Limb Preference Changes after Focused-Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Tremor.

Background: Magnetic resonance-guided focused-ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy is an effective treatment for essential and other tremors. It targets the ventrointermedius (Vim) nucleus, which is the thalamic relay in a proprioceptive pathway, and contains kinesthetic cells. Although MRgFUS thalamotomy reduces some risks associated with more invasive surgeries, it still has side effects, such as balance and gait disturbances; these may be caused by the lesion impacting proprioception.

Microstructural Abnormalities of the Dentatorubrothalamic Tract in Cervical Dystonia.

Background: The dentatorubrothalamic tract (DRTT) remains understudied in idiopathic cervical dystonia (CD), despite evidence that the pathway is relevant in the pathophysiology of the disorder.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the DRTT in patients with CD using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based tractography.

Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging scans from 67 participants were collected to calculate diffusion tractography metrics using a binary tractography-based DRTT template.

Xrp1 is a transcription factor required for cell competition-driven elimination of loser cells.

The elimination of unfit cells from a tissue is a process known in Drosophila and mammals as cell competition. In a well-studied paradigm "loser" cells that are heterozygous mutant for a haploinsufficient ribosomal protein gene are eliminated from developing tissues via apoptosis when surrounded by fitter wild-type cells, referred to as "winner" cells. However, the mechanisms underlying the induction of this phenomenon are not fully understood.