Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Recent studies suggest that a nonnegligible proportion of drug-resistant epilepsy surgery candidates have an epileptogenic zone that involves the insula. We aimed to examine the value of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1 H-MRS) in identifying patients with insular cortex epilepsy. ⋯ Our preliminary findings suggest that 1 H-MRS fares poorly in identifying patients with nonlesional insular epilepsy.
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Perform an investigation of the frequency and distribution of leptomeningeal enhancement on postgadolinium magnetization-prepared FLAIR (MPFLAIR) in multiple sclerosis (MS) on 7 Tesla (7T) MRI and to relate this finding to measures of brain structure and lesion volumes. ⋯ Leptomeningeal enhancement on postcontrast 7T MPFLAIR is more prevalent than prior reports at 3T-occurring at frequencies closer to histopathologic data. Spread/fill foci are associated with reduced cortical gray matter volumes and may represent blood-meningeal barrier breakdown near sites of meningeal inflammation, whereas nodular foci may be a normal variant.
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The axial mesencephalic transcranial sonography plane is an established and sensitive diagnostic tool for the differentiation of Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. However, the substantia nigra can also be depicted in a second coronal examination plane, whose diagnostic value has not yet been evaluated. Furthermore, the M-mode tremor frequency determination represents another sonographic tool, which might yield additional diagnostic value. ⋯ The combined usage of coronal transcranial sonography and M-mode tremor frequency determination should be considered to improve diagnostic strength of sonographic techniques for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
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African American (AA) patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been reported to have a more aggressive disease course compared to their white counterparts. We explored the relation of gray matter (GM) volume, a marker of tissue injury, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) IgG index in both AA and white MS patients. ⋯ AA patients with MS have lower GM volume and a stronger inverse correlation between GM volume and CSF IgG index, compared to the whites. These findings suggest a potentially prominent role of humoral immunity in mediating tissue injury in AA patients with MS.
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Previous studies have used parallel imaging (PI) techniques to decrease spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol acquisition times. Recently developed MRI sequences allow even faster acquisitions. Our purpose was to develop a lumbar spine MRI protocol using PI with GRAPPA (generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition) and a simultaneous multislice (SMS)-based sequence and to evaluate its diagnostic performance compared to a standard lumbar spine MRI protocol. ⋯ A 5-minute SMS-based MRI protocol for lumbar spine imaging is feasible and can be achieved without significant impact in the overall diagnostic quality.