NeuroImage
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Biomarkers to monitor neurological dysfunction in autosomal dominant inherited spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are lacking. We therefore aimed to visualize, quantify and correlate localized brain atrophy with clinical symptoms in SCA1, SCA3, and SCA6. ⋯ Our data provide strong evidence that MRI is an attractive surrogate marker for clinical studies of SCA. In each SCA genotype clinical dysfunction may be caused by different patho-anatomical processes.
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While several studies have shown the benefit of cardiac gating in diffusion MRI with single-shot EPI acquisition, cardiac gating is still not commonly used. This is probably because it requires additional time and many investigators may not be convinced that cardiac gating is worth the extra effort. Here, we tested a clinically feasible protocol with a minimal increase in scan time, and quantified the effect of cardiac gating under partial or full Fourier acquisition. ⋯ For full Fourier acquisition, minimum time gating slightly decreased the uncertainties but the efficiency was worse. A minimum trigger delay might not be the optimal scheme to avoid the majority of systole but it allows clinically acceptable scan times. We have demonstrated that cardiac gating, especially of partial Fourier acquisitions, can reduce the uncertainties of DTI derived parameters in a time-efficient manner.
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FMRI studies of the orbitofrontal cortex or the inferior temporal lobes are often compromised by susceptibility artefacts, which may result in signal reduction or loss in gradient echo (GE) EPI. Spin echo (SE) EPI is considerably more robust against susceptibility-related signal loss, but its intrinsic sensitivity to changes in the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contrast is generally lower. In this study, we performed a direct comparison of GE and SE fMRI using a single-shot dual echo EPI acquisition scheme. ⋯ Furthermore, a general method is proposed to combine the GE and SE data into a single hybrid data set that provides optimum sensitivity in the whole brain. This method can be applied to any experimental design that can be expressed in terms of a generalised linear model. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally.
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The objective of this study was to delineate a common functional network that underlies autobiographical, episodic, and semantic memory retrieval. We conducted an event-related fMRI study in which we utilized the same pictorial stimuli, but manipulated retrieval demands to extract autobiographical, episodic, or semantic memories. To assess this common network, we first examined the functional connectivity of regions identified by a previous analysis of task-related activity that were active across all three tasks. ⋯ Activity in inferior frontal and middle temporal cortex bilaterally, left temporoparietal junction, and anterior and posterior cingulate gyri was positively correlated with the seeds, whereas activity in posterior occipito-temporo-parietal regions was negatively correlated. These findings support the idea that a common neural network underlies the retrieval of declarative memories regardless of memory content. This proposed network consists of increased activity in regions that represent internal processes of memory retrieval and decreased activity in regions that mediate attention to external stimuli.
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The endogenous opioid system is involved in many body functions including pain processing and analgesia. To determine the role of basal opioid receptor availability in the brain in pain perception, twenty-three healthy subjects underwent positron emission tomography (PET) utilizing the subtype-nonselective opioid antagonist [(18)F]diprenorphine, quantitative sensory testing (QST) and the cold pressor test. Binding potentials (BPs) were calculated using a non-invasive reference tissue model and statistical parametric mapping was applied for t-statistical analysis on a voxelwise basis. ⋯ A secondary aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of basal opioid receptor availability to the perception of non-nociceptive stimuli. The following negative correlations between regional opioid BP and scores of QST parameters were found: BP in the right premotor cortex and scores of alternating cold and warm stimuli, BP in the left midcingular cortex and scores of cold detection threshold, BP in the left insula and scores of mechanical detection threshold. These results suggest that the opioid receptor system is involved in the perception not only of pain but also of non-painful somatosensory stimuli.