Functional Imaging Techniques Research Articles

Early detection of silent brain function changes in multiple sclerosis using magnetoencephalography (MEG): Towards an imaging biomarker (P11-3.004)

<h3>Objective:</h3> The objective are to identify imaging biomarkers that differentiate MS patient from normal control subjects using MEG. <h3>Background:</h3> MEG is a noninvasive functional brain imaging technique that measures the magnetic brain waves arising from neuronal activity during rest or a cognitive task. MEG may help detect functional changes or abnormalities in MS patients early in the disease course. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> In this single-center prospective pilot study, the resting state MEG data from 6 patients with MS were compared to 6 control subjects. MEG data were filtered into 4 different frequency bands: theta 4–7Hz, alpha 8–13HZ, beta 14–30Hz, and gamma 30–85 Hz. Network brain activity for each frequency band was mapped for connectivity strength across 27 regions in each hemisphere, resulting in 1431 pairings in the brain. A t-test was conducted to assess group differences in average coherence values for each pair of brain regions (N= 1,431). A P-value was produced for each region pair. The false discovery rate (FDR) was used to adjust for multiple testing. Only the most statistically significant connections between the control group and the patient group were further analyzed. These were based on a p-value of less than 0.05. <h3>Results:</h3> During the resting state, the MS patients had more hyperexcited/coherent connected activity in the frontal to occipital regions, while the control subjects had more coherent connections in the frontal to temporal, frontal to parietal as well as the parietal to the temporal areas. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> MEG could detect apparent differences in active networks during rest in patients with MS compared to controls. This will have future applications to improve or tailor treatments during the early neuronal dysfunction that could lead to functional and cognitive disabilities in patients with MS. The limitation of our study is the small sample size. The complete data analysis of 10 patients will be presented at AAN 2023. <b>Disclosure:</b> Mr. Hammami has nothing to disclose. Mr. Memon has nothing to disclose. Dr. Memon has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bowyer has nothing to disclose.

Early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using MEG (P11-6.005)

<h3>Objective:</h3> Use MEG to detect imaging bio markers for mild cognitive impairment <h3>Background:</h3> Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a type of dementia that effects 50 million people worldwide. This is a progressive disease that affects memory loss and cognitive dysfunction. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a noninvasive functional brain imaging technique that measures the magnetic brain waves arising from neuronal activity during rest or during a cognitive task. MEG may help detect AD in its early stages, when confusion first starts to happen. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> Resting state MEG data from 20 patients with mild cognitive impairment were compared to 20 control subjects. MEG data were filtered into 4 different frequency bands: theta 4–7 Hz, alpha 8–13 HZ, beta 14–30 Hz, and gamma 30–85 Hz. Network brain activity for each frequency band was mapped for the strength of connectivity across 27 regions in each hemisphere, resulting in 1431 pairings in the brain. Only the most statistically significant connections between the control group and the patient group where further analyzed, these were based on a p-value of less than 0.05. <h3>Results:</h3> Patients with MCI had more hyperexcited/coherent activity in the default mode network compared to controls. The two most statistically significant pathways differences in the beta band frequency were found in the frontal to occipital and frontal to temporal connections. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> MEG was able to detect clear differences in active networks during rest in patients with MCI compared to controls. This will have future applications to improve or tailor treatments during the early diagnosis of dementia. Our next step will be to determine the identification of AD network differences from MCI. <b>Disclosure:</b> Mr. Hammami has nothing to disclose. Fernando Maestu has nothing to disclose. Dr. López has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bowyer has nothing to disclose.

Neural effects of fatigue on cognition in relapsing multiple sclerosis detected by magnetoencephalography: Towards an imaging biomarker (P11-3.007)

