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Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study (magnetic + resonance_imaging_study)
Kinds of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Selected AbstractsCortical Sensorimotor Control in Vocalization: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study,THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 11 2008Arno Olthoff MD Abstract Background: Verbal communication is a human feature and volitional vocalization is its basis. However, little is known regarding the cortical areas involved in human vocalization. Methods: Therefore, functional magnetic resonance imaging at 3 Tesla was performed in 16 healthy adults to evaluate brain activations related to voice production. The main experiments included tasks involving motor control of laryngeal muscles with and without intonation. In addition, reference mappings of the sensorimotor hand area and the auditory cortices were performed. Results: Related to vocalization, in addition to activation of the most lateral aspect of the primary sensorimotor cortex close to the Sylvian fissure (M1c), we found activations medially (M1a) and laterally (M1b) of the well-known sensorimotor hand area. Moreover, the supplementary motor area and the anterior cingulate cortex were activated. Conclusions: Although M1a could be ascribed to motor control of breathing, M1b has been associated with laryngeal motor control. Consequently, even though M1c represents a laryngeal sensorimotor area, its exclusiveness as suggested previously could not be confirmed. Activations in the supplementary motor area and anterior cingulate cortex were ascribed to "vocal-motor planning." The present data provide the basis for further functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in patients with neurological laryngeal disorders. [source] Structural and functional neuroimaging in Klinefelter (47,XXY) syndrome: A review of the literature and preliminary results from a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of languageDEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 4 2009Kyle Steinman Abstract Klinefelter (47,XXY) syndrome (KS), the most common form of sex-chromosomal aneuploidy, is characterized by physical, endocrinologic, and reproductive abnormalities. Individuals with KS also exhibit a cognitive/behavioral phenotype characterized by language and language-based learning disabilities and executive and attentional dysfunction in the setting of normal general intelligence. The underlying neurobiologic mechanisms are just now beginning to be elucidated through structural and functional neuroimaging. Here, we review the literature of structural and functional neural findings in KS identified by neuroimaging and present preliminary results from a functional magnetic resonance imaging study examining brain activity during a verb generation task in KS. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Dev Disabil Res Rev 2009;15:295,308. [source] Motor foundations of higher cognition: similarities and differences in processing regular and violated perceptual sequences of different specificityEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 12 2009Andreja Bubic Abstract Processing perceptual sequences relies on the motor system, which is able to simulate the dynamics of the environment by developing internal representations of external events and using them to predict the incoming stimuli. Although it has previously been demonstrated that such models may incorporate predictions based on exact stimulus properties and single stimulus dimensions, it is not known whether they can also support abstract predictions pertaining to the level of stimulus categories. This issue was investigated within the present event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study, which compared the processing of perceptual sequences of different specificity, namely those in which the sequential structure was based on the order of presentation of individual stimuli (token), and those in which such structure was defined by stimulus categories (type). The results obtained indicate a comparable engagement of the basic premotor,parietal network in processing both specific and categorical perceptual sequences. However, type sequences additionally elicited activations within the lateral prefrontal, occipital and posterior temporal regions that supported categorization in this task context. Introducing sequential deviants into token sequences activated parietotemporal and ventrolateral frontal cortices, whereas a less pronounced overall response, dominated by lateral prefrontal activation, was elicited by violations introduced into type sequences. Overall, the findings obtained suggest that, although forward models in perception may be able to incorporate expectations of lower specificity when compared to the motor domain, such processing is crucially dependent on additional contributions from lateral prefrontal as well as inferior occipital and temporal cortices that support categorization occurring in such a dynamic context. [source] Primary and secondary neural networks of auditory prepulse inhibition: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of sensorimotor gating of the human acoustic startle responseEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 8 2007Linda E. Campbell Abstract Feedforward inhibition deficits have been consistently demonstrated in a range of neuropsychiatric conditions using prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle eye-blink reflex when assessing sensorimotor gating. While PPI can be recorded in acutely decerebrated rats, behavioural, pharmacological and psychophysiological studies suggest the involvement of a complex neural network extending from brainstem nuclei to higher order cortical areas. