Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting upper and lower motor neurons. Some ALS patients exhibit concomitant nonmotor signs, and thus ALS is considered a multisystem disorder. The aim of this study is to investigate autonomous nervous system involvement in ALS. ⋯ This study confirms the presence of autonomic dysfunction in ALS patients and provides evidence of VN atrophy that correlates with disease severity and duration and is independent of bulbar involvement. Degeneration of dorsal nucleus neurons of the VN is hypothesized.
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To evaluate the accuracy of transcranial duplex sonography (TCS) for measuring the diameter of the third ventricle (DTV) and the brain midline shift (MLS), as compared to cerebral CT. ⋯ TCS seems to be a reliable and accurate bedside technique for measuring both DTV and MLS, which might allow detection of acute hydrocephalus among NICU patients.
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The digiti quinti sign (DQS) consists of a wider angle between the fourth and fifth fingers (ANG) indicative of subtle hemiparesis that has been found interictally in hemiplegic migraine (HM), suggesting a permanent subtle motor dysfunction. The aim of this study was to find a possible cortical origin for the DQS using blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional (f) MRI. ⋯ The DQS, a relevant clinical finding in HM, indicates a disrupted cortical activation.
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Odor preference is one of the key factors for the rehabilitation of the swallowing function. On the other hand, sensitivity to odor differs between sexes and decreases with age. These factors rely on brain neuronal circuits. However, it remains not fully clarified which neuronal circuit determines the sex and age differences in odor sensitivity. In this study, we carried out both the odor sensitivity test and functional MRI (fMRI) to find the key neuronal circuits determining sex and age differences in odor sensitivity. ⋯ The functional MedFC-AG.l connectivity is one of the important neuronal circuits that affect the sex- and age-dependent odor sensitivity.
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Magnetic resonance elastography to study the effect of amyloid plaque accumulation in a mouse model.
Biomechanical changes in the brain have not been fully elucidated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We aimed to investigate the effect of β-amyloid accumulation on mouse brain viscoelasticity. ⋯ Aging had region-specific effects on cerebral viscoelasticity, namely, WB softening and hippocampal stiffening. Amyloid plaque deposition may have sex-specific effects, which require further scrutiny.