705 research outputs found
Current concepts of polymicrogyria
Polymicrogyria is one of the most common malformations of cortical development. It has been known for many years and its clinical and MRI manifestations are well described. Recent advances in imaging, however, have revealed that polymicrogyria has many different appearances on MR imaging, suggesting that is may be a more heterogeneous malformation than previously suspected. The clinical and imaging heterogeneity of polymicrogyria is explored in this review
The Role of Corpus Callosum Development in Functional Connectivity and Cognitive Processing
The corpus callosum is hypothesized to play a fundamental role in integrating information and mediating complex behaviors. Here, we demonstrate that lack of normal callosal development can lead to deficits in functional connectivity that are related to impairments in specific cognitive domains. We examined resting-state functional connectivity in individuals with agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) and matched controls using magnetoencephalographic imaging (MEG-I) of coherence in the alpha (8–12 Hz), beta (12–30 Hz) and gamma (30–55 Hz) bands. Global connectivity (GC) was defined as synchronization between a region and the rest of the brain. In AgCC individuals, alpha band GC was significantly reduced in the dorsolateral pre-frontal (DLPFC), posterior parietal (PPC) and parieto-occipital cortices (PO). No significant differences in GC were seen in either the beta or gamma bands. We also explored the hypothesis that, in AgCC, this regional reduction in functional connectivity is explained primarily by a specific reduction in interhemispheric connectivity. However, our data suggest that reduced connectivity in these regions is driven by faulty coupling in both inter- and intrahemispheric connectivity. We also assessed whether the degree of connectivity correlated with behavioral performance, focusing on cognitive measures known to be impaired in AgCC individuals. Neuropsychological measures of verbal processing speed were significantly correlated with resting-state functional connectivity of the left medial and superior temporal lobe in AgCC participants. Connectivity of DLPFC correlated strongly with performance on the Tower of London in the AgCC cohort. These findings indicate that the abnormal callosal development produces salient but selective (alpha band only) resting-state functional connectivity disruptions that correlate with cognitive impairment. Understanding the relationship between impoverished functional connectivity and cognition is a key step in identifying the neural mechanisms of language and executive dysfunction in common neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders where disruptions of callosal development are consistently identified
Detecting sterile dark matter in space
Space-based instruments provide new and, in some cases, unique opportunities
to search for dark matter. In particular, if dark matter comprises sterile
neutrinos, the x ray detection of their decay line is the most promising
strategy for discovery. Sterile neutrinos with masses in the keV range could
solve several long-standing astrophysical puzzles, from supernova asymmetries
and the pulsar kicks to star formation, reionization, and baryogenesis. The
best current limits on sterile neutrinos come from Chandra and XMM-Newton.
Future advances can be achieved with a high-resolution x-ray spectrometry in
space.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, to appear in proceedings "From Quantum to Cosmos:
fundametal physics research in space", Washington, DC, May 22-24, 200
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Neurodevelopmental abnormalities in children with PHACE syndrome.
Prior case reports have identified neurodevelopmental abnormalities in children with PHACE syndrome, a neurocutaneous disorder first characterized in 1996. In this multicenter, retrospective study of a previously identified cohort of 93 children diagnosed with PHACE syndrome from 1999 to 2010, 29 children had neurologic evaluations at ≥ 1 year of age (median age: 4 years, 2 months). In all, 44% had language delay, 36% gross motor delay, and 8% fine motor delay; 52% had an abnormal neurological exam, with speech abnormalities as the most common finding. Overall, 20 of 29 (69%) had neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Cerebral, but not posterior fossa, structural abnormalities were identified more often in children with abnormal versus normal neurodevelopmental outcomes (35% vs. 0%, P = .04). Neurodevelopmental abnormalities in young children with PHACE syndrome referred to neurologists include language and gross motor delay, while fine motor delay is less frequent. Prospective studies are needed to understand long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes
Ultra-high-field MR imaging in polymicrogyria and epilepsy
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
Polymicrogyria is a malformation of cortical development that is often identified in children with epilepsy or delayed development. We investigated in vivo the potential of 7T imaging in characterizing polymicrogyria to determine whether additional features could be identified.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Ten adult patients with polymicrogyria previously diagnosed by using 3T MR imaging underwent additional imaging at 7T. We assessed polymicrogyria according to topographic pattern, extent, symmetry, and morphology. Additional imaging sequences at 7T included 3D T2* susceptibility-weighted angiography and 2D tissue border enhancement FSE inversion recovery. Minimum intensity projections were used to assess the potential of the susceptibility-weighted angiography sequence for depiction of cerebral veins.
RESULTS:
At 7T, we observed perisylvian polymicrogyria that was bilateral in 6 patients, unilateral in 3, and diffuse in 1. Four of the 6 bilateral abnormalities had been considered unilateral at 3T. While 3T imaging revealed 2 morphologic categories (coarse, delicate), 7T susceptibility-weighted angiography images disclosed a uniform ribbonlike pattern. Susceptibility-weighted angiography revealed numerous dilated superficial veins in all polymicrogyric areas. Tissue border enhancement imaging depicted a hypointense line corresponding to the gray-white interface, providing a high definition of the borders and, thereby, improving detection of the polymicrogyric cortex.
