Mapping Language Problems in the Brain

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... issue Health Capsule Mapping Language Problems in the Brain En español Send us your comments We often ... more about how language is organized in the brain, an NIH-funded research team studied people with ...

Brain water mapping with MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laine, F.J.; Fatouros, P.P.; Kraft, K.A.

1990-01-01

This paper reports on a recently developed MR imaging technique to determine the spatial distribution of brain water to healthy volunteers. A noninvasive MR imaging technique to obtain absolute measurements of brain water has been developed and validated with phantom and animal studies. Patient confirmation was obtained from independent gravimetric measurements of brain tissue samples harvested by biopsy. This approach entails the production of accurate T1 maps from multiple inversion recovery images of a selected anatomic section and their subsequent conversion into an absolute water image by means of a previously determined calibration curve. Twenty healthy volunteers were studied and their water distribution was determined in a standard section. The following brain water values means and SD grams of water per gram of tissue) were obtained for selected brain regions; white matter, 68.9% ± 1.0; corpus callosum, 67.4% ± 1.1; thalamus, 75.3% ± 1.4; and caudate nucleus, 80.3% ± 1.4. MR imaging water mapping is a valid means of determining water content in a variety of brain tissues

Mapping brain function to brain anatomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valentino, D.J.; Huang, H.K.; Mazziotta, J.C.

1988-01-01

In Imaging the human brain, MRI is commonly used to reveal anatomical structure, while PET is used to reveal tissue function. This paper presents a protocol for correlating data between these two imaging modalities; this correlation can provide in vivo regional measurements of brain function which are essential to our understanding of the human brain. The authors propose a general protocol to standardize the acquisition and analysis of functional image data. First, MR and PET images are collected to form three-dimensional volumes of structural and functional image data. Second, these volumes of image data are corrected for distortions inherent in each imaging modality. Third, the image volumes are correlated to provide correctly aligned structural and functional images. The functional images are then mapped onto the structural images in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations. Finally, morphometric techniques can be used to provide statistical measures of the structure and function of the human brain

Mapping fetal brain development in utero using magnetic resonance imaging: the Big Bang of brain mapping.

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Studholme, Colin

2011-08-15

The development of tools to construct and investigate probabilistic maps of the adult human brain from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has led to advances in both basic neuroscience and clinical diagnosis. These tools are increasingly being applied to brain development in adolescence and childhood, and even to neonatal and premature neonatal imaging. Even earlier in development, parallel advances in clinical fetal MRI have led to its growing use as a tool in challenging medical conditions. This has motivated new engineering developments encompassing optimal fast MRI scans and techniques derived from computer vision, the combination of which allows full 3D imaging of the moving fetal brain in utero without sedation. These promise to provide a new and unprecedented window into early human brain growth. This article reviews the developments that have led us to this point, examines the current state of the art in the fields of fast fetal imaging and motion correction, and describes the tools to analyze dynamically changing fetal brain structure. New methods to deal with developmental tissue segmentation and the construction of spatiotemporal atlases are examined, together with techniques to map fetal brain growth patterns.

Mapping of the extinction in Giant Molecular Clouds using optical star counts

OpenAIRE

Cambresy, L.

1999-01-01

This paper presents large scale extinction maps of most nearby Giant Molecular Clouds of the Galaxy (Lupus, rho-Ophiuchus, Scorpius, Coalsack, Taurus, Chamaeleon, Musca, Corona Australis, Serpens, IC 5146, Vela, Orion, Monoceros R1 and R2, Rosette, Carina) derived from a star count method using an adaptive grid and a wavelet decomposition applied to the optical data provided by the USNO-Precision Measuring Machine. The distribution of the extinction in the clouds leads to estimate their total...

Functional morphology of the brain of the African giant pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus Waterhouse, 1840

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chikera S. Ibe

2014-03-01

Full Text Available A gross morphological study of the brain of the African giant pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus Waterhouse, 1840 was undertaken in order to document its normal features and assess the structure-function paradigm. The study was conducted by direct observation of 29 adult African giant pouched rats’ brains. In the telencephalon, the cerebral cortex was devoid of prominent gyri and sulci, but the large olfactory bulb and tract relaying impulses to the olfactory cortex were very prominent. The large size of the olfactory bulb correlated with the established sharp olfactory acuity of the rodent. In the mesencephalic tectum, the caudal colliculi were bigger than the rostral colliculi, indicating a more acute sense of hearing than sight. In the metencephalon, the cerebellar vermis, the flocculus and the paraflocculus were highly coiled and, thus, well developed. The myelencephalon revealed a better organised ventral surface than dorsal surface; the cuneate fascicle, the intermediate sulcus and the lateral sulcus were not evident on the dorsal surface, but there were clearly visible pyramids and olivary prominence on the ventral surface. In conclusion, the highly coiled cerebellar vermis, flocculus and paraflocculus, as well as the conspicuous pyramids and olivary prominence are indicative of a good motor coordination and balance in the African giant pouched rat.

Wada-test, functional magnetic resonance imaging and direct electrical stimulation - brain mapping methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minkin, K.; Tanova, R.; Busarski, A.; Penkov, M.; Penev, L.; Hadjidekov, V.

2009-01-01

Modern neurosurgery requires accurate preoperative and intraoperative localization of brain pathologies but also of brain functions. The presence of individual variations in healthy subjects and the shift of brain functions in brain diseases provoke the introduction of various methods for brain mapping. The aim of this paper was to analyze the most widespread methods for brain mapping: Wada-test, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and intraoperative direct electrical stimulation (DES). This study included 4 patients with preoperative brain mapping using Wada-test and fMRI. Intraoperative mapping with DES during awake craniotomy was performed in one case. The histopathological diagnosis was low-grade glioma in 2 cases, cortical dysplasia (1 patient) and arteriovenous malformation (1 patient). The brain mapping permits total lesion resection in three of four patients. There was no new postoperative deficit despite surgery near or within functional brain areas. Brain plasticity provoking shift of eloquent areas from their usual locations was observed in two cases. The brain mapping methods allow surgery in eloquent brain areas recognized in the past as 'forbidden areas'. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. The precise location of brain functions and pathologies frequently requires combination of different brain mapping methods. (authors)

Giant CP stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loden, L.O.; Sundman, A.

1989-01-01

This study is part of an investigation of the possibility of using chemically peculiar (CP) stars to map local galactic structure. Correct luminosities of these stars are therefore crucial. CP stars are generally regarded as main-sequence or near-main-sequence objects. However, some CP stars have been classified as giants. A selection of stars, classified in literature as CP giants, are compared to normal stars in the same effective temperature interval and to ordinary 'non giant' CP stars. There is no clear confirmation of a higher luminosity for 'CP giants', than for CP stars in general. In addition, CP characteristics seem to be individual properties not repeated in a component star or other cluster members. (author). 50 refs., 5 tabs., 3 figs

Task-evoked brain functional magnetic susceptibility mapping by independent component analysis (χICA).

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Chen, Zikuan; Calhoun, Vince D

2016-03-01

Conventionally, independent component analysis (ICA) is performed on an fMRI magnitude dataset to analyze brain functional mapping (AICA). By solving the inverse problem of fMRI, we can reconstruct the brain magnetic susceptibility (χ) functional states. Upon the reconstructed χ dataspace, we propose an ICA-based brain functional χ mapping method (χICA) to extract task-evoked brain functional map. A complex division algorithm is applied to a timeseries of fMRI phase images to extract temporal phase changes (relative to an OFF-state snapshot). A computed inverse MRI (CIMRI) model is used to reconstruct a 4D brain χ response dataset. χICA is implemented by applying a spatial InfoMax ICA algorithm to the reconstructed 4D χ dataspace. With finger-tapping experiments on a 7T system, the χICA-extracted χ-depicted functional map is similar to the SPM-inferred functional χ map by a spatial correlation of 0.67 ± 0.05. In comparison, the AICA-extracted magnitude-depicted map is correlated with the SPM magnitude map by 0.81 ± 0.05. The understanding of the inferiority of χICA to AICA for task-evoked functional map is an ongoing research topic. For task-evoked brain functional mapping, we compare the data-driven ICA method with the task-correlated SPM method. In particular, we compare χICA with AICA for extracting task-correlated timecourses and functional maps. χICA can extract a χ-depicted task-evoked brain functional map from a reconstructed χ dataspace without the knowledge about brain hemodynamic responses. The χICA-extracted brain functional χ map reveals a bidirectional BOLD response pattern that is unavailable (or different) from AICA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Brain Injury Lesion Imaging Using Preconditioned Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping without Skull Stripping.

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Soman, S; Liu, Z; Kim, G; Nemec, U; Holdsworth, S J; Main, K; Lee, B; Kolakowsky-Hayner, S; Selim, M; Furst, A J; Massaband, P; Yesavage, J; Adamson, M M; Spincemallie, P; Moseley, M; Wang, Y

2018-04-01

Identifying cerebral microhemorrhage burden can aid in the diagnosis and management of traumatic brain injury, stroke, hypertension, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. MR imaging susceptibility-based methods are more sensitive than CT for detecting cerebral microhemorrhage, but methods other than quantitative susceptibility mapping provide results that vary with field strength and TE, require additional phase maps to distinguish blood from calcification, and depict cerebral microhemorrhages as bloom artifacts. Quantitative susceptibility mapping provides universal quantification of tissue magnetic property without these constraints but traditionally requires a mask generated by skull-stripping, which can pose challenges at tissue interphases. We evaluated the preconditioned quantitative susceptibility mapping MR imaging method, which does not require skull-stripping, for improved depiction of brain parenchyma and pathology. Fifty-six subjects underwent brain MR imaging with a 3D multiecho gradient recalled echo acquisition. Mask-based quantitative susceptibility mapping images were created using a commonly used mask-based quantitative susceptibility mapping method, and preconditioned quantitative susceptibility images were made using precondition-based total field inversion. All images were reviewed by a neuroradiologist and a radiology resident. Ten subjects (18%), all with traumatic brain injury, demonstrated blood products on 3D gradient recalled echo imaging. All lesions were visible on preconditioned quantitative susceptibility mapping, while 6 were not visible on mask-based quantitative susceptibility mapping. Thirty-one subjects (55%) demonstrated brain parenchyma and/or lesions that were visible on preconditioned quantitative susceptibility mapping but not on mask-based quantitative susceptibility mapping. Six subjects (11%) demonstrated pons artifacts on preconditioned quantitative susceptibility mapping and mask-based quantitative susceptibility mapping

Three-dimensional brain mapping using fMRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukunaga, Masaki; Tanaka, Chuzo; Umeda, Masahiro; Ebisu, Toshihiko; Aoki, Ichio; Higuchi, Toshihiro; Naruse, Shoji.

1997-01-01

Functional mapping of the activated brain, the location and extent of the activated area were determined, during motor tasks and sensory stimulation using fMRI superimposed on 3D anatomical MRI. Twelve volunteers were studied. The fMR images were acquired using a 2D gradient echo echo planar imaging sequence. The 3D anatomical MR images of the whole brain were acquired using a conventional 3D gradient echo sequence. Motor tasks were sequential opposition of fingers, clenching a hand and elbow flexion. Somatosensory stimulation were administered by scrubbing the palm and sole with a washing sponge. Visual stimulation consisted of full visual field stimulation. Data were analyzed by the cross-correlation method. Transversal fMR images and anatomical images were reconstructed using both volume-, surface-rendering methods, and reconstructed for coronal and sagittal sections. Activated areas were expressed using the three primary colors. Motor tasks activated the contralateral primary motor area (M1), the primary somatosensory area (S1) and the supplementary motor area (SMA). Somatosensory tasks activated the contralateral S1, M1 and secondary sensory area (S2). Activated areas during full visual field stimulation was observed in the bilateral occipital lobe, including both the primary cortex. Three-dimensional brain mapping allowed visualization of the anatomical location and extent of the activated brain during both motor task and sensory stimulation. Using this method we could obtain a functional map similar to the Penfield's schema. (author)

On brain activity mapping: insights and lessons from Brain Decoding Project to map memory patterns in the hippocampus.

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Tsien, Joe Z; Li, Meng; Osan, Remus; Chen, Guifen; Lin, Longnian; Wang, Phillip Lei; Frey, Sabine; Frey, Julietta; Zhu, Dajiang; Liu, Tianming; Zhao, Fang; Kuang, Hui

2013-09-01

The BRAIN project recently announced by the president Obama is the reflection of unrelenting human quest for cracking the brain code, the patterns of neuronal activity that define who we are and what we are. While the Brain Activity Mapping proposal has rightly emphasized on the need to develop new technologies for measuring every spike from every neuron, it might be helpful to consider both the theoretical and experimental aspects that would accelerate our search for the organizing principles of the brain code. Here we share several insights and lessons from the similar proposal, namely, Brain Decoding Project that we initiated since 2007. We provide a specific example in our initial mapping of real-time memory traces from one part of the memory circuit, namely, the CA1 region of the mouse hippocampus. We show how innovative behavioral tasks and appropriate mathematical analyses of large datasets can play equally, if not more, important roles in uncovering the specific-to-general feature-coding cell assembly mechanism by which episodic memory, semantic knowledge, and imagination are generated and organized. Our own experiences suggest that the bottleneck of the Brain Project is not only at merely developing additional new technologies, but also the lack of efficient avenues to disseminate cutting edge platforms and decoding expertise to neuroscience community. Therefore, we propose that in order to harness unique insights and extensive knowledge from various investigators working in diverse neuroscience subfields, ranging from perception and emotion to memory and social behaviors, the BRAIN project should create a set of International and National Brain Decoding Centers at which cutting-edge recording technologies and expertise on analyzing large datasets analyses can be made readily available to the entire community of neuroscientists who can apply and schedule to perform cutting-edge research.

Using Brain Electrical Activity Mapping to Diagnose Learning Disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Torello, Michael, W.; Duffy, Frank H.

1985-01-01

Cognitive neuroscience assumes that measurement of brain electrical activity should relate to cognition. Brain Electrical Activity Mapping (BEAM), a non-invasive technique, is used to record changes in activity from one brain area to another and is 80 to 90 percent successful in classifying subjects as dyslexic or normal. (MT)

Architectonic Mapping of the Human Brain beyond Brodmann.

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Amunts, Katrin; Zilles, Karl

2015-12-16

Brodmann has pioneered structural brain mapping. He considered functional and pathological criteria for defining cortical areas in addition to cytoarchitecture. Starting from this idea of structural-functional relationships at the level of cortical areas, we will argue that the cortical architecture is more heterogeneous than Brodmann's map suggests. A triple-scale concept is proposed that includes repetitive modular-like structures and micro- and meso-maps. Criteria for defining a cortical area will be discussed, considering novel preparations, imaging and optical methods, 2D and 3D quantitative architectonics, as well as high-performance computing including analyses of big data. These new approaches contribute to an understanding of the brain on multiple levels and challenge the traditional, mosaic-like segregation of the cerebral cortex. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Functional Maps of Mechanosensory Features in the Drosophila Brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Patella, Paola; Wilson, Rachel I

2018-04-09

Johnston's organ is the largest mechanosensory organ in Drosophila. It contributes to hearing, touch, vestibular sensing, proprioception, and wind sensing. In this study, we used in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging and unsupervised image segmentation to map the tuning properties of Johnston's organ neurons (JONs) at the site where their axons enter the brain. We then applied the same methodology to study two key brain regions that process signals from JONs: the antennal mechanosensory and motor center (AMMC) and the wedge, which is downstream of the AMMC. First, we identified a diversity of JON response types that tile frequency space and form a rough tonotopic map. Some JON response types are direction selective; others are specialized to encode amplitude modulations over a specific range (dynamic range fractionation). Next, we discovered that both the AMMC and the wedge contain a tonotopic map, with a significant increase in tonotopy-and a narrowing of frequency tuning-at the level of the wedge. Whereas the AMMC tonotopic map is unilateral, the wedge tonotopic map is bilateral. Finally, we identified a subregion of the AMMC/wedge that responds preferentially to the coherent rotation of the two mechanical organs in the same angular direction, indicative of oriented steady air flow (directional wind). Together, these maps reveal the broad organization of the primary and secondary mechanosensory regions of the brain. They provide a framework for future efforts to identify the specific cell types and mechanisms that underlie the hierarchical re-mapping of mechanosensory information in this system. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brain Friendly Techniques: Mind Mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Goldberg, Cristine

2004-01-01

Mind Mapping can be called the Swiss Army Knife for the brain, a total visual thinking tool or a multi-handed thought catcher. Invented by Tony Buzan in the early 1970s and used by millions around the world, it is a method that can be a part of a techniques repertoire when teaching information literacy, planning, presenting, thinking, and so…

Brain functional BOLD perturbation modelling for forward fMRI and inverse mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Jennifer; Calhoun, Vince

2018-01-01

Purpose To computationally separate dynamic brain functional BOLD responses from static background in a brain functional activity for forward fMRI signal analysis and inverse mapping. Methods A brain functional activity is represented in terms of magnetic source by a perturbation model: χ = χ0 +δχ, with δχ for BOLD magnetic perturbations and χ0 for background. A brain fMRI experiment produces a timeseries of complex-valued images (T2* images), whereby we extract the BOLD phase signals (denoted by δP) by a complex division. By solving an inverse problem, we reconstruct the BOLD δχ dataset from the δP dataset, and the brain χ distribution from a (unwrapped) T2* phase image. Given a 4D dataset of task BOLD fMRI, we implement brain functional mapping by temporal correlation analysis. Results Through a high-field (7T) and high-resolution (0.5mm in plane) task fMRI experiment, we demonstrated in detail the BOLD perturbation model for fMRI phase signal separation (P + δP) and reconstructing intrinsic brain magnetic source (χ and δχ). We also provided to a low-field (3T) and low-resolution (2mm) task fMRI experiment in support of single-subject fMRI study. Our experiments show that the δχ-depicted functional map reveals bidirectional BOLD χ perturbations during the task performance. Conclusions The BOLD perturbation model allows us to separate fMRI phase signal (by complex division) and to perform inverse mapping for pure BOLD δχ reconstruction for intrinsic functional χ mapping. The full brain χ reconstruction (from unwrapped fMRI phase) provides a new brain tissue image that allows to scrutinize the brain tissue idiosyncrasy for the pure BOLD δχ response through an automatic function/structure co-localization. PMID:29351339

Brain functional BOLD perturbation modelling for forward fMRI and inverse mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zikuan; Robinson, Jennifer; Calhoun, Vince

2018-01-01

To computationally separate dynamic brain functional BOLD responses from static background in a brain functional activity for forward fMRI signal analysis and inverse mapping. A brain functional activity is represented in terms of magnetic source by a perturbation model: χ = χ0 +δχ, with δχ for BOLD magnetic perturbations and χ0 for background. A brain fMRI experiment produces a timeseries of complex-valued images (T2* images), whereby we extract the BOLD phase signals (denoted by δP) by a complex division. By solving an inverse problem, we reconstruct the BOLD δχ dataset from the δP dataset, and the brain χ distribution from a (unwrapped) T2* phase image. Given a 4D dataset of task BOLD fMRI, we implement brain functional mapping by temporal correlation analysis. Through a high-field (7T) and high-resolution (0.5mm in plane) task fMRI experiment, we demonstrated in detail the BOLD perturbation model for fMRI phase signal separation (P + δP) and reconstructing intrinsic brain magnetic source (χ and δχ). We also provided to a low-field (3T) and low-resolution (2mm) task fMRI experiment in support of single-subject fMRI study. Our experiments show that the δχ-depicted functional map reveals bidirectional BOLD χ perturbations during the task performance. The BOLD perturbation model allows us to separate fMRI phase signal (by complex division) and to perform inverse mapping for pure BOLD δχ reconstruction for intrinsic functional χ mapping. The full brain χ reconstruction (from unwrapped fMRI phase) provides a new brain tissue image that allows to scrutinize the brain tissue idiosyncrasy for the pure BOLD δχ response through an automatic function/structure co-localization.

Zebrafish brain mapping--standardized spaces, length scales, and the power of N and n.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Paul R; Hendry, Aenea C; Lowe, Andrew S

2015-06-01

Mapping anatomical and functional parameters of the zebrafish brain is moving apace. Research communities undertaking such studies are becoming ever larger and more diverse. The unique features, tools, and technologies associated with zebrafish are propelling them as the 21st century model organism for brain mapping. Uniquely positioned as a vertebrate model system, the zebrafish enables imaging of anatomy and function at different length scales from intraneuronal compartments to sparsely distributed whole brain patterns. With a variety of diverse and established statistical modeling and analytic methods available from the wider brain mapping communities, the richness of zebrafish neuroimaging data is being realized. The statistical power of population observations (N) within and across many samples (n) projected onto a standardized space will provide vast databases for data-driven biological approaches. This article reviews key brain mapping initiatives at different levels of scale that highlight the potential of zebrafish brain mapping. By way of introduction to the next wave of brain mappers, an accessible introduction to the key concepts and caveats associated with neuroimaging are outlined and discussed. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping of Human Brain Reflects Spatial Variation in Tissue Composition

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Li, Wei; Wu, Bing; Liu, Chunlei

2011-01-01

Image phase from gradient echo MRI provides a unique contrast that reflects brain tissue composition variations, such as iron and myelin distribution. Phase imaging is emerging as a powerful tool for the investigation of functional brain anatomy and disease diagnosis. However, the quantitative value of phase is compromised by its nonlocal and orientation dependent properties. There is an increasing need for reliable quantification of magnetic susceptibility, the intrinsic property of tissue. In this study, we developed a novel and accurate susceptibility mapping method that is also phase-wrap insensitive. The proposed susceptibility mapping method utilized two complementary equations: (1) the Fourier relationship of phase and magnetic susceptibility; and (2) the first-order partial derivative of the first equation in the spatial frequency domain. In numerical simulation, this method reconstructed the susceptibility map almost free of streaking artifact. Further, the iterative implementation of this method allowed for high quality reconstruction of susceptibility maps of human brain in vivo. The reconstructed susceptibility map provided excellent contrast of iron-rich deep nuclei and white matter bundles from surrounding tissues. Further, it also revealed anisotropic magnetic susceptibility in brain white matter. Hence, the proposed susceptibility mapping method may provide a powerful tool for the study of brain physiology and pathophysiology. Further elucidation of anisotropic magnetic susceptibility in vivo may allow us to gain more insight into the white matter microarchitectures. PMID:21224002

Quantitative susceptibility mapping of human brain at 3T: a multisite reproducibility study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, P-Y; Chao, T-C; Wu, M-L

2015-03-01

Quantitative susceptibility mapping of the human brain has demonstrated strong potential in examining iron deposition, which may help in investigating possible brain pathology. This study assesses the reproducibility of quantitative susceptibility mapping across different imaging sites. In this study, the susceptibility values of 5 regions of interest in the human brain were measured on 9 healthy subjects following calibration by using phantom experiments. Each of the subjects was imaged 5 times on 1 scanner with the same procedure repeated on 3 different 3T systems so that both within-site and cross-site quantitative susceptibility mapping precision levels could be assessed. Two quantitative susceptibility mapping algorithms, similar in principle, one by using iterative regularization (iterative quantitative susceptibility mapping) and the other with analytic optimal solutions (deterministic quantitative susceptibility mapping), were implemented, and their performances were compared. Results show that while deterministic quantitative susceptibility mapping had nearly 700 times faster computation speed, residual streaking artifacts seem to be more prominent compared with iterative quantitative susceptibility mapping. With quantitative susceptibility mapping, the putamen, globus pallidus, and caudate nucleus showed smaller imprecision on the order of 0.005 ppm, whereas the red nucleus and substantia nigra, closer to the skull base, had a somewhat larger imprecision of approximately 0.01 ppm. Cross-site errors were not significantly larger than within-site errors. Possible sources of estimation errors are discussed. The reproducibility of quantitative susceptibility mapping in the human brain in vivo is regionally dependent, and the precision levels achieved with quantitative susceptibility mapping should allow longitudinal and multisite studies such as aging-related changes in brain tissue magnetic susceptibility. © 2015 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Interpretability of Multivariate Brain Maps in Linear Brain Decoding: Definition, and Heuristic Quantification in Multivariate Analysis of MEG Time-Locked Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Kia, Seyed Mostafa; Vega Pons, Sandro; Weisz, Nathan; Passerini, Andrea

2016-01-01

Brain decoding is a popular multivariate approach for hypothesis testing in neuroimaging. Linear classifiers are widely employed in the brain decoding paradigm to discriminate among experimental conditions. Then, the derived linear weights are visualized in the form of multivariate brain maps to further study spatio-temporal patterns of underlying neural activities. It is well known that the brain maps derived from weights of linear classifiers are hard to interpret because of high correlations between predictors, low signal to noise ratios, and the high dimensionality of neuroimaging data. Therefore, improving the interpretability of brain decoding approaches is of primary interest in many neuroimaging studies. Despite extensive studies of this type, at present, there is no formal definition for interpretability of multivariate brain maps. As a consequence, there is no quantitative measure for evaluating the interpretability of different brain decoding methods. In this paper, first, we present a theoretical definition of interpretability in brain decoding; we show that the interpretability of multivariate brain maps can be decomposed into their reproducibility and representativeness. Second, as an application of the proposed definition, we exemplify a heuristic for approximating the interpretability in multivariate analysis of evoked magnetoencephalography (MEG) responses. Third, we propose to combine the approximated interpretability and the generalization performance of the brain decoding into a new multi-objective criterion for model selection. Our results, for the simulated and real MEG data, show that optimizing the hyper-parameters of the regularized linear classifier based on the proposed criterion results in more informative multivariate brain maps. More importantly, the presented definition provides the theoretical background for quantitative evaluation of interpretability, and hence, facilitates the development of more effective brain decoding algorithms

Mapping of brain activity by automated volume analysis of immediate early genes

Science.gov (United States)

Renier, Nicolas; Adams, Eliza L.; Kirst, Christoph; Wu, Zhuhao; Azevedo, Ricardo; Kohl, Johannes; Autry, Anita E.; Kadiri, Lolahon; Venkataraju, Kannan Umadevi; Zhou, Yu; Wang, Victoria X.; Tang, Cheuk Y.; Olsen, Olav; Dulac, Catherine; Osten, Pavel; Tessier-Lavigne, Marc

2016-01-01

Summary Understanding how neural information is processed in physiological and pathological states would benefit from precise detection, localization and quantification of the activity of all neurons across the entire brain, which has not to date been achieved in the mammalian brain. We introduce a pipeline for high speed acquisition of brain activity at cellular resolution through profiling immediate early gene expression using immunostaining and light-sheet fluorescence imaging, followed by automated mapping and analysis of activity by an open-source software program we term ClearMap. We validate the pipeline first by analysis of brain regions activated in response to Haloperidol. Next, we report new cortical regions downstream of whisker-evoked sensory processing during active exploration. Lastly, we combine activity mapping with axon tracing to uncover new brain regions differentially activated during parenting behavior. This pipeline is widely applicable to different experimental paradigms, including animal species for which transgenic activity reporters are not readily available. PMID:27238021

Topographic brain mapping of emotion-related hemisphere asymmetries.

Science.gov (United States)

Roschmann, R; Wittling, W

1992-03-01

The study used topographic brain mapping of visual evoked potentials to investigate emotion-related hemisphere asymmetries. The stimulus material consisted of color photographs of human faces, grouped into two emotion-related categories: normal faces (neutral stimuli) and faces deformed by dermatological diseases (emotional stimuli). The pictures were presented tachistoscopically to 20 adult right-handed subjects. Brain activity was recorded by 30 EEG electrodes with linked ears as reference. The waveforms were averaged separately with respect to each of the two stimulus conditions. Statistical analysis by means of significance probability mapping revealed significant differences between stimulus conditions for two periods of time, indicating right hemisphere superiority in emotion-related processing. The results are discussed in terms of a 2-stage-model of emotional processing in the cerebral hemispheres.

Dynamic Quantitative T1 Mapping in Orthotopic Brain Tumor Xenografts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelsey Herrmann

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Human brain tumors such as glioblastomas are typically detected using conventional, nonquantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI techniques, such as T2-weighted and contrast enhanced T1-weighted MRI. In this manuscript, we tested whether dynamic quantitative T1 mapping by MRI can localize orthotopic glioma tumors in an objective manner. Quantitative T1 mapping was performed by MRI over multiple time points using the conventional contrast agent Optimark. We compared signal differences to determine the gadolinium concentration in tissues over time. The T1 parametric maps made it easy to identify the regions of contrast enhancement and thus tumor location. Doubling the typical human dose of contrast agent resulted in a clearer demarcation of these tumors. Therefore, T1 mapping of brain tumors is gadolinium dose dependent and improves detection of tumors by MRI. The use of T1 maps provides a quantitative means to evaluate tumor detection by gadolinium-based contrast agents over time. This dynamic quantitative T1 mapping technique will also enable future quantitative evaluation of various targeted MRI contrast agents.

Quantification of brain images using Korean standard templates and structural and cytoarchitectonic probabilistic maps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jae Sung; Lee, Dong Soo; Kim, Yu Kyeong

2004-01-01

Population based structural and functional maps of the brain provide effective tools for the analysis and interpretation of complex and individually variable brain data. Brain MRI and PET standard templates and statistical probabilistic maps based on image data of Korean normal volunteers have been developed and probabilistic maps based on cytoarchitectonic data have been introduced. A quantification method using these data was developed for the objective assessment of regional intensity in the brain images. Age, gender and ethnic specific anatomical and functional brain templates based on MR and PET images of Korean normal volunteers were developed. Korean structural probabilistic maps for 89 brain regions and cytoarchitectonic probabilistic maps for 13 Brodmann areas were transformed onto the standard templates. Brain FDG PET and SPGR MR images of normal volunteers were spatially normalized onto the template of each modality and gender. Regional uptake of radiotracers in PET and gray matter concentration in MR images were then quantified by averaging (or summing) regional intensities weighted using the probabilistic maps of brain regions. Regionally specific effects of aging on glucose metabolism in cingulate cortex were also examined. Quantification program could generate quantification results for single spatially normalized images per 20 seconds. Glucose metabolism change in cingulate gyrus was regionally specific: ratios of glucose metabolism in the rostral anterior cingulate vs. posterior cingulate and the caudal anterior cingulate vs. posterior cingulate were significantly decreased as the age increased. 'Rostral anterior' / 'posterior' was decreased by 3.1% per decade of age (p -11 , r=0.81) and 'caudal anterior' / 'posterior' was decreased by 1.7% (p -8 , r=0.72). Ethnic specific standard templates and probabilistic maps and quantification program developed in this study will be useful for the analysis of brain image of Korean people since the difference

Quantification of brain images using Korean standard templates and structural and cytoarchitectonic probabilistic maps

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jae Sung; Lee, Dong Soo; Kim, Yu Kyeong [College of Medicine, Seoul National Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)] [and others

2004-06-01

Population based structural and functional maps of the brain provide effective tools for the analysis and interpretation of complex and individually variable brain data. Brain MRI and PET standard templates and statistical probabilistic maps based on image data of Korean normal volunteers have been developed and probabilistic maps based on cytoarchitectonic data have been introduced. A quantification method using these data was developed for the objective assessment of regional intensity in the brain images. Age, gender and ethnic specific anatomical and functional brain templates based on MR and PET images of Korean normal volunteers were developed. Korean structural probabilistic maps for 89 brain regions and cytoarchitectonic probabilistic maps for 13 Brodmann areas were transformed onto the standard templates. Brain FDG PET and SPGR MR images of normal volunteers were spatially normalized onto the template of each modality and gender. Regional uptake of radiotracers in PET and gray matter concentration in MR images were then quantified by averaging (or summing) regional intensities weighted using the probabilistic maps of brain regions. Regionally specific effects of aging on glucose metabolism in cingulate cortex were also examined. Quantification program could generate quantification results for single spatially normalized images per 20 seconds. Glucose metabolism change in cingulate gyrus was regionally specific: ratios of glucose metabolism in the rostral anterior cingulate vs. posterior cingulate and the caudal anterior cingulate vs. posterior cingulate were significantly decreased as the age increased. 'Rostral anterior' / 'posterior' was decreased by 3.1% per decade of age (p<10{sup -11}, r=0.81) and 'caudal anterior' / 'posterior' was decreased by 1.7% (p<10{sup -8}, r=0.72). Ethnic specific standard templates and probabilistic maps and quantification program developed in this study will be useful for the analysis

Template based rodent brain extraction and atlas mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Weimin Huang; Jiaqi Zhang; Zhiping Lin; Su Huang; Yuping Duan; Zhongkang Lu

2016-08-01

Accurate rodent brain extraction is the basic step for many translational studies using MR imaging. This paper presents a template based approach with multi-expert refinement to automatic rodent brain extraction. We first build the brain appearance model based on the learning exemplars. Together with the template matching, we encode the rodent brain position into the search space to reliably locate the rodent brain and estimate the rough segmentation. With the initial mask, a level-set segmentation and a mask-based template learning are implemented further to the brain region. The multi-expert fusion is used to generate a new mask. We finally combine the region growing based on the histogram distribution learning to delineate the final brain mask. A high-resolution rodent atlas is used to illustrate that the segmented low resolution anatomic image can be well mapped to the atlas. Tested on a public data set, all brains are located reliably and we achieve the mean Jaccard similarity score at 94.99% for brain segmentation, which is a statistically significant improvement compared to two other rodent brain extraction methods.

Mutated Genes in Schizophrenia Map to Brain Networks

Science.gov (United States)

... Matters NIH Research Matters August 12, 2013 Mutated Genes in Schizophrenia Map to Brain Networks Schizophrenia networks ... have a high number of spontaneous mutations in genes that form a network in the front region ...

Computational brain connectivity mapping: A core health and scientific challenge.

Science.gov (United States)

Deriche, Rachid

2016-10-01

One third of the burden of all the diseases in Europe is due to problems caused by diseases affecting brain. Although exceptional progress have been obtained for exploring the brain during the past decades, it is still terra-incognita and calls for specific efforts in research to better understand its architecture and functioning. To take up this great challenge of modern science and to solve the limited view of the brain provided just by one imaging modality, this article advocates the idea developed in my research group of a global approach involving new generation of models for brain connectivity mapping and strong interactions between structural and functional connectivities. Capitalizing on the strengths of integrated and complementary non invasive imaging modalities such as diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI) and Electro & Magneto-Encephalography (EEG & MEG) will contribute to achieve new frontiers for identifying and characterizing structural and functional brain connectivities and to provide a detailed mapping of the brain connectivity, both in space and time. Thus leading to an added clinical value for high impact diseases with new perspectives in computational neuro-imaging and cognitive neuroscience. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of tissue susceptibility on brain temperature mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Maudsley, Andrew A; Goryawala, Mohammed Z; Sheriff, Sulaiman

2017-02-01

A method for mapping of temperature over a large volume of the brain using volumetric proton MR spectroscopic imaging has been implemented and applied to 150 normal subjects. Magnetic susceptibility-induced frequency shifts in gray- and white-matter regions were measured and included as a correction in the temperature mapping calculation. Additional sources of magnetic susceptibility variations of the individual metabolite resonance frequencies were also observed that reflect the cellular-level organization of the brain metabolites, with the most notable differences being attributed to changes of the N-Acetylaspartate resonance frequency that reflect the intra-axonal distribution and orientation of the white-matter tracts with respect to the applied magnetic field. These metabolite-specific susceptibility effects are also shown to change with age. Results indicate no change of apparent brain temperature with age from 18 to 84 years old, with a trend for increased brain temperature throughout the cerebrum in females relative for males on the order of 0.1°C; slightly increased temperatures in the left hemisphere relative to the right; and a lower temperature of 0.3°C in the cerebellum relative to that of cerebral white-matter. This study presents a novel acquisition method for noninvasive measurement of brain temperature that is of potential value for diagnostic purposes and treatment monitoring, while also demonstrating limitations of the measurement due to the confounding effects of tissue susceptibility variations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Morphological Characterization of the African Giant Rat (Cricetomys ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

olayemitoyin

gambianus, Waterhouse) Brain Across Age Groups: Gross Features of. Cortices ... Keywords: African giant rats, Brain, Morphology, Cerebrum, Cerebellum, Olfactory bulb ..... as shrinkage with aging rather than selective .... lasting increase in the number of proliferating cells, ... radial glia in the adult rat dentate gyrus.

An Intracranial Electroencephalography (iEEG Brain Function Mapping Tool with an Application to Epilepsy Surgery Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yinghua eWang

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Object: Before epilepsy surgeries, intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG is often employed in function mapping and epileptogenic foci localization. Although the implanted electrodes provide crucial information for epileptogenic zone resection, a convenient clinical tool for electrode position registration and brain function mapping visualization is still lacking. In this study, we developed a Brain Function Mapping (BFM Tool, which facilitates electrode position registration and brain function mapping visualization, with an application to epilepsy surgeries.Methods: The BFM Tool mainly utilizes electrode location registration and function mapping based on pre-defined brain models from other software. In addition, the electrode node and mapping properties, such as the node size/color, edge color / thickness, mapping method, can be adjusted easily using the setting panel. Moreover, users may manually import / export location and connectivity data to generate figures for further application. The role of this software is demonstrated by a clinical study of language area localization.Results: The BFM Tool helps clinical doctors and researchers visualize implanted electrodes and brain functions in an easy, quick and flexible manner.Conclusions: Our tool provides convenient electrode registration, easy brain function visualization, and has good performance. It is clinical-oriented and is easy to deploy and use. The BFM tool is suitable for epilepsy and other clinical iEEG applications.

Reflectance diffuse optical tomography. Its application to human brain mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueda, Yukio; Yamanaka, Takeshi; Yamashita, Daisuke; Suzuki, Toshihiko; Ohmae, Etsuko; Oda, Motoki; Yamashita, Yutaka

2005-01-01

We report the successful application of reflectance diffuse optical tomography (DOT) using near-infrared light with the new reconstruction algorithm that we developed to the observation of regional hemodynamic changes in the brain under specific mental tasks. Our results reveal the heterogeneous distribution of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin in the brain, showing complementary images of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin changes in certain regions. We conclude that our reflectance DOT has practical potential for human brain mapping, as well as in the diagnostic imaging of brain diseases. (author)

Mismatch between the eye and the optic lobe in the giant squid.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yung-Chieh; Liu, Tsung-Han; Yu, Chun-Chieh; Su, Chia-Hao; Chiao, Chuan-Chin

2017-07-01

Giant squids ( Architeuthis ) are a legendary species among the cephalopods. They live in the deep sea and are well known for their enormous body and giant eyes. It has been suggested that their giant eyes are not adapted for the detection of either mates or prey at distance, but rather are best suited for monitoring very large predators, such as sperm whales, at distances exceeding 120 m and at a depth below 600 m (Nilsson et al. 2012 Curr. Biol. 22 , 683-688. (doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.02.031)). However, it is not clear how the brain of giant squids processes visual information. In this study, the optic lobe of a giant squid ( Architeuthis dux , male, mantle length 89 cm), which was caught by local fishermen off the northeastern coast of Taiwan, was scanned using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging in order to examine its internal structure. It was evident that the volume ratio of the optic lobe to the eye in the giant squid is much smaller than that in the oval squid ( Sepioteuthis lessoniana ) and the cuttlefish ( Sepia pharaonis ). Furthermore, the cell density in the cortex of the optic lobe is significantly higher in the giant squid than in oval squids and cuttlefish, with the relative thickness of the cortex being much larger in Architeuthis optic lobe than in cuttlefish. This indicates that the relative size of the medulla of the optic lobe in the giant squid is disproportionally smaller compared with these two cephalopod species. This morphological study of the giant squid brain, though limited only to the optic lobe, provides the first evidence to support that the optic lobe cortex, the visual information processing area in cephalopods, is well developed in the giant squid. In comparison, the optic lobe medulla, the visuomotor integration centre in cephalopods, is much less developed in the giant squid than other species. This finding suggests that, despite the giant eye and a full-fledged cortex within the optic lobe, the brain of giant

Anatomically standardized statistical mapping of 123I-IMP SPECT in brain tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata, Yasushi; Akimoto, Manabu; Matsushita, Akira; Yamamoto, Tetsuya; Takano, Shingo; Matsumura, Akira

2010-01-01

123 I-iodoamphetamine Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (IMP SPECT) is used to evaluate cerebral blood flow. However, application of IMP SPECT to patients with brain tumors has been rarely reported. Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare tumor that shows delayed IMP uptake. The relatively low spatial resolution of SPECT is a clinical problem in diagnosing brain tumors. We examined anatomically standardized statistical mapping of IMP SPECT in patients with brain lesions. This study included 49 IMP SPECT images for 49 patients with brain lesions: 20 PCNSL, 1 Burkitt's lymphoma, 14 glioma, 4 other tumor, 7 inflammatory disease and 3 without any pathological diagnosis but a clinical diagnosis of PCNSL. After intravenous injection of 222 MBq of 123 I-IMP, early (15 minutes) and delayed (4 hours) images were acquired using a multi-detector SPECT machine. All SPECT data were transferred to a newly developed software program iNeurostat+ (Nihon Medi-physics). SPECT data were anatomically standardized on normal brain images. Regions of increased uptake of IMP were statistically mapped on the tomographic images of normal brain. Eighteen patients showed high uptake in the delayed IMP SPECT images (16 PCNSL, 2 unknown). Other tumor or diseases did not show high uptake of delayed IMP SPECT, so there were no false positives. Four patients with pathologically proven PCNSL showed no uptake in original IMP SPECT. These tumors were too small to detect in IMP SPECT. However, statistical mapping revealed IMP uptake in 18 of 20 pathologically verified PCNSL patients. A heterogeneous IMP uptake was seen in homogenous tumors in MRI. For patients with a hot IMP uptake, statistical mapping showed clearer uptake. IMP SPECT is a sensitive test to diagnose of PCNSL, although it produced false negative results for small posterior fossa tumor. Anatomically standardized statistical mapping is therefore considered to be a useful method for improving the diagnostic

Modeling epileptic brain states using EEG spectral analysis and topographic mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Direito, Bruno; Teixeira, César; Ribeiro, Bernardete; Castelo-Branco, Miguel; Sales, Francisco; Dourado, António

2012-09-30

Changes in the spatio-temporal behavior of the brain electrical activity are believed to be associated to epileptic brain states. We propose a novel methodology to identify the different states of the epileptic brain, based on the topographic mapping of the time varying relative power of delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma frequency sub-bands, estimated from EEG. Using normalized-cuts segmentation algorithm, points of interest are identified in the topographic mappings and their trajectories over time are used for finding out relations with epileptogenic propagations in the brain. These trajectories are used to train a Hidden Markov Model (HMM), which models the different epileptic brain states and the transition among them. Applied to 10 patients suffering from focal seizures, with a total of 30 seizures over 497.3h of data, the methodology shows good results (an average point-by-point accuracy of 89.31%) for the identification of the four brain states--interictal, preictal, ictal and postictal. The results suggest that the spatio-temporal dynamics captured by the proposed methodology are related to the epileptic brain states and transitions involved in focal seizures. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mapping human whole-brain structural networks with diffusion MRI.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patric Hagmann

Full Text Available Understanding the large-scale structural network formed by neurons is a major challenge in system neuroscience. A detailed connectivity map covering the entire brain would therefore be of great value. Based on diffusion MRI, we propose an efficient methodology to generate large, comprehensive and individual white matter connectional datasets of the living or dead, human or animal brain. This non-invasive tool enables us to study the basic and potentially complex network properties of the entire brain. For two human subjects we find that their individual brain networks have an exponential node degree distribution and that their global organization is in the form of a small world.

Mapping metals in Parkinson's and normal brain using rapid-scanning x-ray fluorescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popescu, Bogdan F Gh; George, Martin J; McCrea, Richard P E; Devon, Richard M; George, Graham N; Hanson, Akela D; Chapman, L Dean; Nichol, Helen; Bergmann, Uwe; Garachtchenko, Alex V; Luening, Katharina; Kelly, Michael E; Harder, Sheri M; Pickering, Ingrid J

2009-01-01

Rapid-scanning x-ray fluorescence (RS-XRF) is a synchrotron technology that maps multiple metals in tissues by employing unique hardware and software to increase scanning speed. RS-XRF was validated by mapping and quantifying iron, zinc and copper in brain slices from Parkinson's disease (PD) and unaffected subjects. Regions and structures in the brain were readily identified by their metal complement and each metal had a unique distribution. Many zinc-rich brain regions were low in iron and vice versa. The location and amount of iron in brain regions known to be affected in PD agreed with analyses using other methods. Sample preparation is simple and standard formalin-fixed autopsy slices are suitable. RS-XRF can simultaneously and non-destructively map and quantify multiple metals and holds great promise to reveal metal pathologies associated with PD and other neurodegenerative diseases as well as diseases of metal metabolism.

Connectome analysis for pre-operative brain mapping in neurosurgery

Science.gov (United States)

Hart, Michael G.; Price, Stephen J.; Suckling, John

2016-01-01

Abstract Object: Brain mapping has entered a new era focusing on complex network connectivity. Central to this is the search for the connectome or the brains ‘wiring diagram’. Graph theory analysis of the connectome allows understanding of the importance of regions to network function, and the consequences of their impairment or excision. Our goal was to apply connectome analysis in patients with brain tumours to characterise overall network topology and individual patterns of connectivity alterations. Methods: Resting-state functional MRI data were acquired using multi-echo, echo planar imaging pre-operatively from five participants each with a right temporal–parietal–occipital glioblastoma. Complex networks analysis was initiated by parcellating the brain into anatomically regions amongst which connections were identified by retaining the most significant correlations between the respective wavelet decomposed time-series. Results: Key characteristics of complex networks described in healthy controls were preserved in these patients, including ubiquitous small world organization. An exponentially truncated power law fit to the degree distribution predicted findings of general network robustness to injury but with a core of hubs exhibiting disproportionate vulnerability. Tumours produced a consistent reduction in local and long-range connectivity with distinct patterns of connection loss depending on lesion location. Conclusions: Connectome analysis is a feasible and novel approach to brain mapping in individual patients with brain tumours. Applications to pre-surgical planning include identifying regions critical to network function that should be preserved and visualising connections at risk from tumour resection. In the future one could use such data to model functional plasticity and recovery of cognitive deficits. PMID:27447756

Connectome analysis for pre-operative brain mapping in neurosurgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Hart, Michael G; Price, Stephen J; Suckling, John

2016-10-01

Brain mapping has entered a new era focusing on complex network connectivity. Central to this is the search for the connectome or the brains 'wiring diagram'. Graph theory analysis of the connectome allows understanding of the importance of regions to network function, and the consequences of their impairment or excision. Our goal was to apply connectome analysis in patients with brain tumours to characterise overall network topology and individual patterns of connectivity alterations. Resting-state functional MRI data were acquired using multi-echo, echo planar imaging pre-operatively from five participants each with a right temporal-parietal-occipital glioblastoma. Complex networks analysis was initiated by parcellating the brain into anatomically regions amongst which connections were identified by retaining the most significant correlations between the respective wavelet decomposed time-series. Key characteristics of complex networks described in healthy controls were preserved in these patients, including ubiquitous small world organization. An exponentially truncated power law fit to the degree distribution predicted findings of general network robustness to injury but with a core of hubs exhibiting disproportionate vulnerability. Tumours produced a consistent reduction in local and long-range connectivity with distinct patterns of connection loss depending on lesion location. Connectome analysis is a feasible and novel approach to brain mapping in individual patients with brain tumours. Applications to pre-surgical planning include identifying regions critical to network function that should be preserved and visualising connections at risk from tumour resection. In the future one could use such data to model functional plasticity and recovery of cognitive deficits.

A map of octopaminergic neurons in the Drosophila brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Busch, Sebastian; Selcho, Mareike; Ito, Kei; Tanimoto, Hiromu

2009-04-20

The biogenic amine octopamine modulates diverse behaviors in invertebrates. At the single neuron level, the mode of action is well understood in the peripheral nervous system owing to its simple structure and accessibility. For elucidating the role of individual octopaminergic neurons in the modulation of complex behaviors, a detailed analysis of the connectivity in the central nervous system is required. Here we present a comprehensive anatomical map of candidate octopaminergic neurons in the adult Drosophila brain: including the supra- and subesophageal ganglia. Application of the Flp-out technique enabled visualization of 27 types of individual octopaminergic neurons. Based on their morphology and distribution of genetic markers, we found that most octopaminergic neurons project to multiple brain structures with a clear separation of dendritic and presynaptic regions. Whereas their major dendrites are confined to specific brain regions, each cell type targets different, yet defined, neuropils distributed throughout the central nervous system. This would allow them to constitute combinatorial modules assigned to the modulation of distinct neuronal processes. The map may provide an anatomical framework for the functional constitution of the octopaminergic system. It also serves as a model for the single-cell organization of a particular neurotransmitter in the brain. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Deciphering the genomic architecture of the stickleback brain with a novel multilocus gene-mapping approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zitong; Guo, Baocheng; Yang, Jing; Herczeg, Gábor; Gonda, Abigél; Balázs, Gergely; Shikano, Takahito; Calboli, Federico C F; Merilä, Juha

2017-03-01

Quantitative traits important to organismal function and fitness, such as brain size, are presumably controlled by many small-effect loci. Deciphering the genetic architecture of such traits with traditional quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping methods is challenging. Here, we investigated the genetic architecture of brain size (and the size of five different brain parts) in nine-spined sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius) with the aid of novel multilocus QTL-mapping approaches based on a de-biased LASSO method. Apart from having more statistical power to detect QTL and reduced rate of false positives than conventional QTL-mapping approaches, the developed methods can handle large marker panels and provide estimates of genomic heritability. Single-locus analyses of an F 2 interpopulation cross with 239 individuals and 15 198, fully informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) uncovered 79 QTL associated with variation in stickleback brain size traits. Many of these loci were in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) with each other, and consequently, a multilocus mapping of individual SNPs, accounting for LD structure in the data, recovered only four significant QTL. However, a multilocus mapping of SNPs grouped by linkage group (LG) identified 14 LGs (1-6 depending on the trait) that influence variation in brain traits. For instance, 17.6% of the variation in relative brain size was explainable by cumulative effects of SNPs distributed over six LGs, whereas 42% of the variation was accounted for by all 21 LGs. Hence, the results suggest that variation in stickleback brain traits is influenced by many small-effect loci. Apart from suggesting moderately heritable (h 2  ≈ 0.15-0.42) multifactorial genetic architecture of brain traits, the results highlight the challenges in identifying the loci contributing to variation in quantitative traits. Nevertheless, the results demonstrate that the novel QTL-mapping approach developed here has distinctive advantages

Volumetric B1 (+) mapping of the brain at 7T using DREAM.

Science.gov (United States)

Nehrke, Kay; Versluis, Maarten J; Webb, Andrew; Börnert, Peter

2014-01-01

To tailor and optimize the Dual Refocusing Echo Acquisition Mode (DREAM) approach for volumetric B1 (+) mapping of the brain at 7T. A new DREAM echo timing scheme based on the virtual stimulated echo was derived to minimize potential effects of transverse relaxation. Furthermore, the DREAM B1 (+) mapping performance was investigated in simulations and experimentally in phantoms and volunteers for volumetric applications, studying and optimizing the accuracy of the sequence with respect to saturation effects, slice profile imperfections, and T1 and T2 relaxation. Volumetric brain protocols were compiled for different isotropic resolutions (5-2.5 mm) and SENSE factors, and were studied in vivo for different RF drive modes (circular/linear polarization) and the application of dielectric pads. Volumetric B1 (+) maps with good SNR at 2.5 mm isotropic resolution were acquired in about 20 s or less. The specific absorption rate was well below the safety limits for all scans. Mild flow artefacts were observed in the large vessels. Moreover, a slight contrast in the ventricle was observed in the B1 (+) maps, which could be attributed to T1 and T2 relaxation effects. DREAM enables safe, very fast, and robust volumetric B1 (+) mapping of the brain at ultrahigh fields. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Mapping Between Structural and Functional Brain Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, Jil; Tewarie, Prejaas; Hillebrand, Arjan; Douw, Linda; van Dijk, Bob W; Stufflebeam, Steven M; Van Mieghem, Piet

2016-05-01

The relationship between structural and functional brain networks is still highly debated. Most previous studies have used a single functional imaging modality to analyze this relationship. In this work, we use multimodal data, from functional MRI, magnetoencephalography, and diffusion tensor imaging, and assume that there exists a mapping between the connectivity matrices of the resting-state functional and structural networks. We investigate this mapping employing group averaged as well as individual data. We indeed find a significantly high goodness of fit level for this structure-function mapping. Our analysis suggests that a functional connection is shaped by all walks up to the diameter in the structural network in both modality cases. When analyzing the inverse mapping, from function to structure, longer walks in the functional network also seem to possess minor influence on the structural connection strengths. Even though similar overall properties for the structure-function mapping are found for different functional modalities, our results indicate that the structure-function relationship is modality dependent.

Connectome imaging for mapping human brain pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Y; Toga, A W

2017-09-01

With the fast advance of connectome imaging techniques, we have the opportunity of mapping the human brain pathways in vivo at unprecedented resolution. In this article we review the current developments of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the reconstruction of anatomical pathways in connectome studies. We first introduce the background of diffusion MRI with an emphasis on the technical advances and challenges in state-of-the-art multi-shell acquisition schemes used in the Human Connectome Project. Characterization of the microstructural environment in the human brain is discussed from the tensor model to the general fiber orientation distribution (FOD) models that can resolve crossing fibers in each voxel of the image. Using FOD-based tractography, we describe novel methods for fiber bundle reconstruction and graph-based connectivity analysis. Building upon these novel developments, there have already been successful applications of connectome imaging techniques in reconstructing challenging brain pathways. Examples including retinofugal and brainstem pathways will be reviewed. Finally, we discuss future directions in connectome imaging and its interaction with other aspects of brain imaging research.

Principal tools for exploring the brain and mapping its activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazoyer, B.; Mashaal, M.

1996-01-01

The electro-encephalography (EEG), magneto-encephalography (MEG), scanner, positron computed tomography, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and NMR imaging are the main methods used to explore human brain and to do a mapping of its activity. These methods are described into details (principle, visualization, uses, advantages, disadvantages). They can be useful to detect the possible anomalies of the human brain. (O.M.)

Image-guided recording system for spatial and temporal mapping of neuronal activities in brain slice.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Geonho; Lee, Jeonghyeon; Kim, Hyeongeun; Jang, Jaemyung; Im, Changkyun; Jeon, Nooli; Jung, Woonggyu

2018-03-01

In this study, we introduce the novel image-guided recording system (IGRS) for efficient interpretation of neuronal activities in the brain slice. IGRS is designed to combine microelectrode array (MEA) and optical coherence tomography at the customized upright microscope. It allows to record multi-site neuronal signals and image of the volumetric brain anatomy in a single body configuration. For convenient interconnection between a brain image and neuronal signals, we developed the automatic mapping protocol that enables us to project acquired neuronal signals on a brain image. To evaluate the performance of IGRS, hippocampal signals of the brain slice were monitored, and corresponding with two-dimensional neuronal maps were successfully reconstructed. Our results indicated that IGRS and mapping protocol can provide the intuitive information regarding long-term and multi-sites neuronal signals. In particular, the temporal and spatial mapping capability of neuronal signals would be a very promising tool to observe and analyze the massive neuronal activity and connectivity in MEA-based electrophysiological studies. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

R2* mapping for brain iron: associations with cognition in normal aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghadery, Christine; Pirpamer, Lukas; Hofer, Edith; Langkammer, Christian; Petrovic, Katja; Loitfelder, Marisa; Schwingenschuh, Petra; Seiler, Stephan; Duering, Marco; Jouvent, Eric; Schmidt, Helena; Fazekas, Franz; Mangin, Jean-Francois; Chabriat, Hugues; Dichgans, Martin; Ropele, Stefan; Schmidt, Reinhold

2015-02-01

Brain iron accumulates during aging and has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease. Magnetic resonance (MR)-based R2* mapping enables the in vivo detection of iron content in brain tissue. We investigated if during normal brain aging iron load relates to cognitive impairment in region-specific patterns in a community-dwelling cohort of 336 healthy, middle aged, and older adults from the Austrian Stroke Prevention Family Study. MR imaging and R2* mapping in the basal ganglia and neocortex were done at 3T. Comprehensive neuropsychological testing assessed memory, executive function, and psychomotor speed. We found the highest iron concentration in the globus pallidus, and pallidal and putaminal iron was significantly and inversely associated with cognitive performance in all cognitive domains, except memory. These associations were iron load dependent. Vascular brain lesions and brain volume did not mediate the relationship between iron and cognitive performance. We conclude that higher R2*-determined iron in the basal ganglia correlates with cognitive impairment during brain aging independent of concomitant brain abnormalities. The prognostic significance of this finding needs to be determined. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optogenetic Approaches for Mesoscopic Brain Mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Kyweriga, Michael; Mohajerani, Majid H

2016-01-01

Recent advances in identifying genetically unique neuronal proteins has revolutionized the study of brain circuitry. Researchers are now able to insert specific light-sensitive proteins (opsins) into a wide range of specific cell types via viral injections or by breeding transgenic mice. These opsins enable the activation, inhibition, or modulation of neuronal activity with millisecond control within distinct brain regions defined by genetic markers. Here we present a useful guide to implement this technique into any lab. We first review the materials needed and practical considerations and provide in-depth instructions for acute surgeries in mice. We conclude with all-optical mapping techniques for simultaneous recording and manipulation of population activity of many neurons in vivo by combining arbitrary point optogenetic stimulation and regional voltage-sensitive dye imaging. It is our intent to make these methods available to anyone wishing to use them.

Dynamics of chaotic maps for modelling the multifractal spectrum of human brain Diffusion Tensor Images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Provata, A.; Katsaloulis, P.; Verganelakis, D.A.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Calculation of human brain multifractal spectra. ► Calculations are based on Diffusion Tensor MRI Images. ► Spectra are modelled by coupled Ikeda map dynamics. ► Coupled lattice Ikeda maps model well only positive multifractal spectra. ► Appropriately modified coupled lattice Ikeda maps give correct spectra. - Abstract: The multifractal spectra of 3d Diffusion Tensor Images (DTI) obtained by magnetic resonance imaging of the human brain are studied. They are shown to deviate substantially from artificial brain images with the same white matter intensity. All spectra, obtained from 12 healthy subjects, show common characteristics indicating non-trivial moments of the intensity. To model the spectra the dynamics of the chaotic Ikeda map are used. The DTI multifractal spectra for positive q are best approximated by 3d coupled Ikeda maps in the fully developed chaotic regime. The coupling constants are as small as α = 0.01. These results reflect not only the white tissue non-trivial architectural complexity in the human brain, but also demonstrate the presence and importance of coupling between neuron axons. The architectural complexity is also mirrored by the deviations in the negative q-spectra, where the rare events dominate. To obtain a good agreement in the DTI negative q-spectrum of the brain with the Ikeda dynamics, it is enough to slightly modify the most rare events of the coupled Ikeda distributions. The representation of Diffusion Tensor Images with coupled Ikeda maps is not unique: similar conclusions are drawn when other chaotic maps (Tent, Logistic or Henon maps) are employed in the modelling of the neuron axons network.

