scholarly journals BRAIN IN SPACE. HOW DOES SPACE AFFECT THE HUMAN BRAIN?

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 59-66
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Kołodziej ◽  
Gabriela Zdunek
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Space Radiation ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Blurred Vision ◽  
Brain Scans ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
Neuronal Connections ◽  
The Brain

Introduction Nowadays more and more people and international companies are interested in Human Spaceflights. Aim and method In this review, the negative effects from space radiation, microgravity and the factor of isolation on the central nervous system will be described in relation to space neuroscience and the relevant studies examined. Results Space radiation can damage neuronal connections with both acute and chronic effects, manifested as altered cognitive function, reduced motor function, and behavioral changes. Moreover, some astronauts report a condition known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS). The brain scans performed upon those astronauts, who came back from space travel suggest that due to reduced gravity conditions the brain and the fluids in the human body shift upwards, which increases pressure in the skull and may result in opticnerve swelling that causes blurred vision. Another interesting part of space neuroscience is the research of structural neuroplasticity. A study conducted on cosmonauts revealed an increase in the neuronal tissue of sensorimotor structures responsible for movement coordination. In addition to the space radiation and microgravity, long-term confinement also affects the microstructure of the brain white matter, which was proven in the study that used DTI (Diffusion Tensor Imaging). Conclusions To conclude, to continue understanding the risks posed by spaceflight to astronauts’ health research in the field of space neuroscience is important. In addition, the acquired insight could be relevant for terrestrial vestibular patients, patients with neurodegenerative disorders, as well as the elderly population, coping with neurological deficits. Keywords: space medicine, brain, space neuroscience, SANS, space radiation.

scholarly journals Predicting Brain Regions Related to Alzheimer’s Disease Based on Global Feature

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Wang ◽  
Siwei Chen ◽  
He Wang ◽  
Luzeng Chen ◽  
Yongan Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Imaging Method ◽  
Global Feature ◽  
Objective Monitoring ◽  
The Brain

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly, early diagnosis and timely treatment are very important to delay the course of the disease. In the past, most of the brain regions related to AD were identified based on the imaging method, which can only identify some atrophic brain regions. In this work, we used mathematical models to find out the potential brain regions related to AD. First, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to construct the brain structural network. Next, we set a new local feature index 2hop-connectivity to measure the correlation among different areas. And for this, we proposed a novel algorithm named 2hopRWR to measure 2hop-connectivity. At last, we proposed a new index GFS (Global Feature Score) based on global feature by combing 5 local features: degree centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, the number of maximal cliques, and 2hop-connectivity, to judge which brain regions are likely related to Alzheimer’s Disease. As a result, all the top ten brain regions in GFS scoring difference between the AD group and the non-AD group were related to AD by literature verification. Finally, the results of the canonical correlation analysis showed that the GFS was significantly correlated with the scores of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scale and montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale. So, we believe the GFS can also be used as a new index to assist in diagnosis and objective monitoring of disease progression. Besides, the method proposed in this paper can be used as a differential network analysis method in other areas of network analysis.

Altered brain white matter integrity in healthy carriers of the APOE ε4 allele

Neurology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 1029-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Persson ◽  
J. Lind ◽  
A. Larsson ◽  
M. Ingvar ◽  
M. Cruts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Clinical Severity ◽  
White Matter Integrity ◽  
Tissue Integrity ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
Ε4 Allele

Background: Previous research has shown that polymorphisms of apolipoprotein E (APOE) represent genetic risk factors for dementia and for cognitive impairment in the elderly. The neural mechanisms by which these genetic variations influence behavioral performance or clinical severity are not well understood.Methods: The authors used diffusion tensor imaging to investigate ultrastructural properties in brain white matter to detect pathologic processes that modify tissue integrity. Sixty participants were included in the study of which 30 were homozygous for the APOE ε3 allele, 10 were homozygous for the APOE ε4 allele, and 20 had the APOE ε34 allele combination. All individuals were non-demented, and the groups were matched on demographic variables and cognitive performance.Results: The results showed a decline in fractional anisotropy, a marker for white matter integrity, in the posterior corpus callosum of ε4 carriers compared to non-carriers. Additional sites of altered white matter integrity included the medial temporal lobe.Conclusions: Although the mechanism underlying vulnerability of white matter tracts in APOE ε4 carriers is still unknown, these findings suggest that increased genetic risk for developing Alzheimer disease is associated with changes in microscopic white matter integrity well before the onset of dementia.

