The success of deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgeries for Parkinson’s disease relies on the accurate placement of an electrode within the motor portion of subcortical brain targets with the goal of maximizing the patient’s benefits while minimizing side...

Previous studies have indicated that the anterior cingulate region may play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. We used 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to measure gray matter volumes, the neuronal marker N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline and creatine in the anterior cingulate region of 8 chronic schizophrenic subjects and 8 matched normal control subjects, all right-handed. MRI volumetric measurements and MRS date were obtained on a GE 1.5 Tesla Signa system. Gray matter volume was significantly reduced in the left anterior cingulate region in schizophrenic patients compared with normal control subjects. Relative to normal control subjects, schizophrenic patients demonstrated slightly lower NAA in left anterior cingulate regions. There was no significant correlation between reduced gray matter volume and lower NAA in anterior cingulate region of both schizophrenic patients and normal control subjects. This finding indicates either n...

Periodic breathing is associated with substantial alterations in autonomic outflow and extreme heart rate variation that accompany the cessation and resumption of respiratory efforts. The breathing pattern provides an opportunity to determine neural structures recruited to initiate and terminate breathing efforts, and to assess sites involved in mediating sympathetic and parasympathetic outflow. We examined signal changes in neural sites during periodic breathing in quiet sleep in two patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Twenty-five volumes of 20 image slices through the brain (Echo Planar technique) were collected using a GE 1.5T Signa scanner during a 2.5 min period of quiet sleep as determined by MR-compatible EEG techniques. The images were corrected for slice timing and motion, and were spatially and intensity normalized. Correlations between breathing rate and signal intensity were calculated, and significant voxels overlaid onto T1 anatomical images. During apneic periods, both patients showed sig...

Stem cells are a promising source of neuro-regeneration for devastating brain injuries such as stroke. Stem cells labeled with a paramagnetic tracer have been visualized in the brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Stereotaxic implantation of cells allows precise localization but it is invasive and cannot deliver stem cells to the entire stroke area. In this study, we investigated the migration of intravenously delivered neural stem cells (NSCs) to the stroke area using MRI after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Rat NSCs were isolated from the fetal striatum on embryonic day 16 and labeled with Feridex, a superparamagnetic iron oxide-containing nanoparticle that decreases T2*-weighted MRI signal intensity, using hemagglutinating virus of Japan envelopes to maximize labeling efficiency. Six rats received a MCAO for 60 min, and three of these rats received an intravenous injection of labeled NSCs 48 hours after MCAO while the other three rats acted as controls. MRI was performed on ...

Previous functional neuroimaging studies have characterized brain systems mediating associative learning using classical delay conditioning paradigms. In the present study, we used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging to characterize neuronal responses mediating aversive trace conditioning. During conditioning, neutral auditory tones were paired with an aversive sound [unconditioned stimulus (US)]. We compared neuronal responses evoked by conditioned (CS+) and nonconditioned (CS−) stimuli in which a 50% pairing of CS+ and the US enabled us to limit our analysis to responses evoked by the CS+ alone. Differential responses (CS+ vs CS−), related to conditioning, were observed in anterior cingulate and anterior insula, regions previously implicated in delay fear conditioning. Differential responses were also observed in the amygdala and hippocampus that were best characterized with a time × stimulus interaction, indicating rapid adaptation of CS+-specific responses in medial temporal lobe. These...

The complex environment we live in makes it necessary to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information constantly and reliably. The aim of the present study was to investigate the neural substrate underlying the selection of task-relevant information. We devised a new paradigm in which participants had to switch between two different tasks that were instructed by task cues. The task cues had a relevant and an irrelevant cue dimension. In congruent trials, both cue dimensions indicated the same task; in incongruent trials, they indicated different tasks; and in neutral trials, only the relevant dimension indicated a task. By comparing trials in which both cue dimensions were informative (congruent and incongruent trials) with trials in which only the relevant dimension was informative (neutral trials), we were able to show that the lateral prefrontal cortex and a region in the intraparietal sulcus are involved in the selection of task-relevant information. Furthermore, the present paradigm allows the inf...

Nursing has reciprocal benefits for both mother and infant, helping to promote maternal behavior and bonding. To test the “rewarding” nature of nursing, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to map brain activity in lactating dams exposed to their suckling pups versus cocaine. Suckling stimulation in lactating dams and cocaine exposure in virgin females activated the dopamine reward system. In contrast, lactating dams exposed to cocaine instead of pups showed a suppression of brain activity in the reward system. These data support the notion that pup stimulation is more reinforcing than cocaine, underscoring the importance of pup seeking over other rewarding stimuli during lactation.

Manganese (Mn) is an activity-dependent and transsynaptic anterograde tracer that can be visualized using MRI because of its paramagnetic properties. Its tracer properties are based on the fact that Mn ions can enter depolarized neurons through L-type c...

Background. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) effectively reduces motor symptoms in most patients with Parkinson disease (PD), yet also may produce untoward effects. Investigation of DBS effects requires accurate localization...

We designed phosphorothioate-modified DNA probes linked to superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) for in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of fosB and ΔfosB mRNA after amphetamine (AMPH) exposure in mice. Specificity of both the fosB and ΔfosB probes was verified by in vitro reverse transcriptase-PCR amplification to a single fragment of total cDNA obtained from acutely AMPH-exposed mouse brains. We confirmed time-dependent uptake and retention profiles of both probes in neurons of GAD67-green fluorescent protein knock-in mice. MRI signal of SPION-labeled fosB probe delivered via intracerebroventricular route was elevated in both acutely and chronically AMPH-exposed mice; the signal was suppressed by dopaminergic receptor antagonist pretreatment. SPION-labeled ΔfosB probe signal elevation occurred only in chronically AMPH-exposed mice. The in vivo target specificity of these probes permits reliable MRI visualization of AMPH-induced differential elevations of fosB and ΔfosB mRNA in living br...