Mapping the calcitonin receptor in human brain stem

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bower, Rebekah L; Eftekhari, Sajedeh; Waldvogel, Henry J

2016-01-01

understanding of these hormone systems by mapping CTR expression in the human brain stem, specifically the medulla oblongata. Widespread CTR-like immunoreactivity was observed throughout the medulla. Dense CTR staining was noted in several discrete nuclei, including the nucleus of the solitary tract...... receptors (AMY) are a heterodimer formed by the coexpression of CTR with receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs). CTR with RAMP1 responds potently to both amylin and CGRP. The brain stem is a major site of action for circulating amylin and is a rich site of CGRP binding. This study aimed to enhance our...

Differences in Information Mapping Strategies in Left and Right Brain Learners.

Science.gov (United States)

Hauck, LaVerne S., Jr.

The Information Mapping technique was used to present a learning packet, and its usefulness in helping right-brain cerebrally dominant students to achieve the same level of subject mastery as their left-brain counterparts was examined. Reading level, grade point average, and gender were also analyzed. Torrance's "Your Style of Learning and…

The average baboon brain: MRI templates and tissue probability maps from 89 individuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Love, Scott A; Marie, Damien; Roth, Muriel; Lacoste, Romain; Nazarian, Bruno; Bertello, Alice; Coulon, Olivier; Anton, Jean-Luc; Meguerditchian, Adrien

2016-05-15

The baboon (Papio) brain is a remarkable model for investigating the brain. The current work aimed at creating a population-average baboon (Papio anubis) brain template and its left/right hemisphere symmetric version from a large sample of T1-weighted magnetic resonance images collected from 89 individuals. Averaging the prior probability maps output during the segmentation of each individual also produced the first baboon brain tissue probability maps for gray matter, white matter and cerebrospinal fluid. The templates and the tissue probability maps were created using state-of-the-art, freely available software tools and are being made freely and publicly available: http://www.nitrc.org/projects/haiko89/ or http://lpc.univ-amu.fr/spip.php?article589. It is hoped that these images will aid neuroimaging research of the baboon by, for example, providing a modern, high quality normalization target and accompanying standardized coordinate system as well as probabilistic priors that can be used during tissue segmentation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

aMAP is a validated pipeline for registration and segmentation of high-resolution mouse brain data

Science.gov (United States)

Niedworok, Christian J.; Brown, Alexander P. Y.; Jorge Cardoso, M.; Osten, Pavel; Ourselin, Sebastien; Modat, Marc; Margrie, Troy W.

2016-01-01

The validation of automated image registration and segmentation is crucial for accurate and reliable mapping of brain connectivity and function in three-dimensional (3D) data sets. While validation standards are necessarily high and routinely met in the clinical arena, they have to date been lacking for high-resolution microscopy data sets obtained from the rodent brain. Here we present a tool for optimized automated mouse atlas propagation (aMAP) based on clinical registration software (NiftyReg) for anatomical segmentation of high-resolution 3D fluorescence images of the adult mouse brain. We empirically evaluate aMAP as a method for registration and subsequent segmentation by validating it against the performance of expert human raters. This study therefore establishes a benchmark standard for mapping the molecular function and cellular connectivity of the rodent brain. PMID:27384127

Time-efficient, high-resolution, whole brain three-dimensional macromolecular proton fraction mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Yarnykh, Vasily L

2016-05-01

Macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) mapping is a quantitative MRI method that reconstructs parametric maps of a relative amount of macromolecular protons causing the magnetization transfer (MT) effect and provides a biomarker of myelination in neural tissues. This study aimed to develop a high-resolution whole brain MPF mapping technique using a minimal number of source images for scan time reduction. The described technique was based on replacement of an actually acquired reference image without MT saturation by a synthetic one reconstructed from R1 and proton density maps, thus requiring only three source images. This approach enabled whole brain three-dimensional MPF mapping with isotropic 1.25 × 1.25 × 1.25 mm(3) voxel size and a scan time of 20 min. The synthetic reference method was validated against standard MPF mapping with acquired reference images based on data from eight healthy subjects. Mean MPF values in segmented white and gray matter appeared in close agreement with no significant bias and small within-subject coefficients of variation (maps demonstrated sharp white-gray matter contrast and clear visualization of anatomical details, including gray matter structures with high iron content. The proposed synthetic reference method improves resolution of MPF mapping and combines accurate MPF measurements with unique neuroanatomical contrast features. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Accelerated whole-brain multi-parameter mapping using blind compressed sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhave, Sampada; Lingala, Sajan Goud; Johnson, Casey P; Magnotta, Vincent A; Jacob, Mathews

2016-03-01

To introduce a blind compressed sensing (BCS) framework to accelerate multi-parameter MR mapping, and demonstrate its feasibility in high-resolution, whole-brain T1ρ and T2 mapping. BCS models the evolution of magnetization at every pixel as a sparse linear combination of bases in a dictionary. Unlike compressed sensing, the dictionary and the sparse coefficients are jointly estimated from undersampled data. Large number of non-orthogonal bases in BCS accounts for more complex signals than low rank representations. The low degree of freedom of BCS, attributed to sparse coefficients, translates to fewer artifacts at high acceleration factors (R). From 2D retrospective undersampling experiments, the mean square errors in T1ρ and T2 maps were observed to be within 0.1% up to R = 10. BCS was observed to be more robust to patient-specific motion as compared to other compressed sensing schemes and resulted in minimal degradation of parameter maps in the presence of motion. Our results suggested that BCS can provide an acceleration factor of 8 in prospective 3D imaging with reasonable reconstructions. BCS considerably reduces scan time for multiparameter mapping of the whole brain with minimal artifacts, and is more robust to motion-induced signal changes compared to current compressed sensing and principal component analysis-based techniques. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Giant Low Surface Brightness Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Alka; Kantharia, Nimisha G.; Das, Mousumi

2018-04-01

In this paper, we present radio observations of the giant low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies made using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). LSB galaxies are generally large, dark matter dominated spirals that have low star formation efficiencies and large HI gas disks. Their properties suggest that they are less evolved compared to high surface brightness galaxies. We present GMRT emission maps of LSB galaxies with an optically-identified active nucleus. Using our radio data and archival near-infrared (2MASS) and near-ultraviolet (GALEX) data, we studied morphology and star formation efficiencies in these galaxies. All the galaxies show radio continuum emission mostly associated with the centre of the galaxy.

Rapid whole brain myelin water content mapping without an external water standard at 1.5T.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Thanh D; Spincemaille, Pascal; Gauthier, Susan A; Wang, Yi

2017-06-01

The objective of this study is to develop rapid whole brain mapping of myelin water content (MWC) at 1.5T. The Fast Acquisition with Spiral Trajectory and T2prep (FAST-T2) pulse sequence originally developed for myelin water fraction (MWF) mapping was modified to obtain fast mapping of T1 and receiver coil sensitivity needed for MWC computation. The accuracy of the proposed T1 mapping was evaluated by comparing with the standard IR-FSE method. Numerical simulations were performed to assess the accuracy and reliability of the proposed MWC mapping. We also compared MWC values obtained with either cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or an external water tube attached to the subject's head as the water reference. Our results from healthy volunteers show that whole brain MWC mapping is feasible in 7min and provides accurate brain T1 values. Regional brain WC and MWC measurements obtained with the internal CSF-based water standard showed excellent correlation (R>0.99) and negligible bias within narrow limits of agreement compared to those obtained with an external water standard. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mapping Language Function in the Brain: A Review of the Recent Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Crafton, Robert E.; Kido, Elissa

2000-01-01

Considers the potential importance of brain study for composition instruction, briefly describes functional imaging techniques, and reviews the findings of recent brain-mapping studies investigating the neurocognitive systems involved in language function. Presents a review of the recent literature and considers the possible implications of this…

The role of image registration in brain mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Toga, A.W.; Thompson, P.M.

2008-01-01

Image registration is a key step in a great variety of biomedical imaging applications. It provides the ability to geometrically align one dataset with another, and is a prerequisite for all imaging applications that compare datasets across subjects, imaging modalities, or across time. Registration algorithms also enable the pooling and comparison of experimental findings across laboratories, the construction of population-based brain atlases, and the creation of systems to detect group patterns in structural and functional imaging data. We review the major types of registration approaches used in brain imaging today. We focus on their conceptual basis, the underlying mathematics, and their strengths and weaknesses in different contexts. We describe the major goals of registration, including data fusion, quantification of change, automated image segmentation and labeling, shape measurement, and pathology detection. We indicate that registration algorithms have great potential when used in conjunction with a digital brain atlas, which acts as a reference system in which brain images can be compared for statistical analysis. The resulting armory of registration approaches is fundamental to medical image analysis, and in a brain mapping context provides a means to elucidate clinical, demographic, or functional trends in the anatomy or physiology of the brain. PMID:19890483

Virtual brain mapping: Meta-analysis and visualization in functional neuroimaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Finn Årup

Results from functional neuroimaging such as positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance are often reported as sets of 3-dimensional coordinates in Talairach stereotactic space. By utilizing data collected in the BrainMap database and from our own small XML database we can...... data matrix. By conditioning on elements in the databases other than the coordinate data, e.g., anatomical labels associated with many coordinates we can make conditional novelty detection identifying outliers in the database that might be errorneous entries or seldom occuring patterns. In the Brain......Map database we found errors, e.g., stemming from confusion of centimeters and millimeters during entering and errors in the original article. Conditional probability density modeling also enables generation of probabilistic atlases and automatic probabilistic anatomical labeling of new coordinates...

Mapping a2 Adrenoceptors of the Human Brain with 11C-Yohimbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nahimi, Adjmal; Jakobsen, Steen; Munk, Ole

2015-01-01

A previous study from this laboratory suggested that 11C-yohimbine, a selective α2-adrenoceptor antagonist, is an appropriate ligand for PET of α2 adrenoceptors that passes readily from blood to brain tissue in pigs but not in rodents. To test usefulness in humans, we determined blood–brain...... values of VT ranged from 0.82 mL cm−3 in the right frontal cortex to 0.46 mL cm−3 in the corpus callosum, with intermediate VT values in subcortical structures. Binding potentials averaged 0.6–0.8 in the cortex and 0.2–0.5 in subcortical regions. Conclusion: The maps of 11C-yohimbine binding to α2...... adrenoceptors in human brain had the highest values in cortical areas and hippocampus, with moderate values in subcortical structures, as found also in vitro. The results confirm the usefulness of the tracer 11C-yohimbine for mapping α2 adrenoceptors in human brain in vivo....

Hidden Markov event sequence models: toward unsupervised functional MRI brain mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Faisan, Sylvain; Thoraval, Laurent; Armspach, Jean-Paul; Foucher, Jack R; Metz-Lutz, Marie-Noëlle; Heitz, Fabrice

2005-01-01

Most methods used in functional MRI (fMRI) brain mapping require restrictive assumptions about the shape and timing of the fMRI signal in activated voxels. Consequently, fMRI data may be partially and misleadingly characterized, leading to suboptimal or invalid inference. To limit these assumptions and to capture the broad range of possible activation patterns, a novel statistical fMRI brain mapping method is proposed. It relies on hidden semi-Markov event sequence models (HSMESMs), a special class of hidden Markov models (HMMs) dedicated to the modeling and analysis of event-based random processes. Activation detection is formulated in terms of time coupling between (1) the observed sequence of hemodynamic response onset (HRO) events detected in the voxel's fMRI signal and (2) the "hidden" sequence of task-induced neural activation onset (NAO) events underlying the HROs. Both event sequences are modeled within a single HSMESM. The resulting brain activation model is trained to automatically detect neural activity embedded in the input fMRI data set under analysis. The data sets considered in this article are threefold: synthetic epoch-related, real epoch-related (auditory lexical processing task), and real event-related (oddball detection task) fMRI data sets. Synthetic data: Activation detection results demonstrate the superiority of the HSMESM mapping method with respect to a standard implementation of the statistical parametric mapping (SPM) approach. They are also very close, sometimes equivalent, to those obtained with an "ideal" implementation of SPM in which the activation patterns synthesized are reused for analysis. The HSMESM method appears clearly insensitive to timing variations of the hemodynamic response and exhibits low sensitivity to fluctuations of its shape (unsustained activation during task). Real epoch-related data: HSMESM activation detection results compete with those obtained with SPM, without requiring any prior definition of the expected

In-depth mapping of the mouse brain N-glycoproteome reveals widespread N-glycosylation of diverse brain proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Pan; Wang, Xin-Jian; Xue, Yu; Liu, Ming-Qi; Zeng, Wen-Feng; Zhang, Yang; Zhang, Lei; Gao, Xing; Yan, Guo-Quan; Yao, Jun; Shen, Hua-Li; Yang, Peng-Yuan

2016-06-21

N-glycosylation is one of the most prominent and abundant posttranslational modifications of proteins. It is estimated that over 50% of mammalian proteins undergo glycosylation. However, the analysis of N-glycoproteins has been limited by the available analytical technology. In this study, we comprehensively mapped the N-glycosylation sites in the mouse brain proteome by combining complementary methods, which included seven protease treatments, four enrichment techniques and two fractionation strategies. Altogether, 13492 N-glycopeptides containing 8386 N-glycosylation sites on 3982 proteins were identified. After evaluating the performance of the above methods, we proposed a simple and efficient workflow for large-scale N-glycosylation site mapping. The optimized workflow yielded 80% of the initially identified N-glycosylation sites with considerably less effort. Analysis of the identified N-glycoproteins revealed that many of the mouse brain proteins are N-glycosylated, including those proteins in critical pathways for nervous system development and neurological disease. Additionally, several important biomarkers of various diseases were found to be N-glycosylated. These data confirm that N-glycosylation is important in both physiological and pathological processes in the brain, and provide useful details about numerous N-glycosylation sites in brain proteins.

Statistical probabilistic mapping in the individual brain space: decreased metabolism in epilepsy with FDG PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Jung Su; Lee, Jae Sung; Kim, Yu Kyeong; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul; Lee, Dong Soo

2005-01-01

In the statistical probabilistic mapping, commonly, differences between two or more groups of subjects are statistically analyzed following spatial normalization. However, to our best knowledge, there is few study which performed the statistical mapping in the individual brain space rather than in the stereotaxic brain space, i.e., template space. Therefore, in the current study, a new method for mapping the statistical results in the template space onto individual brain space has been developed. Four young subjects with epilepsy and their age-matched thirty normal healthy subjects were recruited. Both FDG PET and T1 structural MRI was scanned in these groups. Statistical analysis on the decreased FDG metabolism in epilepsy was performed on the SPM with two sample t-test (p < 0.001, intensity threshold 100). To map the statistical results onto individual space, inverse deformation was performed as follows. With SPM deformation toolbox, DCT (discrete cosine transform) basis-encoded deformation fields between individual T1 images and T1 MNI template were obtained. Afterward, inverse of those fields, i.e., inverse deformation fields were obtained. Since both PET and T1 images have been already normalized in the same MNI space, inversely deformed results in PET is on the individual brain MRI space. By applying inverse deformation field on the statistical results of the PET, the statistical map of decreased metabolism in individual spaces were obtained. With statistical results in the template space, localization of decreased metabolism was in the inferior temporal lobe, which was slightly inferior to the hippocampus. The statistical results in the individual space were commonly located in the hippocampus, where the activation should be decreased according to a priori knowledge of neuroscience. With our newly developed statistical mapping on the individual spaces, the localization of the brain functional mapping became more appropriate in the sense of neuroscience

Statistical probabilistic mapping in the individual brain space: decreased metabolism in epilepsy with FDG PET

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Jung Su; Lee, Jae Sung; Kim, Yu Kyeong; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul; Lee, Dong Soo [Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2005-07-01

In the statistical probabilistic mapping, commonly, differences between two or more groups of subjects are statistically analyzed following spatial normalization. However, to our best knowledge, there is few study which performed the statistical mapping in the individual brain space rather than in the stereotaxic brain space, i.e., template space. Therefore, in the current study, a new method for mapping the statistical results in the template space onto individual brain space has been developed. Four young subjects with epilepsy and their age-matched thirty normal healthy subjects were recruited. Both FDG PET and T1 structural MRI was scanned in these groups. Statistical analysis on the decreased FDG metabolism in epilepsy was performed on the SPM with two sample t-test (p < 0.001, intensity threshold 100). To map the statistical results onto individual space, inverse deformation was performed as follows. With SPM deformation toolbox, DCT (discrete cosine transform) basis-encoded deformation fields between individual T1 images and T1 MNI template were obtained. Afterward, inverse of those fields, i.e., inverse deformation fields were obtained. Since both PET and T1 images have been already normalized in the same MNI space, inversely deformed results in PET is on the individual brain MRI space. By applying inverse deformation field on the statistical results of the PET, the statistical map of decreased metabolism in individual spaces were obtained. With statistical results in the template space, localization of decreased metabolism was in the inferior temporal lobe, which was slightly inferior to the hippocampus. The statistical results in the individual space were commonly located in the hippocampus, where the activation should be decreased according to a priori knowledge of neuroscience. With our newly developed statistical mapping on the individual spaces, the localization of the brain functional mapping became more appropriate in the sense of neuroscience.

Stable long-term chronic brain mapping at the single-neuron level.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Tian-Ming; Hong, Guosong; Zhou, Tao; Schuhmann, Thomas G; Viveros, Robert D; Lieber, Charles M

2016-10-01

Stable in vivo mapping and modulation of the same neurons and brain circuits over extended periods is critical to both neuroscience and medicine. Current electrical implants offer single-neuron spatiotemporal resolution but are limited by such factors as relative shear motion and chronic immune responses during long-term recording. To overcome these limitations, we developed a chronic in vivo recording and stimulation platform based on flexible mesh electronics, and we demonstrated stable multiplexed local field potentials and single-unit recordings in mouse brains for at least 8 months without probe repositioning. Properties of acquired signals suggest robust tracking of the same neurons over this period. This recording and stimulation platform allowed us to evoke stable single-neuron responses to chronic electrical stimulation and to carry out longitudinal studies of brain aging in freely behaving mice. Such advantages could open up future studies in mapping and modulating changes associated with learning, aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Brain Mapping of drug addiction in witdrawal condition based P300 Signals

Science.gov (United States)

Turnip, Arjon; Esti Kusumandari, Dwi; Hidayat, Teddy

2018-04-01

Drug abuse for a long time will slowly cause changes in brain structure and performance. These changes tend to occur in the front of the brain which is directly interfere the concentration and the decision-making process. In this study an experiment involving 10 drug users was performed. The process of recording data with EEG system is conducted during craving condition and 1 hour after taking methadone. From brain mapping results obtained that brain activity tend to occur in the upper layer of the brain during craving conditions and tend to be in the midle layer of the brain after one hour of taking methadone.

High-throughput mapping of brain-wide activity in awake and drug-responsive vertebrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Xudong; Wang, Shiqi; Yu, Xudong; Liu, Zhuguo; Wang, Fei; Li, Wai Tsun; Cheng, Shuk Han; Dai, Qiuyun; Shi, Peng

2015-02-07

The reconstruction of neural activity across complete neural circuits, or brain activity mapping, has great potential in both fundamental and translational neuroscience research. Larval zebrafish, a vertebrate model, has recently been demonstrated to be amenable to whole brain activity mapping in behaving animals. Here we demonstrate a microfluidic array system ("Fish-Trap") that enables high-throughput mapping of brain-wide activity in awake larval zebrafish. Unlike the commonly practiced larva-processing methods using a rigid gel or a capillary tube, which are laborious and time-consuming, the hydrodynamic design of our microfluidic chip allows automatic, gel-free, and anesthetic-free processing of tens of larvae for microscopic imaging with single-cell resolution. Notably, this system provides the capability to directly couple pharmaceutical stimuli with real-time recording of neural activity in a large number of animals, and the local and global effects of pharmacoactive drugs on the nervous system can be directly visualized and evaluated by analyzing drug-induced functional perturbation within or across different brain regions. Using this technology, we tested a set of neurotoxin peptides and obtained new insights into how to exploit neurotoxin derivatives as therapeutic agents. The novel and versatile "Fish-Trap" technology can be readily unitized to study other stimulus (optical, acoustic, or physical) associated functional brain circuits using similar experimental strategies.

Anatomo-clinical overlapping maps (AnaCOM): a new method to create anatomo-functional maps from neuropsychological tests and structural MRI scan of subjects with brain lesions

Science.gov (United States)

Kinkingnehun, Serge R. J.; du Boisgueheneuc, Foucaud; Golmard, Jean-Louis; Zhang, Sandy X.; Levy, Richard; Dubois, Bruno

2004-04-01

We have developed a new technique to analyze correlations between brain anatomy and its neurological functions. The technique is based on the anatomic MRI of patients with brain lesions who are administered neuropsychological tests. Brain lesions of the MRI scans are first manually segmented. The MRI volumes are then normalized to a reference map, using the segmented area as a mask. After normalization, the brain lesions of the MRI are segmented again in order to redefine the border of the lesions in the context of the normalized brain. Once the MRI is segmented, the patient's score on the neuropsychological test is assigned to each voxel in the lesioned area, while the rest of the voxels of the image are set to 0. Subsequently, the individual patient's MRI images are superimposed, and each voxel is reassigned the average score of the patients who have a lesion at that voxel. A threshold is applied to remove regions having less than three overlaps. This process leads to an anatomo-functional map that links brain areas to functional loss. Other maps can be created to aid in analyzing the functional maps, such as one that indicates the 95% confidence interval of the averaged scores for each area. This anatomo-clinical overlapping map (AnaCOM) method was used to obtain functional maps from patients with lesions in the superior frontal gyrus. By finding particular subregions more responsible for a particular deficit, this method can generate new hypotheses to be tested by conventional group methods.

Evaluation of MRI sequences for quantitative T1 brain mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Tsialios, P.; Thrippleton, M.; Glatz, A.; Pernet, C.

2017-11-01

T1 mapping constitutes a quantitative MRI technique finding significant application in brain imaging. It allows evaluation of contrast uptake, blood perfusion, volume, providing a more specific biomarker of disease progression compared to conventional T1-weighted images. While there are many techniques for T1-mapping there is a wide range of reported T1-values in tissues, raising the issue of protocols reproducibility and standardization. The gold standard for obtaining T1-maps is based on acquiring IR-SE sequence. Widely used alternative sequences are IR-SE-EPI, VFA (DESPOT), DESPOT-HIFI and MP2RAGE that speed up scanning and fitting procedures. A custom MRI phantom was used to assess the reproducibility and accuracy of the different methods. All scans were performed using a 3T Siemens Prisma scanner. The acquired data processed using two different codes. The main difference was observed for VFA (DESPOT) which grossly overestimated T1 relaxation time by 214 ms [126 270] compared to the IR-SE sequence. MP2RAGE and DESPOT-HIFI sequences gave slightly shorter time than IR-SE (~20 to 30ms) and can be considered as alternative and time-efficient methods for acquiring accurate T1 maps of the human brain, while IR-SE-EPI gave identical result, at a cost of a lower image quality.

Brain-wide map of efferent projections from rat barrel cortex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Izabela M. Zakiewicz

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The somatotopically organized whisker barrel field of the rat primary somatosensory (S1 cortex is a commonly used model system for anatomical and physiological investigations of sensory processing. The neural connections of the barrel cortex have been extensively mapped. But most investigations have focused on connections to limited regions of the brain, and overviews in the literature of the connections across the brain thus build on a range of material from different laboratories, presented in numerous publications. Furthermore, given the limitations of the conventional journal article format, analyses and interpretations are hampered by lack of access to the underlying experimental data. New opportunities for analyses have emerged with the recent release of an online resource of experimental data consisting of collections of high-resolution images from 6 experiments in which anterograde tracers were injected in S1 whisker or forelimb representations. Building on this material, we have conducted a detailed analysis of the brain wide distribution of the efferent projections of the rat barrel cortex. We compare our findings with the available literature and reports accumulated in the Brain Architecture Management System (BAMS2 database. We report well-known and less known intracortical and subcortical projections of the barrel cortex, as well as distinct differences between S1 whisker and forelimb related projections. Our results correspond well with recently published overviews, but provide additional information about relative differences among S1 projection targets. Our approach demonstrates how collections of shared experimental image data are suitable for brain-wide analysis and interpretation of connectivity mapping data.

Using a concept map as a tool for strategic planning: The Healthy Brain Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Lynda A; Day, Kristine L; Vandenberg, Anna E

2011-09-01

Concept mapping is a tool to assist in strategic planning that allows planners to work through a sequence of phases to produce a conceptual framework. Although several studies describe how concept mapping is applied to various public health problems, the flexibility of the methods used in each phase of the process is often overlooked. If practitioners were more aware of the flexibility, more public health endeavors could benefit from using concept mapping as a tool for strategic planning. The objective of this article is to describe how the 6 concept-mapping phases originally outlined by William Trochim guided our strategic planning process and how we adjusted the specific methods in the first 2 phases to meet the specialized needs and requirements to create The Healthy Brain Initiative: A National Public Health Road Map to Maintaining Cognitive Health. In the first stage (phases 1 and 2 of concept mapping), we formed a steering committee, convened 4 work groups over a period of 3 months, and generated an initial set of 42 action items grounded in science. In the second stage (phases 3 and 4), we engaged stakeholders in sorting and rating the action items and constructed a series of concept maps. In the third and final stage (phases 5 and 6), we examined and refined the action items and generated a final concept map consisting of 44 action items. We then selected the top 10 action items, and in 2007, we published The Healthy Brain Initiative: A National Public Health Road Map to Maintaining Cognitive Health, which represents the strategic plan for The Healthy Brain Initiative.

Mapping cell-specific functional connections in the mouse brain using ChR2-evoked hemodynamics (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Adam Q.; Kraft, Andrew; Baxter, Grant A.; Bruchas, Michael; Lee, Jin-Moo; Culver, Joseph P.

2017-02-01

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has transformed our understanding of the brain's functional organization. However, mapping subunits of a functional network using hemoglobin alone presents several disadvantages. Evoked and spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations reflect ensemble activity from several populations of neurons making it difficult to discern excitatory vs inhibitory network activity. Still, blood-based methods of brain mapping remain powerful because hemoglobin provides endogenous contrast in all mammalian brains. To add greater specificity to hemoglobin assays, we integrated optical intrinsic signal(OIS) imaging with optogenetic stimulation to create an Opto-OIS mapping tool that combines the cell-specificity of optogenetics with label-free, hemoglobin imaging. Before mapping, titrated photostimuli determined which stimulus parameters elicited linear hemodynamic responses in the cortex. Optimized stimuli were then scanned over the left hemisphere to create a set of optogenetically-defined effective connectivity (Opto-EC) maps. For many sites investigated, Opto-EC maps exhibited higher spatial specificity than those determined using spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations. For example, resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) patterns exhibited widespread ipsilateral connectivity while Opto-EC maps contained distinct short- and long-range constellations of ipsilateral connectivity. Further, RS-FC maps were usually symmetric about midline while Opto-EC maps displayed more heterogeneous contralateral homotopic connectivity. Both Opto-EC and RS-FC patterns were compared to mouse connectivity data from the Allen Institute. Unlike RS-FC maps, Thy1-based maps collected in awake, behaving mice closely recapitulated the connectivity structure derived using ex vivo anatomical tracer methods. Opto-OIS mapping could be a powerful tool for understanding cellular and molecular contributions to network dynamics and processing in the mouse brain.

MRI findings of giant plasmacytoma of the calvarium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, Norihiro; Suzuki, Yasuo; Ishii, Ryoji

2007-01-01

We report two cases of giant plasmacytoma of the calvarium with the dural tail sign. Though the dural tail sign has been reported as a highly specific finding of meningiomas, the recent literature has described its appearance with other tumors, such as schwannomas, lymphomas, and metastatic brain tumors. Therefore, we reviewed 10 cases of plasmacytomas with a dural tail sign including our two cases and discussed the origin of dural tail signs. It was concluded that giant plasmacytoma of the calvarium is one of the entities that produces a dural tail sign. (author)

Estimating Leaf Water Potential of Giant Sequoia Trees from Airborne Hyperspectral Imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Francis, E. J.; Asner, G. P.

2015-12-01

Recent drought-induced forest dieback events have motivated research on the mechanisms of tree survival and mortality during drought. Leaf water potential, a measure of the force exerted by the evaporation of water from the leaf surface, is an indicator of plant water stress and can help predict tree mortality in response to drought. Scientists have traditionally measured water potentials on a tree-by-tree basis, but have not been able to produce maps of tree water potential at the scale of a whole forest, leaving forest managers unaware of forest drought stress patterns and their ecosystem-level consequences. Imaging spectroscopy, a technique for remote measurement of chemical properties, has been used to successfully estimate leaf water potentials in wheat and maize crops and pinyon-pine and juniper trees, but these estimates have never been scaled to the canopy level. We used hyperspectral reflectance data collected by the Carnegie Airborne Observatory (CAO) to map leaf water potentials of giant sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in an 800-hectare grove in Sequoia National Park. During the current severe drought in California, we measured predawn and midday leaf water potentials of 48 giant sequoia trees, using the pressure bomb method on treetop foliage samples collected with tree-climbing techniques. The CAO collected hyperspectral reflectance data at 1-meter resolution from the same grove within 1-2 weeks of the tree-level measurements. A partial least squares regression was used to correlate reflectance data extracted from the 48 focal trees with their water potentials, producing a model that predicts water potential of giant sequoia trees. Results show that giant sequoia trees can be mapped in the imagery with a classification accuracy of 0.94, and we predicted the water potential of the mapped trees to assess 1) similarities and differences between a leaf water potential map and a canopy water content map produced from airborne hyperspectral data, 2

Giant panda BAC library construction and assembly of a 650-kb contig spanning major histocompatibility complex class II region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pan Hui-Juan

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Giant panda is rare and endangered species endemic to China. The low rates of reproductive success and infectious disease resistance have severely hampered the development of captive and wild populations of the giant panda. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC plays important roles in immune response and reproductive system such as mate choice and mother-fetus bio-compatibility. It is thus essential to understand genetic details of the giant panda MHC. Construction of a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC library will provide a new tool for panda genome physical mapping and thus facilitate understanding of panda MHC genes. Results A giant panda BAC library consisting of 205,800 clones has been constructed. The average insert size was calculated to be 97 kb based on the examination of 174 randomly selected clones, indicating that the giant panda library contained 6.8-fold genome equivalents. Screening of the library with 16 giant panda PCR primer pairs revealed 6.4 positive clones per locus, in good agreement with an expected 6.8-fold genomic coverage of the library. Based on this BAC library, we constructed a contig map of the giant panda MHC class II region from BTNL2 to DAXX spanning about 650 kb by a three-step method: (1 PCR-based screening of the BAC library with primers from homologous MHC class II gene loci, end sequences and BAC clone shotgun sequences, (2 DNA sequencing validation of positive clones, and (3 restriction digest fingerprinting verification of inter-clone overlapping. Conclusion The identifications of genes and genomic regions of interest are greatly favored by the availability of this giant panda BAC library. The giant panda BAC library thus provides a useful platform for physical mapping, genome sequencing or complex analysis of targeted genomic regions. The 650 kb sequence-ready BAC contig map of the giant panda MHC class II region from BTNL2 to DAXX, verified by the three-step method, offers a

Mapping and modelling the habitat of giant pandas in Foping Nature Reserve, China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, X.

2001-01-01

The fact that only about 1000 giant pandas and 29500 km2 of panda habitat are left in the west part of China makes it an urgent issue to save this endangered animal species and protect its habitat. For effective conservation of the giant panda and its habitat, a thorough evaluation of panda habitat

Assessing Mild Cognitive Impairment Progression using a Spherical Brain Mapping of Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Murcia, Francisco Jesus; Górriz, Juan Manuel; Ramírez, Javier; Segovia, Fermín; Salas-Gonzalez, Diego; Castillo-Barnes, Diego; Ortiz, Andrés

2018-04-04

The early diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), particularly in its prodromal stage, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), still remains a challenge. Many computational tools have been developed to successfully explore and predict the disease progression. In this context, the Spherical Brain Mapping (SBM) proved its ability in detecting differences between AD and aged subjects without symptoms of dementia. Being a very visual tool, its application in predicting MCI conversion to AD could be of great help to understand neurodegeneration and the disease progression. In this work, we aim at predicting the conversion of MCI affected subjects to AD more than 6 months in advance of their conversion session and understanding the progression of the disease by predicting neuropsychological test outcomes from MRI data. In order to do so, SBM is applied to a series of MRI scans from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). The resulting spherical brain maps show statistical and morphological information of the brain in a bidimensional plane, performing at the same time a significant feature reduction that provides a feature vector used in classification analysis. The study achieves up to 92.3% accuracy in the AD versus normal controls (CTL) detection, and up to a 77.6% in detection a of MCI conversions when trained with AD and CTL subjects. The prediction of neuropsychological test outcomes achieved R2 rates up to more than 0.5. Significant regions according to t-test and correlation analysis match reported brain areas in the literature. The results prove that Spherical Brain Mapping offers good ability to predict conversion patterns and cognitive state, at the same time that provides an additional aid for visualizing a two-dimensional abstraction map of the brain.

Mapping neuroplastic potential in brain-damaged patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Herbet, Guillaume; Maheu, Maxime; Costi, Emanuele; Lafargue, Gilles; Duffau, Hugues

2016-03-01

It is increasingly acknowledged that the brain is highly plastic. However, the anatomic factors governing the potential for neuroplasticity have hardly been investigated. To bridge this knowledge gap, we generated a probabilistic atlas of functional plasticity derived from both anatomic magnetic resonance imaging results and intraoperative mapping data on 231 patients having undergone surgery for diffuse, low-grade glioma. The atlas includes detailed level of confidence information and is supplemented with a series of comprehensive, connectivity-based cluster analyses. Our results show that cortical plasticity is generally high in the cortex (except in primary unimodal areas and in a small set of neural hubs) and rather low in connective tracts (especially associative and projection tracts). The atlas sheds new light on the topological organization of critical neural systems and may also be useful in predicting the likelihood of recovery (as a function of lesion topology) in various neuropathological conditions-a crucial factor in improving the care of brain-damaged patients. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Resection of highly language-eloquent brain lesions based purely on rTMS language mapping without awake surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Ille, Sebastian; Sollmann, Nico; Butenschoen, Vicki M; Meyer, Bernhard; Ringel, Florian; Krieg, Sandro M

2016-12-01

The resection of left-sided perisylvian brain lesions harbours the risk of postoperative language impairment. Therefore the individual patient's language distribution is investigated by intraoperative direct cortical stimulation (DCS) during awake surgery. Yet, not all patients qualify for awake surgery. Non-invasive language mapping by repetitive navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has frequently shown a high correlation in comparison with the results of DCS language mapping in terms of language-negative brain regions. The present study analyses the extent of resection (EOR) and functional outcome of patients who underwent left-sided perisylvian resection of brain lesions based purely on rTMS language mapping. Four patients with left-sided perisylvian brain lesions (two gliomas WHO III, one glioblastoma, one cavernous angioma) underwent rTMS language mapping prior to surgery. Data from rTMS language mapping and rTMS-based diffusion tensor imaging fibre tracking (DTI-FT) were transferred to the intraoperative neuronavigation system. Preoperatively, 5 days after surgery (POD5), and 3 months after surgery (POM3) clinical follow-up examinations were performed. No patient suffered from a new surgery-related aphasia at POM3. Three patients underwent complete resection immediately, while one patient required a second rTMS-based resection some days later to achieve the final, complete resection. The present study shows for the first time the feasibility of successfully resecting language-eloquent brain lesions based purely on the results of negative language maps provided by rTMS language mapping and rTMS-based DTI-FT. In very select cases, this technique can provide a rescue strategy with an optimal functional outcome and EOR when awake surgery is not feasible.

Mapping social behavior-induced brain activation at cellular resolution in the mouse

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yongsoo; Venkataraju, Kannan Umadevi; Pradhan, Kith; Mende, Carolin; Taranda, Julian; Turaga, Srinivas C.; Arganda-Carreras, Ignacio; Ng, Lydia; Hawrylycz, Michael J.; Rockland, Kathleen; Seung, H. Sebastian; Osten, Pavel

2014-01-01

Understanding how brain activation mediates behaviors is a central goal of systems neuroscience. Here we apply an automated method for mapping brain activation in the mouse in order to probe how sex-specific social behaviors are represented in the male brain. Our method uses the immediate early gene c-fos, a marker of neuronal activation, visualized by serial two-photon tomography: the c-fos-GFP-positive neurons are computationally detected, their distribution is registered to a reference brain and a brain atlas, and their numbers are analyzed by statistical tests. Our results reveal distinct and shared female and male interaction-evoked patterns of male brain activation representing sex discrimination and social recognition. We also identify brain regions whose degree of activity correlates to specific features of social behaviors and estimate the total numbers and the densities of activated neurons per brain areas. Our study opens the door to automated screening of behavior-evoked brain activation in the mouse. PMID:25558063

In Vivo MRI Mapping of Brain Iron Deposition across the Adult Lifespan.

Science.gov (United States)

Acosta-Cabronero, Julio; Betts, Matthew J; Cardenas-Blanco, Arturo; Yang, Shan; Nestor, Peter J

2016-01-13

Disruption of iron homeostasis as a consequence of aging is thought to cause iron levels to increase, potentially promoting oxidative cellular damage. Therefore, understanding how this process evolves through the lifespan could offer insights into both the aging process and the development of aging-related neurodegenerative brain diseases. This work aimed to map, in vivo for the first time with an unbiased whole-brain approach, age-related iron changes using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM)--a new postprocessed MRI contrast mechanism. To this end, a full QSM standardization routine was devised and a cohort of N = 116 healthy adults (20-79 years of age) was studied. The whole-brain and ROI analyses confirmed that the propensity of brain cells to accumulate excessive iron as a function of aging largely depends on their exact anatomical location. Whereas only patchy signs of iron scavenging were observed in white matter, strong, bilateral, and confluent QSM-age associations were identified in several deep-brain nuclei--chiefly the striatum and midbrain-and across motor, premotor, posterior insular, superior prefrontal, and cerebellar cortices. The validity of QSM as a suitable in vivo imaging technique with which to monitor iron dysregulation in the human brain was demonstrated by confirming age-related increases in several subcortical nuclei that are known to accumulate iron with age. The study indicated that, in addition to these structures, there is a predilection for iron accumulation in the frontal lobes, which when combined with the subcortical findings, suggests that iron accumulation with age predominantly affects brain regions concerned with motor/output functions. This study used a whole--brain imaging approach known as quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) to provide a novel insight into iron accumulation in the brain across the adult lifespan. Validity of the method was demonstrated by showing concordance with ROI analysis and prior knowledge

New perspectives in EEG/MEG brain mapping and PET/fMRI neuroimaging of human pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, A C

2001-10-01

With the maturation of EEG/MEG brain mapping and PET/fMRI neuroimaging in the 1990s, greater understanding of pain processing in the brain now elucidates and may even challenge the classical theory of pain mechanisms. This review scans across the cultural diversity of pain expression and modulation in man. It outlines the difficulties in defining and studying human pain. It then focuses on methods of studying the brain in experimental and clinical pain, the cohesive results of brain mapping and neuroimaging of noxious perception, the implication of pain research in understanding human consciousness and the relevance to clinical care as well as to the basic science of human psychophysiology. Non-invasive brain studies in man start to unveil the age-old puzzles of pain-illusion, hypnosis and placebo in pain modulation. The neurophysiological and neurohemodynamic brain measures of experimental pain can now largely satisfy the psychophysiologist's dream, unimaginable only a few years ago, of modelling the body-brain, brain-mind, mind-matter duality in an inter-linking 3-P triad: physics (stimulus energy); physiology (brain activities); and psyche (perception). For neuropsychophysiology greater challenges lie ahead: (a) how to integrate a cohesive theory of human pain in the brain; (b) what levels of analyses are necessary and sufficient; (c) what constitutes the structural organisation of the pain matrix; (d) what are the modes of processing among and across the sites of these structures; and (e) how can neural computation of these processes in the brain be carried out? We may envision that modular identification and delineation of the arousal-attention, emotion-motivation and perception-cognition neural networks of pain processing in the brain will also lead to deeper understanding of the human mind. Two foreseeable impacts on clinical sciences and basic theories from brain mapping/neuroimaging are the plausible central origin in persistent pain and integration of

Neuropeptide Mapping of Dimmed Cells of Adult Drosophila Brain

Science.gov (United States)

Diesner, Max; Predel, Reinhard; Neupert, Susanne

2018-05-01

Neuropeptides are structurally highly diverse messenger molecules that act as regulators of many physiological processes such as development, metabolism, reproduction or behavior in general. Differentiation of neuropeptidergic cells often corresponds with the presence of the transcription factor DIMMED. In the central nervous system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, DIMMED commonly occurs in neuroendocrine neurons that release peptides as neurohormones but also in interneurons with complex branching patterns. Fly strains with green fluorescence protein (GFP)-expressing dimmed cells make it possible to systematically analyze the processed neuropeptides in these cells. In this study, we mapped individual GFP-expressing neurons of adult D. melanogaster from the dimmed ( c929)>GFP line. Using single cell mass spectrometry, we analyzed 10 types of dimmed neurons from the brain/gnathal ganglion. These cells included neuroendocrine cells with projection into the retrocerebral complex but also a number of large interneurons. Resulting mass spectra not only provided comprehensive data regarding mature products from 13 neuropeptide precursors but also evidence for the cellular co-localization of neuropeptides from different neuropeptide genes. The results can be implemented in a neuroanatomical map of the D. melanogaster brain. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Neuropeptide Mapping of Dimmed Cells of Adult Drosophila Brain

Science.gov (United States)

Diesner, Max; Predel, Reinhard; Neupert, Susanne

2018-01-01

Neuropeptides are structurally highly diverse messenger molecules that act as regulators of many physiological processes such as development, metabolism, reproduction or behavior in general. Differentiation of neuropeptidergic cells often corresponds with the presence of the transcription factor DIMMED. In the central nervous system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, DIMMED commonly occurs in neuroendocrine neurons that release peptides as neurohormones but also in interneurons with complex branching patterns. Fly strains with green fluorescence protein (GFP)-expressing dimmed cells make it possible to systematically analyze the processed neuropeptides in these cells. In this study, we mapped individual GFP-expressing neurons of adult D. melanogaster from the dimmed (c929)>GFP line. Using single cell mass spectrometry, we analyzed 10 types of dimmed neurons from the brain/gnathal ganglion. These cells included neuroendocrine cells with projection into the retrocerebral complex but also a number of large interneurons. Resulting mass spectra not only provided comprehensive data regarding mature products from 13 neuropeptide precursors but also evidence for the cellular co-localization of neuropeptides from different neuropeptide genes. The results can be implemented in a neuroanatomical map of the D. melanogaster brain. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Specificities of Awake Craniotomy and Brain Mapping in Children for Resection of Supratentorial Tumors in the Language Area.

Science.gov (United States)

Delion, Matthieu; Terminassian, Aram; Lehousse, Thierry; Aubin, Ghislaine; Malka, Jean; N'Guyen, Sylvie; Mercier, Philippe; Menei, Philippe

2015-12-01

In the pediatric population, awake craniotomy began to be used for the resection of brain tumor located close to eloquent areas. Some specificities must be taken into account to adapt this method to children. The aim of this clinical study is to not only confirm the feasibility of awake craniotomy and language brain mapping in the pediatric population but also identify the specificities and necessary adaptations of the procedure. Six children aged 11 to 16 were operated on while awake under local anesthesia with language brain mapping for supratentorial brain lesions (tumor and cavernoma). The preoperative planning comprised functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychologic and psychologic assessment. The specific preoperative preparation is clearly explained including hypnosis conditioning and psychiatric evaluation. The success of the procedure was based on the ability to perform the language brain mapping and the tumor removal without putting the patient to sleep. We investigated the pediatric specificities, psychological experience, and neuropsychologic follow-up. The children experienced little anxiety, probably in large part due to the use of hypnosis. We succeeded in doing the cortical-subcortical mapping and removing the tumor without putting the patient to sleep in all cases. The psychological experience was good, and the neuropsychologic follow-up showed a favorable evolution. Preoperative preparation and hypnosis in children seemed important for performing awake craniotomy and contributing language brain mapping with the best possible psychological experience. The pediatrics specificities are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MR-based automatic delineation of volumes of interest in human brain PET images using probability maps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svarer, Claus; Madsen, Karina; Hasselbalch, Steen G.

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an observer-independent approach for automatic generation of volume-of-interest (VOI) brain templates to be used in emission tomography studies of the brain. The method utilizes a VOI probability map created on the basis of a database of several...... delineation of the VOI set. The approach was also shown to work equally well in individuals with pronounced cerebral atrophy. Probability-map-based automatic delineation of VOIs is a fast, objective, reproducible, and safe way to assess regional brain values from PET or SPECT scans. In addition, the method...

Giant tubercular brainstem abscess: A case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pragati Chigurupati

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Tubercular brain abscesses are uncommon and tubercular brainstem abscesses are rarely reported. Most of these cases occur in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of giant brainstem abscess in a 5-year-old human immunodeficiency virus-seronegative female child who presented with complaints of headache, diplopia and unsteadiness of gait since 6 months. Diagnosis was made by a magnetic resonance imaging scan of brain. The patient demonstrated a remarkable clinical recovery after microsurgery combined with a course of antituberculous therapy. Microbiological and histological findings confirmed the diagnosis of a tuberculous abscess.

Combining task-evoked and spontaneous activity to improve pre-operative brain mapping with fMRI

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Michael D.; Qian, Tianyi; Madsen, Joseph R.; Wang, Danhong; Li, Meiling; Ge, Manling; Zuo, Huan-cong; Groppe, David M.; Mehta, Ashesh D.; Hong, Bo; Liu, Hesheng

2016-01-01

Noninvasive localization of brain function is used to understand and treat neurological disease, exemplified by pre-operative fMRI mapping prior to neurosurgical intervention. The principal approach for generating these maps relies on brain responses evoked by a task and, despite known limitations, has dominated clinical practice for over 20 years. Recently, pre-operative fMRI mapping based on correlations in spontaneous brain activity has been demonstrated, however this approach has its own limitations and has not seen widespread clinical use. Here we show that spontaneous and task-based mapping can be performed together using the same pre-operative fMRI data, provide complimentary information relevant for functional localization, and can be combined to improve identification of eloquent motor cortex. Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of our approach are quantified through comparison with electrical cortical stimulation mapping in eight patients with intractable epilepsy. Broad applicability and reproducibility of our approach is demonstrated through prospective replication in an independent dataset of six patients from a different center. In both cohorts and every individual patient, we see a significant improvement in signal to noise and mapping accuracy independent of threshold, quantified using receiver operating characteristic curves. Collectively, our results suggest that modifying the processing of fMRI data to incorporate both task-based and spontaneous activity significantly improves functional localization in pre-operative patients. Because this method requires no additional scan time or modification to conventional pre-operative data acquisition protocols it could have widespread utility. PMID:26408860

Landscape-scale variation in canopy water content of giant sequoias during drought

Science.gov (United States)

Paz-Kagan, Tarin; Vaughn, Nicolas R.; Martin, Roberta E.; Brodrick, Philip G.; Stephenson, Nathan L.; Das, Adrian; Nydick, Koren R.; Asner, Gregory P.

2018-01-01

Recent drought (2012–2016) caused unprecedented foliage dieback in giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), a species endemic to the western slope of the southern Sierra Nevada in central California. As part of an effort to understand and map sequoia response to droughts, we studied the patterns of remotely sensed canopy water content (CWC), both within and among sequoia groves in two successive years during the drought period (2015 and 2016). Our aims were: (1) to quantify giant sequoia responses to severe drought stress at a landscape scale using CWC as an indicator of crown foliage status, and (2) to estimate the effect of environmental correlates that mediate CWC change within and among giant sequoia groves. We utilized airborne high fidelity imaging spectroscopy (HiFIS) and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data from the Carnegie Airborne Observatory to assess giant sequoia foliage status during 2015 and 2016 of the 2012–2016 droughts. A series of statistical models were generated to classify giant sequoias and to map their location in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI) and vicinity. We explored the environmental correlates and the spatial patterns of CWC change at the landscape scale. The mapped CWC was highly variable throughout the landscape during the two observation years, and proved to be most closely related to geological substrates, topography, and site-specific water balance. While there was an overall net gain in sequoia CWC between 2015 and 2016, certain locations (lower elevations, steeper slopes, areas more distant from surface water sources, and areas with greater climate water deficit) showed CWC losses. In addition, we found greater CWC loss in shorter sequoias and those growing in areas with lower sequoia stem densities. Our results suggest that CWC change indicates sequoia response to droughts across landscapes. Long-term monitoring of giant sequoia CWC will likely be useful for modeling and predicting their population

On initial Brain Activity Mapping of episodic and semantic memory code in the hippocampus.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsien, Joe Z; Li, Meng; Osan, Remus; Chen, Guifen; Lin, Longian; Wang, Phillip Lei; Frey, Sabine; Frey, Julietta; Zhu, Dajiang; Liu, Tianming; Zhao, Fang; Kuang, Hui

2013-10-01

It has been widely recognized that the understanding of the brain code would require large-scale recording and decoding of brain activity patterns. In 2007 with support from Georgia Research Alliance, we have launched the Brain Decoding Project Initiative with the basic idea which is now similarly advocated by BRAIN project or Brain Activity Map proposal. As the planning of the BRAIN project is currently underway, we share our insights and lessons from our efforts in mapping real-time episodic memory traces in the hippocampus of freely behaving mice. We show that appropriate large-scale statistical methods are essential to decipher and measure real-time memory traces and neural dynamics. We also provide an example of how the carefully designed, sometime thinking-outside-the-box, behavioral paradigms can be highly instrumental to the unraveling of memory-coding cell assembly organizing principle in the hippocampus. Our observations to date have led us to conclude that the specific-to-general categorical and combinatorial feature-coding cell assembly mechanism represents an emergent property for enabling the neural networks to generate and organize not only episodic memory, but also semantic knowledge and imagination. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mapping adenosine A1 receptors in the cat brain by positron emission tomography with [11C]MPDX

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimada, Yuhei; Ishiwata, Kiichi; Kiyosawa, Motohiro; Nariai, Tadashi; Oda, Keiichi; Toyama, Hinako; Suzuki, Fumio; Ono, Kenichirou; Senda, Michio

2002-01-01

We evaluated the potential of [ 11 C]MPDX as a radioligand for mapping adenosine A 1 receptors in comparison with previously proposed [ 11 C]KF15372 in cat brain by PET. Two tracers showed the same brain distribution. Brain uptake of [ 11 C]MPDX (Ki=4.2 nM) was much higher and washed out faster than that of [ 11 C]KF15372 (Ki=3.0 nM), and was blocked by carrier-loading or displaced with an A 1 antagonist. The regional A 1 receptor distribution evaluated with kinetic analysis is consistent with that previously measured in vitro. [ 11 C]MPDX PET has a potential for mapping adenosine A 1 receptors in brain

Comparison of ADC map with trace map in the normal and infarct areas of the brains of stroke patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seung Hyung; Yoon, Pyeong Ho; Jeong, Eun Kee; Oh, Young Taick; Kim, Dong Ik

1999-01-01

To compare ADC mapping with trace mapping in normal and infarct areas of the brains of stroke patients. Eighteen patients diagnosed on the basis of clinical and brain MRI examinations as suffering from brain infarction were included in this study (hyperacute-1, acute-4, subacute-12, chronic-1). Diffusion weighted images of three orthogonal directions of a patient's brain were obtained by means of a single shot EPI pulse sequence, using a diffusion gradient with four serial b-factors. Three ADC maps were then reconstructed by post-image processing and were summed pixel by pixel to yield a trace map. ROIs were selected in the normal areas of white matter, gray matter and CSF of one hemisphere, and other ROIs of the same size were selected at the same site of the contralateral hemisphere. ADC and trace values were measured and right/left ratios of ADC and trace values were calculated. Using these values, we then compared the ADC map with the trace map, and compared the degree of anisotropic diffusion between white matter, gray matter and CSF. Except for three, whose infarct lesions were small and lay over white and gray matter, patients were divided into two groups. Those with infarct in the white matter (n=10) were assigned to one group, and those with infarct in the gray matter (n=5) to the other. ROIs were selected in the infarct area and other ROIs of the same size were selected at the same site of the contralateral hemisphere. ADC and trace values were measured and infarct/contralateral ratios were calculated. We then compared ADC ratio with trace ratio in white matter and gray matter infarct. In normal white matter, the Dxx ratio was 0.980±0.098, the Dyy ratio 1.019±0.086, the Dzz ratio 0.999±0.111, and the trace ratio 0.995±0.031. In normal gray matter, the Dxx ratio was 1.001±0.058, the Dyy ratio 0.996±0.063, Dzz ratio 1.005±0.070, and the trace ratio 1.001±0.028. In CSF, the Dxx ratio was 1.002±0.064, the Dyy ratio 1.023±0.055, the Dzz ratio 0.999�

Spatial cluster analysis of nanoscopically mapped serotonin receptors for classification of fixed brain tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Sams, Michael; Silye, Rene; Göhring, Janett; Muresan, Leila; Schilcher, Kurt; Jacak, Jaroslaw

2014-01-01

We present a cluster spatial analysis method using nanoscopic dSTORM images to determine changes in protein cluster distributions within brain tissue. Such methods are suitable to investigate human brain tissue and will help to achieve a deeper understanding of brain disease along with aiding drug development. Human brain tissue samples are usually treated postmortem via standard fixation protocols, which are established in clinical laboratories. Therefore, our localization microscopy-based method was adapted to characterize protein density and protein cluster localization in samples fixed using different protocols followed by common fluorescent immunohistochemistry techniques. The localization microscopy allows nanoscopic mapping of serotonin 5-HT1A receptor groups within a two-dimensional image of a brain tissue slice. These nanoscopically mapped proteins can be confined to clusters by applying the proposed statistical spatial analysis. Selected features of such clusters were subsequently used to characterize and classify the tissue. Samples were obtained from different types of patients, fixed with different preparation methods, and finally stored in a human tissue bank. To verify the proposed method, samples of a cryopreserved healthy brain have been compared with epitope-retrieved and paraffin-fixed tissues. Furthermore, samples of healthy brain tissues were compared with data obtained from patients suffering from mental illnesses (e.g., major depressive disorder). Our work demonstrates the applicability of localization microscopy and image analysis methods for comparison and classification of human brain tissues at a nanoscopic level. Furthermore, the presented workflow marks a unique technological advance in the characterization of protein distributions in brain tissue sections.

Mapping brain activity with flexible graphene micro-transistors

Science.gov (United States)

Blaschke, Benno M.; Tort-Colet, Núria; Guimerà-Brunet, Anton; Weinert, Julia; Rousseau, Lionel; Heimann, Axel; Drieschner, Simon; Kempski, Oliver; Villa, Rosa; Sanchez-Vives, Maria V.; Garrido, Jose A.

2017-06-01

Establishing a reliable communication interface between the brain and electronic devices is of paramount importance for exploiting the full potential of neural prostheses. Current microelectrode technologies for recording electrical activity, however, evidence important shortcomings, e.g. challenging high density integration. Solution-gated field-effect transistors (SGFETs), on the other hand, could overcome these shortcomings if a suitable transistor material were available. Graphene is particularly attractive due to its biocompatibility, chemical stability, flexibility, low intrinsic electronic noise and high charge carrier mobilities. Here, we report on the use of an array of flexible graphene SGFETs for recording spontaneous slow waves, as well as visually evoked and also pre-epileptic activity in vivo in rats. The flexible array of graphene SGFETs allows mapping brain electrical activity with excellent signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), suggesting that this technology could lay the foundation for a future generation of in vivo recording implants.

Combining task-evoked and spontaneous activity to improve pre-operative brain mapping with fMRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Michael D; Qian, Tianyi; Madsen, Joseph R; Wang, Danhong; Li, Meiling; Ge, Manling; Zuo, Huan-Cong; Groppe, David M; Mehta, Ashesh D; Hong, Bo; Liu, Hesheng

2016-01-01

Noninvasive localization of brain function is used to understand and treat neurological disease, exemplified by pre-operative fMRI mapping prior to neurosurgical intervention. The principal approach for generating these maps relies on brain responses evoked by a task and, despite known limitations, has dominated clinical practice for over 20years. Recently, pre-operative fMRI mapping based on correlations in spontaneous brain activity has been demonstrated, however this approach has its own limitations and has not seen widespread clinical use. Here we show that spontaneous and task-based mapping can be performed together using the same pre-operative fMRI data, provide complimentary information relevant for functional localization, and can be combined to improve identification of eloquent motor cortex. Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of our approach are quantified through comparison with electrical cortical stimulation mapping in eight patients with intractable epilepsy. Broad applicability and reproducibility of our approach are demonstrated through prospective replication in an independent dataset of six patients from a different center. In both cohorts and every individual patient, we see a significant improvement in signal to noise and mapping accuracy independent of threshold, quantified using receiver operating characteristic curves. Collectively, our results suggest that modifying the processing of fMRI data to incorporate both task-based and spontaneous activity significantly improves functional localization in pre-operative patients. Because this method requires no additional scan time or modification to conventional pre-operative data acquisition protocols it could have widespread utility. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Brain microstructure mapping using quantitative and diffusion MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebois, Alice

2014-01-01

This thesis is focused on the human brain microstructure mapping using quantitative and diffusion MRI. The T1/T2 quantitative imaging relies on sequences dedicated to the mapping of T1 and T2 relaxation times. Their variations within the tissue are linked to the presence of different water compartments defined by a specific organization of the tissue at the cell scale. Measuring these parameters can help, therefore, to better characterize the brain microstructure. The dMRI, on the other hand, explores the brownian motion of water molecules in the brain tissue, where the water molecules' movement is constrained by natural barriers, such as cell membranes. Thus, the information on their displacement carried by the dMRI signal gives access to the underlying cyto-architecture. Combination of these two modalities is, therefore, a promising way to probe the brain tissue microstructure. The main goal of the present thesis is to set up the methodology to study the microstructure of the white matter of the human brain in vivo. The first part includes the acquisition of a unique MRI database of 79 healthy subjects (the Archi/CONNECT), which includes anatomical high resolution data, relaxometry data, diffusion-weighted data at high spatio-angular resolution and functional data. This database has allowed us to build the first atlas of the anatomical connectivity of the healthy brain through the automatic segmentation of the major white matter bundles, providing an appropriate anatomical reference for the white matter to study individually the quantitative parameters along each fascicle, characterizing its microstructure organization. Emphasis was placed on the construction of the first atlas of the T1/T2 profiles along the major white matter pathways. The profiles of the T1 and T2 relaxation times were then correlated to the quantitative profiles computed from the diffusion MRI data (fractional anisotropy, radial and longitudinal diffusivities, apparent diffusion coefficient

Application of statistical parametric mapping in PET and SPECT brain functional imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Wanhua

2002-01-01

Regional of interest (ROI) is the method regularly used to analyze brain functional imaging. But, due to its obvious shortcomings such as subjectivity and poor reproducibility, precise analyzing the brain function was seriously limited. Therefore, statistical parametric mapping (SPM) as an automatic analyze software was developed based on voxel or pixel to resolve this problem. Using numerous mathematical models, it can be used to statistically assess the whole brain pixel. Present review introduces its main principle, modular composition and practical application. It can be concluded, with development of neuroscience, the SPM software will be used more widely in relative field, like neurobiology, cognition and neuropharmacology

Images Are Not the (Only) Truth: Brain Mapping, Visual Knowledge, and Iconoclasm.