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging study investigated the neural network underlying PPI and its association with electromyographically (EMG) recorded PPI of the acoustic startle eye-blink reflex in 16 healthy volunteers. A sparse imaging design was employed to model signal changes in blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses to acoustic startle probes that were preceded by a prepulse at 120 ms or 480 ms stimulus onset asynchrony or without prepulse. Sensorimotor gating was EMG confirmed for the 120-ms prepulse condition, while startle responses in the 480-ms prepulse condition did not differ from startle alone. Multiple regression analysis of BOLD contrasts identified activation in pons, thalamus, caudate nuclei, left angular gyrus and bilaterally in anterior cingulate, associated with EMG-recorded sensorimotor gating. Planned contrasts confirmed increased pons activation for startle alone vs 120-ms prepulse condition, while increased anterior superior frontal gyrus activation was confirmed for the reverse contrast. Our findings are consistent with a primary pontine circuitry of sensorimotor gating that interconnects with inferior parietal, superior temporal, frontal and prefrontal cortices via thalamus and striatum. PPI processes in the prefrontal, frontal and superior temporal cortex were functionally distinct from sensorimotor gating. [source] Differential amygdala responses to winning and losing: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in humansEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 5 2000Tiziana Zalla Abstract The amygdala has been shown to respond to many distinct types of affective stimuli, including reward and punishment feedback in animals. In humans, winning and losing situations can be considered as reward and punishment experiences, respectively. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure regional brain activity when human subjects were given feedback on their performance during a simple response time task in a fictitious competitive tournament. Lexical stimuli were used to convey positive ,win' or negative ,lose' feedback. The frequency of positive and negative trials was parametrically varied by the experimenters independently from the subjects' actual performance and unbeknownst to them. The results showed that the parametric increase of winning was associated with left amygdala activation whereas the parametric increase of losing was associated with right amygdala activation. These findings provide functional evidence that the human amygdala differentially responds to changes in magnitude of positive or negative reinforcement conveyed by lexical stimuli. [source] Frontolimbic responses to emotional face memory: The neural correlates of first impressionsHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 11 2009Theodore D. Satterthwaite Abstract First impressions, especially of emotional faces, may critically impact later evaluation of social interactions. Activity in limbic regions, including the amygdala and ventral striatum, has previously been shown to correlate with identification of emotional content in faces; however, little work has been done describing how these signals may influence emotional face memory. We report an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study in 21 healthy adults where subjects attempted to recognize a neutral face that was previously viewed with a threatening (angry or fearful) or nonthreatening (happy or sad) affect. In a hypothesis-driven region of interest analysis, we found that neutral faces previously presented with a threatening affect recruited the left amygdala. In contrast, faces previously presented with a nonthreatening affect activated the left ventral striatum. A whole-brain analysis revealed increased response in the right orbitofrontal cortex to faces previously seen with threatening affect. These effects of prior emotion were independent of task performance, with differences being seen in the amygdala and ventral striatum even if only incorrect trials were considered. The results indicate that a network of frontolimbic regions may provide emotional bias signals during facial recognition. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Heritability of regional and global brain structure at the onset of puberty: A magnetic resonance imaging study in 9-year-old twin pairsHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 7 2009Jiska S. Peper Abstract Puberty represents the phase of sexual maturity, signaling the change from childhood into adulthood. During childhood and adolescence, prominent changes take place in the brain. Recently, variation in frontal, temporal, and parietal areas was found to be under varying genetic control between 5 and 19 years of age. However, at the onset of puberty, the extent to which variation in brain structures is influenced by genetic factors (heritability) is not known. Moreover, whether a direct link between human pubertal development and brain structure exists has not been studied. Here, we studied the heritability of brain structures at 9 years of age in 107 monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs (N = 210 individuals) using volumetric MRI and voxel-based morphometry. Children showing the first signs of secondary sexual characteristics (N = 47 individuals) were compared with children without these signs, based on Tanner-stages. High heritabilities of intracranial, total brain, cerebellum, and gray and white matter volumes (up to 91%) were found. Regionally, the posterior fronto-occipital, corpus callosum, and superior longitudinal fascicles (up to 93%), and the amygdala, superior frontal and middle temporal cortices (up to 83%) were significantly heritable. The onset of secondary sexual characteristics of puberty was associated with decreased frontal and parietal gray matter densities. Thus, in 9-year-old children, global brain volumes, white matter density in fronto-occipital and superior longitudinal fascicles, and gray matter density of (pre-)frontal and temporal areas are highly heritable. Pubertal development may be directly involved in the decreases in gray matter areas that accompany the transition of our brains from childhood into adulthood. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A method for the direct electrical stimulation of the auditory system in deaf subjects: A functional magnetic resonance imaging studyJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 1 2002Adnan Z. Alwatban BSc Abstract Purpose To develop a safe functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) procedure for auditory assessment of deaf subjects. Materials and Methods A gold-plated tungsten electrode has been developed which has zero magnetic susceptibility. Used with carbon leads and a carbon reference pad, it enables safe, distortion-free fMRI studies of deaf subjects following direct electrical stimulation of the acoustic nerve. Minor pickup of the radio frequency (RF) pulses by the electrode assembly is difficult to eliminate, and a SPARSE acquisition sequence is used to avoid any effects of unintentional auditory nerve stimulation. Results The procedure is demonstrated in a deaf volunteer. Activation is observed in the contralateral but not the ipsilateral primary auditory cortex. This is in sharp contrast to studies of auditory processing in hearing subjects, but consistent with the small number of previous positron emission tomography (PET) and MR studies on adult deaf subjects. Conclusion The fMRI procedure is able to demonstrate whether the auditory pathway is fully intact, and may provide a useful method for preoperative assessment of candidates for cochlear implantation. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2002;16:6,12. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Patterns of muscle involvement in inclusion body myositis: Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging studyMUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue 11 2001Beverley A. Phillips PhD Abstract The differential patterns of muscle involvement in the upper and lower limbs in sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) were examined in 18 patients using both quantitative and manual muscle testing as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 9 patients. Weakness of the quadriceps femoris and the forearm flexors was present in most patients, but there was considerable variability in the patterns and severity of muscle involvement. MRI disclosed preferential patterns of muscle involvement within functional groups such as the quadriceps femoris, in which there was severe involvement of the vasti with relative sparing of the rectus femoris, and the triceps surae, in which selective involvement of the medial gastrocnemius was common. Involvement of flexor digitorum profundus on MRI was found in only one third of patients. The results emphasize the variability in the clinical phenotype and differential susceptibility of muscles to the disease process in sIBM. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 24: 1526,1534, 2001 [source] Therapeutic efficacy of 5-fluorouracil-loaded microspheres on rat glioma: a magnetic resonance imaging studyNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 6 2001L. Lemaire Abstract The aim of this work was to assess the therapeutic efficacy of an intratumoral bolus injection of 5-fluorouracil (FU) compared to that of drug loaded in biodegradable microspheres, for the treatment of brain tumour. Experiments were carried out using a fast-growing C6-glioma rat model. The therapeutic protocols were performed 12 days after the injection of glioma cells. At this stage, the tumours were installed and the mean volume was 13,±,2,µl as measured by proton magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. This technique was used for the follow-up of the tumour volume with respect to time and therapy. In terms of rat survival, both therapies induced a significant 50% increase in animal life span (p,<,0.05) compared to animals receiving no drug or unloaded microspheres. Whilst no cure was observed, analysis of the MR images showed that the local and sustained delivery of FU slowed the tumour development in the vicinity of the microspheres by a factor of 3, compared with the bolus intratumoral injection. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A 3-year magnetic resonance imaging study of cortical lesions in relapse-onset multiple sclerosisANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 3 2010Massimiliano Calabrese MD Objective We assessed the occurrence, extent, and frequency of formation of cortical lesions (CLs) in patients with relapsing-remitting (RR) and secondary progressive (SP) multiple sclerosis (MS), and their relationship with cortical atrophy and disability progression. Methods One-hundred seven MS patients (76 RRMS and 31 SPMS), enrolled in a prospective, longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study, were assessed clinically and by brain MRI (including a double inversion recovery sequence) 3 years after study initiation. CL number and volume, T2 white matter (WM) lesion volume, gray matter fraction, and expanded disability status scale (EDSS) were