Intracerebral Volumes Research Articles

Cognitive dysfunction in systemic lupus erythematosus: Its relationship with intracerebral volumes and antiphospholipid antibody profile. Case series.

The incidence of cognitive compromise in systemic lupus erythematosus is variable; it presents early and is usually asymptomatic. Our study evaluated the frequency of cognitive impairment in patients without a previous diagnosis of neuropsychiatric lupus and compared the differences in intracerebral size in subgroups with cognitive alterations and positive autoantibodies. This is a cross-sectional study. Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus without a previous diagnosis of neuropsychiatric lupus treated between July 2018 and October 2019 were included. Neuropsychological tests and brain imaging were performed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measuring brain volumes. The variables, including antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) antibodies, were compared between subgroups of patients with and without neuropsychological alterations. Six patients were included. Patients who tested positive in more than two abnormal neuropsychiatric assessments showed reduced brain volumes in the right (6.1 versus 5.31) and left (6.2 versus 5.38) frontal lobes, the right (0.66 versus 0.65) and left (0.67 versus 0.6) cingulate cortices, the right (3.63 versus 3.38) and left (3.67 versus 3.4) temporal lobes, the right (3.96 versus 3.8) and left (3.87 versus 3.7) parietal lobes, and the right (0.49 versus 0.41) and left (0.46 versus 0.42) insula. A comparison of median normalized brain volumes revealed that most patients testing positive for antiphospholipid antibodies had reduced brain volumes. A relationship was observed between neurocognitive compromise, antiphospholipid antibodies and brain volumes measured by cerebral magnetic resonance. These findings occur in asymptomatic neuropsychiatric patients.

Abstract P73: Imaging Markers of Brain Frailty and Outcome in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and purpose: Functional outcome after stroke may be related to preexisting brain health. Several imaging markers of brain frailty have been described including brain atrophy and markers of small vessel disease. We investigated the association of these imaging markers with functional outcome after acute ischemic stroke. Methods: We retrospectively studied patients with acute ischemic stroke enrolled in the AXIS-2 trial, an international, multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial of Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor versus placebo. We assessed the ratio of brain parenchymal volume to total intracerebral volumes (i.e., the brain parenchymal fraction [BPF]) and total brain volumes from routine baseline MRI data obtained within 9 hours of symptom onset using the unified segmentation algorithm in SPM12. Enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS), white matter hyperintensities (WMH), lacunes as well as a small vessel disease (SVD) burden were rated visually. Functional outcomes (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score) at day 90 were determined. Logistic regression was used to test associations between brain imaging features and functional outcomes. As there was no significant effect of G-CSF on any outcomes in AXIS-2, placebo and active groups were combined for these analyses. Results: We enrolled 259 patients with a mean age of 69±12 years and 46 % were female. Increased BPF was associated with higher odds of excellent outcome (OR per percent increase: 1.081, 95%CI: 1.012-1.155). Total brain volumes and SVD burden were not associated with functional outcome. An interaction between BPF and large vessel occlusion on excellent outcome was not observed. Conclusions: Global brain health, as assessed by brain parenchymal fraction on magnetic resonance imaging, is associated with excellent functional outcome after ischemic stroke. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT00927836.

Emerging differences between Huntington's disease-like 2 and Huntington's disease: A comparison using MRI brain volumetry.

Huntington's Disease-Like 2 (HDL2), caused by a CTG/CAG expansion in JPH3 on chromosome 16q24, is the most common Huntington's Disease (HD) phenocopy in populations with African ancestry. Qualitatively, brain MRIs of HDL2 patients have been indistinguishable from HD. To determine brain regions most affected in HDL2 a cross-sectional study using MRI brain volumetry was undertaken to compare the brains of nine HDL2, 11 HD and nine age matched control participants. Participants were ascertained from the region in South Africa with the world's highest HDL2 incidence. The HDL2 and HD patient groups showed no significant differences with respect to mean age at MRI, disease duration, abnormal triplet repeat length, or age at disease onset. Overall, intracerebral volumes were smaller in both affected groups compared to the control group. Comparing the HDL2 and HD groups across multiple covariates, cortical and subcortical volumes were similar with the exception that the HDL2 thalamic volumes were smaller. Consistent with other similarities between the two diseases, these results indicate a pattern of neurodegeneration in HDL2 that is remarkably similar to HD. However smaller thalamic volumes in HDL2 raises intriguing questions into the pathogenesis of both disorders, and how these volumetric differences relate to their respective phenotypes.