Science.gov (United States)

Beaulieu, Anne

2002-01-01

Debates the paradoxical nature of claims about the emerging contributions of functional brain mapping. Examines the various ways that images are deployed and rejected and highlights an approach that provides insight into the current demarcation of imaging. (Contains 68 references.) (DDR)

Riemannian metric optimization on surfaces (RMOS) for intrinsic brain mapping in the Laplace-Beltrami embedding space.

Science.gov (United States)

Gahm, Jin Kyu; Shi, Yonggang

2018-05-01

Surface mapping methods play an important role in various brain imaging studies from tracking the maturation of adolescent brains to mapping gray matter atrophy patterns in Alzheimer's disease. Popular surface mapping approaches based on spherical registration, however, have inherent numerical limitations when severe metric distortions are present during the spherical parameterization step. In this paper, we propose a novel computational framework for intrinsic surface mapping in the Laplace-Beltrami (LB) embedding space based on Riemannian metric optimization on surfaces (RMOS). Given a diffeomorphism between two surfaces, an isometry can be defined using the pullback metric, which in turn results in identical LB embeddings from the two surfaces. The proposed RMOS approach builds upon this mathematical foundation and achieves general feature-driven surface mapping in the LB embedding space by iteratively optimizing the Riemannian metric defined on the edges of triangular meshes. At the core of our framework is an optimization engine that converts an energy function for surface mapping into a distance measure in the LB embedding space, which can be effectively optimized using gradients of the LB eigen-system with respect to the Riemannian metrics. In the experimental results, we compare the RMOS algorithm with spherical registration using large-scale brain imaging data, and show that RMOS achieves superior performance in the prediction of hippocampal subfields and cortical gyral labels, and the holistic mapping of striatal surfaces for the construction of a striatal connectivity atlas from substantia nigra. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mapping and reconstruction of domoic acid-induced neurodegeneration in the mouse brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Colman, J R; Nowocin, K J; Switzer, R C; Trusk, T C; Ramsdell, J S

2005-01-01

Domoic acid, a potent neurotoxin and glutamate analog produced by certain species of the marine diatom Pseudonitzschia, is responsible for several human and wildlife intoxication events. The toxin characteristically damages the hippocampus in exposed humans, rodents, and marine mammals. Histochemical studies have identified this, and other regions of neurodegeneration, though none have sought to map all brain regions affected by domoic acid. In this study, mice exposed (i.p.) to 4 mg/kg domoic acid for 72 h exhibited behavioral and pathological signs of neurotoxicity. Brains were fixed by intracardial perfusion and processed for histochemical analysis. Serial coronal sections (50 microm) were stained using the degeneration-sensitive cupric silver staining method of DeOlmos. Degenerated axons, terminals, and cell bodies, which stained black, were identified and the areas of degeneration were mapped onto Paxinos mouse atlas brain plates using Adobe Illustrator CS. The plates were then combined to reconstruct a 3-dimensional image of domoic acid-induced neurodegeneration using Amira 3.1 software. Affected regions included the olfactory bulb, septal area, and limbic system. These findings are consistent with behavioral and pathological studies demonstrating the effects of domoic acid on cognitive function and neurodegeneration in rodents.

Whole brain diffeomorphic metric mapping via integration of sulcal and gyral curves, cortical surfaces, and images

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Jia; Younes, Laurent; Qiu, Anqi

2011-01-01

This paper introduces a novel large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping algorithm for whole brain registration where sulcal and gyral curves, cortical surfaces, and intensity images are simultaneously carried from one subject to another through a flow of diffeomorphisms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the diffeomorphic metric from one brain to another is derived in a shape space of intensity images and point sets (such as curves and surfaces) in a unified manner. We describe the Euler–Lagrange equation associated with this algorithm with respect to momentum, a linear transformation of the velocity vector field of the diffeomorphic flow. The numerical implementation for solving this variational problem, which involves large-scale kernel convolution in an irregular grid, is made feasible by introducing a class of computationally friendly kernels. We apply this algorithm to align magnetic resonance brain data. Our whole brain mapping results show that our algorithm outperforms the image-based LDDMM algorithm in terms of the mapping accuracy of gyral/sulcal curves, sulcal regions, and cortical and subcortical segmentation. Moreover, our algorithm provides better whole brain alignment than combined volumetric and surface registration (Postelnicu et al., 2009) and hierarchical attribute matching mechanism for elastic registration (HAMMER) (Shen and Davatzikos, 2002) in terms of cortical and subcortical volume segmentation. PMID:21281722

Functional brain mapping using H215O positron emission tomography (I): statistical parametric mapping method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Dong Soo; Lee, Jae Sung; Kim, Kyeong Min; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul

1998-01-01

We investigated the statistical methods to compose the functional brain map of human working memory and the principal factors that have an effect on the methods for localization. Repeated PET scans with successive four tasks, which consist of one control and three different activation tasks, were performed on six right-handed normal volunteers for 2 minutes after bolus injections of 925 MBq H 2 15 O at the intervals of 30 minutes. Image data were analyzed using SPM96 (Statistical Parametric Mapping) implemented with Matlab (Mathworks Inc., U.S.A.). Images from the same subject were spatially registered and were normalized using linear and nonlinear transformation methods. Significant difference between control and each activation state was estimated at every voxel based on the general linear model. Differences of global counts were removed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with global activity as covariate. Using the mean and variance for each condition which was adjusted using ANCOVA, t-statistics was performed on every voxel. To interpret the results more easily, t-values were transformed to the standard Gaussian distribution (Z-score). All the subjects carried out the activation and control tests successfully. Average rate of correct answers was 95%. The numbers of activated blobs were 4 for verbal memory I, 9 for verbal memory II, 9 for visual memory, and 6 for conjunctive activation of these three tasks. The verbal working memory activates predominantly left-sided structures, and the visual memory activates the right hemisphere. We conclude that rCBF PET imaging and statistical parametric mapping method were useful in the localization of the brain regions for verbal and visual working memory

Deep brain stimulation, brain maps and personalized medicine: lessons from the human genome project.

Science.gov (United States)

Fins, Joseph J; Shapiro, Zachary E

2014-01-01

Although the appellation of personalized medicine is generally attributed to advanced therapeutics in molecular medicine, deep brain stimulation (DBS) can also be so categorized. Like its medical counterpart, DBS is a highly personalized intervention that needs to be tailored to a patient's individual anatomy. And because of this, DBS like more conventional personalized medicine, can be highly specific where the object of care is an N = 1. But that is where the similarities end. Besides their differing medical and surgical provenances, these two varieties of personalized medicine have had strikingly different impacts. The molecular variant, though of a more recent vintage has thrived and is experiencing explosive growth, while DBS still struggles to find a sustainable therapeutic niche. Despite its promise, and success as a vetted treatment for drug resistant Parkinson's Disease, DBS has lagged in broadening its development, often encountering regulatory hurdles and financial barriers necessary to mount an adequate number of quality trials. In this paper we will consider why DBS-or better yet neuromodulation-has encountered these challenges and contrast this experience with the more successful advance of personalized medicine. We will suggest that personalized medicine and DBS's differential performance can be explained as a matter of timing and complexity. We believe that DBS has struggled because it has been a journey of scientific exploration conducted without a map. In contrast to molecular personalized medicine which followed the mapping of the human genome and the Human Genome Project, DBS preceded plans for the mapping of the human brain. We believe that this sequence has given personalized medicine a distinct advantage and that the fullest potential of DBS will be realized both as a cartographical or electrophysiological probe and as a modality of personalized medicine.

In vivo mapping of brain myo-inositol.

Science.gov (United States)

Haris, Mohammad; Cai, Kejia; Singh, Anup; Hariharan, Hari; Reddy, Ravinder

2011-02-01

Myo-Inositol (MI) is one of the most abundant metabolites in the human brain located mainly in glial cells and functions as an osmolyte. The concentration of MI is altered in many brain disorders including Alzheimer's disease and brain tumors. Currently available magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) methods for measuring MI are limited to low spatial resolution. Here, we demonstrate that the hydroxyl protons on MI exhibit chemical exchange with bulk water and saturation of these protons leads to reduction in bulk water signal through a mechanism known as chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST). The hydroxyl proton exchange rate (k=600 s(-1)) is determined to be in the slow to intermediate exchange regime on the NMR time scale (chemical shift (∆ω)>k), suggesting that the CEST effect of MI (MICEST) can be imaged at high fields such as 7 T (∆ω=1.2×10(3)rad/s) and 9.4 T (∆ω=1.6×10(3) rad/s). Using optimized imaging parameters, concentration dependent broad CEST asymmetry between ~0.2 and 1.5 ppm with a peak at ~0.6 ppm from bulk water was observed. Further, it is demonstrated that MICEST detection is feasible in the human brain at ultra high fields (7 T) without exceeding the allowed limits on radiofrequency specific absorption rate. Results from healthy human volunteers (N=5) showed significantly higher (p=0.03) MICEST effect from white matter (5.2±0.5%) compared to gray matter (4.3±0.5%). The mean coefficient of variations for intra-subject MICEST contrast in WM and GM were 0.49 and 0.58 respectively. Potential overlap of CEST signals from other brain metabolites with the observed MICEST map is discussed. This noninvasive approach potentially opens the way to image MI in vivo and to monitor its alteration in many disease conditions. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain-wide maps of Fos expression during fear learning and recall.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Jin-Hyung; Rendall, Sam D; Gray, Jesse M

2017-04-01

Fos induction during learning labels neuronal ensembles in the hippocampus that encode a specific physical environment, revealing a memory trace. In the cortex and other regions, the extent to which Fos induction during learning reveals specific sensory representations is unknown. Here we generate high-quality brain-wide maps of Fos mRNA expression during auditory fear conditioning and recall in the setting of the home cage. These maps reveal a brain-wide pattern of Fos induction that is remarkably similar among fear conditioning, shock-only, tone-only, and fear recall conditions, casting doubt on the idea that Fos reveals auditory-specific sensory representations. Indeed, novel auditory tones lead to as much gene induction in visual as in auditory cortex, while familiar (nonconditioned) tones do not appreciably induce Fos anywhere in the brain. Fos expression levels do not correlate with physical activity, suggesting that they are not determined by behavioral activity-driven alterations in sensory experience. In the thalamus, Fos is induced more prominently in limbic than in sensory relay nuclei, suggesting that Fos may be most sensitive to emotional state. Thus, our data suggest that Fos expression during simple associative learning labels ensembles activated generally by arousal rather than specifically by a particular sensory cue. © 2017 Cho et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Effect of steroid on brain tumors and surround edemas : observation with regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV) maps of perfusion MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Ju Youl; Sun, Joo Sung; Kim, Sun Yong; Kim, Ji Hyung; Suh, Jung Ho; Cho, Kyung Gi; Kim, Jang Sung

2000-01-01

To observe the hemodynamic change in brain tumors and peritumoral edemas after steroid treatment, and then investigate the clinical usefulness of perfusion MRI. We acquired conventional and perfusion MR images in 15 patients with various intracranial tumors (4 glioblastoma multiformes, 4 meningiomas, 3 metastatic tumors, 1 anaplastic ependymoma, 1 anaplastic astrocytoma, 1 hemangioblastoma, and 1 pilocytic astrocytoma). For perfusion MR imaging, a 1.5T unit employing the gradient-echo EPI technique was used, and further perfusion MR images were obtained 2-10 days after intravenous steroid therapy. After processing of the raw data, regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV) maps were reconstructed. The maps were visually evaluated by comparing relative perfusion in brain tumors and peritumoral edemas with that in contralateral white matter. Objective evaluations were performed by comparing the perfusion ratios of brain tumors and peritumoral edemas. Visual evaluations of rCBV maps, showed that in most brain tumors (67%, 10/15), perfusion was high before steroid treatment and showed in (80%, 12/15) decreased afterwards. Objective evaluation, showed that in all brain tumors, perfusion decreased. Visual evaluation of perfusion change in peritumoral edemas revealed change in only one case, but objective evaluation indicated that perfusion decreased significantly in all seven cases. rCBV maps acquired by perfusion MR imaging can provide hemodynamic information about brain tumors and peritumoral edemas. Such maps could prove helpful in the preoperative planning of brain tumor surgery and the monitoring of steroid effects during conservative treatment. (author)

Mapping human brain networks with cortico-cortical evoked potentials

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Keller, Corey J.; Honey, Christopher J.; Mégevand, Pierre; Entz, Laszlo; Ulbert, Istvan; Mehta, Ashesh D.

2014-01-01

The cerebral cortex forms a sheet of neurons organized into a network of interconnected modules that is highly expanded in humans and presumably enables our most refined sensory and cognitive abilities. The links of this network form a fundamental aspect of its organization, and a great deal of research is focusing on understanding how information flows within and between different regions. However, an often-overlooked element of this connectivity regards a causal, hierarchical structure of regions, whereby certain nodes of the cortical network may exert greater influence over the others. While this is difficult to ascertain non-invasively, patients undergoing invasive electrode monitoring for epilepsy provide a unique window into this aspect of cortical organization. In this review, we highlight the potential for cortico-cortical evoked potential (CCEP) mapping to directly measure neuronal propagation across large-scale brain networks with spatio-temporal resolution that is superior to traditional neuroimaging methods. We first introduce effective connectivity and discuss the mechanisms underlying CCEP generation. Next, we highlight how CCEP mapping has begun to provide insight into the neural basis of non-invasive imaging signals. Finally, we present a novel approach to perturbing and measuring brain network function during cognitive processing. The direct measurement of CCEPs in response to electrical stimulation represents a potentially powerful clinical and basic science tool for probing the large-scale networks of the human cerebral cortex. PMID:25180306

Mapping Cortical Laminar Structure in the 3D BigBrain.

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Wagstyl, Konrad; Lepage, Claude; Bludau, Sebastian; Zilles, Karl; Fletcher, Paul C; Amunts, Katrin; Evans, Alan C

2018-07-01

Histological sections offer high spatial resolution to examine laminar architecture of the human cerebral cortex; however, they are restricted by being 2D, hence only regions with sufficiently optimal cutting planes can be analyzed. Conversely, noninvasive neuroimaging approaches are whole brain but have relatively low resolution. Consequently, correct 3D cross-cortical patterns of laminar architecture have never been mapped in histological sections. We developed an automated technique to identify and analyze laminar structure within the high-resolution 3D histological BigBrain. We extracted white matter and pial surfaces, from which we derived histologically verified surfaces at the layer I/II boundary and within layer IV. Layer IV depth was strongly predicted by cortical curvature but varied between areas. This fully automated 3D laminar analysis is an important requirement for bridging high-resolution 2D cytoarchitecture and in vivo 3D neuroimaging. It lays the foundation for in-depth, whole-brain analyses of cortical layering.

Fast T1 mapping of the brain at high field using Look-Locker and fast imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Ke; Zhu, Yanjie; Jia, Sen; Wu, Yin; Liu, Xin; Chung, Yiu-Cho

2017-02-01

This study aims to develop and evaluate a new method for fast high resolution T1 mapping of the brain based on the Look-Locker technique. Single-shot turboflash sequence with high temporal acceleration is used to sample the recovery of inverted magnetization. Multi-slice interleaved acquisition within one inversion slab is used to reduce the number of inversion pulses and hence SAR. Accuracy of the proposed method was studied using simulation and validated in phantoms. It was then evaluated in healthy volunteers and stroke patients. In-vivo results were compared to values obtained by inversion recovery fast spin echo (IR-FSE) and literatures. With the new method, T 1 values in phantom experiments agreed with reference values with median error map was acquired in 3.35s and the T1 maps of the whole brain were acquired in 2min with two-slice interleaving, with a spatial resolution of 1.1×1.1×4mm 3 . The T 1 values obtained were comparable to those measured with IR-FSE and those reported in literatures. These results demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed method for fast T1 mapping of the brain in both healthy volunteers and stroke patients at 3T. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mapping of brain lipid binding protein (Blbp) in the brain of adult zebrafish, co-expression with aromatase B and links with proliferation.

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Diotel, Nicolas; Vaillant, Colette; Kah, Olivier; Pellegrini, Elisabeth

2016-01-01

Adult fish exhibit a strong neurogenic capacity due to the persistence of radial glial cells. In zebrafish, radial glial cells display well-established markers such as the estrogen-synthesizing enzyme (AroB) and the brain lipid binding protein (Blbp), which is known to strongly bind omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). While Blpb is mainly described in the telencephalon of adult zebrafish, its expression in the remaining regions of the brain is poorly documented. The present study was designed to further investigate Blbp expression in the brain, its co-expression with AroB, and its link with radial glial cells proliferation in zebrafish. We generated a complete and detailed mapping of Blbp expression in the whole brain and show its complete co-expression with AroB, except in some tectal and hypothalamic regions. By performing PCNA and Blbp immunohistochemistry on cyp19a1b-GFP (AroB-GFP) fish, we also demonstrated preferential Blbp expression in proliferative radial glial cells in almost all regions studied. To our knowledge, this is the first complete and detailed mapping of Blbp-expressing cells showing strong association between Blbp and radial glial cell proliferation in the adult brain of fish. Given that zebrafish is now recognized models for studying neurogenesis and brain repair, our data provide detailed characterization of Blbp in the entire brain and open up a broad field of research investigating the role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in neural stem cell activity in fish. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mapping of brain function with positron emission tomography for pathophysiological analysis of neurological disorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nariai, Tadashi

2001-01-01

The role of PET is discussed mainly through author's clinical experience in patients with brain lesions from the view of mapping of brain function. Procedure for PET concept in clinical practice is summarized. PET using tracers like [ 15 O]water and [ 18 F]fluorodeoxyglucose for mapping of the function has been used in combination with MRI, MEG (magnetoencephalography), SPECT and other imaging means for morphological identification. Actual those images before and after surgery are presented in cases of epilepsy, moyamoya disease, stegnosis of cervical artery, arteriovenous malformation and oligodendroglioma. Images of [ 11 C]flumazenil in epilepsies are also presented to show the neurological dysfunctions. PET evaluation of neurological functions is concluded to become more important in parallel with the advancement of therapeutics. (K.H.)

Brain-wide Maps Reveal Stereotyped Cell-Type-Based Cortical Architecture and Subcortical Sexual Dimorphism.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yongsoo; Yang, Guangyu Robert; Pradhan, Kith; Venkataraju, Kannan Umadevi; Bota, Mihail; García Del Molino, Luis Carlos; Fitzgerald, Greg; Ram, Keerthi; He, Miao; Levine, Jesse Maurica; Mitra, Partha; Huang, Z Josh; Wang, Xiao-Jing; Osten, Pavel

2017-10-05

The stereotyped features of neuronal circuits are those most likely to explain the remarkable capacity of the brain to process information and govern behaviors, yet it has not been possible to comprehensively quantify neuronal distributions across animals or genders due to the size and complexity of the mammalian brain. Here we apply our quantitative brain-wide (qBrain) mapping platform to document the stereotyped distributions of mainly inhibitory cell types. We discover an unexpected cortical organizing principle: sensory-motor areas are dominated by output-modulating parvalbumin-positive interneurons, whereas association, including frontal, areas are dominated by input-modulating somatostatin-positive interneurons. Furthermore, we identify local cell type distributions with more cells in the female brain in 10 out of 11 sexually dimorphic subcortical areas, in contrast to the overall larger brains in males. The qBrain resource can be further mined to link stereotyped aspects of neuronal distributions to known and unknown functions of diverse brain regions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Elemental mapping and quantitative analysis of Cu, Zn, and Fe in rat brain sections by laser ablation ICP-MS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jackson, Brian [Dartmouth College, Departments of Earth Sciences and Chemistry, Hanover, NH (United States); Harper, Steve [University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, SC (United States); Smith, Laura; Flinn, Jane [George Mason University, Department of Psychology, Fairfax, VA (United States)

2006-02-15

This report details the application of laser ablation quadrupole ICP-MS for the (multi)elemental mapping of 100-{mu}m-thick sections of rat brain. The laser spot size used was 60 {mu}m, and the laser scan speed was 120 {mu}m s{sup -1}. The analysis was relatively rapid, allowing mapping of a whole brain thin section ({approx}1 cm{sup 2}) in about 2 h. Furthermore, the method was amenable to multi-element data collection including the physiologically important elements P and S and afforded sub {mu}g g{sup -1} detection limits for the important trace elements Cu and Zn. Calibrations were performed with pressed pellets of biological certified reference materials, and the elemental distributions and concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Fe were determined in whole rat brain sections. The distributions and concentration ranges for these elements were consistent with previous studies and demonstrate the utility of this technique for rapid mapping of brain thin sections. (orig.)

The difference between electrical microstimulation and direct electrical stimulation - towards new opportunities for innovative functional brain mapping?

Science.gov (United States)

Vincent, Marion; Rossel, Olivier; Hayashibe, Mitsuhiro; Herbet, Guillaume; Duffau, Hugues; Guiraud, David; Bonnetblanc, François

2016-04-01

Both electrical microstimulation (EMS) and direct electrical stimulation (DES) of the brain are used to perform functional brain mapping. EMS is applied to animal fundamental neuroscience experiments, whereas DES is performed in the operating theatre on neurosurgery patients. The objective of the present review was to shed new light on electrical stimulation techniques in brain mapping by comparing EMS and DES. There is much controversy as to whether the use of DES during wide-awake surgery is the 'gold standard' for studying the brain function. As part of this debate, it is sometimes wrongly assumed that EMS and DES induce similar effects in the nervous tissues and have comparable behavioural consequences. In fact, the respective stimulation parameters in EMS and DES are clearly different. More surprisingly, there is no solid biophysical rationale for setting the stimulation parameters in EMS and DES; this may be due to historical, methodological and technical constraints that have limited the experimental protocols and prompted the use of empirical methods. In contrast, the gap between EMS and DES highlights the potential for new experimental paradigms in electrical stimulation for functional brain mapping. In view of this gap and recent technical developments in stimulator design, it may now be time to move towards alternative, innovative protocols based on the functional stimulation of peripheral nerves (for which a more solid theoretical grounding exists).

Giant magnons under NS-NS and Melvin fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, W.-H.

2006-01-01

The giant magnon is a rotating spiky string configuration which has the same dispersion relation between the energy and angular momentum as that of a spin magnon. In this paper we investigate the effects of the NS-NS and Melvin fields on the giant magnon. We first analyze the energy and angular momenta of the two-spin spiky D-string moving on the AdS 3 x S 1 with the NS-NS field. Due to the infinite boundary of the AdS spacetime the D-string solution will extend to infinity and it appears the divergences. After adding the counter terms we obtain the dispersion relation of the corresponding giant magnon. The result shows that there will appear a prefactor before the angular momentum, in addition to some corrections in the sine function. We also see that the spiky profile of a rotating D-string plays an important role in mapping it to a spin magnon. We next investigate the energy and angular momentum of the one-spin spiky fundamental string moving on the R x S 2 with the electric or magnetic Melvin field. The dispersion relation of the corresponding deformed giant magnon is also obtained. We discuss some properties of the correction terms and their relations to the spin chain with deformations

Rapid and minimum invasive functional brain mapping by real-time visualization of high gamma activity during awake craniotomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogawa, Hiroshi; Kamada, Kyousuke; Kapeller, Christoph; Hiroshima, Satoru; Prueckl, Robert; Guger, Christoph

2014-11-01

Electrocortical stimulation (ECS) is the gold standard for functional brain mapping during an awake craniotomy. The critical issue is to set aside enough time to identify eloquent cortices by ECS. High gamma activity (HGA) ranging between 80 and 120 Hz on electrocorticogram is assumed to reflect localized cortical processing. In this report, we used real-time HGA mapping and functional neuronavigation integrated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for rapid and reliable identification of motor and language functions. Four patients with intra-axial tumors in their dominant hemisphere underwent preoperative fMRI and lesion resection with an awake craniotomy. All patients showed significant fMRI activation evoked by motor and language tasks. During the craniotomy, we recorded electrocorticogram activity by placing subdural grids directly on the exposed brain surface. Each patient performed motor and language tasks and demonstrated real-time HGA dynamics in hand motor areas and parts of the inferior frontal gyrus. Sensitivity and specificity of HGA mapping were 100% compared with ECS mapping in the frontal lobe, which suggested HGA mapping precisely indicated eloquent cortices. We found different HGA dynamics of language tasks in frontal and temporal regions. Specificities of the motor and language-fMRI did not reach 85%. The results of HGA mapping was mostly consistent with those of ECS mapping, although fMRI tended to overestimate functional areas. This novel technique enables rapid and accurate identification of motor and frontal language areas. Furthermore, real-time HGA mapping sheds light on underlying physiological mechanisms related to human brain functions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mapping oxygen concentration in the awake mouse brain

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Lyons, Declan G; Parpaleix, Alexandre; Roche, Morgane; Charpak, Serge

2016-01-01

Although critical for brain function, the physiological values of cerebral oxygen concentration have remained elusive because high-resolution measurements have only been performed during anesthesia, which affects two major parameters modulating tissue oxygenation: neuronal activity and blood flow. Using measurements of capillary erythrocyte-associated transients, fluctuations of oxygen partial pressure (Po2) associated with individual erythrocytes, to infer Po2 in the nearby neuropil, we report the first non-invasive micron-scale mapping of cerebral Po2 in awake, resting mice. Interstitial Po2 has similar values in the olfactory bulb glomerular layer and the somatosensory cortex, whereas there are large capillary hematocrit and erythrocyte flux differences. Awake tissue Po2 is about half that under isoflurane anesthesia, and within the cortex, vascular and interstitial Po2 values display layer-specific differences which dramatically contrast with those recorded under anesthesia. Our findings emphasize the importance of measuring energy parameters non-invasively in physiological conditions to precisely quantify and model brain metabolism. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12024.001 PMID:26836304

[Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging of brain iron deposition: comparison between quantitative susceptibility mapping and transverse relaxation rate (R2*) mapping].

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Ji-Jing; Feng, Yan-Qiu

2018-03-20

To evaluate the accuracy and sensitivity of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and transverse relaxation rate (R2*) mapping in the measurement of brain iron deposition. Super paramagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) phantoms and mouse models of Parkinson's disease (PD) related to iron deposition in the substantia nigra (SN) underwent 7.0 T magnetic resonance (MR) scans (Bruker, 70/16) with a multi-echo 3D gradient echo sequence, and the acquired data were processed to obtain QSM and R2*. Linear regression analysis was performed for susceptibility and R2* in the SPIO phantoms containing 5 SPIO concentrations (30, 15, 7.5, 3.75 and 1.875 µg/mL) to evaluate the accuracy of QSM and R2* in quantitative iron analysis. The sensitivities of QSM and R2* mapping in quantitative detection of brain iron deposition were assessed using mouse models of PD induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahy-dropyridine (MPTP) in comparison with the control mice. In SPIO phantoms, QSM provided a higher accuracy than R2* mapping and their goodness-of-fit coefficients (R 2 ) were 0.98 and 0.89, respectively. In the mouse models of PD and control mice, the susceptibility of the SN was significantly higher in the PD models (5.19∓1.58 vs 2.98∓0.88, n=5; Pbrain iron deposition than R2*, and the susceptibility derived by QSM can be a potentially useful biomarker for studying PD.

Function-specific and Enhanced Brain Structural Connectivity Mapping via Joint Modeling of Diffusion and Functional MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Shu-Hsien; Parhi, Keshab K; Lenglet, Christophe

2018-03-16

A joint structural-functional brain network model is presented, which enables the discovery of function-specific brain circuits, and recovers structural connections that are under-estimated by diffusion MRI (dMRI). Incorporating information from functional MRI (fMRI) into diffusion MRI to estimate brain circuits is a challenging task. Usually, seed regions for tractography are selected from fMRI activation maps to extract the white matter pathways of interest. The proposed method jointly analyzes whole brain dMRI and fMRI data, allowing the estimation of complete function-specific structural networks instead of interactively investigating the connectivity of individual cortical/sub-cortical areas. Additionally, tractography techniques are prone to limitations, which can result in erroneous pathways. The proposed framework explicitly models the interactions between structural and functional connectivity measures thereby improving anatomical circuit estimation. Results on Human Connectome Project (HCP) data demonstrate the benefits of the approach by successfully identifying function-specific anatomical circuits, such as the language and resting-state networks. In contrast to correlation-based or independent component analysis (ICA) functional connectivity mapping, detailed anatomical connectivity patterns are revealed for each functional module. Results on a phantom (Fibercup) also indicate improvements in structural connectivity mapping by rejecting false-positive connections with insufficient support from fMRI, and enhancing under-estimated connectivity with strong functional correlation.

Remote measurement of canopy water content in giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) during drought

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Roberta E.; Asner, Gregory P.; Francis, Emily; Ambrose, Anthony; Baxter, Wendy; Das, Adrian J.; Vaughn, Nicolas R.; Paz-Kagan, Tarin; Dawson, Todd E.; Nydick, Koren R.; Stephenson, Nathan L.

2018-01-01

California experienced severe drought from 2012 to 2016, and there were visible changes in the forest canopy throughout the State. In 2014, unprecedented foliage dieback was recorded in giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) trees in Sequoia National Park, in the southern California Sierra Nevada mountains. Although visible changes in sequoia canopies can be recorded, biochemical and physiological responses to drought stress in giant sequoia canopies are not well understood. Ground-based measurements provide insight into the mechanisms of drought responses in trees, but are often limited to few individuals, especially in trees of tall stature such as giant sequoia. Recent studies demonstrate that remotely measured forest canopy water content (CWC) is a general indicator of canopy response to drought, but the underpinning leaf- to canopy-level causes of observed variation in CWC remain poorly understood. We combined field and airborne remote sensing measurements taken in 2015 and 2016 to assess the biophysical responses of giant sequoias to drought. In 49 study trees, CWC was related to leaf water potential, but not to the other foliar traits, suggesting that changes in CWC were made at whole-canopy rather than leaf scales. We found a non-random, spatially varying pattern in mapped CWC, with lower CWC values at lower elevation and along the outer edges of the groves. This pattern was also observed in empirical measurements of foliage dieback from the ground, and in mapped CWC across multiple sequoia groves in this region, supporting the hypothesis that drought stress is expressed in canopy-level changes in giant sequoias. The fact that we can clearly detect a relationship between CWC and foliage dieback, even without taking into account prior variability or new leaf growth, strongly suggests that remotely sensed CWC, and changes in CWC, are a useful measure of water stress in giant sequoia, and valuable for assessing and managing these iconic forests in drought.

Predictive Brain Mechanisms in Sound-to-Meaning Mapping during Speech Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Bingjiang; Ge, Jianqiao; Niu, Zhendong; Tan, Li Hai; Gao, Jia-Hong

2016-10-19

Spoken language comprehension relies not only on the identification of individual words, but also on the expectations arising from contextual information. A distributed frontotemporal network is known to facilitate the mapping of speech sounds onto their corresponding meanings. However, how prior expectations influence this efficient mapping at the neuroanatomical level, especially in terms of individual words, remains unclear. Using fMRI, we addressed this question in the framework of the dual-stream model by scanning native speakers of Mandarin Chinese, a language highly dependent on context. We found that, within the ventral pathway, the violated expectations elicited stronger activations in the left anterior superior temporal gyrus and the ventral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) for the phonological-semantic prediction of spoken words. Functional connectivity analysis showed that expectations were mediated by both top-down modulation from the left ventral IFG to the anterior temporal regions and enhanced cross-stream integration through strengthened connections between different subregions of the left IFG. By further investigating the dynamic causality within the dual-stream model, we elucidated how the human brain accomplishes sound-to-meaning mapping for words in a predictive manner. In daily communication via spoken language, one of the core processes is understanding the words being used. Effortless and efficient information exchange via speech relies not only on the identification of individual spoken words, but also on the contextual information giving rise to expected meanings. Despite the accumulating evidence for the bottom-up perception of auditory input, it is still not fully understood how the top-down modulation is achieved in the extensive frontotemporal cortical network. Here, we provide a comprehensive description of the neural substrates underlying sound-to-meaning mapping and demonstrate how the dual-stream model functions in the modulation of

Intra-operative multi-site stimulation: Expanding methodology for cortical brain mapping of language functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonen, Tal; Gazit, Tomer; Korn, Akiva; Kirschner, Adi; Perry, Daniella; Hendler, Talma; Ram, Zvi

2017-01-01

Direct cortical stimulation (DCS) is considered the gold-standard for functional cortical mapping during awake surgery for brain tumor resection. DCS is performed by stimulating one local cortical area at a time. We present a feasibility study using an intra-operative technique aimed at improving our ability to map brain functions which rely on activity in distributed cortical regions. Following standard DCS, Multi-Site Stimulation (MSS) was performed in 15 patients by applying simultaneous cortical stimulations at multiple locations. Language functioning was chosen as a case-cognitive domain due to its relatively well-known cortical organization. MSS, performed at sites that did not produce disruption when applied in a single stimulation point, revealed additional language dysfunction in 73% of the patients. Functional regions identified by this technique were presumed to be significant to language circuitry and were spared during surgery. No new neurological deficits were observed in any of the patients following surgery. Though the neuro-electrical effects of MSS need further investigation, this feasibility study may provide a first step towards sophistication of intra-operative cortical mapping.

Comparative neuroimaging in children with cerebral palsy using fMRI and a novel EEG-based brain mapping during a motor task--a preliminary investigation.

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Lee, Jae Jin; Lee, Dong Ryul; Shin, Yoon Kyum; Lee, Nam Gi; Han, Bong S; You, Sung Joshua Hyun

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare topographical maps using a novel EEG-based brain mapping system with fMRI in normal and children with cerebral palsy (CP) during a grasping motor task. A normal child (mean ± SD = 13 ± 0 yrs) and four children with CP (mean ± SD = 10.25 ± 2.86 yrs) were recruited from a local community school and medical center. A novel EEG-based brain mapping system with 30 scalp sites (an extension of the 10-20 system) and a 3T MR scanner were used to observe cortical activation patterns during a grasping motor task. Descriptive analysis. In the EEG brain mapping data, the sensorimotor cortex (SMC) and inferior parietal cortex (IPC) were activated in all of the children. The children with CP showed additional activation areas in the premotor cortex (PMC), superior parietal cortex (SPC), and prefrontal cortex (PFC). In the fMRI brain mapping data, SMC activation was observed in all of the children, and the children with CP showed additional activation areas in the PMC and primary somatosensory cortex (PSC). The EEG-based topographical maps were equivalent to the maps obtained from fMRI during the grasping motor task. The results indicate that our novel EEG-based brain mapping system is useful for probing cortical activation patterns in normal children and children with CP.

T1 mapping of the mouse brain following fractionated manganese administration using MP2RAGE.

Science.gov (United States)

Driencourt, Luc; Romero, Carola Jacqueline; Lepore, Mario; Eggenschwiler, Florent; Reynaud, Olivier; Just, Nathalie

2017-01-01

With the increasing development of transgenic mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases allowing improved understanding of the underlying mechanisms of these disorders, robust quantitative mapping techniques are also needed in rodents. MP2RAGE has shown great potential for structural imaging in humans at high fields. In the present work, MP2RAGE was successfully implemented at 9.4T and 14.1T. Following fractionated injections of MnCl 2 , MP2RAGE images were acquired allowing simultaneous depiction and T 1 mapping of structures in the mouse brain at both fields. In addition, T 1 maps demonstrated significant T 1 shortenings in different structures of the mouse brain (p < 0.0008 at 9.4T, p < 0.000001 at 14.1T). T 1 values recovered to the levels of saline-injected animals 1 month after the last injection except in the pituitary gland. We believe that MP2RAGE represents an important prospective translational tool for further structural MRI.

Diffusion tensor trace mapping in normal adult brain using single-shot EPI technique: A methodological study of the aging brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Z.G.; Hindmarsh, T.; Li, T.Q.

2001-01-01

Purpose: To quantify age-related changes of the average diffusion coefficient value in normal adult brain using orientation-independent diffusion tensor trace mapping and to address the methodological influences on diffusion quantification. Material and Methods: Fifty-four normal subjects (aged 20-79 years) were studied on a 1.5-T whole-body MR medical unit using a diffusion-weighted single-shot echo-planar imaging technique. Orientation-independent diffusion tensor trace maps were constructed for each subject using diffusion-weighted MR measurements in four different directions using a tetrahedral gradient combination pattern. The global average (including cerebral spinal fluid) and the tissue average of diffusion coefficients in adult brains were determined by analyzing the diffusion coefficient distribution histogram for the entire brain. Methodological influences on the measured diffusion coefficient were also investigated by comparing the results obtained using different experimental settings. Results: Both global and tissue averages of the diffusion coefficient are significantly correlated with age (p<0.03). The global average of the diffusion coefficient increases 3% per decade after the age of 40, whereas the increase in the tissue average of diffusion coefficient is about 1% per decade. Experimental settings for self-diffusion measurements, such as data acquisition methods and number of b-values, can slightly influence the statistical distribution histogram of the diffusion tensor trace and its average value. Conclusion: Increased average diffusion coefficient in adult brains with aging are consistent with findings regarding structural changes in the brain that have been associated with aging. The study also demonstrates that it is desirable to use the same experimental parameters for diffusion coefficient quantification when comparing between different subjects and groups of interest

Evolution of technetium-99m-HMPAO SPECT and brain mapping in a patient presenting with echolalia and palilalia.

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Dierckx, R A; Saerens, J; De Deyn, P P; Verslegers, W; Marien, P; Vandevivere, J

1991-08-01

A 78-yr-old woman presented with transient echolalia and palilalia. She had suffered from Parkinson's disease for 2 yr. Routine laboratory examination showed hypotonic hyponatremia, but was otherwise unremarkable. Brain mapping revealed a bifrontal delta focus, more pronounced on the right. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of the brain with technetium-99m labeled d,l hexamethylpropylene-amine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO), performed during the acute episode showed relative frontoparietal hypoactivity. Brain mapping performed after disappearance of the echolalia and palilalia, which persisted only for 1 day, was normal. By contrast, SPECT findings persisted for more than 3 wk. Features of particular interest in the presented patient are the extensive defects seen on brain SPECT despite the absence of morphologic lesions, the congruent electrophysiologic changes and their temporal relationship with the clinical evolution.

Technical Aspects of Awake Craniotomy with Mapping for Brain Tumors in a Limited Resource Setting.

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Leal, Rafael Teixeira Magalhaes; Barcellos, Bruno Mendonça; Landeiro, Jose Alberto

2018-05-01

Brain tumor surgery near or within eloquent regions is increasingly common and is associated with a high risk of neurologic injury. Awake craniotomy with mapping has been shown to be a valid method to preserve neurologic function and increase the extent of resection. However, the technique used varies greatly among centers. Most count on professionals such as neuropsychologists, speech therapists, neurophysiologists, or neurologists to help in intraoperative patient evaluation. We describe our technique with the sole participation of neurosurgeons and anesthesiologists. A retrospective review of 19 patients who underwent awake craniotomies for brain tumors between January 2013 and February 2017 at a tertiary university hospital was performed. We sought to identify and describe the most critical stages involved in this surgery as well as show the complications associated with our technique. Preoperative preparation, positioning, anesthesia, brain mapping, resection, and management of seizures and pain were stages deemed relevant to the accomplishment of an awake craniotomy. Sixteen percent of the patients developed new postoperative deficit. Seizures occurred in 24%. None led to awake craniotomy failure. We provide a thorough description of the technique used in awake craniotomies with mapping used in our institution, where the intraoperative patient evaluation is carried out solely by neurosurgeons and anesthesiologists. The absence of other specialized personnel and equipment does not necessarily preclude successful mapping during awake craniotomy. We hope to provide helpful information for those who wish to offer function-guided tumor resection in their own centers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mapping brain development during childhood, adolescence and young adulthood

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Guo, Xiaojuan; Jin, Zhen; Chen, Kewei; Peng, Danling; Li, Yao

2009-02-01

Using optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM), this study systematically investigated the differences and similarities of brain structural changes during the early three developmental periods of human lives: childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. These brain changes were discussed in relationship to the corresponding cognitive function development during these three periods. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data from 158 Chinese healthy children, adolescents and young adults, aged 7.26 to 22.80 years old, were included in this study. Using the customized brain template together with the gray matter/white matter/cerebrospinal fluid prior probability maps, we found that there were more age-related positive changes in the frontal lobe, less in hippocampus and amygdala during childhood, but more in bilateral hippocampus and amygdala and left fusiform gyrus during adolescence and young adulthood. There were more age-related negative changes near to central sulcus during childhood, but these changes extended to the frontal and parietal lobes, mainly in the parietal lobe, during adolescence and young adulthood, and more in the prefrontal lobe during young adulthood. So gray matter volume in the parietal lobe significantly decreased from childhood and continued to decrease till young adulthood. These findings may aid in understanding the age-related differences in cognitive function.

Automated, non-linear registration between 3-dimensional brain map and medical head image

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizuta, Shinobu; Urayama, Shin-ichi; Zoroofi, R.A.; Uyama, Chikao

1998-01-01

In this paper, we propose an automated, non-linear registration method between 3-dimensional medical head image and brain map in order to efficiently extract the regions of interest. In our method, input 3-dimensional image is registered into a reference image extracted from a brain map. The problems to be solved are automated, non-linear image matching procedure, and cost function which represents the similarity between two images. Non-linear matching is carried out by dividing the input image into connected partial regions, transforming the partial regions preserving connectivity among the adjacent images, evaluating the image similarity between the transformed regions of the input image and the correspondent regions of the reference image, and iteratively searching the optimal transformation of the partial regions. In order to measure the voxelwise similarity of multi-modal images, a cost function is introduced, which is based on the mutual information. Some experiments using MR images presented the effectiveness of the proposed method. (author)

Neural imaginaries and clinical epistemology: Rhetorically mapping the adolescent brain in the clinical encounter.

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Buchbinder, Mara

2015-10-01

The social work of brain images has taken center stage in recent theorizing of the intersections between neuroscience and society. However, neuroimaging is only one of the discursive modes through which public representations of neurobiology travel. This article adopts an expanded view toward the social implications of neuroscientific thinking to examine how neural imaginaries are constructed in the absence of visual evidence. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted over 18 months (2008-2009) in a United States multidisciplinary pediatric pain clinic, I examine the pragmatic clinical work undertaken to represent ambiguous symptoms in neurobiological form. Focusing on one physician, I illustrate how, by rhetorically mapping the brain as a therapeutic tool, she engaged in a distinctive form of representation that I call neural imagining. In shifting my focus away from the purely material dimensions of brain images, I juxtapose the cultural work of brain scanning technologies with clinical neural imaginaries in which the teenage brain becomes a space of possibility, not to map things as they are, but rather, things as we hope they might be. These neural imaginaries rely upon a distinctive clinical epistemology that privileges the creative work of the imagination over visualization technologies in revealing the truths of the body. By creating a therapeutic space for adolescents to exercise their imaginative faculties and a discursive template for doing so, neural imagining relocates adolescents' agency with respect to epistemologies of bodily knowledge and the role of visualization practices therein. In doing so, it provides a more hopeful alternative to the dominant popular and scientific representations of the teenage brain that view it primarily through the lens of pathology. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impact of preoperative language mapping by repetitive navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation on the clinical course of brain tumor patients.

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Sollmann, Nico; Ille, Sebastian; Hauck, Theresa; Maurer, Stefanie; Negwer, Chiara; Zimmer, Claus; Ringel, Florian; Meyer, Bernhard; Krieg, Sandro M

2015-04-11

Language mapping by repetitive navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is used for resection planning in patients suffering from brain lesions within regions known to be involved in language function. Yet we also need data that show whether patients benefit clinically from preoperative rTMS for language mapping. We enrolled 25 patients with language eloquently located brain lesions undergoing preoperative rTMS language mapping (GROUP 1, 2011-2013), with the mapping results not being available for the surgeon, and we matched these patients with 25 subjects who also underwent preoperative rTMS (GROUP 2, 2013-2014), but the mapping results were taken into account during tumor resection. Additionally, cortical language maps were generated by analyzing preoperative rTMS and intraoperative direct cortical stimulation (DCS) data. Mean anterior-posterior (ap) craniotomy extents and overall craniotomy sizes were significantly smaller for the patients in GROUP 2 (Ap: p = 0.0117; overall size: p = 0.0373), and postoperative language deficits were found significantly more frequently for the patients in GROUP 1 (p = 0.0153), although the preoperative language status did not differ between groups (p = 0.7576). Additionally, there was a trend towards fewer unexpected tumor residuals, shorter surgery duration, less peri- or postoperative complications, shorter inpatient stay, and higher postoperative Karnofsky performance status scale (KPS) for the patients in GROUP 2. The present study provides a first hint that the clinical course of patients suffering from brain tumors might be improved by preoperative rTMS language mapping. However, a significant difference between both groups was only found for craniotomy extents and postoperative deficits, but not for other clinical parameters, which only showed a trend toward better results in GROUP 2. Therefore, multicenter trials with higher sample sizes are needed to further investigate the distinct impact of r

Giant grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leitch-Devlin, M.A.; Millar, T.J.; Williams, D.A.

1976-01-01

Infrared observations of the Orion nebula have been interpreted by Rowan-Robinson (1975) to imply the existence of 'giant' grains, radius approximately 10 -2 cm, throughout a volume about a parsec in diameter. Although Rowan-Robinson's model of the nebula has been criticized and the presence of such grains in Orion is disputed, the proposition is accepted, that they exist, and in this paper situations in which giant grains could arise are examined. It is found that, while a giant-grain component to the interstellar grain density may exist, it is difficult to understand how giant grains arise to the extent apparently required by the Orion nebula model. (Auth.)

Mapping the regional influence of genetics on brain structure variability--a tensor-based morphometry study.

Science.gov (United States)

Brun, Caroline C; Leporé, Natasha; Pennec, Xavier; Lee, Agatha D; Barysheva, Marina; Madsen, Sarah K; Avedissian, Christina; Chou, Yi-Yu; de Zubicaray, Greig I; McMahon, Katie L; Wright, Margaret J; Toga, Arthur W; Thompson, Paul M

2009-10-15

Genetic and environmental factors influence brain structure and function profoundly. The search for heritable anatomical features and their influencing genes would be accelerated with detailed 3D maps showing the degree to which brain morphometry is genetically determined. As part of an MRI study that will scan 1150 twins, we applied Tensor-Based Morphometry to compute morphometric differences in 23 pairs of identical twins and 23 pairs of same-sex fraternal twins (mean age: 23.8+/-1.8 SD years). All 92 twins' 3D brain MRI scans were nonlinearly registered to a common space using a Riemannian fluid-based warping approach to compute volumetric differences across subjects. A multi-template method was used to improve volume quantification. Vector fields driving each subject's anatomy onto the common template were analyzed to create maps of local volumetric excesses and deficits relative to the standard template. Using a new structural equation modeling method, we computed the voxelwise proportion of variance in volumes attributable to additive (A) or dominant (D) genetic factors versus shared environmental (C) or unique environmental factors (E). The method was also applied to various anatomical regions of interest (ROIs). As hypothesized, the overall volumes of the brain, basal ganglia, thalamus, and each lobe were under strong genetic control; local white matter volumes were mostly controlled by common environment. After adjusting for individual differences in overall brain scale, genetic influences were still relatively high in the corpus callosum and in early-maturing brain regions such as the occipital lobes, while environmental influences were greater in frontal brain regions that have a more protracted maturational time-course.

Comparing registration methods for mapping brain change using tensor-based morphometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Yanovsky, Igor; Leow, Alex D; Lee, Suh; Osher, Stanley J; Thompson, Paul M

2009-10-01

Measures of brain changes can be computed from sequential MRI scans, providing valuable information on disease progression for neuroscientific studies and clinical trials. Tensor-based morphometry (TBM) creates maps of these brain changes, visualizing the 3D profile and rates of tissue growth or atrophy. In this paper, we examine the power of different nonrigid registration models to detect changes in TBM, and their stability when no real changes are present. Specifically, we investigate an asymmetric version of a recently proposed Unbiased registration method, using mutual information as the matching criterion. We compare matching functionals (sum of squared differences and mutual information), as well as large-deformation registration schemes (viscous fluid and inverse-consistent linear elastic registration methods versus Symmetric and Asymmetric Unbiased registration) for detecting changes in serial MRI scans of 10 elderly normal subjects and 10 patients with Alzheimer's Disease scanned at 2-week and 1-year intervals. We also analyzed registration results when matching images corrupted with artificial noise. We demonstrated that the unbiased methods, both symmetric and asymmetric, have higher reproducibility. The unbiased methods were also less likely to detect changes in the absence of any real physiological change. Moreover, they measured biological deformations more accurately by penalizing bias in the corresponding statistical maps.

Increased brain iron deposition is a risk factor for brain atrophy in patients with haemodialysis: a combined study of quantitative susceptibility mapping and whole brain volume analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chai, Chao; Zhang, Mengjie; Long, Miaomiao; Chu, Zhiqiang; Wang, Tong; Wang, Lijun; Guo, Yu; Yan, Shuo; Haacke, E Mark; Shen, Wen; Xia, Shuang

2015-08-01

To explore the correlation between increased brain iron deposition and brain atrophy in patients with haemodialysis and their correlation with clinical biomarkers and neuropsychological test. Forty two patients with haemodialysis and forty one age- and gender-matched healthy controls were recruited in this prospective study. 3D whole brain high resolution T1WI and susceptibility weighted imaging were scanned on a 3 T MRI system. The brain volume was analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in patients and to compare with that of healthy controls. Quantitative susceptibility mapping was used to measure and compare the susceptibility of different structures between patients and healthy controls. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the brain volume, iron deposition and neuropsychological scores. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to explore the effect of clinical biomarkers on the brain volumes in patients. Compared with healthy controls, patients with haemodialysis showed decreased volume of bilateral putamen and left insular lobe (All P brain iron deposition is negatively correlated with the decreased volume of bilateral putamen (P brain iron deposition and dialysis duration was risk factors for brain atrophy in patients with haemodialysis. The decreased gray matter volume of the left insular lobe was correlated with neurocognitive impairment.

Metabolic connectivity mapping reveals effective connectivity in the resting human brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Riedl, Valentin; Utz, Lukas; Castrillón, Gabriel; Grimmer, Timo; Rauschecker, Josef P; Ploner, Markus; Friston, Karl J; Drzezga, Alexander; Sorg, Christian

2016-01-12

Directionality of signaling among brain regions provides essential information about human cognition and disease states. Assessing such effective connectivity (EC) across brain states using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) alone has proven difficult, however. We propose a novel measure of EC, termed metabolic connectivity mapping (MCM), that integrates undirected functional connectivity (FC) with local energy metabolism from fMRI and positron emission tomography (PET) data acquired simultaneously. This method is based on the concept that most energy required for neuronal communication is consumed postsynaptically, i.e., at the target neurons. We investigated MCM and possible changes in EC within the physiological range using "eyes open" versus "eyes closed" conditions in healthy subjects. Independent of condition, MCM reliably detected stable and bidirectional communication between early and higher visual regions. Moreover, we found stable top-down signaling from a frontoparietal network including frontal eye fields. In contrast, we found additional top-down signaling from all major clusters of the salience network to early visual cortex only in the eyes open condition. MCM revealed consistent bidirectional and unidirectional signaling across the entire cortex, along with prominent changes in network interactions across two simple brain states. We propose MCM as a novel approach for inferring EC from neuronal energy metabolism that is ideally suited to study signaling hierarchies in the brain and their defects in brain disorders.

Metabolic mapping of the effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine on the brains of congenitally helpless rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Shumake, Jason; Colorado, Rene A; Barrett, Douglas W; Gonzalez-Lima, F

2010-07-09

Antidepressants require adaptive brain changes before efficacy is achieved, and they may impact the affectively disordered brain differently than the normal brain. We previously demonstrated metabolic disturbances in limbic and cortical regions of the congenitally helpless rat, a model of susceptibility to affective disorder, and we wished to test whether administration of fluoxetine would normalize these metabolic differences. Fluoxetine was chosen because it has become a first-line drug for the treatment of affective disorders. We hypothesized that fluoxetine antidepressant effects may be mediated by decreasing metabolism in the habenula and increasing metabolism in the ventral tegmental area. We measured the effects of fluoxetine on forced swim behavior and regional brain cytochrome oxidase activity in congenitally helpless rats treated for 2 weeks with fluoxetine (5mg/kg, i.p., daily). Fluoxetine reduced immobility in the forced swim test as anticipated, but congenitally helpless rats responded in an atypical manner, i.e., increasing climbing without affecting swimming. As hypothesized, fluoxetine reduced metabolism in the habenula and increased metabolism in the ventral tegmental area. In addition, fluoxetine reduced the metabolism of the hippocampal dentate gyrus and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. This study provided the first detailed mapping of the regional brain effects of an antidepressant drug in congenitally helpless rats. All of the effects were consistent with previous studies that have metabolically mapped the effects of serotonergic antidepressants in the normal rat brain, and were in the predicted direction of metabolic normalization of the congenitally helpless rat for all affected brain regions except the prefrontal cortex. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Giant cell glioblastoma in childhood - clinical case from our practice and literature survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marinova, L.; Hristozova, I.; Minkin, K.; Mihaylova, I.; Katzarov, D.

2015-01-01

We present a rare clinical case of brain tumor in childhood - giant cells glioblastoma- The disease was diagnosed in July 2014. Following an evidently total tumor excision, a course of chemotherapy with Vincristine, Vepesid and Cisplatine was applied followed by external beam radiotherapy of total dose 56 Gy. After 4 courses of chemotherapy (Vepesid, Cisplatine and Cyclophosphamide), on the regular MRI - performed in January 2015, local tumor recurrence was discovered requiring re-operation. A local progression of the disease was manifested after 6 courses chemotherapy (Temodal 100 mg 1 tablet daily for 5 days monthly) with increased intracranial pressure, followed by exitus letalis of the patient, 12 months after the diagnosis being made. A rarely met pathology subtype of giant cells glioblastoma in childhood was discussed, its typical MRI image, unfavorable prognosis and manifested radio- and chemo-resistance. Despite the complex treatment including total tumor excision, postoperative radiotherapy with radical irradiation dose and adjuvant chemotherapy the risk of local recurrences and tumor progression is high. With the help of this rarely diagnosed aggressive brain tumor in childhood, we present the need of optimization of the multidisciplinary treatment approach. (authors) Key words: Giant Cell Glioblastoma. Childhood. Surgery. Radiotherapy. Chemotherapy. Complex Treatment

From Brain Maps to Cognitive Ontologies: Informatics and the Search for Mental Structure.

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Poldrack, Russell A; Yarkoni, Tal

2016-01-01

A major goal of cognitive neuroscience is to delineate how brain systems give rise to mental function. Here we review the increasingly large role informatics-driven approaches are playing in such efforts. We begin by reviewing a number of challenges conventional neuroimaging approaches face in trying to delineate brain-cognition mappings--for example, the difficulty in establishing the specificity of postulated associations. Next, we demonstrate how these limitations can potentially be overcome using complementary approaches that emphasize large-scale analysis--including meta-analytic methods that synthesize hundreds or thousands of studies at a time; latent-variable approaches that seek to extract structure from data in a bottom-up manner; and predictive modeling approaches capable of quantitatively inferring mental states from patterns of brain activity. We highlight the underappreciated but critical role for formal cognitive ontologies in helping to clarify, refine, and test theories of brain and cognitive function. Finally, we conclude with a speculative discussion of what future informatics developments may hold for cognitive neuroscience.

99mTc-HMPAO perfusion indices and brain-mapping in stroke patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minchev, D.; Klisarova, A.

