Dopamine content in the basal ganglia is strongly associated with the degree of dopaminergic neuron loss in the substantia nigra pars com- pacta. Symptoms of Parkinson＇s disease might not arise until more than 50% of...Dopamine content in the basal ganglia is strongly associated with the degree of dopaminergic neuron loss in the substantia nigra pars com- pacta. Symptoms of Parkinson＇s disease might not arise until more than 50% of the substantia nigra pars compacta is lost and the dopamine content in the basal ganglia is reduced by more than 80%. Greater diagnostic sensitivity and specificity would allow earlier detection of Parkinson＇s disease. Diffusion tensor imaging is a recently developed magnetic resonance imaging technique that measures mean diffusiv- ity and fractional anisotropy, and responds to changes in brain microstructure. When the microscopic barrier （including cell membranes, microtubules and other structures that interfere with the free diffusion of water） is destroyed and extracellular fluid volume accumulates, the mean diffusivity value increases; when the integrity of the microstructure （such as myelin） is destroyed, fractional anisotropy value decreases. However, there is no consensus as to whether these changes can reflect the early pathological alterations in Parkinson＇s disease. Here, we established a rat model of Parkinson＇s disease by injecting rotenone （or sunflower oil in controls） into the right suhstantia nigra. Diffusion tensor imaging results revealed that in the stages of disease, at 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks after rotenone injection, fiactional anisotropy value decreased, but mean diffusivity values increased in the right substantia nigra in the experimental group. Fractional anisotropy values were lower at 4 weeks than at 6 weeks in the right substantia nigra of rats from the experimental group. Mean diffusivity values were mark- edly greater at 1 week than at 6 weeks in the right corpus striatum of rats from the experimental group. These findings suggest that mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy values in the brain of rat models of Parkinson＇s disease 4 weeks after model establishment can reflect early degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. ＇The change in fractional anisotropy values after destruction of myelin integrity is likely to be of greater early diagnostic significance than the change in mean diffusivity values.展开更多
AIM:To investigate the diffusion characteristics of water of optic nerve and optic radiation in healthy adults and its related factors by diffusion tensor imaging（DTI）at3T.METHODS:A total of 107 healthy volunteers p...AIM:To investigate the diffusion characteristics of water of optic nerve and optic radiation in healthy adults and its related factors by diffusion tensor imaging（DTI）at3T.METHODS:A total of 107 healthy volunteers performed head conventional MRI and bilateral optic nerve and optic radiation DTI.The primary data of DTI was processed by post-processing software of DTI studio 2.3,obtaining fractional anisotropy value,mean diffusivity value,principal engine value,orthogonal engine value by measuring,and analyzed by the SPSS13.0 statistical software.RESULTS:The bilateral optic nerve and optic radiation fibers presented green color in directional encoded color（DEC）maps and presented high signal in fractional anisotropy（FA）maps.The FA value of the left optic nerve was 0.598±0.069 and the right was 0.593±0.065;the mean diffusivity（MD）value of the left optic nerve was（1.324±0.349）×10-3mm2/s and the right was（1.312±0.350）x10-3mm2/s;the principal engine value(λ?)of the left optic nerve was（2.297±0.522）×10-4mm2/s and the right was（2.277±0.526）×10-3mm2/s;the orthogonal engine value（λ⊥）of the left optic nerve was（0.838±0.285）×10-3mm2/s and the right was（0.830±0.280）×10-3mm2/s;the FA value of the left optic radiation was 0.636±0.057 and the right was0.628±0.056;the mean diffusivity（MD）value of the left optic radiation was（0.907±0.103）×10-3mm2/s and the right was（0.889±0.125）×10-3mm2/s;the principal eigenvalue(λⅡ)of the left optic radiation was（1.655±0.210）×10-3mm2/s and the right was（1.614±0.171）×10-3mn2/s;the orthogonal enginvalue（λ⊥）of the left optic radiation was（0.531±0.103）×10-3mm2/s and the right was（0.524±0.152）×10-3mm2/s.There was no obvious difference between the FA,MD,λ‖,λ⊥of the bilateral optic radiation and the bilateral optic nerve（P】0.05）and no obvious differencebetween male and female group.The FA,MO,λ‖,λ⊥of the bilateral optic radiation and the bilateral optic nerve had no obvious correlations to the age.CONCLUSION:DTI is sensitive to the optic nerve and radiation and the relevant DTI parameters of the optic nerve and radiation are established preliminarily in this study.展开更多
