Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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The tauopathies are a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders in which the prevailing underlying disease process is intracellular deposition of abnormal misfolded tau protein. Diseases often categorized as tauopathies include progressive supranuclear palsy, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, corticobasal degeneration, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Tauopathies can be classified through clinical assessment, imaging findings, histologic validation, or molecular biomarkers tied to the underlying disease mechanism. ⋯ The imaging characteristics will be outlined with select examples of emerging imaging techniques. Finally, current treatment options and emerging therapies will be discussed. This is by no means a comprehensive review of the literature but is instead intended for the practicing radiologist as an overview of a rapidly evolving topic.
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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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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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To compare quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and high-pass-filtered (HPF) phase imaging for (1) identifying chronic active rim lesions with more myelin damage and (2) distinguishing patients with increased clinical disability in multiple sclerosis. ⋯ QSM identifies paramagnetic rim lesions that on average have more myelin damage and stronger association with clinical disability than those detected by phase imaging.
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We investigated the effects of aging, white matter hyperintensities (WMH), and cognitive impairment on brain iron levels and cerebral oxygen metabolism, known to be altered in Alzheimer's disease (AD), using quantitative susceptibility mapping and MR-based cerebral oxygen extraction fraction (OEF). ⋯ Higher brain OEF and χn in cognitively impaired older individuals may reflect altered oxygen metabolism and iron in areas with underlying AD pathology. Both age and WMH have associations with OEF and χn but are modified by the presence of cognitive impairment.