1997-01-01

It is the purpose of the study to establish correlations between 99mTc-HMPAO (hexamethylpropylenaminoxym) perfusion indices and changes in brain-mapping among patients with acute stroke. Forty-six patients with definitely proved stroke syndrome are investigated in the first 72 hours and 15 days after the onset of cerebrovascular accident using clinical, neuro-physiological and 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT methods. Regional and hemispheric perfusion asymmetry correlate with the brain-mapping cerebral disturbance (p < 0.001). In patients presenting focal hypoperfusion there is a significant correlation between perfusion indices and local EEG disturbance (r = 0.87). The dynamic study demonstrates a significant correlation between perfusion indices and electrical cerebral disturbance in the first 72 hours after the onset of the cerebrovascular accident. Fifteen days later no such correlation is documented. The obtained results demonstrate the essential practical bearing of 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT indices on the objective assessment of perfusion hemispheric and regional asymmetry in stroke patients, and the possibility of being used for indirect estimation of the regional cerebral blood flow in acute stroke patients against the background of visual and quantitative EEG changes (author)

Seventh Graders' Academic Achievement, Creativity, and Ability to Construct a Cross-Domain Concept Map--A Brain Function Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Yu-Chu

2004-01-01

This study proposes an interactive model of "cross-domain" concept mapping with an emphasis on brain functions, and it further investigates the relationships between academic achievement, creative thinking, and cross-domain concept mapping. Sixty-nine seventh graders participated in this study which employed two 50-minute instructional…

Fast periodic stimulation (FPS): a highly effective approach in fMRI brain mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Xiaoqing; Gentile, Francesco; Rossion, Bruno

2018-03-03

Defining the neural basis of perceptual categorization in a rapidly changing natural environment with low-temporal resolution methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is challenging. Here, we present a novel fast periodic stimulation (FPS)-fMRI approach to define face-selective brain regions with natural images. Human observers are presented with a dynamic stream of widely variable natural object images alternating at a fast rate (6 images/s). Every 9 s, a short burst of variable face images contrasting with object images in pairs induces an objective face-selective neural response at 0.111 Hz. A model-free Fourier analysis achieves a twofold increase in signal-to-noise ratio compared to a conventional block-design approach with identical stimuli and scanning duration, allowing to derive a comprehensive map of face-selective areas in the ventral occipito-temporal cortex, including the anterior temporal lobe (ATL), in all individual brains. Critically, periodicity of the desired category contrast and random variability among widely diverse images effectively eliminates the contribution of low-level visual cues, and lead to the highest values (80-90%) of test-retest reliability in the spatial activation map yet reported in imaging higher level visual functions. FPS-fMRI opens a new avenue for understanding brain function with low-temporal resolution methods.

High and ultra-high resolution metabolite mapping of the human brain using 1H FID MRSI at 9.4T.

Science.gov (United States)

Nassirpour, Sahar; Chang, Paul; Henning, Anke

2018-03-01

Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) is a promising technique for mapping the spatial distribution of multiple metabolites in the human brain. These metabolite maps can be used as a diagnostic tool to gain insight into several biochemical processes and diseases in the brain. In comparison to lower field strengths, MRSI at ultra-high field strengths benefits from a higher signal to noise ratio (SNR) as well as higher chemical shift dispersion, and hence spectral resolution. This study combines the benefits of an ultra-high field magnet with the advantages of an ultra-short TE and TR single-slice FID-MRSI sequence (such as negligible J-evolution and loss of SNR due to T 2 relaxation effects) and presents the first metabolite maps acquired at 9.4T in the healthy human brain at both high (voxel size of 97.6µL) and ultra-high (voxel size of 24.4µL) spatial resolutions in a scan time of 11 and 46min respectively. In comparison to lower field strengths, more anatomically-detailed maps with higher SNR from a larger number of metabolites are shown. A total of 12 metabolites including glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln), N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (NAAG), Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutathione (GSH) are reliably mapped. Comprehensive description of the methodology behind these maps is provided. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain SPECT analysis using statistical parametric mapping in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder

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Kim, Euy Neyng; Sohn, Hyung Sun; Kim, Sung Hoon; Chung, Soo Kyo; Yang, Dong Won [College of Medicine, The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2001-07-01

This study investigated alterations in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using statistical parametric mapping (SPM99). Noninvasive rCBF measurements using {sup 99m}Tc-ethyl cysteinate dimer (ECD) SPECT were performed on 23 patients with PTSD and 21 age matched normal controls without re-exposure to accident-related stimuli. The relative rCBF maps in patients with PTSD and controls were compared. In patients with PTSD, significant increased rCBF was found along the limbic system in the brain. There were a few foci of decreased rCBF in the superior frontal gyrus, parietal and temporal region. PTSD is associated with increased rCBF in limbic areas compared with age-matched normal controls. These findings implicate regions of the limbic brain, which may mediate the response to aversive stimuli in healthy individuals, play on important role in patients suffering from PTSD and suggest that ongoing hyperfunction of 'overlearned survival response' or flashbacks response in these regions after painful, life threatening, or horrifying events without re-exposure to same traumatic stimulus.

Brain SPECT analysis using statistical parametric mapping in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Euy Neyng; Sohn, Hyung Sun; Kim, Sung Hoon; Chung, Soo Kyo; Yang, Dong Won

2001-01-01

This study investigated alterations in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using statistical parametric mapping (SPM99). Noninvasive rCBF measurements using 99m Tc-ethyl cysteinate dimer (ECD) SPECT were performed on 23 patients with PTSD and 21 age matched normal controls without re-exposure to accident-related stimuli. The relative rCBF maps in patients with PTSD and controls were compared. In patients with PTSD, significant increased rCBF was found along the limbic system in the brain. There were a few foci of decreased rCBF in the superior frontal gyrus, parietal and temporal region. PTSD is associated with increased rCBF in limbic areas compared with age-matched normal controls. These findings implicate regions of the limbic brain, which may mediate the response to aversive stimuli in healthy individuals, play on important role in patients suffering from PTSD and suggest that ongoing hyperfunction of 'overlearned survival response' or flashbacks response in these regions after painful, life threatening, or horrifying events without re-exposure to same traumatic stimulus

Whole brain MP2RAGE-based mapping of the longitudinal relaxation time at 9.4T.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagberg, G E; Bause, J; Ethofer, T; Ehses, P; Dresler, T; Herbert, C; Pohmann, R; Shajan, G; Fallgatter, A; Pavlova, M A; Scheffler, K

2017-01-01

Mapping of the longitudinal relaxation time (T 1 ) with high accuracy and precision is central for neuroscientific and clinical research, since it opens up the possibility to obtain accurate brain tissue segmentation and gain myelin-related information. An ideal, quantitative method should enable whole brain coverage within a limited scan time yet allow for detailed sampling with sub-millimeter voxel sizes. The use of ultra-high magnetic fields is well suited for this purpose, however the inhomogeneous transmit field potentially hampers its use. In the present work, we conducted whole brain T 1 mapping based on the MP2RAGE sequence at 9.4T and explored potential pitfalls for automated tissue classification compared with 3T. Data accuracy and T 2 -dependent variation of the adiabatic inversion efficiency were investigated by single slice T 1 mapping with inversion recovery EPI measurements, quantitative T 2 mapping using multi-echo techniques and simulations of the Bloch equations. We found that the prominent spatial variation of the transmit field at 9.4T (yielding flip angles between 20% and 180% of nominal values) profoundly affected the result of image segmentation and T 1 mapping. These effects could be mitigated by correcting for both flip angle and inversion efficiency deviations. Based on the corrected T 1 maps, new, 'flattened', MP2RAGE contrast images were generated, that were no longer affected by variations of the transmit field. Unlike the uncorrected MP2RAGE contrast images acquired at 9.4T, these flattened images yielded image segmentations comparable to 3T, making bias-field correction prior to image segmentation and tissue classification unnecessary. In terms of the T 1 estimates at high field, the proposed correction methods resulted in an improved precision, with test-retest variability below 1% and a coefficient-of-variation across 25 subjects below 3%. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of gender, digit ratio, and menstrual cycle on intrinsic brain functional connectivity: A whole-brain, voxel-wise exploratory study using simultaneous local and global functional connectivity mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Donishi, Tomohiro; Terada, Masaki; Kaneoke, Yoshiki

2018-01-01

Gender and sex hormones influence brain function, but their effects on functional network organization within the brain are not yet understood. We investigated the influence of gender, prenatal sex hormones (estimated by the 2D:4D digit ratio), and the menstrual cycle on the intrinsic functional network organization of the brain (as measured by 3T resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI)) using right-handed, age-matched university students (100 males and 100 females). The mean (± SD ) age was 20.9 ± 1.5 (range: 18-24) years and 20.8 ± 1.3 (range: 18-24) years for males and females, respectively. Using two parameters derived from the normalized alpha centrality analysis (one for local and another for global connectivity strength), we created mean functional connectivity strength maps. There was a significant difference between the male mean map and female mean map in the distributions of network properties in almost all cortical regions and the basal ganglia but not in the medial parietal, limbic, and temporal regions and the thalamus. A comparison between the mean map for the low 2D:4D digit ratio group (indicative of high exposure to testosterone during the prenatal period) and that for the high 2D:4D digit ratio group revealed a significant difference in the network properties of the medial parietal region for males and in the temporal region for females. The menstrual cycle affected network organization in the brain, which varied with the 2D:4D digit ratio. Most of these findings were reproduced with our other datasets created with different preprocessing steps. The results suggest that differences in gender, prenatal sex hormone exposure, and the menstrual cycle are useful for understanding the normal brain and investigating the mechanisms underlying the variable prevalence and symptoms of neurological and psychiatric diseases.

Functional brain mapping using H{sub 2}{sup 15}O positron emission tomography (I): statistical parametric mapping method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Dong Soo; Lee, Jae Sung; Kim, Kyeong Min; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul [College of Medicine, Seoul National Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1998-08-01

We investigated the statistical methods to compose the functional brain map of human working memory and the principal factors that have an effect on the methods for localization. Repeated PET scans with successive four tasks, which consist of one control and three different activation tasks, were performed on six right-handed normal volunteers for 2 minutes after bolus injections of 925 MBq H{sub 2}{sup 15}O at the intervals of 30 minutes. Image data were analyzed using SPM96 (Statistical Parametric Mapping) implemented with Matlab (Mathworks Inc., U.S.A.). Images from the same subject were spatially registered and were normalized using linear and nonlinear transformation methods. Significant difference between control and each activation state was estimated at every voxel based on the general linear model. Differences of global counts were removed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with global activity as covariate. Using the mean and variance for each condition which was adjusted using ANCOVA, t-statistics was performed on every voxel. To interpret the results more easily, t-values were transformed to the standard Gaussian distribution (Z-score). All the subjects carried out the activation and control tests successfully. Average rate of correct answers was 95%. The numbers of activated blobs were 4 for verbal memory I, 9 for verbal memory II, 9 for visual memory, and 6 for conjunctive activation of these three tasks. The verbal working memory activates predominantly left-sided structures, and the visual memory activates the right hemisphere. We conclude that rCBF PET imaging and statistical parametric mapping method were useful in the localization of the brain regions for verbal and visual working memory.

GLOBULAR AND OPEN CLUSTERS OBSERVED BY SDSS/SEGUE: THE GIANT STARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morrison, Heather L.; Ma, Zhibo; Connor, Thomas; Schechtman-Rook, Andrew; Harding, Paul [Department of Astronomy, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106 (United States); Clem, James L. [Department of Physics, Grove City College, 100 Campus Dr., Grove City, PA 16127 (United States); An, Deokkeun [Department of Science Education, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750 (Korea, Republic of); Casagrande, Luca [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mount Stromlo Observatory, The Australian National University, ACT 2611 (Australia); Rockosi, Constance [UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Yanny, Brian [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, P.O. Box 500, Batavia IL 60510 (United States); Beers, Timothy C. [Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, 225 Nieuwland Science Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46656 (United States); Johnson, Jennifer A. [Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Schneider, Donald P., E-mail: hlm5@case.edu [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)

2016-01-15

We present griz observations for the clusters M92, M13 and NGC 6791 and gr photometry for M71, Be 29 and NGC 7789. In addition we present new membership identifications for all these clusters, which have been observed spectroscopically as calibrators for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)/SEGUE survey; this paper focuses in particular on the red giant branch stars in the clusters. In a number of cases, these giants were too bright to be observed in the normal SDSS survey operations, and we describe the procedure used to obtain spectra for these stars. For M71, we also present a new variable reddening map and a new fiducial for the gr giant branch. For NGC 7789, we derived a transformation from T{sub eff} to g–r for giants of near solar abundance, using IRFM T{sub eff} measures of stars with good ugriz  and 2MASS photometry and SEGUE spectra. The result of our analysis is a robust list of known cluster members with correctly dereddened and (if needed) transformed gr photometry for crucial calibration efforts for SDSS and SEGUE.

Allometry indicates giant eyes of giant squid are not exceptional.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitz, Lars; Motani, Ryosuke; Oufiero, Christopher E; Martin, Christopher H; McGee, Matthew D; Gamarra, Ashlee R; Lee, Johanna J; Wainwright, Peter C

2013-02-18

The eyes of giant and colossal squid are among the largest eyes in the history of life. It was recently proposed that sperm whale predation is the main driver of eye size evolution in giant squid, on the basis of an optical model that suggested optimal performance in detecting large luminous visual targets such as whales in the deep sea. However, it is poorly understood how the eye size of giant and colossal squid compares to that of other aquatic organisms when scaling effects are considered. We performed a large-scale comparative study that included 87 squid species and 237 species of acanthomorph fish. While squid have larger eyes than most acanthomorphs, a comparison of relative eye size among squid suggests that giant and colossal squid do not have unusually large eyes. After revising constants used in a previous model we found that large eyes perform equally well in detecting point targets and large luminous targets in the deep sea. The eyes of giant and colossal squid do not appear exceptionally large when allometric effects are considered. It is probable that the giant eyes of giant squid result from a phylogenetically conserved developmental pattern manifested in very large animals. Whatever the cause of large eyes, they appear to have several advantages for vision in the reduced light of the deep mesopelagic zone.

Olfactory map formation in the Drosophila brain: genetic specificity and neuronal variability.

Science.gov (United States)

Brochtrup, Anna; Hummel, Thomas

2011-02-01

The development of the Drosophila olfactory system is a striking example of how genetic programs specify a large number of different neuron types and assemble them into functional circuits. To ensure precise odorant perception, each sensory neuron has to not only select a single olfactory receptor (OR) type out of a large genomic repertoire but also segregate its synaptic connections in the brain according to the OR class identity. Specification and patterning of second-order interneurons in the olfactory brain center occur largely independent of sensory input, followed by a precise point-to-point matching of sensory and relay neurons. Here we describe recent progress in the understanding of how cell-intrinsic differentiation programs and context-dependent cellular interactions generate a stereotyped sensory map in the Drosophila brain. Recent findings revealed an astonishing morphological diversity among members of the same interneuron class, suggesting an unexpected variability in local microcircuits involved in insect sensory processing. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Whole-Brain Mapping of Neuronal Activity in the Learned Helplessness Model of Depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yongsoo; Perova, Zinaida; Mirrione, Martine M; Pradhan, Kith; Henn, Fritz A; Shea, Stephen; Osten, Pavel; Li, Bo

2016-01-01

Some individuals are resilient, whereas others succumb to despair in repeated stressful situations. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying such divergent behavioral responses remain unclear. Here, we employed an automated method for mapping neuronal activity in search of signatures of stress responses in the entire mouse brain. We used serial two-photon tomography to detect expression of c-FosGFP - a marker of neuronal activation - in c-fosGFP transgenic mice subjected to the learned helplessness (LH) procedure, a widely used model of stress-induced depression-like phenotype in laboratory animals. We found that mice showing "helpless" behavior had an overall brain-wide reduction in the level of neuronal activation compared with mice showing "resilient" behavior, with the exception of a few brain areas, including the locus coeruleus, that were more activated in the helpless mice. In addition, the helpless mice showed a strong trend of having higher similarity in whole-brain activity profile among individuals, suggesting that helplessness is represented by a more stereotypic brain-wide activation pattern. This latter effect was confirmed in rats subjected to the LH procedure, using 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography to assess neural activity. Our findings reveal distinct brain activity markings that correlate with adaptive and maladaptive behavioral responses to stress, and provide a framework for further studies investigating the contribution of specific brain regions to maladaptive stress responses.

Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging and Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping in the Brain

Science.gov (United States)

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

Susceptibility-weighted imaging and quantitative susceptibility mapping in the brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chunlei; Li, Wei; Tong, Karen A; Yeom, Kristen W; Kuzminski, Samuel

2015-07-01

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. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Surgical approach to giant aneurysms of the anterior circulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Giombini, S; Solero, C L; Ferraresi, S; Melcarne, A; Broggi, G; Pluchino, F

1988-01-01

The surgical approach to cerebral giant aneurysms is still a source of great concern. We describe our experience with giant aneurysms of the anterior circulation and discuss the different surgical techniques adopted. During the period January 1972-December 1985, a total of 33 patients were operated upon at the Istituto Neurologico "C. Besta" of Milan for a giant aneurysm of the anterior circulation. Nineteen cases had suffered subarachnoid haemorrhage before admission; in 14 cases the hospitalization was due to evidence of mass effect on the surrounding neurovascular structures. All aneurysms were directly approached: in 24 cases the neck was occluded by a suitable clip, in 4 cases intramural thrombosis was attempted, in 3 cases the aneurysms were definitively trapped and in one case aneurysmorrhaphy was performed after resection of the sac. Operative mortality was 12%. Long-term follow-up shows good results whenever exclusion of the aneurysm from cerebral circulation had been achieved, either after removal of the sac or not; on the contrary, only fair or poor results were evident when other surgical techniques were adopted, either electively or out of necessity. The importance of intraoperative protection and monitoring of brain function is stressed.

Mapping the sequence of brain events in response to disgusting food.

Science.gov (United States)

Pujol, Jesus; Blanco-Hinojo, Laura; Coronas, Ramón; Esteba-Castillo, Susanna; Rigla, Mercedes; Martínez-Vilavella, Gerard; Deus, Joan; Novell, Ramón; Caixàs, Assumpta

2018-01-01

Warning signals indicating that a food is potentially dangerous may evoke a response that is not limited to the feeling of disgust. We investigated the sequence of brain events in response to visual representations of disgusting food using a dynamic image analysis. Functional MRI was acquired in 30 healthy subjects while they were watching a movie showing disgusting food scenes interspersed with the scenes of appetizing food. Imaging analysis included the identification of the global brain response and the generation of frame-by-frame activation maps at the temporal resolution of 2 s. Robust activations were identified in brain structures conventionally associated with the experience of disgust, but our analysis also captured a variety of other brain elements showing distinct temporal evolutions. The earliest events included transient changes in the orbitofrontal cortex and visual areas, followed by a more durable engagement of the periaqueductal gray, a pivotal element in the mediation of responses to threat. A subsequent core phase was characterized by the activation of subcortical and cortical structures directly concerned not only with the emotional dimension of disgust (e.g., amygdala-hippocampus, insula), but also with the regulation of food intake (e.g., hypothalamus). In a later phase, neural excitement extended to broad cortical areas, the thalamus and cerebellum, and finally to the default mode network that signaled the progressive termination of the evoked response. The response to disgusting food representations is not limited to the emotional domain of disgust, and may sequentially involve a variety of broadly distributed brain networks. Hum Brain Mapp 39:369-380, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Spatial Mapping of Protein Abundances in the Mouse Brain by Voxelation Integrated with High-Throughput Liquid Chromatography ? Mass Spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petyuk, Vladislav A.; Qian, Weijun; Chin, Mark H.; Wang, Haixing H.; Livesay, Eric A.; Monroe, Matthew E.; Adkins, Joshua N.; Jaitly, Navdeep; Anderson, David J.; Camp, David G.; Smith, Desmond J.; Smith, Richard D.

2007-01-01

Temporally and spatially resolved mapping of protein abundance patterns within the mammalian brain is of significant interest for understanding brain function and molecular etiologies of neurodegenerative diseases; however, such imaging efforts have been greatly challenged by complexity of the proteome, throughput and sensitivity of applied analytical methodologies, and accurate quantitation of protein abundances across the brain. Here, we describe a methodology for comprehensive spatial proteome mapping that addresses these challenges by employing voxelation integrated with automated microscale sample processing, high-throughput LC system coupled with high resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometer and a ''universal'' stable isotope labeled reference sample approach for robust quantitation. We applied this methodology as a proof-of-concept trial for the analysis of protein distribution within a single coronal slice of a C57BL/6J mouse brain. For relative quantitation of the protein abundances across the slice, an 18O-isotopically labeled reference sample, derived from a whole control coronal slice from another mouse, was spiked into each voxel sample and stable isotopic intensity ratios were used to obtain measures of relative protein abundances. In total, we generated maps of protein abundance patterns for 1,028 proteins. The significant agreement of the protein distributions with previously reported data supports the validity of this methodology, which opens new opportunities for studying the spatial brain proteome and its dynamics during the course of disease progression and other important biological and associated health aspects in a discovery-driven fashion

Assessment of giant panda habitat based on integration of expert system and neural network

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, X.; Skidmore, A.K.; Bronsveld, M.C.

2006-01-01

To conserve giant panda effectively, it is important to understand the spatial pattern and temporal change of its habitat. Mapping is an effective approach for wildlife habitat evaluation and monitoring. The application of recently developed artificial intelligence tools, including expert systems

Spectral discrimination of giant reed (Arundo donax L.): A seasonal study in riparian areas

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Maria Rosário; Aguiar, Francisca C.; Silva, João M. N.; Ferreira, Maria Teresa; Pereira, José M. C.

2013-06-01

The giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is amongst the one hundred worst invasive alien species of the world, and it is responsible for biodiversity loss and failure of ecosystem functions in riparian habitats. In this work, field spectroradiometry was used to assess the spectral separability of the giant reed from the adjacent vegetation and from the common reed, a native similar species. The study was conducted at different phenological periods and also for the giant reed stands regenerated after mechanical cutting (giant reed_RAC). A hierarchical procedure using Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Classification and Regression Trees (CART) was used to select the minimum number of optimal bands that discriminate the giant reed from the adjacent vegetation. A new approach was used to identify sets of wavelengths - wavezones - that maximize the spectral separability beyond the minimum number of optimal bands. Jeffries Matusita and Bhattacharya distance were used to evaluate the spectral separability using the minimum optimal bands and in three simulated satellite images, namely Landsat, IKONOS and SPOT. Giant reed was spectrally separable from the adjacent vegetation, both at the vegetative and the senescent period, exception made to the common reed at the vegetative period. The red edge region was repeatedly selected, although the visible region was also important to separate the giant reed from the herbaceous vegetation and the mid infrared region to the discrimination from the woody vegetation. The highest separability was obtained for the giant reed_RAC stands, due to its highly homogeneous, dense and dark-green stands. Results are discussed by relating the phenological, morphological and structural features of the giant reed stands and the adjacent vegetation with their optical traits. Weaknesses and strengths of the giant reed spectral discrimination are highlighted and implications of imagery selection for mapping purposes are argued based on present results.

Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Indicates a Disturbed Brain Iron Homeostasis in Neuromyelitis Optica ? A Pilot Study

OpenAIRE

Doring, Thomas Martin; Granado, Vanessa; Rueda, Fernanda; Deistung, Andreas; Reichenbach, Juergen R.; Tukamoto, Gustavo; Gasparetto, Emerson Leandro; Schweser, Ferdinand

2016-01-01

Dysregulation of brain iron homeostasis is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases and can be associated with oxidative stress. The objective of this study was to investigate brain iron in patients with Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), a quantitative iron-sensitive MRI technique. 12 clinically confirmed NMO patients (6 female and 6 male; age 35.4y±14.2y) and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (7 female and 5 male; age 33.9±11.3y) underwen...

Mapping Subcortical Brain Maturation during Adolescence: Evidence of Hemisphere-and Sex-Specific Longitudinal Changes

Science.gov (United States)

Dennison, Meg; Whittle, Sarah; Yücel, Murat; Vijayakumar, Nandita; Kline, Alexandria; Simmons, Julian; Allen, Nicholas B.

2013-01-01

Early to mid-adolescence is an important developmental period for subcortical brain maturation, but longitudinal studies of these neurodevelopmental changes are lacking. The present study acquired repeated magnetic resonance images from 60 adolescent subjects (28 female) at ages 12.5 and 16.5 years to map changes in subcortical structure volumes.…

Intrinsic functional brain mapping in reconstructed 4D magnetic susceptibility (χ) data space.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zikuan; Calhoun, Vince

2015-02-15

By solving an inverse problem of T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for a dynamic fMRI study, we reconstruct a 4D magnetic susceptibility source (χ) data space for intrinsic functional mapping. A 4D phase dataset is calculated from a 4D complex fMRI dataset. The background field and phase wrapping effect are removed by a Laplacian technique. A 3D χ source map is reconstructed from a 3D phase image by a computed inverse MRI (CIMRI) scheme. A 4D χ data space is reconstructed by repeating the 3D χ source reconstruction for each time point. A functional map is calculated by a temporal correlation between voxel signals in the 4D χ space and the timecourse of the task paradigm. With a finger-tapping experiment, we obtain two 3D functional mappings in the 4D magnitude data space and in the reconstructed 4D χ data space. We find that the χ-based functional mapping reveals co-occurrence of bidirectional responses in a 3D activation map that is different from the conventional magnitude-based mapping. The χ-based functional mapping can also be achieved by a 3D deconvolution of a phase activation map. Based on a subject experimental comparison, we show that the 4D χ tomography method could produce a similar χ activation map as obtained by the 3D deconvolution method. By removing the dipole effect and other fMRI technological contaminations, 4D χ tomography provides a 4D χ data space that allows a more direct and truthful functional mapping of a brain activity. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Whole-brain mapping of neuronal activity in the learned helplessness model of depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yongsoo eKim

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Some individuals are resilient, whereas others succumb to despair in repeated stressful situations. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying such divergent behavioral responses remain unclear. Here, we employed an automated method for mapping neuronal activity in search of signatures of stress responses in the entire mouse brain. We used serial two-photon tomography to detect expression of c-FosGFP – a marker of neuronal activation – in c-fosGFP transgenic mice subjected to the learned helplessness (LH procedure, a widely used model of stress-induced depression-like phenotype in laboratory animals. We found that mice showing helpless behavior had an overall brain-wide reduction in the level of neuronal activation compared with mice showing resilient behavior, with the exception of a few brain areas, including the locus coeruleus, that were more activated in the helpless mice. In addition, the helpless mice showed a strong trend of having higher similarity in whole brain activity profile among individuals, suggesting that helplessness is represented by a more stereotypic brain-wide activation pattern. This latter effect was confirmed in rats subjected to the LH procedure, using 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography to assess neural activity. Our findings reveal distinct brain activity markings that correlate with adaptive and maladaptive behavioral responses to stress, and provide a framework for further studies investigating the contribution of specific brain regions to maladaptive stress responses.

From GCM energy kernels to Weyl-Wigner Hamiltonians: a particular mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galetti, D.

1984-01-01

A particular mapping is established which directly connects GCM energy kernels to Weyl-Wigner Hamiltonians, under the assumption of gaussian overlap kernel. As an application of this mapping scheme the collective Hamiltonians for some giant resonances are derived. (Author) [pt

The INIA19 template and NeuroMaps atlas for primate brain image parcellation and spatial normalization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Torsten eRohlfing

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The INIA19 is a new, high-quality template for imaging-based studies of non-human primate brains created from high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR images of 19 rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta animals. Combined with the comprehensive cortical and subcortical label map of the NeuroMaps atlas, the INIA19 is equally suitable for studies requiring both spatial normalization and atlas label propagation. Population-averaged template images are provided for both the brain and the whole head, to allow alignment of the atlas with both skull-stripped and unstripped data, and thus to facilitate its use for skull stripping of new images. This article describes the construction of the template using freely-available software tools, as well as the template itself, which is being made available to the scientific community (http://nitrc.org/projects/inia19/.

Investigating hyperoxic effects in the rat brain using quantitative susceptibility mapping based on MRI phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Meng-Chi; Kuo, Li-Wei; Huang, Yun-An; Chen, Jyh-Horng

2017-02-01

To test whether susceptibility imaging can detect microvenous oxygen saturation changes, induced by hyperoxia, in the rat brain. A three-dimensional gradient-echo with a flow compensation sequence was used to acquire T2*-weighted images of rat brains during hyperoxia and normoxia. Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and QSM-based microvenous oxygenation venography were computed from gradient-echo (GRE) phase images and compared between the two conditions. Pulse oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) in the cortex was examined and compared with venous oxygen saturation (SvO 2 ) estimated by QSM. Oxygen saturation change calculated by a conventional Δ R2* map was also compared with the ΔSvO 2 estimated by QSM. Susceptibilities of five venous and tissue regions were quantified separately by QSM. Venous susceptibility was reduced by nearly 10%, with an SvO 2 shift of 10% during hyperoxia. A hyperoxic effect, confirmed by SpO 2 measurement, resulted in an SvO 2 increase in the cortex. The ΔSvO 2 between hyperoxia and normoxia was consistent with what was estimated by the Δ R2* map in five regions. These findings suggest that a quantitative susceptibility map is a promising technique for SvO 2 measurement. This method may be useful for quantitatively investigating oxygenation-dependent functional MRI studies. Magn Reson Med 77:592-602, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Brain maps 4.0-Structure of the rat brain: An open access atlas with global nervous system nomenclature ontology and flatmaps.

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, Larry W

2018-04-15

The fourth edition (following editions in 1992, 1998, 2004) of Brain maps: structure of the rat brain is presented here as an open access internet resource for the neuroscience community. One new feature is a set of 10 hierarchical nomenclature tables that define and describe all parts of the rat nervous system within the framework of a strictly topographic system devised previously for the human nervous system. These tables constitute a global ontology for knowledge management systems dealing with neural circuitry. A second new feature is an aligned atlas of bilateral flatmaps illustrating rat nervous system development from the neural plate stage to the adult stage, where most gray matter regions, white matter tracts, ganglia, and nerves listed in the nomenclature tables are illustrated schematically. These flatmaps are convenient for future development of online applications analogous to "Google Maps" for systems neuroscience. The third new feature is a completely revised Atlas of the rat brain in spatially aligned transverse sections that can serve as a framework for 3-D modeling. Atlas parcellation is little changed from the preceding edition, but the nomenclature for rat is now aligned with an emerging panmammalian neuroanatomical nomenclature. All figures are presented in Adobe Illustrator vector graphics format that can be manipulated, modified, and resized as desired, and freely used with a Creative Commons license. © 2018 The Authors The Journal of Comparative Neurology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Brain-to-Pancreatic Islet Neuronal Map Reveals Differential Glucose Regulation From Distinct Hypothalamic Regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosario, Wilfredo; Singh, Inderroop; Wautlet, Arnaud; Patterson, Christa; Flak, Jonathan; Becker, Thomas C; Ali, Almas; Tamarina, Natalia; Philipson, Louis H; Enquist, Lynn W; Myers, Martin G; Rhodes, Christopher J

2016-09-01

The brain influences glucose homeostasis, partly by supplemental control over insulin and glucagon secretion. Without this central regulation, diabetes and its complications can ensue. Yet, the neuronal network linking to pancreatic islets has never been fully mapped. Here, we refine this map using pseudorabies virus (PRV) retrograde tracing, indicating that the pancreatic islets are innervated by efferent circuits that emanate from the hypothalamus. We found that the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC), ventromedial nucleus (VMN), and lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) significantly overlap PRV and the physiological glucose-sensing enzyme glucokinase. Then, experimentally lowering glucose sensing, specifically in the ARC, resulted in glucose intolerance due to deficient insulin secretion and no significant effect in the VMN, but in the LHA it resulted in a lowering of the glucose threshold that improved glucose tolerance and/or improved insulin sensitivity, with an exaggerated counter-regulatory response for glucagon secretion. No significant effect on insulin sensitivity or metabolic homeostasis was noted. Thus, these data reveal novel direct neuronal effects on pancreatic islets and also render a functional validation of the brain-to-islet neuronal map. They also demonstrate that distinct regions of the hypothalamus differentially control insulin and glucagon secretion, potentially in partnership to help maintain glucose homeostasis and guard against hypoglycemia. © 2016 by the American Diabetes Association.

[«Man-in-the-barrel» syndrome: atypical manifestation of giant cell arteritis].

Science.gov (United States)

Calle-Lopez, Y; Fernandez-Ramirez, A F; Franco-Dager, E; Gomez-Lopera, J G; Vanegas-Garcia, A L

2018-06-01

«Man-in-the-barrel» syndrome refers to diplegia of the upper extremities in which mobility of the head and lower limbs is preserved. Brachial plexitis that presents as «man-in-the-barrel» syndrome is an unusual manifestation of giant cell arteritis. We report a case of C5-C6 plexitis as part of the clinical features of a patient with giant cell arteritis. A 70-year-old male with a two-month history of weight loss, headache, facial pain and jaw claudication, associated with a persistent elevation of acute phase reactants and bilateral brachial plexopathy, with no evidence of neck or brain injuries or occult neoplasm and with negative autoimmunity tests. Results of the biopsy study of the temporal artery were compatible with giant cell arteritis, and the positron emission tomography scan revealed extensive vascular involvement of the aorta and its branches. Although the typical clinical manifestations of giant cell arteritis are headache, jaw claudication, loss of sight, constitutional symptoms and polymyalgia rheumatica, its presence must be suspected in patients over the age of 50 who manifest alterations affecting the peripheral nerve, including brachial diplegia with no other demonstrable cause.

Mapping of arithmetic processing by navigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with parietal brain tumors and correlation with postoperative outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Ille, Sebastian; Drummer, Katharina; Giglhuber, Katrin; Conway, Neal; Maurer, Stefanie; Meyer, Bernhard; Krieg, Sandro M

2018-03-26

Preserving functionality is of significant importance during neurosurgical resection of brain tumors. Specialized centers also map further brain functions apart from motor and language functions, such as arithmetic processing (AP). The mapping of AP by navigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (nrTMS) in healthy volunteers has been demonstrated. The present study aimed to correlate the results of mapping AP with functional patient outcomes. We included 26 patients with parietal brain tumors. Due to preoperative impairment of AP, mapping was not possible in 8 patients (31%). We stimulated 52 cortical sites by nrTMS while patients performed a calculation task. Pre- and postoperatively, patients underwent a standardized number-processing and calculation test (NPCT). Tumor resection was blinded to nrTMS results, and the change in NPCT performance was correlated to resected AP-positive spots as identified by nrTMS. The resection of AP-positive sites correlated with a worsening of the postoperative NPCT result in 12 cases. In 3 cases, no AP-positive sites were resected and the postoperative NPCT result was similar to or better than preoperatively. Also, in 3 cases, the postoperative NPCT result was better than preoperatively, although AP-positive sites were resected. Despite only presenting a low number of cases, nrTMS might be a useful tool for preoperative mapping of AP. However, the reliability of the present results has to be evaluated in a larger series and by intraoperative mapping data. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patterns of accentuated grey-white differentiation on diffusion-weighted imaging or the apparent diffusion coefficient maps in comatose survivors after global brain injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, E.; Sohn, C.-H.; Chang, K.-H.; Chang, H.-W.; Lee, D.H.

2011-01-01

Aim: To determine what disease entities show accentuated grey-white differentiation of the cerebral hemisphere on diffusion-weighted images (DWI) or apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, and whether there is a correlation between the different patterns and the cause of the brain injury. Methods and materials: The DWI and ADC maps of 19 patients with global brain injury were reviewed and evaluated to investigate whether there was a correlation between the different patterns seen on the DWI and ADC maps and the cause of global brain injury. The ADC values were measured for quantitative analysis. Results: There were three different patterns of ADC decrease: a predominant ADC decrease in only the cerebral cortex (n = 8; pattern I); an ADC decrease in both the cerebral cortex and white matter (WM) and a predominant decrease in the WM (n = 9; pattern II); and a predominant ADC decrease in only the WM (n = 3; pattern III). Conclusion: Pattern I is cerebral cortical injury, suggesting cortical laminar necrosis in hypoxic brain injury. Pattern II is cerebral cortical and WM injury, frequently seen in brain death, while pattern 3 is mainly WM injury, especially found in hypoglycaemic brain injury. It is likely that pattern I is decorticate injury and pattern II is decerebrate injury in hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy.Patterns I and II are found in severe hypoxic brain injury, and pattern II is frequently shown in brain death, whereas pattern III was found in severe hypoglycaemic injury.

Background field removal using a region adaptive kernel for quantitative susceptibility mapping of human brain

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Jinsheng; Bao, Lijun; Li, Xu; van Zijl, Peter C. M.; Chen, Zhong

2017-08-01

Background field removal is an important MR phase preprocessing step for quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). It separates the local field induced by tissue magnetic susceptibility sources from the background field generated by sources outside a region of interest, e.g. brain, such as air-tissue interface. In the vicinity of air-tissue boundary, e.g. skull and paranasal sinuses, where large susceptibility variations exist, present background field removal methods are usually insufficient and these regions often need to be excluded by brain mask erosion at the expense of losing information of local field and thus susceptibility measures in these regions. In this paper, we propose an extension to the variable-kernel sophisticated harmonic artifact reduction for phase data (V-SHARP) background field removal method using a region adaptive kernel (R-SHARP), in which a scalable spherical Gaussian kernel (SGK) is employed with its kernel radius and weights adjustable according to an energy "functional" reflecting the magnitude of field variation. Such an energy functional is defined in terms of a contour and two fitting functions incorporating regularization terms, from which a curve evolution model in level set formation is derived for energy minimization. We utilize it to detect regions of with a large field gradient caused by strong susceptibility variation. In such regions, the SGK will have a small radius and high weight at the sphere center in a manner adaptive to the voxel energy of the field perturbation. Using the proposed method, the background field generated from external sources can be effectively removed to get a more accurate estimation of the local field and thus of the QSM dipole inversion to map local tissue susceptibility sources. Numerical simulation, phantom and in vivo human brain data demonstrate improved performance of R-SHARP compared to V-SHARP and RESHARP (regularization enabled SHARP) methods, even when the whole paranasal sinus regions

Brain and Music: An Intraoperative Stimulation Mapping Study of a Professional Opera Singer.

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Riva, Marco; Casarotti, Alessandra; Comi, Alessandro; Pessina, Federico; Bello, Lorenzo

2016-09-01

Music is one of the most sophisticated and fascinating functions of the brain. Yet, how music is instantiated within the brain is not fully characterized. Singing is a peculiar aspect of music, in which both musical and linguistic skills are required to provide a merged vocal output. Identifying the neural correlates of this process is relevant for both clinical and research purposes. An adult white man with a presumed left temporal glioma was studied. He is a professional opera singer. A tailored music evaluation, the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia, was performed preoperatively and postoperatively, with long-term follow-up. Intraoperative stimulation mapping (ISM) with awake surgery with a specific music evaluation battery was used to identify and preserve the cortical and subcortical structures subserving music, along with standard motor-sensory and language mapping. A total resection of a grade I glioma was achieved. The Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia reported an improvement in musical scores after the surgery. ISM consistently elicited several types of errors in the superior temporal gyrus and, to a lesser extent, in the inferior frontal operculum. Most errors occurred during score reading; fewer errors were elicited during the assessment of rhythm. No spontaneous errors were recorded. These areas did not overlap with eloquent sites for counting or naming. ISM and a tailored music battery enabled better characterization of a specific network within the brain subserving score reading independently from speech with long-term clinical impact. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Endovascular brain intervention and mapping in a dog experimental model using magnetically-guided micro-catheter technology.

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Kara, Tomas; Leinveber, Pavel; Vlasin, Michal; Jurak, Pavel; Novak, Miroslav; Novak, Zdenek; Chrastina, Jan; Czechowicz, Krzysztof; Belehrad, Milos; Asirvatham, Samuel J

2014-06-01

Despite the substantial progress that has been achieved in interventional cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology, endovascular intervention for the diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders such as stroke, epilepsy and CNS malignancy is still limited, particularly due to highly tortuous nature of the cerebral arterial and venous system. Existing interventional devices and techniques enable only limited and complicated access especially into intra-cerebral vessels. The aim of this study was to develop a micro-catheter magnetically-guided technology specifically designed for endovascular intervention and mapping in deep CNS vascular structures. Mapping of electrical brain activity was performed via the venous system on an animal dog model with the support of the NIOBE II system. A novel micro-catheter specially designed for endovascular interventions in the CNS, with the support of the NIOBE II technology, was able to reach safely deep intra-cerebral venous structures and map the electrical activity there. Such structures are not currently accessible using standard catheters. This is the first study demonstrating successful use of a new micro-catheter in combination with NIOBE II technology for endovascular intervention in the brain.

THE REDSHIFT DISTRIBUTION OF GIANT ARCS IN THE SLOAN GIANT ARCS SURVEY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bayliss, Matthew B.; Gladders, Michael D.; Koester, Benjamin P.; Oguri, Masamune; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Sharon, Keren; Dahle, Haakon

2011-01-01

We measure the redshift distribution of a sample of 28 giant arcs discovered as a part of the Sloan Giant Arcs Survey. Gemini/GMOS-North spectroscopy provides precise redshifts for 24 arcs, and 'redshift desert' constrains for the remaining 4 arcs. This is a direct measurement of the redshift distribution of a uniformly selected sample of bright giant arcs, which is an observable that can be used to inform efforts to predict giant arc statistics. Our primary giant arc sample has a median redshift z = 1.821 and nearly two-thirds of the arcs, 64%, are sources at z ∼> 1.4, indicating that the population of background sources that are strongly lensed into bright giant arcs resides primarily at high redshift. We also analyze the distribution of redshifts for 19 secondary strongly lensed background sources that are not visually apparent in Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging, but were identified in deeper follow-up imaging of the lensing cluster fields. Our redshift sample for the secondary sources is not spectroscopically complete, but combining it with our primary giant arc sample suggests that a large fraction of all background galaxies that are strongly lensed by foreground clusters reside at z ∼> 1.4. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests indicate that our well-selected, spectroscopically complete primary giant arc redshift sample can be reproduced with a model distribution that is constructed from a combination of results from studies of strong-lensing clusters in numerical simulations and observational constraints on the galaxy luminosity function.

Investigating the tradeoffs between spatial resolution and diffusion sampling for brain mapping with diffusion tractography: time well spent?

Science.gov (United States)

Calabrese, Evan; Badea, Alexandra; Coe, Christopher L; Lubach, Gabriele R; Styner, Martin A; Johnson, G Allan

2014-11-01

Interest in mapping white matter pathways in the brain has peaked with the recognition that altered brain connectivity may contribute to a variety of neurologic and psychiatric diseases. Diffusion tractography has emerged as a popular method for postmortem brain mapping initiatives, including the ex-vivo component of the human connectome project, yet it remains unclear to what extent computer-generated tracks fully reflect the actual underlying anatomy. Of particular concern is the fact that diffusion tractography results vary widely depending on the choice of acquisition protocol. The two major acquisition variables that consume scan time, spatial resolution, and diffusion sampling, can each have profound effects on the resulting tractography. In this analysis, we determined the effects of the temporal tradeoff between spatial resolution and diffusion sampling on tractography in the ex-vivo rhesus macaque brain, a close primate model for the human brain. We used the wealth of autoradiography-based connectivity data available for the rhesus macaque brain to assess the anatomic accuracy of six time-matched diffusion acquisition protocols with varying balance between spatial and diffusion sampling. We show that tractography results vary greatly, even when the subject and the total acquisition time are held constant. Further, we found that focusing on either spatial resolution or diffusion sampling at the expense of the other is counterproductive. A balanced consideration of both sampling domains produces the most anatomically accurate and consistent results. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Leaf to landscape responses of giant sequoia to hotter drought: An introduction and synthesis for the special section

Science.gov (United States)

Nydick, Koren R.; Stephenson, Nathan L.; Ambrose, Anthony R.; Asner, Gregory P.; Baxter, Wendy L.; Das, Adrian J.; Dawson, Todd E.; Martin, Roberta E.; Paz-Kagan, Tarin

2018-01-01

Hotter droughts are becoming more common as climate change progresses, and they may already have caused instances of forest dieback on all forested continents. Learning from hotter droughts, including where on the landscape forests are more or less vulnerable to these events, is critical to help resource managers proactively prepare for the future. As part of our Leaf to Landscape Project, we measured the response of giant sequoia, the world’s largest tree species, to the extreme 2012–2016 hotter drought in California. The project integrated leaf-level physiology measurements, crown-level foliage dieback surveys, and remotely sensed canopy water content (CWC) to shed light on mechanisms and spatial patterns in drought response. Here we summarize initial findings, present a conceptual model of drought response, and discuss management implications; details are presented in the other four articles of the special section on Giant Sequoias and Drought. Giant sequoias exhibited both leaf- and canopy-level responses that were effective in protecting whole-tree hydraulic integrity for the vast majority of individual sequoias. Very few giant sequoias died during the drought compared to other mixed conifer tree species; however, the magnitude of sequoia drought response varied across the landscape. This variability was partially explained by local site characteristics, including variables related to site water balance. We found that low CWC is an indicator of recent foliage dieback, which occurs when stress levels are high enough that leaf-level adjustments alone are insufficient for giant sequoias to maintain hydraulic integrity. CWC or change in CWC may be useful indicators of drought stress that reveal patterns of vulnerability to future hotter droughts. Future work will measure recovery from the drought and strengthen our ability to interpret CWC maps. Our ultimate goal is to produce giant sequoia vulnerability maps to help target management actions, such as

A fundamental study on brain receptor mapping by neuronuclear medicine imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuji, Shiro

1988-01-01

The usefulness of autoradiography in the quantitation of the rat brain receptor was evaluated. H-3 spiperone, H-3 quinuclidinyl benzylate (QNB), H-3 muscimol, H-3 diprenorphine, H-3 ketanserin, and H-3 dihydroalprenolol hydrochloride were used for autoradiography. Satisfactory autoradiograms with these H-3 labeled ligants were obtained for incubation time, washing time, and binding curve. The video digitizer system was the most suitable in autoradiography. Using appropriate conditions for the ligand-receptor interaction, receptor autoradiography and in vitro receptor assay were concordant as for the the number of maximum binding sites (Bmax) of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor and equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of its antagonist, H-3 QNB. Receptor autoradiography with high spatial resolution allowed the comparison of Bmax and Kd in the brain. To improve conventional Scatchard analysis, used in the estimation of Bmax and Kd, a new mathematical method was developed for estimating individual rate constants and Bmax on the basis of time courses of association and dissociation. Using the new mathematical method, apparent equilibrium dissociation rate constant was in good agreement with that from a non-isomerization model. Autoradiography may provide a clue for the basic data on brain receptor mapping by a promising emission computerized tomography in neuropsychiatric diseases. (Namekawa, K.)

Longitudinal stability of MRI for mapping brain change using tensor-based morphometry

Science.gov (United States)

Leow, Alex D.; Klunder, Andrea D.; Jack, Clifford R.; Toga, Arthur W.; Dale, Anders M.; Bernstein, Matt A.; Britson, Paula J.; Gunter, Jeffrey L.; Ward, Chadwick P.; Whitwell, Jennifer L.; Borowski, Bret J.; Fleisher, Adam S.; Fox, Nick C.; Harvey, Danielle; Kornak, John; Schuff, Norbert; Studholme, Colin; Alexander, Gene E.; Weiner, Michael W.; Thompson, Paul M.

2007-01-01

Measures of brain change can be computed from sequential MRI scans, providing valuable information on disease progression, e.g., for patient monitoring and drug trials. Tensor-based morphometry (TBM) creates maps of these brain changes, visualizing the 3D profile and rates of tissue growth or atrophy, but its sensitivity depends on the contrast and geometric stability of the images. A s part of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), 17 normal elderly subjects were scanned twice (at a 2-week interval) with several 3D 1.5 T MRI pulse sequences: high and low flip angle SPGR/FLASH (from which Synthetic T1 images were generated), MP-RAGE, IR-SPGR (N = 10) and MEDIC (N = 7) scans. For each subject and scan type, a 3D deformation map aligned baseline and follow-up scans, computed with a nonlinear, inverse-consistent elastic registration algorithm. Voxelwise statistics, in ICBM stereotaxic space, visualized the profile of mean absolute change and its cross-subject variance; these maps were then compared using permutation testing. Image stability depended on: (1) the pulse sequence; (2) the transmit/receive coil type (birdcage versus phased array); (3) spatial distortion corrections (using MEDIC sequence information); (4) B1-field intensity inhomogeneity correction (using N3). SPGR/FLASH images acquired using a birdcage coil had least overall deviation. N3 correction reduced coil type and pulse sequence differences and improved scan reproducibility, except for Synthetic T1 images (which were intrinsically corrected for B1-inhomogeneity). No strong evidence favored B0 correction. Although SPGR/FLASH images showed least deviation here, pulse sequence selection for the ADNI project was based on multiple additional image analyses, to be reported elsewhere. PMID:16480900

MR diffusion tensor analysis of schizophrenic brain using statistical parametric mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, Haruyasu; Abe, Osamu; Kasai, Kiyoto

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate diffusion anisotropy in the schizophrenic brain by voxel-based analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). We studied 33 patients with schizophrenia diagnosed by diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)-IV criteria and 42 matched controls. The data was obtained with a 1.5 T MRI system. We used single-shot spin-echo planar sequences (repetition time/echo time (TR/TE)=5000/102 ms, 5 mm slice thickness and 1.5 mm gap, field of view (FOV)=21 x 21 cm 2 , number of excitation (NEX)=4, 128 x 128 pixel matrix) for diffusion tensor acquisition. Diffusion gradients (b-value of 500 or 1000 s/mm 2 ) were applied on two axes simultaneously. Diffusion properties were measured along 6 non-linear directions. The structural distortion induced by the large diffusion gradients was corrected, based on each T 2 -weighted echo-planar image (b=0 s/mm 2 ). The fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were generated on a voxel-by-voxel basis. T 2 -weighted echo-planar images were then segmented into gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid, using SPM (Wellcome Department of Imaging, University College London, UK). All apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and FA maps in native space were transformed to the stereotactic space by registering each of the images to the same template image. The normalized data was smoothed and analyzed using SPM. The significant FA decrease in the patient group was found in the uncinate fasciculus, parahippocampal white matter, anterior cingulum and other areas (corrected p<0.05). No significant increased region was noted. Our results may reflect reduced diffusion anisotropy of the white matter pathway of the limbic system as shown by the decreased FA. Manual region-of-interest analysis is usually more sensitive than voxel-based analysis, but it is subjective and difficult to set with anatomical reproducibility. Voxel-based analysis of the diffusion tensor

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

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Bin Wang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available 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

Brain mapping in a patient with congenital blindness – a case for multimodal approaches

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Jarod L Roland

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Recent advances in basic neuroscience research across a wide range of methodologies have contributed significantly to our understanding of human cortical electrophysiology and functional brain imaging. Translation of this research into clinical neurosurgery has opened doors for advanced mapping of functionality that previously was prohibitively difficult, if not impossible. Here we present the case of a unique individual with congenital blindness and medically refractory epilepsy who underwent neurosurgical treatment of her seizures. Pre-operative evaluation presented the challenge of accurately and robustly mapping the cerebral cortex for an individual with a high probability of significant cortical re-organization. Additionally, a blind individual has unique priorities in one’s ability to read Braille by touch and sense the environment primarily by sound than the non-vision impaired person. For these reasons we employed additional measures to map sensory, motor, speech, language, and auditory perception by employing a number of cortical electrophysiologic mapping and functional magnetic resonance imaging methods. Our data show promising results in the application of these adjunctive methods in the pre-operative mapping of otherwise difficult to localize, and highly variable, functional cortical areas.

High resolution mapping of modafinil induced changes in glutamate level in rat brain.

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Mohammad Haris

Full Text Available Modafinil is marketed in the United States for the treatment of narcolepsy and daytime somnolence due to shift-work or sleep apnea. Investigations of this drug in the treatment of cocaine and nicotine dependence in addition to disorders of executive function are also underway. Modafinil has been known to increase glutamate levels in rat brain models. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1HMRS has been commonly used to detect the glutamate (Glu changes in vivo. In this study, we used a recently described glutamate chemical exchange saturation transfer (GluCEST imaging technique to measure Modafinil induced regional Glu changes in rat brain and compared the results with Glu concentration measured by single voxel 1HMRS. No increases in either GluCEST maps or 1HMRS were observed after Modafinil injection over a period of 5 hours. However, a significant increase in GluCEST (19 ± 4.4% was observed 24 hours post Modafinil administration, which is consistent with results from previous biochemical studies. This change was not consistently seen with 1HMRS. GluCEST mapping allows regional cerebral Glu changes to be measured and may provide a useful clinical biomarker of Modafinil effects for the management of patients with sleep disorders and addiction.

Brain Regions Influencing Implicit Violent Attitudes: A Lesion-Mapping Study.

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Cristofori, Irene; Zhong, Wanting; Mandoske, Valerie; Chau, Aileen; Krueger, Frank; Strenziok, Maren; Grafman, Jordan

2016-03-02

Increased aggression is common after traumatic brain injuries and may persist after cognitive recovery. Maladaptive aggression and violence are associated with dysfunction in the prefrontal and temporal cortex, but such dysfunctional behaviors are typically measured by explicit scales and history. However, it is well known that answers on explicit scales on sensitive topics--such as aggressive thoughts and behaviors--may not reveal true tendencies. Here, we investigated the neural basis of implicit attitudes toward aggression in humans using a modified version of the Implicit Association Task (IAT) with a unique sample of 112 Vietnam War veterans who suffered penetrating brain injury and 33 healthy controls who also served in combat in Vietnam but had no history of brain injury. We hypothesized that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) lesions, due to the crucial role of the dlPFC in response inhibition, could influence performance on the IAT. In addition, we investigated the causal contribution of specific brain areas to implicit attitudes toward violence. We found a more positive implicit attitude toward aggression among individuals with lesions to the dlPFC and inferior posterior temporal cortex (ipTC). Furthermore, executive functions were critically involved in regulating implicit attitudes toward violence and aggression. Our findings complement existing evidence on the neural basis of explicit aggression centered on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. These findings highlight that dlPFC and ipTC play a causal role in modulating implicit attitudes about violence and are crucially involved in the pathogenesis of aggressive behavior. Maladaptive aggression and violence can lead to interpersonal conflict and criminal behavior. Surprisingly little is known about implicit attitudes toward violence and aggression. Here, we used a range of techniques, including voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping, to examine the causal role of brain structures underpinning implicit

Preoperative mapping of cortical language areas in adult brain tumour patients using PET and individual non-normalised SPM analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, Philipp T.; Sturz, Laszlo; Schreckenberger, Mathias; Setani, Keyvan S.; Buell, Udalrich; Spetzger, Uwe; Meyer, Georg F.; Sabri, Osama

2003-01-01

In patients scheduled for the resection of perisylvian brain tumours, knowledge of the cortical topography of language functions is crucial in order to avoid neurological deficits. We investigated the applicability of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) without stereotactic normalisation for individual preoperative language function brain mapping using positron emission tomography (PET). Seven right-handed adult patients with left-sided brain tumours (six frontal and one temporal) underwent 12 oxygen-15 labelled water PET scans during overt verb generation and rest. Individual activation maps were calculated for P<0.005 and P<0.001 without anatomical normalisation and overlaid onto the individuals' magnetic resonance images for preoperative planning. Activations corresponding to Broca's and Wernicke's areas were found in five and six cases, respectively, for P<0.005 and in three and six cases, respectively, for P<0.001. One patient with a glioma located in the classical Broca's area without aphasic symptoms presented an activation of the adjacent inferior frontal cortex and of a right-sided area homologous to Broca's area. Four additional patients with left frontal tumours also presented activations of the right-sided Broca's homologue; two of these showed aphasic symptoms and two only a weak or no activation of Broca's area. Other frequently observed activations included bilaterally the superior temporal gyri, prefrontal cortices, anterior insulae, motor areas and the cerebellum. The middle and inferior temporal gyri were activated predominantly on the left. An SPM group analysis (P<0.05, corrected) in patients with left frontal tumours confirmed the activation pattern shown by the individual analyses. We conclude that SPM analyses without stereotactic normalisation offer a promising alternative for analysing individual preoperative language function brain mapping studies. The observed right frontal activations agree with proposed reorganisation processes, but

Rapid formation of gas giants, ice giants and super-Earths

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boss, A P [DTM, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015 (United States)], E-mail: boss@dtm.ciw.edu

2008-08-15

Giant planets might have been formed by either of the two basic mechanisms, top-down (disk instability) or bottom-up (core accretion). The latter mechanism is the most generally accepted mechanism and it begins with the collisional accumulation of solid cores that may then accrete sufficient gas to become gas giants. The former mechanism is more heretical and begins with the gravitational instability of the protoplanetary disk gas, leading to the formation of self-gravitating protoplanets, within which the dust settles to form a solid core. The disk instability mechanism has been thought of primarily as a mechanism for the formation of gas giants, but if it occurs in a disk that is being photoevaporated by the ultraviolet radiation from nearby massive stars, then the outer gaseous protoplanets can be photoevaporated as well and stripped of their gaseous envelopes. The result would then be ice giants (cold super-Earths), such as the objects discovered recently by microlensing orbiting two presumed M dwarf stars. M dwarfs that form in regions of future high-mass star formation would be expected to produce cold super-Earths orbiting at distances of several astronomical units (AU) and beyond, while M dwarfs that form in regions of low-mass star formation would be expected to have gas giants at those distances. Given that most stars are born in the former rather than in the latter regions, M dwarfs should have significantly more super-Earths than gas giants on orbits of several AU or more.

Rapid formation of gas giants, ice giants and super-Earths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boss, A P

2008-01-01

Giant planets might have been formed by either of the two basic mechanisms, top-down (disk instability) or bottom-up (core accretion). The latter mechanism is the most generally accepted mechanism and it begins with the collisional accumulation of solid cores that may then accrete sufficient gas to become gas giants. The former mechanism is more heretical and begins with the gravitational instability of the protoplanetary disk gas, leading to the formation of self-gravitating protoplanets, within which the dust settles to form a solid core. The disk instability mechanism has been thought of primarily as a mechanism for the formation of gas giants, but if it occurs in a disk that is being photoevaporated by the ultraviolet radiation from nearby massive stars, then the outer gaseous protoplanets can be photoevaporated as well and stripped of their gaseous envelopes. The result would then be ice giants (cold super-Earths), such as the objects discovered recently by microlensing orbiting two presumed M dwarf stars. M dwarfs that form in regions of future high-mass star formation would be expected to produce cold super-Earths orbiting at distances of several astronomical units (AU) and beyond, while M dwarfs that form in regions of low-mass star formation would be expected to have gas giants at those distances. Given that most stars are born in the former rather than in the latter regions, M dwarfs should have significantly more super-Earths than gas giants on orbits of several AU or more

Towards mapping the brain connectome in depression: functional connectivity by perfusion SPECT.

