Rat Default Mode Network.

<p>When the bilateral seed was placed in the Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex approximately Bregma in mm: +/-0.5; 2.5; 1.7 the DMN was distinguished. Axial rat brain images are sorted from left to right in rostral to caudal order. The image to the far left shows positive color-coded FC-values in pre limbic cortex, infra limbic cortex, orbital cortex and cingulate cortex. The two middle images show positive FC-values in cingulate cortex, septal nuclei. Also, note the bilateral anticorrelated color-coded regions in the motor-sensory cortical region throughout the images. Note the lack of signal in hippocampus. FC-values are displayed with a pseudo-colored scale bar; with increments of 0.2 each designated a color (see the color-bar in the image).</p

Education Nonprofit Organization: A Hierarchical Decision Modeling Tool for State Engagement Choice

Decision models can be useful in various industries. In this project, a hierarchical decision model (HDM) is employed to assist a nonprofit organization called “eKnow” that is concerned with improving high-speed internet access to American schools. When initially launched, eKnow’s engagement decisions were based on immediate opportunities and educational or political connections in particular states. Now, after having already worked a number of states, decision criteria have matured. Over the winter of 2017/2018, eKnow is working to identify which which states to enter next. The purpose of this study was to assist eKnow in their effort by helping to identify and define the most relevant decision criteria and then to use those criteria in an HDM-based prioritization of five states by subject matter experts at eKnow. This result is then available to assist decision makers move forward

Human Dorsal Basal Ganglia Network.

<p>A dorsal basal ganglia network in the human brain was defined by placing a bilateral seed in Talairach coordinates in mm: +/-21; 0; 7. Top left image displays an axial, top right a sagittal and bottom image a coronal view of the human brain. Note the possitive FC-values of the bilateral putamen, as well as the supplementary motor area in the axial view, the unilateral sagittal view of putamen, and the coronal bilateral view of putamen. FC-values are displayed with a pseudo-colored scale bar; with increments of 0.2 each designated a color (see the color-bar in the image).</p

Human Ventral Basal Ganglia Network.

<p>A bilateral seed placed in Talairach coordinates in mm: +/-14; 5; -8 revealed the ventral basal ganglia network. Top left image displays an axial, top right a sagital and bottom image a coronal view of the human brain. Note the possitive FC-values of the bilateral nucleus accumbens in the axial view, the unilateral sagittal view of nucleus accumbens and the possitive FC-values in the caudate as well as putamen, and the coronal bilateral view of nucleus accumbens as well as lower possitive FC-values indicating a part of the ventromedial prefrontal cortical region. FC-values are displayed with a pseudo-colored scale bar; with increments of 0.2 each designated a color (see the color-bar in the image).</p

Regions of interest (ROIs).

<p>(A) Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps and (B) T2 weighted images with examples of ADC lesion and T2 lesion ROIs (red). (C) Cerebral blood flow (CBF) maps. (D) CBF maps with ADC overlay. ROIs used to examine the CBF of the Ischemic Core (cyan) were drawn initially in ADC maps at 60 min after reperfusion and subsequently transferred to CBF maps. ROIs delineating the Penumbra (white), regions supplied by the anterior cerebral artery (purple), and regions supplied by the posterior cerebral artery (yellow) were drawn in CBF maps.</p

Rat Ventral Basal Ganglia Network.

<p>This network was detected by placing the bilateral seed in approximately Bregma in mm: +/-1.5; 6.5; 1.7. Axial rat brain images are sorted from left to right in rostral to caudal order. The image to the far left shows bilateral lower positive FC-values in prefrontal cortex, and bilateral higher positive FC-values in the nucleus accumbens. The middle image shows bilateral positive FC-values in nucleus accumbens, and lower positive FC-values in medial caudate putamen as well as prefrontal cortex. The image to the far right shows positive FC-values in nucleus accumbens and lower positive FC-values in caudate putamen. FC-values are displayed with a pseudo-colored scale bar; with increments of 0.2 each designated a color (see the color-bar in the image).</p

Study design outline.

<p>Three groups of animals were subjected to different durations of Middle Cerebral Artery M2 segment occlusion (M2CAO); Short 90 min M2CAO, Intermediate 180 min M2CAO, or Extended 600 min M2CAO. Animals were examined longitudinally with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) during M2CAO and after in-bore recanalization of the occluded vessel (reperfusion).</p

Preserved Collateral Blood Flow in the Endovascular M2CAO Model Allows for Clinically Relevant Profiling of Injury Progression in Acute Ischemic Stroke

<div><p>Interventional treatment regimens have increased the demand for accurate understanding of the progression of injury in acute ischemic stroke. However, conventional animal models severely inhibit collateral blood flow and mimic the malignant infarction profile not suitable for treatment. The aim of this study was to provide a clinically relevant profile of the emergence and course of ischemic injury in cases suitable for acute intervention, and was achieved by employing a M2 occlusion model (M2CAO) that more accurately simulates middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion in humans. Twenty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to Short (90 min), Intermediate (180 min) or Extended (600 min) transient M2CAO and examined longitudinally with interleaved diffusion-, T2- and arterial spin labeling perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging before and after reperfusion. We identified a rapid emergence of cytotoxic edema within tissue regions undergoing infarction, progressing in several distinct phases in the form of subsequent moderation and then reversal at 230 min (p < 0.0001). We identified also the early emergence of vasogenic edema, which increased consistently before and after reperfusion (p < 0.0001). The perfusion of the penumbra correlated more strongly to the perfusion of adjacent tissue regions than did the perfusion of regions undergoing infarction (p = 0.0088). This was interpreted as an effect of preserved collateral blood flow during M2CAO. Accordingly, we observed only limited recruitment of penumbra regions to the infarction core. However, a gradual increase in infarction size was still occurring as late as 10 hours after M2CAO. Our results indicate that patients suffering MCA branch occlusion stand to benefit from interventional therapy for an extended time period after the emergence of ischemic injury.</p></div

The recruitment of the penumbra to the ischemic core.

<p>(A) The progression of absolute growth of the ischemic lesion, defined by the decrease of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), during M2 occlusion (M2CAO), presented as means and standard deviations (SD) for all 25 animals in the Short, Intermediate and Extended M2CAO groups. (B) The growth of the ADC lesion, presented as means and standard deviations of the percentage of the perfusion deficit volume at the initial examination in the Short (n = 4 animals), Intermediate (n = 7) and Extended M2CAO groups (n = 6).</p

Seed placement in rat for; DMN, motor network, dorsal basal ganglia network, and ventral basal ganglia network.

<p>Seed placement in rat for; DMN, motor network, dorsal basal ganglia network, and ventral basal ganglia network.</p