NeuroImage. Clinical
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NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2021
Central vein sign: A diagnostic biomarker in multiple sclerosis (CAVS-MS) study protocol for a prospective multicenter trial.
The specificity and implementation of current MRI-based diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS) are imperfect. Approximately 1 in 5 of individuals diagnosed with MS are eventually determined not to have the disease, with overreliance on MRI findings a major cause of MS misdiagnosis. The central vein sign (CVS), a proposed MRI biomarker for MS lesions, has been extensively studied in numerous cross sectional studies and may increase diagnostic specificity for MS. ⋯ Automated CVS detection and algorithms for incorporation of CVS into McDonald Criteria will be tested. Diagnosis will be adjudicated by three neurologists who served on the 2017 International Panel on the Diagnosis of MS. The CAVS-MS study aims to definitively establish CVS as a diagnostic biomarker that can be applied broadly to individuals presenting for evaluation of the diagnosis of MS.
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NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2020
ReviewWhy we should systematically assess, control and report somatosensory impairments in BCI-based motor rehabilitation after stroke studies.
The neuronal loss resulting from stroke forces 80% of the patients to undergo motor rehabilitation, for which Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and NeuroFeedback (NF) can be used. During the rehabilitation, when patients attempt or imagine performing a movement, BCIs/NF provide them with a synchronized sensory (e.g., tactile) feedback based on their sensorimotor-related brain activity that aims at fostering brain plasticity and motor recovery. The co-activation of ascending (i.e., somatosensory) and descending (i.e., motor) networks indeed enables significant functional motor improvement, together with significant sensorimotor-related neurophysiological changes. ⋯ This stresses the importance of also considering them and reporting them in the literature in BCI-based rehabilitation after stroke, especially since half of post-stroke patients suffer from somatosensory impairments. We argue that somatosensory abilities should systematically be assessed, controlled and reported if we want to precisely assess the influence they have on BCI efficiency. Not doing so could result in the misinterpretation of reported results, while doing so could improve (1) our understanding of the mechanisms underlying motor recovery (2) our ability to adapt the therapy to the patients' impairments and (3) our comprehension of the between-subject and between-study variability of therapeutic outcomes mentioned in the literature.
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NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2020
A fully convolutional neural network for new T2-w lesion detection in multiple sclerosis.
Longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has an important role in multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis and follow-up. Specifically, the presence of new T2-w lesions on brain MR scans is considered a predictive biomarker for the disease. In this study, we propose a fully convolutional neural network (FCNN) to detect new T2-w lesions in longitudinal brain MR images. ⋯ Our proposal shows the benefits of combining a learning-based registration network with a segmentation network. Compared to other methods, the proposed model decreases the number of false positives. During testing, the proposed model operates faster than the other two state-of-the-art methods based on the DF obtained by Demons.
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NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2020
Does the superior fronto-occipital fascicle exist in the human brain? Fiber dissection and brain functional mapping in 90 patients with gliomas.
The presence of the superior fronto-occipital fascicle (SFOF) has been reported in the Rhesus monkey; however, it is a subject of controversy in humans. The aim of this study is to identify the SFOF using both in vitro and in vivo anatomo-functional analyses. This study consisted of two approaches. ⋯ Furthermore, in the in vivo functional mappings of awake surgery and voxel-based morphometry analysis, eight positive points on the SFOF were selected from the total 453 positive points, but their functions were not related with visual processing and spatial awareness, as has been reported in previous studies. In conclusion, in the present study we attempted to investigate the existence of the SFOF using an anatomical and functional approach. According to our results, the SFOF may not exist in the human brain.
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NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2020
Structural white and gray matter differences in a large sample of patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and a healthy and trauma-exposed control group: Diffusion tensor imaging and region-based morphometry.
Differences in structural white and gray matter in survivors of traumatic experiences have been related to the development and maintenance of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, there are very few studies on diffusion tensor imaging and region based morphometry comparing patients with PTSD to two control groups, namely healthy individuals with or without trauma experience. It is also unknown if differences in white and gray matter are associated. ⋯ Third, the mean FA value in the forceps minor correlated negatively with symptom severity of PTSD and depression as well as trait anxiety, whereas the gray matter volume in the left anterior insula correlated negatively with symptom severity in PTSD. Our findings underline the importance of brain structures critically involved in emotion regulation and salience mapping. While previous studies associated these processes primarily to functional and task-based differences in brain activity, we argue that morphometrical white and gray matter differences could serve as targets in neuroscientifically-informed prevention and treatment interventions for PTSD.