Brain choline concentrations may not be altered in euthymic bipolar disorder patients chronically treated with either lithium or sodium valproate

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that lithium increases choline concentrations, although previous human studies examining this possibility using (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) have had mixed results: some found increases while most found no differences. METHODS: The present study utilized (1)H MRS, in a 3 T scanner to examine the effects of both lithium and sodium valproate upon choline concentrations in treated euthymic bipolar patients utilizing two different methodologies. In the first part of the study healthy controls (n = 18) were compared with euthymic Bipolar Disorder patients (Type I and Type II) who were taking either lithium (n = 14) or sodium valproate (n = 11), and temporal lobe choline/creatine (Cho/Cr) ratios were determined. In the second part we examined a separate group of euthymic Bipolar Disorder Type I patients taking sodium valproate (n = 9) and compared these to controls (n = 11). Here we measured the absolute concentrations of choline in both temporal and frontal lobes. RESULTS: The results from the first part of the study showed that bipolar patients chronically treated with both lithium and sodium valproate had significantly reduced temporal lobe Cho/Cr ratios. In contrast, in the second part of the study, there were no effects of sodium valproate on either absolute choline concentrations or on Cho/Cr ratios in either temporal or frontal lobes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that measuring Cho/Cr ratios may not accurately reflect brain choline concentrations. In addition, the results do not support previous suggestions that either lithium or valproate increases choline concentrations in bipolar patients

Structural MRI Correlates of Episodic Memory Processes in Parkinson's Disease Without Mild Cognitive Impairment.

BackgroundChanges in episodic memory are common early in Parkinson's disease (PD) and may be a risk factor for future cognitive decline. Although medial temporal lobe (MTL) memory and frontostriatal (FS) executive systems are thought to play different roles in distinct components of episodic memory impairment in PD, no study has investigated whether different aspects of memory functioning are differentially associated with MTL and FS volumes in nondemented patients without mild cognitive impairment (PD-woMCI).ObjectivesThe present study investigated MRI markers of different facets of memory functioning in 48 PD-woMCI patients and 42 controls.MethodsRegional volumes were measured in structures comprising the MTL and FS systems and then correlated with key indices of memory from the California Verbal Learning Test.ResultsIn PD-woMCI patients, memory was impaired only for verbal learning, which was not associated with executive, attention/working memory, or visuospatial functioning. Despite an absence of cortical atrophy, smaller right MTL volumes in patients were associated with poorer verbal learning, long delayed free recall, long delayed cued recall, and recognition memory hits and false positives. Smaller right pars triangularis (inferior frontal) volumes were also associated with poorer long delayed cued recall and recognition memory hits. These relationships were not found in controls.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that MTL volumes are sensitive to subtle changes in almost all facets of memory in PD-woMCI, whereas FS volumes are sensitive only to memory performances in cued-testing formats

The Effect of Music Therapy on Executive Function Skills in Male, Incarcerated Adults in a Correctional Facility

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of participation in a music therapy group on the executive function skills of male, incarcerated adults in a county correctional facility. Participants (N=16) were recruited from the medium-security pod in a local jail in a medium-sized Midwestern city. Eight participants (n=8) were randomly assigned to the treatment group, music therapy, and eight participants (n=8) were randomly assigned to the control group, talk-based therapy. Each group participated in four sessions over the course of two weeks. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions for Adults (BRIEF-A) was administered once prior to the beginning of sessions and once following the conclusion of the two-week treatment period to determine if participation in music therapy significantly improved executive function skills. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was run to determine the effect of two different treatment interventions on post-intervention executive function scores after controlling for pre-intervention executive function scores. Results indicated no statistically significant improvement in executive function scores post-intervention in either group. However, post-intervention raw scores improved for 100% of music therapy participants and 40% for talk-based group participants. Music therapy yielded a higher retention rate over the treatment span than the talk-based group. This study supports the need for further investigation regarding the benefits of music therapy interventions to enhance various aspects of executive function in the inmate population. Keywords music therapy, corrections, mental health, executive function, inmates, BRIEF-A, ANCOV

Otter Realm, May 30, 2003, Vol. 8 No. 15

Class of 2003 says goodbye to CSUMB -- Rubber Dam -- Big Brother is Watching You -- Students express disdain in keynote speaker -- Surfing Localism Mo\u27 like Surfing Yokelism -- CSU Monterey Bay Class of 2003 -- Till my feet fall off and my legs are rubber -- The Poetry of War -- Digital Brushstrokes -- Person on campushttps://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/otterrealm/1104/thumbnail.jp

Imaging techniques in ALS.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by degeneration of both upper and lower motor neuron located in the spinal cord and brainstem. Diagnosis of ALS is predominantly clinical, nevertheless, electromyography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) may provide support. Several advanced MRI techniques have been proven useful for ALS diagnosis and, indeed, the combination of different MRI techniques demonstrated an improvement in sensitivity and specificity as far as 90%. This review focus on the imaging techniques currently used in the diagnosis and management of ALS with brief considerations on future applications