measured. Results At baseline, CLs were detected in 64.4% of RRMS and 74.2% of SPMS patients. During follow-up, 132 new CLs were found in 44 RRMS patients (57.9%; 0.8 new CL/patient/yr) and 61 in 15 SPMS patients (48.4%; 1.0 new CL/patient/yr). Among these patients, only 31 also showed at least 1 new WM lesion. CL number and volume increases were higher in the 52 patients with a clinical worsening compared with those without (p < 0.001). Baseline CL volume correlated with baseline EDSS (r = 0.36, p < 0.001) and EDSS changes over time (r = 0.51, p < 0.001). Baseline CL volume was an independent predictor of EDSS accumulation and GM volume change at follow-up in both patient groups. In SPMS patients, baseline T2 WM lesion volume was another independent predictor of EDSS worsening. Interpretation In relapse-onset MS, CLs accumulate over time and are associated with disability progression. The quantification of CLs might represent an additional useful paraclinical tool to monitor MS evolution. ANN NEUROL 2010;67:376,383 [source] Seeing the phantom: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of a supernumerary phantom limb,ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 6 2009Asaid Khateb PhD Objective Supernumerary phantom limb (SPL) is a rare neurological manifestation where patients with a severe stroke-induced sensorimotor deficit experience the illusory presence of an extra limb that duplicates a real one. The illusion is most often experienced as a somesthetic phantom, but rarer SPLs may be intentionally triggered or seen. Here, we report the case of a left visual, tactile, and intentional SPL caused by right subcortical damage in a nondeluded woman. Methods Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated the multimodal nature of this phantom, which the patient claimed to be able see, use, and move intentionally. The patient participated in a series of sensorimotor and motor imagery tasks involving the right, the left plegic, and the SPL's hand. Results Right premotor and motor regions were engaged when she imagined that she was scratching her left cheek with her left plegic hand, whereas when she performed the same task with the SPL, additional left middle occipital areas were recruited. Moreover, comparison of responses induced by left cheek (subjectively feasible) versus right cheek scratching (reportedly unfeasible movement) with the SPL demonstrated significant activation in right somesthetic areas. Interpretation These findings demonstrate that intentional movements of a seen and felt SPL activate premotor and motor areas together with visual and sensory cortex, confirming its multimodal dimension and the reliability of the patient's verbal reports. This observation, interpreted for cortical deafferentation/disconnection caused by subcortical brain damage, constitutes a new but theoretically predictable entity among disorders of bodily awareness. Ann Neurol 2009;65:698,705 [source] Asymptomatic myocardial ischemic disease in antiphospholipid syndrome: A controlled cardiac magnetic resonance imaging studyARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 7 2010Karim Sacré Objective Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) may cause coronary thrombosis. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of silent myocardial disease in patients with APS, using late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). Methods Twenty-seven consecutive patients with APS and 81 control subjects without known cardiovascular disease underwent CMRI. The prevalence of occult myocardial ischemic disease, as revealed by LGE, was compared between patients with APS and controls, and factors associated with myocardial disease were identified in patients with APS. Results Myocardial ischemic disease, as characterized by LGE on CMRI, was present in 8 (29.6%) of 27 patients with APS, and imaging with LGE showed a typical pattern of myocardial infarction (MI) in 3 patients (11.1%). The myocardial scarring revealed on CMRI was not detected by electrocardiography or echocardiography. Although both patients with APS and control subjects shared a low risk of cardiovascular events, as calculated with the Framingham risk equation (mean ± SD 5.1 ± 8.2% and 6.5 ± 7.6%, respectively, for the absolute risk within the next 10 years; P = 0.932), the prevalence of myocardial ischemia was more than 7 times higher in patients with APS (P = 0.0006 versus controls). No association was found between myocardial disease in patients with APS and classic coronary risk factors. The presence of myocardial scarring tended to be more closely associated with specific features of APS, such as duration of the disease, presence of livedo, and positivity for anti,,2 -glycoprotein I antibodies. Conclusion The finding of a significant and unexpectedly high prevalence of occult myocardial scarring in patients with APS indicates the usefulness of CMRI with LGE for the identification of silent myocardial disease in such patients. [source] Age at time of corticosteroid administration is a risk factor for osteonecrosis in pediatric patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A prospective magnetic resonance imaging studyARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 2 2010Junichi Nakamura Objective To clarify whether age at the time of the initial administration of corticosteroids is a risk factor for corticosteroid-associated osteonecrosis in children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods From 1986 to 2007, MRI was used to prospectively study 676 joints, including 72 joints (36 hips and 36 knees) in 18 pediatric patients with SLE (<15 years old), 100 joints (50 hips and 50 knees) in 25 adolescent