scholarly journals The ipsilateral silent period: an early diagnostic marker of callosal disconnection in ALS

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 204062232110440
Author(s):  
Annemarie Hübers ◽  
Jan Kassubek ◽  
Hans-Peter Müller ◽  
Nicolas Broc ◽  
Jens Dreyhaupt ◽  
...  

Introduction: Imaging studies showed affection of the corpus callosum (CC) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here, we sought to determine whether these structural alterations reflect on the functional level, using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Methods: In 31 ALS patients and 12 controls, we studied mirror movements (MM) and transcallosal inhibition (TI) using TMS. Structural integrity of transcallosal fibres was assessed using diffusion tensor imaging. Results: TI was pathologic in 25 patients (81%), 22 (71%) showed MM. Loss of TI was observed in very early stages (disease duration <4 months). No correlation was found between TI/MM and fractional anisotropy of transcallosal fibres. Discussion: These results substantiate the body of evidence towards a functional involvement of the CC in early ALS beyond microstructural alterations. Significance: TI may become a useful early diagnostic marker in ALS, even before descending tracts are affected. Diagnostic delay in ALS is high, often preventing patients from gaining access to therapeutic trials, and sensitive diagnostic tools are urgently needed. Our findings also provide insights into the pathophysiology of ALS, potentially supporting the so-called ‘top-down’ hypothesis, that is, corticoefferent (intracortical/corticospinal) propagation. Callosal affection in early stages might represent the ‘missing link’ to explain corticocortical disease-spreading.

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. E15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Po Ching Chen ◽  
Steven A. Messina ◽  
Eduardo Castillo ◽  
James Baumgartner ◽  
Joo Hee Seo ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEGeneralized-onset seizures are usually conceptualized as engaging bilaterally distributed networks with no clear focus. However, the authors previously reported a case series demonstrating that in some patients with generalized-onset seizures, focal seizure onset could be discovered after corpus callosotomy. The corpus callosum is considered to be a major pathway for seizure generalization in this group of patients. The authors hypothesized that, in patients with generalized-onset seizures, the structure of the corpus callosum could be different between patients who have lateralized seizures and those who have nonlateralized seizures after corpus callosotomy. The authors aimed to evaluate the structural difference through statistical analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scalars between these two groups of patients.METHODSThirty-two patients diagnosed with generalized-onset motor seizures and without an MRI lesion were included in this study. Among them, 16 patients developed lateralized epileptic activities after corpus callosotomy, and the remaining 16 patients continued to have nonlateralized seizures after corpus callosotomy. Presurgical DTI studies were acquired to quantify the structural integrity of the corpus callosum.RESULTSThe DTI analysis showed significant reduction of fractional anisotropy (FA) and increase in radial diffusivity (RD) in the body of the corpus callosum in the lateralized group compared with the nonlateralized group.CONCLUSIONSThe authors’ findings indicate the existence of different configurations of bilateral epileptic networks in generalized epilepsy. Generalized seizures with focal onset relying on rapid spread through the corpus callosum might cause more structural damage related to demyelination in the corpus callosum, showing reduced FA and increased RD. This study suggests that presurgical DTI analysis of the corpus callosum might predict the seizure lateralization after corpus callosotomy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
L. E. Jonkman ◽  
Y. Y. Fathy ◽  
H. W. Berendse ◽  
M. M. Schoonheim ◽  
W. D. J. van de Berg

AbstractThe aim of the current study was to assess the structural centrality and microstructural integrity of the cortical hubs of the salience network, the anterior insular cortex (AIC) subregions and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and their relationship to cognitive and affective impairment in PD. MRI of 53 PD patients and 15 age-matched controls included 3D-T1 for anatomical registration, and diffusion tensor imaging for probabilistic tractography. Network topological measures of eigenvector and betweenness centrality were calculated for ventral (vAI) and dorsal (dAI) AIC. Microstructural tract integrity between vAI, dAI and the ACC was quantified with fractional anisotrophy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). Structural integrity and connectivity were related to cognitive and affective scores. The dAI had significantly higher eigenvector centrality in PD than controls (p < 0.01), associated with higher depression scores (left dAI only, rs = 0.28, p < 0.05). Tracts between dAI and ACC showed lower FA and higher MD in PD (p < 0.05), and associated with lower semantic fluency, working memory and executive functioning, and higher anxiety scores (range 0.002 < p < 0.05). This study provides evidence for clinically relevant structural damage to the cortical hubs of the salience network in PD, possibly due to extensive local neuropathology and loss of interconnecting AIC-ACC tracts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoni Wang ◽  
Mingyan Zhao ◽  
Li Lin ◽  
Ying Han