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, Ann; Åstrand, Disa; Öberg, Johanna; Jacobsson, Hans; Jonsson, Cathrine; Larsson, Stig; Pagani, Marco

2014-08-30

Several studies have demonstrated altered brain functional connectivity in the resting state in depression. However, no study has investigated interregional networking in patients with persistent depressive disorder (PDD). The aim of this study was to assess differences in brain perfusion distribution and connectivity between large groups of patients and healthy controls. Participants comprised 91 patients with PDD and 65 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Resting state perfusion was investigated by single photon emission computed tomography, and group differences were assessed by Statistical Parametric Mapping. Brain connectivity was explored through a voxel-wise interregional correlation analysis using as covariate of interest the normalized values of clusters of voxels in which perfusion differences were found in group analysis. Significantly increased regional brain perfusion distribution covering a large part of the cerebellum was observed in patients as compared with controls. Patients showed a significant negative functional connectivity between the cerebellar cluster and caudate, bilaterally. This study demonstrated inverse relative perfusion between the cerebellum and the caudate in PDD. Functional uncoupling may be associated with a dysregulation between the role of the cerebellum in action control and of the caudate in action selection, initiation and decision making in the patients. The potential impact of the resting state condition and the possibility of mitochondrial impairment are discussed. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Giant Cell Arteritis

Science.gov (United States)

Giant cell arteritis is a disorder that causes inflammation of your arteries, usually in the scalp, neck, and arms. ... arteries, which keeps blood from flowing well. Giant cell arteritis often occurs with another disorder called polymyalgia ...

Distributed XQuery-Based Integration and Visualization of Multimodality Brain Mapping Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Detwiler, Landon T; Suciu, Dan; Franklin, Joshua D; Moore, Eider B; Poliakov, Andrew V; Lee, Eunjung S; Corina, David P; Ojemann, George A; Brinkley, James F

2009-01-01

This paper addresses the need for relatively small groups of collaborating investigators to integrate distributed and heterogeneous data about the brain. Although various national efforts facilitate large-scale data sharing, these approaches are generally too "heavyweight" for individual or small groups of investigators, with the result that most data sharing among collaborators continues to be ad hoc. Our approach to this problem is to create a "lightweight" distributed query architecture, in which data sources are accessible via web services that accept arbitrary query languages but return XML results. A Distributed XQuery Processor (DXQP) accepts distributed XQueries in which subqueries are shipped to the remote data sources to be executed, with the resulting XML integrated by DXQP. A web-based application called DXBrain accesses DXQP, allowing a user to create, save and execute distributed XQueries, and to view the results in various formats including a 3-D brain visualization. Example results are presented using distributed brain mapping data sources obtained in studies of language organization in the brain, but any other XML source could be included. The advantage of this approach is that it is very easy to add and query a new source, the tradeoff being that the user needs to understand XQuery and the schemata of the underlying sources. For small numbers of known sources this burden is not onerous for a knowledgeable user, leading to the conclusion that the system helps to fill the gap between ad hoc local methods and large scale but complex national data sharing efforts.

Distributed XQuery-based integration and visualization of multimodality brain mapping data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Landon T Detwiler

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses the need for relatively small groups of collaborating investigators to integrate distributed and heterogeneous data about the brain. Although various national efforts facilitate large-scale data sharing, these approaches are generally too “heavyweight” for individual or small groups of investigators, with the result that most data sharing among collaborators continues to be ad hoc. Our approach to this problem is to create a “lightweight” distributed query architecture, in which data sources are accessible via web services that accept arbitrary query languages but return XML results. A Distributed XQuery Processor (DXQP accepts distributed XQueries in which subqueries are shipped to the remote data sources to be executed, with the resulting XML integrated by DXQP. A web-based application called DXBrain accesses DXQP, allowing a user to create, save and execute distributed XQueries, and to view the results in various formats including a 3-D brain visualization. Example results are presented using distributed brain mapping data sources obtained in studies of language organization in the brain, but any other XML source could be included. The advantage of this approach is that it is very easy to add and query a new source, the tradeoff being that the user needs to understand XQuery and the schemata of the underlying sources. For small numbers of known sources this burden is not onerous for a knowledgeable user, leading to the conclusion that the system helps to fill the gap between ad hoc local methods and large scale but complex national data sharing efforts.

Tuberous sclerosis: diffusion MRI findings in the brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sener, R.N.

2002-01-01

Diffusion MRI has mainly been used for detection of acute ischemia, and for distinction of cytotoxic and vasogenic edema. We applied diffusion MRI in patients with tuberous sclerosis in order to evaluate diffusion imaging characteristics of parenchymal changes. Five children with known tuberous sclerosis were included in this study. The MRI examinations were performed on a 1.5-T MR unit. Diffusion MRI was obtained using the echo-planar imaging sequence. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values from the abnormal brain parenchyma were calculated directly from automatically generated ADC maps. Seven normal children were available for comparison. In this control group the mean ADC value of the normal white matter was 0.84±0.12 x 10 -3 mm 2 /s. In tuberous sclerosis patients the mean ADC value of the white matter hamartomas (n=20) was apparently high (1.52±0.24 x 10 -3 mm 2 /s) compared with that of normal white matter. The ADC value of calcified hamartomas was ''zero''. The ADC value within a giant cell tumor was 0.89 x 10 -3 mm 2 /s, similar to that of normal cerebral white matter. The ADC maps were superior to b=1000 s/mm 2 (true diffusion) images with respect to lesion evaluation, and they provided mathematical information on tissue integrity. With respect to detection of the exact numbers and sizes of the parenchymal hamartomas fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images were superior to ADC maps. It is believed that diffusion MRI can be useful in evaluation of various parenchymal changes associated with tuberous sclerosis. Further studies on tuberous sclerosis, and on various brain lesions, would provide increasing data on this relatively new MRI sequence. (orig.)

Mapping whole-brain activity with cellular resolution by light-sheet microscopy and high-throughput image analysis (Conference Presentation)

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Silvestri, Ludovico; Rudinskiy, Nikita; Paciscopi, Marco; Müllenbroich, Marie Caroline; Costantini, Irene; Sacconi, Leonardo; Frasconi, Paolo; Hyman, Bradley T.; Pavone, Francesco S.

2016-03-01

Mapping neuronal activity patterns across the whole brain with cellular resolution is a challenging task for state-of-the-art imaging methods. Indeed, despite a number of technological efforts, quantitative cellular-resolution activation maps of the whole brain have not yet been obtained. Many techniques are limited by coarse resolution or by a narrow field of view. High-throughput imaging methods, such as light sheet microscopy, can be used to image large specimens with high resolution and in reasonable times. However, the bottleneck is then moved from image acquisition to image analysis, since many TeraBytes of data have to be processed to extract meaningful information. Here, we present a full experimental pipeline to quantify neuronal activity in the entire mouse brain with cellular resolution, based on a combination of genetics, optics and computer science. We used a transgenic mouse strain (Arc-dVenus mouse) in which neurons which have been active in the last hours before brain fixation are fluorescently labelled. Samples were cleared with CLARITY and imaged with a custom-made confocal light sheet microscope. To perform an automatic localization of fluorescent cells on the large images produced, we used a novel computational approach called semantic deconvolution. The combined approach presented here allows quantifying the amount of Arc-expressing neurons throughout the whole mouse brain. When applied to cohorts of mice subject to different stimuli and/or environmental conditions, this method helps finding correlations in activity between different neuronal populations, opening the possibility to infer a sort of brain-wide 'functional connectivity' with cellular resolution.

Improving fMRI reliability in presurgical mapping for brain tumours.

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Stevens, M Tynan R; Clarke, David B; Stroink, Gerhard; Beyea, Steven D; D'Arcy, Ryan Cn

2016-03-01

Functional MRI (fMRI) is becoming increasingly integrated into clinical practice for presurgical mapping. Current efforts are focused on validating data quality, with reliability being a major factor. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of a recently developed approach that uses receiver operating characteristic-reliability (ROC-r) to: (1) identify reliable versus unreliable data sets; (2) automatically select processing options to enhance data quality; and (3) automatically select individualised thresholds for activation maps. Presurgical fMRI was conducted in 16 patients undergoing surgical treatment for brain tumours. Within-session test-retest fMRI was conducted, and ROC-reliability of the patient group was compared to a previous healthy control cohort. Individually optimised preprocessing pipelines were determined to improve reliability. Spatial correspondence was assessed by comparing the fMRI results to intraoperative cortical stimulation mapping, in terms of the distance to the nearest active fMRI voxel. The average ROC-r reliability for the patients was 0.58±0.03, as compared to 0.72±0.02 in healthy controls. For the patient group, this increased significantly to 0.65±0.02 by adopting optimised preprocessing pipelines. Co-localisation of the fMRI maps with cortical stimulation was significantly better for more reliable versus less reliable data sets (8.3±0.9 vs 29±3 mm, respectively). We demonstrated ROC-r analysis for identifying reliable fMRI data sets, choosing optimal postprocessing pipelines, and selecting patient-specific thresholds. Data sets with higher reliability also showed closer spatial correspondence to cortical stimulation. ROC-r can thus identify poor fMRI data at time of scanning, allowing for repeat scans when necessary. ROC-r analysis provides optimised and automated fMRI processing for improved presurgical mapping. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence

Fundamental study on brain receptor mapping by neuronuclear medicine imaging. Quantitation of receptor autoradiography in the rat brain

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Tsuji, Shiro

1988-04-01

The usefulness of autoradiography in the quantitation of the rat brain receptor was evaluated. H-3 spiperone, H-3 quinuclidinyl benzylate (QNB), H-3 muscimol, H-3 diprenorphine, H-3 ketanserin, and H-3 dihydroalprenolol hydrochloride were used for autoradiography. Satisfactory autoradiograms with these H-3 labeled ligants were obtained for incubation time, washing time, and binding curve. The video digitizer system was the most suitable in autoradiography. Using appropriate conditions for the ligand-receptor interaction, receptor autoradiography and in vitro receptor assay were concordant as for the the number of maximum binding sites (Bmax) of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor and equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of its antagonist, H-3 QNB. Receptor autoradiography with high spatial resolution allowed the comparison of Bmax and Kd in the brain. To improve conventional Scatchard analysis, used in the estimation of Bmax and Kd, a new mathematical method was developed for estimating individual rate constants and Bmax on the basis of time courses of association and dissociation. Using the new mathematical method, apparent equilibrium dissociation rate constant was in good agreement with that from a non-isomerization model. Autoradiography may provide a clue for the basic data on brain receptor mapping by a promising emission computerized tomography in neuropsychiatric diseases. (Namekawa, K.).

Influence of image reconstruction methods on statistical parametric mapping of brain PET images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin Dayi; Chen Yingmao; Yao Shulin; Shao Mingzhe; Yin Ling; Tian Jiahe; Cui Hongyan

2007-01-01

Objective: Statistic parametric mapping (SPM) was widely recognized as an useful tool in brain function study. The aim of this study was to investigate if imaging reconstruction algorithm of PET images could influence SPM of brain. Methods: PET imaging of whole brain was performed in six normal volunteers. Each volunteer had two scans with true and false acupuncturing. The PET scans were reconstructed using ordered subsets expectation maximization (OSEM) and filtered back projection (FBP) with 3 varied parameters respectively. The images were realigned, normalized and smoothed using SPM program. The difference between true and false acupuncture scans was tested using a matched pair t test at every voxel. Results: (1) SPM corrected multiple comparison (P corrected uncorrected <0.001): SPM derived from the images with different reconstruction method were different. The largest difference, in number and position of the activated voxels, was noticed between FBP and OSEM re- construction algorithm. Conclusions: The method of PET image reconstruction could influence the results of SPM uncorrected multiple comparison. Attention should be paid when the conclusion was drawn using SPM uncorrected multiple comparison. (authors)

Face of the giant panda sign in Wilson disease

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Sumit Chakraborty

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Wilson disease usually presents with neurologic or hepatic manifestations. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI of the brain is very informative in diagnosiing of this disease, especially in patients with neurological features. High T2 signal intensity in the corpus striatum is the most commonly encountered MRI finding. The 'face of the giant panda' sign is seen on axial T2-weighted MRI, and results from abnormal signal intensities in the midbrain. Though uncommon, the sign is considered as the pathognomonic MRI sign of Wilson disease.

Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Indicates a Disturbed Brain Iron Homeostasis in Neuromyelitis Optica - A Pilot Study.

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Thomas Martin Doring

Full Text Available Dysregulation of brain iron homeostasis is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases and can be associated with oxidative stress. The objective of this study was to investigate brain iron in patients with Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM, a quantitative iron-sensitive MRI technique. 12 clinically confirmed NMO patients (6 female and 6 male; age 35.4y±14.2y and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (7 female and 5 male; age 33.9±11.3y underwent MRI of the brain at 3 Tesla. Quantitative maps of the effective transverse relaxation rate (R2* and magnetic susceptibility were calculated and a blinded ROI-based group comparison analysis was performed. Normality of the data and differences between patients and controls were tested by Kolmogorov-Smirnov and t-test, respectively. Correlation with age was studied using Spearman's rank correlation and an ANCOVA-like analysis. Magnetic susceptibility values were decreased in the red nucleus (p0.95; between -15 and -22 ppb depending on reference region with a trend toward increasing differences with age. R2* revealed significantly decreased relaxation in the optic radiations of five of the 12 patients (p<0.0001; -3.136±0.567 s-1. Decreased relaxation in the optic radiation is indicative for demyelination, which is in line with previous findings. Decreased magnetic susceptibility in the red nucleus is indicative for a lower brain iron concentration, a chemical redistribution of iron into less magnetic forms, or both. Further investigations are necessary to elucidate the pathological cause or consequence of this finding.

Comparison between electric-field-navigated and line-navigated TMS for cortical motor mapping in patients with brain tumors.

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Sollmann, Nico; Goblirsch-Kolb, Moritz F; Ille, Sebastian; Butenschoen, Vicki M; Boeckh-Behrens, Tobias; Meyer, Bernhard; Ringel, Florian; Krieg, Sandro M

2016-12-01

For the navigation of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), various techniques are available. Yet, there are two basic principles underlying them all: electric-field-navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (En-TMS) and line-navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (Ln-TMS). The current study was designed to compare both methods. To explore whether there is a difference in clinical applicability, workflow, and mapping results of both techniques, we systematically compared motor mapping via En-TMS and Ln-TMS in 12 patients suffering from brain tumors. The number of motor-positive stimulation spots and the ratio of positive spots per overall stimulation numbers were significantly higher for En-TMS (motor-positive spots: En-TMS vs. Ln-TMS: 128.3 ± 35.0 vs. 41.3 ± 26.8, p mapping in the neurosurgical context for the first time. Although both TMS systems tested in the present study are explicitly designed for application during motor mapping in patients with brain lesions, there are differences in applicability, workflow, and results between En-TMS and Ln-TMS, which should be distinctly considered during clinical use of the technique. However, to draw final conclusions about accuracy, confirmation of motor-positive Ln-TMS spots by intraoperative stimulation is crucial within the scope of upcoming investigations.

Mapping remodeling of thalamocortical projections in the living reeler mouse brain by diffusion tractography

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Harsan, Laura-Adela; Dávid, Csaba; Reisert, Marco; Schnell, Susanne; Hennig, Jürgen; von Elverfeldt, Dominik; Staiger, Jochen F.

2013-01-01

A major challenge in neuroscience is to accurately decipher in vivo the entire brain circuitry (connectome) at a microscopic level. Currently, the only methodology providing a global noninvasive window into structural brain connectivity is diffusion tractography. The extent to which the reconstructed pathways reflect realistic neuronal networks depends, however, on data acquisition and postprocessing factors. Through a unique combination of approaches, we designed and evaluated herein a framework for reliable fiber tracking and mapping of the living mouse brain connectome. One important wiring scheme, connecting gray matter regions and passing fiber-crossing areas, was closely examined: the lemniscal thalamocortical (TC) pathway. We quantitatively validated the TC projections inferred from in vivo tractography with correlative histological axonal tracing in the same wild-type and reeler mutant mice. We demonstrated noninvasively that changes in patterning of the cortical sheet, such as highly disorganized cortical lamination in reeler, led to spectacular compensatory remodeling of the TC pathway. PMID:23610438

Post traumatic brain perfusion SPECT analysis using reconstructed ROI maps of radioactive microsphere derived cerebral blood flow and statistical parametric mapping.

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McGoron, Anthony J; Capille, Michael; Georgiou, Michael F; Sanchez, Pablo; Solano, Juan; Gonzalez-Brito, Manuel; Kuluz, John W

2008-02-29

Assessment of cerebral blood flow (CBF) by SPECT could be important in the management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) because changes in regional CBF can affect outcome by promoting edema formation and intracranial pressure elevation (with cerebral hyperemia), or by causing secondary ischemic injury including post-traumatic stroke. The purpose of this study was to establish an improved method for evaluating regional CBF changes after TBI in piglets. The focal effects of moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) on cerebral blood flow (CBF) by SPECT cerebral blood perfusion (CBP) imaging in an animal model were investigated by parallelized statistical techniques. Regional CBF was measured by radioactive microspheres and by SPECT 2 hours after injury in sham-operated piglets versus those receiving severe TBI by fluid-percussion injury to the left parietal lobe. Qualitative SPECT CBP accuracy was assessed against reference radioactive microsphere regional CBF measurements by map reconstruction, registration and smoothing. Cerebral hypoperfusion in the test group was identified at the voxel level using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). A significant area of hypoperfusion (P TBI. Statistical mapping of the reference microsphere CBF data confirms a focal decrease found with SPECT and SPM. The suitability of SPM for application to the experimental model and ability to provide insight into CBF changes in response to traumatic injury was validated by the SPECT SPM result of a decrease in CBP at the left parietal region injury area of the test group. Further study and correlation of this characteristic lesion with long-term outcomes and auxiliary diagnostic modalities is critical to developing more effective critical care treatment guidelines and automated medical imaging processing techniques.

Background field removal using a region adaptive kernel for quantitative susceptibility mapping of human brain.

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Fang, Jinsheng; Bao, Lijun; Li, Xu; van Zijl, Peter C M; Chen, Zhong

2017-08-01

Background field removal is an important MR phase preprocessing step for quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). It separates the local field induced by tissue magnetic susceptibility sources from the background field generated by sources outside a region of interest, e.g. brain, such as air-tissue interface. In the vicinity of air-tissue boundary, e.g. skull and paranasal sinuses, where large susceptibility variations exist, present background field removal methods are usually insufficient and these regions often need to be excluded by brain mask erosion at the expense of losing information of local field and thus susceptibility measures in these regions. In this paper, we propose an extension to the variable-kernel sophisticated harmonic artifact reduction for phase data (V-SHARP) background field removal method using a region adaptive kernel (R-SHARP), in which a scalable spherical Gaussian kernel (SGK) is employed with its kernel radius and weights adjustable according to an energy "functional" reflecting the magnitude of field variation. Such an energy functional is defined in terms of a contour and two fitting functions incorporating regularization terms, from which a curve evolution model in level set formation is derived for energy minimization. We utilize it to detect regions of with a large field gradient caused by strong susceptibility variation. In such regions, the SGK will have a small radius and high weight at the sphere center in a manner adaptive to the voxel energy of the field perturbation. Using the proposed method, the background field generated from external sources can be effectively removed to get a more accurate estimation of the local field and thus of the QSM dipole inversion to map local tissue susceptibility sources. Numerical simulation, phantom and in vivo human brain data demonstrate improved performance of R-SHARP compared to V-SHARP and RESHARP (regularization enabled SHARP) methods, even when the whole paranasal sinus regions

The characteristic and changes of the event-related potentials (ERP and brain topographic maps before and after treatment with rTMS in subjective tinnitus patients.

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Haidi Yang

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: To compare the event-related potentials (ERPs and brain topographic maps characteristic and change in normal controls and subjective tinnitus patients before and after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS treatment. METHODS AND PARTICIPANTS: The ERPs and brain topographic maps elicited by target stimulus were compared before and after 1-week treatment with rTMS in 20 subjective tinnitus patients and 16 healthy controls. RESULTS: Before rTMS, target stimulus elicited a larger N1 component than the standard stimuli (repeating soundsin control group but not in tinnitus patients. Instead, the tinnitus group pre-treatment exhibited larger amplitude of N1 in response to standard stimuli than to deviant stimuli. Furthermore tinnitus patients had smaller mismatch negativity (MMN and late discriminative negativity (LDNcomponent at Fz compared with the control group. After rTMS treatment, tinnitus patients showed increased N1 response to deviant stimuli and larger MMN and LDN compared with pre-treatment. The topographic maps for the tinnitus group before rTMS -treatment demonstrated global asymmetry between the left and right cerebral hemispheres with more negative activities in left side and more positive activities in right side. In contrast, the brain topographic maps for patients after rTMS-treatment and controls seem roughly symmetrical. The ERP amplitudes and brain topographic maps in post-treatment patient group showed no significant difference with those in controls. CONCLUSIONS: The characterical changes in ERP and brain topographic maps in tinnitus patients maybe related with the electrophysiological mechanism of tinnitus induction and development. It can be used as an objective biomarker for the evaluation of auditory central in subjective tinnitus patients. These findings support the notion that rTMS treatment in tinnitus patients may exert a beneficial effect.

The characteristic and changes of the event-related potentials (ERP) and brain topographic maps before and after treatment with rTMS in subjective tinnitus patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Haidi; Xiong, Hao; Yu, Rongjun; Wang, Changming; Zheng, Yiqing; Zhang, Xueyuan

2013-01-01

To compare the event-related potentials (ERPs) and brain topographic maps characteristic and change in normal controls and subjective tinnitus patients before and after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment. The ERPs and brain topographic maps elicited by target stimulus were compared before and after 1-week treatment with rTMS in 20 subjective tinnitus patients and 16 healthy controls. Before rTMS, target stimulus elicited a larger N1 component than the standard stimuli (repeating sounds)in control group but not in tinnitus patients. Instead, the tinnitus group pre-treatment exhibited larger amplitude of N1 in response to standard stimuli than to deviant stimuli. Furthermore tinnitus patients had smaller mismatch negativity (MMN) and late discriminative negativity (LDN)component at Fz compared with the control group. After rTMS treatment, tinnitus patients showed increased N1 response to deviant stimuli and larger MMN and LDN compared with pre-treatment. The topographic maps for the tinnitus group before rTMS -treatment demonstrated global asymmetry between the left and right cerebral hemispheres with more negative activities in left side and more positive activities in right side. In contrast, the brain topographic maps for patients after rTMS-treatment and controls seem roughly symmetrical. The ERP amplitudes and brain topographic maps in post-treatment patient group showed no significant difference with those in controls. The characterical changes in ERP and brain topographic maps in tinnitus patients maybe related with the electrophysiological mechanism of tinnitus induction and development. It can be used as an objective biomarker for the evaluation of auditory central in subjective tinnitus patients. These findings support the notion that rTMS treatment in tinnitus patients may exert a beneficial effect.

Giant partially thrombosed 4 th ventricular posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm; microsurgical management

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Forhad Hossain Chowdhury

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A 42-year-old woman presented with a 3-month history of progressive occipital headache, vomiting, walking difficulty, and repeated fall. She had no history of sudden and severe headache. She had positive cerebellar signs, predominantly on the right side. Computerized tomography (CT scan, CT angiogram, and magnetic resonance image (MRI of the brain showed suspected partially thrombosed giant 4 th ventricular posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm. Patient developed severe hypersensitivity reaction during both CT scan and MRI after contrast injection. Though needed, digital subtraction angiogram (DSA of cerebral vessels was not done. The aneurysm was managed by microsurgical clipping of the aneurysm neck and partial excision of thrombosed aneurysm. Here, we report the details of management of these difficult giant aneurysm without DSA.

Suitable reference tissues for quantitative susceptibility mapping of the brain.

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Straub, Sina; Schneider, Till M; Emmerich, Julian; Freitag, Martin T; Ziener, Christian H; Schlemmer, Heinz-Peter; Ladd, Mark E; Laun, Frederik B

2017-07-01

Since quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) quantifies magnetic susceptibility relative to a reference value, a suitable reference tissue has to be available to compare different subjects and stages of disease. To find such a suitable reference tissue for QSM of the brain, melanoma patients with and without brain metastases were measured. Twelve reference regions were chosen and assessed for stability of susceptibility values with respect to multiple intra-individual and inter-individual measurements, age, and stage of disease. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the internal capsule and one region in the splenium of the corpus callosum are the regions with the smallest standard deviations of the mean susceptibility value. The mean susceptibility is 0.010 ± 0.014 ppm for CSF in the atrium of the lateral ventricles (csf post ), -0.060 ± 0.019 ppm for the posterior limb of the internal capsule (ci2), and -0.008 ± 0.019 ppm for the splenium of the corpus callosum. csf post and ci2 show nearly no dependence on age or stage of disease, whereas some other regions, e.g., the red nucleus, show moderate dependence on age or disease. The internal capsule and CSF appear to be the most suitable reference regions for QSM of the brain in the melanoma patients studied. Both showed virtually no dependence on age or disease and small variations among patients. Magn Reson Med 78:204-214, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Mapping the human brain during a specific Vojta's tactile input: the ipsilateral putamen's role.

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Sanz-Esteban, Ismael; Calvo-Lobo, Cesar; Ríos-Lago, Marcos; Álvarez-Linera, Juan; Muñoz-García, Daniel; Rodríguez-Sanz, David

2018-03-01

A century of research in human brain parcellation has demonstrated that different brain areas are associated with functional tasks. New neuroscientist perspectives to achieve the parcellation of the human brain have been developed to know the brain areas activation and its relationship with different stimuli. This descriptive study aimed to compare brain regions activation by specific tactile input (STI) stimuli according to the Vojta protocol (STI-group) to a non-STI stimulation (non-STI-group). An exploratory functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was performed. The 2 groups of participants were passively stimulated by an expert physical therapist using the same paradigm structure, although differing in the place of stimulation. The stimulation was presented to participants using a block design in all cases. A sample of 16 healthy participants, 5 men and 11 women, with mean age 31.31 ± 8.13 years was recruited. Indeed, 12 participants were allocated in the STI-group and 4 participants in the non-STI-group. fMRI was used to map the human brain in vivo while these tactile stimuli were being applied. Data were analyzed using a general linear model in SPM12 implemented in MATLAB. Differences between groups showed a greater activation in the right cortical areas (temporal and frontal lobes), subcortical regions (thalamus, brainstem, and basal nuclei), and in the cerebellum (anterior lobe). STI-group had specific difference brain activation areas, such as the ipsilateral putamen. Future studies should study clinical implications in neurorehabilitation patients.

Systems Neuroscience of Psychosis: Mapping Schizophrenia Symptoms onto Brain Systems.

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Strik, Werner; Stegmayer, Katharina; Walther, Sebastian; Dierks, Thomas

2017-01-01

Schizophrenia research has been in a deadlock for many decades. Despite important advances in clinical treatment, there are still major concerns regarding long-term psychosocial reintegration and disease management, biological heterogeneity, unsatisfactory predictors of individual course and treatment strategies, and a confusing variety of controversial theories about its etiology and pathophysiological mechanisms. In the present perspective on schizophrenia research, we first discuss a methodological pitfall in contemporary schizophrenia research inherent in the attempt to link mental phenomena with the brain: we claim that the time-honored phenomenological method of defining mental symptoms should not be contaminated with the naturalistic approach of modern neuroscience. We then describe our Systems Neuroscience of Psychosis (SyNoPsis) project, which aims to overcome this intrinsic problem of psychiatric research. Considering schizophrenia primarily as a disorder of interindividual communication, we developed a neurobiologically informed semiotics of psychotic disorders, as well as an operational clinical rating scale. The novel psychopathology allows disentangling the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia into behavioral domains matching the functions of three well-described higher-order corticobasal brain systems involved in interindividual human communication, namely, the limbic, associative, and motor loops, including their corticocortical sensorimotor connections. The results of several empirical studies support the hypothesis that the proposed three-dimensional symptom structure, segregated into the affective, the language, and the motor domain, can be specifically mapped onto structural and functional abnormalities of the respective brain systems. New pathophysiological hypotheses derived from this brain system-oriented approach have helped to develop and improve novel treatment strategies with noninvasive brain stimulation and practicable clinical

A hybrid CPU-GPU accelerated framework for fast mapping of high-resolution human brain connectome.

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Yu Wang

Full Text Available Recently, a combination of non-invasive neuroimaging techniques and graph theoretical approaches has provided a unique opportunity for understanding the patterns of the structural and functional connectivity of the human brain (referred to as the human brain connectome. Currently, there is a very large amount of brain imaging data that have been collected, and there are very high requirements for the computational capabilities that are used in high-resolution connectome research. In this paper, we propose a hybrid CPU-GPU framework to accelerate the computation of the human brain connectome. We applied this framework to a publicly available resting-state functional MRI dataset from 197 participants. For each subject, we first computed Pearson's Correlation coefficient between any pairs of the time series of gray-matter voxels, and then we constructed unweighted undirected brain networks with 58 k nodes and a sparsity range from 0.02% to 0.17%. Next, graphic properties of the functional brain networks were quantified, analyzed and compared with those of 15 corresponding random networks. With our proposed accelerating framework, the above process for each network cost 80∼150 minutes, depending on the network sparsity. Further analyses revealed that high-resolution functional brain networks have efficient small-world properties, significant modular structure, a power law degree distribution and highly connected nodes in the medial frontal and parietal cortical regions. These results are largely compatible with previous human brain network studies. Taken together, our proposed framework can substantially enhance the applicability and efficacy of high-resolution (voxel-based brain network analysis, and have the potential to accelerate the mapping of the human brain connectome in normal and disease states.

Phase congruency map driven brain tumour segmentation

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Szilágyi, Tünde; Brady, Michael; Berényi, Ervin

2015-03-01

Computer Aided Diagnostic (CAD) systems are already of proven value in healthcare, especially for surgical planning, nevertheless much remains to be done. Gliomas are the most common brain tumours (70%) in adults, with a survival time of just 2-3 months if detected at WHO grades III or higher. Such tumours are extremely variable, necessitating multi-modal Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI). The use of Gadolinium-based contrast agents is only relevant at later stages of the disease where it highlights the enhancing rim of the tumour. Currently, there is no single accepted method that can be used as a reference. There are three main challenges with such images: to decide whether there is tumour present and is so localize it; to construct a mask that separates healthy and diseased tissue; and to differentiate between the tumour core and the surrounding oedema. This paper presents two contributions. First, we develop tumour seed selection based on multiscale multi-modal texture feature vectors. Second, we develop a method based on a local phase congruency based feature map to drive level-set segmentation. The segmentations achieved with our method are more accurate than previously presented methods, particularly for challenging low grade tumours.

Direct mapping of 19F in 19FDG-6P in brain tissue at subcellular resolution using soft X-ray fluorescence

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Poitry-Yamate, C.; Gianoncelli, A.; Kourousias, G.; Kaulich, B.; Lepore, M.; Gruetter, R.; Kiskinova, M.

2013-10-01

Low energy x-ray fluorescence (LEXRF) detection was optimized for imaging cerebral glucose metabolism by mapping the fluorine LEXRF signal of 19F in 19FDG, trapped as intracellular 19F-deoxyglucose-6-phosphate (19FDG-6P) at 1μm spatial resolution from 3μm thick brain slices. 19FDG metabolism was evaluated in brain structures closely resembling the general cerebral cytoarchitecture following formalin fixation of brain slices and their inclusion in an epon matrix. 2-dimensional distribution maps of 19FDG-6P were placed in a cytoarchitectural and morphological context by simultaneous LEXRF mapping of N and O, and scanning transmission x-ray (STXM) imaging. A disproportionately high uptake and metabolism of glucose was found in neuropil relative to intracellular domains of the cell body of hypothalamic neurons, showing directly that neurons, like glial cells, also metabolize glucose. As 19F-deoxyglucose-6P is structurally identical to 18F-deoxyglucose-6P, LEXRF of subcellular 19F provides a link to in vivo 18FDG PET, forming a novel basis for understanding the physiological mechanisms underlying the 18FDG PET image, and the contribution of neurons and glia to the PET signal.

Direct mapping of 19F in 19FDG-6P in brain tissue at subcellular resolution using soft X-ray fluorescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poitry-Yamate, C; Lepore, M; Gruetter, R; Gianoncelli, A; Kourousias, G; Kiskinova, M; Kaulich, B

2013-01-01

Low energy x-ray fluorescence (LEXRF) detection was optimized for imaging cerebral glucose metabolism by mapping the fluorine LEXRF signal of 19 F in 19 FDG, trapped as intracellular 19 F-deoxyglucose-6-phosphate ( 19 FDG-6P) at 1μm spatial resolution from 3μm thick brain slices. 19 FDG metabolism was evaluated in brain structures closely resembling the general cerebral cytoarchitecture following formalin fixation of brain slices and their inclusion in an epon matrix. 2-dimensional distribution maps of 19 FDG-6P were placed in a cytoarchitectural and morphological context by simultaneous LEXRF mapping of N and O, and scanning transmission x-ray (STXM) imaging. A disproportionately high uptake and metabolism of glucose was found in neuropil relative to intracellular domains of the cell body of hypothalamic neurons, showing directly that neurons, like glial cells, also metabolize glucose. As 19 F-deoxyglucose-6P is structurally identical to 18 F-deoxyglucose-6P, LEXRF of subcellular 19 F provides a link to in vivo 18 FDG PET, forming a novel basis for understanding the physiological mechanisms underlying the 18 FDG PET image, and the contribution of neurons and glia to the PET signal

Baby brain atlases.

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Oishi, Kenichi; Chang, Linda; Huang, Hao

2018-04-03

The baby brain is constantly changing due to its active neurodevelopment, and research into the baby brain is one of the frontiers in neuroscience. To help guide neuroscientists and clinicians in their investigation of this frontier, maps of the baby brain, which contain a priori knowledge about neurodevelopment and anatomy, are essential. "Brain atlas" in this review refers to a 3D-brain image with a set of reference labels, such as a parcellation map, as the anatomical reference that guides the mapping of the brain. Recent advancements in scanners, sequences, and motion control methodologies enable the creation of various types of high-resolution baby brain atlases. What is becoming clear is that one atlas is not sufficient to characterize the existing knowledge about the anatomical variations, disease-related anatomical alterations, and the variations in time-dependent changes. In this review, the types and roles of the human baby brain MRI atlases that are currently available are described and discussed, and future directions in the field of developmental neuroscience and its clinical applications are proposed. The potential use of disease-based atlases to characterize clinically relevant information, such as clinical labels, in addition to conventional anatomical labels, is also discussed. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Auditory middle latency responses differ in right- and left-handed subjects: an evaluation through topographic brain mapping.

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Mohebbi, Mehrnaz; Mahmoudian, Saeid; Alborzi, Marzieh Sharifian; Najafi-Koopaie, Mojtaba; Farahani, Ehsan Darestani; Farhadi, Mohammad

2014-09-01

To investigate the association of handedness with auditory middle latency responses (AMLRs) using topographic brain mapping by comparing amplitudes and latencies in frontocentral and hemispheric regions of interest (ROIs). The study included 44 healthy subjects with normal hearing (22 left handed and 22 right handed). AMLRs were recorded from 29 scalp electrodes in response to binaural 4-kHz tone bursts. Frontocentral ROI comparisons revealed that Pa and Pb amplitudes were significantly larger in the left-handed than the right-handed group. Topographic brain maps showed different distributions in AMLR components between the two groups. In hemispheric comparisons, Pa amplitude differed significantly across groups. A left-hemisphere emphasis of Pa was found in the right-handed group but not in the left-handed group. This study provides evidence that handedness is associated with AMLR components in frontocentral and hemispheric ROI. Handedness should be considered an essential factor in the clinical or experimental use of AMLRs.

Construction of a 7-fold BAC library and cytogenetic mapping of 10 genes in the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

OpenAIRE

Liu, Wei; Zhao, Yonghui; Liu, Zhaoliang; Zhang, Ying; Lian, Zhengxing; Li, Ning

2006-01-01

Abstract Background The giant panda, one of the most primitive carnivores, is an endangered animal. Although it has been the subject of many interesting studies during recent years, little is known about its genome. In order to promote research on this genome, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library of the giant panda was constructed in this study. Results This BAC library contains 198,844 clones with an average insert size of 108 kb, which represents approximately seven equivalents o...

Post traumatic brain perfusion SPECT analysis using reconstructed ROI maps of radioactive microsphere derived cerebral blood flow and statistical parametric mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGoron, Anthony J; Capille, Michael; Georgiou, Michael F; Sanchez, Pablo; Solano, Juan; Gonzalez-Brito, Manuel; Kuluz, John W

2008-01-01

Assessment of cerebral blood flow (CBF) by SPECT could be important in the management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) because changes in regional CBF can affect outcome by promoting edema formation and intracranial pressure elevation (with cerebral hyperemia), or by causing secondary ischemic injury including post-traumatic stroke. The purpose of this study was to establish an improved method for evaluating regional CBF changes after TBI in piglets. The focal effects of moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) on cerebral blood flow (CBF) by SPECT cerebral blood perfusion (CBP) imaging in an animal model were investigated by parallelized statistical techniques. Regional CBF was measured by radioactive microspheres and by SPECT 2 hours after injury in sham-operated piglets versus those receiving severe TBI by fluid-percussion injury to the left parietal lobe. Qualitative SPECT CBP accuracy was assessed against reference radioactive microsphere regional CBF measurements by map reconstruction, registration and smoothing. Cerebral hypoperfusion in the test group was identified at the voxel level using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). A significant area of hypoperfusion (P < 0.01) was found as a response to the TBI. Statistical mapping of the reference microsphere CBF data confirms a focal decrease found with SPECT and SPM. The suitability of SPM for application to the experimental model and ability to provide insight into CBF changes in response to traumatic injury was validated by the SPECT SPM result of a decrease in CBP at the left parietal region injury area of the test group. Further study and correlation of this characteristic lesion with long-term outcomes and auxiliary diagnostic modalities is critical to developing more effective critical care treatment guidelines and automated medical imaging processing techniques

The subtle body: an interoceptive map of central nervous system function and meditative mind-brain-body integration.

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Loizzo, Joseph J

2016-06-01

Meditation research has begun to clarify the brain effects and mechanisms of contemplative practices while generating a range of typologies and explanatory models to guide further study. This comparative review explores a neglected area relevant to current research: the validity of a traditional central nervous system (CNS) model that coevolved with the practices most studied today and that provides the first comprehensive neural-based typology and mechanistic framework of contemplative practices. The subtle body model, popularly known as the chakra system from Indian yoga, was and is used as a map of CNS function in traditional Indian and Tibetan medicine, neuropsychiatry, and neuropsychology. The study presented here, based on the Nalanda tradition, shows that the subtle body model can be cross-referenced with modern CNS maps and challenges modern brain maps with its embodied network model of CNS function. It also challenges meditation research by: (1) presenting a more rigorous, neural-based typology of contemplative practices; (2) offering a more refined and complete network model of the mechanisms of contemplative practices; and (3) serving as an embodied, interoceptive neurofeedback aid that is more user friendly and complete than current teaching aids for clinical and practical applications of contemplative practice. © 2016 New York Academy of Sciences.

Oxygen Mapping within Healthy and Acutely Infarcted Brain Tissue in Humans Using the NMR Relaxation of Lipids: A Proof-Of-Concept Translational Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Colliez, Florence; Safronova, Marta M; Magat, Julie; Joudiou, Nicolas; Peeters, André P; Jordan, Bénédicte F; Gallez, Bernard; Duprez, Thierry

2015-01-01

The clinical applicability of brain oxygenation mapping using the MOBILE (Mapping of Oxygen By Imaging Lipids relaxation Enhancement) magnetic resonance (MR) technique was assessed in the clinical setting of normal brain and of acute cerebral ischemia as a founding proof-of-concept translational study. Changes in the oxygenation level within healthy brain tissue can be detected by analyzing the spin-lattice proton relaxation ('Global T1' combining water and lipid protons) because of the paramagnetic properties of molecular oxygen. It was hypothesized that selective measurement of the relaxation of the lipid protons ('Lipids T1') would result in enhanced sensitivity of pO2 mapping because of higher solubility of oxygen in lipids than in water, and this was demonstrated in pre-clinical models using the MOBILE technique. In the present study, 12 healthy volunteers and eight patients with acute (48-72 hours) brain infarction were examined with the same clinical 3T MR system. Both Lipids R1 (R1 = 1/T1) and Global R1 were significantly different in the infarcted area and the contralateral unaffected brain tissue, with a higher statistical significance for Lipids R1 (median difference: 0.408 s-1; pbrain tissue of stroke patients were not significantly different from the R1 values calculated in the brain tissue of healthy volunteers. The main limitations of the present prototypic version of the MOBILE sequence are the long acquisition time (4 min), hampering robustness of data in uncooperative patients, and a 2 mm slice thickness precluding accurate measurements in small infarcts because of partial volume averaging effects.

Statistical parametric mapping for effects of verapamil on olfactory connections of rat brain in vivo using manganese-enhanced MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soma, Tsutomu; Kurakawa, Masami; Koto, Daichi

2011-01-01

We investigated the effect of verapamil on the transport of manganese in the olfactory connections of rat brains in vivo using statistical parametric mapping and manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. We divided 12 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats into 2 groups of six and injected 10 μL of saline into the right nasal cavities of the first group and 10 μL of verapamil (2.5 mg/mL) into the other group. Twenty minutes after the initial injection, we injected 10 μL of MnCl 2 (1 mol/L) into the right nasal cavities of both groups. We obtained serial T 1 -weighted MR images before administering the verapamil or saline and at 0.5, one, 24, 48, and 72 hours and 7 days after administering the MnCl 2 , spatially normalized the MR images on the rat brain atlas, and analyzed the data using voxel-based statistical comparison. Statistical parametric maps demonstrated the transport of manganese. Manganese ions created significant enhancement (t-score=36.6) 24 hours after MnCl 2 administration in the group administered saline but not at the same time point in the group receiving verapamil. The extent of significantly enhanced regions peaked at 72 hours in both groups and both sides of the brain. The peak of extent in the right side brain in the group injected with saline was 70.2 mm 3 and in the group with verapamil, 92.4 mm 3 . The extents in the left side were 64.0 mm 3 for the group with saline and 53.2 mm 3 for the group with verapamil. We applied statistical parametric mapping using manganese-enhanced MR imaging to demonstrate in vivo the transport of manganese in the olfactory connections of rat brains with and without verapamil and found that verapamil did affect this transport. (author)

Mapping the trajectory of the amygdalothalamic tract in the human brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamali, Arash; Riascos, Roy F; Pillai, Jay J; Sair, Haris I; Patel, Rajan; Nelson, Flavia M; Lincoln, John A; Tandon, Nitin; Mirbagheri, Saeedeh; Rabiei, Pejman; Keser, Zafer; Hasan, Khader M

2018-04-01

Although the thalamus is not considered primarily as a limbic structure, abundant evidence indicates the essential role of the thalamus as a modulator of limbic functions indirectly through the amygdala. The amygdala is a central component of the limbic system and serves an essential role in modulating the core processes including the memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions. The amygdalothalamic pathway is the largest direct amygdalo-diencephalic connection in the primates including the human brain. Given the crucial role of the amygdalothalamic tract (ATT) in memory function and diencephalic amnesia in stroke patients, diffusion tensor imaging may be helpful in better visualizing the surgical anatomy of this pathway noninvasively. To date, few diffusion-weighted studies have focused on the amygdala, yet the fine neuronal connection of the amygdala and thalamus known as the ATT has yet to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the utility of high spatial resolution diffusion tensor tractography for mapping the trajectory of the ATT in the human brain. We studied 15 healthy right-handed human subjects (12 men and 3 women with age range of 24-37 years old). Using a high-resolution diffusion tensor tractography technique, for the first time, we were able to reconstruct and measure the trajectory of the ATT. We further revealed the close relationship of the ATT with the temporopontine tract and the fornix bilaterally in 15 healthy adult human brains. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Re-examine tumor-induced alterations in hemodynamic responses of BOLD fMRI. Implications in presurgical brain mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Liya; Ali, Shazia; Fa, Tianning; Mao, Hui; Dandan, Chen; Olson, Jeffrey

2012-01-01

Background: Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) fMRI is used for presurgical functional mapping of brain tumor patients. Abnormal tumor blood supply may affect hemodynamic responses and BOLD fMRI signals. Purpose: To perform a multivariate and quantitative investigation of the effect of brain tumors on the hemodynamic responses and its impact on BOLD MRI signal time course, data analysis in order to better understand tumor-induced alterations in hemodynamic responses, and accurately mapping cortical regions in brain tumor patients. Material and Methods: BOLD fMRI data from 42 glioma patients who underwent presurgical mapping of the primary motor cortex (PMC) with a block designed finger tapping paradigm were analyzed, retrospectively. Cases were divided into high grade (n = 24) and low grade (n = 18) groups based on pathology. The tumor volume and distance to the activated PMCs were measured. BOLD signal time courses from selected regions of interest (ROIs) in the PMCs of tumor affected and contralateral unaffected hemispheres were obtained from each patient. Tumor-induced changes of BOLD signal intensity and time to peak (TTP) of BOLD signal time courses were analyzed statistically. Results: The BOLD signal intensity and TTP in the tumor-affected PMCs are altered when compared to that of the unaffected hemisphere. The average BOLD signal level is statistically significant lower in the affected PMCs. The average TTP in the affected PMCs is shorter in the high grade group, but longer in the low grade tumor group compared to the contralateral unaffected hemisphere. Degrees of alterations in BOLD signal time courses are related to both the distance to activated foci and tumor volume with the stronger effect in tumor distance to activated PMC. Conclusion: Alterations in BOLD signal time courses are strongly related to the tumor grade, the tumor volume, and the distance to the activated foci. Such alterations may impair accurate mapping of tumor-affected functional

Probabilistic anatomical labeling of brain structures using statistical probabilistic anatomical maps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jin Su; Lee, Dong Soo; Lee, Byung Il; Lee, Jae Sung; Shin, Hee Won; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul

2002-01-01

The use of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) program has increased for the analysis of brain PET and SPECT images. Montreal neurological institute (MNI) coordinate is used in SPM program as a standard anatomical framework. While the most researchers look up Talairach atlas to report the localization of the activations detected in SPM program, there is significant disparity between MNI templates and Talairach atlas. That disparity between Talairach and MNI coordinates makes the interpretation of SPM result time consuming, subjective and inaccurate. The purpose of this study was to develop a program to provide objective anatomical information of each x-y-z position in ICBM coordinate. Program was designed to provide the anatomical information for the given x-y-z position in MNI coordinate based on the statistical probabilistic anatomical map (SPAM) images of ICBM. When x-y-z position was given to the program, names of the anatomical structures with non-zero probability and the probabilities that the given position belongs to the structures were tabulated. The program was coded using IDL and JAVA language for the easy transplantation to any operating system or platform. Utility of this program was shown by comparing the results of this program to those of SPM program. Preliminary validation study was performed by applying this program to the analysis of PET brain activation study of human memory in which the anatomical information on the activated areas are previously known. Real time retrieval of probabilistic information with 1 mm spatial resolution was archived using the programs. Validation study showed the relevance of this program: probability that the activated area for memory belonged to hippocampal formation was more than 80%. These programs will be useful for the result interpretation of the image analysis performed on MNI coordinate, as done in SPM program

STUDI AWAL: PENGARUH GAME KEKERASAN TERHADAP AKTIVITAS OTAK ANAK MELALUI PEMETAAN SINYAL OTAK (BRAIN MAPPING MENGGUNAKAN WIRELESS EEG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nita Handayani

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Brain mapping adalah pemetaan aktivitas kelistrikan otak untuk mempelajari fungsional otak manusia. Pada studi ini, brain mapping digunakan untuk mempelajari pengaruh game kekerasan terhadap aktivitas fungsional otak anak dengan menggunakan wireless EEG (electroencephalography berupa Emotiv Epoc 14-channel. Subjek penelitian ini adalah anak-anak pecandu game kekerasan (10 anak dengan rentang usia antara 12-15 tahun. Aktivitas otak pada saat bermain game akan dibandingkan dengan kondisi rileks. Waktu perekaman EEG selama 42 menit untuk setiap subjek. Dari hasil analisis spektral daya menggunakan periodogram Welch menunjukkan bahwa pada saat bermain game, frekuensi gelombang delta dan theta meningkat terutama pada area frontal (F7, F3, FC5, FC6, F4, F8, dan AF4. Spektral daya gelombang alpha mengalami penurunan sedangkan gelombang beta mengalami peningkatan pada saat bermain game. Hal ini mengindikasikan bahwa anak mengalami beban mental dan berada pada kondisi stres pada saat bermain game kekerasan.

Mapping the Alzheimer's brain with connectomics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teng eXie

2012-01-01

Full Text Available 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 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.

Mapping pathological changes in brain structure by combining T1- and T2-weighted MR imaging data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganzetti, Marco; Mantini, Dante; Wenderoth, Nicole

2015-01-01

A workflow based on the ratio between standardized T1-weighted (T1-w) and T2-weighted (T2-w) MR images has been proposed as a new tool to study brain structure. This approach was previously used to map structural properties in the healthy brain. Here, we evaluate whether the T1-w/T2-w approach can support the assessment of structural impairments in the diseased brain. We use schizophrenia data to demonstrate the potential clinical utility of the technique. We analyzed T1-w and T2-w images of 36 schizophrenic patients and 35 age-matched controls. These were collected for the Function Biomedical Informatics Research Network (fBIRN) collaborative project, which had an IRB approval and followed the HIPAA guidelines. We computed T1-w/T2-w images for each individual and compared intensities in schizophrenic and control groups on a voxel-wise basis, as well as in regions of interest (ROIs). Our results revealed that the T1-w/T2-w image permits to discriminate brain regions showing group-level differences between patients and controls with greater accuracy than conventional T1-w and T2-w images. Both the ROIs and the voxel-wise analysis showed globally reduced gray and white matter values in patients compared to controls. Significantly reduced values were found in regions such as insula, primary auditory cortex, hippocampus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. Our findings were consistent with previous meta-analyses in schizophrenia corroborating the hypothesis of a potential ''disconnection'' syndrome in conjunction with structural alterations in local gray matter regions. Overall, our study suggested that the T1-w/T2-w technique permits to reliably map structural differences between the brains of patients and healthy individuals. (orig.)

Mapping pathological changes in brain structure by combining T1- and T2-weighted MR imaging data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ganzetti, Marco; Mantini, Dante [ETH Zurich, Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Zurich (Switzerland); University of Oxford, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford (United Kingdom); Wenderoth, Nicole [ETH Zurich, Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Zurich (Switzerland); KU Leuven, Laboratory of Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, Leuven (Belgium)

2015-09-15

A workflow based on the ratio between standardized T1-weighted (T1-w) and T2-weighted (T2-w) MR images has been proposed as a new tool to study brain structure. This approach was previously used to map structural properties in the healthy brain. Here, we evaluate whether the T1-w/T2-w approach can support the assessment of structural impairments in the diseased brain. We use schizophrenia data to demonstrate the potential clinical utility of the technique. We analyzed T1-w and T2-w images of 36 schizophrenic patients and 35 age-matched controls. These were collected for the Function Biomedical Informatics Research Network (fBIRN) collaborative project, which had an IRB approval and followed the HIPAA guidelines. We computed T1-w/T2-w images for each individual and compared intensities in schizophrenic and control groups on a voxel-wise basis, as well as in regions of interest (ROIs). Our results revealed that the T1-w/T2-w image permits to discriminate brain regions showing group-level differences between patients and controls with greater accuracy than conventional T1-w and T2-w images. Both the ROIs and the voxel-wise analysis showed globally reduced gray and white matter values in patients compared to controls. Significantly reduced values were found in regions such as insula, primary auditory cortex, hippocampus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. Our findings were consistent with previous meta-analyses in schizophrenia corroborating the hypothesis of a potential ''disconnection'' syndrome in conjunction with structural alterations in local gray matter regions. Overall, our study suggested that the T1-w/T2-w technique permits to reliably map structural differences between the brains of patients and healthy individuals. (orig.)

Spatial Mapping of Structural and Connectional Imaging Data for the Developing Human Brain with Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Ouyang, Austin; Jeon, Tina; Sunkin, Susan M.; Pletikos, Mihovil; Sedmak, Goran; Sestan, Nenad; Lein, Ed S.; Huang, Hao

2014-01-01

During human brain development from fetal stage to adulthood, the white matter (WM) tracts undergo dramatic changes. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a widely used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modality, offers insight into the dynamic changes of WM fibers as these fibers can be noninvasively traced and three-dimensionally (3D) reconstructed with DTI tractography. The DTI and conventional T1 weighted MRI images also provide sufficient cortical anatomical details for mapping the cortical regions of interests (ROIs). In this paper, we described basic concepts and methods of DTI techniques that can be used to trace major WM tracts noninvasively from fetal brain of 14 postconceptional weeks (pcw) to adult brain. We applied these techniques to acquire DTI data and trace, reconstruct and visualize major WM tracts during development. After categorizing major WM fiber bundles into five unique functional tract groups, namely limbic, brain stem, projection, commissural and association tracts, we revealed formation and maturation of these 3D reconstructed WM tracts of the developing human brain. The structural and connectional imaging data offered by DTI provides the anatomical backbone of transcriptional atlas of the developing human brain. PMID:25448302

Spatial mapping of structural and connectional imaging data for the developing human brain with diffusion tensor imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouyang, Austin; Jeon, Tina; Sunkin, Susan M; Pletikos, Mihovil; Sedmak, Goran; Sestan, Nenad; Lein, Ed S; Huang, Hao

2015-02-01

During human brain development from fetal stage to adulthood, the white matter (WM) tracts undergo dramatic changes. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a widely used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modality, offers insight into the dynamic changes of WM fibers as these fibers can be noninvasively traced and three-dimensionally (3D) reconstructed with DTI tractography. The DTI and conventional T1 weighted MRI images also provide sufficient cortical anatomical details for mapping the cortical regions of interests (ROIs). In this paper, we described basic concepts and methods of DTI techniques that can be used to trace major WM tracts noninvasively from fetal brain of 14 postconceptional weeks (pcw) to adult brain. We applied these techniques to acquire DTI data and trace, reconstruct and visualize major WM tracts during development. After categorizing major WM fiber bundles into five unique functional tract groups, namely limbic, brain stem, projection, commissural and association tracts, we revealed formation and maturation of these 3D reconstructed WM tracts of the developing human brain. The structural and connectional imaging data offered by DTI provides the anatomical backbone of transcriptional atlas of the developing human brain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reverse chemical ecology: Olfactory proteins from the giant panda and their interactions with putative pheromones and bamboo volatiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jiao; Arena, Simona; Spinelli, Silvia; Liu, Dingzhen; Zhang, Guiquan; Wei, Rongping; Cambillau, Christian; Scaloni, Andrea; Wang, Guirong; Pelosi, Paolo

2017-11-14

The giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca belongs to the family of Ursidae; however, it is not carnivorous, feeding almost exclusively on bamboo. Being equipped with a typical carnivorous digestive apparatus, the giant panda cannot get enough energy for an active life and spends most of its time digesting food or sleeping. Feeding and mating are both regulated by odors and pheromones; therefore, a better knowledge of olfaction at the molecular level can help in designing strategies for the conservation of this species. In this context, we have identified the odorant-binding protein (OBP) repertoire of the giant panda and mapped the protein expression in nasal mucus and saliva through proteomics. Four OBPs have been identified in nasal mucus, while the other two were not detected in the samples examined. In particular, AimelOBP3 is similar to a subset of OBPs reported as pheromone carriers in the urine of rodents, saliva of the boar, and seminal fluid of the rabbit. We expressed this protein, mapped its binding specificity, and determined its crystal structure. Structural data guided the design and preparation of three protein mutants bearing single-amino acid replacements in the ligand-binding pocket, for which the corresponding binding affinity spectra were measured. We also expressed AimelOBP5, which is markedly different from AimelOBP3 and complementary in its binding spectrum. By comparing our binding data with the structures of bamboo volatiles and those of typical mammalian pheromones, we formulate hypotheses on which may be the most relevant semiochemicals for the giant panda.

Prevalence of incidental findings on magnetic resonance imaging: Cuban project to map the human brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernandez Gonzalez, Gertrudis de los Angeles; Alvarez Sanchez, Marilet; Jordan Gonzalez, Jose

2010-01-01

To determine the prevalence of incidental findings in healthy subjects of the Cuban Human Brain Mapping Project sample, it was performed a retrospective descriptive study of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) obtained from 394 healthy subjects that make up the sample of the project, between 2006-2007, with an age range of 18 to 68 years (mean 33,12), of which 269 (68,27 %) are male and 125 (31,73 %) are women. It was shown that 40,36 % had one or more anomaly in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In total, the number of incidental findings was 188, 23,6 % of which were brain findings and 24,11 % were non-brain findings, among the latter, were the sinusopathy with 20,81 % and maxillary polyps with 3,30 %. The most prevalent brain findings were: intrasellar arachnoidocele, 11,93 %, followed by the prominence of the pituitary gland, 5,84 %, ventricular asymmetry, 1,77 % and bone defects, 1,02 %. Other brain abnormalities found with very low prevalence had no pathological significance, except for two cases with brain tumor, which were immediately sent to a specialist. Incidental findings in MRI are common in the general population (40,36 %), being the sinusopathy, and intrasellar arachnoidocele the most common findings. Asymptomatic individuals who have any type of structural abnormality provide invaluable information on the prevalence of these abnormalities in a presumably healthy population, which may be used as references for epidemiological studies

Rapid and low-invasive functional brain mapping by realtime visualization of high gamma activity for awake craniotomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamada, K; Ogawa, H; Kapeller, C; Prueckl, R; Guger, C

2014-01-01

For neurosurgery with an awake craniotomy, the critical issue is to set aside enough time to identify eloquent cortices by electrocortical stimulation (ECS). High gamma activity (HGA) ranging between 80 and 120 Hz on electrocorticogram (ECoG) is assumed to reflect localized cortical processing. In this report, we used realtime HGA mapping and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for rapid and reliable identification of motor and language functions. Three patients with intra-axial tumors in their dominant hemisphere underwent preoperative fMRI and lesion resection with an awake craniotomy. All patients showed significant fMRI activation evoked by motor and language tasks. After the craniotomy, we recorded ECoG activity by placing subdural grids directly on the exposed brain surface. Each patient performed motor and language tasks and demonstrated realtime HGA dynamics in hand motor areas and parts of the inferior frontal gyrus. Sensitivity and specificity of HGA mapping were 100% compared to ECS mapping in the frontal lobe, which suggested HGA mapping precisely indicated eloquent cortices. The investigation times of HGA mapping was significantly shorter than that of ECS mapping. Specificities of the motor and language-fMRI, however, did not reach 85%. The results of HGA mapping was mostly consistent with those of ECS mapping, although fMRI tended to overestimate functional areas. This novel technique enables rapid and accurate functional mapping.