patients with SLE (15,20 years old), and 504 joints (252 hips and 252 knees) in 126 adult patients with SLE (>20 years old), beginning just after corticosteroid administration, for at least 1 year. The followup rate was 100%. Results In pediatric patients, osteonecrosis developed in 4 joints (6%; all hips). In adolescent patients, osteonecrosis developed in 49 joints (49%; 18 hips and 31 knees). In adult patients, osteonecrosis developed in 207 joints (41%; 95 hips and 112 knees). The rate of osteonecrosis was significantly lower in pediatric patients than in adolescent or adult patients (P = 0.0001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that adolescent and adult patients had a significantly higher risk for osteonecrosis compared with pediatric patients, with an odds ratio of 10.3 (P < 0.0001). The youngest patients with osteonecrosis in the hip and knee were 14.9 years old and 15.5 years old, respectively. Osteonecrosis did not develop in patients younger than age 14 years. Conclusion Our results suggest that age at the time of the initial administration of corticosteroids is associated with osteonecrosis in pediatric patients with SLE. [source] Major reduction in spinal inflammation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis after treatment with infliximab: Results of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled magnetic resonance imaging studyARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 5 2006Jürgen Braun Objective To determine whether the effects of anti,tumor necrosis factor , (TNF,) in reducing the signs and symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) coincide with a reduction in spinal inflammation as detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods Pre- and postgadolinium T1 and STIR MR images of the spine were acquired at baseline and at week 24 in patients with AS who participated in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients were randomly assigned at an 8:3 ratio to receive infusions of infliximab (5 mg/kg) or placebo at weeks 0, 2, and 6 and then every 6 weeks thereafter. MR images were obtained and evaluated independently by 2 readers who were blinded to the treatment allocation and time sequence of the images. Results A total of 194 patients in the infliximab group and 72 patients in the placebo group had evaluable images at baseline and week 24. About 80% of the patients had at least 1 active spinal lesion at baseline, as assessed by MRI. The improvement in the MRI Activity Score after 6 months was significantly greater in the patients who received infliximab (mean 5.02, median 2.72) than in those who received placebo (mean 0.60, median 0.0) (P < 0.001). Almost complete resolution of spinal inflammation was seen in most patients who received infliximab, irrespective of baseline activity. Conclusion Patients with AS who received infliximab therapy showed a decrease in spinal inflammation as detected by MRI, whereas those who received placebo showed persistent inflammatory spondylitis. [source] Elucidation of the relationship between synovitis and bone damage: A randomized magnetic resonance imaging study of individual joints in patients with early rheumatoid arthritisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 1 2003Philip G. Conaghan Objective To simultaneously image bone and synovium in the individual joints characteristically involved in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Forty patients with early, untreated RA underwent gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the second through fifth metacarpophalangeal joints of the dominant hand at presentation, 3 months, and 12 months. In the first phase (0,3 months), patients were randomized to receive either methotrexate alone (MTX) or MTX and intraarticular corticosteroids (MTX + IAST) into all joints with clinically active RA. The MTX-alone group received no further corticosteroids until the second phase (3,12 months), when both groups received standard therapy. Results In the first phase, MTX + IAST reduced synovitis scores more than MTX alone. There were significantly fewer joints with new erosions on MRI in the former group compared with the latter. During the second phase, the synovitis scores were equivalent and a similar number of joints in each group showed new erosions on MRI. In both phases, there was a close correlation between the degree of synovitis and the number of new erosions, with the area under the curve for MRI synovitis the only significant predictor of bone damage progression. In individual joints, there was a threshold effect on new bone damage related to the level of synovitis; no erosions occurred in joints without synovitis. Conclusion In early RA, synovitis appears to be the primary abnormality, and bone damage occurs in proportion to the level of synovitis but not in its absence. In the treatment of patients with RA, outcome measures and therapies should focus on synovitis. [source] A magnetic resonance imaging study of mood stabilizer- and neuroleptic-naïve first-episode maniaBIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 7 2007Lakshmi N Yatham Objectives:, Patients with bipolar disorder have changes in brain structures but it is unclear if these are present at disease onset and thus predispose subjects to develop the disorder, or whether they develop during the course of the disorder, either due to the effects of multiple episodes or as a consequence of treatment with psychotropic agents. Studies in first-episode (FE) manic patients have the potential to provide answers to these questions. Methods:, Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to assess magnetic resonance imaging scans of 