<h3>Objective:</h3> Determining functional differences in MS patients during a task, compared to controls. <h3>Background:</h3> Fatigue affects 80% of patients with MS. Fatigue can also have adverse effects on cognitive abilities. MEG is a noninvasive functional brain imaging technique that measures the magnetic brain waves arising from neuronal activity during rest or during a cognitive task. MEG may help detect functional changes that happen in MS patients with fatigue and cognitive difficulties. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> This study examined the effects of fatigue on cognition in patients with MS using the modified fatigue impact scale(MFIS) and symbol digits modalities test(SDMT) before and during MEG study respectively. MEG data from 6 patients with MS were compared to 3 control subjects. MEG data were filtered into 4 different frequency bands: theta, alpha, beta, and gamma. Network brain activity for each frequency band was mapped for the strength of connectivity across 27 regions in each hemisphere, resulting in 1431 pairings in the brain. The false discovery rate was used to adjust for multiple testing. Only the most statistically significant connections were based on a p-value of less than 0.05. <h3>Results:</h3> MS patients had most coherent beta and gamma connectivity in the fusiform and frontal regions respectively. The control subjects had more coherent connections in the frontal-parietal, frontal-temporal, and frontal-occipital regions. Individual MFIS scores in MS-patients were higher than the controls and correlated with lower SDMT scores in the MS patients. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> MEG was able to detect clear differences in active networks during SDMT tasks in patients with MS compared to controls. Slow processing speed has been associated with reduced frontal lobe activation in younger adults. Our study cohort supported the lack of coherent beta activity in the frontal lobe. The limitation of our study is a small sample size. The complete data analysis of 10 patients will be presented at AAN-2023. <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Memon has nothing to disclose. Mr. Hammami has nothing to disclose. Mr. Memon has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bowyer has nothing to disclose.

18F]FDG/PET: a non-invasive technique for the study of stroke in murine and rat models

The use of mouse and rat models in conjunction with anatomic functional imaging techniques has directly contributed to expanding knowledge about the complex pathophysiology of stroke. Therefore, this study aims to identify the most relevant mouse and rat models of stroke and how [18F]FDG/PET can contribute to this pathology study. A narrative review of the literature was performed to describe applications of positron emission tomography in conjunction with the radiopharmaceutical [18F]FDG in stroke models. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles published between 2015 and 2022. In this study, we describe applications of positron emission tomography in combination with the radiopharmaceutical [18F]FDG in mouse and rat stroke models. The most commonly used model was middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats. This study demonstrates that using murine and rat models in conjunction with anatomic functional imaging techniques has directly contributed to expanding knowledge about the complex pathophysiology of stroke. In addition, they have been essential for studies aimed at discovering and developing therapeutic and prophylactic strategies for the disease.

Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging: A robust tool to test pathogenesis and pathophysiology behind nephropathy in humans.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major population disease. In diabetes as well as hypertension, kidney disease is one of the most serious complications. Recent research has demonstrated that chronic hypoxia is a key actor in the pathogenesis of CKD. In this review, we focus on how functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques can shed light on pathogenetic mechanisms and monitor new treatments aimed at preventing or ameliorating the disease. Multiparametric MRI techniques can measure changes in renal artery flow, tissue perfusion, and oxygenation repetitively over short time periods, enabling high time resolution. Furthermore, renal fibrosis can be quantified noninvasively by MRI diffusion tensor imaging, and techniques are upcoming to measure renal oxygen consumption. These techniques are all radiation and contrast-free. We briefly present data, demonstrating that fMRI techniques can play a major role in future research in CKD, and possibly also in daily clinical practice.

Update: Dünndarmerkrankungen in Computertomographie und Magnetresonanztomographie

Radiological procedures play acrucial role in the diagnosis of small bowel disease. Due to abroad and quite nonspecific spectrum of symptoms, clinical evaluation is often difficult, and endoscopic procedures require significant manpower, are time-consuming and expensive. In contrast, radiologic imaging can provide important information about morphologic and functional variations of the small bowel and help to identify various disease entities, such as inflammation, tumors, vascular problems, and obstruction. The most common radiological modalities in small bowel diagnostics include ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and fluoroscopy. Each of these modalities has its own advantages and limitations, and the choice of imaging modality depends on clinical symptoms and suspected diagnosis in addition to availability. In recent years, significant progress has been made, especially in cross-sectional imaging modalities, as aresult of new and further technical developments. These range from increasing detail resolution to functional and molecular imaging techniques that go far beyond simple morphology. In addition, information technology (IT) applications, which include artificial intelligence and radiomics, are assuming an increasing role. Many of the methods mentioned are still in early stages and need to be further developed for daily practice, but some have already found their way into clinical routine. The aim of this work is to provide areview of the most important disease entities of the small intestine, including new and innovative diagnostic approaches.

Two decades of astrocytes in neurovascular coupling.