Multiple sclerosis is associated with structural and functional brain alterations leading to cognitive impairments across multiple domains including attention,memory,and the speed of information processing.The hippoca...Multiple sclerosis is associated with structural and functional brain alterations leading to cognitive impairments across multiple domains including attention,memory,and the speed of information processing.The hippocampus,which is a brain important structure involved in memory,undergoes microstructural changes in the early stage of multiple sclerosis.In this study,we analyzed hippocampal function and structure in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and explored correlations between the functional connectivity of the hippocampus to the whole brain,changes in local brain function and microstructure,and cognitive function at rest.We retrospectively analyzed data from 20 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients admitted to the Department of Neurology at the China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University,China,from April 2015 to November 2019.Sixteen healthy volunteers were recruited as the healthy control group.All participants were evaluated using a scale of extended disability status and the Montreal cognitive assessment within 1 week before and after head diffusion tensor imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging.Compared with the healthy control group,the patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis had lower Montreal cognitive assessment scores and regions of simultaneously enhanced and attenuated whole-brain functional connectivity and local functional connectivity in the bilateral hippocampus.Hippocampal diffusion tensor imaging data showed that,compared with the healthy control group,patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis had lower hippocampal fractional anisotropy values and higher mean diffusivity values,suggesting abnormal hippocampal structure.The left hippocampus whole-brain functional connectivity was negatively correlated with the Montreal cognitive assessment score(r=-0.698,P=0.025),and whole-brain functional connectivity of the right hippocampus was negatively correlated with extended disability status scale score(r=-0.649,P=0.042).The mean diffusivity value of the left hippocampus was negatively correlated with the Montreal cognitive assessment score(r=-0.729,P=0.017)and positively correlated with the extended disability status scale score(r=0.653,P=0.041).The right hippocampal mean diffusivity value was positively correlated with the extended disability status scale score(r=0.684,P=0.029).These data suggest that the functional connectivity and presence of structural abnormalities in the hippocampus in patients with relapse-remission multiple sclerosis are correlated with the degree of cognitive function and extent of disability.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University,China(approval No.201702202)on February 22,2017.展开更多
BACKGROUND： Previous studies regarding primary progressive aphasia （PPA） have focused on progressive, non-fluent aphasia. Little information is available with regard to the use of diffusion tensor imaging compared ...BACKGROUND： Previous studies regarding primary progressive aphasia （PPA） have focused on progressive, non-fluent aphasia. Little information is available with regard to the use of diffusion tensor imaging compared with conventional magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of subtle structural abnormalities. OBJECTIVE： To investigate and localize brain abnormalities in a Chinese patient with semantic dementia. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A concurrent, non-randomized, case-controlled, neuroimaging, clinical trial was performed at the Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University in March 2009. PARTICIPANTS： One 75-year-old male patient, who was diagnosed with semantic dementia, and 21 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers were recruited for the study. METHODS： Diffusion tensor imaging was used to determine mean diffusion （MD） and fractional anisotropy （FA） in the brains of the patient and the 21 healthy subjects. Voxel-based analysis of MD and FA values was performed using statistical parametric mapping. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： MD and FA value maps differences between patient and controls. RESULTS： MD was significantly increased in both cerebra, but was predominant on the left side and expanded to outside of the language-related region. Reduced MD was not detected in any of the brains. FA was shown to be decreased in the corpus callosum, but was increased in the basal ganglia. CONCLUSION： The present study provided clear in vivo magnetic imaging evidence of diffuse brain involvement in semantic dementia. Increases in MD were greater than in FA when brain diffusion alterations were detected, which suggested that MD could be a better marker of disease progression.展开更多
