Ceruloplasmin/Transferrin Ratio Changes in Alzheimer's Disease

The link between iron and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been mainly investigated with a focus on the local accumulation of this metal in specific areas of the brain that are critical for AD. In the present study, we have instead looked at systemic variations of markers of iron metabolism. We measured serum levels of iron, ceruloplasmin, and transferrin and calculated the transferrin saturation and the ceruloplasmin to transferrin ratio (Cp/Tf). Cp/Tf and transferrin saturation increased in AD patients. Cp/Tf ratios also correlated positively with peroxide levels and negatively with serum iron concentrations. Elevated values of ceruloplasmin, peroxides, and Cp/Tf inversely correlated with MMSE scores. Isolated medial temporal lobe atrophy positively correlated with Cp/Tf and negatively with serum iron. All these findings indicate that the local iron accumulation found in brain areas critical for AD should be viewed in the frame of iron systemic alterations

In and around the optic chiasm: a pictorial review of neuroimaging

The optic chiasm is a key anatomical structure along the visual pathway, situated at the crossroads between optic nerves and tracts. A wide range of diseases can affect the optic chiasm and its surrounding strategic region at the base of the brain. Management strategies for optic chiasm abnormalities vary substantially, depending on the abnormalities revealed on neuroimaging. Scant attention has been paid to date to comprehensive classification of neuroimaging manifestations of optic chiasm abnormalities. We comprehensively review and present the imaging findings in a wide spectrum of pathologies originating from or involving the optic chiasm. This review will aid in differentiating the many neuroimaging appearances of lesions in this region

ATP7B Variants as Modulators of Copper Dyshomeostasis in Alzheimer's Disease

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Clinical neuroimaging markers of response to treatment in mood disorders.

Mood disorders (MD) are important and frequent psychiatric illness. The management of patients affected by these conditions represents an important factor of disability as well as a significant social and economic burden. The "in-vivo" studies can help researchers to understand the first developmental events of the pathology and to identify the molecular and non-molecular targets of therapies. However, they have strong limitations due to the fact that human brain circuitry can not be reproduced in animal models. In addition, these neural pathways are difficult to be selectively studied with the modern imaging (such as Magnetic Resonance and Positron Emitted Tomography/Computed Tomography) and non-imaging (such as electroencephalography, magnetoencephalography, transcranial magnetic stimulation and evoked potentials) methods. In comparison with other methods, the "in-vivo" imaging investigations have higher temporal and spatial resolution compared to the "in-vivo" non-imaging techniques. All these factors make difficult to fully understand the aetiology and pathophysiology of these disorders, and consequently hinder the analysis of the effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies, which have been demonstrated effective in clinical settings. In this review, we will focus our attention on the current state of the art of imaging in the assessment of treatment efficacy in MD. We will analyse briefly the actual classification of MD; then we will focus on the "in vivo" imaging methods used in research and clinical activity, the current knowledge about the neural models at the base of MD. Finally the last part of the review will focus on the analysis of the main markers of response to treatment

Imaging and Genomic Classification of Brain Alteration Induced By Gustatory Bitter Stimulus, A Pilot Study

Objectives: Despite the exhaustive information concerning the role of physiological structures involved in gustatory stimuli, there is still a need to clarify as to whether the gustatory sense is processed in the human brain and how different kind of gustatory stimuli affect brain areas involved in taste processing. To characterize the networks that can be involved in shaping the properties of the gustatory pathways. Materials and Methods: In this fMRI study we investigated two populations characterized by their opposite response (sensitive/non-sensitive) to bitter gustatory stimulus induced by propylthiouracil molecule (PROP). In the MRI experiment PROP was delivered to the subjects by an impregnated filter paper disk. The individuals recruited for this study are 5 super-testers and 8 non-testers to the bitter stimulus. The procedure defines two different groups of subjects “non-taster” and super-taster” which take part to the fcMRI experimental stud Functional data, acquired by a GE Medical Signa 1.5Tesla HD Optima Scanner, were processed with SPM12 toolbox and network pathways were analysed using the CONN toolbox. The general linear model (GLM) technique was applied by allowing for statistical evaluation of activation. Low oscillation of Bold signals [0.09:0.9 Hz] time series were processed by calculating the semi partial correlation index between voxels; the integrated connectivity contrast measure was applied for connectivity map calculation. All contrasts were examined with a voxel wise t-test (p<0.05 uncorrected). We examined activations using the four hubs of the Default Mode Network of the brain, as crucial seeds for the connectivity analysis. A dissimilarity contrast matrix between non-taster e super-tester subjects (between-subjects contrast) and between the two conditions of the bitter stimulus submission and no stimulus submission adopted in the fMRI experiment was created. DMN ROIs projection towards the Brodmann areas were detected with t-test significance test. Results: In our fMRI study the areas of Insula, Cingulate Cortex, Somatosensory Associative Cortex, Entorhinal Cortex, Premotor Cortex Area are correlated to the four DMN areas during the bitter stimuli processing more in super tester than in the control population. Discussion: The bitter taste is differently processed by the two groups of supertasters and non-testers and our results suggests further tests, increasing the population and making different hypothesis in order to encompass the main gustatory pathways and their correlations and differentiation in processing and interpreting gustatory information. Conclusion: It seems likely that further studies are needed to address the possible reasons of this difference between these population. A working hypothesis can privilege an evolutionary differentiation between these two populations, as the correct appreciation of bitter taste can be an advantageous step in peering through possible dangerous tastes in a primitive setting

Radiation dose and image quality of computed tomography of the supra-aortic arteries: A comparison between single-source and dual-source CT Scanners

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to compare the image quality and radiation dose delivered to patients during computed tomography (CT) angiography (CTA) of the supra-aortic arteries using two single-source (SS) and two dual-energy (DE) CT scanners. Material and methods: In this retrospective study, 120 patients who underwent CTA of supra-aortic arteries were studied using four different types of CT scanners: a sixteen and forty-detector-row SS and two DE CT scanners. Seventy milliters of contrast medium were injected at a flow rate of 4. mL/s using a power injector. For each patient the dose-length product (DLP), the volume computed tomography dose index (CDTIvol), the length of the scan and the effective dose (ED) were calculated. Qualitative and quantitative [image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)] image quality assessment was performed. Results: A statistically significant lower value of the DE compared to the SS technology (P <. 0.0001) for the CDTI, DLP and ED was found, whereas we did not find any statistically significant difference between the four scanners for the measurements of the image noise, SNR and CNR. Conclusion: DS CT scanners allow performing CTAs with a reduced dose compared to SS CT scanner with comparable image quality

Absence of epicardial coronary stenosis in patients with systemic sclerosis with severe impairment of coronary flow reserve

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is known to be characterised by a diffuse microvascular pathological process leading to cutaneous and visceral changes and to related clinical manifestations. Both necropsy studies and in vivo investigations have shown that in a number of patients with SSc there is evidence of a coronary microvascular disease, while coronary artery disease does not exceed that seen in a control group. In particular, myocardial perfusion defects on thallium-201 scintigraphy usually occur in the absence of angiographic evidence of coronary stenosis. Recently, we used a new and non-invasive method of contrast enhanced, transthoracic, second harmonic echo Doppler in patients with SSc to evaluate the coronary flow reserve (CFR), a functional variable measuring the ability of the coronary microvasculature to adapt its lumen to a vasodilating stimulus