The brain is a highly energy demanding organ, which accounts in humans for the 20% of total energy consumption at resting state although comprising only 2% of the body mass. The necessary delivery of nutrients to brain parenchyma is ensured by the cerebral circulatory system, through the exchange of glucose and oxygen (O2) at the capillary level. Notably, a tight spatial and temporal correlation exists between local increases in neuronal activity and the subsequent changes in regional cerebral blood flow. The recognized concept of neurovascular coupling (NVC), also named functional hyperemia, expresses this close relationship and stands at the basis of the modern functional brain imaging techniques. Different cellular and molecular mechanisms have been proposed to mediate this tight coupling. In this context, astrocytes are ideally positioned to act as relay elements that sense neuronal activity through their perisynaptic processes and release vasodilator agents at their endfeet in contact with brain parenchymal vessels. Two decades after the astrocyte involvement in neurovascular coupling has been proposed, we here review the experimental evidence that contributed to unraveling the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cerebral blood flow regulation. While traveling through the different controversies that moved the research in this field, we keep a peculiar focus on those exploring the role of astrocytes in neurovascular coupling and conclude with two sections related to methodological aspects in neurovascular research and to some pathological conditions resulting in altered neurovascular coupling.

COGNITIVE AGEING BETWEEN CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF LIFESTYLE AND CATCH-UP COGNITIVE INTERVENTIONS

Normal neurocognitive aging is characterized by its selective effect on the damaged neuronal regions and at the cognitive level. This heterogeneous nature constituted a strong motive for deepening the research on the causes of the emergence of interindividual cognitive differences within the same age group, helped by functional brain imaging techniques. The study starts from this premise and aims to shed light on the concept of "successful aging" from a neurocognitive perspective. This concept is at the center of attention of many researchers in various disciplines as it is related to two basic concepts: The firs concept is "brain reserve." It is related to people’s lifestyle, and is built and accumulated over the course of life through people's behaviours that are neurologically, and cognitively (reserve indicators) stimulated. The second concept is "Overdue reserve”. It is related to intensive cognitive interventions (indicators of Overdue reserve), as a catch-up and efficient mechanism that enables people with low levels of brain reserve to stimulate neuroplasticity, which contributes to enhance their cognitive performance. This study aims to explore the appropriate conditions, and effective ways, to help people develop functional neurological resistance against the decline that characterizes human cognition with advancing age. Hence, maintaining proper cognitive functioning contributes to improving the quality of life of seniors as well as enabling them to age healthily: psychologically, cognitively, and socially.

Optoacoustic Imaging With Decision Support for Differentiation of Benign and Malignant Breast Masses: A 15-Reader Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND. Overlap in ultrasound features of benign and malignant breast masses yields high rates of false-positive interpretations and benign biopsy results. Optoacoustic imaging is an ultrasound-based functional imaging technique that can increase specificity. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to compare specificity at fixed sensitivity of ultrasound images alone and of fused ultrasound and optoacoustic images evaluated with machine learning-based decision support tool (DST) assistance. METHODS. This retrospective Reader-02 study included 480 patients (mean age, 49.9 years) with 480 breast masses (180 malignant, 300 benign) that had been classified as BI-RADS category 3-5 on the basis of conventional gray-scale ultrasound findings. The patients were selected by stratified random sampling from the earlier prospective 16-site Pioneer-01 study. For that study, masses were further evaluated by ultrasound alone followed by fused ultrasound and optoacoustic imaging between December 2012 and September 2015. For the current study, 15 readers independently reviewed the previously acquired images after training in optoacoustic imaging interpretation. Readers first assigned probability of malignancy (POM) on the basis of clinical history, mammographic findings, and conventional ultrasound findings. Readers then evaluated fused ultrasound and optoacoustic images, assigned scores for ultrasound and optoacoustic imaging features, and viewed a POM prediction score derived by a machine learning-based DST before issuing final POM. Individual and mean specificities at fixed sensitivity of 98% and partial AUC (pAUC) (95-100% sensitivity) were calculated. RESULTS. Averaged across all readers, specificity at fixed sensitivity of 98% was significantly higher for fused ultrasound and optoacoustic imaging with DST assistance than for ultrasound alone (47.2% vs 38.2%; p = .03). Across all readers, pAUC was higher (p < .001) for fused ultrasound and optoacoustic imaging with DST assistance (0.024 [95% CI, 0.023-0.026]) than for ultrasound alone (0.021 [95% CI, 0.019-0.022]). Better performance using fused ultrasound and optoacoustic imaging with DST assistance than using ultrasound alone was observed for 14 of 15 readers for specificity at fixed sensitivity and for 15 of 15 readers for pAUC. CONCLUSION. Fused ultrasound and optoacoustic imaging with DST assistance had significantly higher specificity at fixed sensitivity than did conventional ultrasound alone. CLINICAL IMPACT. Optoacoustic imaging, integrated with reader training and DST assistance, may help reduce the frequency of biopsy of benign breast masses.