An Improved Neural Network for Regional Giant Panda Habitat Suitability Mapping: A Case Study in Ya’an Prefecture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingwei Song

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Expert knowledge is a combination of prior information and subjective opinions based on long-experience; as such it is often not sufficiently objective to produce convincing results in animal habitat suitability index mapping. In this study, an animal habitat assessment method based on a learning neural network is proposed to reduce the level of subjectivity in animal habitat assessments. Based on two hypotheses, this method substitutes habitat suitability index with apparent density and has advantages over conventional ones such as those based on analytical hierarchy process or multivariate regression approaches. Besides, this method is integrated with a learning neural network and is suitable for building non-linear transferring functions to fit complex relationships between multiple factors influencing habitat suitability. Once the neural network is properly trained, new earth observation data can be integrated for rapid habitat suitability monitoring which could save time and resources needed for traditional data collecting approaches through extensive field surveys. Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca natural habitat in Ya’an prefecture and corresponding landsat images, DEM and ground observations are tested for validity of using the methodology reported. Results show that the method scores well in key efficiency and performance indicators and could be extended for habitat assessments, particularly of other large, rare and widely distributed animal species.

Analysis of brain SPECT with the statistical parametric mapping package SPM99

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnden, L.R.; Rowe, C.C.

2000-01-01

Full text: The Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) package of the Welcome Department of Cognitive Neurology permits detection in the brain of different regional uptake in an individual subject or a population of subjects compared to a normal population. SPM does not require a-priori specification of regions of interest. Recently SPM has been upgraded from SPM96 to SPM99. Our aim was to vary brain SPECT processing options in the application of SPM to optimise the final statistical map in three clinical trials. The sensitivity of SPM depends on the fidelity of the preliminary spatial normalisation of each scan to the standard anatomical space defined by a template scan provided with SPM. We generated our own SPECT template and compared spatial normalisation to it and to SPM's internal PET template. We also investigated the effects of scatter subtraction, stripping of scalp activity, reconstruction algorithm, non-linear deformation and derivation of spatial normalisation parameters using co-registered MR. Use of our SPECT template yielded better results than with SPM's PET template. Accuracy of SPECT to MR co-registration was 2.5mm with SPM96 and 1.2mm with SPM99. Stripping of scalp activity improved results with SPM96 but was unnecessary with SPM99. Scatter subtraction increased the sensitivity of SPM. Non-linear deformation additional to linear (affine) transformation only marginally improved the final result. Use of the SPECT template yielded more significant results than those obtained when co registered MR was used to derive the transformation parameters. SPM99 is more robust than SPM96 and optimum SPECT analysis requires a SPECT template. Copyright (2000) The Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine Inc

B1 mapping for bias-correction in quantitative T1 imaging of the brain at 3T using standard pulse sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Boudreau, Mathieu; Tardif, Christine L; Stikov, Nikola; Sled, John G; Lee, Wayne; Pike, G Bruce

2017-12-01

B 1 mapping is important for many quantitative imaging protocols, particularly those that include whole-brain T 1 mapping using the variable flip angle (VFA) technique. However, B 1 mapping sequences are not typically available on many magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. The aim of this work was to demonstrate that B 1 mapping implemented using standard scanner product pulse sequences can produce B 1 (and VFA T 1 ) maps comparable in quality and acquisition time to advanced techniques. Six healthy subjects were scanned at 3.0T. An interleaved multislice spin-echo echo planar imaging double-angle (EPI-DA) B 1 mapping protocol, using a standard product pulse sequence, was compared to two alternative methods (actual flip angle imaging, AFI, and Bloch-Siegert shift, BS). Single-slice spin-echo DA B 1 maps were used as a reference for comparison (Ref. DA). VFA flip angles were scaled using each B 1 map prior to fitting T 1 ; the nominal flip angle case was also compared. The pooled-subject voxelwise correlation (ρ) for B 1 maps (BS/AFI/EPI-DA) relative to the reference B 1 scan (Ref. DA) were ρ = 0.92/0.95/0.98. VFA T 1 correlations using these maps were ρ = 0.86/0.88/0.96, much better than without B 1 correction (ρ = 0.53). The relative error for each B 1 map (BS/AFI/EPI-DA/Nominal) had 95 th percentiles of 5/4/3/13%. Our findings show that B 1 mapping implemented using product pulse sequences can provide excellent quality B 1 (and VFA T 1 ) maps, comparable to other custom techniques. This fast whole-brain measurement (∼2 min) can serve as an excellent alternative for researchers without access to advanced B 1 pulse sequences. 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;46:1673-1682. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Giant pulses of pulsar radio emission

OpenAIRE

Kuzmin, A. D.

2007-01-01

Review report of giant pulses of pulsar radio emission, based on our detections of four new pulsars with giant pulses, and the comparative analysis of the previously known pulsars with giant pulses, including the Crab pulsar and millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21.

Yoga Therapy in Treating Patients With Malignant Brain Tumors

Science.gov (United States)

2017-07-27

Adult Anaplastic Astrocytoma; Adult Anaplastic Ependymoma; Adult Anaplastic Meningioma; Adult Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma; Adult Brain Stem Glioma; Adult Choroid Plexus Tumor; Adult Diffuse Astrocytoma; Adult Ependymoblastoma; Adult Ependymoma; Adult Giant Cell Glioblastoma; Adult Glioblastoma; Adult Gliosarcoma; Adult Grade II Meningioma; Adult Medulloblastoma; Adult Meningeal Hemangiopericytoma; Adult Mixed Glioma; Adult Oligodendroglioma; Adult Papillary Meningioma; Adult Pineal Gland Astrocytoma; Adult Pineoblastoma; Adult Pineocytoma; Adult Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor (PNET); Recurrent Adult Brain Tumor

Giant intracranial hydatid cyst: A report of two cases and literature review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeevesh Mallik

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Hydatid disease is a zoonosis caused by Taenia echinococcus. The three main varieties Echinococcus granulosus, E. multilocularis and E. vogeli are primarily found in dogs and are transmitted to man by fecal-oral route. Commonly affected organs are liver, lungs and spleen. Brain is involved only in 2-5% cases. The authors herein present two cases of giant intracranial hydatid cysts managed at department of neurosurgery, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, India.

Giant Oil Fields - The Highway to Oil: Giant Oil Fields and their Importance for Future Oil Production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robelius, Fredrik

2007-01-01

Since the 1950s, oil has been the dominant source of energy in the world. The cheap supply of oil has been the engine for economic growth in the western world. Since future oil demand is expected to increase, the question to what extent future production will be available is important. The belief in a soon peak production of oil is fueled by increasing oil prices. However, the reliability of the oil price as a single parameter can be questioned, as earlier times of high prices have occurred without having anything to do with a lack of oil. Instead, giant oil fields, the largest oil fields in the world, can be used as a parameter. A giant oil field contains at least 500 million barrels of recoverable oil. Only 507, or 1 % of the total number of fields, are giants. Their contribution is striking: over 60 % of the 2005 production and about 65 % of the global ultimate recoverable reserve (URR). However, giant fields are something of the past since a majority of the largest giant fields are over 50 years old and the discovery trend of less giant fields with smaller volumes is clear. A large number of the largest giant fields are found in the countries surrounding the Persian Gulf. The domination of giant fields in global oil production confirms a concept where they govern future production. A model, based on past annual production and URR, has been developed to forecast future production from giant fields. The results, in combination with forecasts on new field developments, heavy oil and oil sand, are used to predict future oil production. In all scenarios, peak oil occurs at about the same time as the giant fields peak. The worst-case scenario sees a peak in 2008 and the best-case scenario, following a 1.4 % demand growth, peaks in 2018

Mapping the rainfall distribution for irrigation planning in dry season at pineapple plantation, Lampung Province, Indonesia (Study case at Great Giant Pineapple Co. Ltd.)

Science.gov (United States)

Cahyono, P.; Astuti, N. K.; Purwito; Rahmat, A.

2018-03-01

One of the problems caused by climate change is unpredictable of the dry season. Understanding when the dry season will start is very important to planning the irrigation schedule especially on large plantation. Data of rainfall for 30 years in Lampung, especially in Pineapple Plantation show that dry month occurs from June to October. If in two decadals (ten days period) rainfall less than 100 mm then it is predicted that next decadal will be dry season. Great Giant Pineapple Co. Ltd. has 32,000 hectares plantation area and located in three regencies at Lampung Province, Indonesia with varies rainfall between regions within a plantation. Therefore, monitoring the rainfall distribution by using ombrometer installed at 10 representative location points can be used to determine irrigation period at the beginning of dry season. Mapping method using the server program and data source is from 10 monitoring rainfall stations installed at the observed points. Preparation of rainfall distribution mapping is important to know the beginning of the dry season and thus planning the irrigation. The results show that 2nd decadal of April is indicated as the starting time of dry season, which is similar with Indonesian government for climate agency’s result.

Rapid simultaneous high-resolution mapping of myelin water fraction and relaxation times in human brain using BMC-mcDESPOT.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouhrara, Mustapha; Spencer, Richard G

2017-02-15

A number of central nervous system (CNS) diseases exhibit changes in myelin content and magnetic resonance longitudinal, T 1 , and transverse, T 2 , relaxation times, which therefore represent important biomarkers of CNS pathology. Among the methods applied for measurement of myelin water fraction (MWF) and relaxation times, the multicomponent driven equilibrium single pulse observation of T 1 and T 2 (mcDESPOT) approach is of particular interest. mcDESPOT permits whole brain mapping of multicomponent T 1 and T 2 , with data acquisition accomplished within a clinically realistic acquisition time. Unfortunately, previous studies have indicated the limited performance of mcDESPOT in the setting of the modest signal-to-noise range of high-resolution mapping, required for the depiction of small structures and to reduce partial volume effects. Recently, we showed that a new Bayesian Monte Carlo (BMC) analysis substantially improved determination of MWF from mcDESPOT imaging data. However, our previous study was limited in that it did not discuss determination of relaxation times. Here, we extend the BMC analysis to the simultaneous determination of whole-brain MWF and relaxation times using the two-component mcDESPOT signal model. Simulation analyses and in-vivo human brain studies indicate the overall greater performance of this approach compared to the stochastic region contraction (SRC) algorithm, conventionally used to derive parameter estimates from mcDESPOT data. SRC estimates of the transverse relaxation time of the long T 2 fraction, T 2,l , and the longitudinal relaxation time of the short T 1 fraction, T 1,s , clustered towards the lower and upper parameter search space limits, respectively, indicating failure of the fitting procedure. We demonstrate that this effect is absent in the BMC analysis. Our results also showed improved parameter estimation for BMC as compared to SRC for high-resolution mapping. Overall we find that the combination of BMC analysis

Mapping causal functional contributions derived from the clinical assessment of brain damage after stroke

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa Zavaglia

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Lesion analysis reveals causal contributions of brain regions to mental functions, aiding the understanding of normal brain function as well as rehabilitation of brain-damaged patients. We applied a novel lesion inference technique based on game theory, Multi-perturbation Shapley value Analysis (MSA, to a large clinical lesion dataset. We used MSA to analyze the lesion patterns of 148 acute stroke patients together with their neurological deficits, as assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS. The results revealed regional functional contributions to essential behavioral and cognitive functions as reflected in the NIHSS, particularly by subcortical structures. There were also side specific differences of functional contributions between the right and left hemispheric brain regions which may reflect the dominance of the left hemispheric syndrome aphasia in the NIHSS. Comparison of MSA to established lesion inference methods demonstrated the feasibility of the approach for analyzing clinical data and indicated its capability for objectively inferring functional contributions from multiple injured, potentially interacting sites, at the cost of having to predict the outcome of unknown lesion configurations. The analysis of regional functional contributions to neurological symptoms measured by the NIHSS contributes to the interpretation of this widely used standardized stroke scale in clinical practice as well as clinical trials and provides a first approximation of a ‘map of stroke’.

Mapping causal functional contributions derived from the clinical assessment of brain damage after stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Zavaglia, Melissa; Forkert, Nils D; Cheng, Bastian; Gerloff, Christian; Thomalla, Götz; Hilgetag, Claus C

2015-01-01

Lesion analysis reveals causal contributions of brain regions to mental functions, aiding the understanding of normal brain function as well as rehabilitation of brain-damaged patients. We applied a novel lesion inference technique based on game theory, Multi-perturbation Shapley value Analysis (MSA), to a large clinical lesion dataset. We used MSA to analyze the lesion patterns of 148 acute stroke patients together with their neurological deficits, as assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The results revealed regional functional contributions to essential behavioral and cognitive functions as reflected in the NIHSS, particularly by subcortical structures. There were also side specific differences of functional contributions between the right and left hemispheric brain regions which may reflect the dominance of the left hemispheric syndrome aphasia in the NIHSS. Comparison of MSA to established lesion inference methods demonstrated the feasibility of the approach for analyzing clinical data and indicated its capability for objectively inferring functional contributions from multiple injured, potentially interacting sites, at the cost of having to predict the outcome of unknown lesion configurations. The analysis of regional functional contributions to neurological symptoms measured by the NIHSS contributes to the interpretation of this widely used standardized stroke scale in clinical practice as well as clinical trials and provides a first approximation of a 'map of stroke'.

Mapping causal functional contributions derived from the clinical assessment of brain damage after stroke

Science.gov (United States)

Zavaglia, Melissa; Forkert, Nils D.; Cheng, Bastian; Gerloff, Christian; Thomalla, Götz; Hilgetag, Claus C.

2015-01-01

Lesion analysis reveals causal contributions of brain regions to mental functions, aiding the understanding of normal brain function as well as rehabilitation of brain-damaged patients. We applied a novel lesion inference technique based on game theory, Multi-perturbation Shapley value Analysis (MSA), to a large clinical lesion dataset. We used MSA to analyze the lesion patterns of 148 acute stroke patients together with their neurological deficits, as assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The results revealed regional functional contributions to essential behavioral and cognitive functions as reflected in the NIHSS, particularly by subcortical structures. There were also side specific differences of functional contributions between the right and left hemispheric brain regions which may reflect the dominance of the left hemispheric syndrome aphasia in the NIHSS. Comparison of MSA to established lesion inference methods demonstrated the feasibility of the approach for analyzing clinical data and indicated its capability for objectively inferring functional contributions from multiple injured, potentially interacting sites, at the cost of having to predict the outcome of unknown lesion configurations. The analysis of regional functional contributions to neurological symptoms measured by the NIHSS contributes to the interpretation of this widely used standardized stroke scale in clinical practice as well as clinical trials and provides a first approximation of a ‘map of stroke’. PMID:26448908

Multi-ethnic fine-mapping of 14 central adiposity loci

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Ching-Ti; Buchkovich, Martin L; Winkler, Thomas W

2014-01-01

precise localizations of potential functional variants and suggest a possible regulatory role. Meta-analysis results for WHR were obtained from 77 167 EA participants from GIANT and 23 564 AA participants from the African Ancestry Anthropometry Genetics Consortium. For fine mapping we interrogated SNPs...

Excitation of giant resonances in heavy ion collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuehn, W.

1991-01-01

Introduction: What are Giant Resonances? General Features of Giant Resonances, Macroscopic Description and Classification, Basic Excitation Mechanisms, Decay Modes, Giant Resonances Built on Excited States, Relativistic Coulomb Excitation of Giant Resonances, Experimental Situation. (orig.)

Floret-like multinucleated giant cells in neurofibroma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Golka Dariusz

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract This short report discusses a case of neurofibroma containing floret-like multinucleated giant cells. This being the second such case in the literature. Floret-like multinucleated giant cells have been reported in gynaecomastia and neurofibroma in neurofibromatosis type 1. These cells have been reported in uncommon soft tissue tumours including pleomorphic lipoma, giant cell collagenoma, giant cell fibroblastoma and giant cell angiofibroma. We recommend these cells to be interpreted carefully keeping in mind the rare malignant change in neurofibromas. Immunohistochemistry would help in defining the nature of such cells.

Brain-wide mapping of axonal connections: workflow for automated detection and spatial analysis of labeling in microscopic sections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eszter Agnes ePapp

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Axonal tracing techniques are powerful tools for exploring the structural organization of neuronal connections. Tracers such as biotinylated dextran amine (BDA and Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (Pha-L allow brain-wide mapping of connections through analysis of large series of histological section images. We present a workflow for efficient collection and analysis of tract-tracing datasets with a focus on newly developed modules for image processing and assignment of anatomical location to tracing data. New functionality includes automatic detection of neuronal labeling in large image series, alignment of images to a volumetric brain atlas, and analytical tools for measuring the position and extent of labeling. To evaluate the workflow, we used high-resolution microscopic images from axonal tracing experiments in which different parts of the rat primary somatosensory cortex had been injected with BDA or Pha-L. Parameters from a set of representative images were used to automate detection of labeling in image series covering the entire brain, resulting in binary maps of the distribution of labeling. For high to medium labeling densities, automatic detection was found to provide reliable results when compared to manual analysis, whereas weak labeling required manual curation for optimal detection. To identify brain regions corresponding to labeled areas, section images were aligned to the Waxholm Space (WHS atlas of the Sprague Dawley rat brain (v2 by custom-angle slicing of the MRI template to match individual sections. Based on the alignment, WHS coordinates were obtained for labeled elements and transformed to stereotaxic coordinates. The new workflow modules increase the efficiency and reliability of labeling detection in large series of images from histological sections, and enable anchoring to anatomical atlases for further spatial analysis and comparison with other data.

Mapping and characterization of positive and negative BOLD responses to visual stimulation in multiple brain regions at 7T

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jorge, João; Figueiredo, Patrícia; Gruetter, Rolf; Van der Zwaag, W.

External stimuli and tasks often elicit negative BOLD responses in various brain regions, and growing experimental evidence supports that these phenomena are functionally meaningful. In this work, the high sensitivity available at 7T was explored to map and characterize both positive (PBRs) and

Application of Awake Craniotomy and Intraoperative Brain Mapping for Surgical Resection of Insular Gliomas of the Dominant Hemisphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Alimohamadi, Maysam; Shirani, Mohammad; Shariat Moharari, Reza; Pour-Rashidi, Ahmad; Ketabchi, Mehdi; Khajavi, Mohammadreza; Arami, Mohamadali; Amirjamshidi, Abbas

2016-08-01

Radical resection of dominant insular gliomas is difficult because of their close vicinity with internal capsule, basal ganglia, and speech centers. Brain mapping techniques can be used to maximize the extent of tumor removal and to minimize postoperative morbidities by precise localization of eloquent cortical and subcortical areas. Patients with newly diagnosed gliomas of dominant insula were enrolled. The exclusion criteria were severe cognitive disturbances, communication difficulty, age greater than 75 years, severe obesity, difficult airways for intubation and severe cardiopulmonary diseases. All were evaluated preoperatively with contrast-enhanced brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional brain MRI, and diffusion tensor tractography of language and motor systems. All underwent awake craniotomy with the same anesthesiology protocol. Intraoperative monitoring included continuous motor-evoked potential, electromyography, electrocorticography, direct electrical stimulation of cortex, and subcortical tracts. The patients were followed with serial neurologic examination and imaging. Ten patients were enrolled (4 men, 6 women) with a mean age of 43.6 years. Seven patients suffered from low-grade glioma, and 3 patients had high-grade glioma. The most common clinical presentation was seizure followed by speech disturbance, hemiparesis, and memory loss. Extent of tumor resection ranged from 73% to 100%. No mortality or new major postoperative neurologic deficit was encountered. Seizure control improved in three fourths of patients with medical refractory epilepsy. In one patient with speech disorder at presentation, the speech problem became worse after surgery. Brain mapping during awake craniotomy helps to maximize extent of tumor resection while preserving neurologic function in patients with dominant insular lobe glioma. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Mapping the brain in type II diabetes: Voxel-based morphometry using DARTEL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Zhiye; Li, Lin; Sun, Jie; Ma, Lin

2012-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the pattern of brain volume changes of the brain in patients with type II diabetes mellitus using voxel-based morphometry. Material and methods: Institutional ethics approval and informed consent were obtained. VBM based on the high resolution three-dimensional T1-weighted fast spoiled gradient recalled echo MRI images was obtained from 16 type II diabetes patients (mean age 61.2 years) and 16 normal controls (mean age 59.6 years). All images were spatially preprocessed using Diffeomorphic Anatomical Registration using Exponentiated Lie algebra (DARTEL) algorithm, and the DARTEL templates were made from 100 normal subjects. Statistical parametric mapping was generated using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: An atrophy pattern of gray matter was seen in type II diabetes patients compared with controls that involved the right superior, middle, and inferior temporal gyri, right precentral gyrus, and left rolandic operculum region. The loss of white matter volume in type II diabetes mellitus was observed in right temporal lobe and left inferior frontal triangle region. ROI analysis revealed that the gray and white matter volume of right temporal lobe were significant lower in type II diabetes mellitus than that in controls (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This work demonstrated that type II diabetes mellitus patients mainly exhibited gray and white matter atrophy in right temporal lobe, and this finding supported that type II diabetes mellitus could lead to subtle diabetic brain structural changes in patients without dementia or macrovascular complications.

Mapping the brain in type II diabetes: Voxel-based morphometry using DARTEL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Zhiye [Department of Radiology, PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing 100853 (China); Li, Lin [Department of Geriatric Endocrinology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853 (China); Sun, Jie [Department of Endocrinology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853 (China); Ma, Lin, E-mail: cjr.malin@vip.163.com [Department of Radiology, PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing 100853 (China)

2012-08-15

Purpose: To investigate the pattern of brain volume changes of the brain in patients with type II diabetes mellitus using voxel-based morphometry. Material and methods: Institutional ethics approval and informed consent were obtained. VBM based on the high resolution three-dimensional T1-weighted fast spoiled gradient recalled echo MRI images was obtained from 16 type II diabetes patients (mean age 61.2 years) and 16 normal controls (mean age 59.6 years). All images were spatially preprocessed using Diffeomorphic Anatomical Registration using Exponentiated Lie algebra (DARTEL) algorithm, and the DARTEL templates were made from 100 normal subjects. Statistical parametric mapping was generated using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: An atrophy pattern of gray matter was seen in type II diabetes patients compared with controls that involved the right superior, middle, and inferior temporal gyri, right precentral gyrus, and left rolandic operculum region. The loss of white matter volume in type II diabetes mellitus was observed in right temporal lobe and left inferior frontal triangle region. ROI analysis revealed that the gray and white matter volume of right temporal lobe were significant lower in type II diabetes mellitus than that in controls (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This work demonstrated that type II diabetes mellitus patients mainly exhibited gray and white matter atrophy in right temporal lobe, and this finding supported that type II diabetes mellitus could lead to subtle diabetic brain structural changes in patients without dementia or macrovascular complications.

"Slit Mask Design for the Giant Magellan Telescope Multi-object Astronomical and Cosmological Spectrograph"

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Darius; Marshall, Jennifer L.; Schmidt, Luke M.; Prochaska, Travis; DePoy, Darren L.

2018-01-01

The Giant Magellan Telescope Multi-object Astronomical and Cosmological Spectrograph (GMACS) is currently in development for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). GMACS will employ slit masks with a usable diameter of approximately 0.450 m for the purpose of multi-slit spectroscopy. Of significant importance are the design constraints and parameters of the multi-object slit masks themselves as well as the means for mapping astronomical targets to physical mask locations. Analytical methods are utilized to quantify deformation effects on a potential slit mask due to thermal expansion and vignetting of target light cones. Finite element analysis (FEA) is utilized to simulate mask flexure in changing gravity vectors. The alpha version of the mask creation program for GMACS, GMACS Mask Simulator (GMS), a derivative of the OSMOS Mask Simulator (OMS), is introduced.

Nanodielectrics with giant permittivity

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Following the prediction, during the last couple of years we have investigated the effect of giant permittivity in one-dimensional systems of conventional metals and conjugated polymer chains. In this article, we have tried to summarize the works on giant permittivity and finally the fabrication of nanocapacitor using metal ...

From red giants to planetary nebulae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwok, S.

1982-01-01

The transition from red giants to planetary nebulae is studied by comparing the spectral characteristics of red giant envelopes and planetary nebulae. Observational and theoretical evidence both suggest that remnants of red giant envelopes may still be present in planetary nebula systems and should have significant effects on their formation. The dynamical effects of the interaction of stellar winds from central stars of planetary nebulae with the remnant red giant envelopes are evaluated and the mechanism found to be capable of producing the observed masses and momenta of planetary nebulae. The observed mass-radii relation of planetary nebulae may also be best explained by the interacting winds model. The possibility that red giant mass loss, and therefore the production of planetary nebulae, is different between Population I and II systems is also discussed

Post traumatic brain perfusion SPECT analysis using reconstructed ROI maps of radioactive microsphere derived cerebral blood flow and statistical parametric mapping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gonzalez-Brito Manuel

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Assessment of cerebral blood flow (CBF by SPECT could be important in the management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI because changes in regional CBF can affect outcome by promoting edema formation and intracranial pressure elevation (with cerebral hyperemia, or by causing secondary ischemic injury including post-traumatic stroke. The purpose of this study was to establish an improved method for evaluating regional CBF changes after TBI in piglets. Methods The focal effects of moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI on cerebral blood flow (CBF by SPECT cerebral blood perfusion (CBP imaging in an animal model were investigated by parallelized statistical techniques. Regional CBF was measured by radioactive microspheres and by SPECT 2 hours after injury in sham-operated piglets versus those receiving severe TBI by fluid-percussion injury to the left parietal lobe. Qualitative SPECT CBP accuracy was assessed against reference radioactive microsphere regional CBF measurements by map reconstruction, registration and smoothing. Cerebral hypoperfusion in the test group was identified at the voxel level using statistical parametric mapping (SPM. Results A significant area of hypoperfusion (P Conclusion The suitability of SPM for application to the experimental model and ability to provide insight into CBF changes in response to traumatic injury was validated by the SPECT SPM result of a decrease in CBP at the left parietal region injury area of the test group. Further study and correlation of this characteristic lesion with long-term outcomes and auxiliary diagnostic modalities is critical to developing more effective critical care treatment guidelines and automated medical imaging processing techniques.

Two cases of thrombosed giant middle cerebral aneurysms presenting an unusual low-density area on a CT scan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuwa, Isao; Matsukado, Yasuhiko; Otsuka, Tadahiro; Kodama, Takafumi; Wada, Hidetaka.

1985-01-01

We describe two cases of thrombosed giant middle cerebral aneurysms presenting an unusual low-density area on a CT scan. The first case was a 53-year-old woman who presented progressive motor difficulty and mental disturbance. A CT scan showed a large, round, high-density area with a clear margin in the right temporal and paraventricular regions. A low-density area extended around the large high-density lesion, and the ventricular system was shifted to the contralateral side. A thrombosed giant aneurysm with significant brain edema was confirmed surgically. The second case was a 66-year-old woman who had a history of severe headache and vomiting. A CT scan showed a ring-like calcification located in the right basal ganglia. A cystic low density, which compressed the right anterior horn, was observed in the right frontal region. Right carotid angiography revealed an aneurysm arising from the M 1 portion. The patient died before surgical intervention; however, neuroradiological examination indicated a liquefied clot in the thrombosed giant aneurysm. The etiology of the unusual low density was discussed in relation to the CT findings of the giant aneurysm. (author)

Two cases of thrombosed giant middle cerebral aneurysms presenting an unusual low-density area on a CT scan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuwa, Isao; Matsukado, Yasuhiko; Otsuka, Tadahiro; Kodama, Takafumi; Wada, Hidetaka

1985-12-01

We describe two cases of thrombosed giant middle cerebral aneurysms presenting an unusual low-density area on a CT scan. The first case was a 53-year-old woman who presented progressive motor difficulty and mental disturbance. A CT scan showed a large, round, high-density area with a clear margin in the right temporal and paraventricular regions. A low-density area extended around the large high-density lesion, and the ventricular system was shifted to the contralateral side. A thrombosed giant aneurysm with significant brain edema was confirmed surgically. The second case was a 66-year-old woman who had a history of severe headache and vomiting. A CT scan showed a ring-like calcification located in the right basal ganglia. A cystic low density, which compressed the right anterior horn, was observed in the right frontal region. Right carotid angiography revealed an aneurysm arising from the M/sub 1/ portion. The patient died before surgical intervention; however, neuroradiological examination indicated a liquefied clot in the thrombosed giant aneurysm. The etiology of the unusual low density was discussed in relation to the CT findings of the giant aneurysm.

Microstructural parcellation of the human cerebral cortex – from Brodmann's post-mortem map to in vivo mapping with high-field magnetic resonance imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Geyer

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The year 2009 marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of the famous brain map of Korbinian Brodmann. Although a "classic" guide to microanatomical parcellation of the cerebral cortex, it is – from today's state-of-the-art neuroimaging perspective – problematic to use Brodmann's map as a structural guide to functional units in the cortex. In this article we discuss some of the reasons, especially the problematic compatibility of the "post-mortem world" of microstructural brain maps with the "in vivo world" of neuroimaging. We conclude with some prospects for the future of in vivo structural brain mapping: a new approach which has the enormous potential to make direct correlations between microstructure and function in living human brains: "in vivo Brodmann mapping" with high-field magnetic resonance imaging.

Giant multipole resonances: an experimental review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertrand, F.E.

1979-01-01

During the past several years experimental evidence has been published for the existance of nondipole giant resonances. These giant multipole resonances, the so-called new giant resonances were first observed through inelastic hadron and electron scattering and such measurements have continued to provide most of the information in this field. A summary is provided of the experimental evidence for these new resonances. The discussion deals only with results from inelastic scattering and only with the electric multipoles. Emphasis is placed on the recent observations of the giant monopole resonance. Results from recent heavy-ion and pion inelastic scattering are discussed. 38 references

Giant dipole resonance in hot nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mau, N.V.

1993-01-01

Giant resonances built on an excited state of the nucleus at a finite temperature T are studied. The following questions are investigated: how long such collective effects occur in a nucleus when T increases. How the properties of the giant resonances vary when the temperature increases. How the study of giant resonances in hot nuclei can give information on the structure of the nucleus in a highly excited state. The special case of the giant dipole resonance is studied. Some of the experimental results are reviewed and in their theoretical interpretation is discussed. (K.A.). 56 refs., 20 figs., 4 tabs

Understanding intercellular communication in the brain: Identified ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The transmission of information between nerve cells in the brain takes place at specialized sites of ... period of 10 days, and the giant chromosomes of larval salivary glands. ... extensive use of Drosophila in order to assay the effects of the genetic changes in ... the muscle responds only to a small percentage of the stimuli.

Electrified BPS giants: BPS configurations on giant gravitons with static electric field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali-Akbari, Mohammad; Sheikh-Jabbari, Mohammad Mahdi

2007-01-01

We consider D3-brane action in the maximally supersymmetric type IIB plane-wave background. Upon fixing the light-cone gauge, we obtain the light-cone Hamiltonian which is manifestly supersymmetric. The 1/2 BPS solutions of this theory (solutions which preserve 16 supercharges) are either of the form of spherical three branes, the giant gravitons, or zero size point like branes. We then construct specific classes of 1/4 BPS solutions of this theory in which static electric field on the brane is turned on. These solutions are deformations about either of the two 1/2 BPS solutions. In particular, we study in some detail 1/4 BPS configurations with electric dipole on the three sphere giant, i.e. BIons on the giant gravitons, which we hence call BIGGons. We also study BPS configurations corresponding to turning on a background uniform constant electric field. As a result of this background electric field the three sphere giant is deformed to squashed sphere, while the zero size point like branes turn into circular or straight fundamental strings in the plane-wave background, with their tension equal to the background electric field

Utility of fractional anisotropy imaging analyzed by statistical parametric mapping for detecting minute brain lesions in chronic-stage patients who had mild or moderate traumatic brain injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asano, Yoshitaka; Shinoda, Jun; Okumura, Ayumi; Aki, Tatsuki; Takenaka, Shunsuke; Miwa, Kazuhiro; Yamada, Mikito; Ito, Takeshi; Yokohama, Kazutoshi

2012-01-01

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has recently evolved as valuable technique to investigate diffuse axonal injury (DAI). This study examined whether fractional anisotropy (FA) images analyzed by statistical parametric mapping (FA-SPM images) are superior to T 2 *-weighted gradient recalled echo (T2*GRE) images or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images for detecting minute lesions in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. DTI was performed in 25 patients with cognitive impairments in the chronic stage after mild or moderate TBI. The FA maps obtained from the DTI were individually compared with those from age-matched healthy control subjects using voxel-based analysis and FA-SPM images (p<0.001). Abnormal low-intensity areas on T2*GRE images (T2* lesions) were found in 10 patients (40.0%), abnormal high-intensity areas on FLAIR images in 4 patients (16.0%), and areas with significantly decreased FA on FA-SPM image in 16 patients (64.0%). Nine of 10 patients with T2* lesions had FA-SPM lesions. FA-SPM lesions topographically included most T2* lesions in the white matter and the deep brain structures, but did not include T2* lesions in the cortex/near-cortex or lesions containing substantial hemosiderin regardless of location. All 4 patients with abnormal areas on FLAIR images had FA-SPM lesions. FA-SPM imaging is useful for detecting minute lesions because of DAI in the white matter and the deep brain structures, which may not be visualized on T2*GRE or FLAIR images, and may allow the detection of minute brain lesions in patients with post-traumatic cognitive impairment. (author)

Hopes and challenges for giant panda conservation under climate change in the Qinling Mountains of China.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Minghao; Guan, Tianpei; Hou, Meng; Liu, Gang; Zhou, Tianyuan

2017-01-01

One way that climate change will impact animal distributions is by altering habitat suitability and habitat fragmentation. Understanding the impacts of climate change on currently threatened species is of immediate importance because complex conservation planning will be required. Here, we mapped changes to the distribution, suitability, and fragmentation of giant panda habitat under climate change and quantified the direction and elevation of habitat shift and fragmentation patterns. These data were used to develop a series of new conservation strategies for the giant panda. Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, China. Data from the most recent giant panda census, habitat factors, anthropogenic disturbance, climate variables, and climate predictions for the year 2050 (averaged across four general circulation models) were used to project giant panda habitat in Maxent. Differences in habitat patches were compared between now and 2050. While climate change will cause a 9.1% increase in suitable habitat and 9% reduction in subsuitable habitat by 2050, no significant net variation in the proportion of suitable and subsuitable habitat was found. However, a distinct climate change-induced habitat shift of 11 km eastward by 2050 is predicted firstly. Climate change will reduce the fragmentation of suitable habitat at high elevations and exacerbate the fragmentation of subsuitable habitat below 1,900 m above sea level. Reduced fragmentation at higher elevations and worsening fragmentation at lower elevations have the potential to cause overcrowding of giant pandas at higher altitudes, further exacerbating habitat shortage in the central Qinling Mountains. The habitat shift to the east due to climate change may provide new areas for giant pandas but poses severe challenges for future conservation.

Giant cells around bone biomaterials: Osteoclasts or multi-nucleated giant cells?

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Miron, Richard J; Zohdi, Hamoon; Fujioka-Kobayashi, Masako; Bosshardt, Dieter D

2016-12-01

Recently accumulating evidence has put into question the role of large multinucleated giant cells (MNGCs) around bone biomaterials. While cells derived from the monocyte/macrophage lineage are one of the first cell types in contact with implanted biomaterials, it was originally thought that specifically in bone tissues, all giant cells were bone-resorbing osteoclasts whereas foreign body giant cells (FBGCs) were found associated with a connective tissue foreign body reaction resulting in fibrous encapsulation and/or material rejection. Despite the great majority of bone grafting materials routinely found with large osteoclasts, a special subclass of bone biomaterials has more recently been found surrounded by large giant cells virtually incapable of resorbing bone grafts even years after their implantation. While original hypotheses believed that a 'foreign body reaction' may be taking place, histological data retrieved from human samples years after their implantation have put these original hypotheses into question by demonstrating better and more stable long-term bone volume around certain bone grafts. Exactly how or why this 'special' subclass of giant cells is capable of maintaining long-term bone volume, or methods to scientifically distinguish them from osteoclasts remains extremely poorly studied. The aim of this review article was to gather the current available literature on giant cell markers and differences in expression patterns between osteoclasts and MNGCs utilizing 19 specific markers including an array of CD-cell surface markers. Furthermore, the concept of now distinguishing between pro-inflammatory M1-MNGCs (previously referred to as FBGCs) as well as wound-healing M2-MNGCs is introduced and discussed. This review article presents 19 specific cell-surface markers to distinguish between osteoclasts and MNGCs including an array of CD-cell surface markers. Furthermore, the concept of now distinguishing between pro-inflammatory M1-MNGCs (often

The Subject of Conceptual Mapping: Theological Anthropology across Brain, Body, and World

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kidd Erin

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Research in conceptual metaphor and conceptual blending-referred to collectively as “conceptual mapping”-identifies human thought as a process of making connections across fields of meaning. Underlying the theory of conceptual mapping is a particular understanding of the mind as embodied. Over the past few decades, researchers in the cognitive sciences have been “putting brain, body, and world back together again.” The result is a picture of the human being as one who develops in transaction with her environment, and whose highest forms of intelligence and meaning-making are rooted in the body’s movement in the world. Conceptual mapping therefore not only gives us insight into how we think, but also into who we are. This calls for a revolution in theological anthropology. Our spirituality must be understood in light of the fact that we are embodied beings, embedded in our environment, whose identities are both material and discursive. Finally, using the example of white supremacy, I show how this revolution in understanding the human person can be useful for ethical reflection, and in thinking about sin and redemption.

Neurotransmitter Specific, Cellular-Resolution Functional Brain Mapping Using Receptor Coated Nanoparticles: Assessment of the Possibility

Science.gov (United States)

Forati, Ebrahim; Sabouni, Abas; Ray, Supriyo; Head, Brian; Schoen, Christian; Sievenpiper, Dan

2015-01-01

Receptor coated resonant nanoparticles and quantum dots are proposed to provide a cellular-level resolution image of neural activities inside the brain. The functionalized nanoparticles and quantum dots in this approach will selectively bind to different neurotransmitters in the extra-synaptic regions of neurons. This allows us to detect neural activities in real time by monitoring the nanoparticles and quantum dots optically. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with two different geometries (sphere and rod) and quantum dots (QDs) with different sizes were studied along with three different neurotransmitters: dopamine, gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glycine. The absorption/emission spectra of GNPs and QDs before and after binding of neurotransmitters and their corresponding receptors are reported. The results using QDs and nanorods with diameter 25nm and aspect rations larger than three were promising for the development of the proposed functional brain mapping approach. PMID:26717196

Abnormal pain processing in chronic tension-type headache: a high-density EEG brain mapping study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buchgreitz, L.; Egsgaard, L.L.; Jensen, R.

2008-01-01

Central sensitization caused by prolonged nociceptive input from muscles is considered to play an important role for chronification of tension-type headache. In the present study we used a new high-density EEG brain mapping technique to investigate spatiotemporal aspects of brain activity...... in response to muscle pain in 19 patients with chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) and 19 healthy, age- and sex-matched controls. Intramuscular electrical stimuli (single and train of five pulses delivered at 2 Hz) were applied to the trapezius muscle and somatosensory evoked potentials were recorded...... with 128-channel EEG both in- and outside a condition with induced tonic neck/shoulder muscle pain (glutamate injection into the trapezius muscle). Significant reduction in magnitude during and after induced tonic muscle pain was found in controls at the P200 dipole in response to both the first (baseline...

A High-Mass Cold Core in the Auriga-California Giant Molecular Cloud

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Magnus McGehee, Peregrine; Paladini, Roberta; Pelkonen, Veli-Matti; Toth, Viktor; Sayers, Jack

2015-08-01

The Auriga-California Giant Molecular Cloud is noted for its relatively low star formation rate, especially at the high-mass end of the Initial Mass Function. We combine maps acquired by the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory's Multiwavelength Submillimeter Inductance Camera [MUSIC] in the wavelength range 0.86 to 2.00 millimeters with Planck and publicly-available Herschel PACS and SPIRE data in order to characterize the mass, dust properties, and environment of the bright core PGCC G163.32-8.41.

Ecological changes and local knowledge in a giant honey bee (Apis dorsata F.) hunting community in Palawan, Philippines.

Science.gov (United States)

Matias, Denise Margaret S; Borgemeister, Christian; von Wehrden, Henrik

2018-02-24

One of the traditional livelihood practices of indigenous Tagbanuas in Palawan, Philippines is wild honey hunting and gathering from the giant honey bee (Apis dorsata F.). In order to analyze the linkages of the social and ecological systems involved in this indigenous practice, we conducted spatial, quantitative, and qualitative analyses on field data gathered through mapping of global positioning system coordinates, community surveys, and key informant interviews. We found that only 24% of the 251 local community members surveyed could correctly identify the giant honey bee. Inferential statistics showed that a lower level of formal education strongly correlates with correct identification of the giant honey bee. Spatial analysis revealed that mean NDVI of sampled nesting tree areas has dropped from 0.61 in the year 1988 to 0.41 in 2015. However, those who correctly identified the giant honey bee lived in areas with high vegetation cover. Decreasing vegetation cover limits the presence of wild honey bees and this may also be limiting direct experience of the community with wild honey bees. However, with causality yet to be established, we recommend conducting further studies to concretely model feedbacks between ecological changes and local knowledge.

Tamoxifen in the Mouse Brain: Implications for Fate-Mapping Studies Using the Tamoxifen-Inducible Cre-loxP System

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Valný, Martin; Honsa, Pavel; Kirdajová, Denisa; Kameník, Zdeněk; Anděrová, Miroslava

2016-01-01

Roč. 10, ost (2016), s. 243 ISSN 1662-5102 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA16-10214S; GA ČR(CZ) GA15-02760S Institutional support: RVO:68378041 ; RVO:61388971 Keywords : tamoxifen * brain metabolism * fate-mapping Subject RIV: FH - Neurology; EE - Microbiology, Virology (MBU-M) Impact factor: 4.555, year: 2016

Giant Planets: Good Neighbors for Habitable Worlds?

Science.gov (United States)

Georgakarakos, Nikolaos; Eggl, Siegfried; Dobbs-Dixon, Ian

2018-04-01

The presence of giant planets influences potentially habitable worlds in numerous ways. Massive celestial neighbors can facilitate the formation of planetary cores and modify the influx of asteroids and comets toward Earth analogs later on. Furthermore, giant planets can indirectly change the climate of terrestrial worlds by gravitationally altering their orbits. Investigating 147 well-characterized exoplanetary systems known to date that host a main-sequence star and a giant planet, we show that the presence of “giant neighbors” can reduce a terrestrial planet’s chances to remain habitable, even if both planets have stable orbits. In a small fraction of systems, however, giant planets slightly increase the extent of habitable zones provided that the terrestrial world has a high climate inertia. In providing constraints on where giant planets cease to affect the habitable zone size in a detrimental fashion, we identify prime targets in the search for habitable worlds.

Rapid geodesic mapping of brain functional connectivity: implementation of a dedicated co-processor in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and application to resting state functional MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Minati, Ludovico; Cercignani, Mara; Chan, Dennis

2013-10-01

Graph theory-based analyses of brain network topology can be used to model the spatiotemporal correlations in neural activity detected through fMRI, and such approaches have wide-ranging potential, from detection of alterations in preclinical Alzheimer's disease through to command identification in brain-machine interfaces. However, due to prohibitive computational costs, graph-based analyses to date have principally focused on measuring connection density rather than mapping the topological architecture in full by exhaustive shortest-path determination. This paper outlines a solution to this problem through parallel implementation of Dijkstra's algorithm in programmable logic. The processor design is optimized for large, sparse graphs and provided in full as synthesizable VHDL code. An acceleration factor between 15 and 18 is obtained on a representative resting-state fMRI dataset, and maps of Euclidean path length reveal the anticipated heterogeneous cortical involvement in long-range integrative processing. These results enable high-resolution geodesic connectivity mapping for resting-state fMRI in patient populations and real-time geodesic mapping to support identification of imagined actions for fMRI-based brain-machine interfaces. Copyright © 2013 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of normal adult and children brain SPECT imaging using statistical parametric mapping(SPM)

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Lee, Myoung Hoon; Yoon, Seok Nam; Joh, Chul Woo; Lee, Dong Soo [Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jae Sung [Seoul national University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2002-07-01

This study compared rCBF pattern in normal adult and normal children using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). The purpose of this study was to determine distribution pattern not seen visual analysis in both groups. Tc-99m ECD brain SPECT was performed in 12 normal adults (M:F=11:1, average age 35 year old) and 6 normal control children (M:F=4:2, 10.5{+-}3.1y) who visited psychiatry clinic to evaluate ADHD. Their brain SPECT revealed normal rCBF pattern in visual analysis and they were diagnosed clinically normal. Using SPM method, we compared normal adult group's SPECT images with those of 6 normal children subjects and measured the extent of the area with significant hypoperfusion and hyperperfusion (p<0.001, extent threshold=16). The areas of both angnlar gyrus, both postcentral gyrus, both superior frontal gyrus, and both superior parietal lobe showed significant hyperperfusion in normal adult group compared with normal children group. The areas of left amygdala gyrus, brain stem, both cerebellum, left globus pallidus, both hippocampal formations, both parahippocampal gyrus, both thalamus, both uncus, both lateral and medial occipitotemporal gyrus revealed significantly hyperperfusion in the children. These results demonstrated that SPM can say more precise anatomical area difference not seen visual analysis.

Comparison of normal adult and children brain SPECT imaging using statistical parametric mapping(SPM)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Myoung Hoon; Yoon, Seok Nam; Joh, Chul Woo; Lee, Dong Soo; Lee, Jae Sung

2002-01-01

This study compared rCBF pattern in normal adult and normal children using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). The purpose of this study was to determine distribution pattern not seen visual analysis in both groups. Tc-99m ECD brain SPECT was performed in 12 normal adults (M:F=11:1, average age 35 year old) and 6 normal control children (M:F=4:2, 10.5±3.1y) who visited psychiatry clinic to evaluate ADHD. Their brain SPECT revealed normal rCBF pattern in visual analysis and they were diagnosed clinically normal. Using SPM method, we compared normal adult group's SPECT images with those of 6 normal children subjects and measured the extent of the area with significant hypoperfusion and hyperperfusion (p<0.001, extent threshold=16). The areas of both angnlar gyrus, both postcentral gyrus, both superior frontal gyrus, and both superior parietal lobe showed significant hyperperfusion in normal adult group compared with normal children group. The areas of left amygdala gyrus, brain stem, both cerebellum, left globus pallidus, both hippocampal formations, both parahippocampal gyrus, both thalamus, both uncus, both lateral and medial occipitotemporal gyrus revealed significantly hyperperfusion in the children. These results demonstrated that SPM can say more precise anatomical area difference not seen visual analysis

Combined lineage mapping and gene expression profiling of embryonic brain patterning using ultrashort pulse microscopy and image registration

Science.gov (United States)

Gibbs, Holly C.; Dodson, Colin R.; Bai, Yuqiang; Lekven, Arne C.; Yeh, Alvin T.

2014-12-01

During embryogenesis, presumptive brain compartments are patterned by dynamic networks of gene expression. The spatiotemporal dynamics of these networks, however, have not been characterized with sufficient resolution for us to understand the regulatory logic resulting in morphogenetic cellular behaviors that give the brain its shape. We have developed a new, integrated approach using ultrashort pulse microscopy [a high-resolution, two-photon fluorescence (2PF)-optical coherence microscopy (OCM) platform using 10-fs pulses] and image registration to study brain patterning and morphogenesis in zebrafish embryos. As a demonstration, we used time-lapse 2PF to capture midbrain-hindbrain boundary morphogenesis and a wnt1 lineage map from embryos during brain segmentation. We then performed in situ hybridization to deposit NBT/BCIP, where wnt1 remained actively expressed, and reimaged the embryos with combined 2PF-OCM. When we merged these datasets using morphological landmark registration, we found that the mechanism of boundary formation differs along the dorsoventral axis. Dorsally, boundary sharpening is dominated by changes in gene expression, while ventrally, sharpening may be accomplished by lineage sorting. We conclude that the integrated visualization of lineage reporter and gene expression domains simultaneously with brain morphology will be useful for understanding how changes in gene expression give rise to proper brain compartmentalization and structure.

Quantitative analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) for brain disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jae-Seung; Im, In-Chul; Kang, Su-Man; Goo, Eun-Hoe; Kwak, Byung-Joon

2013-07-01

This study aimed to quantitatively analyze data from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) in patients with brain disorders and to assess its potential utility for analyzing brain function. DTI was obtained by performing 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD), and the data were analyzed using Matlab-based SPM software. The two-sample t-test was used for error analysis of the location of the activated pixels. We compared regions of white matter where the fractional anisotropy (FA) values were low and the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) were increased. In the AD group, the FA values were low in the right superior temporal gyrus, right inferior temporal gyrus, right sub-lobar insula, and right occipital lingual gyrus whereas the ADCs were significantly increased in the right inferior frontal gyrus and right middle frontal gyrus. In the VD group, the FA values were low in the right superior temporal gyrus, right inferior temporal gyrus, right limbic cingulate gyrus, and right sub-lobar caudate tail whereas the ADCs were significantly increased in the left lateral globus pallidus and left medial globus pallidus. In conclusion by using DTI and SPM analysis, we were able to not only determine the structural state of the regions affected by brain disorders but also quantitatively analyze and assess brain function.

Should the Endangered Status of the Giant Panda Really Be Reduced? The Case of Giant Panda Conservation in Sichuan, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Ben; Lei, Shuo; Qing, Qin; Wen, Yali

2018-05-03

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reduced the threat status of the giant panda from “endangered” to “vulnerable” in September 2016. In this study, we analyzed current practices for giant panda conservation at regional and local environmental scales, based on recent reports of giant panda protection efforts in Sichuan Province, China, combined with the survey results from 927 households within and adjacent to the giant panda reserves in this area. The results showed that household attitudes were very positive regarding giant panda protection efforts. Over the last 10 years, farmers’ dependence on the natural resources provided by giant panda reserves significantly decreased. However, socio-economic development increased resource consumption, and led to climate change, habitat fragmentation, environmental pollution, and other issues that placed increased pressure on giant panda populations. This difference between local and regional scales must be considered when evaluating the IUCN status of giant pandas. While the status of this species has improved in the short-term due to positive local attitudes, large-scale socio-economic development pressure could have long-term negative impacts. Consequently, the IUCN assessment leading to the classification of giant panda as “vulnerable” instead of “endangered”, should not affect its conservation intensity and effort, as such actions could negatively impact population recovery efforts, leading to the extinction of this charismatic species.

Should the Endangered Status of the Giant Panda Really Be Reduced? The Case of Giant Panda Conservation in Sichuan, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ben Ma

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN reduced the threat status of the giant panda from “endangered” to “vulnerable” in September 2016. In this study, we analyzed current practices for giant panda conservation at regional and local environmental scales, based on recent reports of giant panda protection efforts in Sichuan Province, China, combined with the survey results from 927 households within and adjacent to the giant panda reserves in this area. The results showed that household attitudes were very positive regarding giant panda protection efforts. Over the last 10 years, farmers’ dependence on the natural resources provided by giant panda reserves significantly decreased. However, socio-economic development increased resource consumption, and led to climate change, habitat fragmentation, environmental pollution, and other issues that placed increased pressure on giant panda populations. This difference between local and regional scales must be considered when evaluating the IUCN status of giant pandas. While the status of this species has improved in the short-term due to positive local attitudes, large-scale socio-economic development pressure could have long-term negative impacts. Consequently, the IUCN assessment leading to the classification of giant panda as “vulnerable” instead of “endangered”, should not affect its conservation intensity and effort, as such actions could negatively impact population recovery efforts, leading to the extinction of this charismatic species.

A search for lithium-rich giant stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, J.A.; Sneden, C.; Lambert, D.L.; Dutchover, E. Jr.

1989-01-01

Lithium abundances or upper limits have been determined for 644 bright G-K giant stars selected from the DDO photometric catalog. Two of these giants possess surface lithium abundances approaching the cosmic value of the interstellar medium and young main-sequence stars, and eight more giants have Li contents far in excess of standard predictions. At least some of these Li-rich giants are shown to be evolved to the stage of having convectively mixed envelopes, either from the direct evidence of low surface carbon isotope ratios, or from the indirect evidence of their H-R diagram positions. Suggestions are given for the unique conditions that might have allowed these stars to produce or accrete new lithium for their surface layers, or simply to preserve from destruction their initial lithium contents. The lithium abundance of the remaining stars demonstrates that giants only very rarely meet the expectations of standard first dredge-up theories; the average extra Li destruction required is about 1.5 dex. The evolutionary states of these giants and their average masses are discussed briefly, and the Li distribution of the giants is compared to predictions of Galactic chemical evolution. 110 refs

Functional mapping of language networks in the normal brain using a word-association task

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Shantanu; Basu, Amrita; Kumaran, Senthil S; Khushu, Subash

2010-01-01

Language functions are known to be affected in diverse neurological conditions, including ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, and brain tumors. Because language networks are extensive, interpretation of functional data depends on the task completed during evaluation. The aim was to map the hemodynamic consequences of word association using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in normal human subjects. Ten healthy subjects underwent fMRI scanning with a postlexical access semantic association task vs lexical processing task. The fMRI protocol involved a T2*-weighted gradient-echo echo-planar imaging (GE-EPI) sequence (TR 4523 ms, TE 64 ms, flip angle 90°) with alternate baseline and activation blocks. A total of 78 scans were taken (interscan interval = 3 s) with a total imaging time of 587 s. Functional data were processed in Statistical Parametric Mapping software (SPM2) with 8-mm Gaussian kernel by convolving the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal with an hemodynamic response function estimated by general linear method to generate SPM{t} and SPM{F} maps. Single subject analysis of the functional data (FWE-corrected, P≤0.001) revealed extensive activation in the frontal lobes, with overlaps among middle frontal gyrus (MFG), superior, and inferior frontal gyri. BOLD activity was also found in the medial frontal gyrus, middle occipital gyrus (MOG), anterior fusiform gyrus, superior and inferior parietal lobules, and to a smaller extent, the thalamus and right anterior cerebellum. Group analysis (FWE-corrected, P≤0.001) revealed neural recruitment of bilateral lingual gyri, left MFG, bilateral MOG, left superior occipital gyrus, left fusiform gyrus, bilateral thalami, and right cerebellar areas. Group data analysis revealed a cerebellar–occipital–fusiform–thalamic network centered around bilateral lingual gyri for word association, thereby indicating how these areas facilitate language comprehension by activating a semantic

Functional mapping of language networks in the normal brain using a word-association task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghosh Shantanu

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Language functions are known to be affected in diverse neurological conditions, including ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, and brain tumors. Because language networks are extensive, interpretation of functional data depends on the task completed during evaluation. Aim: The aim was to map the hemodynamic consequences of word association using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI in normal human subjects. Materials and Methods: Ten healthy subjects underwent fMRI scanning with a postlexical access semantic association task vs lexical processing task. The fMRI protocol involved a T2FNx01-weighted gradient-echo echo-planar imaging (GE-EPI sequence (TR 4523 ms, TE 64 ms, flip angle 90º with alternate baseline and activation blocks. A total of 78 scans were taken (interscan interval = 3 s with a total imaging time of 587 s. Functional data were processed in Statistical Parametric Mapping software (SPM2 with 8-mm Gaussian kernel by convolving the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD signal with an hemodynamic response function estimated by general linear method to generate SPM{t} and SPM{F} maps. Results: Single subject analysis of the functional data (FWE-corrected, P≤0.001 revealed extensive activation in the frontal lobes, with overlaps among middle frontal gyrus (MFG, superior, and inferior frontal gyri. BOLD activity was also found in the medial frontal gyrus, middle occipital gyrus (MOG, anterior fusiform gyrus, superior and inferior parietal lobules, and to a smaller extent, the thalamus and right anterior cerebellum. Group analysis (FWE-corrected, P≤0.001 revealed neural recruitment of bilateral lingual gyri, left MFG, bilateral MOG, left superior occipital gyrus, left fusiform gyrus, bilateral thalami, and right cerebellar areas. Conclusions: Group data analysis revealed a cerebellar-occipital-fusiform-thalamic network centered around bilateral lingual gyri for word association, thereby indicating how these

Mapping and characterization of positive and negative BOLD responses to visual stimulation in multiple brain regions at 7T.

Science.gov (United States)

Jorge, João; Figueiredo, Patrícia; Gruetter, Rolf; van der Zwaag, Wietske

2018-02-20

External stimuli and tasks often elicit negative BOLD responses in various brain regions, and growing experimental evidence supports that these phenomena are functionally meaningful. In this work, the high sensitivity available at 7T was explored to map and characterize both positive (PBRs) and negative BOLD responses (NBRs) to visual checkerboard stimulation, occurring in various brain regions within and beyond the visual cortex. Recently-proposed accelerated fMRI techniques were employed for data acquisition, and procedures for exclusion of large draining vein contributions, together with ICA-assisted denoising, were included in the analysis to improve response estimation. Besides the visual cortex, significant PBRs were found in the lateral geniculate nucleus and superior colliculus, as well as the pre-central sulcus; in these regions, response durations increased monotonically with stimulus duration, in tight covariation with the visual PBR duration. Significant NBRs were found in the visual cortex, auditory cortex, default-mode network (DMN) and superior parietal lobule; NBR durations also tended to increase with stimulus duration, but were significantly less sustained than the visual PBR, especially for the DMN and superior parietal lobule. Responses in visual and auditory cortex were further studied for checkerboard contrast dependence, and their amplitudes were found to increase monotonically with contrast, linearly correlated with the visual PBR amplitude. Overall, these findings suggest the presence of dynamic neuronal interactions across multiple brain regions, sensitive to stimulus intensity and duration, and demonstrate the richness of information obtainable when jointly mapping positive and negative BOLD responses at a whole-brain scale, with ultra-high field fMRI. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A case of giant prolactinoma, initially misdiagnosed as sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasaman Mohtasebi, M.D.

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Giant prolactinomas are defined as pituitary tumors greater than 4 cm, often associated with very high prolactin level (>1000 ng/mL. They are relatively rare tumors and can present differently from typical prolactinomas. They can be highly invasive, resulting in acute neurological complication at the time of presentation. We present a case of a young woman with giant prolactinoma initially misdiagnosed as sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma. The acute presentation of headache, ptosis and impending brain herniation, requiring emergent ventriculostomy and intubation, led to the clinical suspicion of a more sinister diagnosis. Transnasal biopsy of the mass was consistent with sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma, and chemotherapy was planned. Laboratory testing, however, revealed an elevated prolactin (27,400 ng/mL, after 1:100 dilution. Re-review of pathology with additional immunohistochemical staining was requested and confirmed the diagnosis of prolactinoma. After 5 months of cabergoline treatment, prolactin level has decreased to 118 ng/mL. There has been a marked reduction in tumor size and an almost complete resolution of neurological symptoms. Given their atypical presentation and potential for sharing common immunohistochemical stains with other neuroendocrine neoplasms, giant prolactinomas extending into the nasal cavity can be misdiagnosed as other neuroendocrine neoplasms which may develop at this site. Accurate diagnosis is imperative to prevent unnecessary surgery and/or radiation and to ensure implementation of dopamine agonist therapy.

