Resonance Imaging Data Of Patients Research Articles

Changes in Clinical and Network Functional Connectivity Parameters in Motor Networks and Cerebellum Based on Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data in Patients with Post-Stroke Hemiparesis Receiving Interactive Brain Stimulation Neurotherapy

Introduction. Interactive brain stimulation (IBS) neurotherapy is an advanced neurofeedback technology (NFB) that involves the organization of a feedback “target” based on signals recorded by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). The NFB allows patients to volitionally self-regulate their current brain activity and may therefore be a useful treatment option for diseases with altered activation and functional connectivity (FC) patterns.
 Our objective was to assess the effects of IBS on the FC changes in motor networks and correlations between clinical and network parameters in patients with post-stroke hand paresis.
 Materials and methods. Patients with a history of stroke 2 months were randomized into a main group (n = 7) and a control group (n = 7). All the patients followed the stroke physical rehabilitation for 3 weeks. The main group received IBS training, where the patients learned to imagine movements of the paretic hand trying to amplify the fMRI signal from the primary motor cortex (M1) and the supplementary motor area (SMA) on the lesion side with simultaneous desynchronizing the μ- and β-2 EEG rhythms in the central leads. Clinical tests and MRI were performed prior to and immediately after the treatment. FC matrices were constructed using CONN software based on resting-state fMRI data.
 Results. By the end of the training, M1–M1 functional connectivity in the control group weakened, while no changes were observed in the main group. The FC strength was positively correlated with the grip strength (ρ = 0.69; p 0.01) and with the results of the Box and Blocks test (BBT score, ρ = 0.72; p 0.01) and the Fugl-Meyer assessment for upper extremity (FM-UE score, ρ = 0.87; p 0.005). Ipsilesional SMA connectivity with contralesional cerebellum weakened (p 0.05 in the main group). Its strength was negatively correlated with the BBT and FM-UE scores (both tests ρ = –0.44; p 0.05).
 Conclusions. Volitional control of M1 and SMA activity in the lesion hemisphere during the post-stroke IBS training alters the architecture of the entire motor network affecting clinically significant FC types. We studied a possible mechanism of this technology and its potential use in treatment programs.

The lack of temporal brain dynamics asymmetry as a signature of impaired consciousness states.

Life is a constant battle against equilibrium. From the cellular level to the macroscopic scale, living organisms as dissipative systems require the violation of their detailed balance, i.e. metabolic enzymatic reactions, in order to survive. We present a framework based on temporal asymmetry as a measure of non-equilibrium. By means of statistical physics, it was discovered that temporal asymmetries establish an arrow of time useful for assessing the reversibility in human brain time series. Previous studies in human and non-human primates have shown that decreased consciousness states such as sleep and anaesthesia result in brain dynamics closer to the equilibrium. Furthermore, there is growing interest in the analysis of brain symmetry based on neuroimaging recordings and since it is a non-invasive technique, it can be extended to different brain imaging modalities and applied at different temporo-spatial scales. In the present study, we provide a detailed description of our methodological approach, paying special attention to the theories that motivated this work. We test, for the first time, the reversibility analysis in human functional magnetic resonance imaging data in patients suffering from disorder of consciousness. We verify that the tendency of a decrease in the asymmetry of the brain signal together with the decrease in non-stationarity are key characteristics of impaired consciousness states. We expect that this work will open the way for assessing biomarkers for patients' improvement and classification, as well as motivating further research on the mechanistic understanding underlying states of impaired consciousness.