Assessment of normal pulmonary development using functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques

The mainstay of assessment of the fetal lungs in clinical practice is via evaluation of pulmonary size, primarily using 2D ultrasound and more recently with anatomical magnetic resonance imaging.The emergence of advanced magnetic resonance techniques such as T2* relaxometry in combination with the latest motion correction post-processing tools now facilitates assessment of the metabolic activity or perfusion of fetal pulmonary tissue in vivo. This study aimed to characterize normal pulmonary development using T2* relaxometry, accounting for fetal motion across gestation. Datasets from women with uncomplicated pregnancies that delivered at term, were analyzed. All subjects had undergone T2-weighted imaging and T2* relaxometry on a Phillips 3T magnetic resonance imaging system antenatally. T2* relaxometry of the fetal thorax was performed using a gradient echo single-shot echo planar imaging sequence. Following correction for fetal motion using slice-to-volume reconstruction, T2* maps were generated using in-house pipelines. Lungs were manually segmented and mean T2* values calculated for the right and left lungs individually, and for both lungs combined.Lung volumes were generated from the segmented images, and the right and left lungs, as well as both lungs combined were assessed. Eighty-seven datasets were suitable for analysis. The mean gestation at scan was 29.9±4.3 weeks (range: 20.6-38.3) and mean gestation at delivery was 40±1.2 weeks (range: 37.1-42.4). Mean T2* values of the lungs increased over gestation for right and left lungs individually and for both lungs assessed together (P=.003; P=.04; P=.003, respectively). Right, left, and total lung volumes were also strongly correlated with increasing gestational age (P<.001 in all cases). This large study assessed developing lungs using T2* imaging across a wide gestational age range. Mean T2* values increased with gestational age, which may reflect increasing perfusion and metabolic requirements and alterations in tissue composition as gestation advances. In the future, evaluation of findings in fetuses with conditions known to be associated with pulmonary morbidity may lead to enhanced prognostication antenatally, consequently improving counseling and perinatal care planning.

An fMRI study of visual geometric shapes processing.

Cross-modal correspondence has been consistently evidenced between shapes and other sensory attributes. Especially, the curvature of shapes may arouse the affective account, which may contribute to understanding the mechanism of cross-modal integration. Hence, the current study used the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique to examine brain activity's specificity when people view circular and angular shapes. The circular shapes consisted of a circle and an ellipse, while the angular shapes consisted of a triangle and a star. Results show that the brain areas activated by circular shapes mainly involved the sub-occipital lobe, fusiform gyrus, sub and middle occipital gyrus, and cerebellar VI. The brain areas activated by angular shapes mainly involve the cuneus, middle occipital gyrus, lingual gyrus, and calcarine gyrus. The brain activation patterns of circular shapes did not differ significantly from those of angular shapes. Such a null finding was unexpected when previous cross-modal correspondence of shape curvature was considered. The different brain regions detected by circular and angular shapes and the potential explanations were discussed in the paper.

Small animal cerebral microvascular imaging with super-resolution ultrasound: Techniques and applications

Super-resolution ultrasound (SR-US) is an emerging microvascular imaging technology that provides a micron-scale spatial resolution with tens of millimeters of depth of imaging penetration. The unmatched combination of high spatial resolution and deep imaging penetration opened new doors for many brain imaging applications that benefit from cerebrovascular biomarkers. Recently, SR-US has found its niche in small animal brain applications thanks to its unique capabilities of extending the optical-imaging-level spatial resolution to subcortical, deep brain regions. In this presentation, I will first introduce existing SR-US imaging techniques that are tailored to small animal brain imaging applications. Topics include fast SR-US methods, 3D SR-US imaging, and phase aberration correction for intact skull imaging. I will then focus on reviewing brain imaging applications that use SR-US to characterize cerebral mirovasculature in the aging, stroke, and Alzheimer’s Disease brain. Finally, I will introduce the new functional super-resolution imaging technique that combines SR-US with functional ultrasound (fUS) to realize whole-brain neural activity recording at a micron-scale spatial resolution.