BACKGROUND Spinal cord injury can lead to long-term disability,but current imaging methods are limited in predicting outcomes.Rapid diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)has shown promise,yet its clinical utility remains under...BACKGROUND Spinal cord injury can lead to long-term disability,but current imaging methods are limited in predicting outcomes.Rapid diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)has shown promise,yet its clinical utility remains underexplored.AIM To evaluate the potential applications of a short DTI sequence,incorporated into a cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)protocol,for characterizing a range of symptomatic spinal cord pathologies.We propose that cervical spine tractography can provide essential diagnostic information beyond what is currently available from conventional MRI.METHODS We utilized a quick DTI sequence to create tractography models of the cervical spinal cord in four patients with distinct pathologies of various etiologies:Cord contusion,metastasis,myelopathy,and multiple sclerosis.We used DSI Studio software for post-processing of tractography cases.Fiber tract findings for each pathology case were compared to five control cases from the same scanner by looking for individual differences in white matter tract integrity based on the fractional anisotropy(FA)and mean diffusivity(MD)of the regions of interest from controls.These correlated with clinical presentations and conventional MRI findings.RESULTS Control cases showed consistent and intact tract patterns with stable FA and MD values.In pathological cases,abnormalities in fiber orientation and tract continuity correlated with clinical symptoms and lesion locations.CONCLUSION The tractography models can provide additional information on white matter disruption that was not discernible on standard MRI sequences.However,its clinical use remains limited due to the need for specialized imaging protocols and complex post-processing,restricting its use to mostly academic settings.展开更多
Background Increased neurofilament levels in biofluids are commonly used as a proxy for neurodegeneration in several neurodegenerative disorders.In this study,we aimed to investigate the distribution of neurofilaments...Background Increased neurofilament levels in biofluids are commonly used as a proxy for neurodegeneration in several neurodegenerative disorders.In this study,we aimed to investigate the distribution of neurofilaments in the cerebral cortex of Parkinson’s disease(PD),PD with dementia(PDD)and dementia with Lewy bodies(DLB)donors,and its association with pathology load and MRI measures of atrophy and diffusivity.Methods Using a within-subject post-mortem MRI-pathology approach,we included 9 PD,12 PDD/DLB and 18 age-matched control donors.Cortical thickness and mean diffusivity(MD)metrics were extracted respectively from 3DT1 and DTI at 3T in-situ MRI.After autopsy,pathological hallmarks(pSer129-αSyn,p-tau and amyloid-βload)together with neurofilament light-chain(NfL)and phosphorylated-neurofilament medium-and heavy-chain(p-NfM/H)immunoreactivity were quantified in seven cortical regions,and studied in detail with confocal-laser scanning microscopy.The correlations between MRI and pathological measures were studied using linear mixed models.Results Compared to controls,p-NfM/H immunoreactivity was increased in all cortical regions in PD and PDD/DLB,whereas NfL immunoreactivity was increased in the parahippocampal and entorhinal cortex in PDD/DLB.NfL-positive neurons showed degenerative morphological features and axonal fragmentation.The increased p-NfM/H correlated with p-tau load,and NfL correlated with pSer129-αSyn but more strongly with p-tau load in PDD/DLB.Lastly,neuro-filament immunoreactivity correlated with cortical thinning in PD and with increased cortical MD in PDD/DLB.Conclusions Taken together,increased neurofilament immunoreactivity suggests underlying axonal injury and neurofilament accumulation in morphologically altered neurons with increased pathological burden.Importantly,we demonstrate that such neurofilament markers at least partly explain MRI measures that are associated with the neurodegenerative process.展开更多
The periodic one-dimensional hopping model is useful for studying the motion of microscopic particles in the thermal noise environment. Based on the explicit formulations of mean velocity, mean first passage time and ...The periodic one-dimensional hopping model is useful for studying the motion of microscopic particles in the thermal noise environment. Based on the explicit formulations of mean velocity, mean first passage time and effective diffusion constant, a general N internal states or even infinite internal states model can be approximated by a one state model that retains the basic properties of the original process. This effective description aids the analysis of biochemical and biophysical problems. This effective description also implies that, to some extent, many processes can be well described by simple two-state models, or even one-state models.展开更多
