Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Tinnitus is a condition in which individuals perceive sounds, such as ringing or buzzing, without any external source. Although the exact cause is not fully understood, recent studies have indicated the involvement of nonauditory brain structures, including the limbic system. We aimed to compare the volumes of specific brain structures between patients with tinnitus and controls. ⋯ These findings indicate the involvement of the limbic system in tinnitus, and enhance our understanding of the condition. The subfield volumetry technique used in this study may aid in identifying the structural differences associated with specific neurological and psychiatric conditions.
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Comparative Study
A novel automated pipeline to assess MR spectroscopy quality control: Comparing current standards and manual assessment.
The absence of a consensus data quality control (DQC) process inhibits the widespread adoption of MR spectroscopy. Poor DQC can lead to unreliable clinical diagnosis and irreproducible research conclusions. Currently, manual visual assessment or the standard quantitative metrics of signal-to-noise, linewidth, and model fit are used as classifiers, but these measures may not be sufficient. To supplement standard metrics, this paper proposes a novel automated DQC pipeline named Visual Evaluative Control Technology Of Resonance Spectroscopy (VECTORS). ⋯ Standard quantitative metrics may not account for all DQC artifacts as they are not monotonic to the manual ratings. However, manual ratings are labor intensive, subjective, and irreproducible. VECTORS addresses these issues and should be used in conjunction with standard quantitative metrics.
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Structural MRI (sMRI) is used in monitoring multiple sclerosis (MS) but lacks sensitivity in detecting clinically relevant damage to normal-appearing white matter (NAWM), that is, pre-lesional tissue, and specificity for identifying the underlying substrate of injury. In this longitudinal study, we identified pre-lesional tissue in MS patients and investigated its microstructure by modeling diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data using diffusion tensor imaging and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI). ⋯ DWI and, more particularly, NODDI, can reveal the unique microstructure of persistent, resolved, and pre-lesional tissue in MS.
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Neuromix is a fast, motion robust multi-contrast sequence capable of providing all diagnostic contrasts in ∼3.5 minutes. However, more evaluation is needed across the various contrasts compared to gold standard, optimized sequences routinely used in the clinic. The goal of this study was to prospectively determine how NeuroMix performs in the clinical setting compared to routine clinical MRI. ⋯ Analysis revealed both positives and some pitfalls of NeuroMix. However, these results indicate Neuromix as having the capability to be a backup sequence in case artifacts are present in routine sequences, or potentially a replacement for some contrasts altogether.
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MRI is crucial for multiple sclerosis (MS), but the relative value of portable ultra-low field MRI (pULF-MRI), a technology that holds promise for extending access to MRI, is unknown. We assessed white matter lesion (WML) detection on pULF-MRI compared to high-field MRI (HF-MRI), focusing on blinded assessments, assessor self-training, and multiplanar acquisitions. ⋯ With adequate training, radiological interpretation of pULF-MRI has high sensitivity and positive predictive value for MS lesions but should be approached conservatively. These results suggest utility for patient triage, potentially reducing diagnostic delay, and screening high-risk individuals.