History and Future Directions of rTMS for Treatment of Depressive Disorders

History and Future Directions of rTMS for Treatment of Depressive Disorders

Role of apparent diffusion coefficient in assessment of loco-regional nodal spread in cancer rectum: correlative study with histopathological findings

BackgroundRectal cancer is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Preoperative assessment and detection of nodal metastasis are crucial for selecting a proper treatment plan. Diffusion-weighted imaging is considered to be a crucial functional imaging technique that can aid in determining the condition of lymph nodes. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic utility of MRI functional images by use of apparent diffusion coefficient in regional nodal assessment in rectal cancer.ResultsThis study included 54 patients including 29 males (53.7%) and 25 females (46.3%) presented with pathologically proven rectal cancer. Regarding rectal adenocarcinoma, functional MRI imaging using ADC values found to have a better sensitivity (86.24%) in detection of regional nodal metastasis than conventional morphological MRI criteria with 1.05 × 10−3 mm2/s was employed as cutoff value to distinguish metastatic from non-metastatic lymph nodes with statistically significant P value (< 0.001); nevertheless, regarding the accuracy there was no difference (68.52%). As regards mucinous and signet ring cell carcinoma, morphological assessment using conventional MRI sequences were found to have a better accuracy (72.96%) and sensitivity (57.69%) than ADC value, with the latter showed low statistically significant results (P- value < 0.201) in distinguishing metastatic and non-metastatic nodes. This could be explained by extremely high ADC values of nodes for these pathological types owing to their high mucin content.ConclusionsMRI functional imaging using ADC values can be utilized to distinguish metastatic from non-metastatic lymph nodes in rectal adenocarcinoma employing diagnostic accuracy of 86.52%. However, morphological assessment using conventional MRI was found to be better in assessment of regional lymph nodes at mucinous and signet ring rectal carcinoma.

Biotypes of major depressive disorder identified by a multiview clustering framework

BackgroundThe advances in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques motivate parsing heterogeneity in major depressive disorder (MDD) through neurophysiological subtypes (i.e., biotypes). Based on graph theories, researchers have observed the functional organization of the human brain as a complex system with modular structures and have found wide-spread but variable MDD-related abnormality regarding the modules. The evidence implies the possibility of identifying biotypes using high-dimensional functional connectivity (FC) data in ways that suit the potentially multifaceted biotypes taxonomy. MethodsWe proposed a multiview biotype discovery framework that involves theory-driven feature subspace partition (i.e., “view”) and independent subspace clustering. Six views were defined using intra- and intermodule FC regarding three MDD focal modules (i.e., the sensory-motor system, default mode network, and subcortical network). For robust biotypes, the framework was applied to a large multisite sample (805 MDD participants and 738 healthy controls). ResultsTwo biotypes were stably obtained in each view, respectively characterized by significantly increased and decreased FC compared to healthy controls. These view-specific biotypes promoted the diagnosis of MDD and showed different symptom profiles. By integrating the view-specific biotypes into biotype profiles, a broad spectrum in the neural heterogeneity of MDD and its separation from symptom-based subtypes was further revealed. LimitationsThe power of clinical effects is limited and the cross-sectional nature cannot predict the treatment effects of the biotypes. ConclusionsOur findings not only contribute to the understanding of heterogeneity in MDD, but also provide a novel subtyping framework that could transcend current diagnostic boundaries and data modality.

Immune checkpoint inhibition: a future guided by radiology.

The limitation of the function of antitumour immune cells is a common hallmark of cancers that enables their survival. As such, the potential of immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) acts as a paradigm shift in the treatment of a range of cancers but has not yet been fully capitalised. Combining minimally and non-invasive locoregional therapies offered by radiologists with ICI is now an active field of research with the aim of furthering therapeutic capabilities in medical oncology. In parallel to this impending advancement, the "imaging toolbox" available to radiologists is also growing, enabling more refined tumour characterisation as well as greater accuracy in evaluating responses to therapy. Options range from metabolite labelling to cellular localisation to immune checkpoint screening. It is foreseeable that these novel imaging techniques will be integrated into personalised treatment algorithms. This growth in the field must include updating the current standardised imaging criteria to ensure they are fit for purpose. Such criteria is crucial to both appropriately guide clinical decision-making regarding next steps of treatment, but also provide reliable prognosis. Quantitative approaches to these novel imaging techniques are also already being investigated to further optimise personalised therapeutic decision-making. The therapeutic potential of specific ICIs and locoregional therapies could be determined before administration thus limiting unnecessary side-effects whilst maintaining efficacy. Several radiological aspects of oncological care are advancing simultaneously. Therefore, it is essential that each development is assessed for clinical use and optimised to ensure the best treatment decisions are being offered to the patient. In this review, we discuss state of the art advances in novel functional imaging techniques in the field of immuno-oncology both pre-clinically and clinically.