CONCLUSIONS:
7T imaging reveals more anatomic details of polymicrogyria compared with 3T conventional sequences, with potential implications for diagnosis, genetic studies, and surgical treatment of associated epilepsy. Abnormalities of cortical veins may suggest a role for vascular dysgenesis in pathogenesis
Association of prenatal diagnosis of critical congenital heart disease with postnatal brain development and the risk of brain injury
IMPORTANCE: The relationship of prenatal diagnosis of critical congenital heart disease (CHD) with brain injury and brain development is unknown. Given limited improvement of CHD outcomes with prenatal diagnosis, the effect of prenatal diagnosis on brain health may reveal additional benefits. OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of preoperative and postoperative brain injury and the trajectory of brain development in neonates with prenatal vs postnatal diagnosis of CHD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cohort study of term newborns with critical CHD recruited consecutively from 2001 to 2013 at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of British Columbia. Term newborns with critical CHD were studied with brain magnetic resonance imaging preoperatively and postoperatively to determine brain injury severity and microstructural brain development with diffusion tensor imaging by measuring fractional anisotropy and the apparent diffusion coefficient. Comparisons of magnetic resonance imaging findings and clinical variables were made between prenatal and postnatal diagnosis of critical CHD. A total of 153 patients with transposition of the great arteries and single ventricle physiology were included in this analysis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The presence of brain injury on the preoperative brain magnetic resonance imaging and the trajectory of postnatal brain microstructural development. RESULTS: Among 153 patients (67% male), 96 had transposition of the great arteries and 57 had single ventricle physiology. The presence of brain injury was significantly higher in patients with postnatal diagnosis of critical CHD (41 of 86 [48%]) than in those with prenatal diagnosis (16 of 67 [24%]) (P = .003). Patients with prenatal diagnosis demonstrated faster brain development in white matter fractional anisotropy (rate of increase, 2.2%; 95% CI, 0.1%-4.2%; P = .04) and gray matter apparent diffusion coefficient (rate of decrease, 0.6%; 95%CI, 0.1%-1.2%; P = .02). Patients with prenatal diagnosis had lower birth weight (mean, 3184.5 g; 95%CI, 3050.3–3318.6) than those with postnatal diagnosis (mean, 3397.6 g; 95%CI, 3277.6–3517.6) (P = .02). Those with prenatal diagnosis had an earlier estimated gestational age at delivery (mean, 38.6 weeks; 95%CI, 38.2–38.9) than those with postnatal diagnosis (mean, 39.1 weeks; 95%CI, 38.8–39.5) (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Newborns with prenatal diagnosis of single ventricle physiology and transposition of the great arteries demonstrate less preoperative brain injury and more robust microstructural brain development than those with postnatal diagnosis. These results are likely secondary to improved cardiovascular stability. The impact of these findings on neurodevelopmental outcomes warrants further study
Tractography of developing white matter of the internal capsule and corpus callosum in very preterm infants
To investigate in preterm infants associations between Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) parameters of the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) and corpus callosum (CC) and age, white matter (WM) injury and clinical factors. In 84 preterm infants DTI was performed between 40-62 weeks postmenstrual age on 3 T MR. Fractional anisotropy (FA), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and fibre lengths through the PLIC and the genu and splenium were determined. WM injury was categorised as normal/mildly, moderately and severely abnormal. Associations between DTI parameters and age, WM injury and clinical factors were analysed. A positive association existed between FA and age at imaging for fibres through the PLIC (r = 0.48 p < 0.001) and splenium (r = 0.24 p < 0.01). A negative association existed between ADC and age at imaging for fibres through the PLIC (r = -0.65 p < 0.001), splenium (r = -0.35 p < 0.001) and genu (r = -0.53 p < 0.001). No association was found between DTI parameters and gestational age, degree of WM injury or categorical clinical factors. These results indicate that in our cohort of very preterm infants, at this young age, the development of the PLIC and CC is ongoing and independent of the degree of prematurity or WM injury.Neuro Imaging Researc
Mixing of Active and Sterile Neutrinos
We investigate mixing of neutrinos in the MSM (neutrino Minimal Standard
Model), which is the MSM extended by three right-handed neutrinos. Especially,
we study elements of the mixing matrix between three
left-handed neutrinos () and two sterile
neutrinos () which are responsible to the seesaw mechanism
generating the suppressed masses of active neutrinos as well as the generation
of the baryon asymmetry of the universe (BAU). It is shown that
can be suppressed by many orders of magnitude compared with
and , when the Chooz angle is large in the
normal hierarchy of active neutrino masses. We then discuss the neutrinoless
double beta decay in this framework by taking into account the contributions
not only from active neutrinos but also from all the three sterile neutrinos.
It is shown that and give substantial, destructive contributions
when their masses are smaller than a few 100 MeV, and as a results receive no stringent constraint from the current bounds on such decay.
Finally, we discuss the impacts of the obtained results on the direct searches
of in meson decays for the case when are lighter than pion
mass. We show that there exists the allowed region for with such
small masses in the normal hierarchy case even if the current bound on the
lifetimes of from the big bang nucleosynthesis is imposed. It is also
pointed out that the direct search by using and might miss such since the branching ratios can be
extremely small due to the cancellation in , but the search by
can cover the whole allowed region by improving the
measurement of the branching ratio by a factor of 5.Comment: 30 pages, 32 figure
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