基金supported by the Research Grant of Hebei Province Science and Technology Project of China,No.1427777118D
文摘Dopamine content in the basal ganglia is strongly associated with the degree of dopaminergic neuron loss in the substantia nigra pars com- pacta. Symptoms of Parkinson＇s disease might not arise until more than 50% of the substantia nigra pars compacta is lost and the dopamine content in the basal ganglia is reduced by more than 80%. Greater diagnostic sensitivity and specificity would allow earlier detection of Parkinson＇s disease. Diffusion tensor imaging is a recently developed magnetic resonance imaging technique that measures mean diffusiv- ity and fractional anisotropy, and responds to changes in brain microstructure. When the microscopic barrier （including cell membranes, microtubules and other structures that interfere with the free diffusion of water） is destroyed and extracellular fluid volume accumulates, the mean diffusivity value increases; when the integrity of the microstructure （such as myelin） is destroyed, fractional anisotropy value decreases. However, there is no consensus as to whether these changes can reflect the early pathological alterations in Parkinson＇s disease. Here, we established a rat model of Parkinson＇s disease by injecting rotenone （or sunflower oil in controls） into the right suhstantia nigra. Diffusion tensor imaging results revealed that in the stages of disease, at 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks after rotenone injection, fiactional anisotropy value decreased, but mean diffusivity values increased in the right substantia nigra in the experimental group. Fractional anisotropy values were lower at 4 weeks than at 6 weeks in the right substantia nigra of rats from the experimental group. Mean diffusivity values were mark- edly greater at 1 week than at 6 weeks in the right corpus striatum of rats from the experimental group. These findings suggest that mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy values in the brain of rat models of Parkinson＇s disease 4 weeks after model establishment can reflect early degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. ＇The change in fractional anisotropy values after destruction of myelin integrity is likely to be of greater early diagnostic significance than the change in mean diffusivity values.
文摘AIM:To investigate the diffusion characteristics of water of optic nerve and optic radiation in healthy adults and its related factors by diffusion tensor imaging（DTI）at3T.METHODS:A total of 107 healthy volunteers performed head conventional MRI and bilateral optic nerve and optic radiation DTI.The primary data of DTI was processed by post-processing software of DTI studio 2.3,obtaining fractional anisotropy value,mean diffusivity value,principal engine value,orthogonal engine value by measuring,and analyzed by the SPSS13.0 statistical software.RESULTS:The bilateral optic nerve and optic radiation fibers presented green color in directional encoded color（DEC）maps and presented high signal in fractional anisotropy（FA）maps.The FA value of the left optic nerve was 0.598±0.069 and the right was 0.593±0.065;the mean diffusivity（MD）value of the left optic nerve was（1.324±0.349）×10-3mm2/s and the right was（1.312±0.350）x10-3mm2/s;the principal engine value(λ?)of the left optic nerve was（2.297±0.522）×10-4mm2/s and the right was（2.277±0.526）×10-3mm2/s;the orthogonal engine value（λ⊥）of the left optic nerve was（0.838±0.285）×10-3mm2/s and the right was（0.830±0.280）×10-3mm2/s;the FA value of the left optic radiation was 0.636±0.057 and the right was0.628±0.056;the mean diffusivity（MD）value of the left optic radiation was（0.907±0.103）×10-3mm2/s and the right was（0.889±0.125）×10-3mm2/s;the principal eigenvalue(λⅡ)of the left optic radiation was（1.655±0.210）×10-3mm2/s and the right was（1.614±0.171）×10-3mn2/s;the orthogonal enginvalue（λ⊥）of the left optic radiation was（0.531±0.103）×10-3mm2/s and the right was（0.524±0.152）×10-3mm2/s.There was no obvious difference between the FA,MD,λ‖,λ⊥of the bilateral optic radiation and the bilateral optic nerve（P】0.05）and no obvious differencebetween male and female group.The FA,MO,λ‖,λ⊥of the bilateral optic radiation and the bilateral optic nerve had no obvious correlations to the age.CONCLUSION:DTI is sensitive to the optic nerve and radiation and the relevant DTI parameters of the optic nerve and radiation are established preliminarily in this study.