The performance difference of interdisciplinary teams in the field specific and general innovation tasks

Collaborative innovation in interdisciplinary teams is a collaborative approach to accomplish cooperative tasks and achieve innovative goals through a multidisciplinary intersection in the form of member combinations. The purpose of this study was to reveal the neural mechanisms underlying the impact of interdisciplinary collaboration on groups and individuals. Each group of subjects consisted of two people with and without a design background, who were asked to solve two realistic presented problems (RPP), and two design innovation tasks based on RPP adaptations. The study used hyperscanning of functional near-infrared spectroscopic (fNIRS) brain functional imaging techniques to simultaneously record the neural responses of interacting participants in each group. The study compared the innovation performance of interdisciplinary teams with design backgrounds in domain-specific versus domain-general innovation tasks, and the results showed differences in individual and group performance in different types of innovation tasks, with individual fluency being the most significant. The study may provide empirical evidence for the performance benefits of interdisciplinary teams in real-world collaborative co-innovation.

Challenging Contrast-Enhanced Mammography-Guided Biopsies: Practical Approach Using Real-Time Multimodality Imaging and a Proposed Procedural Algorithm.

Contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) is an emerging functional breast imaging technique that entails the acquisition of dual-energy digital mammographic images after IV administration of iodine-based contrast material. CEM-guided biopsy technology was introduced in 2019 and approved by the U.S. FDA in 2020. This technology's availability enables direct sampling of suspicious enhancement seen only on or predominantly on recombined CEM images and addresses a major obstacle to the clinical implementation of CEM technology. The literature describing clinical indications and procedural techniques of CEM-guided biopsy is scarce. This article describes our initial experience in performing challenging CEM-guided biopsies and proposes a step-by-step procedural algorithm designed to proactively address anticipated technical difficulties and thereby increase the likelihood of achieving successful targeting.

Assessment of lung ventilation of premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia at 1.5 Tesla using phase-resolved functional lung magnetic resonance imaging.

The most common chronic complication of preterm birth is bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), widely referred to as chronic lung disease of prematurity. All current definitions rely on characterizing the disease based on respiratory support level and do not provide full understanding of the underlying cardiopulmonary pathophysiology. To evaluate a rapid functional lung imaging technique in premature infants and to quantitate pulmonary ventilation using 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We conducted a prospective MRI study of 12 premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) using the phase resolved functional lung MRI technique to calculate pulmonary ventilation parameters in preterm infants with and without BPD grade 0/1 (n = 6) and grade 2/3 (n = 6). The total ventilation defect percentage showed a significant difference between groups (16.0% IQR (11.0%,18%) BPD grade 2/3 vs. 8.0% IQR (4.5%,9.0%) BPD grade 0/1, p = 0.01). Phase-resolved functional lung MRI is feasible for assessment of ventilation defect percentages in preterm infants and shows regional variation in localized lung function in this population.

Precuneus stimulation alters abstract verbal memory encoding

The present study investigated the role of the precuneus in memory encoding of abstract and concrete words, with the combination of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and continuous Theta Burst Stimulation (cTBS) techniques. The memory encoding process was scanned in the fMRI to detect the regions of interest for the difference in memory formation of these two types of words. The real and sham cTBS stimulations were applied over the left precuneus. The fMRI results showed that the left precuneus was deactivated for the memory encoding of both types of words, with concrete words inducing significantly more deactivation. The cTBS stimulation over the left precuneus significantly reduced the reaction time of retrieval of abstract words but not concrete words. It is concluded that precuneus plays a role in modulating the abstract but not the concrete verbal memory encoding. • This study examines the role of precuneus in verbal episodic memory with combination of fMRI and cTBS. • The precuneus was deactivated for the episodic memory encoding of abstract and concrete words. • The precuneus was deactivated significantly less for the episodic encoding of abstract words than that of the concrete words. • The cTBS stimulation over precuneus significantly reduced the reaction time of retrieval of abstract words instead of concrete words.