Changes in Brain White Matter Assessed Via Textural Features Using a Neural Network

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
R. Kalpana ◽  
S. Muttan ◽  
B. Agrawala
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Textural Features ◽  
Statistical Parameters ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Brain

Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DTMRI) has proved useful for microstructure characterization of the brain. This technique also helps determining complex connectivity of fiber tracts. The brain white matter (BMW) changes with respect to age and corresponding appearance of white-matter lesions among the brain’s message-carrying axons affects cognitive functions in old age. In this paper, the observed morphology in BWM on ageing is analyzed using statistical parameters extracted from DTMR images of different age groups. The gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) obtained from the segmented images gives 14 textural features, subsets of which are adopted as the input sets in a backpropagation neural network classifier. The network is trained to predict the age based on BMW details used as the inputs. The proposed method helps in understanding the age-related changes in white matter. This is useful for the physician in understanding miscorrelation in motor activities and relevant causes in elderly subjects.

scholarly journals Transient changes in white matter microstructure during general anesthesia

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247678
Author(s):  
Cheuk Y. Tang ◽  
Victoria X. Wang ◽  
Min Yin Lun ◽  
Joshua S. Mincer ◽  
Johnny C. Ng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
General Anesthesia ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Volumetric Analysis ◽  
Sevoflurane Anesthesia ◽  
Transient Effects ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
White Matter Microstructure

Cognitive dysfunction after surgery under general anesthesia is a well-recognized clinical phenomenon in the elderly. Physiological effects of various anesthetic agents have been studied at length. Very little is known about potential effects of anesthesia on brain structure. In this study we used Diffusion Tensor Imaging to compare the white matter microstructure of healthy control subjects under sevoflurane anesthesia with their awake state. Fractional Anisotropy, a white mater integrity index, transiently decreases throughout the brain during sevoflurane anesthesia and then returns back to baseline. Other DTI metrics such as mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity were increased under sevoflurane anesthesia. Although DTI metrics are age dependent, the transient changes due to sevoflurane were independent of age and sex. Volumetric analysis shows various white matter volumes decreased whereas some gray matter volumes increased during sevoflurane anesthesia. These results suggest that sevoflurane anesthesia has a significant, but transient, effect on white matter microstructure. In spite of the transient effects of sevoflurane anesthesia there were no measurable effects on brain white matter as determined by the DTI metrics at 2 days and 7 days following anesthesia. The role of white matter in the loss of consciousness under anesthesia will need to be studied and MRI studies with subjects under anesthesia will need to take these results into account.

scholarly journals Tai Chi Training Evokes Significant Changes in Brain White Matter Network in Older Women

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunlin Yue ◽  
Liye Zou ◽  
Jian Mei ◽  
Damien Moore ◽  
Fabian Herold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Walking Group

Background: Cognitive decline is age relevant and it can start as early as middle age. The decline becomes more obvious among older adults, which is highly associated with increased risk of developing dementia (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease). White matter damage was found to be related to cognitive decline through aging. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effects of Tai Chi (TC) versus walking on the brain white matter network among Chinese elderly women. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted where 42 healthy elderly women were included. Tai Chi practitioners (20 females, average age: 62.9 ± 2.38 years, education level 9.05 ± 1.8 years) and the matched walking participants (22 females, average age: 63.27 ± 3.58 years, educational level: 8.86 ± 2.74 years) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) scans. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and graph theory were employed to study the data, construct the white matter matrix, and compare the brain network attributes between the two groups. Results: Results from graph-based analyses showed that the small-world attributes were higher for the TC group than for the walking group (p < 0.05, Cohen’s d = 1.534). Some effects were significant (p < 0.001) with very large effect sizes. Meanwhile, the aggregation coefficient and local efficiency attributes were also higher for the TC group than for the walking group (p > 0.05). However, no significant difference was found between the two groups in node attributes and edge analysis. Conclusion: Regular TC training is more conducive to optimize the brain functioning and networking of the elderly. The results of the current study help to identify the mechanisms underlying the cognitive protective effects of TC.

Forceps minor damage and co-occurrence of depression and fatigue in multiple sclerosis

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 1633-1640 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Gobbi ◽  
MA Rocca ◽  
E Pagani ◽  
GC Riccitelli ◽  
E Pravatà ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
Specific Analysis ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Mri Scans ◽  
The Right ◽  
Dual Echo ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Patient Subgroups

Objective: Using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT MRI), we analyzed the architectural integrity of the brain white matter (WM) from a large cohort of MS patients to identify the structural substrates of the concomitant presence of depression and fatigue. Methods: Brain dual-echo, 3D T1-weighted and DT MRI scans were acquired from 147 MS patients and 90 gender- and age-matched healthy controls (HCs). Patients were stratified by the presence of depression (92 depressed (D), 55 not depressed (nD)) and fatigue (81 fatigued (F), 66 not fatigued (nF)). Sixty-five patients had co-occurrence of depression and fatigue (DF). Whole-brain voxel-wise comparisons of WM DT MRI abnormalities were performed using tract-based-spatial-statistics (TBSS). Tract-specific analyses were run in brain WM tracts using standard-space templates. Results: Whole-brain voxel-wise analysis yielded no significant differences between patient subgroups. At tract-specific analysis, DF patients had reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) of the forceps minor. Reduced FA of the right anterior thalamic radiation and right uncinate fasciculus was found in F-MS vs not F-MS patients after correcting for depression. No significant differences were found between D vs not D-MS patients, after correcting for fatigue. Conclusions: This study provides evidence for partially overlapping damage to frontal and fronto-temporal pathways underlying depression and fatigue in MS.