Background: Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that plasma β-amyloid (Aβ) levels are useful biomarkers to reflect brain amyloidosis and gray matter structure, but little is known about their correlation with subclinical white matter (WM) integrity in individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we investigated the microstructural changes in WM between subjects with low and high plasma Aβ levels among individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD).Methods: This study included 142 cognitively normal individuals with SCD who underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests, plasma Aβ measurements, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based on the Sino Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Decline (SILCODE). Using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), we compared fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean diffusivity (MD) in WM between subjects with low (N = 71) and high (N = 71) plasma Aβ levels (cut-off: 761.45 pg/ml for Aβ40 and 10.74 pg/ml for Aβ42).Results: We observed significantly decreased FA and increased MD in the high Aβ40 group compared to the low Aβ40 group in various regions, including the body, the genu, and the splenium of the corpus callosum; the superior longitudinal fasciculus; the corona radiata; the thalamic radiation; the external and internal capsules; the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus; and the sagittal stratum [p &lt; 0.05, familywise error (FWE) corrected]. Average FA values were associated with poor performance on executive and memory assessments. No significant differences were found in either MD or FA between the low and high Aβ42 groups.Conclusion: Our results suggest that a correlation exists between WM integrity and plasma Aβ40 levels in individuals with SCD.


Author(s):  
Tushar Deshmukh ◽  
H. S. Fadewar

This Diabetes is such a common dieses found all over the globe, in which blood glucose or in normal terminology the sugar level in blood is increased. It is the condition of the body in which the insulin which is required for the metabolism of the food is not created or body cannot use the insulin produced properly. Doctors say that diabetes can be controlled if it is detected in its early stages. Data mining is the process in which the data can be used for the prediction based on historic data. The intention here is to analysis how various researchers have used the data mining for better prediction of diabetes so that it could be controlled and possible even cured.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin C. Hayes ◽  
Katherine L Alfred ◽  
Rachel Pizzie ◽  
Joshua S. Cetron ◽  
David J. M. Kraemer

Modality specific encoding habits account for a significant portion of individual differences reflected in functional activation during cognitive processing. Yet, little is known about how these habits of thought influence long-term structural changes in the brain. Traditionally, habits of thought have been assessed using self-report questionnaires such as the visualizer-verbalizer questionnaire. Here, rather than relying on subjective reports, we measured habits of thought using a novel behavioral task assessing attentional biases toward picture and word stimuli. Hypothesizing that verbal habits of thought are reflected in the structural integrity of white matter tracts and cortical regions of interest, we used diffusion tensor imaging and volumetric analyses to assess this prediction. Using a whole-brain approach, we show that word bias is associated with increased volume in several bilateral language regions, in both white and grey matter parcels. Additionally, connectivity within white matter tracts within an a priori speech production network increased as a function of word bias. These results demonstrate long-term structural and morphological differences associated with verbal habits of thought.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 448.2-449
Author(s):  
C. Crotti ◽  
F. Bartoli ◽  
M. Manara ◽  
P. A. Daolio ◽  
F. Zucchi ◽  
...  

