Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Functional neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies suggest that dysplastic neural tissue in malformations of cortical development may participate in task performance, and that functional organization can be altered beyond visible lesion boundaries. The aim of this work was to investigate cortical function in a heterogeneous group of patients with malformations of cortical development. ⋯ In accordance with previous reports, our findings indicate that dysplastic neural tissue can be activated during task performance, and that in some patients, extensive functional reorganization occurs, highlighting the importance of functional magnetic resonance imaging in presurgical planning in those patients for whom epilepsy surgery is considered as an option.
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To find an optimal normalizing factor for upper cervical spinal cord area (UCCA) and to establish whether, in a cross-sectional study, the normalized UCCA correlates better with the neurological disability than the absolute measurement in multiple sclerosis patients. ⋯ Our findings suggest that LECA is an optimal correction factor for UCCA and normalized UCCA is preferable to absolute measurement in cross-sectional study.
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We attempted to measure DTI parameters of the brainstem pyramidal tract using two approaches, ie, simple ROI and tract-specific analyses. Results obtained for healthy subjects and ALS patients were compared. ⋯ These results suggest, compared with simple ROI analysis, that tract-specific analysis using DTI fiber-tracking is more reliable and sensitive for detecting upper motor neuron pathology in ALS.