Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Recent studies suggest that the autoantibodies against adrenergic/muscarinic receptors might be one of the causes and potential markers of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The purpose of this study was to investigate the structural network changes related to autoantibody titers against adrenergic/muscarinic receptors in ME/CFS by performing a single-subject gray matter similarity-based structural network analysis. ⋯ Our findings suggest that β1 AdR-Ab and β2 AdR-Ab are potential markers of ME/CFS.
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Cortical development is essential for children's neurocognition. In this study, we evaluated how variations in cortical morphometry in normal children are associated with outcome differences in multiple domains of cognition. ⋯ Cortical morphometry significantly correlated with neuropsychological function in healthy children; certain regions/features may serve as sensitive imaging markers.
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) encompasses a range of disorders that affect health and functioning in older adults. While cognitive declines have been linked to both cardiovascular and cerebral blood perfusion, protective neurovascular mechanisms raise the question whether cerebrovascular perfusion differs as a function of cardiovascular health status. The present study examined whether cerebrovascular perfusion significantly differs between healthy older adults with and without diagnosed CVD. The study also examined whether previously documented sex differences in cerebral perfusion would be replicated. ⋯ These findings suggest that the effects of mild CVD on cerebrovascular perfusion are minimal. Future studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms involved in maintaining cerebrovascular perfusion in the context of altered peripheral perfusion and to determine whether this finding extends to more acute or severe CVD.
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Extracranial carotid artery stenosis (ECAS) due to the presence of atherosclerotic plaque is a well-known risk factor for stroke. Several structural imaging studies have investigated the effect of ECAS on the brain, focusing on structural damage (in particular cerebral small vessel disease) and on the rearrangement of the cerebral circulation. For example, it is known from the literature an association between carotid stenosis and cerebral small vessel disease, and it is also noted that a series of compensatory mechanisms are activated by the cerebrovascular system in order to overcome the cerebral hypoperfusion that is induced by the ECAS. ⋯ Although these studies have been performed on small cohorts of patients without standardized protocols, it is plausible that in the future, such studies will help find early stage markers of cognitive impairment. This could permit an extension of indications for revascularization for the treatment of cognitive impairment in selected patients. The aim of this narrative review is to discuss the current knowledge on the effects of ECAS on brain and cognition by analyzing the main evidence from animal and clinical studies, with a special focus on rs-fc MR studies.
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Despite increasing demand for fluoroscopy-guided lumbar puncture (FG-LP), there is limited quantitative and epidemiological data on patients undergoing this procedure. Additionally, data are scarce on the correlation of iliac crest landmarks to the actual anatomical lumbar level (intercristal line). The aim of this study is to determine if (1) body mass index (BMI) correlates with skin to spinal canal distance (SCD) and (2) the iliac crest landmark correlates with the presumed anatomical landmark on cross-sectional imaging. ⋯ There was direct, positive linear correlation between BMI and SCD at clinically relevant lumbar disc levels. Furthermore, there is considerable anatomical variance in the intervertebral space that aligns with the superior aspect of the iliac crest.