15 FE manic patients and 15 matched healthy controls. Results:, Using a priori defined statistical criteria, no significant differences in brain structures were noted between the two groups. However, there was approximately a 6% reduction in left anterior cingulate, left precuneus and right posterior cingulate volume in FE patients and these reductions were significant (p , 0.002) at uncorrected levels. Conclusions:, First-episode manic patients have reductions in left anterior, right posterior cingulate as well as left precuneus volumes, but these reductions are smaller and likely worsen with further mood episodes in bipolar patients. [source] A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of cortical asymmetry in bipolar disorderBIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 3 2004Michael P Caligiuri Objectives:, Individuals with bipolar disorder (BPD) exhibit motor, perceptual, and cognitive disturbances involving predominantly right hemisphere dysfunction. This asymmetry has been used to advance the hypothesis that the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder may be related to disturbances of the right cerebral hemisphere. We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine hemispheric asymmetries in manic and depressed BPD. A secondary goal of the study was to examine effects of psychotropic medications on blood volume changes in the motor cortices. Methods:, We studied 18 right-handed BPD and 13 right-handed normal healthy comparison subjects. Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses in the primary motor area (M1) and supplementary motor area (SMA) of both hemispheres were elicited during reaction time (RT) tasks. Results:, Healthy subjects activated the SMA in a reciprocal fashion with significantly greater activity in the left SMA for right hand trials and the right SMA for left hand trials. Depressed BPD subjects failed to show this normal reciprocity indicating a failure to suppress unwanted activity in the ipsilateral right SMA, whereas manic BPD subjects failed to suppress unwanted ipsilateral SMA activity in both hemispheres. Manic and depressed BPD subjects exhibited greater activity in the left primary motor area suggesting increased cortical excitability. BPD subjects treated with antipsychotics or mood-stabilizing medications exhibited longer RTs, lower BOLD responses in M1 and SMA, and a loss of normal hemispheric asymmetry in the SMA than untreated subjects. Conclusions:, The presence of a right hemisphere disturbance in BPD is consistent with the hypothesis that the right hemisphere may be dominant in mood regulation. The presence of both left and right hemisphere disturbances in mania may explain the coexisting psychotic and affective symptoms observed in this condition. [source] Pattern of skeletal muscle involvement in primary dysferlinopathies: a whole-body 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging studyACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2009K. Kesper Objectives and methods,,, Mutations in the gene encoding dysferlin cause limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B (LGMD2B), distal Miyoshi myopathy (MM), and a rare form of distal anterior compartment myopathy. To study the correlations between clinical manifestations and muscle imaging changes we conducted a 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study in six German patients with primary dysferlinopathies defined by absence of dysferlin expression in muscle (MM, n = 3; LGMD2B, n = 2; hyperCKemia without clinical symptoms, n = 1). Results,,, Patients with manifest myopathy had widespread muscular pathology. In analogy to previous imaging studies, we confirmed an involvement of the anterior and posterior thigh compartments and a predominant involvement of posterior lower legs. However, our whole-body MRI study further provided evidence of signal alterations in the glutei, erector spinae and shoulder girdle muscles. Correlation of clinical findings with imaging demonstrated the potential of MRI to detect subclinical muscle pathology. Conclusions,,, Whole-body 3.0-T MRI is a non-invasive method to demonstrate various degrees of skeletal muscle alterations and disease progression in muscular dystrophies. Furthermore, whole-body high-field MRI may serve as a helpful diagnostic tool in differentiating primary dysferlinopathies from other forms of LGMD and distal myopathies. [source] Affect regulation in borderline personality disorder: experimental findings from psychophysiology and functional neuroimagingACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA, Issue 2 2002S. C. Herpertz Background: Intense and rapidly changing mood states are a major feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD), which is thought to arise from affective vulnerability. Objective: There have been only a few studies investigating affective processing in BPD, and particularly neither psychophysiological nor neurofunctional correlates of abnormal emotional processing have been identified so far. Methods:, Studies are reported using psychophysiological or functional neuroimaging methodology. Results:, The psychophysiological study did not indicate a general emotional hyperresponsiveness in BPD. Low autonomic arousal seemed to reflect dissociative states in borderline subjects experiencing intense emotions. In the functional magnetic resonance imaging study enhanced amygdala activation was found in BPD, and it is suggested to reflect the intense and slowly subsiding emotions commonly observed in response to even low-level stressors. Conclusions:, Implications for psychotherapy are discussed. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||