Cone-beam CT image contrast and attenuation-map linearity improvement (CALI) for brain stereotactic radiosurgery procedures

Science.gov (United States)

Hashemi, Sayed Masoud; Lee, Young; Eriksson, Markus; Nordström, Hâkan; Mainprize, James; Grouza, Vladimir; Huynh, Christopher; Sahgal, Arjun; Song, William Y.; Ruschin, Mark

2017-03-01

A Contrast and Attenuation-map (CT-number) Linearity Improvement (CALI) framework is proposed for cone-beam CT (CBCT) images used for brain stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). The proposed framework is used together with our high spatial resolution iterative reconstruction algorithm and is tailored for the Leksell Gamma Knife ICON (Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden). The incorporated CBCT system in ICON facilitates frameless SRS planning and treatment delivery. The ICON employs a half-cone geometry to accommodate the existing treatment couch. This geometry increases the amount of artifacts and together with other physical imperfections causes image inhomogeneity and contrast reduction. Our proposed framework includes a preprocessing step, involving a shading and beam-hardening artifact correction, and a post-processing step to correct the dome/capping artifact caused by the spatial variations in x-ray energy generated by bowtie-filter. Our shading correction algorithm relies solely on the acquired projection images (i.e. no prior information required) and utilizes filtered-back-projection (FBP) reconstructed images to generate a segmented bone and soft-tissue map. Ideal projections are estimated from the segmented images and a smoothed version of the difference between the ideal and measured projections is used in correction. The proposed beam-hardening and dome artifact corrections are segmentation free. The CALI was tested on CatPhan, as well as patient images acquired on the ICON system. The resulting clinical brain images show substantial improvements in soft contrast visibility, revealing structures such as ventricles and lesions which were otherwise un-detectable in FBP-reconstructed images. The linearity of the reconstructed attenuation-map was also improved, resulting in more accurate CT#.

Efficacy of 68Ga-DOTATOC Positron Emission Tomography (PET) CT in Children and Young Adults With Brain Tumors

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-27

Acoustic Schwannoma; Adult Anaplastic Astrocytoma; Adult Anaplastic Ependymoma; Adult Anaplastic Meningioma; Adult Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma; Adult Brain Stem Glioma; Adult Choroid Plexus Tumor; Adult Craniopharyngioma; Adult Diffuse Astrocytoma; Adult Ependymoblastoma; Adult Ependymoma; Adult Giant Cell Glioblastoma; Adult Glioblastoma; Adult Gliosarcoma; Adult Grade I Meningioma; Adult Grade II Meningioma; Adult Medulloblastoma; Adult Meningeal Hemangiopericytoma; Adult Mixed Glioma; Adult Myxopapillary Ependymoma; Adult Oligodendroglioma; Adult Papillary Meningioma; Adult Pilocytic Astrocytoma; Adult Pineal Gland Astrocytoma; Adult Pineoblastoma; Adult Pineocytoma; Adult Subependymal Giant Cell Astrocytoma; Adult Subependymoma; Adult Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor (PNET); Childhood Choroid Plexus Tumor; Childhood Craniopharyngioma; Childhood Ependymoblastoma; Childhood Grade I Meningioma; Childhood Grade II Meningioma; Childhood Grade III Meningioma; Childhood High-grade Cerebellar Astrocytoma; Childhood High-grade Cerebral Astrocytoma; Childhood Infratentorial Ependymoma; Childhood Low-grade Cerebellar Astrocytoma; Childhood Low-grade Cerebral Astrocytoma; Childhood Medulloepithelioma; Childhood Supratentorial Ependymoma; Meningeal Melanocytoma; Newly Diagnosed Childhood Ependymoma; Recurrent Adult Brain Tumor; Recurrent Childhood Anaplastic Astrocytoma; Recurrent Childhood Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma; Recurrent Childhood Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma; Recurrent Childhood Brain Stem Glioma; Recurrent Childhood Cerebellar Astrocytoma; Recurrent Childhood Cerebral Astrocytoma; Recurrent Childhood Diffuse Astrocytoma; Recurrent Childhood Ependymoma; Recurrent Childhood Fibrillary Astrocytoma; Recurrent Childhood Gemistocytic Astrocytoma; Recurrent Childhood Giant Cell Glioblastoma; Recurrent Childhood Glioblastoma; Recurrent Childhood Gliomatosis Cerebri; Recurrent Childhood Gliosarcoma; Recurrent Childhood Medulloblastoma; Recurrent Childhood

Macroscopic description of isoscalar giant multipole resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nix, J.R.; Sierk, A.J.

1980-01-01

On the basis of a simple macroscopic model, we calculate the isoscalar giant-resonance energy as a function of mass number and multipole degree. The restoring force is determined from the distortion of the Fermi surface, and the inertia is determined for the incompressible, irrotational flow of nucleons with unit effective mass. With no adjustable parameters, the resulting closed expression reproduces correctly the available experimental data, namely the magnitude and dependence upon mass number of the giant quadrupole energy and the magnitude of the giant octupole energy for 208 Pb. We also calculate the isoscalar giant-resonance width as a function of mass number and multipole degree for various macroscopic damping mechanisms, including two-body viscosity, one-body dissipation, and modified one-body dissipation. None of these damping mechanisms reproduces correctly all features of the available experimental data, namely the magnitude and dependence upon mass number of the giant quadrupole width and the magnitude of the giant octupole width for 208 Pb

Tests of the Giant Impact Hypothesis

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, J. H.

1998-01-01

The giant impact hypothesis has gained popularity as a means of explaining a volatile-depleted Moon that still has a chemical affinity to the Earth. As Taylor's Axiom decrees, the best models of lunar origin are testable, but this is difficult with the giant impact model. The energy associated with the impact would be sufficient to totally melt and partially vaporize the Earth. And this means that there should he no geological vestige of Barber times. Accordingly, it is important to devise tests that may be used to evaluate the giant impact hypothesis. Three such tests are discussed here. None of these is supportive of the giant impact model, but neither do they disprove it.

Mapping Functional Brain Development: Building a Social Brain through Interactive Specialization

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Mark H.; Grossmann, Tobias; Kadosh, Kathrin Cohen

2009-01-01

The authors review a viewpoint on human functional brain development, interactive specialization (IS), and its application to the emerging network of cortical regions referred to as the "social brain." They advance the IS view in 2 new ways. First, they extend IS into a domain to which it has not previously been applied--the emergence of social…

Mapping plasticity: sex/gender and the changing brain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kleinherenbrink, A.

2014-01-01

There is a consensus in the neuroscientific literature that brains are either male or female, and that ‘brain sex’ is a fixed, immutable trait. Feminist critics have challenged this idea, raising questions, for example, about brain plasticity (the role of sociocultural factors in the emergence and

Hadron excitation of giant resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morsch, H.-P.

1985-01-01

A review is given on giant resonance studies in heavy nuclei using scattering of different hadronic probes. Concerning isoscalar giant resonances compression modes are discussed with the possibility to obtain more detailed structure information. From detailed studies of α scattering the distribution of isoscalar strengths of multipolarity up to L=6 was obtained. Some recent aspects of heavy ion excitation of collective modes are mentioned. The possibility to study isovector giant resonances in hadron charge exchange reactions is discussed. Finally, a comparison is made between α and 200 MeV proton scattering from which isoscalar and spin-isospin continuum response are extracted. (orig.)

Balanced steady state free precession for arterial spin labeling MRI: Initial experience for blood flow mapping in human brain, retina, and kidney.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sung-Hong; Wang, Danny J J; Duong, Timothy Q

2013-09-01

We implemented pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) with 2D and 3D balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP) readout for mapping blood flow in the human brain, retina, and kidney, free of distortion and signal dropout, which are typically observed in the most commonly used echo-planar imaging acquisition. High resolution functional brain imaging in the human visual cortex was feasible with 3D bSSFP pCASL. Blood flow of the human retina could be imaged with pCASL and bSSFP in conjunction with a phase cycling approach to suppress the banding artifacts associated with bSSFP. Furthermore, bSSFP based pCASL enabled us to map renal blood flow within a single breath hold. Control and test-retest experiments suggested that the measured blood flow values in retina and kidney were reliable. Because there is no specific imaging tool for mapping human retina blood flow and the standard contrast agent technique for mapping renal blood flow can cause problems for patients with kidney dysfunction, bSSFP based pCASL may provide a useful tool for the diagnosis of retinal and renal diseases and can complement existing imaging techniques. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain mapping in tumors: intraoperative or extraoperative?

Science.gov (United States)

Duffau, Hugues

2013-12-01

In nontumoral epilepsy surgery, the main goal for all preoperative investigation is to first determine the epileptogenic zone, and then to analyze its relation to eloquent cortex, in order to control seizures while avoiding adverse postoperative neurologic outcome. To this end, in addition to neuropsychological assessment, functional neuroimaging and scalp electroencephalography, extraoperative recording, and electrical mapping, especially using subdural strip- or grid-electrodes, has been reported extensively. Nonetheless, in tumoral epilepsy surgery, the rationale is different. Indeed, the first aim is rather to maximize the extent of tumor resection while minimizing postsurgical morbidity, in order to increase the median survival as well as to preserve quality of life. As a consequence, as frequently seen in infiltrating tumors such as gliomas, where these lesions not only grow but also migrate along white matter tracts, the resection should be performed according to functional boundaries both at cortical and subcortical levels. With this in mind, extraoperative mapping by strips/grids is often not sufficient in tumoral surgery, since in essence, it allows study of the cortex but cannot map subcortical pathways. Therefore, intraoperative electrostimulation mapping, especially in awake patients, is more appropriate in tumor surgery, because this technique allows real-time detection of areas crucial for cerebral functions--eloquent cortex and fibers--throughout the resection. In summary, rather than choosing one or the other of different mapping techniques, methodology should be adapted to each pathology, that is, extraoperative mapping in nontumoral epilepsy surgery and intraoperative mapping in tumoral surgery. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2013 International League Against Epilepsy.

YOUNG SOLAR SYSTEM's FIFTH GIANT PLANET?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nesvorný, David

2011-01-01

Studies of solar system formation suggest that the solar system's giant planets formed and migrated in the protoplanetary disk to reach the resonant orbits with all planets inside ∼15 AU from the Sun. After the gas disk's dispersal, Uranus and Neptune were likely scattered by the gas giants, and approached their current orbits while dispersing the transplanetary disk of planetesimals, whose remains survived to this time in the region known as the Kuiper Belt. Here we performed N-body integrations of the scattering phase between giant planets in an attempt to determine which initial states are plausible. We found that the dynamical simulations starting with a resonant system of four giant planets have a low success rate in matching the present orbits of giant planets and various other constraints (e.g., survival of the terrestrial planets). The dynamical evolution is typically too violent, if Jupiter and Saturn start in the 3:2 resonance, and leads to final systems with fewer than four planets. Several initial states stand out in that they show a relatively large likelihood of success in matching the constraints. Some of the statistically best results were obtained when assuming that the solar system initially had five giant planets and one ice giant, with the mass comparable to that of Uranus and Neptune, and which was ejected to interstellar space by Jupiter. This possibility appears to be conceivable in view of the recent discovery of a large number of free-floating planets in interstellar space, which indicates that planet ejection should be common.

Young Solar System's Fifth Giant Planet?

Science.gov (United States)

Nesvorný, David

2011-12-01

Studies of solar system formation suggest that the solar system's giant planets formed and migrated in the protoplanetary disk to reach the resonant orbits with all planets inside ~15 AU from the Sun. After the gas disk's dispersal, Uranus and Neptune were likely scattered by the gas giants, and approached their current orbits while dispersing the transplanetary disk of planetesimals, whose remains survived to this time in the region known as the Kuiper Belt. Here we performed N-body integrations of the scattering phase between giant planets in an attempt to determine which initial states are plausible. We found that the dynamical simulations starting with a resonant system of four giant planets have a low success rate in matching the present orbits of giant planets and various other constraints (e.g., survival of the terrestrial planets). The dynamical evolution is typically too violent, if Jupiter and Saturn start in the 3:2 resonance, and leads to final systems with fewer than four planets. Several initial states stand out in that they show a relatively large likelihood of success in matching the constraints. Some of the statistically best results were obtained when assuming that the solar system initially had five giant planets and one ice giant, with the mass comparable to that of Uranus and Neptune, and which was ejected to interstellar space by Jupiter. This possibility appears to be conceivable in view of the recent discovery of a large number of free-floating planets in interstellar space, which indicates that planet ejection should be common.

Quantitative proteomic profiling of membrane proteins from the mouse brain cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum using the HysTag reagent: mapping of neurotransmitter receptors and ion channels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Jesper V; Nielsen, Peter Aa; Andersen, Jens R

2007-01-01

of recently developed methods for isolation of membrane proteins from 10-20 mg brain tissue [Nielsen, P.Aa., Olsen, J.V., Podtelejnokov, A.V., Andersen, J.R., Mann, M., Wisniewski, J.R., 2005. Proteomic mapping of brain plasma membrane proteins. Mol. Cell. Proteomics 4, 402--408] and the Hys...

Giant multipole resonances: perspectives after ten years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertrand, F.E.

1980-01-01

Nearly ten years ago evidence was published for the first of the so-called giant multipole resonances, the giant quadrupole resonance. During the ensuing years research in this field has spread to many nuclear physics laboratories throughout the world. The present status of electric giant multipole resonances is reviewed. 24 figures, 1 table

Creating probabilistic maps of the face network in the adolescent brain: A multi-centre functional MRI study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tahmasebi, Amir M.; Mareckova, Klara; Artiges, Eric; Martinot, Jean-Luc; Banaschewski, Tobias; Barker, Gareth J.; Loth, Eva; Schumann, Gunter; Bruehl, Ruediger; Ittermann, Bernd; Buchel, Christian; Conrod, Patricia J.; Flor, Herta; Strohle, Andreas; Garavan, Hugh; Gallinat, Jurgen; Heinz, Andreas; Poline, Jean-Baptiste; Rietschel, Marcella; Smolka, Michael N.; Paus, Tomas

2012-01-01

Large-scale magnetic resonance (MR) studies of the human brain offer unique opportunities for identifying genetic and environmental factors shaping the human brain. Here, we describe a dataset collected in the context of a multi-centre study of the adolescent brain, namely the IMAGEN Study. We focus on one of the functional paradigms included in the project to probe the brain network underlying processing of ambiguous and angry faces. Using functional MR (fMRI) data collected in 1,110 adolescents, we constructed probabilistic maps of the neural network engaged consistently while viewing the ambiguous or angry faces; 21 brain regions responding to faces with high probability were identified. We were also able to address several methodological issues, including the minimal sample size yielding a stable location of a test region, namely the fusiform face area (FFA), as well as the effect of acquisition site (eight sites) and scanner (four manufacturers) on the location and magnitude of the fMRI response to faces in the FFA. Finally, we provided a comparison between male and female adolescents in terms of the effect sizes of sex differences in brain response to the ambiguous and angry faces in the 21 regions of interest. Overall, we found a stronger neural response to the ambiguous faces in several cortical regions, including the fusiform face area, in female (vs. male) adolescents, and a slightly stronger response to the angry faces in the amygdala of male (vs. female) adolescents. (authors)

Solitary ulcerated congenital giant juvenile xanthogranuloma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Su Yuen Ng

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A 3-month-old female patient with a giant ulcerated nodule over the back since birth was diagnosed as congenital giant juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG based on clinical and histopathological examination. Congenital giant JXG with ulceration at birth is a rare presentation of JXG and commonly misdiagnosed. This case emphasizes the importance of being aware of the myriad presentations of JXG in order to make a correct diagnosis and avoid unnecessary investigations or treatment.

Giant resonances in heavy-ion reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussein, M.S.

1982-11-01

The several roles of multipole giant resonances in heavy-ion reactions are discussed. In particular, the modifications in the effective ion-ion potencial due to the virtual excitation of giant resonances at low energies, are considered and estimated for several systems. Real excitation of giant resonances in heavy-ion reactions at intermediate energies are then discussed and their importance in the approach phase of deeply inelastic processes in emphasized. Several demonstrative examples are given. (Author) [pt

Large-scale brain networks in affective and social neuroscience: Towards an integrative functional architecture of the brain

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, Lisa Feldman; Satpute, Ajay

2013-01-01

Understanding how a human brain creates a human mind ultimately depends on mapping psychological categories and concepts to physical measurements of neural response. Although it has long been assumed that emotional, social, and cognitive phenomena are realized in the operations of separate brain regions or brain networks, we demonstrate that it is possible to understand the body of neuroimaging evidence using a framework that relies on domain general, distributed structure-function mappings. We review current research in affective and social neuroscience and argue that the emerging science of large-scale intrinsic brain networks provides a coherent framework for a domain-general functional architecture of the human brain. PMID:23352202

Mapping how local perturbations influence systems-level brain dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Gollo, Leonardo L; Roberts, James A; Cocchi, Luca

2017-10-15

The human brain exhibits a distinct spatiotemporal organization that supports brain function and can be manipulated via local brain stimulation. Such perturbations to local cortical dynamics are globally integrated by distinct neural systems. However, it remains unclear how local changes in neural activity affect large-scale system dynamics. Here, we briefly review empirical and computational studies addressing how localized perturbations affect brain activity. We then systematically analyze a model of large-scale brain dynamics, assessing how localized changes in brain activity at the different sites affect whole-brain dynamics. We find that local stimulation induces changes in brain activity that can be summarized by relatively smooth tuning curves, which relate a region's effectiveness as a stimulation site to its position within the cortical hierarchy. Our results also support the notion that brain hubs, operating in a slower regime, are more resilient to focal perturbations and critically contribute to maintain stability in global brain dynamics. In contrast, perturbations of peripheral regions, characterized by faster activity, have greater impact on functional connectivity. As a parallel with this region-level result, we also find that peripheral systems such as the visual and sensorimotor networks were more affected by local perturbations than high-level systems such as the cingulo-opercular network. Our findings highlight the importance of a periphery-to-core hierarchy to determine the effect of local stimulation on the brain network. This study also provides novel resources to orient empirical work aiming at manipulating functional connectivity using non-invasive brain stimulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Swiss roll operation for giant fibroadenoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Soomro, Saleem A; Memon, Sohail A; Mohammad, Noor; Maher, Mumtaz

2009-01-01

Fibroadenoma 5 cm or more is called giant fibroadenoma. Giant fibroadenoma can distort the shape of breast and causes asymmetry, so it should be excised. There are several techniques for excision of giant fibroadenoma. In our technique we remove them through cosmetically acceptable circumareolar incision to maintain the shape and symmetry of breast. The objectives were to assess the cosmetic results of Swiss roll operation for giant fibroadenoma. The study was conducted for six years from January, 2002 to December, 2007. Seventy patients of giant fibroadenoma were included in this study. They were diagnosed on history and clinical examination supported by ultrasound and postoperative histopathological examination. Data were collected from outpatient department and operation theatre. Swiss roll operation was performed under general anaesthesia. Mean tumor size was 6.38 cm. Three cm and 4 cm incisions were used for tumour 6 cm in size respectively. Skin closed with Vicryl 3/0 subcuticular stitches. Sixteen out of 70 patients had no scar while others hadminimal scar. All patients had normal shape and symmetry of breast. On histopathology fibroadenoma was confirmed. Giant fibroadenoma should be removed through cosmetically acceptable cicumareolar incision especially in unmarried young females who have small breast. Swiss-roll operation is superior in maintaining the shape and symmetry of breast. No major complication was found in our series except seroma formation in 10 patients.

Giant serpentine intracranial aneurysm: a case report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jae Seong; Lee, Myeong Sub; Kim, Myung Soon; Kim, Dong Jin; Park, Joong Wha; Whang, Kum

2001-01-01

The authors present a case of giant serpentine aneurysm (a partially thrombosed aneurysm containing tortuous vascular channels with a separate entrance and outflow pathway). Giant serpentine aneurysms form a subgroup of giant intracranial aneurysms, distinct from saccular and fusiform varieties, and in this case, too, the clinical presentation and radiographic features of CT, MR imaging and angiography were distinct

Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Reveals an Association between Brain Iron Load and Depression Severity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shun Yao

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Previous studies have detected abnormal serum ferritin levels in patients with depression; however, the results have been inconsistent. This study used quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM for the first time to examine brain iron concentration in depressed patients and evaluated whether it is related to severity. We included three groups of age- and gender-matched participants: 30 patients with mild-moderate depression (MD, 14 patients with major depression disorder (MDD and 20 control subjects. All participants underwent MR scans with a 3D gradient-echo sequence reconstructing for QSM and performed the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS test. In MDD, the susceptibility value in the bilateral putamen was significantly increased compared with MD or control subjects. In addition, a significant difference was also observed in the left thalamus in MDD patients compared with controls. However, the susceptibility values did not differ between MD patients and controls. The susceptibility values positively correlated with the severity of depression as indicated by the HDRS scores. Our results provide evidence that brain iron deposition may be associated with depression and may even be a biomarker for investigating the pathophysiological mechanism of depression.

Neuroanatomical substrates of action perception and understanding: an anatomic likelihood estimation meta-analysis of lesion-symptom mapping studies in brain injured patients.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cosimo eUrgesi

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Several neurophysiologic and neuroimaging studies suggested that motor and perceptual systems are tightly linked along a continuum rather than providing segregated mechanisms supporting different functions. Using correlational approaches, these studies demonstrated that action observation activates not only visual but also motor brain regions. On the other hand, brain stimulation and brain lesion evidence allows tackling the critical question of whether our action representations are necessary to perceive and understand others’ actions. In particular, recent neuropsychological studies have shown that patients with temporal, parietal and frontal lesions exhibit a number of possible deficits in the visual perception and the understanding of others’ actions. The specific anatomical substrates of such neuropsychological deficits however are still a matter of debate. Here we review the existing literature on this issue and perform an anatomic likelihood estimation meta-analysis of studies using lesion-symptom mapping methods on the causal relation between brain lesions and non-linguistic action perception and understanding deficits. The meta-analysis encompassed data from 361 patients tested in 11 studies and identified regions in the inferior frontal cortex, the inferior parietal cortex and the middle/superior temporal cortex, whose damage is consistently associated with poor performance in action perception and understanding tasks across studies. Interestingly, these areas correspond to the three nodes of the action observation network that are strongly activated in response to visual action perception in neuroimaging research and that have been targeted in previous brain stimulation studies. Thus, brain lesion mapping research provides converging causal evidence that premotor, parietal and temporal regions play a crucial role in action recognition and understanding.

Brain imaging and brain function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sokoloff, L.

1985-01-01

This book is a survey of the applications of imaging studies of regional cerebral blood flow and metabolism to the investigation of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Contributors review imaging techniques and strategies for measuring regional cerebral blood flow and metabolism, for mapping functional neural systems, and for imaging normal brain functions. They then examine the applications of brain imaging techniques to the study of such neurological and psychiatric disorders as: cerebral ischemia; convulsive disorders; cerebral tumors; Huntington's disease; Alzheimer's disease; depression and other mood disorders. A state-of-the-art report on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and central nervous system rounds out the book's coverage

Transcranial magnetic stimulation and connectivity mapping: tools for studying the neural bases of brain disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Hampson, M; Hoffman, R E

2010-01-01

There has been an increasing emphasis on characterizing pathophysiology underlying psychiatric and neurological disorders in terms of altered neural connectivity and network dynamics. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) provides a unique opportunity for investigating connectivity in the human brain. TMS allows researchers and clinicians to directly stimulate cortical regions accessible to electromagnetic coils positioned on the scalp. The induced activation can then propagate through long-range connections to other brain areas. Thus, by identifying distal regions activated during TMS, researchers can infer connectivity patterns in the healthy human brain and can examine how those patterns may be disrupted in patients with different brain disorders. Conversely, connectivity maps derived using neuroimaging methods can identify components of a dysfunctional network. Nodes in this dysfunctional network accessible as targets for TMS by virtue of their proximity to the scalp may then permit TMS-induced alterations of components of the network not directly accessible to TMS via propagated effects. Thus TMS can provide a portal for accessing and altering neural dynamics in networks that are widely distributed anatomically. Finally, when long-term modulation of network dynamics is induced by trains of repetitive TMS, changes in functional connectivity patterns can be studied in parallel with changes in patient symptoms. These correlational data can elucidate neural mechanisms underlying illness and recovery. In this review, we focus on the application of these approaches to the study of psychiatric and neurological illnesses.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation and connectivity mapping: tools for studying the neural bases of brain disorders.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle Hampson

2010-08-01

Full Text Available There has been an increasing emphasis on characterizing pathophysiology underlying psychiatric and neurological disorders in terms of altered neural connectivity and network dynamics. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS provides a unique opportunity for investigating connectivity in the human brain. TMS allows researchers and clinicians to directly stimulate cortical regions accessible to electromagnetic coils positioned on the scalp. The induced activation can then propagate through long-range connections to other brain areas. Thus, by identifying distal regions activated during TMS, researchers can infer connectivity patterns in the healthy human brain and can examine how those patterns may be disrupted in patients with different brain disorders. Conversely, connectivity maps derived using neuroimaging methods can identify components of a dysfunctional network. Nodes in this dysfunctional network accessible as targets for TMS by virtue of their proximity to the scalp may then permit TMS-induced alterations of components of the network not directly accessible to TMS via propagated effects. Thus TMS can provide a portal for accessing and altering neural dynamics in networks that are widely distributed anatomically. Finally, when long-term modulation of network dynamics is induced by trains of repetitive TMS, changes in functional connectivity patterns can be studied in parallel with changes in patient symptoms. These correlational data can elucidate neural mechanisms underlying illness and recovery. In this review, we focus on the application of these approaches to the study of psychiatric and neurological illnesses.

Stellar oscillations in planet-hosting giant stars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hatzes, Artie P; Zechmeister, Mathias [Thueringer Landessternwarte, Sternwarte 5, D-07778 (Germany)], E-mail: artie@tls-tautenburg.de

2008-10-15

Recently a number of giant extrasolar planets have been discovered around giant stars. These discoveries are important because many of these giant stars have intermediate masses in the range 1.2-3 Msun. Early-type main sequence stars of this mass range have been avoided by radial velocity planet search surveys due the difficulty of getting the requisite radial velocity precision needed for planet discoveries. Thus, giant stars can tell us about planet formation for stars more massive than the sun. However, the determination of stellar masses for giant stars is difficult due to the fact that evolutionary tracks for stars covering a wide range of masses converge to the same region of the H-R diagram. We report here on stellar oscillations in three planet-hosting giant stars: HD 13189, {beta} Gem, and {iota} Dra. Precise stellar radial velocity measurements for these stars show variations whose periods and amplitudes are consistent with solar-like p-mode oscillations. The implied stellar masses for these objects based on the characteristics of the stellar oscillations are consistent with the predictions of stellar isochrones. An investigation of stellar oscillations in planet hosting giant stars offers us the possibility of getting an independent determination of the stellar mass for these objects which is of crucial importance for extrasolar planet studies.

Giant nuclear resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snover, K.A.

1989-01-01

Giant nuclear resonances are elementary mods of oscillation of the whole nucleus, closely related to the normal modes of oscillation of coupled mechanical systems. They occur systematically in most if not all nuclei, with oscillation energies typically in the range 10-30 MeV. One of the best - known examples is the giant electric dipole (El) resonance, in which all the protons and all the neutrons oscillate with opposite phase, producing a large time - varying electric dipole moment which acts as an effective antenna for radiating gamma ray. This paper discusses this mode as well as quadrupole and monopole modes

Mapping of functional activity in brain with 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alavi, A.; Reivich, M.; Greenberg, J.

1981-01-01

The efficacy of using the 18 F-fluoro-deoxyglucose ( 18 F-DG) for measuring regional cerebral glucose utilization in man during functional activation is demonstrated. Normal male volunteers subjected to sensory stimuli (visual, auditory, tactile) exhibited focal increases in glucose metabolism in response to the stimulus. Unilateral visual hemifield stimulation caused the contralateral striate cortex to become more active metabolically than the striate cortex ipsilateral to the stimulated hemifield. Similarly, stroking of the fingers and hand of one arm with a brush produced an increase in metabolism in the contralateral postcentral gyrus compared to the homologous ipsilateral region. The auditory stimulus, which consisted of monaural listening to either a meaningful or nonmeaningful story, caused an increase in glucose metabolism in the right temporal cortex independent of which ear was stimulated. These results demonstrate that the 18 F-DG technique is capable of providing functional maps in vivo in the human brain

Mapping effective connectivity in the human brain with concurrent intracranial electrical stimulation and BOLD-fMRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Oya, Hiroyuki; Howard, Matthew A; Magnotta, Vincent A; Kruger, Anton; Griffiths, Timothy D; Lemieux, Louis; Carmichael, David W; Petkov, Christopher I; Kawasaki, Hiroto; Kovach, Christopher K; Sutterer, Matthew J; Adolphs, Ralph

2017-02-01

Understanding brain function requires knowledge of how one brain region causally influences another. This information is difficult to obtain directly in the human brain, and is instead typically inferred from resting-state fMRI. Here, we demonstrate the safety and scientific promise of a novel and complementary approach: concurrent electrical stimulation and fMRI (es-fMRI) at 3T in awake neurosurgical patients with implanted depth electrodes. We document the results of safety testing, actual experimental setup, and stimulation parameters, that safely and reliably evoke activation in distal structures through stimulation of amygdala, cingulate, or prefrontal cortex. We compare connectivity inferred from the evoked patterns of activation with that estimated from standard resting-state fMRI in the same patients: while connectivity patterns obtained with each approach are correlated, each method produces unique results. Response patterns were stable over the course of 11min of es-fMRI runs. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD: es-fMRI in awake humans yields unique information about effective connectivity, complementing resting-state fMRI. Although our stimulations were below the level of inducing any apparent behavioral or perceptual effects, a next step would be to use es-fMRI to modulate task performances. This would reveal the acute network-level changes induced by the stimulation that mediate the behavioral and cognitive effects seen with brain stimulation. es-fMRI provides a novel and safe approach for mapping effective connectivity in the human brain in a clinical setting, and will inform treatments for psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders that use deep brain stimulation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Whole brain analysis of postmortem density changes of grey and white matter on computed tomography by statistical parametric mapping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nishiyama, Yuichi; Mori, Hiroshi; Katsube, Takashi; Kitagaki, Hajime [Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Izumo-shi, Shimane (Japan); Kanayama, Hidekazu; Tada, Keiji; Yamamoto, Yasushi [Shimane University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Izumo-shi, Shimane (Japan); Takeshita, Haruo [Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Legal Medicine, Izumo-shi, Shimane (Japan); Kawakami, Kazunori [Fujifilm RI Pharma, Co., Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

2017-06-15

This study examined the usefulness of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) for investigating postmortem changes on brain computed tomography (CT). This retrospective study included 128 patients (23 - 100 years old) without cerebral abnormalities who underwent unenhanced brain CT before and after death. The antemortem CT (AMCT) scans and postmortem CT (PMCT) scans were spatially normalized using our original brain CT template, and postmortem changes of CT values (in Hounsfield units; HU) were analysed by the SPM technique. Compared with AMCT scans, 58.6 % and 98.4 % of PMCT scans showed loss of the cerebral sulci and an unclear grey matter (GM)-white matter (WM) interface, respectively. SPM analysis revealed a significant decrease in cortical GM density within 70 min after death on PMCT scans, suggesting cytotoxic brain oedema. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the density of the WM, lenticular nucleus and thalamus more than 120 min after death. The SPM technique demonstrated typical postmortem changes on brain CT scans, and revealed that the unclear GM-WM interface on early PMCT scans is caused by a rapid decrease in cortical GM density combined with a delayed increase in WM density. SPM may be useful for assessment of whole brain postmortem changes. (orig.)

Whole brain analysis of postmortem density changes of grey and white matter on computed tomography by statistical parametric mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishiyama, Yuichi; Mori, Hiroshi; Katsube, Takashi; Kitagaki, Hajime; Kanayama, Hidekazu; Tada, Keiji; Yamamoto, Yasushi; Takeshita, Haruo; Kawakami, Kazunori

2017-01-01

This study examined the usefulness of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) for investigating postmortem changes on brain computed tomography (CT). This retrospective study included 128 patients (23 - 100 years old) without cerebral abnormalities who underwent unenhanced brain CT before and after death. The antemortem CT (AMCT) scans and postmortem CT (PMCT) scans were spatially normalized using our original brain CT template, and postmortem changes of CT values (in Hounsfield units; HU) were analysed by the SPM technique. Compared with AMCT scans, 58.6 % and 98.4 % of PMCT scans showed loss of the cerebral sulci and an unclear grey matter (GM)-white matter (WM) interface, respectively. SPM analysis revealed a significant decrease in cortical GM density within 70 min after death on PMCT scans, suggesting cytotoxic brain oedema. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the density of the WM, lenticular nucleus and thalamus more than 120 min after death. The SPM technique demonstrated typical postmortem changes on brain CT scans, and revealed that the unclear GM-WM interface on early PMCT scans is caused by a rapid decrease in cortical GM density combined with a delayed increase in WM density. SPM may be useful for assessment of whole brain postmortem changes. (orig.)

Measuring Precise Radii of Giants Orbiting Giants to Distinguish Between Planet Evolution Models

Science.gov (United States)

Grunblatt, Samuel; Huber, Daniel; Lopez, Eric; Gaidos, Eric; Livingston, John

2017-10-01

Despite more than twenty years since the initial discovery of highly irradiated gas giant planets, the mechanism for planet inflation remains unknown. However, proposed planet inflation mechanisms can now be separated into two general classes: those which allow for post-main sequence planet inflation by direct irradiation from the host star, and those which only allow for slowed cooling of the planet over its lifetime. The recent discovery of two inflated warm Jupiters orbiting red giant stars with the NASA K2 Mission allows distinction between these two classes, but uncertainty in the planet radius blurs this distinction. Observing transits of these planets with the Spitzer Space Telescope would reduce stellar variability and thus planet radius uncertainties by approximately 50% relative to K2, allowing distinction between the two planet inflation model classes at a 3-sigma level. We propose to observe one transit of both known warm Jupiters orbiting red giant stars, K2-97b and EPIC228754001.01, to distinguish between planet model inflation classes and measure the planetary heating efficiency to 3-sigma precision. These systems are benchmarks for the upcoming NASA TESS Mission, which is predicted to discover an order of magnitude more red giant planet systems after launching next year.

Brain SPECT analysis using statistical parametric mapping in patients with transient global amnesia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, E. N.; Sohn, H. S.; Kim, S. H; Chung, S. K.; Yang, D. W. [College of Medicine, The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2001-07-01

This study investigated alterations in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with transient global amnesia (TGA) using statistical parametric mapping 99 (SPM99). Noninvasive rCBF measurements using 99mTc-ethyl cysteinate dimer (ECD) SPECT were performed on 8 patients with TGA and 17 age matched controls. The relative rCBF maps in patients with TGA and controls were compared. In patients with TGA, significantly decreased rCBF was found along the left superior temporal extending to left parietal region of the brain and left thalamus. There were areas of increased rCBF in the right temporal, right frontal region and right thalamus. We could demonstrate decreased perfusion in left cerebral hemisphere and increased perfusion in right cerebral hemisphere in patients with TGA using SPM99. The reciprocal change of rCBF between right and left cerebral hemisphere in patients with TGA might suggest that imbalanced neuronal activity between the bilateral hemispheres may be important role in the pathogenesis of the TGA. For quantitative SPECT analysis in TGA patients, we recommend SPM99 rather than the ROI method because of its definitive advantages.

Brain SPECT analysis using statistical parametric mapping in patients with transient global amnesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, E. N.; Sohn, H. S.; Kim, S. H; Chung, S. K.; Yang, D. W.

2001-01-01

This study investigated alterations in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with transient global amnesia (TGA) using statistical parametric mapping 99 (SPM99). Noninvasive rCBF measurements using 99mTc-ethyl cysteinate dimer (ECD) SPECT were performed on 8 patients with TGA and 17 age matched controls. The relative rCBF maps in patients with TGA and controls were compared. In patients with TGA, significantly decreased rCBF was found along the left superior temporal extending to left parietal region of the brain and left thalamus. There were areas of increased rCBF in the right temporal, right frontal region and right thalamus. We could demonstrate decreased perfusion in left cerebral hemisphere and increased perfusion in right cerebral hemisphere in patients with TGA using SPM99. The reciprocal change of rCBF between right and left cerebral hemisphere in patients with TGA might suggest that imbalanced neuronal activity between the bilateral hemispheres may be important role in the pathogenesis of the TGA. For quantitative SPECT analysis in TGA patients, we recommend SPM99 rather than the ROI method because of its definitive advantages

Investigation of olfactory function in normal volunteers by Tc-99m ECD Brain SPECT: Analysis using statistical parametric mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Y.A.; Kim, S.H.; Park, Y.H.; Lee, S.Y.; Sohn, H.S.; Chung, S.K.

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate olfactory function according to Tc-99m ECD uptake pattern in brain perfusion SPET of normal volunteer by means of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis. The study population was 8 healthy volunteer subjects (M:F = 6:2, age range: 22-54 years, mean 34 years). We performed baseline brain perfusion SPET using 555 MBq of Tc-99m ECD in a silent dark room. Two hours later, we obtained brain perfusion SPET using 1110 MBq of Tc-99m ECD after 3% butanol solution under the same condition. All SPET images were spatially transformed to standard space smoothed and globally normalized. The differences between the baseline and odor-identification SPET images were statistically analyzed using SPM-99 software. The difference between two sets of brain perfusion SPET was considered significant at a threshold of uncorrected p values less than 0.01. SPM analysis revealed significant hyper-perfusion in both cingulated gyri, right middle temporal gyrus, right superior and inferior frontal gyri, right lingual gyrus and right fusiform gyrus on odor-identification SPET. This study shows that brain perfusion SPET can securely support other diagnostic techniques in the evaluation of olfactory function

Determination of giant resonance strengths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serr, F.E.

1983-01-01

Using theoretical strength functions to describe the different giant resonances expected at excitation energies of the order of (60-85)/Asup(1/3) MeV, we calculate the double differential cross sections d 2 sigma/dΩ dE associated with the reactions 208 Pb(α, α') and 90 Zr(α, α') (Esub(α) = 152 MeV). The angular distributions for the giant quadrupole and giant monopole resonances obtained from fits to these spectra, making simple, commonly used assumptions for the peak shapes and background, are compared to the original angular distributions. The differences between them are an indication of some of the uncertainties affecting the giant resonance strengths extracted from hadron inelastic scattering data. Fits to limited angular regions lead to errors of up to 50% in the value of the energy-weighted sum rule, depending on the angles examined. While it seems possible to extract the correct EWSR for the GMR by carrying out the analyses at 0 0 , no single privileged angle seems to exist in the case of the GQR. (orig.)

Brain maps 4.0—Structure of the rat brain: An open access atlas with global nervous system nomenclature ontology and flatmaps

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

Abstract The fourth edition (following editions in 1992, 1998, 2004) of Brain maps: structure of the rat brain is presented here as an open access internet resource for the neuroscience community. One new feature is a set of 10 hierarchical nomenclature tables that define and describe all parts of the rat nervous system within the framework of a strictly topographic system devised previously for the human nervous system. These tables constitute a global ontology for knowledge management systems dealing with neural circuitry. A second new feature is an aligned atlas of bilateral flatmaps illustrating rat nervous system development from the neural plate stage to the adult stage, where most gray matter regions, white matter tracts, ganglia, and nerves listed in the nomenclature tables are illustrated schematically. These flatmaps are convenient for future development of online applications analogous to “Google Maps” for systems neuroscience. The third new feature is a completely revised Atlas of the rat brain in spatially aligned transverse sections that can serve as a framework for 3‐D modeling. Atlas parcellation is little changed from the preceding edition, but the nomenclature for rat is now aligned with an emerging panmammalian neuroanatomical nomenclature. All figures are presented in Adobe Illustrator vector graphics format that can be manipulated, modified, and resized as desired, and freely used with a Creative Commons license. PMID:29277900

CMB lensing and giant rings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rathaus, Ben; Itzhaki, Nissan, E-mail: nitzhaki@post.tau.ac.il, E-mail: ben.rathaus@gmail.com [Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, 69978 (Israel)

2012-05-01

We study the CMB lensing signature of a pre-inationary particle (PIP), assuming it is responsible for the giant rings anomaly that was found recently in the WMAP data. Simulating Planck-like data we find that generically the CMB lensing signal to noise ratio associated with such a PIP is quite small and it would be difficult to cross correlate the temperature giant rings with the CMB lensing signal. However, if the pre-inationary particle is also responsible for the bulk flow measured from the local large scale structure, which happens to point roughly at the same direction as the giant rings, then the CMB lensing signal to noise ratio is fairly significant.

Involvement of Atm and Trp53 in neural cell loss due to Terf2 inactivation during mouse brain development.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jusik; Choi, Inseo; Lee, Youngsoo

2017-11-01

Maintenance of genomic integrity is one of the critical features for proper neurodevelopment and inhibition of neurological diseases. The signals from both ATM and ATR to TP53 are well-known mechanisms to remove neural cells with DNA damage during neurogenesis. Here we examined the involvement of Atm and Atr in genomic instability due to Terf2 inactivation during mouse brain development. Selective inactivation of Terf2 in neural progenitors induced apoptosis, resulting in a complete loss of the brain structure. This neural loss was rescued partially in both Atm and Trp53 deficiency, but not in an Atr-deficient background in the mouse. Atm inactivation resulted in incomplete brain structures, whereas p53 deficiency led to the formation of multinucleated giant neural cells and the disruption of the brain structure. These giant neural cells disappeared in Lig4 deficiency. These data demonstrate ATM and TP53 are important for the maintenance of telomere homeostasis and the surveillance of telomere dysfunction during neurogenesis.

Mind Maps as a Lifelong Learning Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Erdem, Aliye

2017-01-01

Mind map, which was developed by Tony Buzan as a note-taking technique, is an application which has the power of uncovering the thoughts which the brain has about a subject from different viewpoints and which activate the right and left lobes of the brain together as an alternative to linear thought. It is known that mind maps have benefits such…

Role of nature reserves in giant panda protection.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Dongwei; Li, Junqing

2018-02-01

Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a flagship species in nature conservation of the world; to protect this species, 67 nature reserves have been established in China. To evaluate the protection effect of giant panda nature reserves, we analyzed the variation of giant panda number and habitat area of 23 giant panda nature reserves of Sichuan province based on the national survey data released by State Forestry Administration and Sichuan Forestry Department. Results showed that from the third national survey to the fourth, giant panda number and habitat area of 23 giant panda nature reserves of Sichuan province failed to realize the significant increase. Furthermore, we found that the total population growth rate of 23 nature reserves in the last 12 years was lower than those of the province total of Sichuan and the national total of China, and the total habitat area of the 23 nature reserves was decreasing in the last 12 years, but the province total and national total were all increasing. We propose that giant panda protection should pay more attention to how to improve the protective effects of nature reserves.

Modeling Impacts of Climate Change on Giant Panda Habitat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa Songer

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca are one of the most widely recognized endangered species globally. Habitat loss and fragmentation are the main threats, and climate change could significantly impact giant panda survival. We integrated giant panda habitat information with general climate models (GCMs to predict future geographic distribution and fragmentation of giant panda habitat. Results support a major general prediction of climate change—a shift of habitats towards higher elevation and higher latitudes. Our models predict climate change could reduce giant panda habitat by nearly 60% over 70 years. New areas may become suitable outside the current geographic range but much of these areas is far from the current giant panda range and only 15% fall within the current protected area system. Long-term survival of giant pandas will require the creation of new protected areas that are likely to support suitable habitat even if the climate changes.

Personalized mapping of the deep brain with a white matter attenuated inversion recovery (WAIR) sequence at 1.5-tesla: Experience based on a series of 156 patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Zerroug, A; Gabrillargues, J; Coll, G; Vassal, F; Jean, B; Chabert, E; Claise, B; Khalil, T; Sakka, L; Feschet, F; Durif, F; Boyer, L; Coste, J; Lemaire, J-J

2016-08-01

Deep brain mapping has been proposed for direct targeting in stereotactic functional surgery, aiming to personalize electrode implantation according to individual MRI anatomy without atlas or statistical template. We report our clinical experience of direct targeting in a series of 156 patients operated on using a dedicated Inversion Recovery Turbo Spin Echo sequence at 1.5-tesla, called White Matter Attenuated Inversion Recovery (WAIR). After manual contouring of all pertinent structures and 3D planning of trajectories, 312 DBS electrodes were implanted. Detailed anatomy of close neighbouring structures, whether gray nuclei or white matter regions, was identified during each planning procedure. We gathered the experience of these 312 deep brain mappings and elaborated consistent procedures of anatomical MRI mapping for pallidal, subthalamic and ventral thalamic regions. We studied the number of times the central track anatomically optimized was selected for implantation of definitive electrodes. WAIR sequence provided high-quality images of most common functional targets, successfully used for pure direct stereotactic targeting: the central track corresponding to the optimized primary anatomical trajectory was chosen for implantation of definitive electrodes in 90.38%. WAIR sequence is anatomically reliable, enabling precise deep brain mapping and direct stereotactic targeting under routine clinical conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

PET Mapping for Brain-Computer Interface Stimulation of the Ventroposterior Medial Nucleus of the Thalamus in Rats with Implanted Electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Yunqi; Xu, Kedi; Xu, Caiyun; Zhang, Jiacheng; Ji, Jianfeng; Zheng, Xiaoxiang; Zhang, Hong; Tian, Mei

2016-07-01

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology has great potential for improving the quality of life for neurologic patients. This study aimed to use PET mapping for BCI-based stimulation in a rat model with electrodes implanted in the ventroposterior medial (VPM) nucleus of the thalamus. PET imaging studies were conducted before and after stimulation of the right VPM. Stimulation induced significant orienting performance. (18)F-FDG uptake increased significantly in the paraventricular thalamic nucleus, septohippocampal nucleus, olfactory bulb, left crus II of the ansiform lobule of the cerebellum, and bilaterally in the lateral septum, amygdala, piriform cortex, endopiriform nucleus, and insular cortex, but it decreased in the right secondary visual cortex, right simple lobule of the cerebellum, and bilaterally in the somatosensory cortex. This study demonstrated that PET mapping after VPM stimulation can identify specific brain regions associated with orienting performance. PET molecular imaging may be an important approach for BCI-based research and its clinical applications. © 2016 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

Cortical mapping by functional magnetic resonance imaging in patients with brain tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majos, Agata; Stefanczyk, Ludomir; Goraj, Bozena; Tybor, Krzysztof

2005-01-01

The aim of our study was to establish the effectiveness of the functional MRI (fMRI) technique in comparison with intraoperative cortical stimulation (ICS) in planning cortex-saving neurosurgical interventions. The combination of sensory and motor stimulation during fMRI experiments was used to improve the exactness of central sulcus localization. The study subjects were 30 volunteers and 33 patients with brain tumors in the rolandic area. Detailed topographical relations of activated areas in fMRI and intraoperative techniques were compared. The agreement in the location defined by the two methods for motor centers was found to be 84%; for sensory centers it was 83%. When both kinds of activation are taken into account this agreement increases to 98%. A significant relation was found between fMRI and ICS for the agreement of the distance both for motor and sensory centers (p=0.0021-0.0024). Also a strong dependence was found between the agreement of the location and the agreement of the distance for both kinds of stimulation. The spatial correlation between fMRI and ICS methods for the sensorimotor cortex is very high. fMRI combining functional and structural information is very helpful for preoperative neurosurgical planning. The sensitivity of the fMRI technique in brain mapping increases when using both motor and sensory paradigms in the same patient. (orig.)

Centenary of Brodmann's map--conception and fate.

Science.gov (United States)

Zilles, Karl; Amunts, Katrin

2010-02-01

Rarely in the history of neuroscience has a single illustration been as influential as the cytoarchitectonic map of the human brain published by Korbinian Brodmann in his monograph from 1909. The map presents the segregation of the cerebral cortex into 43 areas, as visible in cell body-stained histological sections. More importantly, Brodmann provided a comparative neuroanatomical approach and discussed ontogenetic and pathological aspects as well as structural-functional correlations. One hundred years later, a large number of neuroscientists still use Brodmann's map for localizing neuroimaging data obtained in the living human brain.

DIRECT DETECTION OF PRECURSORS OF GAS GIANTS FORMED BY GRAVITATIONAL INSTABILITY WITH THE ATACAMA LARGE MILLIMETER/SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mayer, Lucio [Center for Theoretical Astrophysics and Cosmology, Institute for Computational Science, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich (Switzerland); Peters, Thomas [Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Pineda, Jaime E. [Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Wadsley James; Rogers, Patrick, E-mail: p.rogers@marianopolis.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1 (Canada)

2016-06-01

Phases of gravitational instability are expected in the early phases of disk evolution, when the disk mass is still a substantial fraction of the mass of the star. Disk fragmentation into sub-stellar objects could occur in the cold exterior part of the disk. Direct detection of massive gaseous clumps on their way to collapse into gas giant planets would offer an unprecedented test of the disk instability model. Here we use state-of-the-art 3D radiation-hydro simulations of disks undergoing fragmentation into massive gas giants, post-processed with RADMC-3D to produce dust continuum emission maps. These are then fed into the Common Astronomy Software Applications (CASA) ALMA simulator. The synthetic maps show that both overdense spiral arms and actual clumps at different stages of collapse can be detected with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in the full configuration at the distance of the Ophiuchus star forming region (125 pc). The detection of clumps is particularly effective at shorter wavelengths (690 GHz) combining two resolutions with multi-scale clean. Furthermore, we show that a flux-based estimate of the mass of a protoplanetary clump can be comparable to a factor of three higher than the gravitationally bound clump mass. The estimated mass depends on the assumed opacity, and on the gas temperature, which should be set using the input of radiation-hydro simulations. We conclude that ALMA has the capability to detect “smoking gun” systems that are a signpost of the disk instability model for gas giant planet formation.

Gender differences in working memory networks: a BrainMap meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Ashley C; Laird, Angela R; Robinson, Jennifer L

2014-10-01

Gender differences in psychological processes have been of great interest in a variety of fields. While the majority of research in this area has focused on specific differences in relation to test performance, this study sought to determine the underlying neurofunctional differences observed during working memory, a pivotal cognitive process shown to be predictive of academic achievement and intelligence. Using the BrainMap database, we performed a meta-analysis and applied activation likelihood estimation to our search set. Our results demonstrate consistent working memory networks across genders, but also provide evidence for gender-specific networks whereby females consistently activate more limbic (e.g., amygdala and hippocampus) and prefrontal structures (e.g., right inferior frontal gyrus), and males activate a distributed network inclusive of more parietal regions. These data provide a framework for future investigations using functional or effective connectivity methods to elucidate the underpinnings of gender differences in neural network recruitment during working memory tasks. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Giant lobelias exemplify convergent evolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Givnish Thomas J

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Giant lobeliads on tropical mountains in East Africa and Hawaii have highly unusual, giant-rosette growth forms that appear to be convergent on each other and on those of several independently evolved groups of Asteraceae and other families. A recent phylogenetic analysis by Antonelli, based on sequencing the widest selection of lobeliads to date, raises doubts about this paradigmatic example of convergent evolution. Here I address the kinds of evidence needed to test for convergent evolution and argue that the analysis by Antonelli fails on four points. Antonelli's analysis makes several important contributions to our understanding of lobeliad evolution and geographic spread, but his claim regarding convergence appears to be invalid. Giant lobeliads in Hawaii and Africa represent paradigmatic examples of convergent evolution.

Surgical treatment for giant incisional hernia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eriksson, A; Rosenberg, J; Bisgaard, T

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Repair for giant incisional hernias is a challenge due to unacceptable high morbidity and recurrence rates. Several surgical techniques are available, but all are poorly documented. This systematic review was undertaken to evaluate the existing literature on repair for giant...... % with a wide range between studies of 4-100 %. The mortality ranged from 0 to 5 % (median 0 %) and recurrence rate ranged from 0 to 53 % (median 5 %). Study follow-up ranged from 15 to 97 months (median 36 months). Mesh repair should always be used for patients undergoing repair for a giant hernia......, and the sublay position may have advantages over onlay positioning. To avoid tension, it may be advisable to use a mesh in combination with a component separation technique. Inlay positioning of the mesh and repair without a mesh should be avoided. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence to optimise repair for giant hernias...

Giant Parietal Encephalocele with Massive Brain Herniation and Suboccipital Encephalocele in a Neonate: An Unusual Form of Double Encephalocele.

Science.gov (United States)

Menekse, Guner; Celik, Haydar; Bayar, Mehmet Akif

2017-02-01

Double encephalocele is extremely rare. We present an unusual form of double encephalocele including giant supratentorial and small infratentorial encephalocele in a neonate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiopharmaceuticals for brain - SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretti, J.L.

1992-01-01

Perfusion tracers for brain SPECT imaging suitable for regional cerebral blood flow measurement and regional cerebral blood volume determination, with respect to their ability to pass the blood-brain-barrier, are described. Problems related t the use of specific radiotracers to map receptors distribution in the brain are also discussed in this lecture. 9 figs, 6 tabs

The brain decade in debate: VI. Sensory and motor maps: dynamics and plasticity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Das

2001-12-01

Full Text Available This article is an edited transcription of a virtual symposium promoted by the Brazilian Society of Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC. Although the dynamics of sensory and motor representations have been one of the most studied features of the central nervous system, the actual mechanisms of brain plasticity that underlie the dynamic nature of sensory and motor maps are not entirely unraveled. Our discussion began with the notion that the processing of sensory information depends on many different cortical areas. Some of them are arranged topographically and others have non-topographic (analytical properties. Besides a sensory component, every cortical area has an efferent output that can be mapped and can influence motor behavior. Although new behaviors might be related to modifications of the sensory or motor representations in a given cortical area, they can also be the result of the acquired ability to make new associations between specific sensory cues and certain movements, a type of learning known as conditioning motor learning. Many types of learning are directly related to the emotional or cognitive context in which a new behavior is acquired. This has been demonstrated by paradigms in which the receptive field properties of cortical neurons are modified when an animal is engaged in a given discrimination task or when a triggering feature is paired with an aversive stimulus. The role of the cholinergic input from the nucleus basalis to the neocortex was also highlighted as one important component of the circuits responsible for the context-dependent changes that can be induced in cortical maps.

Static electromagnetic properties of giant resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, W.K.

1986-03-01

Static electric monopole and quadrupole matrix elements, which are related to the mean square radius and quadrupole moment respectively, are derived for giant resonances of arbitrary multipolarity. The results furnish information on the size and shape of the nucleus in the excited giant states. (author)

Neuroinformatics of the Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuan, Leonard; Li, Yang; Lau, Chris; Feng, David; Bernard, Amy; Sunkin, Susan M; Zeng, Hongkui; Dang, Chinh; Hawrylycz, Michael; Ng, Lydia

2015-02-01

The Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas is a mesoscale whole brain axonal projection atlas of the C57Bl/6J mouse brain. Anatomical trajectories throughout the brain were mapped into a common 3D space using a standardized platform to generate a comprehensive and quantitative database of inter-areal and cell-type-specific projections. This connectivity atlas has several desirable features, including brain-wide coverage, validated and versatile experimental techniques, a single standardized data format, a quantifiable and integrated neuroinformatics resource, and an open-access public online database (http://connectivity.brain-map.org/). Meaningful informatics data quantification and comparison is key to effective use and interpretation of connectome data. This relies on successful definition of a high fidelity atlas template and framework, mapping precision of raw data sets into the 3D reference framework, accurate signal detection and quantitative connection strength algorithms, and effective presentation in an integrated online application. Here we describe key informatics pipeline steps in the creation of the Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas and include basic application use cases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Macroscopic networks in the human brain: mapping connectivity in healthy and damaged brains

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nijhuis, E.H.J.

2013-01-01

The human brain contains a network of interconnected neurons. Recent advances in functional and structural in-vivo magnetic resonance neuroimaging (MRI) techniques have provided opportunities to model the networks of the human brain on a macroscopic scale. This dissertation investigates the

Different uptake of 99mTc-ECD adn 99mTc-HMPAO in the same brains: analysis by statistical parametric mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyun, Y; Lee, J S; Rha, J H; Lee, I K; Ha, C K; Lee, D S

2001-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer (99mTc-ECD) and technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) uptake in the same brains by means of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis. We examined 20 patients (9 male, 11 female, mean age 62+/-12 years) using 99mTc-ECD and 99mTc-HMPAO single-photon emission tomography (SPET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain less than 7 days after onset of stroke. MRI showed no cortical infarctions. Infarctions in the pons (6 patients) and medulla (1), ischaemic periventricular white matter lesions (13) and lacunar infarction (7) were found on MRI. Split-dose and sequential SPET techniques were used for 99mTc-ECD and 99mTc-HMPAO brain SPET, without repositioning of the patient. All of the SPET images were spatially transformed to standard space, smoothed and globally normalized. The differences between the 99mTc-ECD and 99mTc-HMPAO SPET images were statistically analysed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) 96 software. The difference between two groups was considered significant at a threshold of uncorrected P values less than 0.01. Visual analysis showed no hypoperfused areas on either 99mTc-ECD or 99mTc-HMPAO SPET images. SPM analysis revealed significantly different uptake of 99mTc-ECD and 99mTc-HMPAO in the same brains. On the 99mTc-ECD SPET images, relatively higher uptake was observed in the frontal, parietal and occipital lobes, in the left superior temporal lobe and in the superior region of the cerebellum. On the 99mTc-HMPAO SPET images, relatively higher uptake was observed in the medial temporal lobes, thalami, periventricular white matter and brain stem. These differences in uptake of the two tracers in the same brains on SPM analysis suggest that interpretation of cerebral perfusion is possible using SPET with 99mTc-ECD and 99mTc-HMPAO.