Imaging changes associated with cognitive abnormalities in Parkinson's disease

The current study investigates both gray and white matter changes in non-demented Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with varying degrees of mild cognitive deficits and elucidates the relationships between the structural changes and clinical sequelae of PD. Twenty-six PD patients and 15 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the study. Participants underwent T1-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans. Their cognition was assessed using a neuropsychological battery. Compared with HCs, PD patients showed significant cortical thinning in sensorimotor (left pre- and postcentral gyri) and cognitive (left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus [DLSFG]) regions. The DLSFG cortical thinning correlated with executive and global cognitive impairment in PD patients. PD patients showed white matter abnormalities as well, primarily in bilateral frontal and temporal regions, which also correlated with executive and global cognitive impairment. These results seem to suggest that both gray and white matter changes in the frontal regions may constitute an early pathological substrate of cognitive impairment of PD providing a sensitive biomarker for brain changes in PD

Limbic grey matter changes in early Parkinson's disease

The purpose of this study was to investigate local and network related changes of limbic grey matter in early Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their interrelation with non-motor symptom severity. We applied voxel-based morphometric methods in 538 T1 MRI images retrieved from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative website. Grey matter densities and cross-sectional estimates of age-related grey matter change were compared between subjects with early PD (n=366) and age-matched healthy controls (n=172) within a regression model, and associations of grey matter density with symptoms were investigated. Structural brain networks were obtained using covariance analysis seeded in regions showing grey matter abnormalities in PD subject group. Patients displayed focally reduced grey matter density in the right amygdala, which was present from the earliest stages of the disease without further advance in mild-moderate disease stages. Right amygdala grey matter density showed negative correlation with autonomic dysfunction and positive with cognitive performance in patients, but no significant interrelations were found with anxiety scores. Patients with PD also demonstrated right amygdala structural disconnection with less structural connectivity of the right amygdala with the cerebellum and thalamus but increased covariance with bilateral temporal cortices compared with controls. Age-related grey matter change was also increased in PD preferentially in the limbic system. In conclusion, detailed brain morphometry in a large group of early PD highlights predominant limbic grey matter deficits with stronger age-associations compared with controls and associated altered structural connectivity pattern. This provides in vivo evidence for early limbic grey matter pathology and structural network changes that may reflect extranigral disease spread in PD

Magn Reson Med

Purpose:This study is to investigate time-resolved 13C MR spectroscopy as an alternative to imaging for assessing pyruvate metabolism using hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate in the human brain.Methods:Time-resolved 13C spectra were acquired from four axial brain slices of healthy human participants (n=4) after a bolus injection of hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate. 13C MR spectroscopy with low flip-angle excitations and a multichannel 13C/1H dual-frequency RF coil were exploited for reliable and unperturbed assessment of hyperpolarized pyruvate metabolism. Slice-wise area under the curves (AUCs) of 13C-metabolites were measured and kinetic analysis was performed to estimate the production rates of lactate and HCO3\u2013. Linear regression analysis between brain volumes and hyperpolarized signals was performed. Region-focused pyruvate metabolism was estimated using coil-wise 13C reconstruction. Reproducibility of hyperpolarized pyruvate exams was presented by performing two consecutive injections with a 45-min interval.Results:[1-13C]Lactate relative to the total 13C signal (tC) was 0.21\u20130.24 in all slices. [13C]HCO3\u2013/tC was 0.065\u20130.091. Apparent conversion rate constants from pyruvate to lactate and HCO3\u2013 were calculated as 0.014\u20130.018s 121 and 0.0043\u20130.0056s 121, respectively. Pyruvate/tC and lactate/tC were in moderate linear relationships with fractional grey matter volume within each slice. White matter presented poor linear regression fit with hyperpolarized signals, and moderate correlations of the fractional cerebrospinal fluid volume with pyruvate/tC and lactate/tC were measured. Measured hyperpolarized signals were comparable between two consecutive exams with hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate.Conclusions:Dynamic MRS in combination with multichannel RF coils is an affordable and reliable alternative to imaging methods in investigating cerebral metabolism using hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate.Mobility Foundation/P41 EB015908/EB/NIBIB NIH HHSUnited States/S10 RR029119/RR/NCRR NIH HHSUnited States/S10 OD018468/CD/ODCDC CDC HHSUnited States/UTD 1907789/UT Dallas Collaborative Biomedical Research Award/Texas Institute for Brain Injury and Repair/P41 EB015908/EB/NIBIB NIH HHSUnited States/R01 NS107409/NS/NINDS NIH HHSUnited States/R01 NS107409/NS/NINDS NIH HHSUnited States/S10 RR029119/RR/NCRR NIH HHSUnited States/S10 OD018468/OD/NIH HHSUnited States/I-2009-20190330/Welch Foundation