NeuroImage
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The neural underpinnings of major depressive disorder (MDD) are unknown but there is evidence for structural alteration in the hippocampus that may become more pronounced over the course of illness. The aim of the present study was to examine metabolite levels of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), Myo-inositol (MI), Glutamate-glutamine (Glx) and choline-containing compounds (GPC and GPC+PCh) in patients presenting for first treatment of a depressive episode compared to those with multiple past episodes and age and sex matched controls. ⋯ The group presenting for first treatment had only increases in MI levels compared with matched controls. These results suggest that abnormal membrane turnover in the hippocampus is greater in patients with highly recurrent illness, and provide support for the hypothesis that there are neuronal changes in this region over the course of illness.
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DBS depends on precise placement of the stimulating electrode into an appropriate target region. Image-based (direct) targeting has been limited by the ability of current technology to visualize DBS targets. We have recently developed and employed a Fast Gray Matter Acquisition T1 Inversion Recovery (FGATIR) 3T MRI sequence to more reliably visualize these structures. ⋯ The FGATIR scans allowed for localization of the thalamus, striatum, GPe/GPi, RN, and SNr and displayed sharper delineation of these structures. The FGATIR also revealed features not visible on other scan types: the internal lamina of the GPi, fiber bundles from the internal capsule piercing the striatum, and the boundaries of the STN. We hope that use of the FGATIR to aid initial targeting will translate in future studies to faster and more accurate procedures with consequent improvements in clinical outcomes.
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To determine prospectively if qualitative and quantitative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics of white matter integrity are better than conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) metrics for discriminating cerebellar diseases. ⋯ Qualitative and quantitative reductions in DTI metrics of white matter integrity in the cerebellar peduncles correlated better to clinical features of patients with sporadic and hereditary ataxias than conventional structural MRI measures of pontocerebellar atrophy.
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Although the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast is widely used in functional MRI (fMRI), its spatial specificity is compromised by the diversity of the participating vasculature, including large draining veins. Previous studies have shown that an alternative contrast mechanism based on functional changes of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) can be sensitized to small vessels more closely tied to the sites of neural activity. ⋯ Our results show that, by using optimal parameters, the functional ADC changes are significantly higher in the middle cortical layers, whereas the BOLD signal changes are higher at the cortical surface and vary much less significantly across the cortex. These results are in good agreement with previous studies performed in anesthetized cats at 9.4 T and demonstrate the improved spatial specificity of the functional ADC contrast as compared to the BOLD contrast.
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Pain is a sensory and emotional experience that involves numerous brain areas. Among these areas the insular cortex has been shown to be involved in the expectation and processing of pain. Alpha power modulation has been associated with the experience of pain. ⋯ The results revealed that the anterior insula alone was involved during the threat of painful stimuli. Conversely, the posterior insula - as well as other brain areas such as SII - was involved in the processing of somatosensory stimuli regardless their painfulness. Additionally, the involvement of the anterior insula should not be accounted for by fear, arousal, habituation effect or by the occurrence of randomly interleaved different stimuli, but it is likely to be related mainly to expectancy mechanisms enhancing activity of specific neuronal populations.