Volume of Gluteus Maximus and Minimus Increases After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome

To investigate the change in muscle volume around the hip in patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) after arthroscopy and evaluate other factors related to muscle change. We performed a retrospective review of magnetic resonance imaging data of patients with FAI who underwent hip arthroscopy. Magnetic resonance imaging was obtained pre- and postoperatively. The cross-sectional area (CSA) of muscles were determined on axial images. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine the differences between pre- and postoperative hip muscle CSA. The correlations of change in muscle CSA with age, sex, body mass index, pain level, preoperative symptom duration, follow-up time, and multiple validated patient-reported outcomes were also analyzed with a Spearman rank correlation test. Fifty-one patients with a mean age of 36.5 ± 5.6 years were included and analyzed. The follow-up was 26.6 ± 0.5 months (range, 24-40 months), and 27 (52.9%) were women. Patients with FAI showed increased hip muscle CSA of gluteus maximus (P= .002) and gluteus minimus (P= .001). Post- compared with preoperative, the value for the change in medius CSA was underpowered, and no differences in other hip muscle CSAs were observed. The increased muscle CSA of the gluteus maximus was significantly correlated with the improvement of modified Harris Hip Score (ρ= 0.404; P= .003). The increased muscle CSA of the gluteus minimus was significantly correlated with the improvement of pain Visual Analog Scale (ρ= 0.452; P= .001). Age, body mass index, sex, symptom duration, and follow-up time were not significantly correlated with change in muscle CSA. Patients with FAI have a significantly increased postoperative muscle CSA of the gluteus maximus (7.8%) and the gluteus minimus (11.6%) compared with preoperative values. The increased muscle CSA of the gluteus maximus and gluteus minimus was significantly correlated with improvement in modified Harris Hip Score and pain Visual Analog Scale, respectively. The increase of muscle volume may be associated with the improvement of subjective function and pain relief. Level IV, therapeutic case series.

Altered Structural Network in Newly Onset Childhood Absence Epilepsy.

Background and PurposeRecent quantitative neuroimaging studies of childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) have identified various structural abnormalities that might be involved in the onset of absence seizure and associated cognitive and behavioral functions. However, the neuroanatomical alterations specific to CAE remain unclear, and so this study investigated the regional alterations of brain structures associated with newly diagnosed CAE.MethodsSurface and volumetric magnetic resonance imaging data of patients with newly diagnosed CAE (n=18) and age-matched healthy controls (n=18) were analyzed using Free-Surfer software. A group comparison using analysis of covariance was performed with significance criteria of p<0.05 and p<0.01 in global and regional analyses, respectively.ResultsCompared with control subjects, the patients with CAE had smaller total and regional volumes of cortical gray-matter (GM) in the right rostral middle frontal, right lateral orbitofrontal, and left rostral middle frontal regions, as well as in the right precentral, right superior, middle, left middle, and inferior temporal gyri. The cortex in the right posterior cingulate gyrus and left medial occipital region was significantly thicker in patients with CAE than in controls.ConclusionsPatients with CAE showed a reduced bilateral frontotemporal cortical GM volume and an increased posterior medial cortical thickness, which are associated with the default mode network. These structural changes can be suggested as the neural basis of the absence seizures and neuropsychiatric comorbidities in CAE.

Patients With Unilateral Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome Have Asymmetrical Hip Muscle Cross-Sectional Area and Compensatory Muscle Changes Associated With Preoperative Pain Level

To compare the symptomatic hip muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) in patients with unilateral femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) with the asymptomatic-side hip muscle CSA and to determine whether correlations exist between the hip muscle CSA and preoperative pain level, preoperative symptom duration, and postoperative function. We performed a retrospective review of magnetic resonance imaging data of patients who underwent hip arthroscopy from January 2012 through June 2015 for the treatment of unilateral FAIS and who had a minimum of 2years' follow-up after hip arthroscopy for FAIS. A picture archiving and communication system workstation with an embedded region-of-interest tool was used to measure the muscle CSA of both the symptomatic and asymptomatic sides in FAIS patients. One-way repeated-measures analyses of variance were used to determine differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic hip muscle CSAs. Spearman rank correlations were used to determine relations between the symptomatic-side hip muscle CSA and preoperative pain level, preoperative symptom duration, and multiple validated patient-reported outcomes to quantify the level of function. A total of 50 patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 34.22 ± 14.12years, and 64% were women. Specific muscles of the symptomatic hip displaying significantly decreased CSAs compared with the asymptomatic hip included the gluteus maximus (P= .007), gluteus minimus (P= .022), and rectus femoris (P= .028). The tensor fascia lata (ρ= 0.358; P= .011), pectineus (ρ= 0.369, P= .008), adductor longus (ρ=0.286, P= .044), and obturator externus (ρ= 0.339, P= .016) showed a moderate positive correlation with preoperative pain level on a visual analog scale in unilateral FAIS patients. No associations were found between the symptomatic-side hip muscle CSA in patients with unilateral FAIS and symptom duration or patient-reported function. Patients with unilateral FAIS have a significantly decreased muscle CSA in the symptomatic hip compared with the asymptomatic hip. The symptomatic-side hip muscle CSA was correlated with the preoperative pain level on a visual analog scale. The association between the muscle CSA and preoperative pain level may represent a compensatory change in muscle function around the hip joint in patients with unilateral FAIS. Level IV, therapeutic case series.