基金supported by the Project of International Cooperation of Jilin Province in China,No.20180414062GH(to XMH)Health research talents Project of Jilin Province in China,No.2019sc2018(to XMH)。
文摘Multiple sclerosis is associated with structural and functional brain alterations leading to cognitive impairments across multiple domains including attention,memory,and the speed of information processing.The hippocampus,which is a brain important structure involved in memory,undergoes microstructural changes in the early stage of multiple sclerosis.In this study,we analyzed hippocampal function and structure in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and explored correlations between the functional connectivity of the hippocampus to the whole brain,changes in local brain function and microstructure,and cognitive function at rest.We retrospectively analyzed data from 20 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients admitted to the Department of Neurology at the China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University,China,from April 2015 to November 2019.Sixteen healthy volunteers were recruited as the healthy control group.All participants were evaluated using a scale of extended disability status and the Montreal cognitive assessment within 1 week before and after head diffusion tensor imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging.Compared with the healthy control group,the patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis had lower Montreal cognitive assessment scores and regions of simultaneously enhanced and attenuated whole-brain functional connectivity and local functional connectivity in the bilateral hippocampus.Hippocampal diffusion tensor imaging data showed that,compared with the healthy control group,patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis had lower hippocampal fractional anisotropy values and higher mean diffusivity values,suggesting abnormal hippocampal structure.The left hippocampus whole-brain functional connectivity was negatively correlated with the Montreal cognitive assessment score(r=-0.698,P=0.025),and whole-brain functional connectivity of the right hippocampus was negatively correlated with extended disability status scale score(r=-0.649,P=0.042).The mean diffusivity value of the left hippocampus was negatively correlated with the Montreal cognitive assessment score(r=-0.729,P=0.017)and positively correlated with the extended disability status scale score(r=0.653,P=0.041).The right hippocampal mean diffusivity value was positively correlated with the extended disability status scale score(r=0.684,P=0.029).These data suggest that the functional connectivity and presence of structural abnormalities in the hippocampus in patients with relapse-remission multiple sclerosis are correlated with the degree of cognitive function and extent of disability.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University,China(approval No.201702202)on February 22,2017.
文摘BACKGROUND： Previous studies regarding primary progressive aphasia （PPA） have focused on progressive, non-fluent aphasia. Little information is available with regard to the use of diffusion tensor imaging compared with conventional magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of subtle structural abnormalities. OBJECTIVE： To investigate and localize brain abnormalities in a Chinese patient with semantic dementia. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A concurrent, non-randomized, case-controlled, neuroimaging, clinical trial was performed at the Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University in March 2009. PARTICIPANTS： One 75-year-old male patient, who was diagnosed with semantic dementia, and 21 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers were recruited for the study. METHODS： Diffusion tensor imaging was used to determine mean diffusion （MD） and fractional anisotropy （FA） in the brains of the patient and the 21 healthy subjects. Voxel-based analysis of MD and FA values was performed using statistical parametric mapping. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： MD and FA value maps differences between patient and controls. RESULTS： MD was significantly increased in both cerebra, but was predominant on the left side and expanded to outside of the language-related region. Reduced MD was not detected in any of the brains. FA was shown to be decreased in the corpus callosum, but was increased in the basal ganglia. CONCLUSION： The present study provided clear in vivo magnetic imaging evidence of diffuse brain involvement in semantic dementia. Increases in MD were greater than in FA when brain diffusion alterations were detected, which suggested that MD could be a better marker of disease progression.