Background:Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome due to a phosphaturic tumor, which overproduces fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23), causing hyperphosphaturia, hypophosphoremia, low 1,25(OH)2VitD3and osteomalacia. Locating the tumor is critical, because lesions are typically small, benign mesenchymal tumors, anywhere in the body; the delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis ranges from 2.5–28 years. Surgical removal is the only effective therapeutic approach.Objectives:To retrospectively evaluate patients affected by TIO, investigating clinical management and disease outcome.Methods:We retrospectively collected data of patients affected by TIO referred to a tertiary Rheumatology Center between Sep 2000 and Jan 2020.Results:We included 16 patients with a definite diagnosis of TIO, mean age±standard deviation 62.4±14.6 yrs, 56.2% females, mean age at symptoms onset 48.0±14.3 yrs (53.8±13.1 at diagnosis). Mean diagnostic delay between symptoms onset and tumor detection was 6.8±6.4 yrs. All patients complained bone pain, muscle weakness, and fractures before diagnosis of TIO. Biochemical findings were: mean serum Phosphorus (PS) 1.4±0.4 mg/dL (reference range (RR) 2.5-4.6), mean serum Calcium 9.4±0.7 mg/dL (RR 8.4-10.2), mean serum 1,25(OH)2VitD330.5±23.4 ng/L (RR 25-86). Intact-FGF-23 was dosed in 9 patients, always resulting elevated: mean 396.6±707.3 pg/mL (RR 25-45). PTH was increased in 30% of cases, while serum alkaline phosphatase was increased in 87.5%. 24h-Urine Phosphorus (PU) was increased in only 13% of patients, but, when renal phosphate wasting by tubular reabsorption of phosphate (TRP) was calculated, PU resulted increased in all.Tumor was localized in all cases (Fig.1) and were localized in bone and soft tissue, by using functional imaging, followed by anatomical techniques. Before the introduction in routinely practice of68Ga-DOTATATE-PET-CT in 2013, Octreoscan-SPECT/CT and18F FDG-PET were used as imaging modalities. Since 2013, diagnostic delay consistently reduced, from 8.6±8.3 yrs (7 patients) to 4.5±2.6 yrs (9 patients), confirming higher diagnostic accuracy of68Ga-DOTATATE-PET-CT.Figure 1.13 patients underwent surgery; in two cases surgery was not possible due to tumor location, so pharmacological support with phosphate supplements and calcitriol was started; a patient underwent to TC-guided radiofrequency ablation. After surgery, 7 patients experienced a complete remission, 3 had a persistence of the disease, and 3 an overtime relapse, even after a longstanding normalization of PS (6 years). After surgical tumor removal, PS significantly increased in few days (from 1.36±0.39 to 2.9±1.1, p=0.0001), while iFGF-23 levels tended to rapidly decreased (from 396.6±707.3 to 62.8±78.4). Before the introduction of68Ga-DOTATATE-PET-CT, 6 patients underwent to imaging-guided closed biopsy to confirm tumor localization; by using68Ga-DOTATATE-PET-CT only 2 subjects had closed biopsy. Furthermore, in our population only patients who had biopsy to detect the lesion (7 patients) had relapses compared to patients who did not.Conclusion:To our knowledge, this is the widest European cohort of patients affected by TIO reported in the last two decades. We confirm an important delay between symptoms onset and diagnosis. To locate tumor, a stepwise approach is recommended, starting with a thorough medical history and physical examination, followed by functional imaging, preferring68Ga-DOTATATE-PET-CT. Tumor biopsy is not recommended due to the potential cell spilling. Surgery is considered the only definitive treatment, aiming to a wider excision. Active surveillance is always needed, due to the possible relapses, even after a long period of complete clinical and biochemical remission.Disclosure of Interests: :Chiara Crotti: None declared, Francesca Bartoli: None declared, Maria Manara Consultant of: Consultant and/or speaker for Eli-Lilly, MSD, Sanofi-Genzyme, Novartis, Alfa Wasserman and Cellgene, Speakers bureau: Consultant and/or speaker for Eli-Lilly, MSD, Sanofi-Genzyme, Novartis, Alfa Wasserman and Cellgene, Primo Andrea Daolio: None declared, Francesca Zucchi: None declared, Roberto Caporali Consultant of: AbbVie; Gilead Sciences, Inc.; Lilly; Merck Sharp & Dohme; Celgene; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Pfizer; UCB, Speakers bureau: Abbvie; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Celgene; Lilly; Gilead Sciences, Inc; MSD; Pfizer; Roche; UCB, Luigi Sinigaglia: None declared, Massimo Varenna: None declared


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 175628641984344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Gorges ◽  
Hans-Peter Müller ◽  
Inga Liepelt-Scarfone ◽  
Alexander Storch ◽  
Richard Dodel ◽  
...  

Background: The nonmotor symptom spectrum of Parkinson’s disease (PD) includes progressive cognitive decline mainly in late stages of the disease. The aim of this study was to map the patterns of altered structural connectivity of patients with PD with different cognitive profiles ranging from cognitively unimpaired to PD-associated dementia. Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging and neuropsychological data from the observational multicentre LANDSCAPE study were analyzed. A total of 134 patients with PD with normal cognitive function (56 PD-N), mild cognitive impairment (67 PD-MCI), and dementia (11 PD-D) as well as 72 healthy controls were subjected to whole-brain-based fractional anisotropy mapping and covariance analysis with cognitive performance measures. Results: Structural data indicated subtle changes in the corpus callosum and thalamic radiation in PD-N, whereas severe white matter impairment was observed in both PD-MCI and PD-D patients including anterior and inferior fronto-occipital, uncinate, insular cortices, superior longitudinal fasciculi, corona radiata, and the body of the corpus callosum. These regional alterations were demonstrated for PD-MCI and were more pronounced in PD-D. The pattern of involved regions was significantly correlated with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) total score. Conclusions: The findings in PD-N suggest impaired cross-hemispherical white matter connectivity that can apparently be compensated for. More pronounced involvement of the corpus callosum as demonstrated for PD-MCI together with affection of fronto-parieto-temporal structural connectivity seems to lead to gradual disruption of cognition-related cortico-cortical networks and to be associated with the onset of overt cognitive deficits. The increase of regional white matter damage appears to be associated with the development of PD-associated dementia.


1878 ◽  
Vol 169 ◽  
pp. 505-521 ◽  

The following paper contains an account of observations on the development of the species Cymothoa œstroides and C . parallela of Milne Edwards; but the forms of the young seem to show that several species are really included under these two names. In the early stages of development the only observable difference that exists between the embryos is one of size, but in the later stages they differ very markedly from each other in their external characters. From adult individuals answering the description of C . œstroides I have obtained four varieties of embryos: two with long antennae and two with short.* In the two former the first pair of antennae are but slightly longer than the head, while the second pair are longer than the body; the eyes are small. In one of the varieties thus characterised the abdominal appendages are fringed with long hairs (fig. 20), and in the other they are smooth.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document