Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
-
Adverse neurological effects after cancer therapy are common, but biomarkers to diagnose, monitor, or risk stratify patients are still not validated or used clinically. An accessible imaging method, such as fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) of the brain, could meet this gap and serve as a biomarker for functional brain changes. We utilized FDG PET to evaluate which brain regions are most susceptible to altered glucose metabolism after chemoradiation in patients with head and neck cancer (HNCa). ⋯ These findings provide evidence that standard chemoradiation for HNCa can lead to decreased neuronal glucose metabolism, contributing to literature emphasizing the vulnerability of the frontal and anterior temporal lobes, especially in HNCa, where these areas may be particularly vulnerable to indirect radiation-induced injury. FDG PET shows promise as a sensitive biomarker for assessing these changes.
-
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) measures neurochemicals in vivo. Glutathione (GSH) is a neuroprotective chemical shown to vary significantly in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This work investigates the reproducibility of GSH measures in the mesial temporal lobe (MTL) to identify its potential clinical utility. ⋯ The data suggest measures of abundant metabolites in the MTL using the MEGA-PRESS sequence has a high reproducibility. Reproducibility of GSH in this area was poorer requiring care when interpreting measures of GSH in the MTL for clinical translational purposes.
-
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is an underrecognized cause of morbidity in acute traumatic brain injury (TBI). Radiologic diagnosis is challenging in the setting of concurrent extra-axial injury and a lack of standardized diagnostic criteria. The prevalence of traumatic thrombosis versus compression is unknown. Treatment with anticoagulation is often determined by the appropriate classification of the type of traumatic venous injury. ⋯ We introduce a standardized two-part classification system for traumatic venous sinus injury with moderate-substantial inter-rater reliability. Compressive injuries were more common than thrombotic injuries. Further prospective work is needed to validate the clinical significance of this classification system.
-
Understanding sex differences in typical development of the face processing network is important for elucidating disruptions during atypical development in sex-linked developmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder. Based on prior sex difference studies in other cognitive domains, this study examined whether females show increased integration of core and extended face regions with age for face viewing, while males would show increased segregation. ⋯ Development of core and extended face processing network connectivity follows sexually dimorphic paths. These differential changes mostly occur across childhood and adolescence, with males experiencing segregation and females both segregation and integration changes in connectivity.
-
In large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke patients, relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF)<30% volume thresholds are commonly used in treatment decisions. In the early time window, nearly infarcted but salvageable tissue volumes may lead to pretreatment overestimates of infarct volume, and thus potentially exclude patients who may otherwise benefit from intervention. Our multisite analysis aims to explore the strength of relationships between widely used pretreatment CT parameters and clinical outcomes for early window stroke patients. ⋯ Our multisite analysis shows that favorable short-term neurological recovery was significantly correlated with rCBF volumes in the early time window. However, modest strength of correlations provides supportive evidence that the applicability of general ischemic core estimate thresholds in this subpopulation is limited. Our results support future larger-scale efforts to liberalize or reevaluate current rCBF parameter thresholds guiding treatment decisions for early time window stroke patients.