2.7 times) in the PAE group vs. In a subset of 55 individuals (PAE and controls) whose dysmorphology examination could not definitively characterize them as either Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or non-FAS, atypical FC was seen in 27 % of the PAE group, but 0 % of controls. Across participants, a 1 % difference in local network efficiency was associated with a 36 point difference in global cognitive functioning. Whole-brain FC metrics have potential to identify individuals with objective neurodevelopmental abnormalities from prenatal alcohol exposure. When applied to individuals unable to be classified as FAS or non-FAS from dysmorphology alone, these measures separate prenatally-exposed from non-exposed with high specificity.

Increased Functional Connectivity Between Subcortical and Cortical Resting-State Networks in Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Cerliani, Leonardo; Mennes, Maarten; Thomas, Rajat M.; Di Martino, Adriana; Thioux, Marc; Keysers, Christian

2016-01-01

Importance Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit severe difficulties in social interaction, motor coordination, behavioral flexibility, and atypical sensory processing, with considerable interindividual variability. This heterogeneous set of symptoms recently led to investigating the presence of abnormalities in the interaction across large-scale brain networks. To date, studies have focused either on constrained sets of brain regions or whole-brain analysis, rather than focusing on the interaction between brain networks. Objectives To compare the intrinsic functional connectivity between brain networks in a large sample of individuals with ASD and typically developing control subjects and to estimate to what extent group differences would predict autistic traits and reflect different developmental trajectories. Design, Setting, and Participants We studied 166 male individuals (mean age, 17.6 years; age range, 7-50 years) diagnosed as having DSM-IV-TR autism or Asperger syndrome and 193 typical developing male individuals (mean age, 16.9 years; age range, 6.5-39.4 years) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Participants were matched for age, IQ, head motion, and eye status (open or closed) in the MRI scanner. We analyzed data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE), an aggregated MRI data set from 17 centers, made public in August 2012. Main Outcomes and Measures We estimated correlations between time courses of brain networks extracted using a data-driven method (independent component analysis). Subsequently, we associated estimates of interaction strength between networks with age and autistic traits indexed by the Social Responsiveness Scale. Results Relative to typically developing control participants, individuals with ASD showed increased functional connectivity between primary sensory networks and subcortical networks (thalamus and basal ganglia) (all t ≥ 3.13, P < .001 corrected). The strength of such connections was associated with the severity of autistic traits in the ASD group (all r ≥ 0.21, P < .0067 corrected). In addition, subcortico-cortical interaction decreased with age in the entire sample (all r ≤ −0.09, P < .012 corrected), although this association was significant only in typically developing participants (all r ≤ −0.13, P < .009 corrected). Conclusions and Relevance Our results showing ASD-related impairment in the interaction between primary sensory cortices and subcortical regions suggest that the sensory processes they subserve abnormally influence brain information processing in individuals with ASD. This might contribute to the occurrence of hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity and of difficulties in top-down regulation of behavior. PMID:26061743