Locating the Acupoint Baihui (GV20) Beneath the Cerebral Cortex with MRI Reconstructed 3D Neuroimages

Baihui (GV20) is one of the most important acupoints of the Du meridian (the government vessel) and is commonly used in neurology and psychiatry and as a distal point of anorectal disorders by general practitioners. The anatomical relationship between the scalp region of the acupoint and the underlying corresponding cortex remains obscure. In this study, we first prepared the indicator for MRI scanning on a GE 1.5 T excite machine in a mode suitable for 3D reconstruction. The 3D Avizo software system (version 6.0, Mercury Computer Systems, Inc., Germany) was then used for image processing and the resulting data subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The mean distance from the Baihui anterior to the central sulcus in the adult group was greater than that in the child group (22.7 ± 2.2 and 19.7 ± 2.2 mm, resp., P = .042), whereas in the child group the distance between the Baihui anterior and the precentral sulcus was greater than in the adult group (6.8 ± 0.8 and 3.8 ± 0.8 mm, resp., P < .001). This MRI presentation demonstrates that the location of Baihui (GV20) can be identified using the distance from the central or precentral sulcus

Protective effect against focal cerebral ischemia injury in acute phase of a novel invasive device for regional hypothermia

Background: Systemic hypothermia is considered beneficial to stroke patients. However, many complications ensue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a new invasive regional cooling device in cerebral ischemic injury in a rat model. Methods: After a pilot study confirming the efficiency of the cooling device, 15 adult male Sprague–Dawley rats, weighing 300–400 g, were randomly assigned into three groups: cooling device applied at 14°C and at 26°C, and a sham group. Focal cerebral ischemic injury was achieved by electrocauterization of the left middle cerebral artery through craniectomy and temporal occlusion of both common carotid arteries for 3 hours. Within 30 minutes after the end of ischemic injury, the cooling device was inserted into the rat brain through a stereotactic frame to provide regional hypothermia for 2 hours. The rats were sacrificed immediately after the 2-hour regional hypothermia. Results: Although triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining showed smaller ischemic lesions in both the 26°C and 14°C groups compared to the control group, Fluoro Jade C staining showed no neuroprotective effects in the rostrum cerebral cortex in both groups. However, both triphenyltetrazolium chloride and Fluoro Jade C staining indicated significant beneficial effects in the caudal cerebral cortex in rats with cooling device applied at 26°C compared to the 14°C and control groups. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that the device can effectively achieve regional hypothermia and could be beneficial for patients with cerebral ischemia during the acute phase

Three-Dimensional Brain Images in Preterm Children With Periventricular Leukomalacia

To investigate the use of three-dimensional (3D) brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate in preterm children with periventricular leukomalacia. Materials and Methods: Semiautomated 3D classification of the gray and white tissues was used to reconstruct brain images of patients with confirmed periventricular leukomalacia from 2D MRI. Results: We studied 14 preterm patients. The gestational age ranged from 25–37 weeks. The corrected age ranged from 5–49 months. We reconstructed the gray matter, white matter, and ventricles in order to analyze the brain volume. Conclusion: Three-dimensional MRI is a good tool that can be used to demonstrate brain lesions in stereo and differentiate the gray matter, white matter, and ventricles. Brain volume can also be accurately evaluated

Short-term Sulpiride Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Tourette Syndrome or Chronic Tic Disorder

Tourette syndrome (TS) is characterized by motor and vocal tics, and its diagnosis is based on clinical criteria. Dopamine-blocking neuroleptics are regarded as the most effective drugs for the treatment of TS. Sulpiride is a selective dopamine D2 antagonist. However, only one study with a large number of patients has reported the effect of treatment of TS with sulpiride. The purpose of this study was to evaluate prospectively the effect of sulpiride treatment of children and adolescents with TS or chronic tic disorder. Methods: The inclusion criteria were patients who fulfilled the diagnosis of TS or chronic tic disorder, and who had not received previous treatment. The severity of TS was assessed by the Yale Global Tic Severity Score (YGTSS) every 2 weeks for a total of 6 weeks. The patients started treatment with low-dose sulpiride according to their age on the first visit. The adverse effects of sulpiride were evaluated by subjective complaints from the patients themselves or their parents. The change in scores between each assessment point was analyzed by repeated measures one-way analysis of variance, with SPSS version 12.0 software. Results: One hundred and eighty-nine patients were enrolled. Their average age was 8.0 ± 2.5 years (range, 3–15 years). Most patients were male (n = 165, 87.3%). Six weeks' treatment significantly improved motor tics (p < 0.05), vocal tics (p < 0.05) and total YGTSS (p < 0.05). The most commonly encountered adverse effect was sedation (n = 31, 16.4%). Conclusion: Sulpiride is effective for short-term treatment of children and adolescents with TS or chronic tic disorder, and has few adverse effects

The Changes of Cerebral Morphology Related to Aging in Taiwanese Population

<div><p>A cross-sectional study with the 3-dimensional (3D) MRI reconstruction technique was conducted to investigate cerebral complexity changes related to age differences in native Taiwanese population. In our sample of 85 participants aged between 25 and 81, age was associated with gradual ventricular expansion. A nonlinear quadratic relationship between white matter volume and age was found overall in the brain. Widespread age-related reduction in white matter was detected from late adulthood onwards. However, no significant age-related changes in the cortex and whole brain volume were determined throughout adulthood. These findings provided information in describing brain structural complexity, which might in the future serve as an objective diagnostic index or as a predictive parameter for neurological diseases. Our method then may be used for cross-cultural longitudinal studies to evaluate the effect of disease, environment and aging on the brain.</p> </div

Regression models.

a.<p>ref.: reference group.</p>b.<p>LRT: likelihood ratio test, for testing the non-linear the association between age and dependent variables.</p

Three-dimensional reconstruction neuroimages of brain at different structures (vertical view).

<p>Three-dimensional reconstruction neuroimages of brain at different structures (vertical view).</p

The relationship between age and average whole brain volume.

<p>The whole brain volume  = 1008.13+146.08× sex; male  = 1, female  = 0.</p

The relationship between age and average white matter volume.

<p>The volume of white matter  = −0.09× age²+9.85× age+41.76× sex+152.56; male  = 1, female  = 0.</p