Variability of glycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: the relationship with cognitive dysfunction and the results of magnetic resonance imaging

Background. Variability of glycemia is an important problem in the control of diabetes mellitus. It can be assumed that cognitive impairment associated with this disease is due to the fact that variability of glycemia affects not only the structure, but also metabolism of the brain.&#x0D; Objective — the study was aimed at assessing the values of glycemia variability, as well as their relationship with neuropsychological testing and magnetic resonance imaging data in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1).&#x0D; Material and methods. We carried out a one-stage observational study of sex and age matched patients with DM1 and individuals without diabetes. All participants underwent neuropsychological testing, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (PMRS) of the brain; fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were assessed. The results of continuous monitoring of glycemia were analyzed in DM1 patients followed by calculation of glycemic variability coefficients.&#x0D; Results. DM1 58 patients demonstrated decrease in neuropsychological testing scores (p&lt;0.05), decrease in the gray matter volume (p=0.004), and increase in the white matter volume (p=0.001), as well as impaired metabolism of the brain (p&lt;0.05). Correlations between the total result of the MoCa test and LI (r=–0.34; p=0.008), MODD (r=–0.36; p=0.005), and ADRR (r=–0.28; p=0.032) were found. Negative relationship between the CONGA index and the volume of the left hippocampus (r=–0.27; p=0.044) was found. There were also some correlations between the glycemic variability indexes and the content of the main metabolites in different areas of the brain (p&lt;0.05).&#x0D; Conclusion. MD1 patients with cognitive dysfunction demonstrated anatomical and metabolic brain disorders associated with glycemic variability.

Connectome Disconnectivity and Cortical Gene Expression in Patients With Schizophrenia

BackgroundGenome-wide association studies have identified several common risk loci for schizophrenia (SCZ). In parallel, neuroimaging studies have shown consistent findings of widespread white matter disconnectivity in patients with SCZ. MethodsWe examined the role of genes in brain connectivity in patients with SCZ by combining transcriptional profiles of 43 SCZ risk genes identified by the recent genome-wide association study of the Schizophrenia Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium with data on macroscale connectivity reductions in patients with SCZ. Expression profiles of 43 Psychiatric Genomics Consortium SCZ risk genes were extracted from the Allen Human Brain Atlas, and their average profile across the cortex was correlated to the pattern of cortical disconnectivity as derived from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data of patients with SCZ (n = 48) and matched healthy controls (n = 43). ResultsThe expression profile of SCZ risk genes across cortical regions was significantly correlated with the regional macroscale disconnectivity (r = .588; p = .017). In addition, effects were found to be potentially specific to SCZ, with transcriptional profiles not related to cortical disconnectivity in patients with bipolar I disorder (diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data; 216 patients, 144 controls). Further examination of correlations across all 20,737 genes present in the Allen Human Brain Atlas showed the set of top 100 strongest correlating genes to display significant enrichment for the disorder, potentially identifying new genes involved in the pathophysiology of SCZ. ConclusionsOur results suggest that under disease conditions, cortical areas with pronounced expression of risk genes implicated in SCZ form central areas for white matter disconnectivity.

Evaluation of the effects of tumor necrosis factor-а inhibitors versus nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on spinal inflammatory changes from magnetic resonance imaging data in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

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