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) as a means to measure brain iron? A post mortem validation study

Science.gov (United States)

Langkammer, Christian; Schweser, Ferdinand; Krebs, Nikolaus; Deistung, Andreas; Goessler, Walter; Scheurer, Eva; Sommer, Karsten; Reishofer, Gernot; Yen, Kathrin; Fazekas, Franz; Ropele, Stefan; Reichenbach, Jürgen R.

2012-01-01

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is a novel technique which allows determining the bulk magnetic susceptibility distribution of tissue in vivo from gradient echo magnetic resonance phase images. It is commonly assumed that paramagnetic iron is the predominant source of susceptibility variations in gray matter as many studies have reported a reasonable correlation of magnetic susceptibility with brain iron concentrations in vivo. Instead of performing direct comparisons, however, all these studies used the putative iron concentrations reported in the hallmark study by Hallgren and Sourander (1958) for their analysis. Consequently, the extent to which QSM can serve to reliably assess brain iron levels is not yet fully clear. To provide such information we investigated the relation between bulk tissue magnetic susceptibility and brain iron concentration in unfixed (in situ) post mortem brains of 13 subjects using MRI and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. A strong linear correlation between chemically determined iron concentration and bulk magnetic susceptibility was found in gray matter structures (r = 0.84, p < 0.001), whereas the correlation coefficient was much lower in white matter (r = 0.27, p < 0.001). The slope of the overall linear correlation was consistent with theoretical considerations of the magnetism of ferritin supporting that most of the iron in the brain is bound to ferritin proteins. In conclusion, iron is the dominant source of magnetic susceptibility in deep gray matter and can be assessed with QSM. In white matter regions the estimation of iron concentrations by QSM is less accurate and more complex because the counteracting contribution from diamagnetic myelinated neuronal fibers confounds the interpretation. PMID:22634862

LITHIUM-RICH GIANTS IN GLOBULAR CLUSTERS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirby, Evan N.; Cohen, Judith G. [California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Guhathakurta, Puragra [UCO/Lick Observatory and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Zhang, Andrew J. [The Harker School, 500 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129 (United States); Hong, Jerry [Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94301 (United States); Guo, Michelle [Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Guo, Rachel [Irvington High School, 41800 Blacow Road, Fremont, CA 94538 (United States); Cunha, Katia [Observatório Nacional, São Cristóvão Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

2016-03-10

Although red giants deplete lithium on their surfaces, some giants are Li-rich. Intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars can generate Li through the Cameron–Fowler conveyor, but the existence of Li-rich, low-mass red giant branch (RGB) stars is puzzling. Globular clusters are the best sites to examine this phenomenon because it is straightforward to determine membership in the cluster and to identify the evolutionary state of each star. In 72 hours of Keck/DEIMOS exposures in 25 clusters, we found four Li-rich RGB and two Li-rich AGB stars. There were 1696 RGB and 125 AGB stars with measurements or upper limits consistent with normal abundances of Li. Hence, the frequency of Li-richness in globular clusters is (0.2 ± 0.1)% for the RGB, (1.6 ± 1.1)% for the AGB, and (0.3 ± 0.1)% for all giants. Because the Li-rich RGB stars are on the lower RGB, Li self-generation mechanisms proposed to occur at the luminosity function bump or He core flash cannot explain these four lower RGB stars. We propose the following origin for Li enrichment: (1) All luminous giants experience a brief phase of Li enrichment at the He core flash. (2) All post-RGB stars with binary companions on the lower RGB will engage in mass transfer. This scenario predicts that 0.1% of lower RGB stars will appear Li-rich due to mass transfer from a recently Li-enhanced companion. This frequency is at the lower end of our confidence interval.

Giant Urinary Bladder and Bilateral Giant Hydronephrosis due to Bladder Neck Obstruction: One Case Report and Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Fadl Tazi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Bilateral hydronephrosis secondary to urinary obstruction leads to a buildup of back pressure in the urinary tract and may lead to impairment of renal function. Cases of giant hydronephrosis are rare and usually contain no more than 1-2 litres of fluid in the collecting system. Here, we report a rarely seen case with giant urinary bladder and bilateral giant hydronephrosis due to bladder neck obstruction which contains 4000 mL fluid in the collecting system of the kidney mimicking an ascites in an adult male.

Giant cell arteritis of fallopian tube.

Science.gov (United States)

Azzena, A; Altavilla, G; Salmaso, R; Vasoin, F; Pellizzari, P; Doria, A

1994-01-01

One case of giant cells arteritis involving tubaric arteries in a postmenopausal woman is described. The patient was 59 years old and presented with asthenia, anemia, fever, weight loss, an abdominal palpable mass and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a large ovarian cyst of 14 cm in diameter. Extensive giant cell arteritis, Horton's type, of the small-sizes arteries was found unexpectedly in the fallopian tube of the patient who had had a prior ovariectomy. Giant cell arteritis of the female genital tract is a rare finding in elderly women and may occur as an isolated finding or as part of generalised arteritis.

Investigating structure and function in the healthy human brain: validity of acute versus chronic lesion-symptom mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Karnath, Hans-Otto; Rennig, Johannes

2017-07-01

Modern voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) analyses techniques provide powerful tools to examine the relationship between structure and function of the healthy human brain. However, there is still uncertainty on the type of and the appropriate time point of imaging and of behavioral testing for such analyses. Here we tested the validity of the three most common combinations of structural imaging data and behavioral scores used in VLSM analyses. Given the established knowledge about the neural substrate of the primary motor system in humans, we asked the mundane question of where the motor system is represented in the normal human brain, analyzing individual arm motor function of 60 unselected stroke patients. Only the combination of acute behavioral scores and acute structural imaging precisely identified the principal brain area for the emergence of hemiparesis after stroke, i.e., the corticospinal tract (CST). In contrast, VLSM analyses based on chronic behavior-in combination with either chronic or acute imaging-required the exclusion of patients who had recovered from an initial paresis to reveal valid anatomical results. Thus, if the primary research aim of a VLSM lesion analysis is to uncover the neural substrates of a certain function in the healthy human brain and if no longitudinal designs with repeated evaluations are planned, the combination of acute imaging and behavior represents the ideal dataset.

Staged Closure of Giant Omphalocele using Synthetic Mesh

OpenAIRE

Parida, Lalit; Pal, Kamalesh; Al Buainain, Hussah; Elshafei, Hossam

2014-01-01

Giant omphalocele is difficult to manage and is associated with a poor outcome. A male newborn presented to our hospital with a giant omphalocele. We performed a staged closure of giant omphalocele using synthetic mesh to construct a silo and then mesh abdominoplasty in the neonatal period that led to a successful outcome within a reasonable period of hospital stay.

Giant microelectronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Della Sala, D.; Privato, C.; Di Lazzaro, P.; Fortunato, G.

1999-01-01

Giant microelectronics, on which the technology of flat liquid-crystal screens is based, is an example of fruitful interaction among independently-developed technologies, in this case thin film micro devices and laser applications. It typifies the interdisciplinary approach needed to produce innovations in microelectronics [it

Multi Modality Brain Mapping System (MBMS) Using Artificial Intelligence and Pattern Recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Kateb, Babak (Inventor); Nikzad, Shouleh (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A Multimodality Brain Mapping System (MBMS), comprising one or more scopes (e.g., microscopes or endoscopes) coupled to one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors obtain training data from one or more first images and/or first data, wherein one or more abnormal regions and one or more normal regions are identified; receive a second image captured by one or more of the scopes at a later time than the one or more first images and/or first data and/or captured using a different imaging technique; and generate, using machine learning trained using the training data, one or more viewable indicators identifying one or abnormalities in the second image, wherein the one or more viewable indicators are generated in real time as the second image is formed. One or more of the scopes display the one or more viewable indicators on the second image.

Giant prolactinomas in women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Delgrange, Etienne; Raverot, Gerald; Bex, Marie

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To characterise distinctive clinical features of giant prolactinomas in women. DESIGN: A multicentre, retrospective case series and literature review. METHODS: We collected data from 15 female patients with a pituitary tumour larger than 4 cm and prolactin levels above 1000 μg/l and id......OBJECTIVE: To characterise distinctive clinical features of giant prolactinomas in women. DESIGN: A multicentre, retrospective case series and literature review. METHODS: We collected data from 15 female patients with a pituitary tumour larger than 4 cm and prolactin levels above 1000 μg....../l and identified 19 similar cases from the literature; a gender-based comparison of the frequency and age distribution was obtained from a literature review. RESULTS: The initial PubMed search using the term 'giant prolactinomas' identified 125 patients (13 women) responding to the inclusion criteria. The female......:male ratio was 1:9. Another six female patients were found by extending the literature search, while our own series added 15 patients. The median age at diagnosis was 44 years in women compared with 35 years in men (Pwomen (n=34), we...

Observing giant panda habitat and forage abundance from space

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, T.

2009-01-01

Giant pandas are obligate bamboo grazers. The bamboos favoured by giant
pandas are typical forest understorey plants. Therefore, the availability and
abundance of understorey bamboo is a key factor in determining the quantity
and quality of giant panda food resources. However,

Metastatic giant basal cell carcinoma: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellahammou, Khadija; Lakhdissi, Asmaa; Akkar, Othman; Rais, Fadoua; Naoual, Benhmidou; Elghissassi, Ibrahim; M'rabti, Hind; Errihani, Hassan

2016-01-01

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer, characterised by a slow growing behavior, metastasis are extremely rare, and it occurs in less than 0, 1% of all cases. Giant basal cell carcinoma is a rare form of basal cell carcinoma, more aggressive and defined as a tumor measuring more than 5 cm at its largest diameter. Only 1% of all basal cell carcinoma develops to a giant basal cell carcinoma, resulting of patient's negligence. Giant basal cell carcinoma is associated with higher potential of metastasis and even death, compared to ordinary basal cell carcinoma. We report a case of giant basal cell carcinoma metastaticin lung occurring in a 79 years old male patient, with a fatal evolution after one course of systemic chemotherapy. Giant basal cell carcinoma is a very rare entity, early detection of these tumors could prevent metastasis occurrence and improve the prognosis of this malignancy.

The Kantian brain: brain dynamics from a neurophenomenological perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Fazelpour, Sina; Thompson, Evan

2015-04-01

Current research on spontaneous, self-generated brain rhythms and dynamic neural network coordination cast new light on Immanuel Kant's idea of the 'spontaneity' of cognition, that is, the mind's capacity to organize and synthesize sensory stimuli in novel, unprecedented ways. Nevertheless, determining the precise nature of the brain-cognition mapping remains an outstanding challenge. Neurophenomenology, which uses phenomenological information about the variability of subjective experience in order to illuminate the variability of brain dynamics, offers a promising method for addressing this challenge. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Giant Chancroid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bhushan Kumar

1980-01-01

Full Text Available A case of giant chancroid following rupture of inguinal bubo and having systemic symptoms is described. Response with sulfa and streptomycin combination was excellent and the lesion healed completely in 3 weeks. Early diagnosis and treatment of chancroid will prevent this debilitating complication.

Giant cystic craniopharyngiomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, S.C.; Zimmerman, R.A.; Nowell, M.A.; Bilaniuk, L.T.; Hackney, D.B.; Grossman, R.I.; Goldberg, H.I.

1987-01-01

Three cases of giant cystic craniopharyngiomas with large areas of extension beyond the suprasellar area are presented. The magnetic resonance (MR) appearance in one case is described. These giant tumors had large, multilobulated cysts that comprised the bulk of the tumors. In one case, there was an unusual extension of the large tumor cyst into the lateral ventricle. In two cases, the tumors extended to the level of the foramen magnum. On CT, the cyst contents of these two tumors were hyperdense and became hypodense postoperatively. All three tumors harbored calcifications in the form of clumps in the suprasellar region and rim calcifications around the cysts. None of the tumors exhibited contrast enhancement. A literature review of the radiographic features of craniopharyngiomas is discussed. (orig.)

Apparent diffusion coefficient mapping in medulloblastoma predicts non-infiltrative surgical planes.

Science.gov (United States)

Marupudi, Neena I; Altinok, Deniz; Goncalves, Luis; Ham, Steven D; Sood, Sandeep

2016-11-01

An appropriate surgical approach for posterior fossa lesions is to start tumor removal from areas with a defined plane to where tumor is infiltrating the brainstem or peduncles. This surgical approach minimizes risk of damage to eloquent areas. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the current standard preoperative imaging obtained for diagnosis and surgical planning of pediatric posterior fossa tumors, it offers limited information on the infiltrative planes between tumor and normal structures in patients with medulloblastomas. Because medulloblastomas demonstrate diffusion restriction on apparent diffusion coefficient map (ADC map) sequences, we investigated the role of ADC map in predicting infiltrative and non-infiltrative planes along the brain stem and/or cerebellar peduncles by medulloblastomas prior to surgery. Thirty-four pediatric patients with pathologically confirmed medulloblastomas underwent surgical resection at our facility from 2004 to 2012. An experienced pediatric neuroradiologist reviewed the brain MRIs/ADC map, assessing the planes between the tumor and cerebellar peduncles/brain stem. An independent evaluator documented surgical findings from operative reports for comparison to the radiographic findings. The radiographic findings were statistically compared to the documented intraoperative findings to determine predictive value of the test in identifying tumor infiltration of the brain stem cerebellar peduncles. Twenty-six patients had preoperative ADC mapping completed and thereby, met inclusion criteria. Mean age at time of surgery was 8.3 ± 4.6 years. Positive predictive value of ADC maps to predict tumor invasion of the brain stem and cerebellar peduncles ranged from 69 to 88 %; negative predictive values ranged from 70 to 89 %. Sensitivity approached 93 % while specificity approached 78 %. ADC maps are valuable in predicting the infiltrative and non-infiltrative planes along the tumor and brain stem interface in

On Landau Vlasov simulations of giant resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pi, M.; Schuck, P.; Suraud, E.; Gregoire, C.; Remaud, B.; Sebille, F.

1987-05-01

We present VUU calculations of giant resonances obtained in energetic heavy ion collisions. Also is considered the case of the giant dipole in 40 Ca and the possibility of studying the effects of rotation on such collective modes

Globally intertwined evolutionary history of giant barrel sponges

Science.gov (United States)

Swierts, Thomas; Peijnenburg, Katja T. C. A.; de Leeuw, Christiaan A.; Breeuwer, Johannes A. J.; Cleary, Daniel F. R.; de Voogd, Nicole J.

2017-09-01

Three species of giant barrel sponge are currently recognized in two distinct geographic regions, the tropical Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific. In this study, we used molecular techniques to study populations of giant barrel sponges across the globe and assessed whether the genetic structure of these populations agreed with current taxonomic consensus or, in contrast, whether there was evidence of cryptic species. Using molecular data, we assessed whether giant barrel sponges in each oceanic realm represented separate monophyletic lineages. Giant barrel sponges from 17 coral reef systems across the globe were sequenced for mitochondrial (partial CO1 and ATP6 genes) and nuclear (ATPsβ intron) DNA markers. In total, we obtained 395 combined sequences of the mitochondrial CO1 and ATP6 markers, which resulted in 17 different haplotypes. We compared a phylogenetic tree constructed from 285 alleles of the nuclear intron ATPsβ to the 17 mitochondrial haplotypes. Congruent patterns between mitochondrial and nuclear gene trees of giant barrel sponges provided evidence for the existence of multiple reproductively isolated species, particularly where they occurred in sympatry. The species complexes in the tropical Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific, however, do not form separate monophyletic lineages. This rules out the scenario that one species of giant barrel sponge developed into separate species complexes following geographic separation and instead suggests that multiple species of giant barrel sponges already existed prior to the physical separation of the Indo-Pacific and tropical Atlantic.

Multipole giant resonances in highly excited nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Keding; Cai Yanhuang

1989-01-01

The isoscalar giant surface resonance and giant dipole resonance in highly excited nuclei are discussed. Excitation energies of the giant modes in 208 Pb are calculated in a simplified model, using the concept of energy wieghted sum rule (EWSR), and the extended Thomas-Fermi approximation at the finite temperature is employed to describe the finite temperature is employed to describe the finite temperature equilibrium state. It is shown that EWSR and the energy of the resonance depend only weakly on temperature in the system. This weak dependence is analysed

Evidence for deformation effect on the giant monopole resonance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buenerd, M.; Lebrun, D.; Martin, P.; de Saintignon, P.; Perrin, C.

1980-01-01

The giant monopole resonance in the region of deformed nuclei has been investigated by inelastic scattering of 108.5 MeV 3 He at very small scattering angles. Evidence is reported for coupling between the giant monopole and giant quadrupole vibrations, based both on energy shift and transition strength

Fatal canine distemper virus infection of giant pandas in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Na; Yu, Yicong; Wang, Tiecheng; Wilker, Peter; Wang, Jianzhong; Li, Yuanguo; Sun, Zhe; Gao, Yuwei; Xia, Xianzhu

2016-06-16

We report an outbreak of canine distemper virus (CDV) infection among endangered giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Five of six CDV infected giant pandas died. The surviving giant panda was previously vaccinated against CDV. Genomic sequencing of CDV isolated from one of the infected pandas (giant panda/SX/2014) suggests it belongs to the Asia-1 cluster. The hemagglutinin protein of the isolated virus and virus sequenced from lung samples originating from deceased giant pandas all possessed the substitutions V26M, T213A, K281R, S300N, P340Q, and Y549H. The presence of the Y549H substitution is notable as it is found at the signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) receptor-binding site and has been implicated in the emergence of highly pathogenic CDV and host switching. These findings demonstrate that giant pandas are susceptible to CDV and suggest that surveillance and vaccination among all captive giant pandas are warranted to support conservation efforts for this endangered species.

Occipital lobe infarction: a rare presentation of bilateral giant cavernous carotid aneurysms: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanikieti, Kavin; Poonyathalang, Anuchit; Jindahra, Panitha; Cheecharoen, Piyaphon; Chokthaweesak, Wimonwan

2018-02-02

Cavernous carotid aneurysm (CCA) represents 2-9% of all intracranial aneurysms and 15% of internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms; additionally, giant aneurysms are those aneurysms that are > 25 mm in size. Bilateral CCAs account for 11-29% of patients and are commonly associated with structural weaknesses in the ICA wall, secondary to systemic hypertension. CCAs are considered benign lesions, given the low risk for developing major neurologic morbidities (i.e., subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, or carotid cavernous fistula). Moreover, concurrent presentation with posterior circulation cerebral infarction is even rarer, given different circulation territory from CCA. Here, we report on a patient with bilateral giant CCAs who presented with both typical and atypical symptoms. An 88-year-old hypertensive woman presented with acute vertical oblique binocular diplopia, followed by complete ptosis of the right eye. Ophthalmic examination showed dysfunction of the right third, fourth, and sixth cranial nerves. Further examination revealed hypesthesia of the areas supplied by the ophthalmic (V1) and maxillary (V2) branches of the right trigeminal nerve. Bilateral giant cavernous carotid aneurysms, with a concurrent subacute right occipital lobe infarction, were discovered on brain imaging and angiogram. Additionally, a prominent right posterior communicating artery (PCOM) was revealed. Seven months later, clinical improvement with stable radiographic findings was documented without any intervention. Dysfunction of the third, fourth, and sixth cranial nerves, and the ophthalmic (V 1 ) and maxillary (V 2 ) branches of the trigeminal nerves, should necessitate brain imaging, with special attention given to the cavernous sinus. Despite unilateral symptomatic presentation, bilateral lesions cannot be excluded solely on the basis of clinical findings. CCA should be included in the differential diagnosis of cavernous sinus lesions. Although rare, ipsilateral

Giants among larges: how gigantism impacts giant virus entry into amoebae.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Rodrigo Araújo Lima; Abrahão, Jônatas Santos; Drumond, Betânia Paiva; Kroon, Erna Geessien

2016-06-01

The proposed order Megavirales comprises the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDV), infecting a wide range of hosts. Over time, they co-evolved with different host cells, developing various strategies to penetrate them. Mimiviruses and other giant viruses enter cells through phagocytosis, while Marseillevirus and other large viruses explore endocytosis and macropinocytosis. These differing strategies might reflect the evolution of those viruses. Various scenarios have been proposed for the origin and evolution of these viruses, presenting one of the most enigmatic issues to surround these microorganisms. In this context, we believe that giant viruses evolved independently by massive gene/size gain, exploring the phagocytic pathway of entry into amoebas. In response to gigantism, hosts developed mechanisms to evade these parasites. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

All-optical functional synaptic connectivity mapping in acute brain slices using the calcium integrator CaMPARI.

Science.gov (United States)

Zolnik, Timothy A; Sha, Fern; Johenning, Friedrich W; Schreiter, Eric R; Looger, Loren L; Larkum, Matthew E; Sachdev, Robert N S

2017-03-01

The genetically encoded fluorescent calcium integrator calcium-modulated photoactivatable ratiobetric integrator (CaMPARI) reports calcium influx induced by synaptic and neural activity. Its fluorescence is converted from green to red in the presence of violet light and calcium. The rate of conversion - the sensitivity to activity - is tunable and depends on the intensity of violet light. Synaptic activity and action potentials can independently initiate significant CaMPARI conversion. The level of conversion by subthreshold synaptic inputs is correlated to the strength of input, enabling optical readout of relative synaptic strength. When combined with optogenetic activation of defined presynaptic neurons, CaMPARI provides an all-optical method to map synaptic connectivity. The calcium-modulated photoactivatable ratiometric integrator (CaMPARI) is a genetically encoded calcium integrator that facilitates the study of neural circuits by permanently marking cells active during user-specified temporal windows. Permanent marking enables measurement of signals from large swathes of tissue and easy correlation of activity with other structural or functional labels. One potential application of CaMPARI is labelling neurons postsynaptic to specific populations targeted for optogenetic stimulation, giving rise to all-optical functional connectivity mapping. Here, we characterized the response of CaMPARI to several common types of neuronal calcium signals in mouse acute cortical brain slices. Our experiments show that CaMPARI is effectively converted by both action potentials and subthreshold synaptic inputs, and that conversion level is correlated to synaptic strength. Importantly, we found that conversion rate can be tuned: it is linearly related to light intensity. At low photoconversion light levels CaMPARI offers a wide dynamic range due to slower conversion rate; at high light levels conversion is more rapid and more sensitive to activity. Finally, we employed Ca

Mapping directionality specific volume changes using tensor based morphometry: an application to the study of gyrogenesis and lateralization of the human fetal brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajagopalan, Vidya; Scott, Julia; Habas, Piotr A; Kim, Kio; Rousseau, Francois; Glenn, Orit A; Barkovich, A James; Studholme, Colin

2012-11-01

Tensor based morphometry (TBM) is a powerful approach to analyze local structural changes in brain anatomy. However, conventional scalar TBM methods do not completely capture all direction specific volume changes required to model complex changes such as those during brain growth. In this paper, we describe novel TBM descriptors for studying direction-specific changes in a subject population which can be used in conjunction with scalar TBM to analyze local patterns in directionality of volume change during brain development. We also extend the methodology to provide a new approach to mapping directional asymmetry in deformation tensors associated with the emergence of structural asymmetry in the developing brain. We illustrate the use of these methods by studying developmental patterns in the human fetal brain, in vivo. Results show that fetal brain development exhibits a distinct spatial pattern of anisotropic growth. The most significant changes in the directionality of growth occur in the cortical plate at major sulci. Our analysis also detected directional growth asymmetry in the peri-Sylvian region and the medial frontal lobe of the fetal brain. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Literature review of giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) biology and conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Halstead, Brian J.; Wylie, Glenn D.; Casazza, Michael L.

2015-08-03

This report reviews the available literature on giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) to compile existing information on this species and identify knowledge gaps that, if addressed, would help to inform conservation efforts for giant gartersnakes.  Giant gartersnakes comprise a species of semi-aquatic snake precinctive to wetlands in the Central Valley of California.  The diversion of surface water and conversion of wetlands to agricultural and other land uses resulted in the loss of more than 90 percent of natural giant gartersnake habitats.  Because of this habitat loss, giant gartersnakes are now listed by the United States and California Endangered Species Acts as Threatened.  Most extant populations occur in the rice-growing regions of the Sacramento Valley, which comprises the northern portion of the giant gartersnake’s former range.  The huge demand for water in California for agriculture, industry, recreation, and other human consumption, combined with periodic severe drought, places remaining giant gartersnake habitats at increased risk of degradation and loss.  This literature review summarizes the available information on giant gartersnake distribution, habitat relations, behavior, demography, and other aspects of its biology relevant to conservation.  This information is then compiled into a graphical conceptual model that indicates the importance of different aspects of giant gartersnake biology for maintaining positive population growth, and identifies those areas for which important information relevant for conservation is lacking.  Directing research efforts toward these aspects of giant gartersnake ecology will likely result in improvements to conserving this unique species while meeting the high demands for water in California.

Brain mapping for long-term recovery of gait after supratentorial stroke: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dae Hyun; Kyeong, Sunghyon; Do, Kyung Hee; Lim, Seong Kyu; Cho, Hyong Keun; Jung, Suk; Kim, Hye Won

2018-04-01

The recovery of independent gait after stroke is a main goal of patients and understanding the relationship between brain lesions and the recovery of gait can help physicians set viable rehabilitation plans. Our study investigated the association between variables of gait parameters and brain lesions.Fifty poststroke patients with a mean age of 67.5 ± 1.3 years and an average duration after onset of 62.2 ± 7.9 months were included. Three-dimensional gait analysis and magnetic resonance imaging were conducted for all patients. Twelve quantified gait parameters of temporal-spatial, kinematic, and kinetic data were used. To correlate gait parameters with specific brain lesions, we used a voxel-based lesion symptom mapping analysis. Statistical significance was set to an uncorrected P value 10 voxels.Based on the location of a brain lesion, the following results were obtained: The posterior limb of the internal capsule was significantly associated with gait speed and increased knee extension in the stance phase. The hippocampus and frontal lobe were significantly associated with cadence. The proximal corona radiata was significantly associated with stride length and affected the hip maximal extension angle in the stance phase. The paracentral lobule was significantly associated with the affected knee maximal flexion angle in the swing phase and with the affected ankle maximal dorsiflexion angle in the stance phase. The frontal lobe, thalamus, and the lentiform nucleus were associated with kinetic gait parameters.Cortical, proximal white matter, and learning-related and motor-related areas are mainly associated with one's walking ability after stroke.

Collisional damping of giant monopole and quadrupole resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yildirim, S.; Gokalp, A.; Yilmaz, O.; Ayik, S.

2001-01-01

Collisional damping widths of giant monopole and quadrupole excitations for 120 Sn and 208 Pb at zero and finite temperatures are calculated within Thomas-Fermi approximation by employing the microscopic in-medium cross-sections of Li and Machleidt and the phenomenological Skyrme and Gogny forces, and are compared with each other. The results for the collisional widths of giant monopole and quadrupole vibrations at zero temperature as a function of the mass number show that the collisional damping of giant monopole vibrations accounts for about 30 - 40% of the observed widths at zero temperature, while for giant quadrupole vibrations it accounts for only 20 - 30% of the observed widths at zero temperature. (orig.)

Giant cell phlebitis: a potentially lethal clinical entity.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunieda, Takeshige; Murayama, Masanori; Ikeda, Tsuneko; Yamakita, Noriyoshi

2012-08-01

An 83-year-old woman presented to us with a 4-week history of general malaise, subjective fever and lower abdominal pain. Despite the intravenous infusion of antibiotics, her blood results and physical condition worsened, resulting in her sudden death. Autopsy study revealed that the medium-sized veins of the mesentery were infiltrated by eosinophil granulocytes, lymphocytes, macrophages and multinucleated giant cells; however, the arteries were not involved. Microscopically, venous giant cell infiltration was observed in the gastrointestinal tract, bladder, retroperitoneal tissues and myocardium. The final diagnosis was giant cell phlebitis, a rare disease of unknown aetiology. This case demonstrates for the first time that giant cell phlebitis involving extra-abdominal organs, including hearts, can cause serious morbidity.

Mapping cortical hand motor representation using TMS: A method to assess brain plasticity and a surrogate marker for recovery of function after stroke?

Science.gov (United States)

Lüdemann-Podubecká, Jitka; Nowak, Dennis Alexander

2016-10-01

Stroke is associated with reorganization within motor areas of both hemispheres. Mapping the cortical hand motor representation using transcranial magnetic stimulation may help to understand the relationship between motor cortex reorganization and motor recovery of the affected hand after stroke. A standardized review of the pertinent literature was performed. We identified 20 trials, which analyzed the relationship between the extent and/or location of cortical hand motor representation using transcranial magnetic stimulation and motor function and recovery of the affected hand. Several correlations were found between cortical reorganization and measures of hand motor impairment and recovery. A better understanding of the relationships between the extent and location of cortical hand motor representation and the motor impairment and motor recovery of the affected hand after stroke may contribute to a targeted use of non-invasive brain stimulation protocols. In the future motor mapping may help to guide brain stimulation techniques to the most effective motor area in an affected individual. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of olfactory function in normal volunteers and patients with anosmia : analysis of brain perfusion SPECTs using statistical parametric mapping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, Y. A.; Kim, S. H.; Sohn, H. S.; Chung, S. K. [Catholic University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2002-07-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate olfactory function with Tc-99m ECD brain perfusion SPECT using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis in normal volunteers and patients with anosmia. The study populations were 8 subjects matched healthy volunteers and 16 subjects matched patients with anosmia. We obtaibed baseline and post-stimulation (3% butanol) brain perfusion SPECTs in the silent dark room. We analyzed the all SPECTs using SPM. The difference between two sets of brain perfusion SPECTs were compared with t-test. The voxels with p-value of less than 0.01 were considered to be significantly different. We demonstrated increased perfusion in the both cingulated gyri, right middle temporal gyrus, right superior and inferior frontal gyri, right lingual gyrus and right fusiform gyrus on post-stimulation brain SPECT in normal volunteers, and demonstrated decreased perfusion in the both cingulate gyri, right middle temporal gyrus, right rectal gyrus and both superior and inferior frontal gyri in the 10 patients with anosmia. No significant hypoperfusion area was observed in the other 6 patients with anosmia. The baseline and post-stimulation brain perfusion SPECTs can helpful in the evaluation of olfactory function and be useful in the diagnosis of anosmia.

Investigation of olfactory function in normal volunteers and patients with anosmia : analysis of brain perfusion SPECTs using statistical parametric mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Y. A.; Kim, S. H.; Sohn, H. S.; Chung, S. K.

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate olfactory function with Tc-99m ECD brain perfusion SPECT using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis in normal volunteers and patients with anosmia. The study populations were 8 subjects matched healthy volunteers and 16 subjects matched patients with anosmia. We obtaibed baseline and post-stimulation (3% butanol) brain perfusion SPECTs in the silent dark room. We analyzed the all SPECTs using SPM. The difference between two sets of brain perfusion SPECTs were compared with t-test. The voxels with p-value of less than 0.01 were considered to be significantly different. We demonstrated increased perfusion in the both cingulated gyri, right middle temporal gyrus, right superior and inferior frontal gyri, right lingual gyrus and right fusiform gyrus on post-stimulation brain SPECT in normal volunteers, and demonstrated decreased perfusion in the both cingulate gyri, right middle temporal gyrus, right rectal gyrus and both superior and inferior frontal gyri in the 10 patients with anosmia. No significant hypoperfusion area was observed in the other 6 patients with anosmia. The baseline and post-stimulation brain perfusion SPECTs can helpful in the evaluation of olfactory function and be useful in the diagnosis of anosmia

[Surgical treatment of eloquent brain area tumors using neurophysiological mapping of the speech and motor areas and conduction tracts].

Science.gov (United States)

Zuev, A A; Korotchenko, E N; Ivanova, D S; Pedyash, N V; Teplykh, B A

To evaluate the efficacy of intraoperative neurophysiological mapping in removing eloquent brain area tumors (EBATs). Sixty five EBAT patients underwent surgical treatment using intraoperative neurophysiological mapping at the Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Center in the period from 2014 to 2015. On primary neurological examination, 46 (71%) patients were detected with motor deficits of varying severity. Speech disorders were diagnosed in 17 (26%) patients. Sixteen patients with concomitant or isolated lesions of the speech centers underwent awake surgery using the asleep-awake-asleep protocol. Standard neurophysiological monitoring included transcranial stimulation as well as motor and, if necessary, speech mapping. The motor and speech areas were mapped with allowance for the preoperative planning data (obtained with a navigation station) synchronized with functional MRI. In this case, a broader representation of the motor and speech centers was revealed in 12 (19%) patients. During speech mapping, no speech disorders were detected in 7 patients; in 9 patients, stimulation of the cerebral cortex in the intended surgical area induced motor (3 patients), sensory (4), and amnesic (2) aphasia. In the total group, we identified 11 patients in whom the tumor was located near the internal capsule. Upon mapping of the conduction tracts in the internal capsule area, the stimulus strength during tumor resection was gradually decreased from 10 mA to 5 mA. Tumor resection was stopped when responses retained at a stimulus strength of 5 mA, which, when compared to the navigation data, corresponded to a distance of about 5 mm to the internal capsule. Completeness of tumor resection was evaluated (contrast-enhanced MRI) in all patients on the first postoperative day. According to the control MRI data, the tumor was resected totally in 60% of patients, subtotally in 24% of patients, and partially in 16% of patients. In the early postoperative period, the development or

Giant polygons and mounds in the lowlands of Mars: signatures of an ancient ocean?

Science.gov (United States)

Oehler, Dorothy Z; Allen, Carlton C

2012-06-01

This paper presents the hypothesis that the well-known giant polygons and bright mounds of the martian lowlands may be related to a common process-a process of fluid expulsion that results from burial of fine-grained sediments beneath a body of water. Specifically, we hypothesize that giant polygons and mounds in Chryse and Acidalia Planitiae are analogous to kilometer-scale polygons and mud volcanoes in terrestrial, marine basins and that the co-occurrence of masses of these features in Chryse and Acidalia may be the signature of sedimentary processes in an ancient martian ocean. We base this hypothesis on recent data from both Earth and Mars. On Earth, 3-D seismic data illustrate kilometer-scale polygons that may be analogous to the giant polygons on Mars. The terrestrial polygons form in fine-grained sediments that have been deposited and buried in passive-margin, marine settings. These polygons are thought to result from compaction/dewatering, and they are commonly associated with fluid expulsion features, such as mud volcanoes. On Mars, in Chryse and Acidalia Planitiae, orbital data demonstrate that giant polygons and mounds have overlapping spatial distributions. There, each set of features occurs within a geological setting that is seemingly analogous to that of the terrestrial, kilometer-scale polygons (broad basin of deposition, predicted fine-grained sediments, and lack of significant horizontal stress). Regionally, the martian polygons and mounds both show a correlation to elevation, as if their formation were related to past water levels. Although these observations are based on older data with incomplete coverage, a similar correlation to elevation has been established in one local area studied in detail with newer higher-resolution data. Further mapping with the latest data sets should more clearly elucidate the relationship(s) of the polygons and mounds to elevation over the entire Chryse-Acidalia region and thereby provide more insight into this

Reproducibility of quantitative susceptibility mapping in the brain at two field strengths from two vendors.

Science.gov (United States)

Deh, Kofi; Nguyen, Thanh D; Eskreis-Winkler, Sarah; Prince, Martin R; Spincemaille, Pascal; Gauthier, Susan; Kovanlikaya, Ilhami; Zhang, Yan; Wang, Yi

2015-12-01

To assess the reproducibility of brain quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) in healthy subjects and in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) on 1.5 and 3T scanners from two vendors. Ten healthy volunteers and 10 patients were scanned twice on a 3T scanner from one vendor. The healthy volunteers were also scanned on a 1.5T scanner from the same vendor and on a 3T scanner from a second vendor. Similar imaging parameters were used for all scans. QSM images were reconstructed using a recently developed nonlinear morphology-enabled dipole inversion (MEDI) algorithm with L1 regularization. Region-of-interest (ROI) measurements were obtained for 20 major brain structures. Reproducibility was evaluated with voxel-wise and ROI-based Bland-Altman plots and linear correlation analysis. ROI-based QSM measurements showed excellent correlation between all repeated scans (correlation coefficient R ≥ 0.97), with a mean difference of less than 1.24 ppb (healthy subjects) and 4.15 ppb (patients), and 95% limits of agreements of within -25.5 to 25.0 ppb (healthy subjects) and -35.8 to 27.6 ppb (patients). Voxel-based QSM measurements had a good correlation (0.64 ≤ R ≤ 0.88) and limits of agreements of -60 to 60 ppb or less. Brain QSM measurements have good interscanner and same-scanner reproducibility for healthy and MS subjects, respectively, on the systems evaluated in this study. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Multispin giant magnons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bobev, N. P.; Rashkov, R. C.

2006-01-01

We investigate giant magnons from classical rotating strings in two different backgrounds. First we generalize the solution of Hofman and Maldacena and investigate new magnon excitations of a spin chain which are dual to a string on RxS 5 with two nonvanishing angular momenta. Allowing string dynamics along the third angle in the five sphere, we find a dispersion relation that reproduces the Hofman and Maldacena one and the one found by Dorey for the two spin case. In the second part of the paper we generalize the two 'spin' giant magnon to the case of β-deformed AdS 5 xS 5 background. We find agreement between the dispersion relation of the rotating string and the proposed dispersion relation of the magnon bound state on the spin chain

Giant Congenital Melanocytic Naevi: review of literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Marchesi

2012-04-01

Full Text Available giant congenital pigmented naevi is a great reconstructive challenge for the pediatric and plastic surgeons. due to the increased risk of malignant transformation in such lesions, many procedures have been used to remove giant congenital naevi like dermoabrasion, laser treatment or surgical excision combined with reconstruction through skin expansion or skin grafting; among these, only a complete excision can offer an efficacious treatment. in our centre we use the “tissue expansion” technique in order to achieve a sufficient quantity of normal skin to perform a both staged and radical excision of these giant lesions.

Positron emission tomography (PET) study of the alterations in brain pharmacokinetics of methamphetamine in methamphetamine sensitized animals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Hitoshi

2001-01-01

I investigated the differences in brain pharmacokinetics of [ 11 C]methamphetamine ([ 11 C]MAP) in normal and MAP sensitized animals using positron emission tomography (PET). [ 11 C]MAP was synthesized by an automated on-line [ 11 C]methylation system. I newly produced MAP sensitized dog and monkey by repeated MAP treatment. The maximal level of accumulation of [ 11 C]MAP in the sensitized dog brain was 1.4 times higher than that in the control. This result suggests the changes in the pharmacokinetic profile of MAP in the brain affect the development or expression of MAP-induced behavioral sensitization. However, the overaccumulation of [ 11 C]MAP in the sensitized monkey brain was not observed due to the influence of anesthesia. (author)

Positron emission tomography (PET) study of the alterations in brain pharmacokinetics of methamphetamine in methamphetamine sensitized animals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamura, Hitoshi [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan). Hospital

2001-08-01

I investigated the differences in brain pharmacokinetics of [{sup 11}C]methamphetamine ([{sup 11}C]MAP) in normal and MAP sensitized animals using positron emission tomography (PET). [{sup 11}C]MAP was synthesized by an automated on-line [{sup 11}C]methylation system. I newly produced MAP sensitized dog and monkey by repeated MAP treatment. The maximal level of accumulation of [{sup 11}C]MAP in the sensitized dog brain was 1.4 times higher than that in the control. This result suggests the changes in the pharmacokinetic profile of MAP in the brain affect the development or expression of MAP-induced behavioral sensitization. However, the overaccumulation of [{sup 11}C]MAP in the sensitized monkey brain was not observed due to the influence of anesthesia. (author)

Fatal canine distemper virus infection of giant pandas in China

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Na; Yu, Yicong; Wang, Tiecheng; Wilker, Peter; Wang, Jianzhong; Li, Yuanguo; Sun, Zhe; Gao, Yuwei; Xia, Xianzhu

2016-01-01

We report an outbreak of canine distemper virus (CDV) infection among endangered giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Five of six CDV infected giant pandas died. The surviving giant panda was previously vaccinated against CDV. Genomic sequencing of CDV isolated from one of the infected pandas (giant panda/SX/2014) suggests it belongs to the Asia-1 cluster. The hemagglutinin protein of the isolated virus and virus sequenced from lung samples originating from deceased giant pandas all possessed the substitutions V26M, T213A, K281R, S300N, P340Q, and Y549H. The presence of the Y549H substitution is notable as it is found at the signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) receptor-binding site and has been implicated in the emergence of highly pathogenic CDV and host switching. These findings demonstrate that giant pandas are susceptible to CDV and suggest that surveillance and vaccination among all captive giant pandas are warranted to support conservation efforts for this endangered species. PMID:27310722

Rapid myelin water content mapping on clinical MR systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tonkova, Vyara; Arhelger, Volker; Schenk, Jochen; Neeb, Heiko; Koblenz Univ.

2012-01-01

We present an algorithm for the fast mapping of myelin water content using standard multiecho gradient echo acquisitions of the human brain. The method extents a previously published approach for the simultaneous measurement of brain T 1 , T * 2 and total water content. Employing the multiexponential T * 2 decay signal of myelinated tissue, myelin water content was measured based on the quantification of two water pools ('myelin water' and 'rest') with different relaxation times. As the existing protocol was focussed on the fast mapping of quantitative MR parameters with whole brain coverage in clinically relevant measurement times, the sampling density of the T * 2 curve was compromised to 10 echo times with a T Emax of approx. 40 ms. Therefore, pool amplitudes were determined using a quadratic optimisation approach. The optimisation was constrained by including a priori knowledge about brain water pools. All constraints were optimised in a simulation study to minimise systematic error sources given the incomplete knowledge about the real pool-specific relaxation properties. Based on the simulation results, whole brain in vivo myelin water content maps were acquired in 10 healthy controls and one subject with multiple sclerosis. The in vivo results obtained were consistent with previous reports which demonstrates that a simultaneous whole brain mapping of T 1 , T * 2 , total and myelin water content is feasible on almost any modern MR scanner in less than 10 minutes. (orig.)

Giant urinary bladder calculus: Case report | Otieno | East African ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A vertical calculus weighing more than 100 g is categorised as a giant urinary bladder stone. Giant urinary bladder stones are very rare and very few cases have been reported in English literature and only one case from Africa. This is a case report of a patient with a giant urinary bladder calculus presenting as a rectal ...

Mapping the critical gestational age at birth that alters brain development in preterm-born infants using multi-modal MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Dan; Chang, Linda; Akazawa, Kentaro; Oishi, Kumiko; Skranes, Jon; Ernst, Thomas; Oishi, Kenichi

2017-04-01

Preterm birth adversely affects postnatal brain development. In order to investigate the critical gestational age at birth (GAB) that alters the developmental trajectory of gray and white matter structures in the brain, we investigated diffusion tensor and quantitative T2 mapping data in 43 term-born and 43 preterm-born infants. A novel multivariate linear model-the change point model, was applied to detect change points in fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, and T2 relaxation time. Change points captured the "critical" GAB value associated with a change in the linear relation between GAB and MRI measures. The analysis was performed in 126 regions across the whole brain using an atlas-based image quantification approach to investigate the spatial pattern of the critical GAB. Our results demonstrate that the critical GABs are region- and modality-specific, generally following a central-to-peripheral and bottom-to-top order of structural development. This study may offer unique insights into the postnatal neurological development associated with differential degrees of preterm birth. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Antisolar differential rotation with surface lithium enrichment on the single K-giant V1192 Orionis

Science.gov (United States)

Kővári, Zs.; Strassmeier, K. G.; Carroll, T. A.; Oláh, K.; Kriskovics, L.; Kővári, E.; Kovács, O.; Vida, K.; Granzer, T.; Weber, M.

2017-10-01

Context. Stars with about 1-2 solar masses at the red giant branch (RGB) represent an intriguing period of stellar evolution, I.e. when the convective envelope interacts with the fast-rotating core. During these mixing episodes freshly synthesized lithium can come up to the stellar surface along with high angular momentum material. This high angular momentum may alter the surface rotation pattern. Aims: The single rapidly rotating K-giant V1192 Ori is revisited to determine its surface differential rotation, lithium abundance, and basic stellar properties such as a precise rotation period. The aim is to independently verify the antisolar differential rotation of the star and possibly find a connection to the surface lithium abundance. Methods: We applied time-series Doppler imaging to a new multi-epoch data set. Altogether we reconstructed 11 Doppler images from spectroscopic data collected with the STELLA robotic telescope between 2007-2016. We used our inversion code iMap to reconstruct all stellar surface maps. We extracted the differential rotation from these images by tracing systematic spot migration as a function of stellar latitude from consecutive image cross-correlations. Results: The position of V1192 Ori in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram suggests that the star is in the helium core-burning phase just leaving the RGB bump. We measure A(Li)NLTE = 1.27, I.e. a value close to the anticipated transition value of 1.5 from Li-normal to Li-rich giants. Doppler images reveal extended dark areas arranged quasi-evenly along an equatorial belt. No cool polar spot is found during the investigated epoch. Spot displacements clearly suggest antisolar surface differential rotation with α = - 0.11 ± 0.02 shear coefficient. Conclusions: The surface Li enrichment and the peculiar surface rotation pattern may indicate a common origin. Based on data obtained with the STELLA robotic observatory in Tenerife, an AIP facility jointly operated by AIP and IAC.

The brain and the subjective experience of time. A voxel based symptom-lesion mapping study.

Science.gov (United States)

Trojano, Luigi; Caccavale, Michelina; De Bellis, Francesco; Crisci, Claudio

2017-06-30

The aim of the study was to identify the anatomical bases involved in the subjective experience of time, by means of a voxel based symptom-lesion mapping (VLSM) study on patients with focal brain damage. Thirty-three patients (nineteen with right-hemisphere lesions -RBD, and fourteen with left lesion- LBD) and twenty-eight non-neurological controls (NNC) underwent the semi-structured QUEstionnaire for the Subjective experience of Time (QUEST) requiring retrospective and prospective judgements on self-relevant time intervals. All participants also completed tests to assess general cognitive functioning and two questionnaires to evaluate their emotional state. Both groups of brain-damaged patients achieved significantly different scores from NNC on the time performance, without differences between RBD and LBD. VLSM showed a cluster of voxels located in the right inferior parietal lobule significantly related to errors in the prospective items. The lesion subtraction analysis revealed two different patterns possibly associated with errors in the prospective items (the right inferior parietal cortex, rolandic operculum and posterior middle temporal gyrus) and in the retrospective items (superior middle temporal gyrus, white matter posterior to the insula). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Giant cell angiofibroma or localized periorbital lymphedema?

Science.gov (United States)

Lynch, Michael C; Chung, Catherine G; Specht, Charles S; Wilkinson, Michael; Clarke, Loren E

2013-12-01

Giant cell angiofibroma represents a rare soft tissue neoplasm with a predilection for the orbit. We recently encountered a mass removed from the lower eyelid of a 56-year-old female that histopathologically resembled giant cell angiofibroma. The process consisted of haphazardly arranged CD34-positive spindled and multinucleated cells within an edematous, densely vascular stroma. However, the patient had recently undergone laryngectomy and radiotherapy for a laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. A similar mass had arisen on the contralateral eyelid, and both had developed several months post-therapy. Lymphedema of the orbit can present as tumor-like nodules and in some cases may share histopathologic features purported to be characteristic of giant cell angiofibroma. A relationship between giant cell angiofibroma and lymphedema has not been established, but our case suggests there may be one. The potential overlap of these two conditions should be recognized, as should other entities that may enter the differential diagnosis. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Giant paraovarian cyst in childhood - Case report].

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, Janina P; Íñiguez, Rodrigo D

2015-01-01

Paraovarian cysts are very uncommon in children To present a case of giant paraovarian cyst case in a child and its management using a modified laparoscopic-assisted technique A 13-year-old patient with a 15 day-history of intermittent abdominal pain, located in the left hemiabdomen and associated with progressive increase in abdominal volume. Diagnostic imaging was inconclusive, describing a giant cystic formation that filled up the abdomen, but without specifying its origin. Laboratory tests and tumor markers were within normal range. Video-assisted transumbilical cystectomy, a modified laparoscopic procedure with diagnostic and therapeutic intent, was performed with a successful outcome. The histological study reported giant paraovarian cyst. Cytology results were negative for tumor cells. The patient remained asymptomatic during the postoperative follow-up. The video-assisted transumbilical cystectomy is a safe procedure and an excellent diagnostic and therapeutic alternative for the treatment of giant paraovarian cysts. Copyright © 2015. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

[Tissular expansion in giant congenital nevi treatment].

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen Van Nuoi, V; Francois-Fiquet, C; Diner, P; Sergent, B; Zazurca, F; Franchi, G; Buis, J; Vazquez, M-P; Picard, A; Kadlub, N

2014-08-01

Surgical management of giant melanotic naevi remains a surgical challenge. Tissue expansion provides tissue of the same quality for the repair of defects. The aim of this study is to review tissular expansion for giant melanotic naevi. We conducted a retrospective study from 2000 to 2012. All children patients who underwent a tissular expansion for giant congenital naevi had been included. Epidemiological data, surgical procedure, complication rate and results had been analysed. Thirty-tree patients had been included; they underwent 61 procedures with 79 tissular-expansion prosthesis. Previous surgery, mostly simple excision had been performed before tissular expansion. Complete naevus excision had been performed in 63.3% of the cases. Complications occurred in 45% of the cases, however in 50% of them were minor. Iterative surgery increased the complication rate. Tissular expansion is a valuable option for giant congenital naevus. However, complication rate remained high, especially when iterative surgery is needed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Mapping Neurodegenerative Disease Onset and Progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Seeley, William W

2017-08-01

Brain networks have been of long-standing interest to neurodegeneration researchers, including but not limited to investigators focusing on conventional prion diseases, which are known to propagate along neural pathways. Tools for human network mapping, however, remained inadequate, limiting our understanding of human brain network architecture and preventing clinical research applications. Until recently, neuropathological studies were the only viable approach to mapping disease onset and progression in humans but required large autopsy cohorts and laborious methods for whole-brain sectioning and staining. Despite important advantages, postmortem studies cannot address in vivo, physiological, or longitudinal questions and have limited potential to explore early-stage disease except for the most common disorders. Emerging in vivo network-based neuroimaging strategies have begun to address these issues, providing data that complement the neuropathological tradition. Overall, findings to date highlight several fundamental principles of neurodegenerative disease anatomy and pathogenesis, as well as some enduring mysteries. These principles and mysteries provide a road map for future research. Copyright © 2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

AGB [asymptotic giant branch]: Star evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, S.A.

1987-01-01

Asymptotic giant branch stars are red supergiant stars of low-to-intermediate mass. This class of stars is of particular interest because many of these stars can have nuclear processed material brought up repeatedly from the deep interior to the surface where it can be observed. A review of recent theoretical and observational work on stars undergoing the asymptotic giant branch phase is presented. 41 refs

Nutritional evaluation of the giant grassropper (Zonocerus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The biological value of giant grasshopper protein (Zonocerus variegatus) was evaluated by comparing the weight gained, food efficiency ratio (FER), protein efficiency ratio (PER) of rats fed standard laboratory chow with that of rats fed giant grasshopper, Soyabean(Glycine max) and crayfish. The effect of high fibre content ...

RE-INFLATED WARM JUPITERS AROUND RED GIANTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopez, Eric D. [Institute for Astronomy, Royal Observatory Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh (United Kingdom); Fortney, Jonathan J. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)

2016-02-10

Since the discovery of the first transiting hot Jupiters, models have sought to explain the anomalously large radii of highly irradiated gas giants. We now know that the size of hot Jupiter radius anomalies scales strongly with a planet's level of irradiation and numerous models like tidal heating, ohmic dissipation, and thermal tides have since been developed to help explain these inflated radii. In general, however, these models can be grouped into two broad categories: models that directly inflate planetary radii by depositing a fraction of the incident irradiation into the interior and models that simply slow a planet's radiative cooling, allowing it to retain more heat from formation and thereby delay contraction. Here we present a new test to distinguish between these two classes of models. Gas giants orbiting at moderate orbital periods around post-main-sequence stars will experience enormous increases to their irradiation as their host stars move up the sub-giant and red-giant branches. If hot Jupiter inflation works by depositing irradiation into the planet's deep interiors then planetary radii should increase in response to the increased irradiation. This means that otherwise non-inflated gas giants at moderate orbital periods of >10 days can re-inflate as their host stars evolve. Here we explore the circumstances that can lead to the creation of these “re-inflated” gas giants and examine how the existence or absence of such planets can be used to place unique constraints on the physics of the hot Jupiter inflation mechanism. Finally, we explore the prospects for detecting this potentially important undiscovered population of planets.

Giant duodenal ulcers

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Eric Benjamin Newton; Mark R Versland; Thomas E Sepe

2008-01-01

Giant duodenal ulcers (GDUs) are a subset of duodenal ulcers that have historically resulted in greater morbidity than usual duodenal ulcers. Until recently,few cases had been successfully treated with medical therapy. However, the widespread use of endoscopy,the introduction of H-2 receptor blockers and proton pump inhibitors, and the improvement in surgical techniques all have revolutionized the diagnosis,treatment and outcome of this condition. Nevertheless,GDUs are still associated with high rates of morbidity,mortality and complications. Thus, surgical evaluation of a patient with a GDU should remain an integral part of patient care. These giant variants, while usually benign, can frequently harbor malignancy. A careful review of the literature highlights the important differences when comparing GDUs to classical peptic ulcers and why they must be thought of differently than their more common counterpart.

Multifocal tenosynovial giant cell tumors in a child with Noonan syndrome

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meyers, Arthur B. [Children' s Hospital of Wisconsin, Department of Radiology, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Nemours Children' s Health System/Nemours Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Orlando, FL (United States); Awomolo, Agboola O. [Children' s Hospital of Wisconsin, Department of Radiology, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Szabo, Sara [Medical College of Wisconsin and Children' s Hospital of Wisconsin, Department of Pathology, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Cincinnati Children' s Hospital Medical Center, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cincinnati, OH (United States)

2017-03-15

Noonan syndrome is a genetic disorder with variable expression of distinctive facial features, webbed neck, chest deformity, short stature, cryptorchidism and congenital heart disease. The association of Noonan syndrome and giant cell granulomas of the mandible is widely reported. However, Noonan syndrome may also be associated with single or multifocal tenosynovial giant cell tumors, also referred to as pigmented villonodular synovitis. We report a child with Noonan syndrome, giant cell granulomas of the mandible and synovial and tenosynovial giant cell tumors involving multiple joints and tendon sheaths who was initially misdiagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It is important for radiologists to be aware of the association of Noonan syndrome and multifocal giant cell lesions, which can range from the more commonly described giant cell granulomas of the mandible to isolated or multifocal intra- or extra-articular tenosynovial giant cell tumors or a combination of all of these lesions. (orig.)

Multifocal tenosynovial giant cell tumors in a child with Noonan syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyers, Arthur B; Awomolo, Agboola O; Szabo, Sara

2017-03-01

Noonan syndrome is a genetic disorder with variable expression of distinctive facial features, webbed neck, chest deformity, short stature, cryptorchidism and congenital heart disease. The association of Noonan syndrome and giant cell granulomas of the mandible is widely reported. However, Noonan syndrome may also be associated with single or multifocal tenosynovial giant cell tumors, also referred to as pigmented villonodular synovitis. We report a child with Noonan syndrome, giant cell granulomas of the mandible and synovial and tenosynovial giant cell tumors involving multiple joints and tendon sheaths who was initially misdiagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It is important for radiologists to be aware of the association of Noonan syndrome and multifocal giant cell lesions, which can range from the more commonly described giant cell granulomas of the mandible to isolated or multifocal intra- or extra-articular tenosynovial giant cell tumors or a combination of all of these lesions.

Multifocal tenosynovial giant cell tumors in a child with Noonan syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyers, Arthur B.; Awomolo, Agboola O.; Szabo, Sara

2017-01-01

Noonan syndrome is a genetic disorder with variable expression of distinctive facial features, webbed neck, chest deformity, short stature, cryptorchidism and congenital heart disease. The association of Noonan syndrome and giant cell granulomas of the mandible is widely reported. However, Noonan syndrome may also be associated with single or multifocal tenosynovial giant cell tumors, also referred to as pigmented villonodular synovitis. We report a child with Noonan syndrome, giant cell granulomas of the mandible and synovial and tenosynovial giant cell tumors involving multiple joints and tendon sheaths who was initially misdiagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It is important for radiologists to be aware of the association of Noonan syndrome and multifocal giant cell lesions, which can range from the more commonly described giant cell granulomas of the mandible to isolated or multifocal intra- or extra-articular tenosynovial giant cell tumors or a combination of all of these lesions. (orig.)

Extinction Mapping and Dust-to-Gas Ratios of Nearby Galaxies using LEGUS

Science.gov (United States)

Kahre, Lauren; Walterbos, Rene; Kim, Hwihyun; Thilker, David; Lee, Janice; LEGUS Team

2018-01-01

Dust is commonly used as a tracer for cold dense gas, either through IR and NIR emission maps or through extinction mapping, and dust abundance and gas metallicity are critical constraints for chemical and galaxy evolution models. Extinction mapping has been used to trace dust column densities in the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds, and M31. The maps for M31 use IR and NIR photometry of red giant branch stars, which is more difficult to obtain for more distant galaxies. Work by Kahre et al. (in prep) uses the extinctions derived for individual massive stars using the isochrone-matching method described by Kim et al. (2012) to generate extinction maps for these more distant galaxies.Isochrones of massive stars lie in the same location on a color-color diagram with little dependence on metallicity and luminosity class, so the extinction can be directly derived from the observed photometry. We generate extinction maps using photometry of massive stars from the Hubble Space Telescope for several of the nearly 50 galaxies observed by the Legacy Extragalactic Ultraviolet Survey (LEGUS). The derived extinction maps will allow us to correct ground-based and HST Halpha maps for extinction, and will be used to constrain changes in the dust-to-gas ratio across the galaxy sample and in different star formation, metallicity and morphological environments. Previous studies have found links between galaxy metallicity and the dust-to-gas mass ratio. We present a study of LEGUS galaxies spanning a range of distances, metallicities, and galaxy morphologies, expanding on our previous study of metal-poor dwarfs Holmberg I and II and giant spirals NGC 6503 and NGC 628. We see clear evidence for changes in the dust-to-gas mass ratio with changing metallicity. We also examine changes in the dust-to-gas mass ratio with galactocentric radius. Ultimately, we will provide constraints on the dust-to-gas mass ratio across a wide range of galaxy environments.

Giant Panda habitat selection in the Foping Nature Reserve, China