文摘BACKGROUND Spinal cord injury can lead to long-term disability,but current imaging methods are limited in predicting outcomes.Rapid diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)has shown promise,yet its clinical utility remains underexplored.AIM To evaluate the potential applications of a short DTI sequence,incorporated into a cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)protocol,for characterizing a range of symptomatic spinal cord pathologies.We propose that cervical spine tractography can provide essential diagnostic information beyond what is currently available from conventional MRI.METHODS We utilized a quick DTI sequence to create tractography models of the cervical spinal cord in four patients with distinct pathologies of various etiologies:Cord contusion,metastasis,myelopathy,and multiple sclerosis.We used DSI Studio software for post-processing of tractography cases.Fiber tract findings for each pathology case were compared to five control cases from the same scanner by looking for individual differences in white matter tract integrity based on the fractional anisotropy(FA)and mean diffusivity(MD)of the regions of interest from controls.These correlated with clinical presentations and conventional MRI findings.RESULTS Control cases showed consistent and intact tract patterns with stable FA and MD values.In pathological cases,abnormalities in fiber orientation and tract continuity correlated with clinical symptoms and lesion locations.CONCLUSION The tractography models can provide additional information on white matter disruption that was not discernible on standard MRI sequences.However,its clinical use remains limited due to the need for specialized imaging protocols and complex post-processing,restricting its use to mostly academic settings.
基金funded by The Michael J.Fox Foundation(grant#17253)Stichting ParkinsonFonds(grant#1881)supported by the NIHR biomedical research centre at the University College Hospital of London(UCLH).
文摘Background Increased neurofilament levels in biofluids are commonly used as a proxy for neurodegeneration in several neurodegenerative disorders.In this study,we aimed to investigate the distribution of neurofilaments in the cerebral cortex of Parkinson’s disease(PD),PD with dementia(PDD)and dementia with Lewy bodies(DLB)donors,and its association with pathology load and MRI measures of atrophy and diffusivity.Methods Using a within-subject post-mortem MRI-pathology approach,we included 9 PD,12 PDD/DLB and 18 age-matched control donors.Cortical thickness and mean diffusivity(MD)metrics were extracted respectively from 3DT1 and DTI at 3T in-situ MRI.After autopsy,pathological hallmarks(pSer129-αSyn,p-tau and amyloid-βload)together with neurofilament light-chain(NfL)and phosphorylated-neurofilament medium-and heavy-chain(p-NfM/H)immunoreactivity were quantified in seven cortical regions,and studied in detail with confocal-laser scanning microscopy.The correlations between MRI and pathological measures were studied using linear mixed models.Results Compared to controls,p-NfM/H immunoreactivity was increased in all cortical regions in PD and PDD/DLB,whereas NfL immunoreactivity was increased in the parahippocampal and entorhinal cortex in PDD/DLB.NfL-positive neurons showed degenerative morphological features and axonal fragmentation.The increased p-NfM/H correlated with p-tau load,and NfL correlated with pSer129-αSyn but more strongly with p-tau load in PDD/DLB.Lastly,neuro-filament immunoreactivity correlated with cortical thinning in PD and with increased cortical MD in PDD/DLB.Conclusions Taken together,increased neurofilament immunoreactivity suggests underlying axonal injury and neurofilament accumulation in morphologically altered neurons with increased pathological burden.Importantly,we demonstrate that such neurofilament markers at least partly explain MRI measures that are associated with the neurodegenerative process.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No. 10701029)
文摘The periodic one-dimensional hopping model is useful for studying the motion of microscopic particles in the thermal noise environment. Based on the explicit formulations of mean velocity, mean first passage time and effective diffusion constant, a general N internal states or even infinite internal states model can be approximated by a one state model that retains the basic properties of the original process. This effective description aids the analysis of biochemical and biophysical problems. This effective description also implies that, to some extent, many processes can be well described by simple two-state models, or even one-state models.