scholarly journals THE IMPORTANCE OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF DEMENTIA IN THE ELDERLY

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 17-27
Author(s):  
Pedro Antonio Gomes Maciel ◽  
Renata Da Silva Adonias Dantas ◽  
Jussara Evila Pinheiro Bastos ◽  
André Luis Sant´Anna ◽  
Raimunda Tânia Pinheiro de Oliveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Neuropsychological Assessment ◽  
Therapeutic Intervention ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Diagnosis Of Dementia ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Brain

The causes of forgetfulness episodes in the elderly can occur for a variety of reasons, among which we highlight the presence of dementia, which can negatively infer senile cognition, memory, language and communication. Dementia is a condition in which the individual loses part of the brain functions, causing neurological deficits that directly affect his quality of life. This study discusses the importance of Neuropsychological Assessment as a fundamental tool for the diagnosis of degenerative disease, before the complaints of oblivion related to the advancing age. The results indicated that the use of this method of examination can indicate the therapeutic intervention in an adequate time, allowing the improvement of the quality of life for the elderly. 

scholarly journals Diffusiontensor MRI tractography in patients with children’s cerebral palsy: assessment of structural lesions of conduction tracts

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-74
Author(s):  
Yulia V. Ermolina ◽  
L. S. Namazova-Baranova ◽  
A. M. Mamedyarov ◽  
A. V. Anikin ◽  
O. I. Maslova
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Corpus Callosum ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Internal Capsule ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Motor Deficit ◽  
Diffusivity Coefficient ◽  
Posterior Limb ◽  
The Brain

Introduction. The application of diffusion-tensor (DT)-MRI tractography in patients with children S cerebral palsy (CP) allows to establish pathophysiological mechanisms of the development of motor and sensory impairments, to perform a clinical and neuroimaging comparison, as well as to determine correlations between lesions of the conduction tracts and neurological deficits. Aim. For the determination of changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity coefficient (MDC), obtained with DT-MRI in the corticospinal and sensory tracts, structures of the corpus callosum in spastic forms of CP. Materials and methods. There were examined 105 children with spastic forms of CP (spastic tetraparesis - 47, spastic diplegia - 38, hemiparetic form - 20) and 50 children without neurological deficit, at the age of 2-18 years. In all CP patients the severity of motor deficit was evaluated according to Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). DT-MRI was performed in all cases with the use of devices of General Electric (US), under magnetic field strength of 1.5T and 3T, with the calculation of the FA and the MDC in areas of interest - cerebral peduncles the brain stem, the posterior limb of the internal capsule, the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum, posterior thalamic radiation, postcentral gyrus, the thalamus. Results. There was established the distribution of children according to the GMFCS scale: I - 14 (13,4%), II - 19 (18,1%), III - 20 (19%), IV- 10 (9,5%), V- 42 (40%) cases. The severity of motor impairment on the GMFCS scale closely correlated with the values of FA and ADC in cerebral peduncles, posterior limb of the internal capsule, posterior thalamic radiance, genu of the corpus callosum. Conclusion. DT-MRI enables to assess adequately the changes in the white matter of the brain, structural andfunctional state of the motor and sensory conduction tracts, gives a possibility to predict the development of a child with CP.

2. Synaesthesia in the brain

2019 ◽  
pp. 20-42
Author(s):  
Julia Simner
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Positron Emission Tomography ◽  
Brain Imaging ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Emission Tomography ◽  
Brain Scans ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
The Brain ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
Different Parts

Advances in brain imaging have revolutionised the study of synaesthesia and have enormous potential in educating us about the aetiology of this unusual condition. Brain scans provide clear and irrefutable evidence of how synaesthetic sensations are grounded in the brain. ‘Synaesthesia in the brain’ describes several seminal studies in the brain imaging of synaesthesia, which have involved a mixture of techniques: positron emission tomography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and diffusion tensor imaging. Two key questions have been considered: do synaesthetes have functional or structural differences in their brains, and are their direct or indirect connections between the different parts of the brains that are triggered by different senses?

Changes in Brain White Matter Assessed Via Textural Features Using a Neural Network

2012 ◽  
pp. 144-153
Author(s):  
R. Kalpana ◽  
S. Muttan ◽  
B. Agrawala
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Textural Features ◽  
Brain White Matter ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Segmented Images ◽  
Motor Activities ◽  
The Brain

Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DTMRI) has proved useful for microstructure characterization of the brain. This technique also helps determining complex connectivity of fiber tracts. The brain white matter (BMW) changes with respect to age and corresponding appearance of white-matter lesions among the brain’s message-carrying axons affects cognitive functions in old age. In this paper, the observed morphology in BWM on ageing is analyzed using statistical parameters extracted from DTMR images of different age groups. The gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) obtained from the segmented images gives 14 textural features, subsets of which are adopted as the input sets in a backpropagation neural network classifier. The network is trained to predict the age based on BMW details used as the inputs. The proposed method helps in understanding the age-related changes in white matter. This is useful for the physician in understanding miscorrelation in motor activities and relevant causes in elderly subjects.

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