Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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While diffusely abnormal white matter (DAWM) is a nonlesional MRI abnormality identified in ∼25% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), it has yet to be investigated in patients at an earlier disease stage, namely clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). The goals of this study were to (1) determine the prevalence of DAWM in patients with a CIS suggestive of MS, (2) evaluate the association between DAWM and demographic, clinical, and MRI features, and (3) evaluate the prognostic significance of DAWM on conversion from CIS to MS. ⋯ DAWM is present in a similar proportion of patients with CIS and clinically definite MS, and it is associated with increased risk of conversion to MS over 6 months.
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Axonal injury is a key player of disability in persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). Yet, detecting and measuring it in vivo is challenging. The neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) proposes a novel framework for probing axonal integrity in vivo. NODDI at 3.0 Tesla was used to quantify tissue damage in pwMS and its relationship with disease progression. ⋯ NODDI is sensitive to tissue injury but its relationship with clinical progression remains limited.
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Functional MRI neurofeedback (fMRI-nf) leverages the brain's ability to self-regulate its own activity. However, self-regulation processes engaged during fMRI-nf are incompletely understood. Here, we used matched feedback in an fMRI-nf experimental protocol to investigate whether brain processes recognize true neurofeedback signals. ⋯ These findings suggest that fMRI neurofeedback paradigms that monitor or incorporate activity from regions reported here would provide enhanced efficacy for research investigation and clinical intervention.
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Atrophied T2 lesion volume (LV), reflecting the complete transformation of lesions into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), has been associated with disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). The underlying damage leading to lesion destruction remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to use diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate the extent of microstructural tissue damage at baseline in lesions that subsequently transform into CSF. ⋯ Extensive microstructural damage characterizes lesions replaced by CSF, independently of disease phenotype or future DP. Greater atrophied T2 LV predicts DP.
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The ventral occipitotemporal cortex (vOT) is a region crucial for reading acquisition through selective tuning to printed words. Developmental dyslexia is a disorder of reading with underlying neurobiological bases often associated with atypical neural responses to printed words. Previous studies have discovered anomalous structural development and function of the vOT in individuals with dyslexia. However, it remains unclear if or how structural abnormalities relate to functional alterations. ⋯ Our findings provide new insight into the neurobiology of the lack of vOT word tuning in dyslexia by linking behavior, alterations in functional activation, and neurite organization.