Brain atrophy is a consistent finding in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The present study investigated if the amount of glucocorticoids (GC), administered as treatment for acute episodes of MS, can serve as an additional explanatory factor for this finding. From a total of 379 patients with relapsing-remitting MS, baseline and two year follow up Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of 27 cases were selected. During the trial period, 14 patients had received high doses of glucocorticoid treatment, while 13 patients were without treatment. Subjects in both groups were matched for gender, age, and evaluation on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) at study begin (0-4,5). T1 weighted images with 3mm axial contiguous slices were acquired. All MR images were transformed into standard stereotaxic space. Volumetric analyses were performed for white matter, gray matter, hippocampus, and ventricles using both manual and automatic segmentation procedures. The GC treatment group showed significant atr...

Semantic memory retrieval may involve an inhibitory process in which a target word is activated and related words are suppressed. In the current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we examined the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cort...

Chronic pain is a major health care issue, whose neural basis is still incompletely understood. Previous work using functional magnetic resonance imaging has implicated the medial prefrontal cortex in chronic back pain, which has been associated with ne...

The previous studies of resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI) have suggested that there exist some common networks in which the functional connectivities (FC) among the brain regions of healthy people. And many studies have condu...

Pharmacological MRI (phMRI) is a versatile and powerful MRI technique for in-vivo non-invasive mapping of the effects (direct and indirect target engagement) of the pharmacological test compounds in the brain. High temporal and spatial resolution, whole...

The area and volume of brain structural features, as assessed by high-resolution three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are among the most heritable measures relating to the human CNS. We have conducted MRI scanning of all available monkeys >2 years of age ( n = 357) from the extended multigenerational pedigree of the Vervet Research Colony (VRC). Using a combination of automated and manual segmentation we have quantified several correlated but distinct brain structural phenotypes. The estimated heritabilities ( h 2) for these measures in the VRC are higher than those reported previously for such features in humans or in other nonhuman primates: total brain volume ( h 2 = 0.99, SE = 0.06), cerebral volume ( h 2 = 0.98, SE = 0.06), cerebellar volume ( h 2 = 0.86, SE = 0.09), hippocampal volume ( h 2 = 0.95, SE = 0.07) and corpus callosum cross-sectional areas ( h 2 = 0.87, SE = 0.07). These findings indicate that, in the controlled environment and with the inbreeding structure of the VRC, addit...

Advances in Gene Therapy: Convection enhanced delivery for Parenchymal Brain Administration guided by real time MRI Erik A. Larson1, Jerneja Stare1, Karen Wong1, M. Said Maghezzi1, Clotilde Lecrux-Leblond1, Michael V. Accardi1, Simon Authier1, 21Charles...

MDMA, or Ecstasy, is a widely used recreational drug with potent effects on cognition and behavior and possible long term effects on brain function, chemistry, and anatomy. Recent MRI studies have looked at CBF changes, NAA levels, and tissue diffusion changes in human MDMA users. In this experiment, conscious marmosets were acclimated to the MRI and imaged in a restrainer (Insight Neuroimaging Sys.) in a 4.7T MRI (Bruker). The initial period of drug uptake was imaged while evoked sensory activity was assessed prior to, and following oral MDMA (1mg/kg). Globally, BOLD signal decreased after drug administration. Activations were seen after 20-40 minutes in dopaminergic/serotonergic regions of the brain, chiefly: caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, and nucleus accumbens. Preliminary data suggest that visual activations were slightly lower after MDMA while somatosensory activations remained consistent (see figure). No major changes in respiratory physiology were noted during the experiment. Initial findings su...

Superior colliculus (SC) is a small midbrain structure critical for eye movements and attention. Visually responsive neurons form a retinotopic map in its superficial layers. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of SC in humans is hindered by it...

Map reading is a common human activity, yet there is little research on the underlying cognitive abilities and neural processes used during map reading. This study uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate the relationship between di...